I’m so excited to share the finished Bobbin Blooms quilt with you! This project has been a true journey from start to finish, filled with creative decisions, unexpected challenges, and plenty of joy along the way. I decided to custom quilt this piece, and while custom quilting it certainly took more time, I believe it was worth every extra moment.

The process of piecing this quilt was really enjoyable. The Bobbin Blooms pattern is well-designed, and I found it easy to follow. It’s Sew Emma’s pattern is always on point! I love their detailed, fully illustrated pattern ...

Finally this quilt is done! I thoroughly enjoyed quilting this one and it didn’t take as long as I thought it would be! Mindset is really key to enjoy the free motion quilting process. By taking regular breaks and limiting my quilting sessions to 20-30 minutes at a time, I found myself fully immersed in the free motion quilting process without feeling overwhelmed or fatigued. And that has surely made a big difference!

Together Quilt Pattern and Tutorials:

• Together Quilt Pattern
• Together Quilt Moda Stitch Pink Sew Along using this pattern – video tutorials

Quilting Tools and Notions I used ...

I never thought I would work in series, but sometimes they happen, if you can call two a series. Maybe I should call the pieces fraternal twins. A few months ago I made a kindergarten style house mask and painted around it on old music sheets and a watercolor. Back in the paper stack they went until I was searching for diversion from a quilting problem.

When I shuffled through my collage papers and found them I decided to develop home themes without any idea other than the classic inverted V roof outline. I had a grand time painting sort ...

Despite many moves over the years I have held onto a three inch pile of postcards from art museums around the world. Some I bought and some were sent to me by an early art mentor. Finally, after rediscovering the collection for the umpteenth time, I decided to use them.

Given that the subjects ranged from Byzantine icons to modern art, I decided to detach figures from their settings and recombine them with other papers to create unexpected narratives. I pasted them all in a children’s board book, where I look at them more often now.

Front and back ...

Last week I posted a photo of a mostly finished silk quilt and asked for your advice. And you delivered. Thanks to you my quilt is new and improved, and now almost finished except for burying some threads and a title.

The log cabin block was snuggled against the purple and blue blocks with the blue sides facing out. The purple/cranberry block was broken up with a broad orange stripe. I quilted over the additions (I had already quilted this) to join the existing vertical stitching lines. The hanging tabs are part of a ...

I’ve returned to regularly scheduled programming, which means I’m back to my drawer of silk fabrics. Over the years I’ve bought all sorts of silk, augmented with 1960s/70s era dresses discarded by a theater’s costume shop and men’s ties. Because the silks range from tissue thin to heavy, I’ve fused backing onto many of them so they are easier to use.

So far this year I created my fantasy village from silks.

A few years ago I developed pieces made of silk ovals sewn together, then layered with wire and cording. Most of ...

At the beginning of each year I make a list of projects I’d like to develop. Of the six projects on my 2023 list, I’ve done two, and have started work on another. My overall goal is to use up my silk fabrics. Somehow, however, rogue projects muscle their way in and get done before those waiting patiently on the list.

The two recent line cutters are my Clare Youngs tea towel and my bedsheet birds. Neither took much arduous planning and both were more like a snack between meals. The tea towel took a bit more time ...

wall·​flow·​er ˈwȯl-ˌflau̇(-ə)r 

1a: any of several Old World perennial herbs (genus Cheiranthus) of the mustard family

especially: a hardy erect herb (C. cheiri) widely cultivated for its showy fragrant flowers

b: any of a related genus (Erysimum) of herbs with showy flowers

2a: a person who from shyness or unpopularity remains on the sidelines of a social activity (such as a dance)

b: a shy or reserved person (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wallflower)

Am I the only one who sees a contradiction in the above definitions? Showy yet on the sidelines? But that contradiction applies ...

I finished my last 100 day project collage on June 2 and am now pondering exactly what to do with a plastic bag full of 4 by 4 inch collages. Almost all are abstract compositions, though some could be considered impressionistic landscapes and a few have recognizable images.

My original parameters were to glue painted, printed and magazine photo scraps onto squares of card stock, and add a stamped image to them. I had a plastic tub full of scraps left from previous projects that I augmented with magazine photo strips about halfway through. I tried to use the scraps ...

While it seems like I’ve been quilting my sunset quilt for years, I realize it’s been only a few months in real time. Last week I finally saw the light at the end, and now I am out of the tunnel. As I wrote earlier, I have contacted the photographer whose photo I based my quilt on, but have never received a response. While I feel I can’t submit my quilt to a show or sell it, I see no reason not to show it here.

It’s been a long time since I reviewed a fiber art book here, partly because I haven’t found ones I thought were interesting enough and partly because there seem to be fewer craft books published these days. Thanks to my library I came upon Lesley Riley’s latest book, “Photo Memory Quilts,” which I really could have used a year ago when I was making my unknown family quilts.

The book combines discussion of why you would want to make a memory quilt, ways to get ideas for one, and nuts and bolts of constructing one. It has ...

In between work on the 100 day project and my Textural Styles class I wrapped up my fantasy village quilt. I had been quilting it in little bits for a few months, and decided it was quilted enough or maybe I was simply tired of working on it.

I used a pillowcase finish and spent lots of time steam pressing the thick edges. As the front is silk, I had to be careful about the iron’s temperature. It’s always an adventure to find the spot where the steam works ...

That was the catch phrase for a 1950s TV sitcom called “The Life of Riley.” It’s still relevant today for situations like the one I got into with a humble lap quilt. On the down low I’ve been making a bricks pattern quilt with an assortment of materials that range from hand dyed cottons to commercial prints, with thermofax prints and Spoonflower printed photographic fabric as well. Its chief purpose is to use up experiments and large scraps that I’ve had too long.

Construction was uneventful. I found a backing fabric, on sale of course, and handed ...

I always have a list of quilts I want to make, but sometimes a rogue slips into the queue. Recently as I fossicked through my quilts and scrap parts I came across a 12 by 12 inch square sewn together scraps part that said beach to me.

I combined that square with scrap strips, an ancient fat quarter of unknown origin, painted color catchers, and organza scraps. I also used special leftover strips from a gift of painted fabric. My goal was to convey the feeling of hazy brightness I’ve experienced at the beach, not necessarily a beach landscape ...

Not every piece of art has to be a blockbuster. Sometimes doing little projects can be satisfying, too. Over the past week I have been inspired to create mini bits by what turned up when I went hunting for a missing quilt. I am ashamed to say there’s no method to my quilt storage system other than compatibility between quilt size and storage container. A quilt may be rolled up, under my bed, in a tote, or in a big black trunk. So I looked through a lot of stuff before I found what I sought. Along the way ...

I rejoiced this week when I finished binding my seemingly endless needle felted wool hand stitching project, now called “Every Which Way.” My stitching in Florida (I made myself sew down 2 squares a day) brought it to the point I could fuse it to felt and quilt it.

Since the wool backing never got felt-like despite several go rounds in the washer and dryer, I used the polyester felt to stabilize the piece. The machine quilting is minimal, just enough to further secure the two layers. That’s right, two layers, so this ...

My last finishes in 2022 were these 3 Sammy Wallets from Sew Many Creations that were gifts for my 3 sisters. The fun part is they all are constructed in part with cork fabric, which I've found I like working with for projects like this.

They were kits that I purchased and each kit contained everything I needed except thread of course. The bright and black one was gifted to my sister Tina.

The interior fabric is a sage green decor weight which gave a nice feel to the pockets and lining.

The blue floral wallet was sent to ...

I'm sure you've heard the old saying "the shoemakers' kids have no shoes". That's what it's been like here, at least regarding our own bed.  While I've made plenty of snuggle quilts that reside on the couch and get used by all of us regularly, our own bed was neglected for far too long.

I'm a little embarrassed to show you the "before" picture but I'm so happy with the end result that I want you to see the huge difference my new quilt makes.

I had purchased this quilt from a store ...

You know you use a color a lot in your quilts when a friend hands you a fat quarter and says, I thought of you when I saw this (fill in your favorite color) fabric. In my case, the favorite color is a tossup between red and turquoise.

As a child I was drawn to red, especially for my coats; and as an adult I’ve made a quilt called “I Like Red.” But as I look around my living space I realize that I use turquoise and its neighbors (aqua, teal, etc.) far more than red for decorative sewn ...

Today is Black Friday in the shopping world, and I am being inundated with sales pitches. I understand that many crave the latest tech gadget, but consider a piece of art as a different kind of gift this holiday season. There are in person craft and gift fairs in many places, and numerous artists have special online offers.

As it’s been a while since I featured my work that’s for sale, here’s a reminder that I am offering several of my pieces on my blog. They range in size from small to medium large, with corresponding ...