Sew Mama Sew Giveaway

It’s that time again. Sew Mama Sew is organizing a giveaway on the grand scale – lots of goodies to be had!

I’m giving away one of my Kindle Touch sleeves.

Here it is from the back:

And a peek at the inside:

If you’d like to be entered in the drawing, just leave a comment suggesting a good summer read. Or, just say hi.

The comments will remain open until May 25, 5 pm PST. I’ll email the winner no later than Sunday, May 27. (Please, do be sure your comment either links to your email or includes an email address so I can contact you if you win!)

For those that would like to make a sleeve of your own, you can find the tutorial for making these over in the list of tutorials on the side. If you’d prefer a pdf version that includes a sweet little bird applique (virtue of AccuQuilt GO!), you can download it for free over at PatternSpot. (Also, this earlier blog entry pictures a few other sleeves I made using this pattern).

And for those who either follow my blog or are interested, in a couple days I’ll be posting a look at a new iPad sleeve I’m making up – nothing too fancy, I admit, but designed to be a little more on the go, with a back zipper pocket and an over-the-shoulder strap. You’ll see. Here’s a few peeks in process.

The front flap (with cute kitties):

The back (with a zipper pocket for a wallet and stuff):

And a front under-the- flap pocket for a stylus (or whatever):

But enough of that for now. Let the games begin – and good luck with the giveaways!

Yipee!

Grades are in!  Grades are in!  Grades are in! 

Oh frabjulous day, coolah, coolay!

I’ll finally plant my garden, put flowers in my pots, unearth my sewing room, prepare my office for wood floors . .  .

It was just one of those semesters.  I barely entered my sewing room.  My 11 Project Progress Plan quilts are not progressing.  But that is all about to change. 

So, in the spirit of things (I hope) to come, here’s the little log cabin swap quilt I made:

With a little mug rug that went along with:

There was a little pincushion, too, but I lost that picture.

But here’s something else.  At the moment, my favorite coffee stop has some of my minis up for display and sale.  It’s just kind of fun seeing them there.

So, I hope all your days are going well.  Right now my mind is pretty much mental sludge (that end of the semester grading blitz is not a pretty picture) but after a few days, I’ll bounce back.  I’m sure my trip to the garden center tomorrow is pure therapy.

And then, perhaps I can get a little 11 Project Progress Plan progress!

Perfection

Lately, I have been one very very lucky swapper.  Today I received my Doll Quilt Swap 12 from Louise.  It is gorgeous beyond belief, and I’m warning right away, I haven’t been able to get the color right.  I’m going to try again in a couple days (it’s late and gray right now and a forecast for snow tomorrow – so as soon as I think I might get a day with good light . . .). 

The color looks a little flat here, and I’m feeling bad about that because this quilt is the most gorgeous combination of soft and warm taupes.  (If me and Photoshop got along I could probably fix this.  But we don’t get along and, really, it’s all Photoshop’s fault.  It has nothing to do with my personal limitations.  Nothing at all).  The design is fabulous, and here’s a close-up of the hand quilting.

Is that not gorgeous? 

Louise included a sweet card as well.  The colors of the fabric in this photo are actually pretty close to reality.  Scrumptious.

And she even included a selection of those gorgeous taupes along with!

I LOVE this quilt.  Love it, love it, love it. Love those beautiful colors.  Love the design.  Love the prints on the fabrics, the maps and newsprint.  Love the trees.  Love the dimension of the hand stitching.

And, it’s perfect serendipity as well: there’s  a mini up on one of my living room walls that I’ve wanted to swap out with something else.  This is the perfect quilt for that spot – at the top of the stairs where the taupe blends perfectly with the new carpeting on the stairs, the entry way tile, and the little area rug that leads into the kitchen.

Louise mentioned in the card that she went out of her comfort zone to work with these colors.  I should have such success when I wander into terra incognita!  But I’m not going to be envious because I’m just too darned happy that her adventure is my beautiful work of art!

I’ll try and get a better picture in a day or two, both outside and  up on the wall.

Thank you, Louise!

Doll Quilt Swap 12

Out the Door

Another mini ready to go.  My partner said she liked color, so I went for color!

She also said she liked traditional blocks in a modern (off the grid) style.  Okay.  I tried. 

Really.

I did.  I made up the little blocks and I kept playing with them trying to come up with an off the grid, non-traditional layout that looked good. 

Head smack into personal limitations.  I couldn’t do it.  Every layout I played with looked like 1) I was too lazy to make all the blocks and fill out the quilt, 2) the dog ate half the blocks and I was racing the deadline, or 3) a deranged design-challenged quilter had run amok in my sewing room.

I speak as someone who really admires the modern style that other quilters manage.

Sad, really, but there it is.  My thinking outside the box skills clearly need some work.  Meanwhile, I went for simplicity and hoped that would be “modern enough.” 

In any case, I really like how it came out.  I just hope my partner does!

I took some process photos.  Like bunches of little squares.

Laid out into blocks.

And the foundation started.

At which point I got caught up in the process and forgot to take any more pictures.  But here’s a close-up of the finished quilt.

I love the colors on this quilt set against the black and white binding fabric.

And lastly, a pincushion for part of the extras.

Now, back to my regularly scheduled programming.  (Grading, grading, grading . . . )

Wishing

Wishing and wishing I had time to quilt.  Papers to grade.  Committee files to read.  More committee files to read.  Mountains of committee files to read. 

So, this is me – wishing . . .

(There are moments when playtime on the Mac is simply irresistible).

Wow Revisited

I have been a very lucky lady in my swaps lately.  (I nearly said “girl” but when you’re on the back end of fifty-something, girl seems a little overly optomistic).  Look what came in the mail for me!

A stunner from Leanne for the Fabulous Little Quilt Swap.  Look at those points!  And can you see that the center is composed of little squares?  Add in cool fabrics and  gorgeous quilting and the colors that totally work for me and . .  . Wow. 

And, AS IF that gorgeous quilt weren’t enough, look at this pincushion!

I have wanted one of these Cathedral Window pincushions and have flagged a couple of tutorials but THIS is the bomb.  Love the fabric, the execution is perfect, and the vintage button in the center is fabulous.  I LOVE this pincushion!

So, here I am, feeling very, very lucky.   Thank you, Leanne!!

Out the Door

Swap projects have been coming to my door.  That means some are heading out the door as well!  Here’s a few (more to come).  For the Fabulous Little Quilt Swap, there’s this little guy.  It finished at 12" square.  The nine patch units are 1 1/8" finished.

My partner said she likes quilts that are a little more traditional in style, so I hoped this would fit the bill.  I noticed on her Photostream that she liked red and white quilts and that she had favorited some French General projects, so I added in this little red and white mini and a little pincushion as well.

Another swap is the For the Love of Color – Modern Style swap.  I showed the top for this quilt earlier but now it’s finished.

I love how bright it and happy it came out.  I added in a basket using Pink Penguin’s pattern (still one of my all time favorites) and threw in another little pincushion. 

That’s it for today (back to grading), but I should have more to show by the end of this coming week.  At least I hope I do.  I’ve certainly got enough projects I need to be working on!