Aaah the joy....

I had a cook say to me this week that the greatest joy for her when she cooks is seeing someone truly enjoy the meal she has prepared. And this got me to thinking about my quilts. I have to agree with her. I love to see someone gaining warmth from my quilts, and there is nothing better than knowing that someone got comfort out of them. I mean, I would feel proud if someone told me they hung my quilt on the wall for all to see. But I would rather that they said they wrapped up in it while watching a favorite movie or put it out for guests to use.

So this week I got a real treat when I heard that the new owner of my dear Scrappy Lappy is truly loving it. According to his mother's reports, he cries for it and has been sleeping in his own bed since he has it to wrap up in (that may be unrelated, but I like to think he feel safe with Scrappy at his side).  And the name Scrappy Lappy has totally stuck. I laugh to think that one day, when scrappy Lappy is looking more scrappy than lappy,  he will say to his mom, "Mom, why do we call this blanket Scrappy Lappy?" and maybe she will be able to show him the ancient archives that will be this blog and he will know why.

Finishing touches on the Flag of India

SO I posted about this quilt a while back, when I took the sampler class where I made it. But I FINALLY finished it over the last snowy weekend, but I never posted the final pics. So here it is. I love the fabric of the back of this quilt. I feels it goes so well with the chickees on the front.

A holiday turned snow day

I don't know what it is, but there is something about snow days and quilting that goes hand in hand. Maybe it is some internal drive that says, you better make something warm so that you don't have to be cold in this snowy weather! or maybe it is just the boredom of being stuck inside all day. Whatever the reason, I felt inspired again yesterday. And as all my half done projects got finished last weekend, I am onto new projects.

Last week I got a couple of these pink and turquoise colored fat quarters at a local fabric shop. The store is called Stitcher's Garden, and it is the most incredible collection of fabric I have ever seen. I didn't even know it was there until recently and decided I had better check this little place out. I would much rather buy from a local business than a big JoAnn's if I can. I have also been buying a lot online, so this would save shipping costs. So I must have gone in just after a new shipment arrived, as there were boxes and bolts everywhere. But it was really inspiring to see it all. And the lady behind the counter showed me her latest creation from a pattern called "Oh My Gosh!" This picture came from an online quilter's gallery, but doesn't it just make you want to say "OH MY GOSH!! How did you do it?!?!" In person it is really something to see.

So after I made some of my main blocks I was try to figure out how to make this quilt special. Then I remembered some old jeans that have been laying around for a while waiting for use. I think they will look really cool with the color pallet of the quilt. Plus the texture will be a cool addition to the quilt. I am really excited to see how it all turns out. Can't wait for another snow day so that I can get it finished!! :)

How did I miss this...?

OK, so I thought I had posted about all my productivity from the snowed in weekend, but somehow I missed this one. It is a "Rag Quilt", and really I did more on this one than any of the other projects I finished this weekend. I had cut all the fabric into squares before, but I put everything together, sewed the blocks, then put the blocks together and sniped ALL the edges. THAT is a job and left my finger numb for about 4 days! Then I washed it and we even got to use it all in the same weekend. I love that!!

Glass art...one last snow project...

So for Christmas my grandparents got me this glass painting kit and I have finally gotten it out and used it while I was snowed in. I really enjoyed this project, but it was very different for me. You had to outline everything for one. I drew my picture and put the paper under the glass, so it was more like tracing. But it was hard to be steady with the black lines. Then I filled in the lines with color. The hummingbird color was my favorite, although it is hard to see. I was able to give the paint texture and sparkle. But the colors are much lighter because they are meant to be translucent, so that makes it different.
I finished by creating texture on the clear background. I love that part. The whole thing has so much texture that you just want to touch it. Now I have to find a way to hang it where light can come through it but where it won't fall and shatter...

A great project and I look forward to doing something a bit more formal with it, as this was just a fun first try.

car cover...almost a year in the making!

The final snow weekend project! I have had this fabric since last year, just after we bought our car. I wanted to make a seat cover so that when we go to work out (which is another habit we need to get back into!!) we could cover the seats and keep our sweat off of them! So I found this beautiful fabric and cut the peices right away. But then I put them away and have so many other projects to work on. But finally I finshed them, and it was so easy after all that. So now to put them in the car and get back to the gym!

Scrappy lappy --finished!

Over the snowy weekend I dug out several old projects that needed finished. This was one of them. I love this pattern, with its flannel spacey backing. There is no batting inside of this one. It is a light lap quilt, perfect for summer...maybe for sitting on the porch sipping tea of an evening. I finished the main quilt in the fall, but added the binding this weekend.