WOW May 1, 2013

This week I did very little sewing.  The only project I worked on was my challenge quilt.  I have been worried as I worked on this that it would be just too busy.  The two green aboriginal prints on the background are the fabrics that I have to use for the challenge.  Originally I had a different organza for the vase it was to light and I had to rip it off yesterday.   I think the dark green works way better.  I still have a lot of stitching and more applique to put on the round flowers.  Let me know what you think. 

 

My office is on Lake Union in down town Seattle and the sun is out today and my view is wonderful.  I hope everyone has a great week. 

Regards

Lisa    

WOW – April 24, 2013

Another busy few weeks at the Mortell house.  With everything going in our life right now I’m surprised that I managed to get any sewing done.  We went to Friday Harbor the weekend before last to get our boat because it’s shifting cable broke the weekend before and we had to leave it to be repaired. We had a really nice trip home on the boat we saw dolphins and lots of sea lions.

My daughter is graduating June 15 from apparel design school and he is working on her final line.  She needs my sewing machine right now for zigzag her machine only dose a straight stich.  So this means that I’m pretty much relegated to hand sewing until she is done with all her garments.  I started a new quilt a Yoko Sato pattern.  I have most of the first block done. 

 

Here is my progress on my challenge quilt. I had to stop working on it because I did not have all the wool that I needed.  It came in the mail Monday so I should be able to get back to work on this project.

 

Lastly I went to a class last Saturday taught by Judy Irish on making a lone star quilt. I got most of my blades done.  Not sure I will be able to work on this again for a while due to being banished from the sewing room.

 

Well hope everyone has a good week.  The news has been so upsetting lately I have been trying to focus on what is good in my own life and for the most part I could not ask for more.

Regards

Lisa

WOW – April 10, 2013

I was so busy last week I didn’t have time to post to my blog.  This week is no different but I wanted to show everyone what I have been up to besides the ginormous stack of partnership returns that have to go out before April 15.

Last night was my guild meeting and they announced the winners of the quilt show.  I’m so excited my Fernhill quilt won first place for small wall hanging!!  There were so many beautiful quilts I was shocked that I even placed.  

I finished the other two baby quilt that I have been working on and my daughter pieced a matching doll quilt with the scraps and I quilted it up.  Now we have four quilts to deliver this weekend.

 

 

 

 

The Sue Spargo class was incredible.  She is so talented and her work is breathtaking.  Three day with her was not enough.  These are a few of my samples that I stitched and don’t you love the bee I also did ladybugs. 

 

Lastly I thought I would give you a peek at what I started last night.  I know it look strange right now.  This is the challenge quilt for the La Conner quilt show in August.  More to come on this.

Regards,

Lisa

WOW – March 27, 2013

Last Wednesday I was just too busy to post.  I have to say not a lot of sewing has been done in the last few weeks.  The weekend of the 16^th and 17^th was the QA Quilt Show I had a great time volunteering it’s so fun to be around that many people who love quilts and quilting. My TARDIS quilt took 3^rd place I was happy about that.  I will know at the next meeting if any of my other quilts won.  I have to say I’m not holding my breath the completion was really steep this year so many wonderful quilts. 

 

Last weekend I did no sewing Saturday we went skiing at Stevens Pass, and was is beautiful sunny and cold the snow was great. Sunday we bought my husband a new car or I should say Jeep.  It took the entire day but he is so happy with the purchase. 

I did manage to finish one of my baby quilts and I’m ready to put binding on the other. 

 

Tomorrow is the start of my Sue Spargo class I’m ready to go.  I purchased some new wool at the quilt show so I’m excited to use it. I will try to post photos of my progress this week.

 

Have a great week!

Regard,

Lisa

 

WOW - March 13, 2013

Well remember last week I said I would not start any new projects until I finished all my UFO’s.  That very next day my daughter asked me if I would make two baby quilts for a special teacher of hers. She just had twins and has been experiencing a lot of heath problem.  So of course I started two new projects. 

I used the scraps of one of my UFO’s to make this baby quilt top. 

 

 

I have been seeing everyone make the scrappy trip around the world quilts and have wanted to try one.  So I pulled out a fat quarter bundle and some additional prints from my stash and came up with this top.  I still have a border I’m going to put on this.  

At the end of March I’m attending a three day class from Sue Spargo.  I’m very excited and I picked up my supply kit from the shop and I have homework to do.  We have to applique the leaves to the back for the class and we will be learning a different embellishment for each one over the three day class.  So I got a few done yesterday while waiting for my son at his driver’s education class.

 

Lastly I just want to brag about my wonderful talented daughter.  This is her presentation board for her final line she is doing for school.  She has decided to do couture lingerie and will be making each item on this board next quarter.  I will have to show you when she gets them completed.

 

Have a great week.

Regards

Lisa

WOW – March 6, 2013

I have been making lots of progress on all my UFO’s  I have only one top left to finish and once that is done I will have three completed tops to quilt. I’m motivated to get all my UFO’s done because I have decided not to start any new projects until they are finished. 

Last week I finished the quilting on the 5^th quilt this year. This quilt was a block of the month project that I started exactly two years ago. (January 2011) I had just been quilting for a few months and was excited to sign up for everything. I finished the top last September and hung it up on the back of my door for quilting. Well there is hung with so many other projects to work on.  So now it’s finished and for the most part I’m very happy with this quilt. I used a swirly quilting design that I have not ever done before for the background and a more structured lines and grid work for the houses.  I used wool batting and it has a very nice feel to it. This quilt is going to live at my mom’s house as soon as I bring it for show and tell. 

 

 

 

 

I also finished putting together one of the two unfinished tops that I had started over a year ago.  (March 2011) This is a Judy Niemeyer pattern. This was a class that I took to learn paper piecing to make the bug jar quilt for my nephew. Well that quilt was done long ago and this quilt was forgotten in a bin. I had all the blocks done but the quilt was not assembled and the paper was not removed.  I spent two day removing the paper and putting this quilt top together. For the most part I have to say I do not like this quilt at all.  All the fabrics on their own are beautiful but it’s just too busy together and I hate the green sashing that I picked. I wish it was more of an olive tone. This was done with two jelly rolls per the pattern.  So now I’m hanging it up behind the door for quilt. 

 

This is my last top to finish I also started this January 2011.  Do you think I got a little excited and started to many project.  Hopefully I will get this finished this week and then started on the quilting of the tops.

 

Regards

Lisa

WOW – February 27, 2013

I’m so happy to post my WOW this week.  The last two weeks I have been AWALL my computer got a virus and I lost three days of work. Then last week we had server problems and on top of that we are in the middle of closing the biggest deal we have done in five years. 

I finished my Promise is a Promise quilt.  This is one of my favorite quilts that I have made. I ended up using clear monofilament to quilt were the words are on the blocks. I was really worried about distracting from all the embroidery.  I think it worked well.

 

You will see that some of my friend escaped the block and started roaming around the quilt.

 

Yesterday if finished another quilt that just needed to be quilted but I did not have time to take any photos last night so I will try to do it tonight and do another blog post this week. 

Have a great week,

Regards Lisa