Design Wall Monday

Happy Monday!

What a great weekend spent with my family!

We celebrated our DIL's birthday with

a homemade pizza party.

I just love rolling out that homemade dough and making

my own little pizza!

While it was a great weekend I was happy to

get back to my studio this morning and work on a

couple of projects that I have going.

Below you will see 2 t-shirt quilts that are in progress.

Yes, this one is a t-shirt quilt.

Since I do alot of t-shirt quilts and I really hate

to discard any useful fabric, I have alot of

large squares of t-shirt backs.

About a year ago I thought that I would try to do

some embroidery on those squares and

lo and behold they turned out great!

I framed those squares today with fabric

and now I'm stuck.

I'm not happy with the size and it

obviously needs something else.

Maybe another frame around each one?

And a border fabric?

Or should I embroider 3 more squares to make

it a rectangle instead of a square quilt?

Any comments would be appreciated..........

Another t-shirt quilt in progress is this one filled

with sports shirts. 

This one is for a customer who is having me make it for her son

out of his pre-high school shirts. 

This young man came over to choose the shirts he wanted included

and I was impressed with his thoughtful creative choices

and very polite manner.

Here is our littlest pizza maker.

She did a fantastic job working her dough

and was very serious about it!

I predict a love of cooking in her future.

Enjoy your week,

tammy

Design Wall Monday

Happy Monday!

Over at Judy's it is Design Wall Monday

and here at Tammy's these quilt squares are in the

process of being designed!

Yes, It's a t-shirt quilt

and I have 25 squares cut and ready to go,

and 5 more squares to go.

When you are doing a t-shirt quilt those shirts that are a full square are

just easy peasy to do.

Then you have those squares where the t-shirt emblem is not

quite big enough to fill a 15" square.

Or the emblem is TOO big to fill the  15" square.

Then you have some creative work to do to get the "odd" square

ready to fit in with the other squares. 

Kinda like making a round peg fit into a square hole!

Later today I plan on selecting the fabric to complete this quilt.

I am hoping I can find it in my stash, but I ~might have to visit

the fabric store............?

My sweet 18 month old Mia is modeling a rockin' red robe

that I made for her mother over 20 years ago!

How cool is that?

Makes me happy.

Til next time,

Piecefully yours,

tammy

50 Marathons....can you imagine?

Phew!  I've spent a busy day today

working on t-shirt quilts.

This morning I loaded Maryanne's t-shirt quilt onto the longarm and started the quilting process.

I designed and worked on a couple of embroideries in the morning.

They are drying right now and not quite picture ready yet.

A couple of months ago Cindy brought me 2 huge bags filled with t-shirts so I could make a t-shirt quilt for her husband.  So my afternoon and evening was filled with preparing these shirts to become a wonderful quilt.

I am really excited to make this quilt because it is going to be filled with so many memories.

Here's the story:

Cindy's husband Mike decided at age 40

to run a marathon

in each of the 50 states before his 50th birthday.

Do the math......10 years.....50 marathons....

That's 5 marathons a year folks!

Can you imagine????

Well I'm pretty impressed!

So my challenge this week is to design a quilt to represent

each and every marathon shirt.

I'm thinking that it is going to be one HUGE quilt!

Follow my journey with the tutorials I will be posting in the

next couple of days.............

Happy Quilting!

tammy

Finished quilts and things.......

It has been awhile since I have actually posted pictures

of some of my finished projects........

I made up these little bibs for the little ones who

were going to be at the Thanksgiving dinner that my

family attended.

I just loved the saying "My Family is THANKFUL for ME!"

Ain't it the truth!

This was a top that I quilted for a customer.

I believe that it started with a panel

and the name of it is "Glory"

When she dropped it off I told that I probably

wouldn't get it done before Christmas.......

that way I could hang it in MY house during the season!

LOLOLOL!

Yeah, she picked it up yesterday!

Another t-shirt quilt made by a first time quilter!

My friend Barbara who made her very first quilt

not too long ago is now teaching her friends!

This quilt was made by Joan for her 1st granddaughter Alison.

Each and every square of the quilt holds a special

memory for Joan and Alison.

This square was made from a VERY tattered baby blanket.

It was pieced together in four places to even get a 15" square!

Joan delighted in telling me the story of each block.

It appears that one of Alison's favorite phrases is that

"This is me.....and the world revolves around"

When Barbara found this shirt (at Savers!) she knew

that it would need to be included in Alison's quilt.

I quilted a princess crown in the middle along

with Alison's name and birthdate.

Alison became engaged while in Germany.

Her husband to be asked her to marry him in

front of a castle in Germany.

So I quilted a castle.

Alison was in Germany to do her student teaching

so on another Germany shirt I quilted children.

London Metro shirt.

See the train?

Eiffel Tower in Paris.........

See? I have been working.........I have been working!

Design Wall Monday

This quilt named "The Journey" is
currently on my design wall.
I believe that this quilt pattern was inspired
by Frank Lloyd Wright.
It is next to go on the quilting frames and I
am in the process of trying to decide what to
quilt on it!
The quilts owner, Jennifer, would like me to
quilt a foot in the large circle surrounded by black.
Other than those instructions I am on my own.
I have did a little web searching trying to get inspiration
and have only come across Frank Lloyd Wrights
stained glass quilting. I am not sure that the straight
lines of that pattern would fit on this quilt.
At the moment I am considering doing a variety of sizes
of circles and squares in the outer regions of this quilt.
Would sure appreciate any other suggestions!

I've recently finished another of Barbara's t-shirt quilts.
This one is for her eldest grandson and is a Christmas gift!
One of the things that I enjoy about Barbara's quilts is that
I get to really cut loose on the quilting. She likes for me to
incorporate images that relect the boys interests.........

It is hard to make out on this small picture, but there
is a bear catching a salmon quilted into the bottom
right hand corner of this block.

On the bottom of this square I quilted an open book
with a stack of books right beside it.
Other squares feature hot air balloons, dinosaurs,
dragons, the disney castle, hockey sticks, baseball bat
and ball........you get the idea..........it is pretty fun to do!

As always.......you should go and check out Judy Laquidera's Design Wall Monday blog: http://www.patchworktimes.com/

Design Wall Monday

Sum, Sum, Sum, Summer time

Summer has finally arrived in Phoenix!

It's pretty darn hot out there

and I think that the heat is here to stay for

a couple + more months!

Barbara came to pick up her quilt this morning and

mentioned that I had not posted a picture of her very

first quilt.

So here it is....The very first t-shirt quilt

made from a class at Bernina Connection.

Pretty cute, huh?

It's been a really strange day around here today.

First, we are having really strange weather........this morning

it was overcast like it is in San Diego.

Then we got some sprinkles

Sprinkled on and off thru out the day.

It was like the heavens were weeping....

A foreshadowing of the day to come.....

Then I hear the news that Farrah Fawcett has died

and I feel sad, but also happy that she is no longer suffering.

How many girls in the 80's wanted to be like Farrah?

How many boys in the 80's wanted to be with Farrah?

She was definetly an icon of the time from 3's company,

to Charlie's Angels, to doing dramatic films later in her career.

And then we get the news that another huge icon of the 80's and 90's

has died. Michael Jackson.........at age 50.......my age.

I can remember playing Michael Jackson's "Ben" a 45 record on my little barbie record player......over and over and over......when I was growing up. He has been a pretty interesting character over the years.

Extremely talented and gifted as an artist,

but pretty entertaining as a person.

While I think that these two icons were important figures in entertainment history, I'm going to be pretty dismayed

as the news media picks apart every single nuance of thier exsistance

in the coming weeks and months. I already see it coming.

They will be rushing to be the first and the only to report on this or that.

!!!!!NewsFlash!!!!

A Quilting Newsflash!

Barbara has finished another quilt!

This beauty is for her grandson.

Each t-shirt square represents a special

rememberance.....from patriotism to sports,

to places and special interests.

I've written about Barbara before...........you know

the lady who called me to ask me how much I would charge to

quilt a quilt that she had not even started.............AND was on

her way to class to learn how to make the quilt?

The one who said that she'd probably never do another one?

The one who can't even DRIVE by a Savers without going inside

to look for t-shirts that might fit into one of her quilts?

I think that this one is her 4th quilt and I've got another one

hanging downstairs ready to be quilted!

And I believe that she is already working on her next one!

These will be made into pillow shams!

Summer has officially arrived here in Phoenix.

The news reported that today was the hottest day we have

had so far........108 degrees.

I think that we had a couple of 108 degree days in MAY!

But what do I know........everything they say on the news is

right..........right?

WEll, I've found the perfect way to beat the summer heat.....

ICE CREAM!

Coconut Pineapple ice cream to be exact!

I've got this really cool friend, (cool....get it?) Deb

who operates a food booth at all sorts of fun

Rodeo Days and festivals in the cool pines in AZ and Utah.

Well, Deb visits Restaurant Depot when she is in Phoenix

and can get all sorts of food wholesale. Deb came to pick

up a quilt yesterday and brought me this lovely Ice Cream!

96 servings! Yikes!

My very first job was at Swensons in San Diego

and CocoPine became my very favorite ice cream.

Well, Swenson's has almost disappeared, but I found

that Thrifty started carrying this lovely concoction.

Yummy!

I've been working hard today to finish off a rather large

t-shirt quilt. I've got just a little more work to do on

it and I'll be taking it off the frames tomorrow and will post

a picture.

My husband is all excited about the USA Soccer team beating

the number one Spain team. He is watching the replay right now!

Guess that's it for now!

HeartStrings

My quilting business is named

"HeartString Quilts"

Quilts that tug at your heartstrings,

because to me that is exactly what quilts do.

Quiltmakers over the years have learned that

Quilts = Love.

Hours of love are poured into making a quilt, from choosing the perfect fabric and colors, to stitching, and quilting and finally finishing it up.

It is said thatwhen you sleep under a quilt you sleep under a blanket of love.

Wrapping a quilt around you is not provides warmth,

but is like being

wrapped into loving arms.

Quilts hold precious memories. Each scrap can be a memory

of a favorite dress, a child's play clothes, a husband's shirt or a

grandmother's apron.

Quilts can also help in a grieving process. There is kind of a

healing process in making a quilt.

My son Brian married a beautiful young woman

about 2 years ago.

They had a lovely wedding with Lots and Lots of family present.........family is important to both of them.

Unfortuantely, about 3 weeks after thier marriage

Brian's new father-in-law Ed was tragically killed.

Someone wanted his car...........

He was a family man,

successful businessman,and an all-around nice guy.

What does this have to do with quilts????

Well, the quilt pictured below is no thing of beauty,

but it will be a blanket of love to the son who will receive it.

It contains sports shirts, fishing shirts, work shirts and ties

and scraps of favorite shirts worn by his father.

Ed's wife and children got together and all picked out shirts

to be included in a quilt. Ed's mother-in-law pieced the

shirts together and now I have the honor of quilting them.

It has been 2 years and the grief is still there, but I know that

these quilts will help to continue the healing and also preserve many happy memories.

Ed loved to fish.

And boat

Ed was CEO of a construction company.
I quilted in a hard hat, hammer and screwdriver.

We still miss you Ed, but your memory lives on
in the hearts of the people who love you and in this quilt.

More T-shirt quilts

T-shirt quilts are full of such memories for people.

The t-shirt squares below symbolize am important moments in the quiltmakers life.

I had the pleasure of quilting this top that the quiltmaker pieced.

This lady graduated in 1955. Hence the Disney 55 shirt.

She is a grandmother, plays bunko, loves to shop, and used to work at a firecracker booth in Oklahoma when she was growing up.

There is a square to symbolize all of these events.

She has a 2 squares to show where she has worked.

She has a square that shows the popular song when she was a teenager. There is a square that shows the re-enactment of the Oklahoma Land rush that reminds her that her grandfather participated in the ACTUAL land rush.

Numerous sports teams are included.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

It was a great quilt.

This next quilt is one that I did pieced, appliqued and quilted.

A mom came to me and asked me to make a quilt from her daughters cheerleading shirts.

The shirts start out in Junior high and end up with college.

Truly a timeline of this girls life.

I stabalized each shirt with interfacing, then cut them into squares.

Many of the shirts were not big enough to fill the square so I appliqued many of them onto a foundation square. (It seems as the girl got older her shirts got smaller........go figure!)

One of the squares feature both the little souffe shorts AND the top that was worn!

My client wanted the quilt to be quilted in an all-over pattern instead of

each square being quilted individually. So this is what the back of the quilt looks like:

I spent the morning in my garden.

It is a glorious day here in Phoenix today.

I've been crazy busy the last couple of days! I was able to spend a very enjoyable weekend up north at Pines and Needles Retreat. It was great for me to be able to take a few days off (and away from the quilting machine) to give my elbows a chance to rest.

Here is a picture of the whole group:

I was able to accomplish quite a bit of sewing while I was there. I put together this quilt top from strips of fabric that were already cut. I had participated in a strip swap awhile back and these were the black and white strips that I had traded. It was great to be able just to start sewing the strips together!The pattern for this quilt is called "Dancing Stars" and it is made specially for 2 1/2" strips.

This quilt is another t-shirt quilt in progress:

These are some of the other projects that I worked on while at camp:

a Greenbay pillow made out of a t-shirt, another pillow made out of a t-shirt (red square) a pair of Micro-mitts, a pillow case and 2 paper-pieced heart squares made from scraps of quilts that I have made and given away.

Before I went to camp I embroidered this Apron for Kim, the hostess and owner of Pines and Needles Quilt Retreat:

I also embroidered this apron for our friend Nicole who used to play soccer on Mike's team. Nicole and her husband Craig just purchased their first home and unfortunately I missed their housewarming party since I was at camp. But Mike and all the kids were able to go, so I sent this apron along in my place!

I"ve also had a birthday since I last wrote, the big Five-O, but I'll save that to write about for another day.

Baccus Wine tasting

Last night we went to Bacchus, a wine bar in Keirland Commons to celebrate the birthday of our daughter-in-law. She really wanted to do a wine tasting and share a birthday cake with the other attendees of the wine tasting.

Last night we did a blind taste test of 6 different wines and we had to guess which country the wine was made in. The person with the most

correct answers won a free tasting. No one at our table won!

Bacchus is a really sweet wine bar with plenty of atmosphere, friendly people and great wine. Here is the link to thier website:

http://www.bacchusaz.com/

I finally got a picture of the t-shirt quilt that I was working on:

This is a 20 shirt quilt done in a Twist and Turn pattern.

One of the ladies that I quilt for got this idea to make pillow shams for her bed that would match the t-shirt quilts that she has made. Here are some pictures of the quilting of those shams-to be:

These shams will match the Patriotic T-shirt quilt.

and the shams below will match the quilt that she made for her daughter.

It is really neat how the quilter matched the t-shirts with traits of the people who will receive the quilt.

I am getting ready to go to Christopher Creek for a weekend quilting retreat! I've been trying to work and get alot done so I can enjoy my time away. We have had such wonderful weather, but they have been talking about a storm coming thru this weekend. Since I will be further up North, there is a pretty good chance that we might get some SNOW up there! What a cool treat for us desert dwellers!

Happy Monday!

Hurray! A normal monday!

Mike and I brought in the New Year in San Diego with my parents.

What a wimp I am!........at 11pm I said that since it was already

midnight in Phoenix we should be able to go to bed! But I propped my
eyes open and made it until the ball dropped in San Diego time!

I am finally able to post the quilt that I finished in December. It was a Christmas gift for my mother! At our last quilt camp at Pines and Needles I put together a t-shirt quilt top consisting of my mom's shirts from Viejas. At home I put a border on it and finally quilted it in December.

.

I'm pretty sure that Mom liked her quilt!

Here are detail shots of some of the squares:

Happy New Year!

May all your hopes and dreams come true this year!