Learning New Things

I've been experimenting and learning how to do some new things here on my blog. Blogger has updated and added new things since I first began blogging a few years ago. Some things I never used or never knew about and somethings I have had to add and delete and move around to get them where and how I want them. So the past 2 days I have been fiddling with my tutorial and where to put it and how and so if you have seen that tutorial move around a bit that's the reason why. I think I have finally got the tutorial where and how I want it, so now I can add more tutorials in the future and know what I'm doing....or at least I think I know. Pin It Now!

Making Little Books Tutorial

Tutorial on Making Little Books~ Go to Craftsy for this free pdf tutorial.

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Clothes I Made

I made this blouse last month. I only had a yard of the turquoise print fabric and I needed more than that, so I used the pink check for the peplum and the collar and tie. It came out really cute, at least on the hanger, not so much on me. I guess the style and maybe the print just isn't quite me. I'd be happy to sell. If interested e-mail me.

I made this skirt last month too. It came out nice and I found this fabric a couple of years ago at a thrift shop. I wanted to make a kimono, but didn't have enough fabric for that. This was about the only pattern where that large border fabric would work. I'm happy with it.

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Thank You All

I'm still buzzing about all the wonderful comments I have received and the new fabulous followers I've gained too. Thank you all for stopping by. Gosh what a little word-of-mouth will do, huh? I know some of you will continue to stop by here and see what I'm up to and others may not, but that's okay because I know I may lose some followers, but gain some new ones too; I'm realistic enough to realise that. I will try and stop by each and everyone of your blogs too. I hope to check out a few each day.

I'm going to work on improving a few things to make it easier for my readers too. I'll add some various tabs of catagories, but it may be awhile before they are all up and running so give me some time. Comments are always welcome whenever you have something to say. The annoying word verification has been removed so as to make your life easier. I heard you all when you said that it keeps you from making comments. I totally agree as I have given up making comments on other blogs because when you have to jump through too many hoops you lose me too. So if you also blog, please take note of that if you want more comments too.

Okay I'm off to add some new things to the blog.
Your blogging friend, Daryl Pin It Now!

I'm Overwhelmed....

Oh my goodness I am speechless. I got up this morning and got on the computer and my inbox was full from so many comments made to me about my blog, my creations, etc. that I could hardly believe it. Then I went to my blog and saw all the comments left there by so many bloggers that I don't know when I'll be able to get around to answering some of you and visiting your blogs too. I wanted to take this time and thank all of you who took the time to stop by and see my blog, thank all of you who took the time to post a comment, thank you for those who have signed up to follow my blog, I really appreciate you all. I would love to stop by all of your blogs too, but that may take some time going through all the comments that I received and finding your blogs, but I will eventually get there though.

I want to especially thank Karen of Sew Many Ways for posting my comment on her blog. Who knew what a response I would receive from just one posting? Wow. I'm still amazed by this. Thanks Karen. And I learned how to make your blog link clickable from your tutorial, so thank you for that as well. To think I only found Karen's blog a few days ago myself then all of this happened.

Okay, I better get back to reading more wonderful comments that are still coming in. THANK YOU EVERYONE.

**Just a little update after reading all the comments so far...
I changed to this font for those who mentioned that they read from iPhones and the other font was harder to read. Hope this one is easier to read? Let me know as I am rather iPhone/iPad ignorant as I do not have one so I really don't know anything about them.
Second, I took off the word verification as others mentioned how annoying it is and I agree with that from having to type in those distorted words on other sites and rarely getting it right the first time. When I started this blog I didn't have any resistrictions on my comments and ended up with tons of SPAM comments and most in some Asian language. Removing the SPAM comments seemed to take about 3 steps to get rid of it completely. So that's when I went to moderating my comments, and maybe that was another reason for not having comments? Next I tried the word verification to avoid the SPAM, but skipped the moderation. So now I decided remove the word verification as well.

I am glad for the comments about the font, and word verification and have fixed those. Next I will work on adding tabs and catagories and ways to search as one commenter mentioned to me. All very good things to have. I will need some time to work on making those changes, but I will be adding those things slowly but surely. Thanks again for the comments and help. I really appreciate you as followers and I will try to keep you coming back again by making it easier for you. Pin It Now!

Quilts I Made Before I Started Blogging

I came across some photos of quilts, and things that I made some years ago before I started this blog, so I thought it might be fun to post those, since all I have left of most of these are the photos...

This quilt is from the Alphabet Quilt Pattern I wrote and designed. (To purchase the pdf pattern see my Craftsy patterns on the right side bar). When I worked at the local library, Tracie, a co-worker needed a quilt for a baby and I made this for her. I changed it a bit from my own pattern, adding flowers in the corners, with the baby's name written on the flower centers.

The border fabric here was from an "ugly fabric challenge" that a small group I belonged to wanted to do. This is the fabric I received and at first I was going in a different direction with what I wanted to do, then it stuck me to make a Stack and Whack quilt. I love those quilts because it's such a surprise to see what you end up getting and I loved how all the hexagons turned out. Hard to believe those hexagons were made from that border fabric. I donated this quilt to Project Linus several years ago.

This is the back of the Stack and Whack quilt. Those red and purple shapes was what I was going to do for the entire front of the quilt, but then decided on doing the Stack and Whack instead. So I added those rows on the back of this quilt.

Close-up of the Stack and Whack hexagon and my "free form quilting". I wasn't too good at free motion quilting then, so I just used a walking foot and went in all directions when quilting this.

I am a vegan and entered a contest several years ago to make a quilt block or a double size quilt block (this one is double sized) about the cruelty of the fishing industry. The contest wasn't to win anything, but they would use all the quilt blocks and make a quilt to let the public know what really happens in the fishing industry. This is my original quilt block. I could embellish it and I did add lots of different embellishments.

Here is a close-up. I used some leaves from artificial flowers to look like seaweed. I added beads, sequins, metal washers, tulle and appliqued the fish. The background fabric I had painted with paint that reacts to objects that you place on top of the wet paint and leaves images. I used washers, a key and other objects on the painted cloth. 

I remember making these blocks, but I really don't remember where this quilt went. I imagine I donated it to Project Linus as I donated many of my quilts to that organization.

The blocks in this quilt was made by several women in a group I used to belong to. They each wrote a quote of their choice in the center of the blocks. Again I probably made this and donated it, but I really didn't even remember this quilt until I came across the photo. I wasn't too computer savvy back then and didn't rename my photos with a caption, I just left the number of the photo on it, so now I know better.

These quilt blocks also came from that same group of women where we exchanged quilt blocks. I still have this quilt and use it as my picnic quilt to spread on the grass whenever we go to a park. It's backed with that same navy blue fabric that you see on the top.

I knit this sweater for a co-worker when I worked at the library. Kris' daughter was expecting her first child and thus making Kris a grandmother for the first time. Since I didn't know the sex of the child, I found this soft chenille green yarn. 

Purse I made for a friend several years ago. She loves sea turtles and batiks, so this was the perfect fabric combination as both fabrics are batiks.

Back of the purse.

This was a scarf I knit for a friend. I added green eyelash yarn to the regular green yarn to give it that fuzzy look. I sure have come a long, long way since knitting that scarf.

More purses I made that same year I made the black and green one above. These were all gifts I gave away.

I made an all heart quilt in scraps like this (without the house) and it's been on my wall for years. Funny I can barley remember this one. This is only the top, so I have no memory if I even quilted it. Could it be in my pile of UFO's still? If it is I will finish this. If not, where did I give this one to? Oh well, maybe all that is left is this photo. I like making those heart blocks as they use up scraps and are small blocks, but they are paper-pieced, which I am not too fond of doing. At least this is an easy paper-piecing block. *** Okay the memory just kicked on about this one (especially after seeing I signed this)...I made this large block for a quilt guild member who moved out of state a few years ago.

My daughter loves all things Irish/Celtic, so I made her this and it hangs in her kitchen. I used St. Patrick Day fabric for the green fabric and center of the block and this is a double (or is a triple?) Irish Chain quilt.

This was made way, way back in the late 1970's. I was in college and we had to make a final project that had to be 3-D in one of the art classes I was taking. I chose to make a quilt, since I knew how to make the blocks, but hadn't actually made an entire quilt yet from start-to-finish. This was made before there ever were rotary cutters, so this was all stitched by hand and I cut out every piece with scissors after tracing each piece with pencil onto the fabric back using a cardboard template. I used the quilt-as-you-go method to quilt this. I was dating my boyfriend, (who is my husband of 32 years this August) and I took my quilt pieces with me everywhere we went so I could get it done. I did complete it and got an "A" in my art class too. It was our quilt for many years and now my daughter has it, because she likes brown.

A closer look. This the the Grandmother's Fan, set in the Mohawk Trail setting. So many fabrics have faded in this quilt since I made it in the late '70's. There is also a few stains. I have learned so much since that first quilt of mine.

I made this one called The Navajo block. I wasn't good at the quilting part then, so not so great there. I gave this one away to Japan after their natural disasters there a few years ago.

Scrappy crazy quilt. I made so many small blocks trying to use up scraps of fabric and then sewed them all together. I added an off white flannel as a backing (see turned over corner in the right corner of photo). I had intended on donating this quilt after I made it, but my husband loves it. He likes the soft flannel on the back to put on his lap when we watch movies on the telly. Who knew it would be one of his favorites?

I made this when my son was about 11 or 12 years old. Hand quilted it, machine sewed the pieces. My son will be 27 in a few months.

Closer look at the hand quilting.

I was commissioned by a co-worker several years ago to make a tee-shirt quilt using her daughter's tee-shirts from her marathon races. I found the perfect fabric as the backing fabric and the filler fabric on the front of the quilt too. Since so many tee-shirts were all different sizes, I put the small ones in the corners, the center area I placed the same size shirts and figured out out to place the rest using filler fabric around the tee-shirts. I found a red print to add to the border.

This is the marathon fabric I bought for the Marathon Tee-Shirt quilt.

Closer look at some blocks.

Closer look at the blocks and the border.

Another section close up.

This is our king size quilt. I made this one about 10 years ago. It's a Trip Around the World style quilt.

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Quilted Tote Bags



I made a tote bag using quilt blocks like these a few years ago. I was asked if I could make a similar bag on commision, using purple fabric for the handles, sides and bottom of the bag. So here is what I came up with~

This is the bag I made for Felicia. I made even better handles on her bag than I did on my own. I learn more with each thing I make and then make improvements the next time.

 

This is the other side of the bag. I made the block in the lower right corner with the jam and fruit print. I added tiny purple buttons around the 4 black corners that form a diamond, and a square purple button that I stacked a square yellow button on top and a tiny turquoise button on top of that.

Here is a close-up of the buttons.

I made a large inside pocket that I added a strip of the purple polka dot fabric on the top of the lining fabric as an accent, and also added my label. Felicia seemed to like her bag a lot and I found a good home for those quilt blocks so it worked out well for us both.

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