Let's hear it for the boy...

A very long  while back I blogged asking for suggestions for my oldest son who was interested in sewing.  At that time, he started a scrap wreath.  He finished it a long time ago, but I haven't blogged it.  You see, we had a deal: I blogged the wreath so he could get your adulation and he got to keep the wreath after I blogged it.  Wait...I made a terrible deal.  There was pretty much no upside for me!  That's probably why I have taken so long to blog this.  I really really want it for myself.

 And why wouldn't I?  Isn't it GREAT???  Leave your adoration thoughts in the comments...he will be reading.

Lastly I made him an eyeglasses case using some scraps and my tutorial.  We found out today that he will need glasses.  He seems pretty good with it, but everything is better with a little fabric, right?  This one will be for the bathroom to keep them from getting all steamy when he showers. 

Free Pattern! : Origami Butterflies

Well this is one of those ideas that took hold and wouldn't let go. I know it's not insanely complicated but since it was so simple for me to write a few directions, I am offering this as a free PDF download on patternspot.com...details below!

I've used the 3 dimensional flying geese to make faux cathedral windows & since I wondered about using folded fabric in a quilt design.  I thought it would be pretty to have very simple butterflies floating on the quilt .

Once I laid it out I changed my mind and decided to have the butterflies get smaller at the top...as if they are fluttering further into the sky.  These fabrics are a mix of moda bella solids (basically all the blues/greens in the warm layer cake) and some kona solids I won during the monochrome quilt challenge.

Since I love pattern and texture I decided to do a free motion sampler on this quilt.  I stitched in the ditch to secure everything and then used the tutorials at the Free Motion Quilting Project as well as my current repertoire of FMQ designs.  I tried to make something different in each square.  At the end I did 1 or 2 repeats just to finish.  I also played with scale of the same designs for a few squares. 

Some were very bad (I still haven't ruled out the seam ripper on one of the darker green squares).  Some were good.  Some were AMAZING.  All together, it is just a feast of texture.  I LOVE that.

I definitely found some things that I was good at (pebbling) and some things that I am not (pointy designs).  I cannot recommend this exercise enough!  I have gained so much confidence in trying new designs.  It is so worth a few ugly blocks.

Now I have another quilt design on my brain and I know a few new tricks to bring the design to life.  I don't know that I will think of quilting in the same way again...and that's a good thing!

Here are some of my favorites:

This was heavily inspired by Channel Weave on the FMQ Project.  It was actually pretty easy to do.  I used the tip about using an acrylic template as a guide for the straight lines from Judy at Green Fairy Quilts.  I never would have thought to do that.

I still haven't trim all the strings...too busy snuggling!

This is Mesh Curtain from FMQ project.  I love the texture of this in real life.  I think it would make a great texture for hair (hint, hint!!!).

And here are some small pebbles.  I can't believe I did that! 

I backed this quilt in an aqua flannel I got for $1.75/yard.  It is so warm- I had pucker issues in 1 or two spots...I was expecting MUCH worse.  I am definitely not scared of FMQ on flannel now.  In fact, I love how the thicker nap hid some of my quilting stitches on back.

Flannel is still flannel, though.  In addition to using a 1/2" seam allowance on my backing pieces, I decided to machine bind this because of the flannel backing.  It's not my favorite look but I felt it needed it for security.  I bound this in some Flora from Moda.  That was left over from another project you will be hearing about soon, I hope.

So...If you would like to do your own Origami Butterflies quilt, then go to patternspot and download yourself a free PDF.  As always, if you make something from one of my patterns or tutorials, I'd love to see your take on it!

I'm linking this up to Leah Day's blog linky party since it inspired me so much.

A (small) finish: Petite Odile table runner

 Recently I got the chance to work with some of the upcoming French General collection, Petite Odile.  I'm doing a home decorating tutorial for the bake shop and these were my leftovers.  It's not normally the colors I sew with, but I loved sewing with it and have loved living with it.  My decorating style is "cocoon" (not the movie about old people, just coziness and warm colors).

 I don't know why but the quilt fabric I go for is usually much more child-like and quaint.  This looks so great in my house.  I love the little details of children, buttons, redwork, and letters on the fabric...all things that speak to me.

That binding fabric is to die for.  I want to wallpaper my house in it.  For now I have to settle for curtains and a table runner!

I think I have a hoarding problem.

Do y'all ever watch that show Hoarders? It has become my netflix show. Thank goodness smellovision is not invented yet.   The house I grew up in burned down with a lot of my stuff still in it so my ability to attach to most material possessions was a little damaged...and that's a good thing. I like to throw away or donate anything that I don't feel is serving a purpose. The ONLY item I hoard is quilts.

When I first started quilting, I was pretty generous with my finished products. The problem came when I started finding quilts in the thrift stores or hearing about baby quilts I made that languished in a closet.  I made a few for a charity and when I went in the charity to help organize their attic and supply closet I noticed they shoved the handmade gifts in a hole in the top of the closet. I can't donate to them anymore because of all the beautiful knits and quilts that were treated like second class merchandise.  I also made 2 quilts for Quilts For Kids and I received a letter asking me why I never mailed them back.  The problem was that I had.  Apparently they were LOST IN THE MAIL!  Bad experiences with gifting quilts here...

Here are the quilts currently in my house...and I'm definitely missing some (ok, like 10 or more):

You can't get rid of a baby quilt for YOUR baby...

I don't like this one much anymore but it took me soooo long to collect the fabrics and the flea market fancy on back is so soft.  By the time I made peace with giving this to a friend I felt it was "used" and I didn't give it to them because I felt rude giving away a quilt I had in my living room for a year.

This one breaks out of the closet at Christmas.

My husband did not fully appreciate the awesomeness of the Dukes of Hazzard quilt...another one I spent wayyyy too long collecting fabrics for.  Still, it's his and I can't do anything with it.

Someone said they wanted this if I got tired of it (and I have) but it was my first (and only!) applique quilt and I am a lil embarrassed by it.

This is my favorite and it's too soft and perfect to get rid of.

 This is my youngest son's bed quilt.

 This was in the Moda booth at IQF (left one) so I can't get rid of it.

 This one is on my middle son's bed.

 I gave this to my youngest son.

 This won the project monochrome but the backing is ugly so I don't feel right giving it away to a friend.  Plus I like to look at it.

 This is on my bed.  My husband likes straight line quilted quilts.  This one is also on my bed because I like stippling...and I'm a cover hog.

 This one I can't get rid of because the vintage fabric was given to me by a friend and it's one of my favorites because of the simplicity.

 This one creeps me out but I didn't do the binding perfectly and I don't like the batting so I can't get rid of it.

 I made this for a baby then kept it because I didn't like the white thread on the orange backing.  I made the baby another quilt.  Yup, I'm a sicko.

I would totally get rid of this but my kids love it too much...

So you've learned:
1) I'm selfish.
2) My kids enable me.

And you know the sick, sad part???  I'm making a free motion sampler right now and you guessed it...I NEED IT. 

Y'all, I gotta do something about this.  I need to either stop quilting (yeah right) or find a better way to deal with it.  I think I've counted at least 22 quilts in rotation (I still have every moda bake shop quilt I've done, too).  I start quilts to play with an idea usually, not to give to a specific person.  Unfortunately when you quilt just to play with an idea you get too attached because you see it as belonging to you and not for a recipient.  What do you guys do with your quilts?  Please tell me I'm somewhat normal here.  I keep telling myself when they are all divided up between a few grandkids it won't seem so excessive, but then again I'm only 33 right now!

five years ago today.

Five years ago today, these guys came into our lives.  Today they are five.  Normally I feel excited and blessed when my children reach a birthday.  I love the party planning, getting gifts together, and celebrating their  lives.  This year is different.

It's not that I am not grateful for these two sweet boys being in our life...

It's just that now I realize my babies aren't...

you know...

babies.

And I am sad.

I will miss these times I will never ever get back.  Except the potty training. 

I didn't feel so sad with my first.  I think having twins makes things go by even quicker.  Except the potty training.

 

And by the way, I will be trying a partial feed on my blog for those using a feed reader.  I don't know if this is temporary or permanent.  I am thinking of seeking a sponsorship for this blog to help defray the costs of picture storage & tutorial supplies.   I'm not sure it's something I really want to do but if I decide to, I need to have an idea of who is actually reading in order to be fair to a potential sponsor and myself.  I hope you guys will understand.  It's not my aim to earn my living on this blog.  It's my aim to write tutorials, share what I'm up to, and sell patterns.  I don't get free fabric to do so, so this is an option I'm considering.    Feel free to let me know what you think but, if you do, please be nice about it....I have two five year olds now and you do NOT want me to unleash them on you.

not pretty enough for pinterest...

  My 3 sweet things won't be getting that perfectly photogenic Valentine's treat...

But this is way cooler than a tissue paper pom-pom, no???

Keeping it real.

Hope your Valentine's Day is a sweet one!

Dear Quilter,

Dear Quilter,
   I found this cute little Christmas quilt you made at the local goodwill.  I don't know for whom you made it, but I hope they don't get a Christmas card next year, much less an awesome little quilt....well, unless they died and their ungrateful kids donated it.  In that case, I guess they don't need a Christmas card, anyway.

The folks at goodwill argued over whether to charge me 1.99 or 99 cents.  For the record, I paid $1.99 and was happy to do so.

I noticed your awesome freemotion skills, your perfectly mitered binding, and how you joined the binding strips to make the quilt even more durable. Your whipstitch was also awesome, by the way...much better than my whipstitch, that's for sure.

I gave it to my friend Vicki, also a quilter, because she loves blue and I love her.  She also agreed it was a travesty that someone would give this to goodwill.

If it makes you feel better, the clerks who argued about how much to charge did not argue about one thing: this was an awesome quilt and someone put a lot of skill into it. 

PS, if you were the one who donated it, you are really selling yourself short.