projects

Im having a love affair with my new Baby Lock Sofia and its embroidery function.  I need to take the new owners class so I can expand on my meager knowledge.  I blogged here about two mug rugs I made with it.

The last two days I worked on this set.  Two placemats with napkins, a set of 4 coasters, and a dish towel all monogramed.  I made them for my Mom and Dad's 43rd anniversary to use in their rolling vacation home fifth wheel.  I used 5 prints from a line of fabric I found at Joann's.  They fabrics are all aquas, light greens, browns, and whites and  has a bit of an Amish feel.  Notice the clever applique on the towel done in a lacey frame.  Ok so I bent a needle when tryng to embroider Dad's name and put a hole in the towel.  Aren't most beautiful things the products of happy accidents?  Necessity is the mother of invention or innovation.

Keep dreaming...Colleen



A slightly blurry picture of a baby quilt I am working on.

One of two Im making where the center block was made by my late Grandma. 

I am using up some of my 90s stash for these quilts



Earthquake!

Just before two o'clock today I was sitting in my office in the library.  All of a sudden I heard this crunching sound above me in the ceiling and then I realized that a rolling motion was going through the office!  I raced to the outer hallway door of the library waiting for it to stop!  It was a little scary.  Las summer I felt one a little stronger in Canada.  I even have a shirt that says I survived the 4.0 Ottawa quake.  This one wasy centered farther away in northern Virgina and was supposedly a 5.9.  Wow!

Keep Dreaming...Colleen

Mug Rugs Galore

So I finished my mug rug for the scrappy mug rug haiku swap on flickr.  We had to write a haiku and include it on our mug rug.  I had a lot of fun with this as I LOVE writing haiku.  I did a modified 557 scheme.

My partner likes rainbow colors and linen.

I designed it on the computer and then

cut it apart to paper piece.

I used scraps in a rainbow of colors

and bound it in  green scraps leftover.

The haiku matches my partner to a tee!  And I had a blast using my new Babylock Sofia to embroider.

And I even made the label on the back .

Then I got mug rug fever and whipped up a couple of mug rugs for the new school year.

One for my assistant,

And one for me using scraps from Karen Gray's store.  I love her scrap bags!  As you can see I played with Sofia again.  Do you get the literary reference?  I am a teacher librarian.

Kids come back on Thursday...I hope I survive.

Keep dreaming...Colleen

My cousins Pete and Scotty the pilot in training.



Pete, Amy, Jackson and Micheal and some  dog.



Foto Finish-Things in the city

Underground train stations

Two summers ago I was in Munich Germany for a month on a study abroad.  Trains were wonderful!  You could go anywhere and you were able to walk within blocks of a stop. 

Here is the train arriving.

Here is the escalator up to the ground level.  So tall and notice how everyone is to the side.  If you ride you stay to the side as many will walk up and they dont tolerate you taking the whole space.

They even have some colorful and cool grafiti.

Keep dreaming...Colleen



Book marks and retractable badge holders to sell at Flaunt!



Pets on Quilts Show

Today is the start of another great quilt show!

I love the idea that you can show your pet quilts or your pets on quilts!  I have two very special cats I would like to share with you today.

First up is the late Opus the penguin. 

He was my baby for 14.5 years.  He was my sewing partner, computer partner, roll around on the carpet partner.  He was also the inspiration for the name and logo I sell under. 

As you can see he loved being in the center of my quilting action.  If you notice I came into my studio one day to find him laying on the Christmas cat fabric I was ironing on the ironing board.  Behind him on my design wall was a wall hanging made of cat heads.  Also two 12" cat blocks from a swap I was participating in.  Oh and a couple of 12" Star Trek swap blocks.  Opus would also lay across my shoulders on the back of my sewing chair and bat at the needle as it went up and down on the sewing machine.  He also loved to walk across the computer keyboard as I emailed my internet quilt group.  I miss him still.

My current kitty is Kalli.  She is not as brave and fearless as Opus was. She is only just now warming up to the sewing machine noise.  Before she would not even stay in the same room with it.  But she is a quilt kitty!

I won this Christmas mix tape quilt from fiesty eily and laid it on the floor to photograph it.  Kalli walked right up and laid down on it.

And then she started rolling around on it like it was covered in catnip.  Whenever I get this quilt out she always rolls her self up in it. 

Kalli also loves to walk on the back of the sofa and hide behind the quilt hanging on the wall.  Sometimes I look all over the house calling her and then remember to look there.  I think she thinks she is invisible behind there.

Keep dreaming...Colleen



On Gull Lake in Canada, Dad would carry me and my kayak

some where and drop me off to paddle.