The Quilt Rack

Every room must have its "OWN" quilt.

2011-02-06T21:34:00.005-06:00

This is her home...

At first it was here.

LOVE the PINK!

The antique chair recovered.... Love the Amy Butler, the bottom cushion is celery green velvet.

the full quilt

So when we moved into our new house, my mom wanted to make me a house warming quilt. YEAH.... I will never turn one of those down! In my formal (not so formal, more casual than formal) living room I use some amy butler fabric as my inspiration. I had her re-do a chair in that fabric.... and I just love it! So she came up with this quilt that had the amy butler fabric in it along with some heather bailey prints, and other pinks and celery green. These are the 2 colors I have in my room, along with brown. I love the pattern she used for the quilt. pattern: Tiger Lily by Crazy old Ladies quilts. This quilt has a happy home right over my couch. THANKS mom!

Meili's Bedspread

2011-01-26T15:31:00.004-06:00

It is time for this little "Princess" to move into a big girl bed. She decided a while ago that she didn't like her crib anymore so Carissa is in the process of redoing an antique metal bed for her room. So this grandma had to make her a quilt for her new bed.
Actually I had made the top out of Hushabye but when Carissa saw it she decided it just had to be Meili's bedspread. Don't you just hate it when it takes you forever to get something finished and then you find you forgot to get binding or enough for the borders or something and by now the fabric is long gone? I had to add the pink border to make it big enough for the double bed so I used the backing I had purchased earlier and then found some other scraps to piece the back.
It was a little bigger than I like to quilt on my machine but I loved how it turned out. I did little flowers in the small center squares and loops around the middle squares and then just stippled the rest of the quilt. Can't wait to see it on her big girl bed. Carissa will have to post pictures of the room when it is done. I am also making a special pillow to go with the quilt.

Festival of Trees

2011-01-19T13:18:00.003-06:00

In December each year there is a huge Festival of Trees with all of the proceeds going to Primary Children's Medical Center. I have never been before but I've always wanted to. Wow! What an amazing production! There are literally hundreds of trees that people decorate - some in memory of a loved one. And they are all for sale. There are also quilts, centerpieces and gingerbread houses. I will post some of these fun items later. They young women in our church decided they wanted to make a quilt to honor a special lady in our neighborhood. (You can see the quilt I made her in a previous post). She has lost her little boy to drowning and her husband to colon cancer and now she is fighting her own battle with breast cancer. And through it all, she has an amazing attitude and is so positive. My good friend Julie (who is a breast cancer survivor and you can see the quilt I made her in a previous post also) was in charge of this project and she asked me if I would be willing to make a tree skirt. How fun!!!! I had already made this Buggy Barn quilt called Crazy Flakes last year and thought it would be awesome for their theme of snowmen. This is a pretty labor intensive quilt but I was soooooo happy to be part of this project to honor Karen. The hardest part of it was to cut into a finished quilt! YIKES!!! But I did and it turned out great.

This is the finished tree. The girls made all of the cute little snowman heads. It was such a happy and cheerful tree. And it sold for over $3000! The girls also made a smaller tree to give to Karen and she was thrilled.

I cut another one of these quilts out at the same time for Carissa to make up but she didn't get around to making it before Christmas so I am slowing whittling away at the squares. Maybe by next Christmas I can get it done.

We really are quilting away

2011-01-19T12:45:00.002-06:00

So much has happened in the past year - where do we start? Anyway, one of our goals this year is to keep this blog better updated. Soooooo. . . we will try to start posting pictures from this past year of all the fun projects we have been involved in. And now that Carissa lives a short one hour drive away, the projects will be endless I'm sure. We have tooooooo much fun dreaming up new ideas. Just you wait!

My "Trek" Quilt

2010-04-21T13:20:00.007-05:00

Those of you who know me know that I have been on two handcart treks at Martin's Cove. These treks have a very special place in my heart because I've had some amazing experiences in helping to plan them and being in that wonderful place. I cut out all of the skirts and bonnets that the girls and women wore and of course I kept all of the scraps. And what do quilters do? Turn those scraps into quilts!
I finally found just the right pattern from Cotton Way called "Slice of Charm". I changed it just a little by putting hearts in the center of the wheels instead of the patched circles. I love how it reminds me of wagon wheels.
I love how the back looks!

I used T shirt transfer paper to put a few pictures on it.

And I used a pigma permanent marker to print the names of all the pioneers our group trekked for around the circles.

Then this past weekend while my husband and I were at Martin's Cove helping with a training seminar, I presented it as a memory quilt to the Director's wife. She LOVED it! (which always makes a quilter feel good)
Now I need to make myself one of these memory quilts!

Something to keep my busy

2010-04-21T12:47:00.003-05:00

When I'm not quilting, I am making baby beanies for newborn kits for the humanitarian center. I am not one to sit still and can get a lot done while sitting around visiting or watching a movie or during a Mario Marathon.

Bringing Springtime Indoors

2010-03-15T14:39:00.005-05:00

I am soooooooo tired of the gray and snowy days. I saw this kit at American Quilting and it was the inspiration I needed to pull out the sewing machine again and get quilting. Our house has been torn apart for the past 2 months with construction and I was due for a mood lift. At least it looks springy inside now! This is made in the new "Verna" line.
I had a charm pack of "Birdie" so I made one for Carissa.

And I had a charm pack of "Spring Fling" so I made one for another one of the girls.

Crayon Holders

2010-03-15T14:35:00.002-05:00

I saw this idea a while ago and got in the mood last week to make one. I ended up making 7 with more cut out. They only take about 1/2 hour start to finish and what a fun idea for a birthday present! There are directions all over the web and I adjusted one to make a colored pencil holder. If anyone wants specific directions, just let me know and I'll get them to you.

THE NEW BABY IN OUR HOME......

2010-03-09T08:42:00.009-06:00

OH don't you just LOVE the colors red and aqua together!!! I do too! It is just like pink and brown are suppose to be together well so is red and aqua. I have a lot of those colors in my living room. Well I think it is time to make a quilt with just those colors. And I have just the place to put it.

on my new BABY!

(loveseat with out the couch potato)

(loveseat with the couch potato, notice the chips she is eating. TOTAL COUCH POTATO)

Only in Omaha could you find such a SWEET antique! Man, I love antiques in Omaha. They are the BEST. this is one of the MANY that I have stocked up on in the last few months. And don't you worry, I am NOT done stocking up yet. I will have to post my cool thrifty finds. But for now I will leave you drooling over the newest addition. For now it sits in my living room until we move to our new house and it finds a perfect home there. Ok, I won't hold back these are some of the other finds I have gotten.

bench and enamelware. Both $10. each. WHAT A STEAL!

RUSTY ENAMEL WARE PITCHER $15 (and it is AQUA)

(The refinished quilt cabinet- painted to match my velvet curtains $50)

(see the red and aqua theme?)

(this little gem was in a cute antique store. I was with a friend and I did give in. $30)

I can't take credit for this quilt. A lady named Amy Smart made this but, but I just love it and may just have to borrow some ideas from it! Just ADORABLE. Can't you just picture it with the red loveseat. Oh I CAN!

It is always nice to see where my quilts find their new homes

2010-03-08T16:00:00.002-06:00

So I have a friend that has more of my quilts than I think I do...... WAIT how did that happen?...... well here are a few of them displayed. I love where she has put them!

Better Days are Definately Ahead!

2010-03-02T11:36:00.005-06:00

We have been in need of a little cheering up around here lately. Don't even get me started with everything that has gone wrong over the past 2 months. And I mean some serious stuff. Anyway, I received a surprise package in the mail last week on an especially troublesome day and look what was inside! Wouldn't this cheer you up and make you think spring is almost here and better days are definately ahead?

I LOVE IT!!!!!

So thanks Carissa for making my month.

Give Away

2010-02-26T23:57:00.003-06:00

The very very talented Lila Tueller is giving away this fantastic quilt. I love it! Especially the colors and the cute little ruffles and the scalloped edge and the flower in the middle. Head over to her site here:http://lilatuellerdesigns.blogspot.com/

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIFF!!!!

2010-02-18T17:39:00.006-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIFFANY!!!!

Since, I know this won't get to you ON your birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It is in the mail!

This is Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane. I first saw this new line on-line. But I didn't fall in love with it. BUT (and there is a but) When I saw it in person- I FELL (fell hard) in love with it! This just looks like you Tiff. Of course.... like most of our quilts..... I have one too! And I will finish mine! (hopefully)

(finished product)

notice the little pink border. It is only .75" cut. So sewn it is like less than a 1/2" thick! And.... do you notice the cream border fabric? Yep, it is from your old curtains from your first house.

back of the quilt/ pieced together to add some PIZAZZ! (actually I just didn't have enough to cover it--- but this is TOTALLY the cool thing to do anyways!)

back of the quilt

stitched with circles.

Of course---- the staples. Quilting gloves a MUST have..... and the Mountain Dew.... And even MORE MUST HAVE!!!

Another must have- Sharp Sissors.

My helper, helping me pin it.

getting ready to quilt it.

HOPE YOU LIKE!!!!

Don't you just LOVE the holiday quilts.......

2010-02-02T13:01:00.006-06:00

Decorate with a quilt that says "LOVE is in the AIR". Here are a couple Valentines Day Quilts.

These are fun Valentines Day quilt ideas-

the hearts are all pieced together. (above)

Table runners

Hand appliqued hearts.

Stitch hearts on your quilts and have them fray as they are washed.

The OLD stand by- strip quilt!

P.S. unfortanately only Shannon can take credit for all of these. Yep, I don't think I did one of them. My valentines quilt TOP only is in a box waiting to be quilted..... huh No surprise!

CHRISTMAS CHEER!

2010-01-13T13:17:00.008-06:00

Have you seen THE PROPOSAL the movie?

If not check it out! but if you have..... do you remember the BABY MAKER QUILT in the movie?

(Sandra Bullock doesn't want it touching her because she doesn't want to get pregnant?)

Well in our Family--- it is opposite that. It is really hard for anyone to get pregnant. So after a girls night out to this movie, months ago, all the girls asked mom for a "BABY MAKER" quilt. With the hopes maybe someone would have good news to share. Well for Christmas my mom made the 4 girls a "baby maker" quilt. ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!!! Here it is:

(please don't mind we all look like we are half asleep, well we are.... it is Christmas what do you expect?)

Let me explain how it is a "magical baby maker" quilt. I think my mom is just a Genius!

FIRST this is the Symbol on the quilt. It is the Celtic sign for fertility.

followed by a little XO XO XO XO.......

SECOND this little message is written on the corner of the quilt....

So this is the MAGIC part of the quilt. And that is how you get a Baby Maker Quilt.

I hope one of the girls in our family has good news to share. We will see if they are truely magical.

To Be Continued.........

More surprises for Carissa

2009-11-30T15:35:00.006-06:00

What is more fun than surprises? I brought a few quilt tops home from Carissa's unbeknownst to her and decided to finish them up to surprise her.
I love this quilt! It is so fun and cheerful and full of Heather Bailey's prints. I quilted each block with a big flower.

Luckily she had given me her scraps to make me a quilt top so I had them to piece together a back. Loved how it turned out!

Tyler had picked this fabric out so I found a yummy micro fleece throw at Walmart for $5.00 for the back. I used regular batting so it is nice and puffy - but it was a total pain to stipple because of bulk.

And of course I had to make something for the youngest munchkin so Meili got a doll quilt out of some scraps. I finished everything up and shipped it off to Carissa with the hope she would receive it on "one of those days" and I think today fit that bill exactly. Enjoy Cris!

Great Quote

2009-11-29T14:49:00.002-06:00

This quote comes from the book "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck. This is great wisdom that comes from a little boy's grandfather and the story teaches about gratitude and the real value of a gift. I loved this quote and think it would be a great sentiment to go along with a special handmade project you might be giving someone this Christmas.

We pulled off a really great SURPRISE

2009-11-22T15:13:00.009-06:00

Two weeks ago Grandma, Mom and Sister showed up in Omaha to surprise Carissa. We were afraid she had got wind of us coming but nope, she was surprised. We had the best "Girl's Night Out" for 4 whole days. We checked out all the antique stores (Carissa will have to post the darling quilt cupboard she bought once it is painted)
I can't just sit around so I had Carissa put me to work on some of her UFOs. She has even more quilt tops that need to be quilted than I do - Scary thought! I had seen a cute tree pillow on another blog (http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2009/10/tutorial-scrap-buster-fall-pillow.html) (thanks Lauren!) so I made one up for her to go with this . . .
This is Carissa's favorite quilt ever. It is Camille Roskelly's pint sized Wild Thing pattern. It was one of her UFOs so I quilted it.I haven't done a small stipple for a long time but I must say it turned out pretty good and the quilt is darling.

There was not quite enough fabric for the back so I just added a strip of coordinating fabric. Cute, huh?

And when I put the quilt and the pillow together I realized they were from the same fabric. I know, it takes me awhile sometimes.

We visited the 2 quilt stores in Omaha.

I helped her with her "Dental Wives" quilt. All the wives of the dental students got together and made 24 of the same quilt block and then exchanged them so they had 24 different ones. This just needed to be quilted too.

We got her autumn table runners bound.

And we made a flannel chenille baby quilt. I'll have to get the pictures off the other camera to show you how easy it is. All in all, we had such a great time doing projects, shopping, staying up late, having her husband cook for us (what a nice guy to let us invade him and then he cooks for us!), playing with the grandkids, painting treasures found at antique stores and meeting all of her wonderful friends. Soooooo fun!

2009-11-22T15:10:00.002-06:00

I finally finished this quilt and gave it to my friend and neighbor Karen. She lost her husband to cancer. She is such a sweet and loving person and was right there for me when my husband was going through radiation treatments for his cancer. She is a great example to me and I wanted to give her something to let her know that. I made this out of a jelly roll and loved the bright springy colors.

Good News!

2009-11-22T15:05:00.002-06:00

My good friend Julie has been battling Inflammatory Breast Cancer for the past couple of years - not once but twice. She had her full body scan last week and was pronounced cancer free. YEAH!!! She is an amazing person who is so upbeat and positive all of the time. I made her this quilt for her chemo treatments and it's nice to see it just draped over a chair now instead of seeing it wrapped around a very sick Julie. Congrats friend!

ADORABLE Appliqued Quilt!

2009-11-13T14:26:00.002-06:00

Well I can NOT take any credit for this masterpiece. My good friend did this- and it is so cute. She didn't even keep it for herself- she gave it away! But It is so cute I just had to share! I am very impressed! (you may know her.... Bonnie) Yes, This is HOURS of work! You go girl!

Our Fun Home Makeover

2009-10-25T16:47:00.004-05:00

I told you about my favorite quilt (see below) and how my son wanted to do his living room around the quilt which you can see in the picture below. While they were away for a few hours we snuck in and transformed their living room from all beige to totally them.
I LOVE the picture shelf over their couch (which we copied from Carissa - see her picture below). Now they have pictures of them in their home.

I spray painted our old coffee table, recovered her black throw pillows and hung some luge memorabilia. We even hung curtains! What fun we had and now it looks so warm and cozy. You can see what one quilt can do for a room!

Halloween Quilts

2009-10-18T15:18:00.005-05:00

Carissa got me in the mood to make a table runner so I pulled out my Halloween fat quarters and cut different width strips and sewed them all together. Fast and easy!
When I quilted it I made a spider web design which you can see above just to be a little different. I get tired of just stippling all the time.
And I've always wanted to make a Halloween quilt so I copied Carissa (again) and did a fast simple one. One piece of cute Moda Witches in the middle with 2 borders.

Then to be different (again) I quilted it in a zig zaggy design. I'm working on another very fast and easy project which I will post tomorrow.

Check back!

2009-10-09T17:35:00.002-05:00

There is a fun quilt festival going on over at Park City Girl's blog that is right here: http://parkcitygirl.blogspot.com/2009/10/quilt-festival-fall-2009.html Check it out for fun ideas and to meet fellow quilters!

My Favorite Quilt

2009-10-09T17:07:00.004-05:00

The year my husband was diagnosed with cancer was a stressful time for us and I spent many nights piecing quilts with one of my best friends (my sewing machine). I decided to make something lasting for each of my children since I had come to the realization that life might not last as long as we want it to. I did end up making a quilt for each of my children for Christmas that year but I especially loved this Buggy Barn pattern and all of the fun colors. This son was a member of the United States Luge Team at the time so it was appropriate. Since then he has married and is in the process of decorating his first living room. Guess what he and his wife are using for their inspiration? Yep, this quilt. He will also display his medals and other memorabilia from his days traveling the world. I'm so happy he loves it as much as I do. ***By the way, my husband is doing great now.

Busy . . . Busy

2009-10-05T22:12:00.007-05:00

I found this quilt top that my mom had made for my oldest daughter years ago. It was hidden away in my cedar chest. I think the plan was for me to hand quilt it when she got married but I don't have time for that so I decided to machine quilt it. It was a really huge quilt so I cut it down a little and put a few squares on the back.

Since it was pieced many years ago, I just used the scraps I had left and pieced them together for the back along with a few squares that were supposed to cover the bed pillows. I think it turned out kind of fun for a back and was a great way to use up the scraps.

I also quilted this heart quilt that I made up the pattern for. It is a "Buggy Barn" style stack and whack that was really easy.

I just love Conference because I can sit around in my pajamas and get all of my hand sewing done. I finally got this baby quilt bound. I just used scraps but I LOVE it! And I even got it done before the baby turns 8 or 9 years old - just kidding!

I also got this cute little quilt top quilted. Carissa made it for one of our friends who also had a baby. She did the top and I quilted it and bound it. It actually matches her car seat that I recovered for her.

I even got a friend's quilt stippled for her. This is her very first quilt and she made it for her granddaughter who is having a birthday this Friday so she didn't want to try to quilt it herself. I love the pinks and browns!

TIME to pull out the HALLOWEEN

2009-10-03T22:59:00.004-05:00

Switch up your decor with a different quilt hanging over your couch! This was a Halloween quilt I did. And LOVE. That pattern is really fun. Just a solid piece in the middle with a stop border and a crazy wack border. (very easy, leave a comment if you want the instructions). You can do any holiday quilt like this. In fact my mom has done a Christmas/snowman one that is adorable too!

The quilting on this one is fun, it is not curvy and loopy but, straight and jagged. (spooky)!

A quilt on every corner!

2009-10-02T17:34:00.000-05:00

What to do on a BLUSTERY, COLD DAY???

2009-10-02T17:10:00.007-05:00

1. Vacuum, Mop, and fold 3 baskets of laundry?- NOPE

2. Go outside in the freezing, windy, rainy weather? NOPE--- unless you need more fabric....

3. Eat pumpkin bread, and burn Williams Sonoma mulling spice? Yes.... but while you also....

4. Stay in your PJ's and SEW fall/halloween projects!!!!

5. Don't forget the Mountain DEW!

I decided to start a NEW project- surprise, surprise! But I am doing some table runners for people. I love the fall so why not spread some FALL cheer!

(semi finished!) now to quilting 10 table runners....... They may get done for NEXT halloween

MY VERY FAVORITE QUILT EVER

2009-10-01T13:20:00.006-05:00

So, over the summer, yes..... I am just now posting....... My mom told me she would watch the kids all day while I sewed. Well I took her up on that. And I did quite a few quilt tops- all of which are not quilted- but they are at least sewn. THIS IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE QUILT. And I am dying to quilt it. (Pint Size pattern from Camille Roskelly). The final size of whirley gig is 3" square. TINY! The total quilt is a little bigger than a baby quilt. A lot of work for such a small little thing! But VERY rewarding.

(not quilted yet- Matches my red armoir and pale blue velvet curtains perfectly)

(isn't it a cutie)

Find a cool piece of furniture to put your quilts on! This I found at a cute little antique shop on my B-day. I had some friends take me out and what a FIND ! only $20.00!!!!

Hmmmmmm. . . . .

2009-10-01T12:59:00.005-05:00

Since my new Bernina won't work right (that's a whole other story) I use my old old Bernina - still love this machine. The backstitch hasn't worked for a few years though - frustrating most of the time. Anyway . . . . I've been trying to quilt some of my quilt tops but the machine has been squeaking really bad on the top part so I finally decided to unscrew the top and try to oil it a little. Guess what I found inside?
This little dude was stuck down inside and after quite a time of trying to remove him, my backstitch now works! Don't ask me how this got inside. Does it look familiar Carissa?

2009-09-25T16:41:00.002-05:00

Ok, I have a problem (only one you say?) I seem to make the quilt tops but never get around to quilting them! What is up with that? Always something new and fun to work on I guess. But seriously, I need to work on this. My goal for next week is to get at least one of these NINE (!) quilts done. Wish me luck.

2009-09-22T19:05:00.001-05:00

How do you like it? This is a fun pattern if you're tired of just squares or strips. It's easy and whips up fast - as you can tell. Now to quilt it.

Yummy!

2009-09-21T22:20:00.003-05:00

I got this for my birthday six months ago and think the fabric is yummy! All of my favorite colors! Now that I have some time I am going to get going on it. A nice lady at Material Girl's Quilts showed me her quilt she had made out of the same layer cake and with this pattern.

I loved it so here I go. . . . . . . . . . . .

Oh, by the way, the fabric is Swanky by Chez Moi for Moda and the pattern is called Petits Fours, a Cake Therapy Pattern by Cozy Quilt Designs.

Catching up on Birthdays

2009-09-14T13:16:00.003-05:00

I finally made the girls the bags that I wanted to give them for their birthdays. I'm just really late at sewing them up. Hmmm, I wonder what I will be making for Carissa's birthday? Which by the way is today! Happy Birthday Cris!
These were made from the pattern I showed below. They are so easy and fun to whip up and only take 3/4 yard of outside and 3/4 yard of lining fabric.

2009-09-10T23:28:00.003-05:00

Look what my friend Anina is up to! She has been waiting patiently for trek to be over so I can teach her how to quilt. This is going to be one cute baby quilt. Good job "niners"!
And this is my finished top of the Hushabye fabric I showed you. Cute, huh? I found the idea on Moda Bakeshop and when I went back to see how they made it, I discovered that I had bought the same fabric they used and didn't even know it. I guess it is true that great minds think alike. Now to quilt it.

A blog to check out

2009-09-10T12:47:00.003-05:00

There's a quilt store in Orem, Utah that Carissa and I love. Whenever we're together (which isn't often enough) we stop by a little too much (at least according to our pocketbooks). The owner, Amy, now has a blog and she posted pictures from their garden party. There are so many cute and wonderful quilts that they displayed so hop over to her blog to get some inspiration. I personally LOVE the reindeer quilt. Got to find that pattern! In fact, I am heading over to American Quilting right now to get some border fabric for a quilt I am making from the Hushabye fabric I showed you. It will be so cute and I will post soon. Gotta go shopping!

http://www.americanquilting.blogspot.com/

2009-09-03T17:22:00.003-05:00

Oh my goodness. My favorite quilt blog - "Simplify" by Cammille Roskelley of Thimble Blossoms - just posted her new patterns. So absolutely cute. Check them out below. Think I will have to make one of each of the quilts. Love the "Red Velvet"!

http://www.camilleroskelley.typepad.com/

2009-09-02T15:24:00.002-05:00

I've got a box of fun projects I'm just itching to get doing. I love this new line called Hushabye by Tula Pink for Moda. There's a cute bag pattern by Nellie's Needle and a quilt pattern by Katie Cupcake. And of course I've added to my stash during the summer. Carissa and I both fell in love with the same line and will be making quilts - as soon as I ship it out to her (their suitcases were overweight at the airport). We'll show you the finished products soon, k?

My Memory Quilt

2009-09-02T15:18:00.002-05:00

Our ward just got back from a Pioneer Handcart Trek at Martin's Cove a few weeks ago. I was the trek coordinator and had so much fun - that's why I haven't posted anything for a loooooooooong time. Been busy sewing skirts, bonnets, flags, "possibles" bags, etc. Anyway, this is what they made us. They took the bandanas from the families (each one had their own designated color) and then put a picture of all the kids and us in the middle. Everyone signed around the photo. On the back was our logo. It is bound in all the different bandanas too.
What a keepsake! I love, love, love it!

The finished products:

2009-05-28T11:11:00.004-05:00

Here are the finished monkey quilts that I posted earlier. They have a super soft fuzzy blue backing. When ever you quilt your quilts it just finishes them off so nice! These went to my soon by born twin nephews. . .

Strip quilts are so much fun- and so EASY. This quilt is for my other nephew- He was just born. Her nersery was done in navy, lime, light blue, and white. So this is what she got. This quilt was inspired by the Baby Gap line that she chose. The finished product turned out so cute. She of course LOVED it. It's always fun to add texture as well as ribbon and rick-rack to your strip quilts. Cheap and Easy!

closer look at the strips

The back felt like SILK- it was so soft. You can see the stitching better here.

Doesn't this look like fun!

2009-05-09T20:54:00.005-05:00

Springy...... cheery...... bright..... joyful.......colorful.......

happy.......energetic.......... is my plan!

These are mostly HEATHER BAILEY fabric..... but a couple of Amy and others. I think I need a new spring quilt for over my couch. My friends comment how when they walk by my front window there is always a different quilt hanging over my sofa. Hey gotta keep it new and fresh right? I will show you the finished product....... hopefully soon! These are from a bunch of fat quarters one of my good friends sent me months ago---- I think it is time to put them to good use.

Cute Purse Pattern

2009-05-08T17:33:00.004-05:00

Becky picked this cute fabric out when we did "Girl's Night Out" at Material Girls Quilts. They had a cute handbag on display. It is called Wonderland by Momo for Moda Fabrics. The whole line is way cute. I found the striped ribbon but when I layed it out there was too much white in it so I used red instead.

Didn't it turn out cute? And pretty easy too.
There are even pockets sewn in for your cell phone and other goodies. So if you want to borrow my pattern, come on over!

Hmmmm. . . what can I do with this?

2009-05-08T17:26:00.003-05:00

I bought this old tackle box at a yard sale years ago and never got around to doing anything with it. It looked really horrible and I just stored it in the garage. Every time I would put it in the pile for D.I., Carissa would throw a fit. So the last time I went to throw it away I decided it was time to do something with it. I sanded and sanded and sanded and then varnished and steelwooled and varnished some more. With new hinges, corners, and handle, it turned out great I think. This is what Carissa got for a Christmas present but since she couldn't haul it back on the plane, I have it here and thought I would share.

There is a place for all of her sewing and quilting supplies in here.

Even a cute little divided drawer to keep things organized. I covered thin cardboard with warm and natural and some fabric and hot glued them in place. (The bottoms of the drawers were kind of icky like maybe there had been fish guts in them - don't worry, I scrubbed them first)

Anyway, next time you are going to throw a "treasure" like this away, think of what it could become with not very much work. I loved how this turned out!

More monkies.......

2009-05-07T08:53:00.003-05:00

Take the same fabric but put it with different colors and you will get a totally different quilt. This is the same sock monkey fabric put with reds. I think I have now made 4 quilts from ADORABLE sock monkey fabtic. Funky Monkey by Moda.

(This is a small baby size. I made this for my second child. My friend fell in love with it. Of course it was made before I knew what I was having. As soon as I found out I was having a girl she inherited this one. But still one of my favorite baby quilts.

(Twin size bed spread. This is for Tylers room.) I even added the funky monkey at the beach too it. Put with orange, and greens, and light blues.

A MUST HAVE FOR QUILTERS....

2009-04-30T20:56:00.003-05:00

My good friend brought me over a gift- THIS IS A MUST HAVE for any of you quilters. It is a suction cup handle for your rotary cutter ruler. It is so nice- It helps you hold the ruler straight and it is super duper sturdy! I LOVE IT..... I had my eye on this for a while now and Dave ordered me one for Valentines day- we just forgot to go get it..... then my sweet girl friend brought it to me the other day. (love ya). She total knows me!

What do ya do with all those 2", 5", 10" left over scraps?

2009-04-30T20:29:00.005-05:00

piece them together and make this.........

I started sewing strips together and just fitting them together in rows.

some strips are only 1" wide others are like 10" wide. Colors are brown, celery green, aqua blue cream.

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do with out."

This is my moto for this particular quilt. I have so many piles of fabric that I need to make things with. Quilt top done! It is like doing a puzzle. Just sewing them all together. There is no pattern just use all those coordinating scraps and VIOLA! Adorable quilt. I will make 2 for my sister inlaw who is having twin monkies I mean boys.

Loving these new patterns

2009-04-28T00:19:00.002-05:00

About the only "quilt" blog I ever check out is Camille Roskelley's blog called Simplify. She just posted her newest patterns and I love them! I love her style and her colors and everything else too. I am going to have to make one just like the one on top of this post.

Here's her blog address: http://www.camilleroskelley.typepad.com/

Check her out yourself and while you're there, you can see all of her previous patterns and fun ideas.

I think I will just have to make myself one of these too

2009-04-16T11:25:00.004-05:00

This was made for my neighbor as well. She had me make her a couple baby quilts. I just loved ALL the fabrics in this. It's just so fun. I was able to find so many colors and it was a funky green to match. Of course pictures never do your quilts justice. But the back was lined with my favorite micro-furr. So cuddly and super soft!!! These are the colors of my soon to be new nephews nursery. Maybe I will have to make him one too.

LOVE THIS QUILT

2009-04-16T11:11:00.002-05:00

I usually do the traditional quilted quilts. But I had a neighbor ask me to make her some baby quilts. She wanted a rag one like this. So here it is. I loved it too. I think I will just have to make myself one now. Oh Darn....... Backing is dot minkie. So cuddly! White flannel in the middle. There is no quilting involved. You just sew an X through the middle of the block. The blocks are 8 1/2" square. OF COURSE out of my FAVORITE designer. Amy Butler.

Look what you can make for CHEAP!

2009-04-15T12:09:00.003-05:00

I had a few fat quarters but scraps would do and then I bought a little t-shirt at Walmart for $3.50. Sew some strips together and sew them onto the t-shirt. Put some elastic in and attach a fabric flower (or not) and it's just that easy!

Done! This will be heading out to my favorite little teradachtyl (sp?) for some summer fun.

I love General Conference

2009-04-06T14:47:00.005-05:00

I love conference because I can get so much done while listening to uplifting talks. The first thing I did was bind my whirlygig quilt. I LOVE IT! This is one of my favorites.

I finally got my Christmas quilt bound. I had it all stitched before Christmas and the binding sewn on but needed the hand work done on the binding. All done - too bad I have to wait until next Christmas. But it does look nice folded up in my basket in my dining room.

My Christmas table topper - I bought the kit 4 years ago and finally sewed it up this past Christmas. Again, just needed to be bound. I love how it looks like ribbons crisscrossed.

My scrap quilt I made with left overs from the civil war prints from my crazy Buggy Barn log cabin quilt (you can see just a little bit of it under the blog header word "Rack". Anyway, I think this is a masculine quilt and the best part is, it didn't cost me anything for the top because it was a scrap quilt.

Another quilt I've needed to bind for over a year. I'm bad because I get excited about a new quilt top and want to start to sew it up instead of finishing up what I need to. Oh, well, that's what conference is for twice a year, right?

Girl's Night Out

2009-04-06T14:43:00.002-05:00

While the guys were at their meeting on Saturday night, we went to my favorite quilt shop (see button on right side for the link to Material Girls Quilts). You can see the two cute purses in the background as well as all the amazing fabric and ideas. I bought a few fat quarters to make a cute little dress for Meili and Becky bought some fabric to have me make her a purse like the one right by my Mom's elbow. I'll post pictures when I get it done. It was really fun to go spend time just exploring and getting ideas.

Will sew for fabric

2009-04-02T15:08:00.005-05:00

Becky wanted a fun table runner for springtime so she suggested that if I would sew it, she would buy the fabric for both her and for me to make one for me too. What a deal! This is the fun fabric we found called "Object of Desire" by Moda. Notice the cute shoes on one of the fabrics.

I got Becky's done that very day - cute, huh?

And here's mine. It took one charm pack and the few charms I didn't use, I used for the flowers and stems. I also used a small amount for the border and for the binding. Fast and easy! And that is what I am all about some days.

My new favorite quilt shop in Utah!

2009-04-02T15:01:00.004-05:00

My Mom and I checked out Material Girls Quilts in Salt Lake a few weeks ago. I LOVED it! I can't begin to tell you how fun and amazing this shop is. Anyway, my mom bought this fabric for a tote bag for church.

She hasn't been feeling great lately so I made it up for her. Didn't it turn out cute? No, I didn't use a pattern but it was easy and I can tell you how if you want to make one.

The cutest part was this flower. Don't you love it?!? It took about 5 minutes to make it. I used a cookie cutter for the black polka dot part. I wonder undered 2 black fabric pieces together and then cut it out in the flower shape. The purple striped pattern was cut out in a circle. I gathered along the edges and stuffed some batting in as I pulled it tight. Then I just hand stitched it onto the black part and then onto the bag. Easy.

Oh yes, and go check out Material Girls Quilts and then let me know what you think, ok?

Challenge yourself

2009-03-31T16:51:00.004-05:00

If we don't challenge ourselves we don't grow! This quilt is one of my favorites! It is made with the vintage Aunt Gracie prints. The squares are 2 in. squares then sewn into a pinwheel pattern. Sometimes we do the safe block or strip quilts. But be daring - do something new. Even if it does take you a while. You will appreciate it in the end. And learn a lot too! It wasn't too hard- but it isn't just a simple block quilt either.

Love Amy Butler

2009-03-31T16:44:00.003-05:00

So I saw this way cute book at Hobby Lobby. It was an Amy Butler book. It had some cute ideas of things to make (not quilts but just stuff with all her amazing fabric.) There was this cute fabric book she made out of it. I think I will try to make it one day. But for now - here is a quilt out of a lot of her fabrics. This quilt was given to my friend who went through the whole adoption process with me. I talked to her the other night and I thought of her and this quilt so there you go.

Make fun stop borders. It adds so much to your quilt!

Since I am catching up...... TRY THIS FOR YOUR BACKING!

2009-03-28T09:48:00.005-05:00

So, at Hancock Fabric they have this fabulous furry fabric called like comfy cuddly or something like that? Anyways, I put it on the back of these 2 baby quilts I made for friends. It turned out so cute and it is so SOFT. I even rolled it over and used it as the binding on the quilt instead of the traditional binding. I liked it. This stuff is the SOFTEST stuff you will ever find. I LOVE IT. My new favorite thing! Try it out. (make sure to wait until it is on sale or use a coupon. $12.99 yard)

One of the next quilts I will finish quilting!

2009-03-28T09:42:00.002-05:00

A quilt always makes a room!!!

I made this quilt for my BEST friend. I loved it so much- I made myself the same quilt. Well I gave hers to her about 2 years ago. And mine is still sitting in a box waiting to be finished. The quilt fabric is AMY BUTLER, APRIL CORNELL, and HEATHER BAILEY. I love all their fabric! Recently my friend Tiff (who this belongs to) came out to visit me here in the heartland- and we had fun decorating and rearranging my house. It made me want to finish my quilt to remember her and also to add to my new improved living room.

This is a GOOD IDEA if you are a quilter

2009-03-28T09:39:00.002-05:00

If you are like me, you probably make a lot of quilts but then give them away to friends and their babies. Well make sure you take a picture first before you give it away. The journal is just about full now!

Hello from the Heart Land!

2009-03-27T22:21:00.009-05:00

Hi, First of all let me introduce myself. I am Carissa, I had this great idea to start up this blog with sorta an online journal of all my quilts and sewing projects...... Well..... I told my mom who is an AMAZING quilter (and anything home made) about my idea- she said lets do it together. Of course I then got really busy and never posted so my mom (shannon) has made it more of a Shannon show and tell more than me. SORRY!!! SO, here are some catch up posts.

OH HOW I WISH I HAD TIME TO QUILT..... OH HOW I WISH I HAD TIME TO POST ON MY BLOG......

Here is the latest project I did. We had a bunch of Dental Wives get together and sew a Friendship quilt. We each made a quilt block -using the same pattern (Thimble Blossoms Wild Thing).

All the girls who did it. (except for like 3 of them). I LOVE all these girls and am so glad I have a quilt to remember each of them by.

Each girl made 25 of the same blocks out of a color that she was given (we chose spring time colors). She was in charge of sewing them up and was given about one month. Then we all got together and swapped our blocks. It was so fun to see what everyone chose. I haven't yet put my blocks all together. When I do I will post the finished product. Along with the different ways people put them together.

Yep, we're slackers. Ok, not really.

2009-03-27T16:36:00.003-05:00

Sorry we have been such slackers lately. Carissa and I both have new and very busy callings. I'm tagging her so she has to do the next post because hmmmmmmmm, I think I'm the only one that has posted anything on the Shannon AND Carissa quilt blog. You might have to just accept the sewing blog for a while.

This is what I have been insanely busy with. Not quilting but sewing! I finally finished all of the pioneer bonnets (along with 10 not pictured that went to leaders) for the girls who are going on our pioneer trek. I also resewed their skirts (you know what I mean if you have ever turned 12-16 year old girls lose with sewing machines.) and put the waistbands on.

I have been making shawls, overseeing the making of 74 baby quilts for Humanitarian Aid (in memory of the 74 babies and children that died from the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies), making pins and posters for girl's camp, and now making "Possible" bags. Yep, I am the trek coordinator and loving every busy minute of it - only bad thing is no time for quilting.

The girl's theme for camp has to do with flowers so we are incorporating that into our "Possible" bags for the trek. These bags hold everything that they would "possibly" need - water bottle, journal, sunscreen, etc. I saw this fun idea on a quilt at Deseret Book and have wanted to try it for a while. I will be making about 30 of these so I will take pictures to show you how easy it is to do it. When they're washed they are even cuter! Well, that's all for now (isn't that enough?)

What is this?

2009-03-27T16:34:00.003-05:00

I found this while cleaning out my basement. My mother-in-law made this for me the first year we were married and you can tell there are some really old fabrics in it. It is hand pieced with fabric over thin cardboard. It has something inside it like rice or sand so it must be a doorstop maybe? If you've ever seen something like this, let me know. I think it must have been one of those Relief Society projects like the cracked glass grapes or something.

T-shirt quilts

2009-03-27T16:30:00.003-05:00

I have been cleaning out my basement. I found some garbage sacks of old t-shirts I have been saving to make some t-shirt quilts out of. I didn't want to keep storing the huge bags so I washed them and then spent a few afternoons cutting 14 inch squares out of them. I folded them all neatly and stored them in zip-lock bags until a later time. I have a sack for each of the boys. I'm thinking maybe next Christmas. I'll keep you posted.

Apron exchange

2009-03-27T16:28:00.001-05:00

I joined an apron swap last month and this is the apron I made for my partner who lives in Canada. It is the Emmeline apron by Sew Liberated. It is reversible and sew (clever, huh?) cute. It's pretty easy too.

Finished tops

2009-03-27T16:21:00.002-05:00

I have managed to get a few quilt tops done lately and I quilted 3 quilts but haven't sewn the binding on yet. That might have to wait a while (I'll show those when they are done) The top photo is a Valentine quilt. I made up a stack and whack heart square. If you want to see how it's done, let me know - I'll share.

I LOVED this fabric line - Charisma by Chez Moi for Moda and the pattern called Wild thing by Thimble Blossoms. I had loved the picture on the front of the pattern and wished I could find the same prints. When I got home with my pattern and a charm pack, I realized they were the same. YEAH! Carissa has been making one of these with her dental student's wives. Hopefully she can post some pictures too.

This is another Valentine's quilt. My hearts are just basted one waiting to be hand appliqued. Oh well.

I saw this quilt hanging up at Pine Needles at Gardner Village in Salt Lake and loved it. It is old fashioned and I loved the pinks and blacks. Not real fond of gray but it works here. Yep, it's waiting to be quilted too.

Flamingo Party!

2009-03-27T16:15:00.002-05:00

I know, people think I'm crazy. I fell in love with this flamingo fabric by Modo so I decided to throw a party. You can see my full length apron (below) and then I made all of my friends and family a half apron like our lovely model is wearing above. I just used McCall's #M5284. They whipped up really quick and the only bummer was Carissa wasn't here to be silly with. (Don't you just LOVE the flamingo glasses above?)

For the party everyone had to wear pink and bring a summertime dish. Good way to chase away the winter blahs.

Easy Table Runners

2009-03-27T16:13:00.003-05:00

I know we've been slackers lately. You'll soon see why. Anyway, here is a fun idea to use up all of your scraps. I made 3 table runners out of scraps from my Valentine's quilt and Julie's strip quilt that I made last year. They were really quick and easy and I think the people that received them liked them.

2009-03-20T22:49:00.001-05:00

Elisa is at it again! This is one of three baby quilts she is in the process of making for soon-to-be nieces and/or nephews.

2009-03-09T12:17:00.001-05:00

Look at the CUTE quilts Carissa's friend Melissa made! They are soooooooo darling. Good job!

CREATE!

2009-03-06T14:40:00.002-06:00

An Easy Tutorial

2009-03-05T13:28:00.013-06:00

Our youth group at church has taken on the ambitious project of making 74 baby quilts for Humanitarian Aid. This is how we "bound" the quilts before they were tied. It's easy and fast.
#1 - lay out your batting.

#2 - Lay your top fabric face up on the batting.

#3 - Lay your bottom fabric face down on the top fabric. The two fabrics are facing each other - rights sides together.

#4 - I round the corners because it's easier to sew and looks nice.

#5 - Pin all the way around your quilt.

#6 - Sew through all three layers with a 1/2 inch seam making sure you don't have the writing on the selvage showing. Leave a 12 inch opening on the side for turning.

#7 - Trim the excess batting and fabric around the quilt leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

#8 - Turn the quilt right side out and smooth out side seams.

#9 - You can topstitch around the outside if you want (and sew the opening shut while you're at it) or you can just whipstitch the opening shut by hand.

Your quilt is ready to tie! We had 20 quilts laying out on the floor and the kids sat around them and tied. We got all 20 quilts done!

Elisa's Quilt

2009-03-03T23:56:00.003-06:00

This is what one of my girlies just made. Way to go Elisa. It is sooooooooo cute! Love it.

Card idea

2009-03-03T18:57:00.001-06:00

Here's a little idea for a thought you could put on a card to give to that special person that receives one of your quilts.

2009-02-27T11:10:00.002-06:00

Since this is called "The Quilt Rack", I'll show you a cheap and easy way to make a quilt rack to display all of your quilts (or the ones you will now be inspired to make!). After checking out the local antique stores for an old ladder and not wanting to pay $40 and up for one, I checked out one of my favorite stores - Home Depot. I was planning on making one myself but found this handy little number already done. It was only $7.59 and made for storage shelves. I was worried about the metal brackets but they turned out ok.

I spray painted the ladder and then sanded the edges to give it a little more rustic feel.

All done! How easy was that!?! You don't see the metal brackets at all and you can hang 4 quilts on it. It isn't very wide so it will fit in a corner or behind a chair. Send us pictures if you make one, ok? Now get busy!

2009-02-24T19:17:00.005-06:00

This blog is dedicated to Grandma Jewell who was an amazing quilter. We both think we inherited her gene for quilting. She was one of those who pulled threads to make sure each piece was straight. Everything was hand pieced and hand quilted. Her quilts have become treasured keepsakes - heirlooms for sure. We hope she is looking down and smiling on us as we haunt fabric stores and make up designs. I'm sure she thinks we're slackers by not hand stitching but I've done that quite a few times and I'd rather get a quilt done sooner so I can enjoy it. So here's to you Grandma. We love you!