GWEN MARSTEN AND ME!!

Here I am with my piece and my teacher, Gwen Marsten.  What a great class . . . lots of fun.  I also got to be Gwen's driver from her accommodations to the class.  A little extra time in the car to chat.  

I'm not sure what I'll do with the quilt block.  Maybe finish it off as a mini. . .  I need a piece for my living room.  Somehow, this one feels like a technique sampler.  I have it put away right now.  I'll look at it again in a few weeks and see how I feel.  (I wanted to try everything!!)

Workshop with Gwen Marston

Lucky me! I was able to take a two day workshop with one of my quilting idols, Gwen Marston. Her liberated quilting improvisational style really appeals to me. (Of course, as a relatively new quilter, I have to try most everything.)

I didn't take many photos, and the good one I have with her refuses to load, but here is the flimsy.

I don't know how I'll quilt it. Ms Marston is a hand quilter, and I am not. I'll let the design roll around in my brain for a while.

Gwen Marston is a delightful woman. Funny, engaging, and a great coach for designing it yourself. She empowered us to push ourselves and create some great pieces.

Linking up with AmandaJean at crazymomquilts for Finish it up Friday.

 

 

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Travel Time

Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Passau. . . it was a lovely trip to parts of Europe that I have not visited before.

Prague has many old buildings as it was never bombed in WWII.  Beautiful old buildings . . . (This one reminded me of the one in the movie,  Budapest Hotel.)

And palaces with Throne Rooms, this one used by the King of Bohemia.

I did a river cruise on the Danube after 3 days in Prague.

Parliament Buildings in Budapest from our boat on an evening cruise.  

In Vienna, we heard a concert by this fine string quartet.

The cruising was relaxing, the touring energizing, the sights and scenery breathtaking.  A great trip.

Upon returning, I took a workshop with one of my quilting idols, Gwen Marston.  

More about that later.

Ombré Pillow

When the latest issue from "Online Quilt Magazine.com" came into my inbox, I couldn't resist this great tutorial.

I found fabrics in my stash and had it sewn in no time. "Cushion Covers" as they say in Australia are great, easy finishes.

I have two others waiting in the quilting queue:

Linking up with crazymomquilts for Finish It Up Friday.

 

 

 

 

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Canopy Bed

Miss C wanted a canopy bed to go with her new fancy thrift store doll. We had the perfect sized boxes from canning tomatoes, and we found a tutorial on You-Tube by a 9 year old. Here is what we came up with.

The bottom of the bed is a fruit box turned upside down and covered with fabric. The sides and top are the box tops. We covered the top, left the ends alone. The mattress is a pillow (that fit perfectly) in an existing pillow case. Later we added curtains with tie backs. It's all put together with duct tape! Pink duct tape!

Miss C sewed the pillow herself on my machine. She's getting more comfortable, and with a "practice run" can do quite nicely.

Here's the finish. It was a perfect day-before-school-starts project. Miss C is excited to be starting 2nd Grade.

 

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Eyeglasses Case

This little project just took about 30 minutes, and will be very useful.

I quilted the fabric with wool batting scraps, then sewed the lining to the outside quilted piece, right sides together. I turned the flat piece and top stitched, then folded it and top stitched it again around three sides. My walking foot really made this easy.

I feel a few more in my future for upcoming holiday gifts. Everyone needs a cute glasses case, right?

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts a little finish is still a finish!

 

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Placemats are finished!

These placemats have been in the WIP closet for a while now. I finished them first with white strips on the sides of the log cabins to change them from square blocks to rectangles. But, when you put a plate on the placemat, most of the log cabin unit would disappear, so I simply added more 1.25 inch strips to either side.

There's a whole rainbow here! And the backs are the same IKEA print.

Bring on dinner!

 

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