More Letters

I was working in my office all day today, getting ready for the semester to begin on Monday, and have been thinking for a while that I needed a little something quilty to brighten up the place. One of my courses focuses on US government, so I have this little Gee's Bend postcard on the wall. (In case you can't see it very well, there is fabric with the letters VOTE printed on it.) I looked up at it today and was inspired to do a bit more letter exploration for Tonya's class when I got home. I used Ami Simms' cool little 'sleeve' corners again on this. The whole thing measures 12"x12".

I bought these fabrics at Maine Quilts during the Democratic Convention in 2004, but have never really known what to do with them. I'm not really the patriotic quilt type - maybe it's my dual-citizenship, maybe it's my frustrations with US policy at the moment, but this quilt feels okay. VOTE!

I have to thank Tonya again here for her inspiration!! If you haven't found her tutorials, check them out here!!

Something Fishy

I've finally starting sewing for Tonya's class. I love fish - especially eating them, but also just being near water, especially salt water - so I chose to begin with the word FISH. I drew a bunch of free-pieced fish designs while in a long meeting conducted exclusively in Finnish last spring, so maybe I can combine these letters with that idea in some way.

I played around with this for inspiration.

Karin Continues to Create!

This is what happens when you hang around my apartment for too long...

You start quilting: (free-motion stippling, clouds, cursive and even labels on the first try!!)




You bake (these are for her colleagues):


Karin of Marimekko pillow fame is finished with her two-month experience at Wärtsilä in Vaasa and heads back to Germany this weekend to finish up her engineering studies. Maybe she'll be back for a quilt-retreat weekend!

Elisabeth Glasgow

Couldn't resist...

The Name Game

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car),
Lyndon
(no current car - kind of a Madonna/Sting thing)

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie),
Half-Baked Tollhouse
(sounds more like my garage band name)

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name),
J-Mac

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal),
Green Hedgehog (image from KMC Cleaning)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born),
Elisabeth Glasgow

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Mac-Je

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Orange Gin and Tonic
The Turquoise Smoothie
The Red Espresso

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers),
Arthur Robert

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy),
Happy Haribo

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ),
Joanne Douglas

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter),
Sponnenberg Syracuse

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Winter Lupine

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Blueberry Raincoat

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree),
Yogurt White Pine

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”),
The Patchwork Blizzard Tour

Thanks, Happy Zombie!

Lucky Strings

Just a quick WIP photo. I started these string block back in June and posted a little tutorial here. Once I get this together and send it off to it's recipient, I'll post a little more about the project. Its wonkiness is good practice for Tonya's course - I'll try to post photos of my sewing for that this week!

Friends and a Funky Foot

I've done something funky to my foot and am supposed to stay on the sofa for a few days with my foot in the air. Fortunately, I can prepare my courses for the fall from the sofa. Unfortunately, I cannot iron or cut strips for my current project from the sofa. Luckily, though, my Bernina has not been lonely! Two friends decided to try their hand at some patchwork. Katrin made a nine-patch potholder from a friend's mother's curtains (hope I've got that right) and says she's coming back for more. Karin turned a precious Marimekko remnant into a great pillow - complete with zipper! I love the looks of concentration on their faces:

Sneak Peek Collage

I have to wait a bit to post proper pictures of this project because it's a gift, but I couldn't resist sharing a little sneak peek. I actually had two finishes this weekend!