Nov 21, 2015

Doodles: Blue feathers

Well, what to do when life happens, blog gets semi-abandoned and crafty time flies away with stuff to do?

Get creative! Yes! Get creative and find how to be creative with what you are given. Portability is not that easy with a big quilt, but a sketchpad and pens, colors and markers are...

And this is where The Hill will have some posts with not many words, but with lots of pictures that will hopefully be a testimony to getting creative with the time and resources we have... 

Ladies and gentlemen, doodles and sketches are back! And I give you blue feathers:







Enjoy and have a blessed weekend!

Yiya

Nov 14, 2015

More Quilt Show - Quilting!!

Some time ago, I posted about attending my first Quilt Show. Well, I was looking at the pictures, and I thought of sharing a bit more about it. One post is not enough to capture all the beauty and all the effect it had on me.

The feeling I had while I was there was remarkable; goose bumps, smiles, awe, excitement all rolled into one big ball that left me all gooey and fuzzy inside, hehe. 

So, here is a bit about the quilting and FMQ... I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Of course, there were several quilting patterns that did not exactly stayed withing the piecing.  The end result was gorgeous.  For some reason, my eyes found the combination of curves and points really interesting. I particularly liked this sort of piecing and quilting pattern overlap. And what about the denser quilting that makes those curves pop! The chains and the Gypsy Kisses (or Pickle dishes) look amazing together and they pull your eyes in this sort of road maze - mesmerizing! 

Wanda Jones, Osage Jewels
Unlike the previous quilt, the following one had quilting that stayed "inside the lines."  With a different quilting motif in each area, the end result is no less impressive!

Wanda Jones; Maker: Eve Murphi, Urban Pods by Sew Kind of Wonderful

And just look at this beauty!

Clarice Jones, Victorian Lace - Love Flowers, Quilted by Cindy Thompson, Pattern: Jan Douglas.
Again, I go back to how much I enjoy the combination of curves and points, but the added element of complimentary colors here is fantastic! 

A bit after, it was interesting to come across a modern, chevron quilt. I really liked the clean lines with the simple background.  I was about to go on to the next quilt, when something caught my attention. Can you see it? 

Gay Cooper, Rail Fence, Quilted by Wanda Jones


I knew it was there, but it took me a bit to see what my head saw... Does that even make sense? Anyway, the camera got it before I did - I promise!  My first glimpse at this great idea was through the lense... Well, the LCD screen... :)


It was the combination of those beautiful, more traditional quilted feathers in the negative space, combined with a more geometric quilted shapes on the pieced shapes that not only gave a different texture, but also worked as an extension of the  chevrons, all the way to the edge of the quilt. That playful, sneaky contrasting thread!!  What a neat idea!!

And how about a combination of cathedral windows, square 9-patches and gorgeous, dense feathers?

It took every ounce of self-control in me to stay away and not touch it.  I felt like running my fingers and following each thread, but I make the best effort and locked my hands behind me, so that they behaved! 

Lexi Wallace, Lexi's Dream, Quilted by Jan Dunaway.

Of course, I felt like running to my sewing machine after leaving the show, but alas! It's kind of difficult to do machine quilting on the go...

Ha! Never underestimate the power of a spare piece of paper and a writing utensil at hand! I had to go pick up Mr. Fuzz Husband, and I doodled while I was waiting for him. And the conversation went kind of like this:

Mr. Fuzz: "Oh! I see you went to the quilt show?"
Yiya: "Yes, I did!" (Big smile.)
Mr. Fuzz: "And that's what happened?" pointing at the paper in my hand.
Yiya: "Yes. I just had to start putting those ideas down on paper right away!"
Mr. Fuzz: "Good! That means you had fun. Now, what are we having for dinner?"

Oh! The fantastic world of marriage and crafts!

Have a blessed weekend,

Yiya


Nov 11, 2015

MIssy's Drawstring bag

Well, I believe drawstring bags are growing on me!  It turns out that they are practically THE perfect gift wrapping that is so cute and functional that it won't be throw away! 

(Yes, I seriously and silently feel sad each time I see all that beautiful wrapping paper that ends up in the trash. My recycling bone awakens each time it happens, and some of it has even ended making up greeting cards and all sort of things of beauty and love - but that's the stuff for another blog post.)

Time came for another gift, and yours truly had everything ready BUT a gift box/bag... I still sort of refuse really taking a good look at those, unless I will remake them into something else.

So... Missy... A sweet, sweet lady that loves purple and bright colors... I took a peek at my fabric, chose the three below and went back to Crafty's Bag-Making Basics: Drawstring Bag & Bucket Bag, with Kristin Link.


I really liked the way it came together!


And here is a close-up look at my cutting mat, with Kristin Link's instructions handy, to make sure I got things right.  


Here is Missy's bag finished, right on that spot on the carpet, now more like a "spot of fame," hehe...


Well, yes... It's a tad too big for nail polish, but she can use the bag for so many more things.

(Mental note: Take time and write down the math to make smaller baggies and use in the future.)


I really like how bright that lining fabric looks next to the purple...


And when you pull the drawstrings, it almost turns into a pretty flower!


If you like making things, this baggie is also easy to make and Kristin's class in Craftsy is free and she shows each step - it couldn't get easier!

And you? Do you personalize gifts?  I would love to hear how you do it!

Have a blessed day!

Yiya.