Something in Red (and pink)

Friend MaryAnn and I spent yesterday making Christmas prezzies.  This is the only one I can share, because I know she showed it to the recipient as soon as she got home:

Can you guess what it is?

 

Yep, it's a Kindle Cover.   We used the template and directions from Nancy Zieman at Nancy's Notions.

Only problem was, the small size was still much bigger than the modern Kindle, so we had to calculate sizing on our own.  Not easy for two math-challenged Mamas, but we managed!

The exterior fabric is "love city" from the Alexander Henry Fabrics Collection 2011.

We added an interior pocket, just for fun.  The binding is Kona Cotton solids "Cerise."

We used pony-tail holders as Kindle holders. (P.S., next time we will use elastic.  Those pony-tail holders are a bear to sew over!)

 

And of course, a "My Aunt Martha Made It" label from GutenTags.


I know Daly will like it, because it's PINK!

Come back next week for the Dots on Dots Blog Hop:

My day is Tuesday, the complete schedule is available here.



Remember to enter my 200+ followers giveaway here.





From the desk of your

Finally a Friday Finish

Friday finishes have been few and far between this summer.  But when My Little Sailor asks for a "purple quilt for a sailor who earned her Navy Warfare Badge," by golly, the Juki is pushed to its top speed!

I wanted to make this quilt using the pattern "Bento Box," as their ship's home port is Yokosuka, Japan.

 (this photo from Hancock's of Paducah, where you can also buy the pattern)

However, the pattern calls for fat quarters.  If you remember, Shelley at High Country Quilts crawled around under the display table to find a jelly roll of purple strips for me.  So I HAD to use strips, didn't I?  Scrabbling through the pattern drawer, I found this pattern I picked up on our recent trip to Seattle:

 

(photo from Quilt in a Day, where you can also buy the pattern)

I have to tell you, this is one of the fastest quilts you'll ever put together. The pattern comes with a plastic template that makes cutting the braids super fast, and they go together perfectly.  The traditional method of making braids has you sew together rectangles, then cut off the ends to make the edges even.  Really hard to get a straight cut if the braid is longer than your longest ruler! I should have made a tutorial.  I'll make this qilt again, and I promise a tutorial when I do.

So now, without further ado, I present Quilt #41 for 2012, Danielle's Braids!

This is the first quilt on which I've used a Handi Quilter ruler to make a custom design.  I'm quite pleased with the result:

Congratulations, Danielle!

Linking up to Richard and Tanya's Link a Finish Friday, and

Remember to comment to win my 200+ followers giveaway.  Go here to comment.


From the desk of your

WIP Wednesday and 200 Followers Giveaway

• Would you care to guess what this is?

Tune in next Wednesday to find out!

• I'm now caught up on my 2012 Designer Mystery BOM from Fat Quarter Shop.  I'm loving this fabric.

Other than these two projects, I've been binding Quilts of Valor -- three so far.  I'll show the finished quilts on Friday.

• Next, let's celebrate 200+ followers!  I read about the Kate Spain paper goods on her blog, and rushed out to Michael's to stock up before they sold out.  Just so I could give them to a loyal 52 Quilts follower.

This little collection includes a magnetic list pad, notes, scrapbook papers, mini journal and emery boards with Kate Spain "Terrain" designs.  I added some fat quarters, because after all, this is a quilting blog!



To win, all you have to do is:

1. Be a follower of 52 quilts
2. Make a comment on this post
3. Giveaway ends at noon MDT next Wednesday, September 12
4. As always, international entries welcome!

And because it's Wednesday, I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday.

From the desk of your

Saturday Stash Shop Hop

OK, so it's Sunday.  I spent most of the day yesterday making a quilt for a shipmate of My Little Sailor.

Quilt #41 for 2012, "Braids" is made with an Eleanor Burns pattern that includes a template to cut the braid pieces.

 
The template and pages of directions make this a fast top to sew.  It took about 4 hours of sewing, plus two hours shopping for the right fabric to match the braids.  The braid fabric is a "strip tease bun"  from  Island Batiks, "Iris."  Jacob had requested a purple quilt for his friend, so I bought a Tonga Treats Island Quilter on Vashon Island, Washington.  But when I got it home and opened it up, it was really more pink than purple.  So off to High Country Quilts I shuffled.  When I whined to Shelly that I needed a "purple jelly roll," she got down on her knees and dug around under the display table.  I heard "Marti, Marti," but couldn't see who was calling.  Shelly emerged from under the table proudly waving the perfect jelly roll.  Thanks, Shelly!








Speaking of Island Quilter,  here is a photo of the inside of the shop, lifted from their website. DH called the shop "the IKEA shop" because he felt like he had to follow a specific trail to get around the display shelves and out of the shop.  But what a display!

Vashon Island is accessible only by ferry.  We boarded the ferry in Seattle, drove down island to the shop and asked for a lunch recommendation. Not only did they recommend the Hardware Store restaurant, but they offered a 10% discount coupon!

In addition to the batik jelly roll, I found an "end of bolt" special on this lovely purple Laura Ashley print from 2009.  Only two yards, so isn't it lucky that Kwik Sew 3870 takes just two yards to make a tunic?

 

The first shop we visited in Washington was The Quilting Loft in Ballard.  We almost skipped this one, thinking it was too far out of our way.  Boy, am I glad we didn't!

I added to my growing Anna Maria Horner Field Study Collection:

I have about two-thirds of the complete collection now.  I love shopping for the fabrics at various shops rather than ordering the complete collection online.  It makes it feel like a treasure hunt!

And bought some pink and red "amelie" from The Alexander Henry Collection, along with black and red "rivoli garden" also from Alexander Henry.  This will make an Anna Maria Horner Multi-Tasker Tote requested by a niece in Idaho.

We then drove through familiar neighborhoods in Tacoma to Pacific Lutheran University.  PLU will always be "home" to me, it's where I earned my MA in Ed Admin, where the boys' first daycare was, and where I worked at my favorite job ever.  Plus, it's one block away from Parkland Parish Quilt Co.  Housed in an old church, Parish Quilt Co. offers the complete Marti Michell template collection as well as a wide variety of fabrics, from Civil War repros to -- Denyse Schmidt!

I plan to make an AMH Multi Tasker Tote for myself from this decorator-weight fabric:

I think Denyse's "pink seeds strip" will be perfect for the lining, don't you?  It's available from The Quilted Castle.

 

On Sunday, we took another ferry to Bainbridge Island to visit my nieces and Churchmouse Yarns and Teas.

(The photo of the Bainbridge Island ferry is from Churchmouse's website.  It's so much better than the ones I took myself.)

I was looking for yarn to complete my Color Affection shawl.  Found it, but not enough.  Terri graciously offered to contact her supplier and get more for me. 

While walking the streets of Winslow on Bainbridge, we happened upon a wonderful little shop, Esther's.  (Photo lifted from their website.  Visit:  You'll be glad you did!)



Best collection of modern fabrics I found on our trip.  I added two more AMH Field Study fat quarters, and this lovely fashion fabric to make another Fall tunic:

Burda 7213 is an oriental style tunic closed with seven buttons -- which gives me something to shop for this week.


We left Bainbridge Island on the south end via Gig Harbor and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.  This is the same location, but not the same bridge known as Galloping Gertie, slender, elegant and graceful, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge stretched like a steel ribbon across Puget Sound in 1940. The third longest suspension span in the world opened on July 1st. Only four months later, the great span's short life ended in disaster. "Galloping Gertie," collapsed in a windstorm on November 7,1940.  Watch a video of the bridge collapse here on YouTube.

 

52 Quilts has 198 followers.  When we hit 200, it will be time for another giveaway.  Wait 'til you see what I found for it!

 



From the desk of your