Peace Quilt

I made this quilt for my mother-in-law back in April. I actually made it in a record 3 days! Eek! It helped that it was a simple design, plus I was highly motivated and didn't leave the house for an entire weekend. Sometimes this is the only way things will get done. I took these photos before I added the binding, but these photos have the best lighting.

I've been trying out piecing letters, and love the way you can incorporate words and phrases into a quilt. I think I actually used paper piecing this time for the letters which worked out well, and was fast too!

For the past several years they have been staying on a beach near Santa Barbara for a couple of months out of the year, so I used that as the inspiration. I used some Oakshott fabric I won last year which is such wonderful fabric and so perfect for this quilt. The threads are dyed and then woven together. In several of the fabrics they combine two colors, which give it an iridescent feel - so pretty:)

I left in the background on these because I just learned the best way to photograph a quilt is by hanging it on the wall. Duh, saves you from risking falling off a chair, or dropping your camera - and the quilt won't look warped from the weird angle. These is the last quilt to get photographed like this - thank goodness!

Public Bikes Box: Marquee Arrow Sign

At the beginning of the year I decided to take the plunge and purchase a bike. That whole process requires another post, but 6 months later, I am still very much happy with my decision!

Public is based out of San Francisco, so I had to have the bike shipped to me. So, not only did I get a beautiful bike, but a giant box as well. I'm all about reusing material, and the box/website even promotes recycling the box for something new - so awesome!

There are several good tutorials out there (here and here) for creating marquee signs out of paper mache letters and other materials. I ended up just figuring it out as I went along since I had certain restrictions due to the original box.

I decided on a giant arrow. I had to work around the handle cut outs on the box, and a few areas that got beat up in the shipping process. After cutting out the arrow shape, I used buttons to lay out where the lightbulbs would be. I decided on two strands (25 bulbs per strand) which fit perfectly on the arrow. I traced around the buttons, and than used those marks to drill holes (you could probably make cuts with your x-acto, but I really wanted to use power tools!).

I used the sides of the box for the sides of the arrow, and used lots and lots of hot glue to attach them. It's overall pretty lightweight, so I think it should hold up ok.

The finished light! I might eventually spray paint it, but I like the fact that it's imperfect and I even like the cardboard feel. Once we figure out the perfect place for it we'll hang it onto the wall, but for now it adds a little personality to our movie room and the perfect addition for a Movie Foodie night!

International Quilt Study Center & Museum

Last month I went to the International Quilt Study Center & Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska to celebrate my mom's birthday. We had talked about going for some time now, and finally planned the trip! She brought along two of her good friends, and we turned it into a little weekend trip.

They had a display of miniature and toy sewing machines - I desperately want that blue one at the top!

The quilt below was made by a seamstress in Lincoln. She made it between 1909 and 1914, and is made of 10,222 pieces! And those pieces are tiny too! I can see why it took her 5 years to complete:)

A guy pieced and quilted this one above! He was an engineer, and used his math skills to perfect quilting.

They have a collection of over 4,000 quilts, but they only show a couple dozen at a time, and rotate the quilts in themed exhibits. I loved that it was just three curated little exhibits. Most museums have so much art to look at, it can be overwhelming, and I tend to get bored - but this had just the right amount. You could go once a year and see different quilts, and hear different stories every time.

One lesson I learned after visiting - label your quilts with your name and year! I have only done this once, but will try to be more diligent about it in the future. You can check out their website to see their current and future exhibits, and also see images of their quilt collection.

Movie Foodie: Edward Scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands has been one of my favorite movies. It was also one of my favorites to host as Movie Foodie night - and the one I spent the most time crafting for. I couldn't resist making mini sherbet houses and my very own patchwork scottie dog! The scottie dog pattern is from Denyse Schmidt, and you can find it here.

Food items were: Scissorhand kabobs (grilled peppers, potatoes and zucchini), Ambrosia salad, heart shaped sugar cookies, and lemonade. The food is always served first, which allows the guests to discover the scene for each food item as we watch the movie.

I'm including the templates for the sherbet houses, and Edward's paper chain. You can use the the houses as place cards for your food items, or to create a colorful little suburban village:) Click here for the templates!