Halloween Quiilting

Wow, can't believe I've slacked on blogging for the last 7 months. Badd Biird, badd. :) Well, it's starting to get cooler so I'm sure there will be more quilting blogging (and quilting, of course) in my future.

I got a little Halloween crazy the last few weeks. I guess it's about time, right? :)

First thing I did was a wall hanging that is now gracing the wall between my office and my boss's office. Much as I dislike applique, I really like how she came out. The pattern for her is from Eat Cake Graphics. Here she is in her current habitat (not sure it's natural, but it works!):

I LOVE their stuff - in fact, I have 11 or 12 of their 17 quilt patterns. :)

This past weekend I got a little more nutty and made a table topper for the Halloween candy bowl at the office. I mean, the little black table was just too plain. :) :

Also decided that I needed a new purse. And then determined that it needed to be Halloween themed. I went with the Mini Miranda Bag by Lazy Girl Designs. Came out CUTE!!

I made a modification on the straps - I really like the cotton webbing for my purse straps. I jazzed them up a bit with some of the fabric in the purse and then made a key fob / wristlet the same way to go with it. The fabric on the webbing in the key chain matches the green skulls but the picture totally sucks.

I made bunch of little pouches (and a couple not so little pouches).

The larger two I used the A Little Duffle Do It by Karen West. Tres adorable! (And spacious!) The other two that look similar, I just used scraps I had left over and left out the Peltex.

For the zipper pouches, I used a tutorial that I found online but don't have the site info with me. (I'll find it and update it.) One was done right albeit a bit bigger than the tutorial calls for, while the other was totally screwed up but still works for my iPods. :)

I also made a wallet (designer and pattern info at home - will update this info later). Very cute and comfortable in my pocket. I think that as long as I don't try to stuff it with cards and/or change it'll be okay. Only problem I have with it is that it could be about 1/4 to 1/2 inch longer (you're supposed to be able to fit 2 credit cards side by side - I can only fit one and have empty space on the other side). When folded with credit cards in it, it doesn't fold in the middle and you can see some of the cards. Still cute. I'll make a few adjustments if I decide to make it again.

Now to figure out what to dress as for Halloween ....

-Biird-

Giirly Biird

Another busy weekend for me. What did I do? Well, I:

• sorted quilting magazines and put them in magazine holders by title and issue
• put together the back of the red and black quilt I recently finished
• made a quilt top from a favorite pattern

I realized that I have WAAAYYYY too many magazines - a BUNCH of duplicates (the equivalent of about 10 reams of paper). I really need to get them cut back. At some point, if I'm smart, I'll get a list of which issues of which magazines I have to make it easier to find when I'm looking for stuff.

(and this isn't even all of them)

Had fun putting together the back of the black and red quilt (pattern from the book Geared for Guys by Crazy Old Ladies Quilts) that I recently blogged about. LOVE it as it's own quilt top even. It definitely will look good either side up.

I've also been thinking about what to call the black and red quilt. Some of the names running through my head are:

• Scarlet Tempest
• Scarlet Tornado
• Scarlet Purgatory
• Scarlet ... something (are you sensing a theme here?)

Nothing's really hitting hard (except the scarlet thing) and I'm open to more suggestions.

Dug out some strips I'd previously stitched together and one of my favorite quick & easy Jelly Roll / fat quarter patterns by Atkinson Designs (Anything Goes from the book Take Two and Add A Few) and made what I'm tentatively calling "Anything Giirly Girl Wants". I was thinking about possibly something with Princess or Pastel or Cotton Candy in the name but couldn't come up with anything that rolled off the tongue well. It's a pattern I use a LOT for baby quilts - quick, easy, and oh-so-cute with an applique that goes with the fabrics used and backed with Minkee or something equally as soft and snuggly.

Now I'm trying to figure out what to work on next ... Probably should compile my UFO/WIP list so I know what I've had waiting in the wings for awhile. I either need to find a fabric I REALLY want to use or a pattern that I really want to do. And I'm going to do everything I can to NOT have to purchase more fabric. We'll see how good I do. :)

-Biird-