I am feeling kind of Dutch today!

Here are this month's postcards I made out of my Dutch fabric. One is going to the guild swap and one is going to my cousin in Holland! Hopefully she will receive it before she reads this post!


More playing with my Dutch fabrics. I made this Shadow and Light mini block, but how shall I frame it?


And here is my round robin returned from Christine! She hasn't finished the centres of the poppies yet, but no worries.


Also check out my friend's new blog: The Cozy Quilter, that I 've added to my blog roll.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here is my February postcard for the guild exchange; I made a second one for my parents for taking care of the cats while I was away. Thanks Dad!

Hubby and I went to visit our friends in Michigan. We had a great time despite the deep freeze on Sunday! We took in the new and improved Detroit Institute for the Arts (DIA). Very nice! It's always nice to be inspired by great art.

I don't know why, but I really enjoyed this statue of Zephyr dancing with Flora! and this small bronze of The Freedman:

And this The Communicant...I thought she was going to step out of the painting!

I didn't take a lot of photos because you are not supposed to use a flash, and the lighting is quite subdued. There were so many more that I enjoyed... there was a Rembrandt I really liked and some Degas, Church, and more.


Here's our gang:

Fabric Postcards

These were for Kathy, Kathryn and Miriam:


This one was for my friend Christine who has a westie named Daisy; I call it "Santa's Little Daisy"


an extra to save for next year:


"New Year's Cheer", I made using the guild challenge fabric, for the guild postcard exchange. This one was fun; I used some fabric wrapping paper I got from the dollar store to make the glasses; zigzagged the glasses on with invisible thread; french knots for the bubbles. I used Fast2Fuse Interfacing for the first time; it's fusible on both sides. It was great! Made both sides, made my sandwich, ironed it and then zigzagged my edges, and because it's fused it doesn't move under the sewing machine.

More Postcard Swap

Here are my latest postcards that I received from the LFQG postcard swap. The blue Let it Snow one, has loose snowflakes trapped under a layer of tulle. When you shake it, it snows! How cool is that?!

Below are my October postcards I received. I didn't participate in November's swap. Basically, you drop off your postcards into the box at the guild meeting. Then for every one you drop off, you receive one (that is not your own) back in the real mail. I like to drop off 2 at a time! Beats getting bills in the mail!

Christmas postcards

These are my 2 fabric postcards for the guild postcard swap. The santa card is from a block I never used. I just added boots to finish the block and then put on eyes and a moustasche. It was also the first time I used TimTex. I usually just use whatever I have on hand, interfacing, some batting whatever, so my postcards are pretty floppy. I am surprised that I like how the TimTex turned out. One lady I know uses the interfacing that you use in curtains and that turns out nice, too, not as puffy as the TimTex.

Here's a photo of my Batman tea cozy. Tonya (Lazy Gal) and I were discussing Batman fabrics so this photo is for her. I can't survive a day at work without a pot of tea!

Superhero Blocks continued....

I came up with this great Spider-man block. I thought this block would be really hard with the legs, but when I was sketching it out first, I realized that I could make one block and cut it into pieces to create the legs!


OK, my Superman block, needs work!


I improved my Green Lantern block by adding the green around it:

The menagerie, or Superhero headquarters, so far:


Also managed a couple more fabric postcards for this month's guild swap. The top one is "The Butler did it Again" and the bottom is "Autumn Trails". I am really going out on the embellishments with that one (read sarcasm) I used some gold thread and did some french knots! Embellishments go outside my 'comfort zone'!

100th Post!!!!

I've managed to keep this blogging thing going! I really do love it though, this on-line journal has been so good for my creativity. I really love this quilting community. So thanks for all your comments, suggestions, and encouragement!

I just received my first fabric postcards in the mail! Aren't they great! Thanks Cynthia and Sewnut!


As I've mentioned before, I am participating in Tonya's on-line classroom. Here is one of the things I am working on. It's a Halloween inspired quilt. When you don't have a pattern, you can get a bit carried away! Mine started with black cats:


Then I got to doodling, I thought I could make some cat blocks, and then wouldn't it be great if their tails could cross the 't's:


Oh boy! What did I get myself into? Will it all come together?


After a bit of cursing, and a dash of self-doubt, I present Black Cats Staring!


It still needs a bit of work: eyes, border, a web for my spider....but I think I will rest now.

Postcards

This is a birthday card I made for my hubby early this summer. Again using some images from his old t-shirts. I cut the letters out of the back of a concert shirt I had used for his t-shirt quilt. I actually sewed the fabrics right onto a blank card. Hubby loves it!


We are having a postcard swap at the guild this year. I call this next one "The Butler did it!". I used mainly scraps of Amy Butler fabric.


This one is called "Sakura".

Winter Wheat in Summer

Yesterday, Christine and I took a drive to Winter Wheat in Sparta. I went last fall with my cousin (see October 29 post). Last fall they were getting ready for Christmas and they had many Christmas themed stuff, so it was nice to go in the summer and see more garden stuff! It is run by folk artist Lucy Ogletree and her husband Mike. The small farm consists of their storybook home and a rustic house that is the main shop, plus some quaint little buildings: 2 tea rooms and a shed for the goats, all resting in a grove of huge pine trees. Sprinkled throughout the grove are a few picnic tables and giant wooden, whimsical folk sculptures, see above: the tea lady and her flowers made of teacups and teapots and below: the angel with the Robert Frost poem on her wings.


I've finished the Robyn Pandolph applique!!! It still has to be quilted.


Here is the thank you postcard I made for our friends in Michigan. They are crazy about tropical fish. I remembered there was an advertising in a magazine for a simple tropical fish quilt. Of course, could I find that ad??!!No! Then I thought, maybe I could draw it from memory. When I started drawing it I remembered it was only 2 triangles who needs a pattern for that! Scissors and scraps, that's all one needs! Beads for eyes. So may I present my tiny liberated fish!


Here's the back:


There was no fusing in this postcard, just regular quilting stuff: patchwork, batting, and muslin. I didn't even trim off the batting, looks kind of like an aquarium, this way. Still don't trust the post office with this and it went wrapped with a gift.

Odds 'n Ends

Here is the placemat I was working on for our Guild challenge. This year's guild challenge was to make a placemat; all the placemats are to be donated to Meals on Wheels and distributed to their clients with a meal. I had a block that I was working on for a pillow that just never really came together so I took it apart and re-worked it into this placemat (I added liberated sawtooth borders and handquilted it) and also into this doll quilt (centre block):


For the doll quilt, I used the quilt-as-you-go method that Linda demonstrated at the Kids' Quilts Bee that I attended. I wanted to see how quick and easy it was....it was! The doll quilt measures 17x21inches or 43x54 cm, I used 2.5 inch strips of scraps, batting, and backing, She had demonstrated a reversible quilt, but I just used up some left over muslin and heart fabric for interest for the back (I think the flash didn't go off in this photo):


I still have a little bit more left over from this unwanted pillow, that will probably show up in some future post!

I made my first postcard! Inspired by this photo from my garden in 2006:

to this! I call it Cure for the Common Cold!

I've already hand delivered it to my friend Christine. I just don't trust the post office with it!