Do you LOVE to hand quilt?

Kinda fun to revisit quilts of past, do you ever do the same? Studying and drooling over the recent Sarah Fielke book and loving her hand quilting on her beauties. Have you read the book, Quilting: The Collection? I am in love with each project but am thinking that the Whirligig may have my name on it for a future fun piece.....Happy Monday!

Em

Waving to you!

Have I told you how much I have missed blogging the past months while life was busy?!!!!!!! Today's wave was a creative exercise and Noah's played with my 2012 theme of trees while creating a woodsy police station....Lorax on my Nook and crafting ideas for a fun kidsy quilt....brewing and stiring and pondering........

Took my breath away and then I giggled!

My sister's creations......The color combo of her current project is a feast for eyes! She created this compass in the past 2 weekends, she created a little Coulson 3 1/2 years ago and each day loves his color, embellishes his love for the quilt room with freedcm to play and in the end, beautiful material for a human being! Two breathtaking creations, 1 incredible woman and sister! Love you, CLS!

Happy Sunday, friends. Em

Bordered and taking flight to play with a Green Fairy!

Well, give me a day of no work and Noah on vacation with friends, and I get WIPs completed! Feels so damn good!!!!!!! And....I am guilty, no work on the resume or license, too much quilting fun to be had! Always tomorrow, right?

I apologize the pic is fuzzy. Sean helped me true to the focus piece and now the borders are complete. I cannot imagine what Green Fairy will do with this piece but I daresay it will be breathtaking. I think this is my favorite of all my designs....why I do not know, but I love its vibe. You?

Celebrating a day that I dedicated to quilting! Em

"It's perfect for Grandma, She is bright and colorful like this quilt."

My grandma Dorothy turned 98 this past week and is in impeccable condition. She is my hero and lives on her own and walks everyday. The other evening while we were talking on the telephone, I was reminded the legacy that my father and Grandma Dorothy have instilled in me.....Carpe Diem; do it your own wway and live your passions. I have decided to quilt this tomorrow and have ready for her birthday celebration next weekend. When I asked my sis if it was too bright for Grandma, she responded, "It's perfect, bright and colorful like her." Roxy is excited.....

Love, Em

Tonye Belinda Phillips....Thank you for your inspiration!

Are you familiar with the wonderful book, Hand Appliqued Quilts Whimsical Designs and Simple Techniques? Just the word, Whimsical, tells all! I fell in love with this book last year and there is a border on her Viva Mexico
quilt that seemed to be a border I would enjoy trying some day.....Well, the day is here! I am going out of my box completely on this quilt, not a favorite of mine but the creative exercise for me is fun.

Do you like the dynamic black and primitive stem and leaves or is it too bold? Sean does not care for the black and I love his honesty. With this black border I am wishing I would have used black to POP! the wonky snowball flowers but.....what sewn is sewn and SEW it is!

Do you find yourself nodding in agreement or saying to yourself, "I so get it, EM, I have thought the same thing with a project."?

Still a work in progress but I awoke this morning and made a deal with myself that before I start a Lorax quilt I will work on my WIP's....Not sure if I am sold on the bed I made with myself but will be grateful in the end when projects are finished.

Happy Saturday, Em

Seattle, Saturday, Seuss.......I have the letter S on my mind!

Could be a fun Saturday playing with these fabrics! 1/2 day allotted to working on getting a Washington nursing license, freshen up the resume and then POOF! Mr. Lorax, let's CELEBRATE!

With our impending move to Seattle, I have had trees on the brain for some time. I am so enjoying playing with the theme this year and next....LORAX! with some Gwen Marston influence......Wonky and Seuss are like Green Fairy and quilting, V and Thin Mints, Maxi D and Bacon....Me and You all!

Love, Em

eye HEART ewe! or i LOVE scrappy hearts....little tiny pieces that make up the building block of Love.

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Maybe? and DEFINITELY!

My floor is my design wall and I am playing with the idea of putting my wonky florals on point? Too busy, scrappy fun or...keep playing with it, Em? What do you vote?

And the definitely?.....YES, my sister's Mariners Compass block from her class this morning. Two different girls, two different styles, ONE LOVE for this hobby and our heritage!

Love, Em

Yummy!

Berries off the vine.....hippie child from a classic parent material...Kinda fun and ooh so yummy! Where this little wonky floral block is going I have not idea....well, I have some ideas but will be surprised as you all when it is complete. Tomorrow....quilting!

Love, Em

2 Sisters....2 Projects....2 sisters in a project....

Do you recall the teeny tiny stars I have been posting? Sharon, my sis, texted me this gorgeous medallion this past weekend and isn't it a beaut!!!! I am so excited to see all of her stars put together, going to be breathtaking. Sharon is the queen of Star quilts and this is a design of hers using a tool she bought at last year's Ohio quilt show. Keep you posted on the project's progress. Something so wonderful about a sister!

And a fun thing about sisters...they can have such difference in tastes! Yep, this is my wonky block in progress and so much fun to be using my purple scrap bag. YUMMY! I am going to create a little doll quilt for a tiny couch I have found. Or maybe, many more of these blocks to create a big quilt...did I really say "BIG QUILT"...if larger than 24" then big in my book :).

My sister and me sitting on a rooftop exchaning stories of quilt projects, motherhood and how to keep one true to thine self in the mix....

"Pssst!" You fill in the rest for this story idea...

Love to you, Em

My first Baltimore Album quilt!....Just kidding, but isn't it beautiful!....I so wanted to be traditional last night, but......

I so badly wanted to be a traditional quilter last night....Look how beautiful my aunt's album quilt is in the photo below. Years and years of needle turning applique at my home when she was visiting. Or the classic Christmas ornaments from my younger brother's elementary years....I too wanted to try on the tradition of classic....I had good intentions but then the little devil on my shoulder said, "Em......

stay true to your heart!" Sally, if you are reading this, you will smile from our email on Sunday. You are that little devil that was my inspiration for this Victoria-made fabric spinner of deLIGHT!

So much fun! Watching Pawn Stars with Noah and sewing tiny bits of fabric together Victoria-style! Thinking that I will sash with boinging purple and use a bright yellow Kaffe for the starts imbetween each wheel but....you never know do you?

"Do tell, Em..." Do you get a spring in your step when someone asks you the story behind a quilt and its process?

I created this Tree of Life quilt for a dear friend who I work with. Roberto saw my Northwest Christmas Tree hanging in my office and remarked, "Tree of Life, I love what you are making lately." Hmmmmmmm, got the wheels rolling in my mind. Roberto is from Peru and I wanted to create a piece that may have some reflection of his homeland. With gratitude for the line, ANIMAL SPIRITS by Sue Coccia, I ironed on fusible web to the back and then cut out each animal while at dodgeball.

A fresh gilded palette that is a combination of 2 different fabrics fused together.

My quickie tree trunk for getting an idea of what to use for the trunk. Sean said, "longer roots"....A trip to the quilt shop looking at every brown batik and then I bought the one I initially went with in mind for purchase. Fun to have my friends in the shop asking what I am creating :).

Trunk laid out and I added some individual roots after laying out the original single cut trunk and roots.

An eel chasing the Polar bear for my first branch. "NOPE!" not right.....but right when on the RIGHT side..he he!

Do you spy the dolphins playing with one another. They are the only 2 alike animals near one another to represent joy of playful companionship.

The trunk has a feminine shape to CELEBRATE Mother Nature and the roots are influence of my husband who helped me have them size correctly to the tree top. He is a very symmetrical artist and his collaboration is always very helpful in this dept.

A very special lady is quilting this piece!

Thank you for your support of this piece, the emails that you have written make me smile! It is very simply constructed and I would encourage you to create one of your own if you have a hankering...but if you do, plesae send me a photo!!!!

Love, Em

DId the zoo gates unlock last night? Come peek at the mayhem!

Tree of Life for my dear friend, Roberto, is taking shape and I am so love in with the animals. Initially my choice for the branches was not so convincing when I looked at the photo- they took on an appearance of rattlesnake skins....but then I thought, how apropos for a man who I know so well due to working in the desert wilderness. On the trek for the right fabric for the trunk and then....More peeks!

Do you enjoy quilting with the Asian gilded fabrics? When I started quilting I would have never envisioned them becoming a favorite of mine...but then again, I would not have imagined I could pull off creating my own pattern.

What has surprised you along your quilting journey?

Love, Em

From Warbler to a therapeutic project about Anger Management

It is a week of me CELEBRATING the book, Whip Up Mini Quilts. The Warbler (above) by Sarah Steedman is the inspiration for my quilt, Anger Management: Em Style. (below) It is amazing how much fun I can have and progress I can make when I have 2 days off from going in to the office. Can you relate?....

Do you see the subtle buttes in the Warbler quilt?..... Living in land of sandstone and towering rock, I fell in love with this piece immediately and wondered what would become of it when I delved into my scrap bags....

The story behind this piece.......As some of you know, work has been very challenging past 6 months, loss of my dearest pup and I also ride a roller coaster of emotions in the winter months....put them together and I look for ways to calm my soul and find peace in meditation. My hikes with Porsche in the early morning hours of the day or late at night have become a balm and I have rediscovered the beauty of dark starry skies.

Tuesday morning, early early, Porsche and I headed behind the hourse for our hike. Looking over the landscape of my neighborhood, a sunrise began to illuminate the buttes and a flood of gratitude washed over me.

I did not have intention in adding the cowgirls, but oh how I LOVE novelty fabrics and putting a twist in my small ditties. And then text fabric was shouting my name and before I knew it.....A quilt with so many metaphors ready for Roxy! and a little fun with Victoria at Bumblebeans on Facebook!!!!

Keeping with this year's resolution, CELEBRATING GIRLFRIEND TIME!

Love, Em

PS....here is my current WIP started this morning.....From cheeky novelty to Klint's inspired, Tree of Life. Do you like the forming idea?

Where would be if quilting had not been gifted to us?!!!!!

Resolution 2012...More girlfriend time! Quilted.....

DO you think our grandmothers ever envisioned that fabric would be designed with cocktail recipes? Novelty fabric, especially text, can be such a fun embellishment! Hope you enjoy my latest little ditty. I vote it one of the most fun to create and quilt....And my dearest pets were vying for love and in the end, Roxy and the furries each got love and were whooped afterwards. Happy WEdnesday, may it be wonderFULL!!!

So much fun starting a new year with lots of COLOR, cheeky girlfriend time, and CEELBRATION of nature! Do you like the cute photo of Kevin looking at the caged parakeets as though we are mimicking a Sylvester and Tweety cartoon? And I give the credit for the quilting inspiration to Green Fairy. Trapuntoed my different highlights with 2 layers of batting and channeled her gift. I decided to use a designer stitch to outline the sky "made fabric" to insinuate.."Patchy skies of blue"....I have been blue lately and how amazing the hobby of quilting can turn around a poor attitude and remind you that few minutes of quilting can change a perspective on life. CHEERS to a new year! and to Lucinda Jones who was my inspiration with her quilt pattern, Blackbird By My Window in Whip it up Mini Quilts.

Love, Em

Thank you, Lucinda.....Her blackbird sang to my 2012 soul

I fell in love with this Lucinda Jones quilt, Blackbird at My Window, and after days of having as a screen saver, created an EM CELEBRATES version. Aren't the DANDY GIRLS spicy and fun? The Jones quilt is in a wonderful book, Whip Up Mini Quilts. Check it out, very fun read!!!!! I may just be making each of the projects....

Happy New Year! Em