Peace Love and Understanding is done!!!!!!!!!! And with her finish I am having an open house of all my realty.....

For my 40th birthday, mom and I went to Vashon Island and I found peace signs fabric and VW buses....I was in love and thought I was going to do a text quilt but then I reverted back to my original love for the wonky house.....I have also decided to try a new style this year for my quilts and that is adding borders. Piece O Cake is my go to for this year's quilts so far having used the Picasso Garden for Emory's baby quilt and now this wonky floral for Peace Love and Understanding. I wish that the large quilt photo was not blurry but hope you enjoy the close up shots. This past week I compiled my quilt pictures into an album on Facebook after hearing from a friend who likes to show them to her friends. Her enthusiasm for my quilts has been very fun and it was such an awesom experience going through the past 5 years of my blog an downloading the photos. So many stories and memories and so many quilts that live with you all.......What a hobby. Below is a collection of my houses quilts. Celebrating the joy of when a house becomes a home!

Some Seuss, Some Peace, Some good juju.....

RInging in 40 with a day of quilting for newborns....Circle of life....

As I type I have an energy of both gratitude and also feeling tapped.....I am humbled by the love that has been showered on me for my 40th birthday and CELEBRATE the friendships I left behind in Utah and the friendships I enjoy with you in cyberland.....And so I wanted to spend my day thoughtfully.....what better way then to make progress on baby quilts of babies here and babies to come.....Make Life FUN, Make Life Sunny, MAKE LIFE SPECIAL..... Thank you for being a part of my life and this creative journey. Quilts scattered on the floor begging to be pieced together...I should vaccuum for my party but you know where I will be! Love, Em

b is for baby boy basking in beauty's belly...X marks the treasure!

Treasure Map.....have you found the booty at Sharon's blog?

Having fun creating my sister's Treasure Map Quilt for a baby boy. If you want a quick fun quilt, visit her blog and enter to win the pattern or better yet, make her day and purchase one! Sharon's posts are a sure feel-good and booty abounds. http://fabricsandflowers.blogspot.com is her avenue.....

Building blocks....CELEBRATING Ecclesiastes

Picasso's Garden has me hooked and wanting to sow more and more seeds. As I fuse the leaves I noticed a leaf that says, Faith....Got me thinking. This quilt has now become a gift for a young woman who will be going on mission. Her spunk lends to bright colors and I am basing the quilt on the scripture, Ecclesiastes 3:1,2,4. Baby quilt will have to wait because this is so much fun! What seeds are you sowing in the quilt room? Love, Em

A twist on the wonky star.....

I am love with the Fresh Lemons blog thanks to my sister who put me on to its yumminess! She had an overlapping star quilt that looked fun to create so I jumped on the wagon. I am having so much fun with this stash buster and hoping that its allusion to the the fairy tale about a princess that kisses a frog will be a blessing to the new baby that will wrap in this.....something fun about starting life with the knowledge that happy endings are not just for Disneyland! When given lemons, make lemonade or at least a quilt patterned after Fresh Lemons' blog. Love, Em

Godwink with sprinkles of fairy dust....

A Valentine for a dear friend.....Does the flag resemble bacon?

I was stumped the other evening on what to piece and then I went to my current standby, city scapes. Before I knew it, I had found a dear friend, Maxi D, strolling the streets with her umbrella while I walked a slew of dogs. My next life will include a dog walking service..... Once you find a friend the cheeky parallels follow quickly! A Valentine for this loving season. Happy quilting and may there be a celebration to surprise you! Em

To give them a little pinch.......

You can imagine my delight when I opened a picture text today and this sweet little Gabriel was doing tummy time on the quilt I gifted him.....Oh the wonder of babies!

Ever find inspiration from a comment left on a blog post?

Have you visited my sister's blog, Fabrics and Flowers Blogspot? Click on the body of this post and you will quickly be transported to a giveaway! With each visit I find myself smiling and enjoying both her inspirations and also the comments that are left by peers. Her recent quilt featuring colorful X's is a delight! I read a comment that talked of a grandchild's love for the Y amidst X's to confuse looting pirates, hence this little piece I created yesterday. CELEBRATING a child's imagination and my sister! Happy Weekend and happy happy February! Counting down to my 40th! Love, Em

Bits and Pieces....of time and fabric

Where has this month flown to? Sean has been working in Utah for 3 weeks and this means one thing.....My mom was here and what a wonderful time we had! She has begun her Pandemonium epic journey and oh how fun it is shaping up to be!!!!

A muted quilt to welcome a sweet little baby girl in June. Very fun to make and revisit my Kaffe stash. Scared to quilt it but will soon take the plunge. I have always loved the wonky star and it was fun to incorporate in this quilt 9 patch theme.

Yesterday was Roxy's day and boy did she go go go! We quilted this modern top and I am excited to have a WIP complete! On the way to buying the binding I spied a little fixer upper and within 24 hours my brain is a buzz at options.....It is a year of minimizing the toys and revisiting the simple, family time is the most important time and the things of the world do not compare. CELEBRATING my husband coming home in less than 24 hours! and some blog time.....I miss the blogging but I hope that you get my vibe of my visits to yours! Love, Em

Ringing in the new year with a taste of Modern....

Happy New Year! A challenge I have posed to myself this year, that I am welcoming with open arms, is to see how many quilts I can create using only my stash with exception of batting and backs that I will need to purchase. Last night I got a wild hair and dumped my florals stash bag....All of the sudden these fabrics screamed, Use us together, as though it was a scene from Toy Story....And with a pattern from Contemporary Quilts book pictured below, VOILA....a not so traditional baby quilt ready for Roxy.

May 2013 be a year of joy, growth and delight and celebration in the little things that can be oh so big....and even more fun is when a little thing is like a sponge toy from the quarter machine that you add to a glass of water and it POOFS in size.....

May you have a POOF to you day today!!!! Em

I dreamt a dream and so.....I played for 15 minutes!

Christmas was a time of celebrating in my home and I am still making my yummy noises and smiling as I recant memories of the past week. Favorites include the candlelight ceremony at the Christmas Eve service, Porsche anxious with all of our hooting and hollering over the incredible Seahawks Sunday night game and family time of games, laughter, pranks and moments of quiet and tears of humility for my blessings. Amazingly....this year was a year of fewer gifts and yet as I always say, "This was the best one yet......" I dreamt that I was piecing with Victoria and a couple of other women in New York and then awoke with the desire to choose a quilt from the 15 Minutes Play of Victoria's....below is my interp of my fav of hers, the charcoal gray with made fabric insets...Mod Style. I LOVE HER BOOK!!!!!!!!

This made fabric rainbow is a celebration for my friend who is having a birthday this week. Seemed like a young and whimsy idea to portray her as the Gold at the End of the Rainbow......she is my gem of a friend since moving here and spending many many soccer games together. Ever wished you could swing from a rainbow and watch the world below wonder at the miracle of prisms in rain?

And a treasure for my Chirstmas......Mom gifted me this quilt and I was taken aback with surprise!!!!! It is a favorite of mine that she has created and a special time in our lives when she pieced this. Most of the tiny scraps are from my stash. She created it while staying with me and Noah as Sean worked in Seattle last fall and as we were making the decision to start a new chapter in our lives.......How ironic that I would be gifted it our first Christmas in the Northwest! And through all of the joy of this season, my heart has missed Harley Dog whose dying anniversary was this Christmas season and the homesickness that often ailed my soul as I missed our dear friends and family in Utah. Life can be so bittersweet! Love, Em

Cuanto Cuesta?.........paws up if you love a furry friend

I have had a quilt in mind for a very long time and last night the first block took shape. As many of you know, my Harley dog was a love of my life. I will never forget our times and near daily still recant memories...in a healthy way of course. In the spirit of my Muertos Vllage, I have begun "Cuanto Cuesta".....How Much Is That Doggy in the Window?....a favorite childhood song of mine and a weekly singalong in our family during Family Home Evening. I will post each block on the blog and would love to know if you choose to create one of your own as a sort of sew-a-long....instead of doggies maybe you insert kitties or princesses or a little bit of whatever is in the stash. My next house is going to be a HOT DOG......with Unruly letters of course :). Here goes the bow wow! Em

Faith and Courage are Cornerstones

I cannot put in to words the grief I have experienced with this school shooting this week. I find myself distracted and crying at times I least expect and wanting to hide from the media. I have worked in psych for 25 years and my current job is the first time I have seen adult mental illness to this extreme and it scares me.....scares me that people have ill brains that can lead them to do horrible things that scar people for life......and to help me work through my grief I created this piece one night and so many tears stained the fabric. I used the text fabric for the message, Faith and Courage Cornerstones. I dedicate this piece to hope and healing and wish that I could do more......

Ooh LA LA! Fa LA LA LA LA! I love SELVAGES!!!!!!

A facebook post of the wine openers inspired the below......They remind me of ballerinas from the Nutcracker or little wispy angels. How does the creating brain work is my question for tonight.....because this photo above led to the below creative exercise tonight.

2 Selvages.....and text. Gotta love quilting and all of its fun and silliness! Merry Christmas season!!!! Em

Up up and Away with the holidays....Who do you relate to in the City Scape, "The Human Experience"?

Hold on to your hats, Ladies! The above quilt is a pattern from Sunday Morning Quilts from start to finish! My corner barista is due to have a son anyday and I wanted to whip up a little surprise for her babe. This is a great stashbuster! and a quickie is you are in a time crunch.

I cannot seem to get my fill of playing with my people fabric and Seattle theme. I have wanted to create a quilt that includes random people and this is a work in progress. Don't you love the dapper gent and the frugal homemaker?

Ever been fed up and said, "To hell with it!"......in this case, it was better to throw out the fish than the baby with bathwater....

And a small quilt to celebrate the love I have for the Southern Utah desert memories and my life in the NW.....Oh how I love quilting with Roxy on these little ditties. Roxy and I are busy getting on top of the stack of pieced quilts. With a day off and boys at work and school, we may just get something accomplished! And you? Love, Em

CELEBRATING the small.......small stitches, small quilt, small scraps, small babies...

I thank my mom and dad for teaching me from an early age the value and delight of the little things in life and compassion for others....May Day baskets on doorknobs, Secret Santa Helper for a friend in need of love at Christmas, homemade cookies that look like pizza in a deliver box and crafting while watching tennis and Cheers on tv......And with this love for the process of living and being present with those you are with..

CELEBRATING this beauty of mom's.....the colors are yummy but do you see? They line up perfectly and are all hand pieced. She calls it her picnic blanket and such a fun quilt it is! An amazing quilter and so versatile!

Do you recall the quilt posted below.....I have looked and looked for the fabric to create a second quilt and come up with no luck. My Aunt JoAnn is a ball of fire and when one is in her presence, her laugh is contagious and her spice is SPICY! Mom had told me that she enjoyed my Poppy quilt and I wanted to gift her a surprise. The above art quilt is a Bonsai. Used my tiny poppies to attempt to mimick aspects of the original. And of course, the text could not be more fitting! There is something so fun about finding just the right details for the recipient. Merry Christmas, JoAnn!

This quilt resides in Michigan and has yet to meet her owner. Jen is working in Costa Rica and had me mail the quilt to her parents' home. The stories that the blooms will soak up are kinda fun to think of. Some people come in to my life and there is an automatic click like 2 puzzle pieces that interlock....Maybe it was Jen's smile or her cowgirl boots, or just that she is an awesome inspiring woman. Hope to hug her again someday.

I was asked to create a baby quilt for a friend's granddaughter. There is something very fun about receiving a voicemail or email inquiring of a commissioned project....pays for those shop hops :).....As I have been perusing blogs, I was drawn to Victoria's recent challenge of made fabric from lights. With her ideas I created this filler and of course used the old fav, LOVE block. All from my stash and that is a good feeling! Roxy is ready to quilt her and then off to play with the stork.

Wishing you all a TOOsday with a little TOO much of something in it TOOday! Love, Em