A precious gift

In the quilting community, I have had the pleasure to meet and become friends with an amazing group of people.  I am in awe of their talent, inspired by their work and their capacity to love is enough to make The Grinch's heart grow at least five times more!  I know mine did a few days ago when I received this in the mail...

This quilt is not for me, it is a gift from Thomas to Adam.  Adam had outgrown his old flannel quilt that I had made years ago.  He looked at me one night and said, "Mom, I need a new quilt, my legs are too long for this one."

He was right, his legs had grown about two feet longer than the quilt. 

I posted his sweet comment and Thomas responded with this...this act of love...from his heart...through his hands...to my son...

This is the first hand tied quilt I have seen up close and in person.  It is a technique I would like to try myself soon.

The binding is also completely hand stitched and the colors are so perfect!!!!! Adam will have many more years to love this quilt!!!!!

Thomas wrote more about this quilt and another in A Tale of Two Quilts on his blog.  He has way better words than I do explaining his artistic reasons.  I really only need one word to describe how I feel about this precious gift and Thomas...LOVE!

Best Bib on the Block {tutorial}

I have been making this bib for years!  It has withstood the test of hundreds of babies. I still have wonderful friends tell me they have been passed on to a niece, nephew or dear friend and are being loved by all that use them. Sure does my little heart good!  This is an updated version with a link to a FREE printable pdf on Pellon Projects! 

So easy to do, you will want to make them for everyone you know that is having a baby!  Cute , easy and reversible not to mention a fun stash basher project! The choices are endless once you have the basic method in place.

Requirements:

For a basic bib you will need two pieces of fabric 15x13.   If you are doing a variation of the pattern, like the two toned bib, you will need a  7.5inx 13in top piece and a 9x13 in bottom piece.

One piece of Pellon Nature's Touch Batting

Thread, I recommend Aurifil 50wt or 40wt in many colors! They are all beautiful and so strong to hold up to thousands of washings!

Fastener, I use resin snaps on all my bibs. Velcro can also be used in place of snaps

Optional:

Pellon 830 Easy Pattern 

Print out the pattern pieces Part A and Part B.  Line them up and cut the pattern out.

I recommend tracing pattern onto Pellon 830 Easy Pattern.  It will withstand MANY uses as opposed to paper patterns.

For this bib I am using Thomas Knauer Asbury from Andover .  Super fun fabrics!  Choose two fabrics the top here is 7.5x 13 and the bottom is 9x13.  right sides facing sew together using a 1/4in seam, then press seam towards the bottom.

Place your sewn section on top of the Pellon batting

Using a 1/8in seam topstitch the fabric to the batting

lay the top piece on top of the backing fabric.  Make sure your backing fabric is wrong side up

Lay your pattern on top of the sandwich, pin and cut out.

Take the back fabric and flip it to the front so that the right sides are facing

Pin and sew around the entire bib leaving a 1 to 1.5in opening at the top for turning.  Back stitch at the start and end.

Turn the bib inside out

Pin the 1 to 1.5in opening closed

Topstitch around entire bib using a 1/8in seam.  I like using a contrasting thread for a little more fun.

Iron your cute bibs!

The only thing left to do is the closure. If you are using velcro, please follow the recommend guidelines provided on the package. If you are using snaps, there is a snap placement guide on the pattern that make this an adjustable bib or you can place them wherever it works best for your baby.

I have a standard size snap press but your local fabric store may have a hand held snap press. 

You will need two backs and one male and one female piece

Push the back into the end

this is how it will look on the opposite side

Place the male piece on top

and let the snap press to do the work!

Repeat the process for the female side and you are DONE!!!!


Once you have your closure completed, your bib is baby ready!

To download a free pdf for this bib pattern please visit: Pellon Projects Best Bibs on the Block

Jellybean-a-thon last stop!

Last in the line up for the Jellybean-a-thon is right here!


When I met Thomas last year, I never knew how much I would just adore him, I had seen his fabric and had followed him on twitter but to getting to know Thomas on a more personal level has been very dear to me.  He is passionate about art and his family and did you know he is super sweet ( shhhhh...do not tell him I let you in on that secret, he'd just deny it anyway).  He is also an incredible designer for Andover Fabrics  and has some fabulous fabric collections.

When he asked me if I would play in the Jelly-bean-a-thon, I said sure, not knowing WHAT I was going to do for sure but isn't that the way that the best ideas come about?  Well, that and deadlines,lol! I was also, confused since I had always thought of this print as eggs not beans.  When the frijoles or huevos came in the mail I was still slightly stumped.

Aren't they lovely!?!

 I was cleaning my sewing room and found a dresden plate template that I was going to use...you know...someday...

Someday finally came and I used it for this pillow cover that will be the companion to the "Milo" quilt for the Knauer offspring to play and read and love and cuddle on.  It measures about 24inches square. The background fabric is Robert Kaufman Linen in chartreuse ( sexy color).  The blue is I *think* Kona royal but do not hold me to that one.  It is the same as I used on the Milo Quilt. The center is not the traditional center but inset circles using this tutorial.  I echo quilted around the petals with Aurifil 50wt green 1231 and then I went ALL crazy and did funky free motion quilting in Aurifil 40wt blue 5006. The inner circle, not sure what I was thinking but those are tiny circles and the needle was half the size of the circle in some of those, once I did it, it had to stay, I love it!
 It is hand bound which I never do but this had to be just right!

Here is a better shot of the quilting. I was listening to 60's and 70's music while trying to decide what to do, The Beatles came on and so I can honestly say that the Fab Four were the inspiration for this whimsical quilting. I have never done anything like this before but after Quiltcon, I was inspired to at least TRY!

If you have missed the other Jellybean projects go check them out!!!! They are ALL amazing!

Feb 25: Thomas Knauer
Feb 26: Allegory Lanham
Feb 27: Tracy Mooney
Feb 28: Sara Lawson
March 1: Rachael Gander
March 2: Rashida Coleman-Hale
March 3: Heide Mueller-Hatton
March 4: Audrie Bidwell


Thank you Thomas for letting me play!!!! I hope you and your family will love the pillow!

My QuiltCon lecture hall days...

( quilts by Anna Maria Horner)

What an amazing event!  First of its kind and by the way things looked it will be around for a very long time.  Beautifully organized, it seemed to go smoothly like it had been put on a million times before. BRAVO to the organizers, sponsors and volunteers that made it a perfect event! Look as these hard working and gorgeous gals!!!!!

I did not find out I was for sure attending until the sometime in January so I did not sign up for classes ( cry) but I was able to get a four day lecture series pass which allowed me to go to ALL the lectures my little heart desired and to go into the quilt show and vendor area. The lectures were fantastic and there are some that are available for free at Craftsy.com .

I was able to listen to my dear friend Thomas Knauer, Heather Ross, Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler, Jacquie Gehring , Meg Cox, Mary Fons ( she wins the award for most animated!), and of course Denyse Schmidt and a few others.  There were many tears and so much inspiration it was literally dripping off the walls!  

One of the BEST things I learned about in the lectures was from Meg Cox, not only is she a great speaker, author and sweet person, she is also on the board of the Quilt Alliance.  She spoke about documenting the history of our quilts. She shared something I was unaware of and I HAVE to share this with you, The Quilt Index! If you are looking for a style, a block or a quilt there are thousands of records on this valuable resource. What a priceless treasure for quilters, go check it out!!!!

The Quilt Index aims to be a central resource that incorporates a wide variety of sources and information on quilts, quiltmakers and quiltmaking.  This will include:

• images and information on privately held quilts compiled by state and regional quilt documentation projects in the United States and internationally; Current Contributors
• images and information on quilts in museums, libraries, and private collections; Current Contributors
• images and information on quilt-related ephemera;
• lesson plans, galleries, journals and essays;
• bibliographies of secondary materials relevant to quilt study; and
• finding aids developed to assist researchers with locating hard-to-find quilt-related primary and secondary materials in public collections.

This website currently features images and information, provided by an array of contributors, on thousands of quilts from documentation projects, museums, libraries, and private collections.

The Quilt Index represents years of research and development to bring together quilt information in a centralized online tool for education, research, and public access. The Quilt Index is a joint project of The Alliance for American Quilts, MATRIX: The Center for Humane Arts, Letters and Social Sciences Online at Michigan State University and the Michigan State University Museum.

I did have the great pleasure to meet a couple of the speakers. Starstruck and in awe as usual!  if you have ever read my blog or know me  personally, you know this was SO EXCITING for me ( thanks to Katie for taking this photo)...HEATHER ROSS!!! 

And this one may win as best dumb luck EVER ( next to the guy with the bra)!!!! I was saving the seat next to me for Katie who was in the back of the room from the previous lecture. Unknown to me at the time, she had to leave since she was not feeling well.  Amy Butler was the lecture and well, who should walk up and ask if the seat next to me was taken but David Butler. Sorry Katie, I knew you would understand ;o)  So here I was, sitting with Mr. Alex Veronelli on my right and Mr. David Butler on my left. I HAD to ask to get a photo of this since no one would ever believe me,LOL! David was kind enough to take this for me ;o) LUCKY LUCKY ME!

Amy Butler's lecture was fantastic, lots of beautiful images and lively words. Cannot wait for her new line of fabric! And thank you David and Alex for being so kind as to indulge a girl a little fun!

One of the best things about Quiltcon was the accessibility to the designers and authors. They were everywhere and were so very kind to just stop and chat in the hall and around the floor. I ran into the beautiful Anna Maria Horner outside in the hall and she allowed me to photograph her and her stack of quilts and then I noticed her necklace and she was even more kind and let me take the photo I wanted, I promised it would not be of her boobs!!!! The very cool thing to me is that she is WEARING her fabric colors!  She lives her color choices and I admire that! 

Here she is showing one of her quilts inside. I loved all the eye candy quilts hanging everywhere, so cool!

I am hoping to keep the posts short and sweet since I know there are so many different blogs posting about Quiltcon. Tomorrow will be quilts and the 80's Party!!!! Hopefully, if the 5 yr old allows me the time. Back to real life here!

The story of my quilt...

The Quilt Alliance does amazing work in keeping the history of quilts alive!

At QuiltCon 2013 they asked for volunteers to bring one quilt to talk about for three minutes on video and it was called Go Tell It at the Quilt Show! It opened up a wonderful opportunity for anyone and everyone to share a personal story about a quilt that they made and every quilt has a story that should be shared.

I did not happen to bring a quilt but Thomas Knauer did bring the quilt I had made from his Frippery line from Andover Fabrics and Lisa Sipes quilted for his newest baby who was lovingly named Milo before he was born. Thomas was happy to know that I wanted to tell the story of Milo's quilt but then the story of that quilt got even better once it was handed over into my care for the filming the following morning. 

And this is that story...

These two sweet ladies were kind enough to put up with me for dinner more than one night but do not let their mild manner looks  fool you...Faith and Lee ( Lee,I have deleted ALL the photos of you eating...and maybe the one of your bum...)  are WILD WOMEN...Katie was supposed to be with us too but she fell ill. We missed her company very much and I am happy to say she has recovered and hope that she was very entertained by all of these antics ;o)

Austin is a GREAT place with friendly people, I was standing on a street corner trying to figure out where the hotel was to meet up with the girls for dinner the previous night and this guy walks up with the MOST fantastic mustache...it was a perfectly waxed curly tipped hairy wonder! As most of you know I am very shy and have great difficulty speaking to people :o) I had to say something...so I say "Guy, that is a fantastic mustache, I love it!"...he took his earbuds out and said, "Really?"  " Yes, I really like it".

He then informed me that Austin is a city of facial hair LOVERS and that the following night there was to be a contest at a club called the Mohawk .  OMG!!!! REALLY!!!!! HOW COOL!!!!!! I HAD to share this information!

When I met up with the girls the next night we went out for delicious Mexican food and the topic of the facial hair contest was brought up when a very large group of facial hair walked right by the window of our table. I was so intrigued but alas it looked like it was not to be so...

We finished up and started walking back our hotels and I was WHINING A LOT and then Lee said..."Kim, if you want I will walk by the place with you..."

YES!!!!!  It was only a couple of blocks away and when we arrived we did see more very interesting facial hair in the line to get in and the the stands ( yes, there were stands) with more people with facial hair. Apparently this is SERIOUS BUSINESS!!!!

We came, we saw but there was a cover charge...GAH! It would have been great to stay but then we would have missed some of the most fun I have ever had!

 Faith was really digging the cool Come and Shave It logos so we had to take a photo, I can see the next series on her blog..."Solstice Staches"!  This gentleman agreed to pose for a photo by the sign out front...

 After we took the photo, we were going to leave and I remembered we had the quilt...what I great pic that would be. I cannot remember who asked this guy to hold Milo's quilt outside the bar but he said yes and then I was PHOTOBOMBED!!!!! Did not even know the guy was there,LMAO!!!!!  I wanted to get a photo of the bouncer at the club holding the quilt with the bearded guy. He was MASSIVE. I have seen WWF wrestlers in the airpot before and this guy was seriously as big as them. Beard guy lost interest in holding the quilt but the bouncer had already agreed to be in the shot, he was a sweetie pie!

So we got a photo with him too!!!!!  Thank you C...I was going to tag you on FB but could not find you :o( Hopefully, you will see this here and THANK YOU!!!!!

Next, I was going to take a photo of a tattoo parlor , as a joke, saying that is where we were headed        ( mostly to entertain poor sick Katie) and Faith remembered that the popular tattoo spot Affinity was right around the corner on 6th Street. We walked by to see if any of our friends happened to be in there but they were not.  I was not feeling very brave and neither were my companions but we were drawn into the LIFE on the street!

Then it really started, this bear with the smoke was BEGGING to have his photo taken with the quilt and who can say no to a fuzzy mammal at a bar? ( no animals were harmed in this photo shoot)

Next door there was a guy with a video camera and these gorgeous girls.  I asked if they would hold up the quilt and they were super excited to do so!  The video guy asked us to join in and be in the video he was taping ( with the quilt) and we were super excited to do so Faith and Lee, make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the #springbreakforever spot we may be in, LOL!!!!

We were followed by a completely scary goth guy but there were cops, and ambulance on the next block. There was also this guy in a top hat, bow tie and yes...facial hair. You know you are succeeding in Austin when people start looking at you like you are odd and we were starting to succeed.  When we got this shot the goth guy was asking if he could hold the quilt.  I thought Lee was going to hurt him.  Lee was the keeper of the quilt, when it was not being photographed, she folded it and was holding it so close to her I am surprised it did not become a part of her. THANK YOU LEE!!!!  She totally scared the goth guy away.  All 5ft 2 of her can be my bodyguard ANYTIME!

I have to share the before photo of this performance artist.  I could have stood and watched for a very long time. I could not help but think about Tom Robbins Skinny Legs and All when seeing this beauty.
"The inertia of objects is deceptive. The inanimate world appears static, “dead” to humans only because of our neuro-muscular chauvinism … Look deeper. You’ll need a magnifying glass … On the atomic and sub-atomic levels, weird electrical forces are crackling and flaring, and amorphous particles are spinning simultaneously forward and backward, sideways and forever at speeds so incalculable that expressions such as “arrival,” “departure,” and “have a nice day” become meaningless. It is on these levels that “magic” occurs."

Some people could not find the cover charge for the bar (ahem) but were able to gather some money so that I could ask to have this vision of beauty hold Milo's precious quilt.  This was a lovely gift!  The artist agreed with no words and after holding the quilt,  bade me goodbye with blown kisses...I was very happy!

AHOY! Me Quilties!!!!! The sideburns (yes, Austin may be the facial hair capital of the US and possibly the world) are the FIRST thing I saw and KNEW this nautical gang needed to be included!!!!

I did not realize that while I was trying to fit all the people in the frame, the sidewalk traffic had stopped on both sides. I took two shots and when the quilt was safely back in Lee's hands, I thanked the four kind people and then a SEA of people started moving again. I yelled out a BIG THANKS...I LOVE AUSTIN PEOPLE!

This is the BEST one of the WHOLE night and I am still laughing over it!  There was a play and these were a couple of actors outside on a smoke break.  Faith pointed them out to me and OMG...YES we had to have this one!!!! A COWBOY on STILTS...only in Austin...okay maybe in Las Vegas too ;o) They said yes but quickly they were about to go on stage. Took this one super quick and then something very unexpected happened...

an older man was selling flowers on the sidewalk, he walk up and said something about a good picture. I said okay and he started to unbutton his shirt...

This was the final pic of the night...you cannot top this one...

Life is unexpected...it happens...it is funny...it is sad but mostly...it is unexpected...embrace it!