My Lazy Daisy

I'm really excited to announce that my on-line quilt store is now open!   In January I jumped on an exciting new opportunity to be a consultant for My Lazy Daisy, a quilting company designed to share quilting with more people through home shows.   I have been working to finish my "starter" projects and host my first "trunk show".   I will be hosting my show in May (if you're local in the DFW area, let me know and I'll send you an invite).   Click to view My Personal Website.    Here is just one of the fun "quilt-as-you-go" snuggly quilts I am making for my son.  There is a second one just waiting for me to get to it =)!  This was a fun, easy project and the fabric is so wonderfully soft and snuggly....my son loves it!

Desire vs. Action

This week I have really felt the need/desire to create something!  I finished Lexi's quilt, and I am dying to get to the next project....time is the biggest hurdle I face!  I have been thinking about a talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints www.lds.org.

He was talking about our innate desire to create in October 2008, from his remarks:

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty—and I am not talking about the process of cleaning the rooms of your teenage children."  ( Full Address here)

I've been thinking about that a lot this week as my desire to get in my quilting room conflicts with the necessary things I've got on my "To Do" list.   The great thing about quilting it that I can think of what I plan to create before the actual process begins...that keeps me inspired and gives me a vision of possibilities!  I can't wait to turn them into reality!

Quilting in New England!

In March I went to Boston to see my sister and the premiere of  The Hunger Games
The weather was BEAUTIFUL and it was so fun to see my quilt on Lori's bed...she had accessorized it with a really pretty painting and turquoise and red pillows along with a white duvet....it looked great! Along with the visit to Boston, eating WAY too much and enjoying the gorgeous New England scenery (complete with old Churches and lighthouses =)), on Saturday we took the train down to Connecticut to visit a friend of mine who had moved there last year.

My friend Liz, is living the dream in Old Saybrook, CT with her great quilt-shop and sewing machine dealership, Coastal Sewing Machines.   She and her husband bought the business last year and it was so fun to see her and catch up as well as see her fun shop and all of the neat classes and projects she and her husband, Jeff, have been working on!  If you are Summering in New England, be sure to hop on the Amtrak and make a quick stop in Old Saybrook (her store is a 2 minute walk from the train station) to see all of the fun things they have going on!

Me, Liz and her cute girls enjoying the fun shops in Old Saybrook.  The Swag Shop was a hoot!

Coastal Sewing Machines!  Definitely worth the trip!  I hope I get an opportunity to teach a class here one day in the not-to-distant future!

Twister Pillows...Love them!!!

My "Twister" Pillows
I bought a "Charm" pack earlier in the fall of these fun flannels that look like menswear wool.  The fabric is a moda, wool and needle (if I remember correctly).
I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them, I just loved the colors and the texture.   I decided it would be fun to make some "twister pillows", so using my small twister template (love that thing and its big brother!!!) I sewed 16 charm squares together along with a dark border  and then "twisted" them into these cute pillows.  I added borders to make the pillows 16 in square and then I made envelope backs (zippers and I do NOT get along) and I think they turned out so adorable!  I have a matching quilt kit I hope to get done before winter comes again!

Other Distractions

Other distractions.....
One of the reasons I don't get as much blogging or quilting done as I'd like =), are the two most precious gifts I've ever been given!  I love being a mom of boys (most days!) and I love these good boys who love to help, love me and their daddy and love each other.

Here they are earning some scratch and scrubbing Daddy's motorcycle.   Springtime in Texas cannot be beat!!

Back to the Blog!

Well, its been awhile since I've posted anything on my blog!  I've been busy with lots of things NOT related to my UFO's and other quilting projects, but I'm excited to be back working on some of the projects I've been itching to get too!

This is a "strip"quilt I made for my niece, Lexi, when she was getting baptized.  I finished it and even started quilting it, but I wasn't happy with the result, so I ripped it apart and found a template from Abbey Lane for some really cute flowers.  I had some additional fabric from Moda's Hoopla line so I used the template and added some big bright flowers to the quilt.  I love the "pop" they give this bright fun quilt...it definitely reflects my darling niece's personality a lot better.  I hope she loves it!

We Went to Houston....
With my obsession growing, we planned a trip to the International Quilt Show www.quilts.com in Houston in November.  
Some of my favorite people Kristy, Christine and Susan, planned a great trip that started on Thursday night with a road trip from Dallas to Houston and Christine flew in to meet us.
Friday morning we were up bright and early and ready to hit the display floor!  It was amazing to see all of the beautiful quilts that were on display and see all of the new ideas and products.

It was AWESOME!  Next year we are going to go again and bring our sewing machines so we can act on our inspiration!!

Lori's Quilt

After I got started with my quilting, my sister Lori, got a new house!  So of course, I offered to make her a quilt for her room.

This was a fun quilt, I started with a "Jelly Roll" and then I found some great coordinating fabrics.  It was so bright and fun, but it was a little dull....so I found a panel from the same fabric line I had been using (Fresh Flowers by Deb Strain), and cut the flowers out of the panel.  My friend, Lori (not my sister, although she could be =)!!)  had the brilliant idea to use some fusible web on the back of the flowers and then just randomly adhere them to the quilt.

The great quilter, Alma (Alma's Fashion's in Denton, TX), outlined all of the flowers when she quilted the quilt and it turned out so fun!!  This is my favorite so far....but there are a LOT more coming =)!

How this whole thing began..... I have never been a seamstress or enjoyed sewing, but last year, my sister, Christine, told me she and my sister, Janet were heading to Panguitch, UT for the Quilt Walk Festival. I told her I wanted to come, and she said, "We're going to be quilting the whole time, right?" Well, I told her that I still wanted to come.  =).   She then told Janet that I wanted to come, and Jan said, "Does Lisa even know how to sew?".   I said, "Shut Up!!, I can totally sew!"   With the gauntlet being thrown, I decided that I was definitely going to Panguitch for the Quilt Walk!!!

I had some work to do!  First, I bought a sewing machine, a rotary cutter and a cutting mat.  Then I decided that I probably ought to try quilting before I spent a week of vacation and 25,000 American Airlines www.aa.com, so I found a web-site that sold quilting supplies and I ordered a baby-quilt kit...it was small, and I had a new nephew on the way, so it was perfect.

I got the kit, cut my fat quarters according to directions and pieced my first quilt:

I  was hooked!!!

Then I made a quilt for my nephew, who was getting married in August and then a Bluebonnet (TX State Flower) quilt for me =).

I had a great time in Panguitch with my sisters and learned some fun quilting techniques from some awesome teachers and met some wonderful shop owners/designers along the way.

Shannon White www.itssewshannon.blogspot.com

Emily http://emsscrapbag.blogspot.com/

Bonnie and Brenda Bailey www.pieplatepatterns.com

Dana Brooks   www.lazydaisycottage.blogspot.com


The hook was in and there was no turning back!!!!