Where did the Inspiration come from?

You know, it's a funny thing Inspiration!

I have a file on my desktop full of photos from

all over the Internet and it is named

INSPIRATION.

I do look at it and browse through it a lot.

But this past Sunday when I was working
on the
"organizing my sewing room"

project of the century cutting anything 

smaller than a quarter yard into
2.5" strips or smaller squares

I picked up a bag of green scraps 

to cut and found (what I thought was)

INSPIRATION!

So I started cutting and liked the colors

so I pulled my stack of greens off the shelf 

and cut a strip from each of those.

This ain't all of 'em...let me tell you that much!

Then it hit me...

I could make a green scrappy

Double Irish Chain!

Off to the computer I went, pulled up EQ

and designed a simple table topper.

Simple enough and cute for March...

after all, I am Irish you know!

Well, as I was sewing and sewing and looking at the very large pile of green strips I realized that this would turn into something larger than this little table topper.

I have enough strips to make a King Size quilt...

AND THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN!!!

So I kept on sewing and thinking...what size should this be?

On Wednesday night it hit me...

THE REAL INSPIRATION FOR THIS QUILT!

It wasn't my picture file.

It wasn't even the green fabric strips.

It was a shopping trip I took with my wonderful sister Doreen!

Last year my sister was diagnosed with

early onset Alzheimer's.

The time we share together now is more important and precious to me than any other.

Last Thursday we went shopping together.

As I sewed I remembered she spent a lot of time on this day talking about Ireland and hoping to go back there again in the near future.  She talked about the last two trips she had taken there and really wants to go back.  In addition, she focused a lot on the St. Patrick's Day decorations in the stores where we shopped and even met a man from Ireland at the Wendy's were we ate lunch that day.

She spent a good 20 minutes talking with this wonderful man all about Ireland and our family.

We had an absolutely fabulous day together.

AND THAT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS QUILT!

So far it looks like the original plan...

...but I have quite a few more blocks already sewn and more to ready to sew the rows together.

This quilt is not done and I don't know what it will be in the end other than...

A 60th Birthday Gift for my loving sister on her

Birthday in November!

So, if you want, stay tuned for what the future will bring for this quilt top.

Happy Sew Year,

Colleen

I've been busy...

...not a tremendous amount of sewing...

but a lot of organizing.

I have been digging through my fabrics

and sorting, cutting, sorting, prepping...etc...

I did finish two bindings on two small quilts.

Also have been working on some class samples for the shop.

Speaking of class samples...

We are having a class next month 

to make a quilt from the pattern

Walking on Broken Glass.

Look at this amazing photo of

three versions of this quilt.

Mine is in the middle...

The other two belong to my friends.

We had a lot of fun making these quilts

and they look fantastic hung in the 

classroom at the shop.

I used a jelly roll from the Tapestry line 

by Fig Tree.

The other two are from stash...WOW!

I also made this cute Valentine "wreath"

for my front door.

Believe it or not...

2 of those large plastic candy canes

from the $1 store left over from my

Candy Cane Christmas decor,

a few fabric strips and some ribbon and...

Voila!  

Instant skinny "prim-like" heart wreath!

Have a great day and if you are in the cold

like we are here today...

stay warm!

Happy Sew Year!
Colleen

Heartspun Quilts...

Yesterday started the next Pocket Patchwork with

Pam Buda over at Heartspun Quilts!

You should check it out if you are interested.

Pam posts the little pattern every Friday

until the project is complete.

Yesterday was Block #1...

I sewed my little block and put it in a 4" frame...

set it on the little table next to my sewing chair.

I hope this is a reminder that I need to

check back next Friday for Block #2!

Happy Sew Year!
Colleen

"Holiday Leftovers"

I have been sewing a lot this week.

As mentioned in my previous post 

I cut up a lot of my Christmas fabrics from my stash.

I really do have way too much

Christmas fabric and honestly

have not made a dent in it.

Cut up and sewn into scrap blocks...

The blocks were "squared" to 9"...

Then assembled into rows and built into a quilt top...

There wasn't any fussy cutting but found this surprise...

"Sleigh Ride"...how cute!

I added a tiny 1" border and then a scrappy

2" border from cut up strips I had cut...

and finished with a 3" border...

This could also be a table topper...

'cause my snowmen on a sled look really cute on it!

The final result...

"HOLIDAY LEFTOVERS"!

Finished at 63" X 63"...

a little larger than expected.

So I have one Christmas top ready for quilting

later in the year and the year of sewing is off to a good start!

Happy Sew Year!
Colleen

Goals for 2013

Every year I try to have some

goals set for myself.

Not resolutions mind you...

GOALS!

The best goal I ever had that I really

reached was in 2011 when the 

plan was to sew every day...

AND I DID JUST THAT!

Some might say that is an easy

goal to accomplish but I don't care.

So this year I will do my best to

SEW EVERY DAY!

It's a HAPPY SEW YEAR for me!

A few other goals I want to reach

***Make 2 Christmas Quilts***

***Make 3 Christmas Tree Skirts***
(I have too much Christmas Fabric)

***Finish up some UFO's***

So today I sewed 37 Christmas blocks...

You see, last night I pulled out many (not all)

of my Christmas fabrics and cut four 10" squares and

two 2.5" strips from each fabric.

One (or two) Christmas quilts started!

And I sewed today!

Sorry for the ugly picture...dinner is waiting!

I will take a better photo when I put the blocks together!

HAPPY SEW YEAR!
Colleen