tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69405563703353771652024-02-02T10:59:54.586-05:00magical mouse studiocontemporary interpretations of traditional quiltsmouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-87176414224971082182012-05-07T18:44:00.000-04:002012-05-07T18:47:32.913-04:00stitching away....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm still stitching, however, what I'm not doing is keeping the this site up to date.<br />
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I can't believe that the last time I posted on the MMS was in August - and here it is May of the next year!<br />
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In October I finished the quilt seen above - unlike most quilts I make this one I kept. We needed a new living room lap quilt to replace the one I made twenty years ago. With almost daily use by people (and species) of all ages, and countless washings, the previous living room quilt has seen better days.<br />
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The new living room quilt is a simple design - the pattern is adapted from<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_628964098"> Kim Schaefer's book </a><i><a href="http://www.ctpub.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1382">Cozy Modern Quilts </a></i><br />
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A few years ago Windham Fabrics created a line of solids that were inspired by the quilts of Gee's Bend - this quilt is made using these fabrics. Unfortunately I think the line of fabrics is discontinued - which as every quilter knows is very common. I'd love to get my hands on more of the solids from this line.<br />
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As to the particulars the quilt measures approximately 60" X 64" is machine stitched and a field of stars of varying sizes are hand quilted over the entire quilt. As with the fabric the batting is 100% cotton.<br />
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In late April a nephew married as a present I made him and his new bride a wall-hanging to commemorate the occasion. As is my norm with these wedding wall hangings the colors for the intersecting rings reflect the couple's favorite colors.<br />
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The saying and names are stitched in a contrasting yellow cotton thread - the other hand-stitching on the quilt is done in black thread - this photo was taken before I rubbed out the chalk marks; if you look closely you can see the stitch design in the black inner area of the quilt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJrPA85fpY73H5mIdQZ5_pHXu7aWxNlBY7e6mm7IdTdFOn42XiSYjLIURoY9aNWYmtfivZAQsFAZif1zqduda4K_1Ueqvvh0QHtnYP9k1Si2rWiXo5dEIKuwLOYVvYGY4SMZQCqmP1Ds/s1600/a%2526aquilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJrPA85fpY73H5mIdQZ5_pHXu7aWxNlBY7e6mm7IdTdFOn42XiSYjLIURoY9aNWYmtfivZAQsFAZif1zqduda4K_1Ueqvvh0QHtnYP9k1Si2rWiXo5dEIKuwLOYVvYGY4SMZQCqmP1Ds/s640/a%2526aquilt.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I think these are the only two projects I've completed between late August and now - however, I have been busy. I have a large memory/healing quilt project underway - more on that for another post. I am also wrapping up a quick simple quilt for baby due in June for a friend who is due. I just received a commission for another baby quilt - for a little boy born last year. My client gave the little boy's sister a magical mouse quilt as a gift when she was born and turns out my client learned that the baby's mom said she would like the new child to have a magical mouse quilt. I love when my quilts become part of a family tradition!mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-36524740256683053702011-08-26T09:30:00.000-04:002011-08-26T09:38:28.754-04:00daphne's garden<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTHRC683NMVZuNQGJMGF30lPNyejI_Mw0zTED3Q9BEdsawU7Skmqs755m_qYGm_O2VDfQPll8s1W65sztapBkDVyoLTDBV-OR0TFgUaN6N3JxhgY2ZMqKLArhdev4WNBi9_HxZrFfLcM/s1600/daphnequilt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTHRC683NMVZuNQGJMGF30lPNyejI_Mw0zTED3Q9BEdsawU7Skmqs755m_qYGm_O2VDfQPll8s1W65sztapBkDVyoLTDBV-OR0TFgUaN6N3JxhgY2ZMqKLArhdev4WNBi9_HxZrFfLcM/s800/daphnequilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645144630227310626" border="0" /></a>Baby Daphne's welcome to the world quilt is finally finished and delivered! The quilt was started before Daphne was born in April, and her mama and papa took the 'we want to be surprised' path when it came to if they wanted to know ahead of time the sex of the baby. This then led me down the path of selecting gender neutral fabrics which are bright and bold.
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<br />Once again I chose the adapted log cabin block and the main fabrics have garden themed prints.
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<br />It was a very bright sunny day when I hauled the quilt outside for the mandatory photos - so it may be difficult to see the detail of the fabrics.
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<br />The center fabric on the quilt back is a print which features leaves and ladybugs (to the left is Ms T holding her baby brother Bingo)
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqzUvTFeQ-W9PelINTBsplk6rkuJtZrbQ6XOM6NUa3cvy00NJ-BHTsv8-yAzw3iZRLkzCzpJVuLyunnhRqyonONG-Jde8l28mQ5og7QLaE9rr-vzJ0XzemLf3MKqTdR0TP1awG8y31A8/s1600/daphneback.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqzUvTFeQ-W9PelINTBsplk6rkuJtZrbQ6XOM6NUa3cvy00NJ-BHTsv8-yAzw3iZRLkzCzpJVuLyunnhRqyonONG-Jde8l28mQ5og7QLaE9rr-vzJ0XzemLf3MKqTdR0TP1awG8y31A8/s800/daphneback.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645148288814468754" border="0" />
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<br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06iJh78n0afhUBwrW03cJlB94PeMSS15le0k9u6BaVc34YDbbpmJv-APQ0V7TFx0cbGSpYF7NJ1iZtBIE5lJiaW362KE0hncLQFvSQ2RjOTZv_ELk-UjYfPrL0XeMTBLfdoFt7jrXCto/s1600/blanket+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06iJh78n0afhUBwrW03cJlB94PeMSS15le0k9u6BaVc34YDbbpmJv-APQ0V7TFx0cbGSpYF7NJ1iZtBIE5lJiaW362KE0hncLQFvSQ2RjOTZv_ELk-UjYfPrL0XeMTBLfdoFt7jrXCto/s800/blanket+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645144622408090434" border="0" /></a>
<br />Thanks to Daphne's mama for the above photo of sweet, beautiful Daphne in her quilted garden.mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-88781457101984750812011-08-04T17:30:00.002-04:002011-08-04T17:45:58.653-04:00flight of fancy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrT8MTaXufo81SP7d2OY_o0Chccplz0zAJ8zjSdRGK-ifaMm-h45AUB1gI8w-9x8fLeO-FqUyjI_hDCz97OBhQbqMcTUPmYwAMpw3hyphenhyphenOmV8QydxQYZYkE06XHFzWVVBQwEG5PpnDAOAc/s1600/phineas.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrT8MTaXufo81SP7d2OY_o0Chccplz0zAJ8zjSdRGK-ifaMm-h45AUB1gI8w-9x8fLeO-FqUyjI_hDCz97OBhQbqMcTUPmYwAMpw3hyphenhyphenOmV8QydxQYZYkE06XHFzWVVBQwEG5PpnDAOAc/s800/phineas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637004985746874706" border="0" /></a>This quilt is the adaptation of the log cabin block which is found in the book <a href="http://www.bookreview.com/$spindb.query.listreview2.booknew.3104"><span style="font-style: italic;">Quilt Inspirations from Africa</span></a> by Kaye England and Mary Elizabeth Johnson. I love this block, over the years it has become one of my favorite blocks to use for baby and lap quilts. I just love its versatility.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcc3zzwgg02J7RMHFksNI16nmpH8DYbWDjorrnK0APcYqoMEqYiyQEFkqLc8pGE8lHCaAMWPdueCuElzSoE3HmMz6cyh1MSqtwer3UmzjBk4cvnesoWb8zrUCJz_r0lVpIl8cjyeCsk0/s1600/detail2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcc3zzwgg02J7RMHFksNI16nmpH8DYbWDjorrnK0APcYqoMEqYiyQEFkqLc8pGE8lHCaAMWPdueCuElzSoE3HmMz6cyh1MSqtwer3UmzjBk4cvnesoWb8zrUCJz_r0lVpIl8cjyeCsk0/s800/detail2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637005013541159154" border="0" /></a>This quilt was commissioned as a welcome to the world gift for a baby born into a family who loves to travel and loves all things Mexican! I named the quilt <span style="font-style: italic;">Folklorica Flight of Fancy</span> - which is an homage to the parents interests and also plays on the baby's name - Phineas. When I learned the baby's name is Phineas, my mind immediately thought of Phineas Fogg, the main character in Jules Verne's novel <span style="font-style: italic;">Around the World in Eighty Days</span> - another person fond of travel!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqazIHmqFCyXjPmsTLS0HXLvQS25FeV5KMRylTcZLZ2fWNMhdfcazHezHtk2CMsmzaaa7i0rfFHZC-JgntwvJ3N9vIuD8-wHTkSqhE-Pq3cZHlBrsmEmR0uaIXFfQz8vk-yjN7xapdn1o/s1600/phineasback.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqazIHmqFCyXjPmsTLS0HXLvQS25FeV5KMRylTcZLZ2fWNMhdfcazHezHtk2CMsmzaaa7i0rfFHZC-JgntwvJ3N9vIuD8-wHTkSqhE-Pq3cZHlBrsmEmR0uaIXFfQz8vk-yjN7xapdn1o/s800/phineasback.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637004994908799906" border="0" /></a>Along with the baby's full name and birthdate, there is a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote stitched on the outermost border.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.</span><br /><br />Since the front border is a busy print fabric, I stitched the words on the solid fabric on the back's border - this increases the reversible nature of the quilt. I can't believe this is the first quilt where I thought of doing this!mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-30536273687416978142011-05-28T08:00:00.006-04:002011-05-28T11:58:44.106-04:00tom's quilt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXDXYGqn1chQxw2Og-TWSHwMjOrziqbdnvowbi6MY6kYO0Naq3PO2JFtn2BPxVcUcUXCeVSOLV3NtqbtWmQUZ64WJbVKeB43ZRWz0YLzsmFJLxHqaREjOJ9AnM_Ykr4PQXAveC7WJ7H8/s1600/tom%2527squilt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXDXYGqn1chQxw2Og-TWSHwMjOrziqbdnvowbi6MY6kYO0Naq3PO2JFtn2BPxVcUcUXCeVSOLV3NtqbtWmQUZ64WJbVKeB43ZRWz0YLzsmFJLxHqaREjOJ9AnM_Ykr4PQXAveC7WJ7H8/s800/tom%2527squilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610262222379896834" border="0" /></a>I can't believe how long it has been since I posted anything over here! My absence is misleading as I been quilting - but yes, I guess it has taken me a long time to finish anything.<br /><br />A few weeks ago I <span style="font-style: italic;">finally</span> finished a quilt that I had underway since last fall - it is a memory quilt in honor of a man named Tom. I have made a few memory quilts - which I think of as <span style="font-style: italic;">healing quilts</span> - using the clothes of the person who has passed away.<br /><br />I never had the honor or privilege of knowing Tom - but after corresponding with people who loved him, not to mention spending so much time with the clothes he wore, I feel as though I came to know him. He was a man I would have enjoyed knowing and a person I would have liked to have as a friend.<br /><br />I am very proud of this quilt as it presented a couple new challenges which I think I was able to meet. When one takes on the task of making a quilt out of clothes, one never knows what type of clothes one will receive. Tom was a man who had many interests in life - one of his interests was motorcycles - but not just any motorcycles, but Harleys. The box of clothes I received consisted of many, many Harley-Davidson t-shirts and several other work and dress shirts in addition to work pants and jackets. The the latter, pants and jackets, I did not use - I asked my client if she or her sister wanted the clothes back - they didn't and so these clothes were donated to charity.<br /><br />I filtered and sorted though the t-shirts and chose shirts that were in the best shape and had designs that weren't too redundant and would work well together - and represented the regions that Tom traveled to. I used all of the non t-shirt shirts and tied the patterns and blocks together with plain taupe cotton fabric. I asked which color/colors would go with Tom's widow's home - and the answer was neutral colors, specifically taupe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyMfzFJdVjpHz5MbuwWDTQc67_9ktx8a4B1dEwCJjtWmq9ZvOdJPSkQgMpsILpHlkxwcBtG9pE0FZVUIKDGxe5nOmqMkCOr1YBdyIZa-wVqCswysF12FcwfbfhmMZC2vw_zQd-udgaX0/s1600/tom+detail.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyMfzFJdVjpHz5MbuwWDTQc67_9ktx8a4B1dEwCJjtWmq9ZvOdJPSkQgMpsILpHlkxwcBtG9pE0FZVUIKDGxe5nOmqMkCOr1YBdyIZa-wVqCswysF12FcwfbfhmMZC2vw_zQd-udgaX0/s800/tom+detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610262213266019042" border="0" /></a>The quilt is large enough to fit a double bed - and consists of a variety of traditional blocks - the most prevalent block is the flying geese pattern which symbolizes both Tom's love of traveling about on his bike and his recent flight to 'go home to God."<br /><br />After I sent Tom's quilt to his widow - I heard back from his widow's sister, who commissioned the piece. The quilt was well received and in an email I received was the following, which really touched my heart:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">We sat with it on my kitchen table tonight just admiring it. I know it must have been hard to work with the fabrics given but the patterns and fabric pieces you artfully chose for it actually fit Tom spot on. He would have loved it as well.</blockquote><br />The statement that makes my heart sing is that the quilt fits Tom spot on and that he too would have loved it.... as his clothes once held his body, it is my hope that perhaps the quilt will holda bit of Tom's spirit and that the quilt will grace the life of those who loved him most and bring a bit of comfort as well....<br /><br />Among the words stitched along parts of the quilt is the following stanza from a Robert Frost poem that Tom's widow selected as characteristic of the man she loved:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">There never was any heart truly great and generous, that was not also tender and compassionate.</span><br /><br />Like I said I would have enjoyed knowing Tom and to have had the honor of calling him my friend - in a way, I guess I do know him.......mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-29474698773932832272011-01-27T12:33:00.006-05:002011-01-27T13:03:31.386-05:00owl's trip around the world<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1ZNqatm6tQjY_p-51XGUNEQwAEt_0SVD0eSbDYQPSbuzjF91mXEGUP_Tgq_w0T9rdw4evLHqRlLvIgP8AVXEUiM3fSwrdAP-gMPwS-mmWBho_k7XEPqcUJdVSU79zBW1AUwgcPN4vck/s1600/owlworld.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1ZNqatm6tQjY_p-51XGUNEQwAEt_0SVD0eSbDYQPSbuzjF91mXEGUP_Tgq_w0T9rdw4evLHqRlLvIgP8AVXEUiM3fSwrdAP-gMPwS-mmWBho_k7XEPqcUJdVSU79zBW1AUwgcPN4vck/s800/owlworld.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566924500755520722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoESYTQ3a2T6P1aXsmr5-dPw_rDPXFKqxzroVV920HVkC9X2TV0I14gAQxDDeZnpKYoRgVAU_XZIZzat3O_cm2fi6X4orKpixELPT005-pVILvLx6X0SiDNgnqYInbRTK0Zu2SBtj-YM/s1600/owlprocess.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoESYTQ3a2T6P1aXsmr5-dPw_rDPXFKqxzroVV920HVkC9X2TV0I14gAQxDDeZnpKYoRgVAU_XZIZzat3O_cm2fi6X4orKpixELPT005-pVILvLx6X0SiDNgnqYInbRTK0Zu2SBtj-YM/s400/owlprocess.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566920904920704850" border="0" /></a> Last week I finished another baby quilt - I call it Owl's Trip Around the World - named of course for the pattern is the ever-popular, quick piecing "Trip Around the World." Some of the fabrics will look familiar as some are similar/the same as fabrics I used in the last quilt that I posted.<br /><br />This quilt is for a baby who is on his way into the world TODAY - I just received a text from his future auntie, saying his mom is in labor! Safe passage little boy!<br /><br />The baby who will be receiving this quilt is the cousin of Laurence who was born in December and received the Treetop Lullaby quilt.<br /><br />In my tradition of quilting songs or rhyme on the border, the rhyme of Owl's Trip is:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">A wise old owl lived in an oak<br />The more he saw, the less he spoke<br />The less he spoke, the more he saw<br />Why can't we all be like that wise old bird<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The quilt measures 55 inches by 55 inches - a generous size for a baby quilt. As usual all of the materials are 100% cotton with the exception of the thread which is a cotton/poly blend.<br /><br />Tsuki, one of the cats at casa mouse, really favored this quilt and was often found snuggled on the quilt during construction . The second photo shows this and gives a peek into the fabrics used on the back - the family has a dog so here's is a wee nod to the new baby's "canine sibling"!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If you are interested in commissioning a quilt to celebrate the birth of a child in your village, or perhaps a quilt for another occasion, contact the quiltmaker at the address found on the sidebar. </span><br /></div></div>mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-37547059117424117772010-12-29T12:00:00.002-05:002011-01-27T12:49:28.153-05:00treetop lullaby<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oN6N0muEGhd7A_PjFE0e36xJ0XsVLo2WbJRsM8pwe0f6FM0dpbYfIHPlL0xzMPbT0HGg60PztIvQr5-2iW_tHTcQ8moVHUFjnl-Qb4tmqropClx30GvqYIbytX4xzclJ5tkr3_8huEw/s1600/treetoplullabye.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oN6N0muEGhd7A_PjFE0e36xJ0XsVLo2WbJRsM8pwe0f6FM0dpbYfIHPlL0xzMPbT0HGg60PztIvQr5-2iW_tHTcQ8moVHUFjnl-Qb4tmqropClx30GvqYIbytX4xzclJ5tkr3_8huEw/s800/treetoplullabye.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556143543377050386" border="0" /></a>Oh my, it has been over 3 months since I posted anything here on the studio blog. True, I've been off my game in terms of quilting this fall - the full circle of life seems to have slowed down my productivity when it comes to working in the studio.<br /><br />But it is also the circle of life that has been guiding and directing the work in the studio this fall and winter.<br /><br />At top is a quilt I recently finished to celebrate the birth of a most anticipated addition to <span style="font-style: italic;">my village</span> - little Laurence came into the world just in time for Christmas. I finished Laurence's quilt the very day before he was born - I wonder if he was waiting for me to finish before coming into the world, we probably will never know.<br /><br />I've named the quilt <span style="font-style: italic;">treetop lullaby</span> reflecting the animals and trees of the main fabric. Around the outer border I stitched the following - a bit of a twist on the traditional stanzas of hush a bye baby:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Hush a bye baby<br />In the tree top,<br />When the wind blows the cradle will rock<br />If the bough breaks the cradle won't fall<br />As I'll catch cradle baby and all<br /></div><br /><br />The treetop lullaby is a variation of the traditional pinwheel quilt block, the quilt is machine pieced and hand quilted.<br /><br />In October I finished and delivered a commissioned wedding quilt for a couple who were married in September.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKWLpX4v4ww7cC3yhdSmWHEvwxL_TE9N6RaHF_0PZzjLd-EiyGTZzUIDE2TDXP1rpYbUw64YCJxYvraM9lUcdLP0I97asz9rfRDPPu6YNnnPRPHXHil0FbalF68z6vtI70XGCoAZalfA/s1600/j%2526jquiltoctober2010.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKWLpX4v4ww7cC3yhdSmWHEvwxL_TE9N6RaHF_0PZzjLd-EiyGTZzUIDE2TDXP1rpYbUw64YCJxYvraM9lUcdLP0I97asz9rfRDPPu6YNnnPRPHXHil0FbalF68z6vtI70XGCoAZalfA/s400/j%2526jquiltoctober2010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556149259509752530" border="0" /></a><br />Visitors to the magical mouse will recognize the quilt pattern - this is a standard for a small wedding gifts. The wallhanging is made up of log cabin blocksand the colors of the log cabin rings reflect the favorite colors of the bride and groom - in this case yellow and gray.<br /><br />Continuing with the circle of life, the other project currently underway is a memorial quilt. Unfortunately my progress on this quilt is much slower than I had hoped - my new self-imposed deadline is to have the quilt finished and delivered by mid January and no later than the end of January!mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-68928047881672816902010-09-11T19:15:00.001-04:002010-09-11T19:17:54.095-04:00a garden of hugs and kisses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsdDrTWvQUXI_8TCn5DAGQSRYblJHufu_6FmrtKfCE2ei_LzF_7trNeUetBtKtWKAU4M2thBTsya9dYkasA5B65ljbGW_l9pewE02KW8OQzwuqhWWMxWKFJBt7w1f2ecjYUixTRhqhS8/s1600/ella_quilt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsdDrTWvQUXI_8TCn5DAGQSRYblJHufu_6FmrtKfCE2ei_LzF_7trNeUetBtKtWKAU4M2thBTsya9dYkasA5B65ljbGW_l9pewE02KW8OQzwuqhWWMxWKFJBt7w1f2ecjYUixTRhqhS8/s800/ella_quilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506013518304207778" border="0" /></a>I set this photo up about a month ago but didn't get any farther - obviously a sign of just how crazy my summer has been.<br /><br />As typical for the summer, work in the studio has been slow - I really don't get much quilting done when the summer is warm and when there's so much other stuff to do. That's not to say, I don't fantasize a great deal and make lots of plans - now summer time is great for that! Of course, whether my plans pan out is another thing, but you get the drift.<br /><br />I finished this quilt in early august. I made it as a 'welcome to the world' gift for friends who were blessed with a dughter in late June. This easy peasy pattern has become one of my faves for baby quilts, I find it lends itself to a great deal of color play! I like to add borders of small squares to some of the quilts I make; this time I had the idea to put "X" and "O" in each square so the main quilt is symbolically surrounded with a garden of hugs and kisses. I stitched the outside border with some of the lyrics from "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3FkaN0HQgs">the garden song</a>" - I like to imagine that ella's mama and papa will sing the garden song to her while she's getting ready to go to bed!mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-3082152525545424462010-07-08T22:00:00.000-04:002010-07-08T22:12:16.829-04:00my little eye<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1B8l5pV9I7-JJ7bbFyDNFtf1k7LoBiL9SkIc1AEDi-C6RYgSkCbS2Ia1vs_wqptJLgI2EGvcZHxPMcT9Xv_8Wby1i0flnVaodQdLKZfBIcdRpvRg1HSuv-JaSF719D-Ys9sxr4tEnZY/s1600/iseequilt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1B8l5pV9I7-JJ7bbFyDNFtf1k7LoBiL9SkIc1AEDi-C6RYgSkCbS2Ia1vs_wqptJLgI2EGvcZHxPMcT9Xv_8Wby1i0flnVaodQdLKZfBIcdRpvRg1HSuv-JaSF719D-Ys9sxr4tEnZY/s800/iseequilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490819307936881266" border="0" /></a>Tuesday I mailed off the second kaleidoscope quilt I've ever made. I made the first one a couple years ago and I forgot how much fun this quilt is to both construct and to look at. There are so many different things going on with the triangles in this quilt and what is so delightful is how the foreground and background change depending on how one looks at the quilt.<br /><br />The quilt was commissioned by some of my best "patrons" - I love being part of a giving tradition. Friends of my 'clients' are expecting their first child. The baby is expected any day now; despite the ability to know the sex of a child ahead of time, the expectant parents chose to be surprised. I believe the palette of colors is gender neutral.... all brights and no pastels. <br /><br />The quilt measures approximately 48" x 54" and combines both tying and handquilting. <br /><br />Around the border are the words:<br /><blockquote>I see with my little eye my mama and papa who love me. I see with my little eye a world filled with beauty and wonder. </blockquote>mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-4058665275984680462010-06-30T13:00:00.003-04:002010-06-30T13:17:28.733-04:00babies, babies, babies!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jM01EXf9QW0iarXITEy3f3MQ54_q_3bsEPWQeY4Knc0ol3BQ-qMjjK8_P9wsthFuLMJsLiSpea-jr5R4rvNfUj8RbsG3ZRrbBR_3YFaIBSnpBPqsvaCCicyb6KioZY9-6eBPR09jFgk/s1600/quiltmitchell.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jM01EXf9QW0iarXITEy3f3MQ54_q_3bsEPWQeY4Knc0ol3BQ-qMjjK8_P9wsthFuLMJsLiSpea-jr5R4rvNfUj8RbsG3ZRrbBR_3YFaIBSnpBPqsvaCCicyb6KioZY9-6eBPR09jFgk/s800/quiltmitchell.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487957080570638946" border="0" /></a>The first completed of three baby quilts I have going on this month. I expect #2 will be finished by the end of the day today....at least I hope so and #3 soon after.<br /><br />I just love this pattern - it's easy to piece and lends itself to all sorts of colorful play! I believe this quilt measures 48 x 48 - I mislaid the scrap of paper where I jotted down the exact dimensions.<br /><br />The center is tied and the borders are hand quilted and of course made with 100% cotton fabric and cotton batting.<br /><br />Liza making sure her new quilt is comfy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTH_BYPf0i7PRLwh7nY81fV-PUIQjvhs4NC-BWlanxYlwecw10KMyg-rPU_96xvLktJdD5PT7l23kK6e3jzZDzaaXkIcxBp9ojBtIbvA6zsC0JuXHEmYzfMsJ7KKnNPPPeoTv3L5IZIMo/s1600/IMG_9633.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTH_BYPf0i7PRLwh7nY81fV-PUIQjvhs4NC-BWlanxYlwecw10KMyg-rPU_96xvLktJdD5PT7l23kK6e3jzZDzaaXkIcxBp9ojBtIbvA6zsC0JuXHEmYzfMsJ7KKnNPPPeoTv3L5IZIMo/s400/IMG_9633.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488613473336239346" border="0" /></a><br />In addition to celebrating babies this month, I've also been busy making wedding ring quilts to celebrate a couple couples' unions. I was literally on the road when I put the finishing touches on this quilt, so I didn't wasn't able to use my usual backyard backdrop for the photo of the finished quilt.<br /><br />The couple's favorite colors are red and blue - I went with the smaller format for the wall-hanging which I think I favor.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagwVVgKVsMysOoY-Nigg9m9dM7abkXA5_xSitYD8rf2jwOv54_dk9-Nwauri45buFySJTkTuytQBu0vUGVMtc0SQbQrTW4drQczI73dT0anOQAoitahAoNuEkQu5RARlF1cw3rdNPOlw/s1600/IMG_0728.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagwVVgKVsMysOoY-Nigg9m9dM7abkXA5_xSitYD8rf2jwOv54_dk9-Nwauri45buFySJTkTuytQBu0vUGVMtc0SQbQrTW4drQczI73dT0anOQAoitahAoNuEkQu5RARlF1cw3rdNPOlw/s400/IMG_0728.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488615287674187218" border="0" /></a><br />By the way, I received a lovely thank you for the wedding quilt I posted last post - Kat and Jeremiah are very delighted with the quilt!mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-27567736901556942242010-06-05T11:22:00.003-04:002010-06-05T11:32:40.020-04:00wedding rings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DmqQ4y2cRdr7iaVKSmsRMALVPF_PxZYR4-qaDWxVwCJqetdr4_FcNjksJMn5l4IHZmx6cqwtshTelyFhrgcIK1hpmyI6BSMwzaVj1JzSAH0LTkT293UNxeeleC6xG2H3Ux_tqPfNsvQ/s1600/j&kweddingquilt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DmqQ4y2cRdr7iaVKSmsRMALVPF_PxZYR4-qaDWxVwCJqetdr4_FcNjksJMn5l4IHZmx6cqwtshTelyFhrgcIK1hpmyI6BSMwzaVj1JzSAH0LTkT293UNxeeleC6xG2H3Ux_tqPfNsvQ/s800/j&kweddingquilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479310505734633682" border="0" /></a>I am such a creature of habit - when I hear of friends getting married, I immediately want to make them a wedding ring wallhanging. Yesterday our friends Jeremiah and Kat were married and I made a the quilt which has become my signature wedding gift. This time I tweaked the layout and made it slightly smaller (26 x 33 inches) than the wallhangings I've made in the past. Truth be told, I like this smaller size better, the quilt still includes my favorite saying about families and utilizes the bride and groom's favorite colors for the 'rings.'<br /><br />I put the package with the quilt on the gift table last night at the wedding. I expect the couple won't get around to seeing what they received until next week when they get back from their honeymoon in Hawaii. I hope they like it and find a place for it in their new home.mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-6632265314067626322010-05-17T08:43:00.005-04:002010-05-17T09:16:16.802-04:00star light, star bright<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcTqX4vHqv4DWaG_efaEbuAKK4BPJ24TMye-HilzNf9FsYxhhddZBKvy-4zlJSSoa9KE6zi6chidYw4RjxXA4VtIHQtAfvWa4gjyA1s6VD0v-1q3eGieYZ2Z2mbuLxnuPH_B__72CFnI/s1600/kalen_quilt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcTqX4vHqv4DWaG_efaEbuAKK4BPJ24TMye-HilzNf9FsYxhhddZBKvy-4zlJSSoa9KE6zi6chidYw4RjxXA4VtIHQtAfvWa4gjyA1s6VD0v-1q3eGieYZ2Z2mbuLxnuPH_B__72CFnI/s800/kalen_quilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472218997663193170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5erETfbQstzTmEwjRlPMEqrAjptNV4-xq67VkYLXMZvL8c1Nb_R7c7vylL29OwgZygb5ZGXBlx6LqUPDya3p9XxBpHlxyLrBWWTx9I2iICOpebbF6ApQ5gZx9sWI5LOhO29Hy_JzU3Bw/s1600/quilt_detail.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5erETfbQstzTmEwjRlPMEqrAjptNV4-xq67VkYLXMZvL8c1Nb_R7c7vylL29OwgZygb5ZGXBlx6LqUPDya3p9XxBpHlxyLrBWWTx9I2iICOpebbF6ApQ5gZx9sWI5LOhO29Hy_JzU3Bw/s320/quilt_detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472219238080239986" border="0" /></a> It has been pretty quiet lately in terms of any posting here on the magical mouse studio blog. Truth be told since February it's been fairly quiet inside the studio too. However, that all is changing!<br /><br />Thank goodness for babies and weddings - and thank goodness for the friendship star quilt block - it is a relatively quick quilt to piece and lends itself to a slew of options in terms of quilting the layers together - one can tie, hand-stitch, or, if one is skilled at machine quilting, machine quilt. <br /><br />This weekend I finished a welcome to the world quilt for a new baby in my 'village' - when I asked his mom a couple months ago if she had any colors in mind for his room, she replied that she chose green, gold and burgundy. When she mentioned gold, the decision to go with a starry- themed quilt was a no brainer! The baby who received this quilt joined his family as a result of an adoption - he was a most wished for addition to the family. My friends who became his parents were wishing for a child for years and have been on an adoption list for a long time. But despite the waiting when the call came, there was no wait - when the baby that joined their family came he came with no long wait! <br /><br />The quilt measures approximately 50" x 60" - typically the size for a lap quilt rather than a baby quilt; however I tend to prefer to make quilts that can grow with the child - which is also why I often bypass fabrics that are extremely juvenile. I am not skilled at machine quilting so this quilt is hand-stitched. Like most of my quilts this one includes words around the border - along with the child's name are the lines from a much loved nursery rhyme:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Star Light, Star bright,<br />The first star I see tonight,<br />I wish I may, I wish I might,<br />Have the wish I wish tonight.<br /></div>mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-47866882713031491852010-02-04T16:38:00.005-05:002010-02-04T16:50:07.573-05:00black & white & re(a)d all over<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzC8ZPEJCPI9BA8I_YRNYLSl_fxy16meuTdQOgOX5kcgxcuMiXv5K7McXZiW3AGeJMnAqeh-dqeP_sltBrs3dYPfFwpiothBNEiuEv5hs9H7rEt3sVtS67_9YUJ-f1fMTMOnO5uuZlos/s1600-h/IMG_3628.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzC8ZPEJCPI9BA8I_YRNYLSl_fxy16meuTdQOgOX5kcgxcuMiXv5K7McXZiW3AGeJMnAqeh-dqeP_sltBrs3dYPfFwpiothBNEiuEv5hs9H7rEt3sVtS67_9YUJ-f1fMTMOnO5uuZlos/s800/IMG_3628.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434506104467689954" border="0" /></a><br />Two posts on the poor neglected studio blog in one day!! What's with that!! I actually gave a sneak preview of this quilt in January on mouse medicine.<br /><br />I could have saved these snaps of the second baby quilt but I thought I'd take advantage of red being the theme for Theme Thursday. It's a bit late to register as a tt player, and it probably would be too tacky to register all three of my blogs, so I'll just put this up without fanfare and if any player wanders over here so be it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGtGLR-vDkKGaqYogjuVB6O5PODYzPZDuOVxqCE86kxexrSAR__Czsexp48HUcgi_xJs0P3GPfEeaVFGAaEvGbJD-xmNMiMFiSHqaYZgGNSds8g1cQODjWBcKEsqdWfo79pqnF-OO7Q/s1600-h/polka_quilt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGtGLR-vDkKGaqYogjuVB6O5PODYzPZDuOVxqCE86kxexrSAR__Czsexp48HUcgi_xJs0P3GPfEeaVFGAaEvGbJD-xmNMiMFiSHqaYZgGNSds8g1cQODjWBcKEsqdWfo79pqnF-OO7Q/s800/polka_quilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423740188450632226" border="0" /></a><br />I think I'll name this quilt 'black and white and re(a)d' - the re(a)d of course referring to both the color and some of the fabric which is to be read!mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-60833108567591015822010-02-04T11:23:00.006-05:002010-02-04T12:12:29.615-05:00flying stars<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFYTWQaSHfo8jDS-sQKRh6XrVyk4xcPIau2jiCO40UKoeoNUYofE8JDSkAlEQryx2kqSwizdDRgosTSO0U9fIJP6X8gZ0kxnKWOuqoS6BMzFVh8NlasToEzSduAw70iEykAFB2LDi3YM/s1600-h/flyingstarquilt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFYTWQaSHfo8jDS-sQKRh6XrVyk4xcPIau2jiCO40UKoeoNUYofE8JDSkAlEQryx2kqSwizdDRgosTSO0U9fIJP6X8gZ0kxnKWOuqoS6BMzFVh8NlasToEzSduAw70iEykAFB2LDi3YM/s800/flyingstarquilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434424964375090738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHfgWUrAsf8jsxgDkbaYRva3h-3ncVBHSYKeCeJjr_b05I3dIZvIs0TIsJf8rhKVm0OISTGHF-b_-ip_RKDPA956OkVHaqVMwbyhSbFSEyNy1yaFZmUhRt_oFGLqlnOKCJg9M3AhVHmo/s1600-h/IMG_3481.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHfgWUrAsf8jsxgDkbaYRva3h-3ncVBHSYKeCeJjr_b05I3dIZvIs0TIsJf8rhKVm0OISTGHF-b_-ip_RKDPA956OkVHaqVMwbyhSbFSEyNy1yaFZmUhRt_oFGLqlnOKCJg9M3AhVHmo/s320/IMG_3481.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434425953174891218" border="0" /></a>Yikes, I certainly have been neglecting this mousehole, I haven't posted anything since October! Didn't I make some sort of resolution last year to post something once a month? <br /><br />My absence here does not completely reflect my absence in my physical studio - but it comes pretty close.<br /><br />Since completing the huge delectable mountains project in October, I have only finished two baby quilts. Today I'll share a couple snaps of the star quilt which was picked up last weekend. My friend who ordered this quilt for her first grandchild wanted to pick up the quilt in time for the birth of the baby. Based on the predominance of pink fabrics in the quilt, it is true that everyone is expecting the baby to be a girl. Let's hope that ultrasound prediction is correct. I've been known to use pink in quilts for boys and girls - but not so much pink as this quilt has.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKrbbAoD3nAezMJ0-B1b8j2BfRAqQoFO9QMNwhCmRjAd1PBnj6VKG0OfuQIdKm1tEVrANuUHc6Xd9znWvwmW0vKc1HEMHpkr5WoNTL58wbv6hyphenhyphenUfQihvm4DsUcZVhgAtxh5UI9NDNt0I/s1600-h/flyback.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKrbbAoD3nAezMJ0-B1b8j2BfRAqQoFO9QMNwhCmRjAd1PBnj6VKG0OfuQIdKm1tEVrANuUHc6Xd9znWvwmW0vKc1HEMHpkr5WoNTL58wbv6hyphenhyphenUfQihvm4DsUcZVhgAtxh5UI9NDNt0I/s200/flyback.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434435302365403554" border="0" /></a>This is one of my favorite patterns to use for baby quilts, it lends itself to so much playfulness. This time I hand-quilted the entire top in order to secure the layers - the stitching isn't very dense but it's enough to prevent bunching and create some new shapes to follow. Around the border are stitched several stanzas from the nursery rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.<br /><br />The top of the quilt uses primarily batik fabrics - all 100% cotton, the back is composed of playful print of red ladybugs on a green leafy background - and bordered with black and white check fabric . The finished quilt measures 58"x50"mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-54071257974359828472009-10-31T12:15:00.006-04:002009-10-31T13:26:44.630-04:00delectable mountainsYesterday I finished the quilt I've been working on for the last couple months. I can't recall exactly when I started the piecing of this quilt, but according to my last post I do know exactly when I started the quilting.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvHl-eYndLCQq5I_YTCqmrqDRDlZMXq0cYRaaqn7eA3Jp2ldwztYOzm6omSTUYKg_Rjjrh0hTqMkraIhlXCVUfhPihGnumQpbM4IUEVeJI9idtsjQHqJUvO657ktOrTQY6BbaoCFweQs/s1600-h/a&j_quilt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvHl-eYndLCQq5I_YTCqmrqDRDlZMXq0cYRaaqn7eA3Jp2ldwztYOzm6omSTUYKg_Rjjrh0hTqMkraIhlXCVUfhPihGnumQpbM4IUEVeJI9idtsjQHqJUvO657ktOrTQY6BbaoCFweQs/s800/a&j_quilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398799169145939954" border="0" /></a>As you can see, the quilt is a big one - here it is displayed on a queen sized bed. A friend commissioned the quilt for her son who is getting married on November 7th. The wedding is taking place in Mexico where the couple is currently living.<br /><br />The groom's family are all flying out to attend the wedding. I thought they were leaving today so I gave myself the deadline of having the quilt finished and ready for delivery for Friday morning and for all intents and purposes I had the quilt finished as of Wednesday night - a whole day early - woo hoo!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4QDzJuXvmP0un3oGjdWs2Or_ODSLnNeZeiGGgvn5AWqG7cnl2nfHCV_1iYdUEAGvRh3UNLxfWD7xyMdzfKsWzqMpEfFKriCj97w71VCbDRTNOpxbgPG_DuDH-c-ulbQAa4eov-oLTZ8/s1600-h/a&j_quiltdetail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4QDzJuXvmP0un3oGjdWs2Or_ODSLnNeZeiGGgvn5AWqG7cnl2nfHCV_1iYdUEAGvRh3UNLxfWD7xyMdzfKsWzqMpEfFKriCj97w71VCbDRTNOpxbgPG_DuDH-c-ulbQAa4eov-oLTZ8/s800/a&j_quiltdetail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398799164907885330" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvUq3AkhY9G7nDsgLx1G1pqs0ypPN7iozTNitW2Z8Cc7Lc3wXv13Lnq8UVlb99iIJa0t5c_iEJirZ0KmawHXcYj0NmS4UehTCffH6SIYpT42P-cBDoH3IT1DDT3RLnj_uuOant7uPiuE/s1600-h/stellaq.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvUq3AkhY9G7nDsgLx1G1pqs0ypPN7iozTNitW2Z8Cc7Lc3wXv13Lnq8UVlb99iIJa0t5c_iEJirZ0KmawHXcYj0NmS4UehTCffH6SIYpT42P-cBDoH3IT1DDT3RLnj_uuOant7uPiuE/s320/stellaq.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398808692123087202" border="0" /></a>The bottom border was already personalized with the bride and groom's names and the date of the wedding. On Thursday evening I learned my friends aren't leaving until a few days later - which was great news as it gave me the opportunity to add an excerpt from a prayer which was on the wedding invitation.<br /> (the picture on the right shows Stella, the studio cat, I think she was endorsing the idea of adding the extra words as this was the first time she curled up on the quilt while I was working on it - perhaps she wanted to add some of her own special magic to the mix!)<br /><br />So yesterday I added these words on the side borders:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">To the heavens above. To the earth that we love</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">To that which we are, have been, and will b</span>e<br /></div><br /><br />.....a nice little prayer to sleep under.<br /><br />The quilt is an adaptation of the traditional quilt pattern called <a href="http://www.patternsfromhistory.com/pioneer_patterns/delectable-mountains.htm">delectable mountains.</a> The quilt measures approximately 88" x 98" - it is machine pieced and hand quilted the fabrics and batting are cotton.mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-77037663795139810262009-09-27T10:27:00.004-04:002009-09-27T21:00:22.389-04:00studio update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJyEl0Bslbj7PTMsYXBgiJQzbBJjTTonWZDd6SLEFFwTMKxDANkG-wlSCnPhC1UpDYMeX81NWiIcZ6eixpcwDId9v-u_LwtZDZo6tdCLIx-Mh4KFH2dTu8OS7BS6DGDpdI6Y6DuMO910/s1600-h/ladybugquilt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJyEl0Bslbj7PTMsYXBgiJQzbBJjTTonWZDd6SLEFFwTMKxDANkG-wlSCnPhC1UpDYMeX81NWiIcZ6eixpcwDId9v-u_LwtZDZo6tdCLIx-Mh4KFH2dTu8OS7BS6DGDpdI6Y6DuMO910/s800/ladybugquilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386154021711687842" border="0" /></a>Last week I finished the baby quilt that nfp ordered to give to one of their staff. The shower is coming up this week and the quilt was picked up last night. I look forward to hearing how how the expectant mom likes the quilt. This is the second child in the family, the first child was born just about two years ago and also received <a href="http://magicalmousestudio.blogspot.com/2007/09/nesting-village.html">a magical mouse quilt</a>. As I mentioned in the post for the "nesting village" quilt, the family is proud of their Ukrainian roots these roots are oncemore represented by squares of blue and yellow which symbolize the flag of the Ukraine.<br /><br />This quilt I've called "the ladybug garden" - along the border of the quilt I've handstitched part of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem I used in the kitty cat garden:<br /><div style="text-align: center;">kind hearts are the gardens<br />kind thoughts are the roots<br />kind words are the flowers<br />kind deeds are the fruit<br /></div><br />I love the sentiment of the poem and I think it is a wonderful verse to be shared with children - and good thoughts to take to heart. I am pleased with the quilt it is sweet, bright and ever so cheerful! I almost forgot to take a picture of the finished quilt, there was barely enough light left in the sky last night to get a snap in - fortunately yesterday's rain paused long enough for the shot.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii60O5F8V_p4P80hYN3ySiPArlfkJUkZxxNVL4l6C-6R462pOv9_7iUHghbdUpTVjIETgCQS-ndMA4x9c6QVTI62cHpo1AJ_J4h29MKelrUly7X_x9488GkCp7wWJKb5v6oj97yRp6gyk/s1600-h/IMG_9440.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii60O5F8V_p4P80hYN3ySiPArlfkJUkZxxNVL4l6C-6R462pOv9_7iUHghbdUpTVjIETgCQS-ndMA4x9c6QVTI62cHpo1AJ_J4h29MKelrUly7X_x9488GkCp7wWJKb5v6oj97yRp6gyk/s800/IMG_9440.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386154264580893186" border="0" /></a>And YEAH I finished the top to the big project I'm working on. Yesterday I layered the quilt and last night I began the quilting. Now I am hopeful that the quilt will be finished in time, until I started the quilting I was a bit worried (let's hope I didn't jinx myself!). This is the largest quilt I have ever undertaken - right now the quilt measures 88"x 98" - which will comfortably fit a queen sized bed.mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-22864161487290142142009-08-31T12:16:00.004-04:002009-08-31T12:27:20.906-04:00rings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcGLpsrCiAfeHAQYVHBnaCyhQETTLRLqf3ykbr95bTPuv5p_kuJVRgmOWVE5J9TyGoLfxwI677jC5VY1XGjI6o4kOdKhp9VglkVSUWiD23CryrSn62tnYbRCf1sJ0TJ_7H6xxe4c1-KI/s1600-h/m&gquilt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcGLpsrCiAfeHAQYVHBnaCyhQETTLRLqf3ykbr95bTPuv5p_kuJVRgmOWVE5J9TyGoLfxwI677jC5VY1XGjI6o4kOdKhp9VglkVSUWiD23CryrSn62tnYbRCf1sJ0TJ_7H6xxe4c1-KI/s800/m&gquilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376162683192038546" border="0" /></a>I recently finished another wedding wall-hanging. this one I gave to friends who were married on saturday - what a coincidence that the favorite colors for this couple is the same as the colors of the previous two sets of couples who received mouse studio wedding wall-hangings. what is it with red and blue?<br /><br />this wall-hanging I retained the traditional log cabin block style of having a center square of a different color. added a bit of gold to this quilt to symbolize the gold matrimonial bands.mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-80758374422133124602009-07-04T10:05:00.004-04:002009-07-04T10:51:57.454-04:00spring projectsI have dropped the ball terribly in terms of maintaining this blog! so much for my new year's resolution to post something every month - I did say that, didn't I? oh well, I'm nothing if not consistent - this resolution, went the way most of my new year resolutions go - which is why I make a point of not making new year resolutions!<br /><br />my lack of posting doesn't mean I haven't been completely unproductive. here are some snaps of three projects I completed since the last time I posted.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7-q-ZnpV_yJoc8CcnW4awU2Oi52EzElt-NKcVuXiD5ETE2O9Z_QzXXahmV_vVmDELzlusDBFWBv-mbukgHUKklO4adkcqwCnTCVJbrLxAMTCJy475uQt7fPrB63n1l-Bv075mBuFHvU/s1600-h/mtawquilt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7-q-ZnpV_yJoc8CcnW4awU2Oi52EzElt-NKcVuXiD5ETE2O9Z_QzXXahmV_vVmDELzlusDBFWBv-mbukgHUKklO4adkcqwCnTCVJbrLxAMTCJy475uQt7fPrB63n1l-Bv075mBuFHvU/s800/mtawquilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354606691603435634" border="0" /></a>a baby quilt - an uncomplicated pattern, your basic many trips around the world. I like to make baby quilts that will be used -- which is why I tend prefer quilt designs that don't intimidate. I envision that a magical mouse baby quilt will be used (and abused) for years. all of the baby quilts I make are made with 100% cotton materials and completely machine washable. I love it when I see one of my baby quilts years later and it is ragged and threadbare - then I know it gave love and was loved.<br /><br />the colors and material chosen for this quilt were chosen to represent the four classical elements - earth, water, air, and fire. encircling the blue border is an adaptation of a native american prayer. the words I have stitched on the border are:<br /><div style="text-align: center;">Through the returning seasons may I walk.<br />On the trail marked with pollen may I walk.<br />With grasshoppers about my feet may I walk.<br />With dew about my feet may I walk.<br />In beauty may I walk.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCmoQs9YafOqXRQ7XC4giktDu9dlWL5Dd53XgMykt8B5gA4dZgvGmHUZklNiyzf1EyBw0rV0-iZk9XOjJXSlcvHJ2jM-ThpEqOU3nfuODJKbGMxdp7AmwCQDL0VYO2pkoA6ZMq6eBuuw/s1600-h/r&aquilt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCmoQs9YafOqXRQ7XC4giktDu9dlWL5Dd53XgMykt8B5gA4dZgvGmHUZklNiyzf1EyBw0rV0-iZk9XOjJXSlcvHJ2jM-ThpEqOU3nfuODJKbGMxdp7AmwCQDL0VYO2pkoA6ZMq6eBuuw/s800/r&aquilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354606682877076242" border="0" /></a>last month our friends randeep and adam were married - to celebrate their union I made one of my tried and true wedding wall-hangings. the symbolism of the wall-hanging is obvious - the colors I choose for the rings represent the couples favorite colors. it is a coincidence that the last two wedding wall-hangings I have done have been for couples which favor red and blue - in fact, this quilt looks very much like the last one - the border fabrics are the same I used in this are the same as I used in <a href="http://magicalmousestudio.blogspot.com/2008/11/catch-upnot-catsup.html">that</a>. I had just enough of both the multicolor border fabric for one more wall-hanging - which I think is great as I really like the fabrics.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Mh9G47ozCwDw3ysbdW_m4NIVOFR2fK9MLLrsO-p4s8GZmv8HRm4RawojnvmgPSBJMm0YhoSFyD7S-Y6BkOdaZgSFy0BDmzvHiR-FkdpiJDtXahYZlmZ-KvqZKppcL2F5ntgloy45xgg/s1600-h/IMG_2555.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Mh9G47ozCwDw3ysbdW_m4NIVOFR2fK9MLLrsO-p4s8GZmv8HRm4RawojnvmgPSBJMm0YhoSFyD7S-Y6BkOdaZgSFy0BDmzvHiR-FkdpiJDtXahYZlmZ-KvqZKppcL2F5ntgloy45xgg/s800/IMG_2555.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354606677033905570" border="0" /></a>also this spring I had an interesting project. it actually turned out much better than I anticipated for I had never attempted such a thing before. a friend asked me if I could make "a ham with legs" for him so he could give it to his girlfriend as a gift for mother's day. the back story is the girlfriend has a bulldog which they affectionately refer to as "a ham with legs" - he wanted to surprise his girlfriend with token of his affection for her and her dog.<br /><br />unfortunately, there is a sad end to this story. the gift was a great sucess - my friend was pleased with how it turned out and his girlfriend, when presented with the gift was tickled and touched. but alas, the relationship did not last - a bit more than a month after he presented the ham to his girl, they broke up. I don't know what has or will happen to the stuffed ham....maybe the canine version of "the ham with legs" will get hold of it the stuffed one.mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-31595092882145734372009-02-28T17:46:00.012-05:002009-02-28T19:02:28.377-05:00tick-tock<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhyphenhyphen4Hr8h11uFw58DBZiBdS-_rQzG2bHCeL93h0R3abWFtARgyECh_P6E6LIdkuTge1aPyus8iYT97ImgCZlwp3hzEd8eLVxNYm-XtAS7h4_qKQkpQr-hq_qfSTxGF_sHRAxxKmBwUHjc/s1600-h/ddq.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhyphenhyphen4Hr8h11uFw58DBZiBdS-_rQzG2bHCeL93h0R3abWFtARgyECh_P6E6LIdkuTge1aPyus8iYT97ImgCZlwp3hzEd8eLVxNYm-XtAS7h4_qKQkpQr-hq_qfSTxGF_sHRAxxKmBwUHjc/s800/ddq.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307983486344681202" border="0" /></a>last month I had the audacity to put forward a resolution that I would post at least once a month on this blog. at the time this seemed like a realistic goal; it's not like a month goes by without me working on something in the studio.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzRRsN2H3gaJsKEZavUeMZiJjQxsn4WB4atmHbECIenp9Oh5uQTQfrsV06FE3_6vcQshSeWtcpTkqwHNNko3wItUYz8EYPkfPsmM9gO5qQDf2hI0KM8V6L_J-D826j0jCK-LGnxq6gNA/s1600-h/IMG_8679.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzRRsN2H3gaJsKEZavUeMZiJjQxsn4WB4atmHbECIenp9Oh5uQTQfrsV06FE3_6vcQshSeWtcpTkqwHNNko3wItUYz8EYPkfPsmM9gO5qQDf2hI0KM8V6L_J-D826j0jCK-LGnxq6gNA/s320/IMG_8679.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307995270194758498" border="0" /></a>february hasn't been all that productive in terms of quilting projects despite piecing a large bed quilt (86x90) (at least this is large by my standards, I generally make wall-hangings, baby quilts, or lap-quilts) . I didn't have any pressing projects on the board, so I got it into my head to make a bed quilt for my daughter em. I made her a bed quilt in 1997 when she graduated from high school and it was very loved and very used and right now it is ....well in tatters...<br /><br />the plan was to use the day of the dead fabrics that em bought <span style="font-style: italic;">a while</span> ago. early on in the project I told her I was finally going to use the day of the dead fabric. told her my idea was to pull out the various colors that were in the main fabrics and just use stuff from my stash and have the quilt be somewhat scrappy. she was enthusiastic. early on, I asked if she would come up to the studio so she could see what the 'plan' was and how it was looking so far ....she replied, "no, I want to be surprised, I always like what you do"<br /><br />famous last words.... both the accompanying fabrics and the pattern I selected for the quilt didn't pass muster! I learned em doesn't care for yellow/golds/brown..... or at least not to the extent I incorporated the colors into the piece and she also wasn't very keen on the pattern and thought the whole thing was just way too masculine looking....<br /><br />investing a lot of time into a quilt that doesn't please the intended recipient kind of takes the wind out of one's sails.... but that's cool, this isn't the first time I made something that didn't work out...but the other times it was me that didn't like the product... and I know it won't be the last....unless I suddenly quit quilting and that's not gonna happen!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BiGtM1xQqrSDnxFbJlWhZ4wJ8g6RunNvZkq3IPZMSZ0vC90M-n-aZoWzwBK3wm5YjlAUe3EN2FkfP_EZwDgfbx2ChK9EMJEi6ZpB2SHqoOb3IYiQwlsAYg5kNfUyNRD_D81wxThLlzY/s1600-h/IMG_8895.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BiGtM1xQqrSDnxFbJlWhZ4wJ8g6RunNvZkq3IPZMSZ0vC90M-n-aZoWzwBK3wm5YjlAUe3EN2FkfP_EZwDgfbx2ChK9EMJEi6ZpB2SHqoOb3IYiQwlsAYg5kNfUyNRD_D81wxThLlzY/s320/IMG_8895.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307992777248085346" border="0" /></a>the quilt is so large I couldn't set it up in my normal spots....didn't quite fit on the studio felt wall and no way it could hang on the line outside. only thing I could think of was to put the top on a bed; well I learned that's a problem when there are animals around!<br /><br />well, it does seem that all the animals really seem to like the quilt.... I do too....but as of now, the quilt will be set aside the back and the quilting will have to wait until I figure out its fate.... for now I think I'm going to play with a palette of bright batiks and start something nice and small....mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-80555698569717015902009-01-26T16:32:00.007-05:002009-01-26T17:42:44.000-05:00catch up IIwell it hasn't been as long between posts as the last time I gave a studio update, but it's still been a while. on my list of resolutions for 2009 is to be a little bit more attentive to the magical mouse blog. one of the secrets for meeting goals is to set realistic goals -with respect to the magical mouse blog, my intention is to post once each month - if I post more frequently great, but again set realistic goals. I can feel good about meeting my resolution this month - hey I even have days to spare!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUuYKmC1cadzjH-MeidT2lFaIJJ2CTSulS1nKNhwZf81Mi8CEvUbkDZEbEnzl1egA4F2g_wlIk3mR3Ci9DpkXlzPK8PCpeYzTXT-a4g0Fxt-kGLUGByXe08BU9reag10ztLNXiqp-8ek/s1600-h/kittygarden.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUuYKmC1cadzjH-MeidT2lFaIJJ2CTSulS1nKNhwZf81Mi8CEvUbkDZEbEnzl1egA4F2g_wlIk3mR3Ci9DpkXlzPK8PCpeYzTXT-a4g0Fxt-kGLUGByXe08BU9reag10ztLNXiqp-8ek/s800/kittygarden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295719628652698658" border="0" /></a>the first quilt I finished in the new year is a baby quilt which I am calling the <span style="font-style: italic;">kitty cat garden</span>. I selected a broad assortment of both bright and softly colored fabrics. many of the fabrics feature veggies or whimsically themed prints.<br /><br />lately I have gotten into stitching words on the borders of quilts. this quilt features several lines from a longfellow poem:<br /><div style="text-align: center;">kind hearts are the gardens<br />kind thoughts are the roots<br />kind words are the flowers<br />kind deeds are the fruit<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWiW_KB0CoH9MYDyROlQQOm6OLP8iJL9MHq5kf36z1s9mR6hfZs2V5lumrSHCjif2tv9DKpJM08xq9-ObRAP3uLDm6rr7lxPdzSHloHw3PT_FWpLcuNafys_mx8ist_UWIZ7NBzvnNUQ/s1600-h/kgdetail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWiW_KB0CoH9MYDyROlQQOm6OLP8iJL9MHq5kf36z1s9mR6hfZs2V5lumrSHCjif2tv9DKpJM08xq9-ObRAP3uLDm6rr7lxPdzSHloHw3PT_FWpLcuNafys_mx8ist_UWIZ7NBzvnNUQ/s800/kgdetail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295719848024202146" border="0" /></a>outside of this baby quilt most of the projects undertaken the last couple months have been little useful items which I made to give as holiday quilts - some of these projects include using tee shirts from last year's peace show to make a tote bags such as this one. unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the next peace show tote - it featured several improvements over this one as I learned much<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ79zpGW-VvYmE5ufNAVt9OKnquGurjZAWlKDMNyQm_rpdmhf-gHjWqctgO32lIMlV0yW7Simne_SNsp_SFuXm9WMTu4RWJEKzqe89tavrhmkMFQyVrecfBnFjnClXYA-0X2eyPad5Rbw/s1600-h/tote.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ79zpGW-VvYmE5ufNAVt9OKnquGurjZAWlKDMNyQm_rpdmhf-gHjWqctgO32lIMlV0yW7Simne_SNsp_SFuXm9WMTu4RWJEKzqe89tavrhmkMFQyVrecfBnFjnClXYA-0X2eyPad5Rbw/s400/tote.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295729420455692578" border="0" /></a> the words on the back of the tee-shirt I used as a center panel in a pillow for a friend who just happened to win <a href="http://magicalmousestudio.blogspot.com/2008/03/and-winner-is.html">this quilt</a> last year and has it hanging in his bedroom.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQ-VfK0jGgtuU-sRucxZn_C-SstDb8pScIUjtGPSyFSAmeC2Hy9rVTf_PaKqhd6hCJ8bovrnnieyHIjtxuvcPIV2Pet8JBzE64R6JiYpmXksFCH-Kp9yMWqkosR_CnZ_jiJY6ePCQ8nI/s1600-h/pillow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQ-VfK0jGgtuU-sRucxZn_C-SstDb8pScIUjtGPSyFSAmeC2Hy9rVTf_PaKqhd6hCJ8bovrnnieyHIjtxuvcPIV2Pet8JBzE64R6JiYpmXksFCH-Kp9yMWqkosR_CnZ_jiJY6ePCQ8nI/s400/pillow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295723227913866402" border="0" /></a>I also made a lot of these handy little cloth wallets:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjhQ_2TAh7AIeN7tBe26AiThdN8NNZtRNq4am9Fdfpmb6vB5gD_gI4stgd85PMKik6gJj2aIaigytsurWHrIgFJaXluYGvSXWK4tsZx_X0PWwmVX-HeucSQSbh1_XmxePNDzwnlPPqX8/s1600-h/purse2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjhQ_2TAh7AIeN7tBe26AiThdN8NNZtRNq4am9Fdfpmb6vB5gD_gI4stgd85PMKik6gJj2aIaigytsurWHrIgFJaXluYGvSXWK4tsZx_X0PWwmVX-HeucSQSbh1_XmxePNDzwnlPPqX8/s400/purse2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295723217580907346" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMbYTCeE4-i7WZxkpLeDkm4NIdxwRoDBZOOyCEU5bgY7qJ0FX1MO4YdMS8sycvYYCK0r-vJgH-NIuvt5F8SSyHRzc8VYBEN2ZoMwuF303dmxhdI6FuylKmuS0T-eAYxQJzNwlrrb2-9I/s1600-h/purse.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMbYTCeE4-i7WZxkpLeDkm4NIdxwRoDBZOOyCEU5bgY7qJ0FX1MO4YdMS8sycvYYCK0r-vJgH-NIuvt5F8SSyHRzc8VYBEN2ZoMwuF303dmxhdI6FuylKmuS0T-eAYxQJzNwlrrb2-9I/s400/purse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295719616594066322" border="0" /></a>a few placemat and napkin sets for various friends. nothing fancy, just useful items with fabric which reminded me of them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM44NGrV9PiwtLWK2gs6gbGDkRuGQD0qb8hqRPEEkAbrzrL9kaqp4ZIdAwJu2-dGy92RA4CK68xIUrea9CNZ72oF3lT9-kg8vXNOtLhnyWzd5ouS8av9tp_eUzsExM1pYTQmRL9cP02S8/s1600-h/dodplacemats.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM44NGrV9PiwtLWK2gs6gbGDkRuGQD0qb8hqRPEEkAbrzrL9kaqp4ZIdAwJu2-dGy92RA4CK68xIUrea9CNZ72oF3lT9-kg8vXNOtLhnyWzd5ouS8av9tp_eUzsExM1pYTQmRL9cP02S8/s400/dodplacemats.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295719607420091122" border="0" /></a>one friend is a collector of day of the dead objects, so I thought this would go well<br /><br />another friend has a fondness for the provence and the colors yellow and blue<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_XW9jUcDTmPXqtXlaR3EzwI71n1WbAB0u3qeo7qBy-lvFbk0eX87mZOmd5feiDZK28hYCtQmAQNrcvxlQKEZzyarwoH5BIi0o1I44UkxxN5vQKo-fPoCjwwQXwHjLUK2GxPd7Wg8QVc/s1600-h/placemats2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_XW9jUcDTmPXqtXlaR3EzwI71n1WbAB0u3qeo7qBy-lvFbk0eX87mZOmd5feiDZK28hYCtQmAQNrcvxlQKEZzyarwoH5BIi0o1I44UkxxN5vQKo-fPoCjwwQXwHjLUK2GxPd7Wg8QVc/s400/placemats2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295719603378087538" border="0" /></a>mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-73858451527875623532008-11-26T23:31:00.004-05:002008-11-27T00:06:48.354-05:00catch up....not catsup!oh my! can it really be that the last time I put something up on the <span style="font-style: italic;">magical mouse</span> was august?!<br /><br />it's a bit of a rhetorical question. yes, it has been since august. I haven't been completely inactive in my world of 'playing with fabric' but for all sorts of reasons I've been a tad neglectful of maintaining the studio blog.<br /><br />let me try and make right.<br /><br />starting with my most recent, here are photos of the last three projects I completed with wee descriptions:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjBKVcUcoRd9Y6Pcjfzh-5U6U7C_cO_ELpxiG3W2x_E6NI-di3tWKFVmJ6mKVa3Y3gD2Z25-8CQaU0VHAYBZTX3GuQw2EDlypgeScxaEX6FyZz_Vq-nbjoo9nqqHXq9AHPPLBUKUgptM/s1600-h/r&jpquilt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjBKVcUcoRd9Y6Pcjfzh-5U6U7C_cO_ELpxiG3W2x_E6NI-di3tWKFVmJ6mKVa3Y3gD2Z25-8CQaU0VHAYBZTX3GuQw2EDlypgeScxaEX6FyZz_Vq-nbjoo9nqqHXq9AHPPLBUKUgptM/s800/r&jpquilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273190985036888642" border="0" /></a>the quilt above I entitled 'may the circle be unbroken' - it is a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">wallhanging</span> and was made to celebrate the upcoming union of two individuals. the center panel uses traditional log cabin blocks arranged to form two interlocking circles. the text around the center panel includes the following:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our family is a circle of love and strength. Every joy shared adds joy. Every crisis faced makes us stronger</span>. (note: I discovered I misspelled crisis prior to turning the quilt over to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">anne</span>, who will be giving the quilt as a gift, I fixed the spelling after this photo was taken- however, I could have left the misspelling alone as fitting of the culture of imperfection consciously found amongst many tribes of quilters!)<br /><br />the quilt measures 36" x 46" - it is machine pieced and hand quilted. the colors of the 'circles' represent the two favorite colors of the two individuals who are being wed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUA9qjUrOhFFFix0kFhyphenhyphenPk3ccJOq8lmZ54FRvB2bWkqo94nfKq3heGwmkgR4qChfron7NcdPL-fM6t1SBVZFVhnSLv8CcQHWXLDUKYeu7iQvQDrTvhXf2npsvfhyphenhyphenvDEwVXc3RZy-lUhc/s1600-h/fishyq.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUA9qjUrOhFFFix0kFhyphenhyphenPk3ccJOq8lmZ54FRvB2bWkqo94nfKq3heGwmkgR4qChfron7NcdPL-fM6t1SBVZFVhnSLv8CcQHWXLDUKYeu7iQvQDrTvhXf2npsvfhyphenhyphenvDEwVXc3RZy-lUhc/s800/fishyq.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273190977355985666" border="0" /></a>another fishy quilt!! this was made especially for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">lil</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">b's</span> sister. this quilt measures approximately 48" x 58" - it is machine pieced and hand quilted. in addition to information about the baby, around the center on three sides of the border I stitched a fragment from the nursery <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">rhyme 'I saw a ship a sailing' </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxg0DQ1mpixBQzHtLD1K8B6s0jhh_1XD6bCeWQNswhVVJc4CxnhJ2RMozOk7vhWZP9CqbbFoZDwojbiE62cxWrMW3OEYLGQusQYh6tsSpEcov6z04Y5haDc9nFbwfT2fOaO5_AEW9-V8/s1600-h/feetquilt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxg0DQ1mpixBQzHtLD1K8B6s0jhh_1XD6bCeWQNswhVVJc4CxnhJ2RMozOk7vhWZP9CqbbFoZDwojbiE62cxWrMW3OEYLGQusQYh6tsSpEcov6z04Y5haDc9nFbwfT2fOaO5_AEW9-V8/s800/feetquilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273190974147135586" border="0" /></a>this quilt was made for a friend to give to a friend of hers to celebrate the birth of a child. the child's mother is a podiatrist - hence the flip-flop fabric. I made this quilt while my 'good camera' was in the shop and while I was 'on the road' so the photo is not staged as is the norm. unfortunately I didn't write down the measurements of the quilt - it's my typical size for a baby quilt (which means it's similar in size to the fishy quilt above). time was of the essence to complete this quilt as my friend asked me to make the quilt after the baby had been born. the center of the quilt is hand-tied and only the borders are handquilted.mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-41137176265850607802008-08-21T12:19:00.003-04:002008-08-21T12:32:52.617-04:00theme day: wing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6ugKqLjHZkVvWjegtvP8K9TvsPeu6MZUCDSysoJw8wqO_bEyJPYsZ_YsmuNqGGGQMILc8bouA65ColzfUdbvz8HmMfmzJfqPlGwFFK_H_e58aKaBwGASk3PyI1DRxme8UvhUEZkviG4/s1600-h/wingquilt.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6ugKqLjHZkVvWjegtvP8K9TvsPeu6MZUCDSysoJw8wqO_bEyJPYsZ_YsmuNqGGGQMILc8bouA65ColzfUdbvz8HmMfmzJfqPlGwFFK_H_e58aKaBwGASk3PyI1DRxme8UvhUEZkviG4/s800/wingquilt.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237006694200096562" border="0" /></a>I made this quilt a few years ago for my friend j's daughter who was starting college far from home. a few years before this I made a wall hanging for j to celebrate her 50th birthday. j thought it would be nice if her daughter had a quilted wall hanging also to commemorate this rite of passage - leaving home and starting college. my friend is a wonderful parent and when she asked me to make a quilt for her daughter the first thing that came to mind is that saying about good parents give their children both roots and wings....<br /><br />I thought wings and birds in flight was fittingly symbolic. I designed a quilt with 4 birds flying off in what I thought were the cardinal directions and the triangle border is the tradition flying geese pattern. the center is bordered with a fabric of more winged creatures - butterflies!mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-36719600893636327902008-08-11T13:02:00.004-04:002008-08-11T13:21:43.217-04:00rainbow fish II<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMyflt7Xxm5tIhBpwqNYBU5LjwCqck9LBE-epmDWi7U3Uq-qOY-BMArGLEWbZaJFSyGf6i6M_tl-mXWiJGd1H4SCxiu91DFanwFSo_TabQKPMNBmqwpcMOo3eEdxyVnaSMyiUolZWQB4/s1600-h/IMG_8628.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMyflt7Xxm5tIhBpwqNYBU5LjwCqck9LBE-epmDWi7U3Uq-qOY-BMArGLEWbZaJFSyGf6i6M_tl-mXWiJGd1H4SCxiu91DFanwFSo_TabQKPMNBmqwpcMOo3eEdxyVnaSMyiUolZWQB4/s800/IMG_8628.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233307026255654450" border="0" /></a>the rainbow fish quilt is completed and ready for delivery! it's was quite fun to create. the quilt is machine pieced and hand-stitched. the center fish panel has stitching that resembles seaweed and along the border is a little fishy song (words below).<br /><br />the overall quilt measure approximately 39" by 49" - there are three different size fishes in the quilt. for this quilt the squares were 3" 2 1/2 inches and 2" and half squares cut in a manner to have a finished square that corresponds.<br /><br />the size of the fish can be customized depending on your overall plan. each fish is made of one square of fabric plus 3 squares of half triangles. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMbJSmpnO4gunFgh0SRaMmKmHgPXkrwyBGLGa4peICB-n4pbq0po3owPq49IgdRvd7oSUlVA4Oje5Btlbk0fT9Oh5S-e3zyWw1LF1PkVFJOtYkLbCyvj2XWGu9BGNh7EyLRjQAsLPY-k/s1600-h/IMG_8633.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMbJSmpnO4gunFgh0SRaMmKmHgPXkrwyBGLGa4peICB-n4pbq0po3owPq49IgdRvd7oSUlVA4Oje5Btlbk0fT9Oh5S-e3zyWw1LF1PkVFJOtYkLbCyvj2XWGu9BGNh7EyLRjQAsLPY-k/s400/IMG_8633.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233307037990718818" border="0" /></a>detail of quilt showing a peek at the back. the baby this quilt is for will be born in the chinese year of the rat (or mouse) so the middle starry panel is surrounded by two borders - one of small happy mice and a border of black and white check fabric.<br /><br />the song - which can be sung to baby to the tune of "I'm a little teapot"<br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">I'm a little fishy<br />watch me swim<br />Here is my tail<br />Here is my fin<br />When I want to have fun with my friends<br />I wiggle my tail an dive right in</div>mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-25673370036014866612008-07-31T09:36:00.004-04:002008-12-09T17:44:05.751-05:00rainbow fish<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSI_b8uHhn9FxCT17bI2lIwHczgpY7lKyJJt0ZgIZ5BTpXLJj31EeAigURaQXGniybxxZ67lAw34K5na0GHJXoUp3COdUIa06-B3DMTdLpel_KtorX3qdg8jMlLFx0VHlnHkDtSChZpM/s1600-h/IMG_8327.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSI_b8uHhn9FxCT17bI2lIwHczgpY7lKyJJt0ZgIZ5BTpXLJj31EeAigURaQXGniybxxZ67lAw34K5na0GHJXoUp3COdUIa06-B3DMTdLpel_KtorX3qdg8jMlLFx0VHlnHkDtSChZpM/s800/IMG_8327.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229171763913844418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhngZKOVQMiSpuWic806kxfuCgPYR7Kyp7b0l3uZ6bA-i6jkj_nl8ST2fakYHtX1ReADG1H0-Vsx5KmkyRd-4tvRC0HKm-r6Y7CgZ6cOqqFOTw_Rc2t8LIIbFar663BlLuWTVkibnoac/s1600-h/fishquilt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhngZKOVQMiSpuWic806kxfuCgPYR7Kyp7b0l3uZ6bA-i6jkj_nl8ST2fakYHtX1ReADG1H0-Vsx5KmkyRd-4tvRC0HKm-r6Y7CgZ6cOqqFOTw_Rc2t8LIIbFar663BlLuWTVkibnoac/s320/fishquilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229172010688684274" border="0" /></a>during the summer life is so busy I don't have time to do much quilting. however I do have one fun project underway for a friend who has a friend who is expecting a baby this fall. during the interview with my friend where I try and learn a bit about the interests of the family who will be given the quilt, I found out that they were really into fish. <br /><br />instead of using fabric with fish, I thought I'd make fish out of fabric. I'm calling this quilt "rainbow fish." right now I'm in the quilting stage of the project - I am currently handstitching an overlay of what I hope will appear to be seaweed over the center panel. <br /><br />since this quilt will be presented to the expecting mother before the birth of her son, I won't have the particulars of name, date of birth, etc. to stitch on the quilt. instead I hope to find a nice children's rhyme or poem to stitch along the border instead. any suggestions?<br /><br />right now I'm calling this quilt 'rainbow fish' - there is a very popular children's book by marc pfister entitled 'the rainbow fish' - in fact there seems to be a whole series of rainbow fish books!mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-2347160964694760292008-07-05T09:12:00.002-04:002008-12-09T17:44:05.848-05:00the ladybug's garden<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2idOn-Kk2OynpKMnU1-1dddqanVBP0T5SO_6oZlawvR4pmu_U7uNWo8eThRHUnHKIANWjG2NGjtVeLZRr1sLIgjnphHlSgsmgqJiPTe2Kxp-hM39_TyXcFKU-HloKUPeH380TWqE_CM/s1600-h/ladybugq.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2idOn-Kk2OynpKMnU1-1dddqanVBP0T5SO_6oZlawvR4pmu_U7uNWo8eThRHUnHKIANWjG2NGjtVeLZRr1sLIgjnphHlSgsmgqJiPTe2Kxp-hM39_TyXcFKU-HloKUPeH380TWqE_CM/s800/ladybugq.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219517256042267234" border="0" /></a>it was fun to get back into the groove of playing with fabric by making this sweet little baby quilt. although I generally choose a more gender neutral palate I had a delightful time playing with all the pinks in this quilt - which is obviously for a little girl. <br /><br />this quilt is much more consistent with the typical size for a baby quilt than the baby quilts I generally make (which tend to be larger so they can 'grow' with the child). this quilt measures approximately 37 inches by 47 inches. machine pieced, the center is hand tied and the border is hand stitched. stitching on the border includes the child's name and birthday, and a fragment of a nursery rhyme is stitched along the border.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">lovely little ladybug, please watch over my garden and fill it up with love.<br /></div>mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6940556370335377165.post-23537962880927594742008-07-03T12:33:00.003-04:002008-12-09T17:44:06.258-05:00theme day: shoes!I've been terribly neglectful of the studio blog. of course in part it's because I really haven't been very busy in terms of quilting. however I am happy to report today I am finishing up my current project. I promise I will post pictures over the weekend. the project being finished is a baby quilt which I'm calling either "in the pink" or "ladybug's garden" and it has nothing to do with shoes so the pictures of the work and it's story will have to wait until another day.<br /><br />reading<a href="http://portablehairdryergirl.blogspot.com/"> portable hair dryer girl's</a> post for theme day stimulated me to think about slippers. I am currently "between slippers" I think I will make my next pair of slippers.<br /><br />I found a couple promising leads and thought I'd share theme in case anyone else is interested.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Nxz40_xY_U6_wV9Huf4uqfHZFtQeat_QxHRxmxL8jW5QTrcdSgzFner5vDXRsv2PMHpr8p02kPTX6cDQ6SnmUHvYA8UHcwwxFoxa-n8853kZrv0pgbSlNFwuFKLrqDKVm5iSLs8BIC0/s1600-h/SoftiesSMALL.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Nxz40_xY_U6_wV9Huf4uqfHZFtQeat_QxHRxmxL8jW5QTrcdSgzFner5vDXRsv2PMHpr8p02kPTX6cDQ6SnmUHvYA8UHcwwxFoxa-n8853kZrv0pgbSlNFwuFKLrqDKVm5iSLs8BIC0/s800/SoftiesSMALL.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218828498675624322" border="0" /></a>there's a review of this pattern book <a href="http://www.sewthankful.com/ReviewOnSoftiesSlipperPattern.html">here</a> along with a link on how to order the softie book - the review is positive and the pattern book seems reasonably priced. the book is published by timber lane press which has <a href="http://www.sewthankful.com/TimberLanePress.html">two other pattern books</a> for making slippers.<br /><br />then there's mention making of vintage scuffs on <a href="http://littlegreybungalow.blogspot.com/2008/03/vintage-sewing-scuffs.html">little grey bungalow's</a> blog. I've never been to lgb before. given that I'm a self declared peacenik and 'shay' (the author of lgb) is a retired marine who expresses a love for military history, I don't know if we'd necessarily hit it off. but who knows? not all military or retired military people are aggressive and pro-war - in fact, I have some very, very close friends (not to mention family members) who are vets or currently active in the service and are anti-war and even if people are mislead and feel war or aggression is the answer I do love them anyway (who was that wise guy suggesting that we love everyone - even enemies?). anyhow, shay has some very neato stuff on her blog - most of it is retro stuff and I know I'll be going back for nibbles.<br /><br />by the way shay also have links to the pattern to make these vintage scuffs. how cool is that.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5J-8I6ukAxQ9esK23ic0CSGr7syD5LZWiH86X2LDsZzx3pUUGPITcsjPcCyy2_uVIOxT35Y2QMeYqj1gWJzM7YB3PyiMsH4C_oB2lN4tEeFtZ-HfMmVXcElIOMrbUySJeE-eTxX2FLc/s1600-h/vintage+slippers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5J-8I6ukAxQ9esK23ic0CSGr7syD5LZWiH86X2LDsZzx3pUUGPITcsjPcCyy2_uVIOxT35Y2QMeYqj1gWJzM7YB3PyiMsH4C_oB2lN4tEeFtZ-HfMmVXcElIOMrbUySJeE-eTxX2FLc/s800/vintage+slippers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218828494622718546" border="0" /></a>mouse (aka kimy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09385557065971602436noreply@blogger.com2