Crazy Kindle Cover

My mother is permanently attached to her Kindle like my kids are to their cell phones.  So what do you give the woman who has everything for her birthday (especially since the last gift was an Amazon card)?  A crazy quilted Kindle cover!

I researched a few tutorials online and came up with my own design for this thing.
There is a pocket for the Kindle when not in use:

And corners to hold it while you read:

Elastic keeps it all together when in "storage mode."  The elastic I used is not beautiful, but by that point I was ready to pull my hair out and elected to just make do.

I tatted the orange and turquoise laces.  The whole thing is made from quilting cotton so it will wear better than something made from satin, silk, and other fancies.   The colors are much brighter than what I usually use for anything, but are perfect for my mom.

Close-up of lace and silk ribbon roses

I am planning on making a pattern for this cover in general, but leaving the embellishment ideas up to the seamstress.  I will probably also make a few for my Etsy store. 
I've never wanted a Kindle because I love to hold a book in my hand.  I might be tempted to change my mind, though, if I had a cool cover!

The whole thing when laid flat (the butterfly is a pin-no I didn't make it).

Updated 6/13:  See Etsy for the Vintage Lace eReader Cover I have for sale & check back soon for a pattern!

June CQJP

This is my June block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (for more info, click the button on the left sidebar).  I am mostly happy with it.  It's just the tops on the left that are leaving something to be desired.  But since I'm not sure what, I'm going to just live with them for now.  They are stitched onto felt and then appliqued on.

I am very proud of the sewing vignette.  The petite spools are 1/4" tall.  The sewing machine I stamped onto silk and heat set.  I drew on all of the notions free hand and then embroidered them using silk mori (Kreinik) and floche and flower thread from DMC.  I just discovered those last two.  Why didn't someone clue me in long ago??

By the way, this is my grandfather.  My nephew looks exactly like him.  The picture is from the mid to late 20s. He is also the gentleman in the uniform in an earlier family block from this year.  I have some really cool pictures of him as a baby and toddler in the requisite boy dress.

The 3" windmill is from an Aunt Martha transfer that I shrank.  I added the tank and fence.  When I was growing up, the neighbors had a tank like this that we used to catch tadpoles from.  Life was so much simpler then.  

I have had a lot of trouble getting the red marks from the transfer pencil to go away, but I will keep trying.

One of the first things I put on the block was the trellis using hand dyed silk ribbon and Lizbeth thread as an experiment.  It looked lonely so I embellished it with hand dyed venice lace and more silk ribbon to resemble grapes. 

I used a different color green thread to attach the leaves with the intention of the change to look like veins, but it doesn't work very well.  I will probably rethink this.

Skulls Abound

The second of the four Dia De Los Muertos blocks that I am assembling:

I must admit, these have proved to be very difficult for me.  I really don't know much about the holiday, and I do not celebrate it, so I don't have the right mind set to be creative.  I am sure these blocks will need more stuff, but I am waiting until they are put together.  That's my excuse, anyway.  The fabrics are too busy for much embellishment.
This is my pinata.  It may still need a stick for hitting.  The silk ribbons at the top are supposed to look like streamers.

The tatted cross is the same one, in a different thread, that I made for my last CQJP block.  It goes together pretty quickly and is a nice little cross. 

This skull is made from an Embroidery Library download.  The velvet ribbon is hand dyed and the flowers are from Offray. 

I am very open to suggestions on these blocks.  Ideas? 

New Old Treasure

I recently acquired this beauty from a lady who is downsizing her collections of Stuff.  She was told it was a doll quilt when she bought it, and is circa 1890.  I can certainly imagine a young lady making this as a sampler of sorts.  It is mostly velvets, but has been worn away with time and use.  It is still a beautiful example of crazy quilting.

What Victorian era quilt is complete without a fan?  There is, of course, the requisite seam work on each blade of the fan.  I am enjoying copying these designs on my own quilts.  The real thing is so much better than copying from a book.  Of course, I do have way more books than any sane person should have.

This motif looks like a sunflower to me.  The fabric to the left is a threadbare rose colored velvet and the one below was a gold and orange striped velvet. 

And what girl of Scottish descent can resist the thistle?  One of them has apparently blown away in time, but you can still see where it was.  The background was orange and to the right looks to be an olive green.

Possibly forget-me-nots?  The purple above is still very vibrant.

This is the back.  It is mostly the fabric on top, with a smaller band of the other.  Both were black, now faded to grey.  I think the backing on a quilt can be just as interesting as the top.

May Crazy Quilt Journal Project Block

I love May.  Besides being my birth month, it's not too hot, not too cold, the flowers are blooming, and the garden has new things to discover every day.
Have you ever found that with a crazy quilt you made?  Whenever I look back at a block, I "discover" something new.
This is my 5th block for the 2013 CQJP:

The little girl is my grandmother, circa 1918. As you can see, I tatted a tiny flower for her and embroidered a duck pull toy.  The frame was pinked with my awesome vintage pinking machine and embroidered in an aesthetic style. 

I also tatted the cross from a pattern in Tatting Collage by Lindsay Rogers.  I had originally planned to put it below the picture, but it was too dark.  The lace that it landed on is from my stash of antiques, as is the flower and leaf surrounded by silk ribbon french knots.  Check my etsy page for an awesome holder for your tatting needles, hand made out of Texas mesquite.

The mixing bowl and rolling pin are my own design.  And yes, I do use a vintage wooden rolling pin with green handles.  I think old things should also have a function.  The mixing bowl reminds me of some of the Pyrex bowls that have been passed down to me.

 

Last but not least, my little tractor.  We do not use John Deere, but love International Harvester.  The design is from an Aunt Martha.  I had to shrink it quite a bit to fit, but it was a lot easier than trying to draw one.

Updates & Fixes

You will probably recognize these two blocks from the last few weeks.  I think I have fixed the problem spots.

Finished

Before

 

 

The first is my CQJP April block.  My son thought the boots and hat needed to be filled in, and he was right.  But we can just let that be our little secret.










Remember the problem with the Dia de los Muertos blocks?  It just needed more something.  I played around with lace roses and other ideas.  Then I stared at pictures of altars for Day of the Dead and decided on a candle.  This is the result:

I found a Sacred Heart picture and designed and printed a candle on printer fabric, then appliqued the glow of the flame and embroidered the flame itself.

Before

Bad Blogger!

I know, I haven't posted in two weeks.  It's not that I haven't been busy, just that I've been too busy to take pictures!  And at that, the ones I am posting today do not do justice to my hard work. 
My good friend Lisa regularly participates in a local annual show/fundraiser on Fat Tuesday.  This year she invited me to share her booth space, so I am rushing to get some simple projects finished.  I am planning on selling fat quarters, embellished throw pillows, and lace motifs made with my embroidery machine.  Not sure about anything else.  It's hard to squeeze a lot in with work and all of the activities my children are in. 

I bought these cute crocheted hearts at an estate sale.  I dyed two to go with some fabric that was handed down from my aunt and cousin.  These will be the two bright pillows that I'm making.  The other stuff is more muted.  I come from a long line of pack rats (hoarders sounds so ugly!) and am blessed that at least two of them occasionally decide they have too much stuff and pass it on to me.  The last several months have seen lots of of fabric, notions, and embellishments come my way.  Case in point, these fabrics and the awesome green flower pin on the blue pillow.  I actually got two of the pins.  One is staying with me.  I love the color.

Just a few of the embroidered pieces.  There are also locks and keys, birds, rabbits, hearts, etc. 

I will try to be more diligent in posting.  I know that I hate checking on a blog that hasn't been written on in forever.

First Block...Finished??

I think this block is finished.  It just seems like it still needs something.  I think it is because of the muted colors.  I am used to the vividness and contrast of the other quilt.  Any suggestions for additions?  After the whole thing is assembled (a looooong time from now), I may add some beads and more buttons for embellishment.  I am hesitant to do that until after all the blocks are sewn together, though, because I think it will be more difficult to work with if I add them before.  By the way, the block is 6 x 12.

 My little drum was very sad so I added some flowers to spruce it up.  The drum was my first foray into silk floss.  Yummm (she says with dreamy, far away eyes).

The teacup was my second try at silk floss.  It was just as good as the first time, so I guess the ease of it wasn't a fluke.  Unfortunately, I used the whole skein of green.  The little flower was cut off from a venise motif and dyed.

 The little girl in the picture is my great grandmother, Maggie Dukes Brown.  She is with her baby brother and parents in a circa 1900 photograph.  I am planning to use family pictures of children in the quilt.  This picture was originally a lot smaller and it just wasn't working, so I blew it up some more and ended up appliqueing it on.

This motif was inspired by Brian Haggerd.  Along with the Kreinik floss, Santa brought me his newest book.

Have you ever noticed that when you get something new (or want something) that you suddenly see that item everywhere?  Whenever my husband gets a new vehicle, he is suddenly able to point out everything similar in a 2 mile radius.  That is exactly how I am with this piece of lace.  I found it in an antique shop in Goliad, Texas (Hanging Tree Antiques--check them out if you are in the area, these are super nice people).  There are several pieces of it that equal a few yards.  Anyway, in the couple of weeks since I bought it, I have seen it online in at least 4 other blocks.  Then when the husband and I went to Goliad for Market Days on the 12th, we went back to the Hanging Tree and and I found another length of lace which has the above lace as an insertion.

2013 Block One in Progress

I really, really don't like cold weather.  I live in South Texas where the temperature is in the 90s six months of the year.  Three months are in the 80s, two in the 70s, and one in the 60s.  This 40-50 degree weather we've had lately is positively killing me.  I don't know how those of you who have four real seasons deals with it.  I mean, I can see the beauty of having seasons.  Leaves changing colors, the flowers blooming in the spring, etc.  That would be awesome.  But I hate being cold!!! 

And the worst part is not being able to sew.  My studio is housed in a portable building in the backyard.  Since it's not cold 98% of the time, it does not have heat.  I could take out a portable heater, but with all the fabric and stuff it just doesn't seem very safe.  I have one overhead florescent light.  Did you know that those lights will not come on when it's cold??  So when I get home from work after 5 and it's already dusk, I can't see to sew!  Plus it's cold!!!!  For a week I have wanted to put together a crazy block to give me something to embroider as I sit wrapped in blankets on my bed.  It would take my mind off the shivering.  On Saturday I was finally able to sneak out when there was enough daylight to assemble a block.  Go, me!!  I should have made a few, but that was all the time I could spare.

 
While I have the idea for the finished wall hanging in my head, I hadn't thought much about colors and such.  As I slapped the block together, the colors came out.  It will be muted colors and a lot of browns.  I will be embellishing with the same.  The next question is what theme I will use for the patch embroidery.  Suggestions would very welcome at this point.  The middle block will be adapted from Helen Scott's bonnet girls and will be a turn of the century family of five in the parlor.  The crazy blocks will include antique pictures of families and children.  My first inclination is to embroider toy motifs.  Would it seem odd to add things like sewing, cooking, and more manly pursuits?  I think I spend too much time over-thinking things.  And yes, I think about that, too. 

I am including pictures of one of my Christmas gifts.  It's a Craftsman pink 12" tool tote.  I will use it for hauling around my "work-in-progress" from room to room.  I haven't loaded it up yet, but probably will tonight now that I have a block ready for handwork.  It is a very, very pretty shade of pink with lots of pockets that I can lose things in. 
 

End of the Journey?

I am calling it done.  Except I forgot to put on the label I made.  Please leave a comment!  Positive, negative, suggestions, observations, anything.  I love feedback, it's how I learn and grow. 

This was definitely a learning experience.  And I must say, the finishing (border, backing) was the most difficult part.  Much more so than making and embellishing the blocks.  Before you read further, I do not receive anything for linking to store sites.  I simply do it because I like to know what people use and where they get their supplies, so I assume others do, too. 

I tied the quilt with Petunia 2mm silk ribbon, hiding the the knots.  I went through the backing and the foundation fabric because I did not want the ribbon to show on the front.  I buy most of my silk ribbon from silkribbon.com.  Their ribbon takes dye very nicely.  They are reasonably priced and ship very, very quickly. 

This is the "soaring bird" from Urban Threads.  I also have the "floral fascinator" on another block, but the picture came out way too fuzzy.  You can see it in the top right corner in the picture of the whole quilt.  This was my first foray into Urban Threads freestanding lace designs and I am very happy with the results.  I bought a few other downloads that I am looking forward to making up.

I also purchased several pieces of lace from Sew-Biz Fabrics to dye. They are very reasonable and also ship very quickly. For someone who lives in the middle of no where, that is super important. These I finished with buttons from my small stash (hand me downs from grandmothers and other places), from Roxann, and from my aunt. Check out the cameo button from Aunt Tricia. It is my hands-down favorite.

No News is Not Good News

I know, I haven't blogged in a while.  I am really stuck on the crazy quilt.  I finally have the back on and now I need to pin it and tie it.  Decisions, decisions.  Do I tie to the front and risk making the embroidery look messy?  Do I tie to the back and leave the little ends?  Do I try to hide the ends?  Do I match the thread to the backing?  Do I use something that contrasts?  Argh!!!!!  I don't need this pressure!!!

This is where I am now: 

As you can see, it really needs pressing and, of course, the tying.  The colors are so much more vivid than they look in the picture, or maybe it's my screen. 

In the middle of the madness, I am working on a customer's t-shirt quilt, which is really the main focus.  I like quilting for others and I really like making the extra money, especially at this time of the year.  But this darn crazy is making me, well, crazy!!

I am entering it in the Corpus Christi quilt show in February of 2013.  Just because my husband said it was ugly. 

And in the midst of all the hair pulling over finishing the darn thing, I have discovered the Crazy Quilt Journal Project for 2013.  I am seriously thinking about doing this.  It is a sickness, is it not?  There is no prize, just people around the world committing to making a crazy quilt block no smaller than 6" square of 36" in area each month for 12 months.  Simple, right?  Well, in theory it should be.  But now I'm obsessing on a theme.  And a block size.  I don't even want to consider how I will put it all together at the end. 

What do you think?  I am not making anything as big as my current project.  It will likely be a 9" block to make a simple wall hanging or table topper.  I have considered putting the twelve blocks around a themed center and I have two ideas for the center.  One would be the large piece of peacock lace that I wanted to use on the current quilt.  It is about 18" tall and 8" wide.  I would love to use that thing, but I have a lot of peacock stuff on the this quilt and I am not sure I want to do the same thing on the next. 

The other idea is to use something from Bonnet Girls as the center.  I have had one of Helen Scott's book forever (years and years) and have not used it.  Another thing on my list of stuff to accomplish.  Some people's bucket list has bungee cords and trips to Antarctica.  Mine includes a crazy quilt and a lone star. 

Of course, there is also Brian Haggard's new book, Embroidered Memories that I can't wait to see.  I could make a monochromatic design with more of a aesthetic, Eastlake feel to it. 

And because I love all things Victorian, a quilt focusing on things likes hats, shoes, and other accessories would be really cute. 

Last but not least (ok, probably not really the last, either), is something featuring needle tatting in the center. 

Please, please leave a comment and give me your ideas and feedback!! 

The Saga Continues

Hello from the insane asylum!  Just wanted to keep you updated on my non-progress on the crazy quilt.

This is what it looks like now:

This is my trusty seam ripper, almost down to the nub:

And this is me, with blood dripping seam ripper and all my hair standing on end with red eyes:

In other words, I'm having trouble getting the the stupid thing square with the borders on and the back straight.  I will be ripping again tonight.  I am determined to get the back on soon.  Yes, I know "soon" isn't exactly a deadline, but so many things (read "life") happens around my house that I have to take my moments to sew and rip where I can.  I have to take a picture of the monstrosity to enter in a February show.  The entry is due November 8th.  I don't think they will accept that top picture. 
Keep the quilt and me in your prayers!