endless love: phase three

well my granddaddy's quilt is looking mighty fine if i may say so myself. tehehe. i got the rows done today. yayyy. and SOON {hopefully tomorrow} i will be adding the borders, then the batting and backing, etc. so the very next time yall see an endless love blog, it'll be the finished product. yayyy. i really wanted yall to see the quilt in full effect. {rather than show you the completed top, then the completed quilt itself.} so that's why i left the picture out, with the middle unfinished...don't hate me...lol. so what do yall think???

it's homemade, not flawless

well i decided that for mother's day i would make my ma-inlaw a little something. nothing TOO outlandish, but something thoughtful. well i thought about her and what i could make that would be useful to her...and have it done by mother's day. {yeah right.} and here's what i thought: when she places a casserole dish on the table she always puts 2 potholders underneath it to keep the table safe from heat. well...my thought was, 'why have 2 potholders when i can make her a 'hotpad' to use instead.' it seemed like a good idea to me...lol. so i started searching for a quick-to-do project and i came across the 'rolling stones' project on this website. fabric cutting took no time at all. then i started putting the pieces together, and i swear they are SO tiny to work with. it actually frustrated me. and it frustrated me enough that i didn't even want to attempt the 'flying geese' sashing. i just finished it this evening. {yeah i know mother's day was almost 2 weeks ago, but she's been out of town, and won't be in town until sunday.} so...here's my version of 'rolling stones'...made to match my ma-inlaw's favorite green dishes. did i mention she has about 12 sets of dishes??? lol. oh, and i cheated and used a pre-made, iron-on quilt label {since this is only 8 3/4 x 8 3/4, and the adhesive smeared. oh well...it's homemade, not flawless. tehehe. {and the label doesn't look that translucent in person, must have been the flash.}

endless love: phase two

batten down the hatches yall...the quilting storm is about to roll in. lol. i spent the better half of my morning yesterday making my granddaddy & grandmomma's wedding picture come alive on fabric. i thought that this was a fun experience and i made sure that i took pictures at all the steps to share it with yall. it was very easy, all you had to do was print, iron, colorfast, lay flat to dry, pat dry, iron again, then cut...and there you have your own personal work of art. i will say that the picture fabric will shrink a bit, so DON'T cut your fabric the size you want it until after ALL the steps. {2nd time was a charm for me. tehehe.} i made the picture an 8x8 square, so that after seam allowances i will have a finished 6x6 block. yall should know that i was SO excited after having the picture on fabric, that i made a mock layout in my bedroom floor. in my last blog i said i was feeling uncomfortable about those 4 darker squares around the middle, but when the picture was put in place, my hubby & i picked a different fabric to put there, and now it just comes alive. so with that being said, enjoy phase two. i'm sewing rows together today so...phase three is coming soon to a blog near you.

endless love: phase one

o'righty. so i FINALLY decided on a pattern for my granddaddy's endless love quilt. simple as it may sound, i'm doing a good ol' fashioned 'trip around the world' quilt. i wanted the quilt to be beautiful, but NOT in any way, shape or form take away from their wedding picture. so in the very middle of the quilt, instead of a nine-patch block, i will be placing the 6x6 picture. and since this is a 'trip around the world' quilt, i was limited to how many fabrics i could choose without going overboard. i chose the following 8 fabrics, which i think are the best compliments to my grandparent's wedding picture. i played with the squares a little bit today, they are 2 1/2 inch squares, and i think that i found the placement that i am happy with, and the one that does the most justice to the picture. so, here are the 8 fabrics...a mock layout...and their wedding picture. {sorry the fabrics blend in with my counter top...and the flash made the fabrics seem much lighter in the layout picture...lol.} i'm thinking that the 4 lonely {darker} squares around the middle will be finding a new home...there's something about it that just doesn't sit right with me. lol. what do yall think???



oh, and one more thing...i cut enough fabric to make 2 of these 'trip around the world' quilts. so i am actually going to be working on them both. and so i am thinking of putting my wedding picture in the 2nd quilt and giving it to the hubby...as a surprise. {he always says, 'making another quilt...that's not gonna be for me...*hint hint*'} so i think i will sneak and make him this one. and i'll be able to hide it well, because he'll assume it's my granddaddy's quilt. any thoughts on the matter???

a 'winner' in my book

so in early january i decided to enter my 1st contest. it was a new experience for me, it was very fun, and it made my creative juices flow. you had to design a "new" 12x12 quilt block, using any fabrics, shapes, colors, etc. and although i did not win, or even come close, i wanted to keep the block. well it's just been sitting here, hanging out in my quilting stash. and i thought, "why should i keep it hid just because i didn't win???" so yesterday i vowed to make something out of it. i thought either a pillow, a small wall quilt, or a small table topper. and that's just what i did. i made a 12x12 wall quilt. it's cute, and mini, and i love it. i decided to hang it in our master bedroom, underneath this charming rustic shelf my hubby bought me about 4 years ago. so that is where it will call it's "home sweet home" and it fits perfectly. i'm SO glad that i decided to do something with my "loser" of a quilt block, because now it's a "winner" in my book. tehehe. oh and i absolutely LOVED using a feather stitch for the quilting, it added SO much character! {these pictures were taken in my kitchen, just so i could hurry up and show yall the finished product.}

sixteen candles

okay so my niece ashleigh turned 16...and i'm still in shock. *sigh* we all know that 16 is a BIG one, so i really wanted to give her something special. well what's better than a quilt, right??? i made ashleigh her very 1st quilt. and she loves it. {yayyy.} her bday was a couple of weeks ago, but my camera decided to take vacation that day and i've been waiting on her for the pics. well she emailed them over this evening, and without further ado, here is miss ashleigh nicole's "sweet 16" quilt. enjoy.

well worth the work

well it wasn't an easy task, but i think i may have successfully edited my granddaddy & grandmomma's wedding picture. {for the endless love quilt.} here's what i did: i brightened it, enriched the colors and chose to keep the antique look by keeping the sepia undertones. and because of the wear & tare on the actual photo, i had to soften it to hide the many wrinkles and creases. {since it's almost 52 years old!} what i'm really excited about is that i chose to crop it. i wanted to give it more of an intimate look by taking out some of the background distractions. i did, however, pay special attention to leaving their cake in the picture for my granddaddy. {i know he'll appreciate that!} i wanted to post the original along with the edited version so yall could see all the changes and give me some feedback. won't that look just stunning with the fabrics??? {fabrics are pictured in my previous blog.} tell me what yall think...please.

unveiling the endless love fabrics

so i decided that with the endless love quilt i would show progression pictures, which i think is super fun. {i like seeing everyone's projects unfold blog to blog...don't you???} and as promised, here are some of the fabrics i will be using in my granddaddy's quilt. aren't they lovely??? these colors make me either wanna drink a latte or play in the sand, i can't decide...lol. i love these colors...very soothing to me. and don't forget that i plan on using some homemade tea dyed fabrics as well. {along with some scraps i have that are in the same color family.} won't this look just gorgeous next to their wedding photo??? {the photo is in the "endless love...my newest project" blog, in case you missed it.} i'm excited, that's for sure. do yall like 'em???

such a sweet hubby i have

the hubby made my day today. he bought me a hanging quilt rack from my favorite local store. yayyy. isn't she a beauty??? i have a few quilt ladders, but nothing that actually hangs, so he bought me this one, and i love it. it's stained this rich cherry color and it's distressed, which gives it SO much character. i haven't hung it yet. {or actually made the quilt that i want to hang from it.} but i wanted to share it with yall anyways.