Houses!

Even though this quilt top needs more pressing, and the quilt needs to be quilted, of course, I couldn't wait to show you what I have been working on.  I think out of all the quilts I have made, this one has been the most fun, so far.  This pattern is Suburbs by Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew.  I have always been drawn to little houses and the simplicity of these houses is just perfect.  So easy and fast to make.  I decided to go through all my fabric bins and pull out conversation prints so that each house would be different and have a personality all its own.  Not only is the construction addictively fun, but finding fabrics I had forgotten about was like a treasure hunt!  I made the twin size so that my mom could enjoy it for a while on her bed, but I could easily have continued on to a queen or a king.  Just one more!  Fussy cut a door!  I need a fishing house!  Oh!  Bobbins and spools!  An I Spy quilt for grown-ups.  I spent a little time on the web last night looking up other Suburb quilts people have done to get quilting ideas.  So many cute ones out there.  Still not sure how I am going to quilt it, so I am open to any ideas.  Check out Allison's other quilt patterns.  I love her color sense and her whimsical style.  I have quite a few of her other patterns on my to-do wish list.  Going through all my fabric bins has inspired me to pull them all out and reorganize and re-acquaint myself with past fabric purchases.  I don't seem to have many large pieces of fabric, so for the back I will need to put together some smaller sizes.  The fun continues.  Jerilynn

Blobby Lakes and Bloody Face

One more Woolfelt and linen lake pillow was ordered.  The requested lake wasn't one of the blobby lake shapes, so  careful trimming was necessary.  I'm trying to think of other sayings or lake related appliques that I could design, but my mind is blank.  Today was finally nice enough (no rain!) to finish cleaning the windows.  All have been done over the last month except the ones up here in the studio, and they are Big. They fold in, so no exterior tall ladders are needed, but these windows are just too heavy and big for me to do on my own.  Carl to the rescue.  I was doing some Friday cleaning on the second floor when I heard a crashing noise.   "Carl, are you okay?"  "No."  One of the upper windows which is over my desk area, and awkward to reach, fell forward into his face.  He has a very nasty gash on his forehead, and one on his nose.  The skin is completely gone in about a 1" x 3/4" rectangle on the forehead, and a bit smaller area on his nose.  His glasses saved the eyes.  He now has decided to tell everyone that I hit him.  The window is fine.  And clean.  Never a dull around here.  Jerilynn

The Pin Cushion Mothership

I bought this pattern, Sew Happy by Jennifer Heynen, and for some reason, I thought it was a pin cushion!  I was half way through construction and realized that it definitely was not a pin cushion, unless I was sewing for Paul Bunyan.  I finished it anyway, and it now plops on a little corner table that you see as you come up the stairs to the studio.  I have other fun things in that corner.  Mostly ladybug stuff that I have collected/received over the years.  It was a fun project to do and turned out pretty good.  It just isn't going to fit by my real sewing machine to hold pins.  Jerilynn

Hand Stamped Dishtowel

I have another nice order from Idlewild store downtown Cumberland.  My cabiny creations are selling well, which is a good thing for them and for me!  Most all need some sort of time on the embroidery machine.  So while it is sewing away on its own, I gave myself permission to play a little.  I love stamped and painted fabric, but that is something a little out of my comfort zone, thus, my satisfaction with the end results is low.  It isn't as simple as it looks, and, like most all crafts, must take a bit of practice.  Genine Zlatkis is a favorite artist of mine from Mexico.  She has some stamps for sale at magentastyle.com.  I bought four stamps and decided to stamp a new dish towel for myself with some pretty cobalt blue ink.  It is the type of ink that is colorfast once it is heat set.  I stamped away, got blue all over me and the table, and smudged the towel here and there.  But, overall, I think the results are okay.  Folk arty, don't you think?  I think I will keep my day job, but it was a fun playtime.  Jerilynn

Granduation Quilt

Grandson Aaron graduated from High School and his mom, Barb, decided to make him a quilt for his dorm room.  Barb had never made a bed quilt before, so this is her first one.  It turned out great!!!  She quilted it with a slight zig-zag stitch, more like a wobble.  The back is a soft flannel because Aaron requested something warm.  She simply brought the backing to the front and stitched it down with a step zig-zag, resulting in a very secure binding that should withstand multiple freshman boy washings.  She had the idea to make the label into a triangle shape.  She said she learned that in a class and that normally two sides of the label can be in the binding.  Isn't that just a great idea?  I guess even old dogs can learn new tricks.  Beautiful job!!! Jerilynn

Casually Squishy Pillows

Here us the latest pillow using the "letterman jacket" technique.  I hoop a big square of linen/rayon that I purchased at Joann Fabrics.  They have severalgreat  colors in this wide home-dec weight fabric.  I wash and dry it first to soften it and make it look a bit more vintage.  I then place a piece of Woolfelt on top of the hooped linen, and stitch the outline of the letters (Lobster font) and the lake.  I have a sharp, pointy pair of scissors that I use to trim around all the stitching.  Stuff, stitch close.  Done.  I don't stuff my pillows very firmly - I like to have them casually squishy.  Now you know.  Jerilynn

Store & Go Zipper Case

This is one of the patterns I did for Indygo Junction that debuted at the Spring Market in Philadelphia.  At first, IJ was skeptical about the pattern because it is made using a circular attachment foot on the sewing machine, both for the decoratively stitched circles and for inserting the zipper.  It actually is a very fun and clever (if I do say so myself) way of making a pouch.  I originally sent the pattern and models to them calling it Moon Zipper Pouch.  I loved the way it went from a "full moon" when open to a "half moon" when closed.  I guess the powers that be thought the name was a bit odd...thus, Store & Go Zipper Case.  They did a nice blog write-up on it here.  Lots of positive comments on the case, but that could have been due to the give-away they were offering.  The cases are shown set up as a sewing kit case and a travel jewelry case.  Other uses can be created, of course.  I hope the pattern does well, but in the end, I create stuff because it is fun.  And making circles with decorative stitches is right up there on the fun scale with fruity drinks on the porch.  Well, maybe not quite as much fun as fruity drinks on the porch.  Jerilynn