Art Deco for Avery

I love art deco--buildings in South Beach and Tulsa (okay, I've never been there but I love the pictures) make me happy. I think sometime it would be fun to do an "art deco" quilt. This one has nothing to do with art deco, of course, other than the fact that Dolce, by Tanya Whelan, is filled with art deco motifs.

My long-time friend (since junior high!) had a baby girl earlier this year. I made her a quilt for her daughter--she picked the Dolce fabrics, the color scheme (pink with a bit of black), and the style, squares in squares. I threw in the gray and a bit of green. The fabrics didn't speak to me initially, but I really liked the result, and it was fun to collaborate on the project.  Merry Christmas, baby A. I hope I get to meet you soon!

ps. scroll down for a look at my 2010 projects!

Adios, 2010!

Its a quiet night at home for us.  We got home from California at 2:30am last night, about 27 hours later than expected. Luckily, our flight on Wednesday was cancelled while we were still at the Oakland Airport, and my parents were kind enough to pick us back up and put us up for one more night :) Today has been unpacking, unpacking, putting up a new microwave, laundry, unpacking, and cleaning.  And trying to slowly wean my son away from the iphone--each of my four siblings and their spouses have a smart phone, and they all have much cooler games and were more willing to let him play than I sometimes am.

Here are most of the quilts/projects I made this year. It makes me kind of tired just looking at them. Happy New Years Eve, everyone, and Happy Birthday to my sister Em!

1. Its Finished! Finally!, 2. A May Wedding quilt for Christmas, 3. Picnic at the park, 4. Finished 100Quilts Quilt, 5. A Whimsical Baby Quilt (100 Quilts for Christmas), 6. mug rug, 7. DC Modern Quilt Guild--The Cake, 8. Modern Charlie Brown Finished!, 9. Art Deco for Avery, 10. Dress for little tiny, 11. Bibs for baby B, 12. 100 Quilts for Christmas, 13. It's done! Community Gardens, 14. Detail 4th of July Quilt, 15. Jonah's Quilt, 16. My Sunshine Quilt is finally done and has a new home, 17. I spy quilt, 18. Pacman, Red Letter Day Style, 19. Isla Quilt, 20. Blue Skies stroller blanket, 21. Preschool Quilt View, 22. My favorite quilt, today for the BQF, 23. Save 'em, Wash 'em, Clean 'em, Squash 'em: The Mini Quilt, 24. Beltway Traffic--The Quilt, in our still green leafed tree, 25. Happy Days & Mondays

I (heart) Hart's Fabric in Santa Cruz

I wish my drive-by iPhone shoot did this store justice. Lots of new, modern fabric. Lots of older, out of print treasures, apparel and home dec fabrics, buttons and notions galore. It's pretty incredible. And the best part? After the store, we get to head to the (cold) beach. Our outfits kept getting more and more colorful as the day wore on and we added more layers. And the crazy ones went surfing in the 52 degree weather--i kept my parka and socks and shoes on and was just fine. :)

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Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve...




Family Pictures--the gang's all here! 14 people in one house = chaos, kinship, laughter, a bit of the flu, lively conversation, more competitions than you can shake a stick at (sit ups, pull ups, soccer, mini golf, this game and that game, standing on one foot--kidding on the last one), fun, lots and lots of food, adventures, games, and love.




A day trip to San Francisco for some of us--Japanese Tea Garden and de Young Art Museum in Golden Gate Park,




a drive by of the iconic bridge, and a glimpse of the beach.




I, for one, didn't stick my toes in the ocean. The water is too chilly, but it was 60 degrees--about 20 degrees warmer than our August trip.

Handmade stockings took 2nd place to 100 Quilts for Christmas this year, so we are using a rag tag collection--I for one kind of like using my childhood one. Not pictured: our rousing Christmas carol sing a long or family reading of Luke 2.




Presents wrapped (even though one of the chief present wrappers was exhausted and went to bed at 9:30...), including my I spy quilt, which I finally wrapped!




Santa stopped by, and there is a traffic jam in the living room.



Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

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Dear Santa

Santa got off easy this year :)



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In the Christmas Spirit

I hope everyone is taking some time over the next few days to feel the holiday spirit--for me, that means Christmas. I was lucky to attend two parties at church and two choir performances, one each in Virginia and California. Tonight, my mom and I went to a choir and handbell choir concert--I think that beautiful music is one of my favorite things about Christmas. My favorite song is O Come, O Come Emmanuel... do you have a favorite?

Another thing that has brought the Christmas spirit into my heart is seeing what Nancy at Dark Horse Farm Designs and her friends in Connecticut have been up to lately. Read this post and this post and enjoy seeing pictures of the beautiful quilts in process, to be donated to the Bridgeport Center for Women and Families. By all measures, Nancy has done a terrific job mobilizing her friends and family--from those who haven't sewn since Home Ec in high school to Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom fabric.  She wrote about the event, which she called Musical Squares, "It was a mad dash to get these done with wine and cheese and really great music- I can't wait to do it again in February for Valentines Day, and in the Spring with Denyse Schmidt and her Greenfield Hill Collection." Pretty stinkin cool, if you ask me! Good luck finishing everything, Nancy.

Quilts Donated & Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Winner

Today my friend Tricia folded, boxed, and donated the 43 quilts and blankets made by local quilters as part of 100 Quilts for Christmas. Doesn't this picture make you smile? Thanks, Tricia.

And the winner of the mug rug and Valentines Day inspired charm pack is #177, Jody! I hope you enjoy the fabric and the mug rug.

And finally, today my dad asked Mr. L. if I had many pictures on my phone. He said, "Yep! She especially has tons of pictures of quilts!" Thanks for the inspiration, everyone :)

Snow at home, Sun at grandma's

Every winter I get the itch to move "home." Running two miles outside in a short sleeve shirt and capris today while hearing reports of schools dismissing early due to snow at home did nothing to diminish that today :) Once a Californian, always a Californian I think.



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100 Quilts for Christmas: Results and Giveaway Winners!

*Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Post Here*

Hello friends! Between learning how to long arm quilt today, tallying up our 100 Quilts for Christmas total, picking fun giveaway winners, going to the park two days in a row with best friends that have since moved away, spending time at Grandma and Grandpa's house--its been a lovely day.

The total: I have counted at least 120 quilts donated  to date!  I know that some of these quilts would have been donated regardless, but I also know 100 Quilts for Christmas inspired me to make a quilt (or four or five) during the busiest time of the year. We'll fix that next year :) The words "thank you" seem inadequate. As a parent, I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to provide my own children with love, a home, necessities, (quilts) and so many things we all hope to be able to give to the little ones we love. I am grateful that collectively we are able to provide something warm and lovely for a little one this holiday season. So, thank you. I have a few more thank yous to give and a few more things to share, but it will have to wait until another day.

And now, the prizes. :)

1. A fat eighth pack of Heather Ross's Mendocino fabric: Natalie from School of Crafts. Here is one of her three quilts, a great variation on a coin quilt.

2. Jennifer Paganelli fabric: Sharon from Vroomans Quilts donated two quilts!

3. Something from Lindi ( Love the Day)'s shop : winner is Quilted Cupcake, who got together with friends and made twenty quilts for Project Night Night!

4. Meadowsweet FQ pack: Nancy from Dark Horse Farm Designs linked up three quilts--and I can't wait to tell you what she and her friends in Connecticut have been working on.

5. Headband from Mary at http://www.photographybydmc.blogspot.com/ : Kristie @ OCD

6. Mug Rug from Mary at Pin-Sew-Press:  Sarah at the Aftercraft (quilt below)

7. Quilting from BackPorch Quilters: Karen at Quilted Seasons (I wish I could have thrown my hat in for this one!)

8. Zipper pouch from Linda: Marci--love her great quilt below

Thank you to everyone! I would have loved to put pictures of all the "winning quilts" in this post, but alas, the computer I am using is s-l-o-w. I plan to send a note to the winners soon!

Geek Out Moment: longarm quilting

I spent 3 hours with a friend today learning how to use a long arm quilter. Do you remember being in school, and it's your last final? And you have the world's biggest smile on your face and want to do a happy dance? That is how I felt today--2 quilts (one a twin size) beautifully quilted in less than three hours. And I had SO much fun doing it.












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100 Quilts for Christmas: gratitude

**My Sew Mama Sew Giveaway post is just below this one :) **

Who would have guessed that this quilt, hanging in my closet with no home...





Would inspire me to spend hours cutting jelly rolls out of donated fabric...





Which led to quilting with friends, for hours on end. But not just at my house--all over the place. Connecticut and Tennessee and Utah to name a few.





Which led to a stack of quilts five times this size being donated to children in need all over the country.

My heart is full. My heart is happy. My heart is grateful. Thank you for helping us surpass our goal of 100 Quilts for Christmas.

I will post the tally as well as the giveaway winners tonight. I'm not at home and having trouble with the Internet (hence the post from my phone), and may or may not be spending the day learning how to quilt with a long arm machine :)

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Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Days & Final 100 Quilts for Christmas Link Up

Twice a year, Sew Mama Sew hosts a Giveaway Day, and I'm joining in the fun! I kind of gave up on holiday related sewing this month--I've spent all of my sewing time working on projects for 100 Quilts for Christmas (visit Aunt Spicy today to link up a charity quilt and/or check out the beautiful donated quilts!) 

Instead, over the weekend I pulled out a stack of pinks and reds that I have been collecting from various projects (and shops) since making this quilt. I thought it would be fun to make a Valentine's Day-ish mug rug and  include a charm pack for one of you  (41 five inch squares, various prints and kona cottons) while cutting strips for an upcoming project. 

Just leave a comment (domestic or international) and I'll randomly pick a winner the evening of December 17. The mug rug is 8.5 inches square, and made with kona pale flesh and fabrics from the Bliss, Nest, and Just Dreamy fabric lines.

Holiday Color

 A few years ago, we visited good friends in Williamsburg, Virginia--the houses in the historic district (better known as Colonial Williamsburg) have pretty exquisite holiday decorations. These are some of my favorite wreaths from the 2007 season.  Yesterday, I almost convinced myself that I wanted to drive down to Williamsburg with Mr. L. just to check out the decor. Luckily, my saner self won out. Six hours of driving in one day would have killed us. Instead, we drove around Old Town Alexandria a bit.  Here are some of my favorite captures on my phone. I hope to fix my camera for Christmas. :)

The house in the lower right hand corner had 48!!! wreaths in the windows, and the one below was my favorite house.  Happy Saturday!  My husband and daughter are coming home from a quick trip to Utah to visit Grandma and Grandpa today.

Funny, Happy, Salvage, & FAIL

Funny: I have had more than one craft fail experience lately. Maybe I'm too tired at night to do small projects, or maybe I'm just not patient enough. I tried to make this hexagon needle book, which is adorable. But mine? Not so much. It didn't quite get thrown away, but it still might. I want to try again in, oh, say February. I also sewed it up while watching Iron Man 2, one of the worst movies I've seen in some time, so maybe it was bad karma or something. My husband assured me Iron Man was much better. I'm a bit skeptical (sorry, J).

Happy: I attended Mr. L's Christmas program today... 2, 3, and 4-year-olds singing Christmas songs and acting out the Nativity will put anyone in the holiday spirit. :)


Salvage: A few months ago, I made a quilt for my son's teacher.  I had a bit of leftover fabric, enough to make the front and back of a patchwork baby quilt. I wasn't especially careful in matching up the front and back, but I figured that it wouldn't be too wonky. I quilted the quilt, put the binding on the front, and then finally realized that there was no way I was finishing the quilt as it was. It was terrible--the back was incredibly crooked. I couldn't even give it away to a thrift store. So... I cut off the binding, unpicked the quilting (miserable) and... there it sat. For months. I pulled it out this afternoon, put some khaki kona cotton on the back, and used this method to finish the quilt. Trick: I put a thin red border on the front, and voila! It kind of looks like binding. I did some really quick quilting (big squares) and it is ready to be donated as part of 100 Quilts for Christmas. (Last link up is Monday here).  Salvaged!

Fail: I really need better lighting in my house. I had a few friends over last night to finish up the last of the 100 Quilts for Christmas we started in November.  Brooke is binding a quilt, Becky finished off one of hers, Carrie put together the quilt top that Susan started (and sandwiched it too) to be given to Tricia to quilt and bind--there is a lot of collaboration among friends around here lately! This is my last quilt for a while--I finished the top last night, took it outside to take a quick iphone picture, and I gasped. How did I not know that I had mixed cream and white squares? It isn't nearly as obvious here as it is in person. Oh well. Craft Fail.

Note: Exercise has also been a total fail lately. It has been around 20 degrees in the morning, and I don't belong to a gym. I need to join a gym, because even with all of my cold weather gear, there is NO WAY I am going running or biking when its 20 degrees outside.

On Top of the World

Mr. L and I spent the day together today. It was a beautiful thing. Dad and the baby were gone, so I let Mr. L. pick the day's itinerary. His choice? He wanted to go to the top of the Washington Monument. And get hot chocolate--before lunch!  He's my kind of kid! After going to the top of the monument, we headed to Union Station to check out the Christmas tree and train exhibit. And of course, to get some hot chocolate. We ended our adventure at the US Botanic Gardens. It is one of my favorite spots in the District, and doubly so during the holidays. The gardens have literally hundreds of poinsettias, holiday miniatures of major Washington monuments and sites, a beautiful Christmas tree, and multiple trains running through miniatures of famous world landmarks--the Hagia Sophia, Eiffel Tower, and Sphinx were some of our favorite. Add the holiday decor to the warm, misty botanic garden air, and its a magical place. 

 The White House (and National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse) from the Washington Monument

Christmas Tree at Union Station, donated by Norway

(my dad lived in Norway for a few years so we thought this was pretty cool)

 

US Botanic Gardens

 The Capitol

Winners! and Fabric for the 12/13 Link Up Party

Congratulations to Laurel H, who made 15! blankets; she won the hat from Jen's Etsy Shop.  The small black and white fabric bundle will be arriving at Sarah's's house soon. Click on the links to see Laurel's impressive stack of blankets and the Sarah's cheery quilt, quilting done by her friend Pam. Thank you, ladies.

And don't forget to link up your final quilts next Monday at Aunt Spicy's--we are 2/3s of the way there!  Here are two of the four fabric bundles (a flat rate envelope full!) of fabric from Pam at DelRay Fabrics for Monday's giveaway. I've seen Pam's shelves--she has some hidden treasures! If there are a ton of quilts linked up, we'll give away all four. Otherwise, we'll save the other two for the grand prize giveaway.

Bundle One: Vintage Erin Michael: Za Za, Loft 1800, more Za Za, and Up Town. About 5 yards.

Bundle Two: Greens: Dazzle Daisy by Michael Miller, Daydreams; Supporting Cast by Ro Gregg, Anna Griffin from the Darcey Collection (thanks Jenny for the id!)  and Basic Grey/Sultry. About 5 yards of fabric.

100 Quilts for Christmas Link Up!

Welcome to our 2nd Link Up Party for 100 Quilts for Christmas!  Last week at Amy's, there were 13 link ups, but those 13 represented 29 quilts/blankets going to someone in need.  If we add the 13 finished quilts and 11 receiving blankets currently in my garage, that brings our grand total up to 53! Over half way there. I can't wait to see what you have been working on.

I'm trying to finish up this quilt for the project--the quilting looked a bit different in my head, but I think it will work out okay in the end. 


As a reminder, two winners will be drawn on Wednesday:
a hat of your choice from Jen's etsy shop (I'm partial to these two)

 

photos found here

... and a small pink or black & white fabric bundle, your choice. :)

For each quilt you link up today (and/or either of the other days), you are also eligible for the grand prize drawing here on December 15!  And don't forget our final link up party at Aunt Spicy's on December 13.


How to link up:
1. Write a blog post about your quilt or blanket, and add a link to your specific post below. If you don't have a blog, feel free to link to a picture on flickr or another photo site, or email me a picture at swimbikequilt at gmail dot com and I will link up for you.
2. If you made multiple quilts, you can either combine them into one link (but multiple prize entries) or post multiple links.
3. Consider adding your quilt to our flickr group.
4. Put a link on your post that directs people here so that others can see all of the beautiful projects, and comment on each others' posts. Its more fun that way :)

Note: I linked up a few quilts I have made, but don't worry. I'm not eligible for prizes :)