Oh Happy Day!

I spoke with my mom the other day and she oh, so gently asked if I “remembered” to make the Amy Butler birdie sling for her. She bought the material and I said I’d make it. That was quite a while ago. So yesterday I went to a quilting sew-in and brought this project; I’m happy to say I finished it tonight.

Finally, finally, finally!

Mom’s quilt is done! I washed it (my favorite part); it lost 2 inches in width and 3 inches in length. Upsetting? No way ‘cause it hides all my sewing mistakes. I like it more now that it’s done. I was dreading sewing on the binding because I don’t have TV. So, I went downstairs and found some old CDs to listen to. When I say old, I’m talking about a time when I lived at Clark & Diversey, frequenting the Smart Bar and the Vic Theatre. The playlist included Billy Idol, Concrete Blonde, The Smiths, and Psychedelic Furs. Wow, do I miss wearing bandanas as a skirt, throwing up at other people’s houses and truculent mosh pits. Were those really the glory days?? Anyway, it was an awesome reminder of living in boys’ town and the binding went on fast. Too fast.

And She's Off...

Thanks to feedback from Sally and Agent K, I picked up that quilt again. Here it is before the quilting, but pretty much the way it will look. No, I still don’t like it, but what kind of mother is going to say “Um, no, I hate it. Take it back.” Granted, I tried to give her a ceramic Christmas tree that I had painted blue, and she said, “Oh, you should keep that for yourself after all your hard work,” which was an absolute euphemism for “blue is not a Christmas color; this doesn’t fit with the red and green.” I prefer blue and silver to red and green so it fits in my house just fine. Anyway, I will give it to her and if I get it back then I’ll contact sew mama sew and ask to be added to the list of giveaway bloggers next spring.

Still like it?

Mom's Quilt is Almost Ready!

Well, this is what’s going on with Mom’s quilt. I like it but I don’t. I like the colors, they’re just right I think. But I really like quilts that are more structured. For example, I think sashing would be perfect so that I can see each square’s construction and color layout. In fact, as I put it together, I was making sure that the colors worked together. Urgh! Why did I do that? I’m supposed to be focusing on breaking the rules, not making new ones. Santa’s naughty list it is. . .again.

I noticed that the camera really helps me to see an overall “picture” of the quilt to assess color placement. Do you see how the pink jumps out at you? I tried to make it as uniform as possible across the quilt so that your eyes will have a place to “rest.” I also think I’d like to put a thin border around this colorful quilt before the larger border. Maybe I’ll bring it to Bonita and get her opinion. What do you think?

Oooh, finally. some quilting.

I went to Prairie Shop Quilts in Batavia, IL, yesterday and met the nicest shop owner--Bonita. She helped me pick out some fabrics for a quilt that I plan to make for my mother. I hear my conscience saying, "good luck with that. have you ever finished a quilt?" Well, yes and no. I have, but only small ones for baby showers and a tote here or jacket there. That's really it.

But things are a changin' baby!

Here is a photo of the fabrics for Mom's quilt. I had a photo of her sofa so I pulled the colors from that and then tried to add a more modern flare with the Amy Butler patterns. Why? Because Mom has these awesome sequined pillows on the plainest chair you've ever seen. She's like that--you just never know when a sparkle is going to fly. Yes, I'm talking about decorating as well as her personality. There's a heck of a lot going on beneath the surface and then, voila, out comes something unexpected and completely full of excitement. Always a treat! I hope this quilt turns out the same way.

So we'll see what happens and how fast it goes.

The other thing I did today was get a haircut from T., my enlightened friend and most excellent hair stylist. I needed something new. . . Agent F was right about that: When a woman cuts her hair--look out!-- it means she's looking for a change. So, T. cut off (gulp) 4 inches after cutting 3 two weeks ago. It's up to my shoulders now. I look like an adult. scary!

Here's some good info for future use:

I am going to refer to people in my life by the title "Agent" and then his or her first initial. Except me. Because usually I don't refer to myself in 3rd person. And anyway, I'm strange agent (see profile) so that just doesn't work.

Hey, brainstorm! I will post pictures and perhaps tell family secrets until they leave a comment.

The lineup:

Agent J= younger sister

Agent K= older sister

Agent B= girl friend

Agent F= male friend

Agent A= my fav teenager