A little bit of show and tale!

So in the past couple of weeks I have finished 3 quilts. I figured now is a good time to share them since they have been received (well all but one but the receiver knows about it!!) And then I started getting the pictures off my phone and realized that I made a 4th one last fall and never blogged about it. Maybe this should be multiple blogs but I think I can manage with one post. 

The first is the one from last fall. Hubby's cousin was expecting her first child and she wanted a custom quilt. They live in TX and are big Longhorns fans. She wanted something western but not cute-sy and she liked the colors blue and green. After sketching I came up with an idea and went for it. 

 I did the math and made it strip by strip. And pieced it together.....

Good thing Texas isn't too curvy!!

I used Pellon Batting and a fun fleece backing. 

I'm not sure why I didn't take a better picture of it but in the middle of the state, I quilted the Longhorn sign and then quilted around it until it became wavy lines. The rest was quilted on the diagonal.

I think that he enjoyed it!!

The next quilt was also a custom order. She wanted pink and grey in chevrons and dots and loved sock monkeys. Plus a name on it.

Some sketching....

And then whipping it up!

 The name is appliqued on and the monkey is a combination of applique and hand sewing. This was the basis for the monkey. I didn't use a real bow because I wanted it to be baby-safe!

Here's the finished product.

I used Pellon batting as usual and quilted the chevrons with vertical lines and quilted diagonals with the dots. I did a simple echo around her name and the monkey. Baby is due soon and I can't wait to see pics of her on it!

This next one was a quickie for my cousins baby shower. I hadn't planned on making it but I found this super cute Minky (yes I said that word) panel of the Cat in the Hat and coordinating backing so I had to throw this together!!

 I have heard of stories from others about sewing with Minky and I will never do it again! I don't care how soft it is!!! It made such a mess that I trimmed it outside. And then, with a layer of Pellon batting, it was so thick that I had to cut it down in order to bind it. Such a pain in so many ways.

 I quilted it in Aurifil black and a matching shade of blue. I outlined the cat and then sewed wavy lines between the lines of text. So stinking cute and a day project but Minky is BAD!!! lol

I have decided that this post is getting a little long so I will stop here and continue on with the Purple Monster of a Quilt in the next post!!!

Stay warm and keep on creating!!

~K

Let me introduce you to a couple of my friends.....

So this winter is the worst I think I have ever been through. Lots of things have happened- mostly for the negative and with the excess cold and other personal things going on, it has been pretty tough. I don't really have anyone to talk to about it because a couple people that I thought were my friends have really let me down....but that's another story!

So anyways, as crappy as I feel about things, there are a couple of my friends out there that are doing wonderful things for themselves and others and are fulfilling their dreams so I wanted to take a minute and tell you about them!

The first is my pal Rachel who resides over at Imagine Gnats as well as a few other places around the net. I met her online and got to hang out with her in Cincy at Maker Fair. She is even more amazing in person and her husband is awesome!! She is amazing at designing clothes patterns for women and kiddos. The thing about her stuff that I love it that it is made for people of all sizes! Not just stick people with no curves. She has a wonderful blog and shop and all sorts of goodies on her site so go check it out!

Once you see how awesome she is, take a stroll over to here. Her patterns are currently in PDF form and she is taking the next step to have them printed on paper.This is a HUGE step in the right direction for her but it doesn't come cheap. She is having a fundraiser to help cut down some of these costs. She has some amazing perks for those that donate. With your contribution you can get some of her amazing patterns and even a custom item made by her just for you!! 

So go check her out and give her some LOVE!!

The 2nd person I want to introduce you to is the Fabulous Lisa Sipes. You can read her full story here but let me tell you that she is amazing. She has long-arm quilted many fabulous quilts and won some amazing rewards. She recently moved to Philly and I don't think that town will ever be the same!!!

She has to have the biggest heart that I know. She volunteers in homeless shelters and her goal is to open a home for youth in the LGBT community. She gives selfishly of her heart and her time. She has started a campaign to raise money to put towards her dream . You can read all about it here and feel free to show her some LOVE!!

So I hoped you enjoyed meeting my friends. I promise to be back on here soon with a couple projects I have finished- 2 baby blankets and crazy purple quilt!

Take care and stay warm!!

~K