Zip it!

I've gotten a little sidetracked lately by these little zippered pouches, a project of our Modern Quilt Guild. We're having a swap at the next meeting and I've been having a blast designing these. They're like potato chips; you can't have just one!

This one will go to the next guild meeting. We are each bringing a pouch we made in a brown paper bag so it is hidden from view - it will be interesting to see how they do the swap!  Can't wait to see what I get!!!  I hope this one delights the person who gets it!!!

The quilting was done in straight lines with a walking foot, with smaller spacing at the top and gradually widening toward the bottom to give it a nice texture.

I had fun with the polka-dot ribbon and cute lime green print fabric. The ribbon made a perfect handle!

This colorful little airplane pouch is the first one I ever made - and my first time putting in a zipper!  I was SO proud. It was a perfect gift for my sister on her birthday. 

The airplane was fussy-cut from the same fabric I used in a quilt I made for her husband, a pilot, in 2000!  It was so satisfying to find some still in my stash!

Here's a photo showing the quilting detail...

See the red-striped fabric at the end of the zipper? That is a cool technique taught by Suzanne at Strawberry Patches - we learned how to do it at the last Modern Quilt Guild meeting!

This Celtic-inspired bag was made for a friend who has a fondness for the emerald green isles...

The celtic knot was cut from gold-colored fabric, fused on the lighter green-striped background, and then satin-stitched around the edges. 

The quilting always shows the best from the back side!

The handle was made with the same fabric as the pouch and finished with a 

decorative stitch using dark green Sulky quilting thread. The pouch was lined with fabric matching the lighter green color. Viola!

Quilts by the sea

These are some of the quilts that live at my sister's house in lovely Cambria-by-the-sea.  I realized I didn't have photos of them so made sure to remedy that while we were there last weekend.

Hey, come back here!

I think my quilts are tired of being photographed. This one just up and dashed away during a photo shoot. Guess I just have to be quicker than they are!

Emeralds on the brain

I've been dreaming of these lovely gemstones and wanted to work on something something with gradations of color. Here's a bit of the "playing" stage... more to come soon....

"Emeralds" in the woods

"Square-Cut Emeralds"
34 x 24 inches

Today I finished this "modern quilt" and photographed it in our woodsy back yard. It was inspired by the "Pantone 2013 Color of the Year" Emerald Quilt Challenge, created by Ali at www.asquaredw.com.



I free-cut everything with my rotary cutter (no measuring, no ruler) for a "wonky" effect when the slight curves were pieced together, which reminds me of the Gee's Bend quilts. The blue-green squares represent square-cut emeralds, and the white stripe in the center represents the "sparkle" of the gemstone. I quilted it in one big spiral with my walking foot. I've included pictures of earlier stages of the quilt and the back ...

Quilts quilts quilts quilts quilts

Since this is a brand spanking new blog, I have a lot of white space to fill! And why is there a three year gap in my quilting?

In 2009 I became so ill with a disabling disease that I could no longer quilt. I spent several years bedridden and using a wheelchair to get to doctor and hospital visits. A life-changing surgery in November of 2012 freed me and now I feel like a young kid charging out onto the playground! Being able to walk, sit at my machine, and drive to the fabric store are things I no longer take for granted.

So I'm blowing the dust off the Bernina and jumping in! Life is GOOD!

Take the Steps
54 x 38

Take the Steps, detail

A sampling of quilts

Here are a few of my quilting explorations so far....

• Take the Steps - 2003, Juried into "Sacred Threads" Exhibition, Columbus, OH
• Sarah with Guitar - 2008, private collection
• Lake Quilts - 2004, Exhibited at "Les Femmes Artists" and televised on local NBC affiliate
• Looking at You - 2006 - Juried into "Fragments" Exhibit, Museum of Art, Bakersfield, CA
• Faces - 2007, Juried in "Portraits" Exhibit, Liberty Art Gallery, Yreka, CA
• Dancing Green - 2008, Recycled Challenge, Quilting Arts Magazine, private collection

Sarah with Guitar, detail

Sarah with Guitar
28 x 20

Starry Lake
16 x 12

Moon Lake
16 x 12

Magenta Lake
16 x 14