Just letting you all know

I am new at blogging, probably obvious, and am new at html,  and therefore I am periodically correcting past posts to be sure I credit the appropriate people for their patterns, inspiration, and such. Also, please properly link to me if you use my pics, ideas, and so forth. Hope you enjoy reading my blog :-).

About my design notebooks

I have 2 DESIGN NOTEBOOKS... one for quilting ideas and one for apparel. Here's a page from my QUILTING design notebook...actually this is the moose quilt (see  finished quilt in my older posts).  You will notice I used a pre-printed wildlife fabric.  I didn't like the borders they came with so I applied layers of strips of fabrics over them, similar to doing a log cabin and then every other square I did a real log cabin.  This was a lot of fun.  I like to put samples of the fabrics used in each quilt, although lately I have been remiss in doing this because I am using so many different fabrics.  The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt has 111 separate, distinct blocks.  Some people try not to use the same fabric twice.  Don't know that I will be one of them.

Here's another page out of the same design book.  ON the LEFT, I keep a swatch of SOLIDS with the name brand and color since I like to do micro borders (1/2" or less wide border) on my quilts.  The RIGHT is the fabric page and quick sketch of my original design baby quilt (see my older posts).

One inch and micro borders plus unfinished binding....

This pic is from my APPAREL design notebook...sketches of ideas, patterns, fabric swatches, my croquis fashion templates, my original designs... it's got all kinds of things.

Ruffle Skirt is FINISHED!!

 This is a skirt I designed some time back, finished it a day ago!!! It's lined, has an off the waist yoked band and biased ruffle at the bottom.  I ran into a little trouble because I put on a few lbs and therefore didn't have enough room in the side seams to really warrant a button at the waist style.  So I cut off a bit at the top, readjusted the sides seams again and viola...it works great!

Catching up on postings...lots been going on

Have been working on a lot of things... finishing knitting, some garment sewing, quilts, home decor things.

Cabled Button Toque Hat pattern by Amy Swenson, click here for pattern.

Potholders...just playing with layouts...the lobster fabric was where I drew my color choices.

Started working on New York Beauty...took another paper piecing class from the great folks at Button Box.

Using this pic from Australian Patchwork & Quilting Vol.13 No. 11 p. 44-45 as my inspiration for my color choices.

Sew many fabrics to choose from...trying to get the right feel.

Where I am to this point.

Ok, I need to slow down a bit...what's important in above is the process...you get your inspiration....but then the angst of auditioning fabrics to get the look you want... so many many options. I think what this quilt is doing to me... is leading me to try reproduction civil war era... something I haven't worked with much.  The tiny prints and patterns are really lovely.  I have kinda been turned off by them in the past but now I think I am starting to like them.  Sew much sew that I bought the new The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt book and have been traveling through out the surrounding Boston area to quilt stores to procure enough different fabrics to start on it!!