FINISHING UP AND STARTING ANEW

now that christmas is over i have to finish the gifts that did not get done in time. i completed this tote bag for my mother in law for her knitting.





i finished this purse for my stepdaughter. it was out of amy karol's bend the rules sewing and i thought it was easy and fun. as you can see i did not stray out of the lines. i will branch out the next time i make this with different markings and fabrics. it was fun and i am pleased with the result. very roomy purse. larger than "the everything bag" out of seams to me.





i am very excited about finishing the last of the projects for christmas because i want to start on all of the quilts i have been hoarding. i am especially excited about the release of the "gee's bend" quilt fabrics and kits. i have ordered and will be starting on one right away. i am pushing all of my other projects back because of this. the history behind these quilts is simply amazing. the books are fascinating. they even have a childrens book that is so adorable. they can be found on amazon here.



they are fascinating to view. this collage belongs to blogger oh liza jane. i just can't get my mind off these quilts.

remember for those of you participating that the new years challenge is closing in. i will NOT be winning as i am no where close to where i thought i was and i am blogging now instead of sewing. i am off to sew .....so....i can begin on the NEW projects that have been in my head for months.

love to all,

les

FAVORITE GIFTS....GETTING AND GIVING

i hope all my friends had a wonderful christmas. i do not know how many of you are glad it is over. i, for one, am thankful for that. now, a lot of us had to wrap things up in a snowstorm,
some of you could not even meet with family for christmas due to weather (i am sorry.) in the end, i feel it was a wonderful year.


i feel very blessed and i hope each and everyone of you feel an inkling of how i do. my favorite present? my marriage of course. see previous post on that matter.




second would have to be this....the above snowstorm resulted in the loss of our previous vehicle.


yep, i have an awesome husband...and if that weren't enough


i got this...
thanks ashley from film in the fridge for the photo.

on a different note. i do not have the pictures to reflect my favorite face shots of people i gave things to. i have two. the beatles quilt went over wonderfully.....and zoe was pleased with her stocking.




my daughters quilt was and still is stuck in the blizzard

my son opened his early and pretended he didn't. (i left it there thanksgiving for him to open on christmas) he got the jedi robe. he was very happy about it though. my sister and brother in law were happy with the navajo vessell i found in a great antique mart on my way back from oklahoma.

my husband got his gifts over the entire month of december because i can't wait...i have to give it right then....he is also happy with the jeep. especially since he wrecked the explorer.

merry christmas everyone!

DON'T LOOK JULIEANN!!

one more quilt finished before christmas and was it a challenge. my daughter had a comforter a long time ago that was a laura ashley pink/white ticking with rosebuds. she loved it and wondered if i could make one "kind of like it." well.....it is nothing like it with the exception of the pink/white ticking and rosebuds. it is a mish mash of rose fabrics from tanya whelan, quiltgate, liberty, kona and joann's. i had to tea dye a couple of them so they would not clash too badly. then i stared at all of this for a long, long time. i drew pictures. i played with blocks, i walked in circles. i threw all the fabric in a chair and retreated, then i began to line them up....i kinda liked it. i played with them, drew a bunch more pictures, tried to decide whether to do this in three pieces or one. three would have been easier.

now i have a quilt that is the first one i have ever named.

JULIEANN'S ROSEBUSH

that is what it reminds me of. if you can't see a rosebush just consider me deranged. it is very muted, subtle and sweetly feminine. the polar opposite of the last quilt i made for christmas. it is machine freemotion in a meandering pattern, hand bound....can i just say.....i hate, hate, hate to bind? it is labeled, washed and now documented.

i am really happy with it but more importantly, i think she will be too.

julieann, if you are reading this you know how you are going to feel xmas morning with that wrapped box in your hand and the entire family looking at you....*wink* she won't be able to stand it. she is reading this.

have a great day. i am off to start yet another and pray i can finish in in time..

love, me

A VERY HAPPY ANNOUNCEMENT!

those of you close to me have known what roads i have traveled to get where i am today. there have been many hurdles along the way.

in the last few years of my life something wonderful and magical happened to me and changed my entire life. i was given a gift i do not feel worthy of. it was the gift of true, unabandoned love that was beyond anything i had believed existed.

i can only hope for every person on this planet that they can or will find what i found. it is what i believe we are here for. to find our way, through love, to spread goodness in every way to all people we meet.



i met that one person who is by my side accomplishing this with me.


i love him like no other.


i married him this weekend.



this was the most magical weekend of my life. it was the most perfect and beautiful ceremony i have ever attended. our vows, not written by us, were so perfect it was like everything else about us....they were magical. they are too long to blog but if you would like them i will be happy to send them to you, just ask. i will end this blog with an excerpt from these vows.....

from the book Gift from the Sea by Ann Morrow Lindberg. "The Winged Dance"

"A good relationship has a pattern like a dance. The partners do not need to hold on tightly, because they move confidently in the same pattern. To touch heavily would be to arrest the pattern and check the endlessly changing beauty of unfolding. There is no place for the possessive clutch, the clinging arm, the heavy hand, only the barest touch in passing. Now arm in arm, now face to face, now back to back-it does not matter which because they know they are moving to the same rhythym, creating a pattern together, and being invisibly nourished by it. The dancers who are perfectly in time never destroy the winged life in each other or in themselves."

thank you for listening. have a wonderful weekend and holiday season.

all my love,

leslie

goodnight monkey quilt in use

sewing for this baby is sooo worth it.

SEWING FOR JACKSON

i never touched a sewing machine in my life with the exception of a home economics class when i was 12. i never thought i would. i was a career woman working all my hours as a registered nurse in home health. the hours were long and i had no time for sleep much less a hobby.

fortunately for me i met the love of my life and with many life changes, including a well deserved sabbatical from nursing, i found myself with time on my hands. i have always been involved in creative things...art, photography, etc. and i went down the list. no. no. no. what about sewing? i started looking at fabrics, then quilts, then more fabric. now, i never thought of fabric as art...or entertainment. now...well...i could write a book on the art of fabric design, OCD and fabric obsession.

in january of 2009 i was blessed with my first grandchild jackson. i decided i would teach myself how to quilt so i could make jackson a quilt.....(boy did that open a can of worms. more like pandoras box) so i bought a sewing machine and began to sew.

what in the world do you sew a little boy other than a quilt? i needed practice. so i bought lotta jansdotter's "sewing for baby." i was hooked. i made all kinds of quirky little goodies while working on a quilt. i finished the quilt and some of the other items and saved the bulk of it for this christmas. i delivered that box over the thanksgiving holidays as jackson is now 10 months and VERY interested in everything but the main thing i wondered about was red.

here is RED. i made him from the above book. i thought he was very easy to make, has tons of personality and would be safe and interesting for my precious baby.

i would highly recommend sewing this toy if you have a little one. the link below is my jackson playing with his friend red.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfyv5_AdXR0

have a GREAT DAY!!!

i am off to sew more for christmas. how about you?

MUNKI MADNESS

if you know me personally you know if you talk to me i now speak in munki. i clip tiny pieces of fabric and basically "deal" them online with other people that speak munki as well...

it is an illness....an intense fascination of themes and drawings that depict childhood in all its innocence. the tiny pieces of fabric contain something that we munkites can relate to. something deep down. we can only thank heather ross for bringing these images alive in our imaginations and onto fabric where we will weave them into something wonderful for ourselves or our children and grandchildren.

i have paid enormous amounts of mula for pieces of these fabrics...i keep them in airtight boxes with snap lids so nothing can get them and yes......i have a fireplan.

i wanted to blog about one more thing....a GIVEAWAY....from http:/www.sayyesjuliet.blogspot.com. she is an adorabable girl that i met while "dealing" fabric on the internet. so if you want to know what all the hubbub is about go to her site...enter to win and maybe YOU will know the madness we call munki......

love, me

oh, by the way i have not been blogging as i have been "dealing" and more importantly...making quilts for my loved ones. i would love to blog about them but then "they" and you know who you are would see your christmas present and we can't have that now....can we?

look out! it is juliets giveaway!!!! can you resist.....no.

i am button retarded but it is a FLEA MARKET FANCY GIVEAWAY

i have tried to grab these buttons but i just don't get it unless i am given a code...but here it is...HEADS UP EVERYONE.....head over to the link on the top right side of my page OR the button i did manage to post about the giveaway. if you missed out on the flea market fancy line like i did there is the most awesome giveaway EVER!!! not only do you get fabric but you get a signed copy of denyse's book and more!!! it is what i would want for christmas three times over..i have wanted it for so long...

JEDI ROBE....DONE!!!

of course i have to leave town for one week, cutting into my sewing time. i have only completed 2/17 projects that i need to do before january 1st. i ALMOST finished the renassaince quilt tonight but as i pieced the backing i realized the fabric was from two different dye lots...lovely...this is what happens when you use fabrics from companies you do not know. since it is velvet i have to buy enough for another entire back and try again....

so for now...i have to be happy with a beatles quilt and a jedi robe. i wish i could work on something a little more interesting....and...well...pretty. how do you get excited over a jedi robe? i have a boy...grown boy but nevertheless all boy...and they DON'T want wonky block improv quilts with great fabric.....

oh..one more thing...the model for the robe is not the future owner....he WAS a good sport as the dog tried to attack him....

THE BEATLES QUILT/ ONE PROJECT DOWN

in keeping with my promise to attempt to complete all my UFO'S i have completed only one. the beatles quilt. not a quilt i would choose but then i did not choose it...my 10 y/o step daughter did. i just designed it. i designed 12in blocks, cut a little wonky, some log cabin, some just framed, depending on the image i was trying to capture in the fabric. it is a large quilt measuring 61x72. the center blocks are quilted in a spiraling square and i freemotioned straight lines on the first border and more spiraling squares in the final border. i also quilted in the ditch in the center of the enitire quilt. the back i pieced with a few things i thought she would like. anyway it is done and i never want to see beatles fabric again so i hope someone would like it in a swap....

happy quilting girls! ...and a few guys!

MUNKI MUNKI GOT ME

i thought i was immune to it....this munki munki thing. i was wrong. dead wrong.

it started innocently enough. i ordered a small scrap bag after receiving some mendocino fat quarters (which i loved.) that was it. DONE!

the more i looked at some of the quilts (blocks) being made with these little jewels i realized that my grandson (and future granchildren since we have six kids that will be procreating) NEED to have a munki munki quilt individualized for each child. this has set off an obsession i am sure others recognize.

some of the quilt blocks i am referring to can be found in ashley's photostream at film in the fridge here http://www.flickr.com/photos/27953607@N05/4014402762/in/photostream/

they are just too cute. it may take me awhile but i will get there.

i am in trouble because i do not have the funds to get all of the things i am wanting (was a problem anyway) now it is much, much worse.

someone was kind enough to lead me into swap land which i will be trying to manage...i think that is the only way i will be able to get what i need and want....i hope.

FABRIC SWAP

if you are a quilter or fabriholic that happened onto my blog i have a question for you. do you know of any fabric swap groups to join?

i would love to participate. the online quilting community is getting larger and i am getting involved more but i have not found a swap that is not already closed.

shoot me an email or comment on my blog if you have any info.....thanks!!!!!

NAME CHANGE

i decided to change the name of my blog. i had two reasons. firstly, it just made sense as that is the blogger name. secondly, yesterday i was roaming around online and noticed someone else that had a name very similar.....so......it is now changed. since i am not famous i don't think it matters in the least but i thought you may wonder.

love, les

NEW YEAR CHALLENGES

okay...i have been lurking online far too long. i have acquired a vast amount of beautiful fabric, lots of books, links and ideas to last a lifetime. i have transformed an ordinary basement into a beautiful sewing studio but i lack some things.

first and foremost i cannot make a decision to save my life. i have so many ideas that i cannot land on anything for very long. this does not make for a productive sewing studio. i see quilt after quilt, darling clothes, bags, etc. etc. to motivate me but when i get the fabric out i can circle it for hours worrying i will "lose" something in the design. basically, i can procrastinate better than anyone.

secondly, i have friends and family requesting items. these might not necessarily be the things i want to make so most of my really fun projects (in my head) are on hold.

jacquie, at tallgrass prairie studio has issued a challenge on her blog for the new year. she is challenging all of us to finish all UFO's you wish to enter by the first of the year. i think it is a great idea so if you haven't found her blog yet you can link through mine to join in this effort. there is a prize but the prize for me would be to finish the 17 UFO's that i have at this time. yes, seventeen....i have no idea.

1. i am hand quilting one rather large quilt "the earthy S quilt" by kaffe fassett.

2. i need to back and bind the brocade velvet throw from the "glorious patchwork" book of kaffe fassett. i couldn't help that one. it was a challenge and it looks just like my mother. she is not a regular snuggly quilt type person.

3. i need to start the whirlygig garden quilt by kaffe fassett as a gift. *it appears i am a kaffe fassett fan but i did not think i was. i do not usually collect his fabric but these particular quilts did pull me in. some of the reds in his new line are just beautiful....anyway.

4. The wool jedi sith robe. the fabric weighs a ton. the pattern is "the real thing" this is for my son. he wants it badly.

5. i need to finish machine quilting and bind the "nest" quilt. it is a gift and it is almost done.

6. i am piecing a quilt for my stepdaughter. she has a newfound obsession with the Beatles and found a line of Beatles fabric. the blocks are done and now i am working on sashing.

7. i have my daughters tiny roses quilt semi planned. i have all the fabric but i am still circling it waiting for the perfect way to piece it. she is wanting the "feel" of a comforter she had as a child. it was a laura ashley rosebud and pink ticking fabric. i am trying...hard. it is hard.

8. i have my son in laws vintage star wars quilt to begin. i have worked long and hard to find the fabric from star wars, the empire strikes back and the return of the jedi. these were obtained from ebay, old sheets to make into a new quilt. i have no idea. they are on the design wall right now.

9. two unfinished birdie slings. i had to stop when my old sewing machine bogged down with the interfacing. i now have the wonderquilter and they should be fine....i am sure my friends have given up on those.

10. 3 amy karol "bend the rules sewing" linen bags...so adorable...and requested. i ran short on linen for the lining and am waiting on that.

11. 2 "I'll take one of everything" bags from anna maria horners book "seams to me." also on request.

12. jelly roll quilt with urban couture for my friend. have not started

13. finish the tiered skirt out of "sew what skirts" that is a gift.

THERE!!!!

this does not count the 3 wonderland quilts and multiple others i cannot decide on and many, many more out there in "concept only land".

i just inventoried my fabric stash and it is lacking some luster. i am on restriction....darn it, so it will be slow going. i also will be in the middle of replanning the sewing room. i don't think i am utilizing my space well enough. okay, okay.....i will leave you with this link. grab the button top right or link below and join in!

http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/2009/11/joy-in-new-year.html

RECIPE TO SHARE....CASSOULET

yum! summer is gone and the menu is changing. i wanted to share this quick and hearty recipe for cassoulet...for those who do not know it is simple beans flavored with pork french style. if you are on a salt restricted diet beware but i am sure that there are ways around that. this dish takes very little time and is very tasty with cornbread (any bread) and a simple salad.

cook 1 lb. crumbled sausage with 1/2 cup chopped onion and 1 minced garlic clove until cooked through. drain the sausage mixture if necessary but i find the sausage to be lean these days. add two cans navy or great northern beans, 1/2 lb cubed ham, 1 bay leaf, 2T parsley, dash cloves, dash herbs de provence (optional) and 1/4 c dry white wine. place in covered casserole in 325 degree oven for 30 minutes, uncover and cook 30 minutes more. that is it. it is better the next day after the flavors have melded but aren't most things?

good eating everyone!

HALLOWEEN IN ALIVE AND WELL

in our community they celebrate trick or treat the thursday closest to halloween. when i first heard this i thought...what a sham... where is the spirit of spookiness and fun? well, i changed my mind. it is planned citywide from 6-8pm. let me back up a bit. i moved from a very large city and my hometown, tulsa, ok, to the capitol of w.v., charleston, within the last year. i have not had "real" trick or treaters in maybe......ten years. last night was what i remembered it to be when i was a child. we had loads of children. they began promptly at six, the streets filled and we had a steady stream through the next two hours then like magic at eight.....poof! no more. it is a wonderful idea. no errant rings of the doorbell at 10pm.

i thought the costumes this year were really good. it looks like parents dug into the pocketbook. my faves were the giant skull with the eyeballs that bounced around on springs....couldn't stop laughing at him....and the winter princess...who was cloaked in white fur and gold brocade...really beautiful. you can view some of these on my flickr page by clicking here http://www.flickr.com/photos/tulsagirl/sets/72157622569695095/detail/ or the flickr badge on the sidebar.

i hope everyone had a wonderful halloween,

BABY, BABY, BABY

i know it isn't as exciting as a full size improv quilt with out of print or hand drawn fabric BUT this is what i have been working on the past couple of days. come on, give me a break....i DO have larger quilts in the works and several works in progress....unfortunately most of them are gifts and i may be discovered. i may end up posting them anyway so be warned.

anyway....fast easy rag quilts. the first being for my sweet jackson with the star of the quilt posed on top. i backed it with soft minky and satin for his little hands to explore....

and i had to buy him a new bobo (sock monkey)....bobo is his mothers. he is a little loveworn. it is time for him to retire.

one rag quilt for boy....one rag quilt requested by a friend for a baby shower. joanns had a ginormous sale on flannel and fleece.

i got into my "sewing for babies" book and very quickly whipped up this cute little snuggly and a warm hat to match. do not be alarmed at the child in the snuggly. it was the best i could do so you would know what the heck it was...

okay.....back to the big quilts...

love, me.