Bee Blocks

May 28, 2012July 24, 2015 renegadequilter2 Comments

another sewing project i have worked on is bee blocks for the online bee group that i am in Let’s Bee Together.

i made this one for Melinda for the month of April.

May is my month and i got this one back from Erin.

this one from Linda.

this one from Bailey.

this one from Shannon.

and, i made this one.

i have more of the fabric that is in the corners so i will be setting the blocks with that fabric. i have had this fabric for some time but never really knew what i wanted to do with it. now i know.

happy sewing

Finally Swooning

April 23, 2012July 24, 2015 renegadequilter3 Comments

i am finally swooning

and i couldn’t be happier who i am swooning with

i have had this little stash of Tula Pink’s Parisville living with me for some time now. i knew that i just couldn’t make anything with it. i knew that i wanted to make a quilt that would showcase this line of fabric.

somewhere over the past few months i got hit in the head out in blogland by all of these swoon blocks. i am a little slow to catch on but once i did i knew exactly which quilt i would be making with my Parisville stash. the blocks are 24 1/2″ x 24 1/2″ with larger pieces to show off Tula’s amazing work. i struggled a bit with the background color. if you know me then you know i almost never set anything in white/neutral/cream fabric. i wanted a solid but nothing super dark. after much deliberation i ended up with a light purple. totally not me but i love it.

so… i have one block done. i started it a couple weeks ago and finished it today. i did have a trip to Chicago in between so i am not a total slacker. i still have a few or more quilts that need to be quilted and bound and that is still my main focus. but, i was itching to start on the swoon blocks and quickly became frustrated. a friend suggested that once i completed either quilting a quilt or binding one that i make another swoon block. i loved the idea. thanks Sarah. i already have my next quilt basted and ready to be quilted. i need to make another swoon block.

i might also be doing a little something with this stack of lovely fabric. i know. i know. i have quilts to quilt and bind. however, i also have quilts to make for H2H.

check back to see what becomes of these fat quarters.

happy sewing

http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · me

A Memory Keeper

April 12, 2012July 24, 2015 renegadequilter3 Comments

awhile back i was in searchof a container to keep some items and memory’s in. it couldn’t be just any old container because they are not just any old items and memory’s. they are things that have a special meaning to me and i wanted them treated as such when i stored them.

so off i went in search of the perfect container. i found lots of options out there. the majority of them being the plastic type. clear plastic or colored. those wouldn’t work. way too generic for me and my stuff. so then i remembered seeing the pretty storage boxes at a local craft store. so, i went there. they did have the pretty storage boxes in various sizes. the problem. they only had two patterns. a victorian themed one and a floral themed one. neither of them spoke to me and told me to take them home.

what was i to do?

i pondered the idea for some time before it hit me. if i can’t find what i want at a store then why the heck can’t i make it. winner. winner.

that is exactly what i did. i made my own special container to keep my special mementos in.

i found a box that would work and some fabric from my stash that i love but didn’t have a plan for. i only had 1 yard of it so i had to make it work.

then i got some Mod Podge and a brush.

i also picked up some polyurethane to protect it and give it a nice finish.

add all of those things together and i ended up with this.

my very own, one of a kind storage container.

for my special items and memories.

i added a ribbon to help with keeping the box closed. i made it long enough so that i didn’t have to re-thread it through the slots each time i got into the box. you can see in the pic above that i had to piece some of the fabric on the inside of the box. i am ok with that. to me it gives it some character.

i love how it turned out. i love that its totally me. but most of all i love that my special things now have a place to call home.

so, when you can’t find something that you are looking for stop and ask yourself ‘can i make that?’ nine out of ten times there is a chance you can.

happy sewing

http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · quilting

I am……

April 1, 2012July 24, 2015 renegadequilter4 Comments

i am still alive…….

i have been busy with life. it some how seems to get in the way of my sewing. ugh. stupid health issues. none the less i have been back to quilting. i made this deal with myself that i can’t start a new project until all of my tops are quilted. what was i thinking? i don’t think i was thinking at all…………. the good news is that i finished quilting another one today.

here are the 6 that i have done so far.

the question now is do i quilt more or do i start putting the binding on these? also, if i have the fabric, the pattern and the project stated in my head (months ago before this deal i made with myself) does that count as starting a new project? wondering minds (mine) want to know. i am itching to start putting these Swoon blocks together…….

note to self – don’t loan out your camera to your brother who goes on a trip to Mexico and doesn’t give your camera back for a month…. no matter how many times you ask for it back.

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New Additions

January 23, 2012July 24, 2015 renegadequilterLeave a comment

here are the new additions that i added to my stash last week. they all came from The Quilting Bee in Spokane.

left to right. lining, handles & outside of bag.

which bag? the Spice Market Tote for both sets of fabric. i have had this Single Girl pattern for awhile now. i wanted a project that will take some time but yet one that i will enjoy. this was the winner. i hope to work on my templates soon.

pretty sure this will be a bag of some sort. not sure which one yet but i had to have this fabric.

you all know that i love me some Sweatwater fabric. i had to have this layer cake of Reunion. i am thinking of Julie’s Circle Around quilt with it using this grey Kona.

i also picked up a basic brown Kona & another good brown blender fabric.

last but not least. backing fabric. favorite thing about the Bee is its sale hall. 40% off of this. love it.

i think this is a good addition for the beginning of 2012. now i just need to get some sewing done.

happy sewing.

http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · WIP Wednesday

WIP………

January 13, 2012July 24, 2015 renegadequilter2 Comments

WIP……. work in process

this week that is me and my life. i am a work in process. always.

sadly today i said goodbye to a lifelong friend. someone who had one of the biggest hearts i know of.

someone who i spent half of my life with on a regular basis. its not until people like that are gone do you realize the impact they had on you and your life.

this week i pause to remember her. pray for her son. send good thoughts to her family.

and remember that ‘life is short but sweet for certain’

so hug a little longer, laugh a little harder and love a little deeper.

you will be glad you did.

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Resolutions……

January 2, 2012July 24, 2015 renegadequilterLeave a comment

new years resolutions

Wikipedia defines this as a commitment that a person makes to one or more lasting personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. this goal must be reached by the Next New Year. keep in mind that this is a goal, not a wish and should be something that you as a person could strive for.

do you make new years resolutions?

i usually do. in the past they have always been along the lines of learning something new, challenging myself, or just plain nonsense. i really haven’t given much thought to them this year until last night and then again today after a conversation with Someone. i think that what i have decided upon falls within Wikipedia’s definition of a new years resolution. not that it really matters because in reality the resolutions are mine and mine alone.

so…. i give you my list

1. sell my house

2. continue blogging

3. spend more time with these monsters

4. see DMB more then i did in 2011

5. (maybe) travel some

all of these are actual things that i can physically do.

now for the things that are more mental and emotional.

1. to rise above the little things

2. continue to live in the present. the past is just that. the past. the future is unknown so why spend time worrying about the unknown. it will be what it is.

3. spend my energy on the things that i can control

4. live for myself. make choices for myself rather then based on someone else’s needs. i am not being selfish here. i just don’t want to live how certain people think i should live just to please them.

2011 seemed to blow by me with lots of changes and challenges. some not the greatest while others were mind blowingly awesome. i want to take the positive from 2011 on into 2012. i want to go after what i want and see where i land. so i know that 2012 will also bring lots of changes as well as some challenges – however as the saying goes ‘if you always do what you have always done then you will always get what you have always got.’ i am tired of what i have always got and i want something different and i am the only one who can make that happen.

above all i want to make 2012 the best year yet.

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2011 In Review

January 1, 2012July 24, 2015 renegadequilterLeave a comment

http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · WIP Wednesday

WIP Wednesday

November 30, 2011July 24, 2015 renegadequilter2 Comments

right now i am mad at Blogger or myself for not being able to figure it out. i have the pictures going the right direction in the file but when they upload they are all going the wrong direction. so, use your imagination. i am sure that i am the problem given the day that i have had.

no sewing in this post. too much Christmas stuff that i can’t share.

however, i can share a cute little project i did for gift bags.

i took scrap fabric in a shade of green & put some steam a seam stuff on it & then cut out triangle shapes. it did the same with some brown fabric & cut out trunk shapes.

peeled off the backing & positioned them into trees.

then i ironed them down & added a button to the top of the tree.

there you have it. some simple. affordable. cute gift bags. these are headed to Spokane tomorrow with gifts for my friends up there. i hope they enjoy them.

maybe next week i can show some sewing on my WIP Wednesday post.

happy sewing

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Slow Down Therapy

November 22, 2011 renegadequilter2 Comments

this came across my desk yesterday at work & i thought i would share it. we all are living at such a fast pace that its nice to pause. to take time. to go a little slower every now & then.

“Slow Down Therapy” ~ Author Unknown

Slow down; you’re not responsible for doing it all yourself—at least not right now.
Remember a happy, peaceful time in your past. Rest there. Each moment has richness that takes a lifetime to savor.
Set your own pace. When someone is pushing you, it’s OK to tell them they’re pushing.
Take nothing for granted: watch water flow, the corn grow, the leaves blow, and your neighbor mow.
Taste your food.
Notice the sun and the moon as they rise and set. They are remarkable for their steady pattern of movement, not their speed.
When you talk with someone, don’t think about what you’ll say next. Take time to listen and your thoughts will spring up naturally.
Create a place in your home…at your work…in your heart…where you can go for quiet and recollection. You deserve it.
Allow yourself time to rest. Rest isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity.
Listen to the wind blow. It carries a message of yesterday and tomorrow-and now. NOW counts.
It’s ok to rest on your laurels sometimes. They bring comfort whatever their size, age, or condition.
Talk slower. Talk less. Don’t talk. Communication isn’t measured by words.
Give yourself permission to be late sometimes. Life is for living, not scheduling.
Listen to the song of a bird; the complete song. Music and nature are gifts, but only if you are willing to receive them.
Take time just to think. Action is good and necessary, but it’s fruitful only if we muse, ponder, and mull.
Make time for play at the things you like to do. Whatever your age, your inner child needs re-creation.
Learn to stand back and let others take their turn as leaders. There will always be new opportunities for you to step out in front again.
Take time to read. Thoughtful reading is enriching reading.
Take a day off–alone. You can learn from hermits without becoming one.
Pet a furry friend. You will give and get the gift of now.
Work with your hands. It frees the mind.
Take time to wonder. Without wonder, life is merely existence.
Sit in the dark. It will teach you to see and hear, taste and smell.
Once in a while, turn down the lights, the volume, the throttle, and the invitations. Less really can be more.
Take a walk-but don’t go anywhere. If you walk just to get somewhere, you sacrifice the walking.
Count your friends. If you have one, you are lucky. If you have more, you are blessed. Bless them in return.
Count your blessings – one at a time and slowly.
Let go. Nothing is usually the hardest thing to do – but often it is the best.

enjoy your day!