new kits

Just wanted to let you know about the new kits I just posted on my website.
The kits are for the Penny Pouch pattern which is a nice heart embellished little pouch made with woolfelt and blanket stitches. It also has a pattern for a matching scissor sheath. The pouch is great for carrying around small stitchery projects or to use for jewelry, makeup, or whatever.
A 6" x 9" vinyl project bag will slip neatly inside. The kits are available in several color ways and contain the pattern, all the woolfelt and plenty of pearl cotton to complete the project. This makes a great gift for stitching friends, give them the kit and let them make it!

hairnets and hunger

The other day a small mob of quilters and I were invited to participate in a very worthy charitable endeavor.
The organization is called Kids Against Hunger and they package and distribute nutritious meal packages to those in need. Which unfortunately is many.
The church our friend Barbara belongs to was looking for about 100 volunteers to assist in packaging these meals. As quilters ever on the lookout for a new adventure and an opportunity to help, we naturally said yes.
We showed up en mass and formed a lovely hair-netted, giggling, but productive assembly line. (sorry no pictures - or none that I know of) With very few mishaps (oops, there go some beans) the hours flew by very quickly. The tally at the end of the event was 5,000 packages! Of course we worked up quite an appetite and so went out to lunch afterward feeling very thankful for our full bellies.

the art of bras and snacking

I finally put the finishing touches on my "Artful Bra" for the fundraiser and shipped it off to my friends gallery. I'm calling this one "Petal Push-up". It was so much fun to make I am going to suggest it as an idea for our quilt show next year. We always auction off mini quilts for Breast Cancer research and I think this would be a great addition to that. Anyway, I hope it brings in some money for the fundraiser. Needless to say it caused several fits of giggles during retreat, especially when it was modeled (no pictures available) ROTFLOL.

Of course the chocolate and sugar intake at retreat was pretty high as evidenced by the snack table. Actually, I think I saw the table legs start to buckle. It was a group effort after all and we did have a nice variety.
It looks worse than it really was, there were leftovers, (well, a few) and we did frequent the salad bar at mealtime!




Hmmm, maybe that's why we got so much done at retreat.
Cathi made this fabulous series of small pieces with her growing collection of Cherrywood hand dyed solids. So cool, can't wait to see them finished.





I also took along my collection of black & white fabrics and had fun with them. I'll show you when they're done. (don't hold your breath)




Karen made a fun assortment of pillowcases, more on that when she sends me the pics.
hint - hint.
Peggy was stitching so fast I couldn't keep up with her projects, but this is the first one out of the machine. Stay tuned.....

So much more than a card

My friend Barb crafted this card to send me after showing her the GreenCraft magazine. When I pointed out the project I liked with the cardboard flowers.... look what arrived in the mail just days later! Isn't it adorable? It now has a home on a shelf in my studio. One day when I get my new inspiration board made (LOL) it will move there. Along with my mom, Barb is the queen of handmade cards. Of course these creations are so much more than a card. They are little pieces of art and expression. Made to be shared and then of course coveted and cherished by the recipients. Hmmm, sounds a bit like quilting doesn't it?

What do you mean, where have I been?

Ha Ha Ha Ha.... just kidding. I know it's been almost 2 weeks but I do have a pretty good excuse for m.i.a.
I had to get ready for.... and then go to a fabulous fun quilt retreat!
Before getting to retreat I had to make this quilt. Our fearless retreat leader challenged us to make something with charm packs she gave us last year. Not being one to rush into things, I got the top done 3 days before I left. I quilted it on retreat and it will be given to a charity of her choice. I'll get the binding on tonight.
I ended up packing about a months worth of projects to work on. This fun coffee themed fabric by Audrey Jeanne Roberts (studioefabrics) and the coffee bean fabric from Robert Kaufman are going to become place mats for gifts, shhhh... they haven't been mailed yet so I can't say who they're for.




Then we had to go out looking for a green bra....
and this is what we found. Why it only has half of a smiley face I don't know.


No ~ I didn't get a sudden urge to wear green. I decided to make an "artful bra" for a breast cancer fundraiser my friend is sponsoring at her art gallery in Wisconsin Lakes Fine Art. If you want to join in, check out the link for info. I will show you the finished bra in a few days. I still have a few finishing touches to add.
There were 19 of us at this retreat and we all accomplished a lot, a lot of giggling that is.
Check out this beautiful quilt top that my friend Cathi finished. Can't say that I would have had the patience to add all those tiny black strips. She's a fan of Southwestern design and so chose fabric that resembles turquoise. It's a stunning quilt.




More to come soon.........