Hello again: another Black & White quilt

My but it's been a long time since I've shared anything here...seems like years ago instead of just a mere eight months!  Much has happened (we moved!) but in those busy months I have managed to keep creating, both for work and for fun, and thought I would share one of my favorite projects today.

You may recall that about a year ago I shared a black and white quilt that I made.  It found a home with a fabulous friend of mine, and after it sold I started thinking about another one.  And as it happened, I found myself at the Quilting Connection in Ames, (aka fabric heaven!) and lo and behold they had a lot of outstanding black and white prints that came home with me.  Here's what happened to those prints:

I got a little crazy this time and put some gray in with the black and white.  Notice the adorable retro pickup-truck print--how cute is that?  I also made the hubby a Christmas stocking out of that print. He wasn't quite as excited as I was about the truck fabric, but he managed to look interested for a moment or two.

I wanted to do something rather unexpected for the back of the quilt so I let the top sit for a couple of weeks until the right quilt back presented itself to me.  That's how my process often works: I just wait for the right fabric to find me.  And it always does.  In this case, it was this unbelievably cool bird print that I found at Stitch:

The inspiration for using yellow binding came from Maureen Cracknell's blog, which is one of my very favorites; she's an amazing quilter.  She showed a photo of a recent quilt of hers which she had bound in yellow and so I thought I would use yellow on this quilt.  Love how it turned out.

I made this quilt as we found our new home and as the weather began to change from winter to spring.  The black and white reminds me of winter and the birds, of course, are the quintessential harbinger of spring.  And here at our new home, we are lucky to have lots of birds visiting our yard and birdfeeders all the time.  That's just one of the many things I love about our new home.  I'll be sharing some more about our new house as I get some pictures.

With spring comes the Farmers Market as well, and this year  I will be there on opening day, which is May 2.  If you're in Des Moines, please stop by my booth on 4th street, north of Court Avenue, and say hello!  I'm looking forward to being part of this wonderful event again this year, which marks 40 years of the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market.  

Happy spring to all and bring on the warm weather!

Hybrid Journal

I'm definitely a creature of habit, and sometimes that's a good thing.  I have a method for making journals that I usually stick with--because it works.  But it's always good to try new things and experiment, especially when it comes to making things.  I've been busy making new journals for Market Day tomorrow, but I did try something a bit different with one journal I was putting together yesterday:

This journal is made from a 1927 book, The Art of Dressmaking. The back cover also has the title printed on it and is identical to the front cover, which is rather unusual.  I chose one of my favorite papers for the inside covers:

I had a few pretty iridescent pearl envelopes left in my envelope stash so I decided to use those for pockets.  I had three of them so I thought I'd use all three: one in the front, one in the middle, and one in the back.  I included a few pages from the original book at the front of the journal.  The pages were yellowing, but still in good shape despite their age. 

I put blank white paper in almost all the journals I make to sell at shows.  Once in a while I do get orders for lined pages.  Lined paper is great, for sure--but it's not readily available here in Des Moines and it is considerably more expensive than the blank white artist paper that I use in my journals.  Also, it comes in much smaller sizes, and so it just won't work with every size of book cover that I get my hands on, as I trim the paper to fit the book cover.  But as I was getting ready to cut the pages for this particular journal it occurred to me that the lined paper would work for this cover and that I had just enough lined paper on hand to use for this particular journal.  Then I thought, why not include some blank white pages as well?  So I did.  I used white drawing paper instead of artist's paper because it's not quite so thick, which would allow me to include more pages in this journal than I usually do.  The result is a combination journal and sketchbook with three envelope pockets:  lined paper for lists and journaling,  blank pages for sketches & more.  The best of both worlds. 

Thanks for looking!  If you're out & about in Des Moines tomorrow, please stop downtown and visit Market Day at the Kirkwood (4th & Walnut) from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.  You'll find me in the lobby and I guarantee you'll find a whole bunch of awesome handmade & vintage goodness there.  We'd love to see you! 

Sewing Nostalgia

A few months ago I got this awesome fabric:


I bought it simply because I loved it, without a specific project in mind. When it arrived, I lovingly admired it, then added it to my stash.  A few days ago I decided it was time to actually use it, so I made a pillow cover.  Nothing fancy, no piecing or quilting.  I thought this print should be showcased, so to speak, and pillow covers are perfect for that. And perfect for using up fabric that you buy for no specific reason! (FYI: This fabric is Sew Retro by The Henley Studio, makower UK.  I purchased mine from Stash Modern Fabric on etsy, one of my favorite sources for irresistible fabrics--great selection and quick shipping.)    

Looking at this print led me to looking through some of the vintage patterns in my collection and then I found a wooden box that had been sitting in the big cupboard in the corner of my studio, just waiting to be used.  I grabbed some Mod Podge and prettied up that box:

Boxes are one of my very favorite things.  Don't ask me why, I've just always liked them.  Especially small ones.  So useful for organizing various random things--and I have a lot of those!  Obviously this box was meant to organize sewing things.  Here's a look inside after I filled it up:

I couldn't resist adding the vintage sewing machine image on the top lid.  (That's a clear stamp by Stampabilities, available at Hobby Lobby; it is part of a small set of stamps of sewing-related images).  Then I filled the box with all my Aurifil thread spools (the small spools are from the Tula Pink collection) and a few other odds and ends.  A fun and easy way to organize, and I like it when things are both pretty and useful.   

Happy crafting!

Summer Projects

It's been nearly two whole months since I've shared anything!  Summer seems to have a way of getting away from me.  I always think of summer as a relaxing time of year, but every year my summers seem to get busier and go by faster.  Between Farmers' Market and t-ball games and visits from faraway friends and swimming lessons, the time just gets away from me.  Here are a couple of projects I've finished up this month:

This is definitely the pinkest quilt I've made!  Very girly, very flowery!  As you can probably tell, it's a handkerchief quilt.  I have quite a few vintage hankies that belonged to my grandmother & great-grandmother; I've had them stowed away for years.  I'm not a really a hanky-user myself.  But these are so pretty that I thought it was a shame to keep them hidden away and so using them in a quilt seemed like the perfect solution.  I stitched the hankies to some voile to stabilize them (my first time ever sewing with voile) and then just made a simple quilt using some of the pink floral yardage that I got last summer at an estate sale.  I added the border with the pink fabric (from Jo-Ann's) and then the floral again for the binding.  The back of the quilt is also the floral print.  So you definitely have to like pink to like this quilt!  It measures 42 inches wide by 66 inches long, a nice-sized throw for me.  Here's a closer look so you can see the prints:

This was pieced and quilted (wavy lines) with white Aurifil.  Oddly enough, this is the first time I've ever used just plain white Aurifil thread....I love all the different color choices Aurifil has, but the prints here are plenty busy, so I figured white was the only way to go for the quilting. 

I spent most of yesterday afternoon working on a large piece to put in my booth at the Downtown Farmers' Market this weekend.  It's got a bit of pink in it as well:

It's hard to see in the picture, but the window frame is a very pale gray--it was originally white, but I gave it a coat of Annie Sloan Chalk paint in Paris Grey.  I've been having a lot of fun with salvaged windows this summer.  To glue on the papers, I've found that I like Martha Stewart's decoupage glue the best.  It spreads easily and dries quickly.  Mod Podge works too.  You'll find this in my booth at the Market this weekend, I'll be on 2nd Avenue just north of Court. 

And NEXT weekend (Aug. 2), I won't have to worry about the weather, because I'll be inside at Market Day!  Looking forward to seeing my Market Day friends and customers again.  It's inside at the Kirkwood, at 4th & Walnut downtown, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.  You can follow Market Day Iowa on facebook or get more info at www.marketdayiowa.com. 

If you want to know where to find me, you can just follow Papercake Creations on facebook.  I'll be at the Downtown Farmers' Market through mid-October. 

Thanks for looking!

Black & White & Type All Over

I started summer break with a quilt finish. 

A few months ago I decided to challenge myself by making a black and white quilt.  No colors, just black and white.  The only other stipulation I set for myself was no floral prints.  It was a bit of a challenge to find a good variety of prints that weren't florals, but I kept scouting for fabric until I had enough of what I wanted.  I guess you could call this quilt a sampler--each block is different; I just created them as I went along (who needs patterns?).  Here's a closer look:

Notice the typewriters.  That fabric is by Robert Kaufman.  I just couldn't resist.  (Yes, this is the third quilt I've made featuring typewriters.  Weird, I know.  That's me!) Here's a closer look at the typewriters, which are so very vintage charming:

The back of the quilt was pieced using large pieces of leftover fabric from the quilt top:

Originally I'd thought I would send this quilt out to be long-armed, but then I changed my mind and decided to quilt it myself.  So the quilting is very basic, just wonky horizontal lines.  I used Aurifil thread in Graphite, variegated gray and black.  This quilt measures 56" by 75"--just perfect for snuggling up on the couch with a good book. 

I made this quilt before I put together the rainbow solids quilt for Jacob--after all this black and white, I was ready for colors again.  I liked having a set framework to work within; there were plenty of wonderful B & W prints to choose from that I didn't feel limited. 

I love spring: photo edition.

Spring tends to get very busy.  Here's what's been going on around here in recent weeks:

A small quilt for a small boy. 

Small boy with a shirt full of small pockets for "pockets" day at preschool (you can't see them all in the picture but I managed to get 24 little pockets on this little shirt--and for some reason that made me very proud of myself!)

A furniture painting project in progress.  This Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is just awesome.

Someday this will get quilted.  Someday. 

It finally got warm enough so that our hostas could make an appearance. 

This year I am attempting veggies: peppers and one tomato plant.  We'll see what happens.  Gardening is a bit like gambling for me--I have no guarantee of good results.  If I can get one decent tomato and one pepper I will be pleased. 

And of course, one important thing I do each May is decorate at the cemetery.  I enjoy doing this.  My grandparents are in a small country cemetery in Grundy County, near where they farmed, and I always find it to be a peaceful place. 

 

And of course, spring also means I am busy making stuff for the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market!  I'm so pleased that I am part of this event.  It's a great Des Moines tradition and if you've never been, you should.  There's so much there to see, so much good stuff to eat, and such a diverse group of people.  I'll be there for the next three weeks in a row if you'd like to say hi.  I'll have lots of new journals as well as a few other things.  Such as this:

In case you're keeping track, this is Nancy Drew quilt #4. 

 

Happy spring to you.  Enjoy the sunshine. 



Retro Rotary: quilt #12

This might just be my new favorite quilt:

Excuse the blue painter's tape in the photo, please....I've been waiting for a nice spring day so I could photograph this quilt outside but....the days that were "nice" were also extremely windy, which is not so good for quilt photo shoots.  And today is definitely not nice, so I gave up and stuck the quilt to the wall and snapped a few pictures.  My pictures don't quite do the quilt justice--the fabric is just so awesome and my photography is not.  The telephones are another Melody Miller design and I had fun seeking out just the right fabrics to go with it, and I found just what I needed during a visit to Winterset a couple of weeks ago: the orange print came from the local Ben Franklin store and the purple came from Fons & Porter's quilt shop, both conveniently located on the square.  (I'm thinking I really just need to move to Winterset; I mean, two fabric shops on one block, and a yarn shop across the street?  Obviously this is the town for me!) You can see a glimpse of olive green in the scrappy binding and there's a bit more on the back of the quilt, which is very simple:

I love the combination of the orange, purple, and olive.  And if it weren't for that adorable telephone fabric I probably wouldn't have thought of using those 3 colors together.  Purple isn't one of my favorite colors, but in this quilt, I'm loving it.  The purple fabric has a very subtle print and just enough hint of sparkle to do the telephone fabric justice. 

And to pat myself on the back just a bit, I will mention that this is definitely my best job thus far of quilting and binding.  I'm a hands-on learner and I can see the improvement with each quilt I make.  It's ever-so-satisfying. 

This one is quilted with Aurifil, one of the spools that came in the Tula Pink sampler pack I got for Valentine's Day.  (Yes, I asked for thread for Valentine's Day!)  The pink/purple spool was perfect for this quilt.  The colors of thread in this collection are wonderful and I am looking forward to using another one very soon.  The quilting is very basic, because you can't get too fancy on a home sewing machine, but with the help of some painter's tape I did manage to do a decent job of making my lines fairly straight.  Oh, the wonder of a walking foot!  Such a help. 

After I finished this quilt, I had to tear myself away from my sewing machine and get back to my paper trimmer to get some journals made for upcoming shows.  If you're in or near Iowa City, I'll be at Craft Your Environment, coming up on April 19 at the East Side Recycling Center.  This is a brand new show and one I am really looking forward to as it focuses on handmade items that use recycled/repurposed materials.  Stop by and say hello if you're in the area!