This is the kind of stuff I LIVE for. I mean, this is my geek factor here!

 How gorgeous is this??

My grandma never stops finding the antique treats in the recesses of her house. This log cabin scrap came in a package last month and I can't get over how much I love it. And the best part, I never have to compete with my cousins for these heirlooms, haha!

It's obviously made with scrap clothing, the 'hearths' are wool, and the critter chew marks make it all the more interesting. The basting stitches must've been put in to keep the silky fabrics in place before the squares were put together, the idea being that they would be removed afterwards. The fact that they haven't just adds another element of texture and beauty to this piece.

It's almost completely hand-sewn, the individual squares are, and it looks like someone came later with a machine and finished compiling them into the bigger piece you see here.

Now this peaks my interest...who cut this off? Why? And how much more was there that has now been lost?

Of course, my grandmother never remembers anything about these treasures she finds. She does know that it came from Tiptonville, TN, her hometown. A small little town near the Mississippi River, it's greatest attraction being Reelfoot Lake, a cypress knee-riddled beauty. We used to drive out there and visit my great-grandmother, where my memories stop short after the pickled beets and the jar full of marbles.

Oh well, I guess I'll be left to wonder! 

Haley knows why I couldn't resist those little wooden faces at the Scrap, they just needed something new to look at!

Love, love, LOVE this so much.

I found this because one of my favorite contemporary artist, Micah Lidberg, designed the above rug for this collaborative collection. I've always felt like his work should be translated to textiles. Now I just have to figure out how to not spend all my money on these.

Atlanta T-Shirt Quilt

Commissioned by Jessika Reid, for her husband, Kirk (the crazy one who ran all these marathons!)

60" x 60"

2013

Taught myself how to crazy piece for this one. I thought it was going to be way harder than it was. It did take some practice though. I used freezer paper for my foundation paper, which made it SO much easier to use all the crazy fabrics I chose: velvets, silks, fleece. It did take some time to rip it all off the back after the sewing was finished, but at least that's not hard.

Couldn't help myself, had to frame with an asphalt track! This is one of my first times playing with appliqué, and, with the guidance of Gwen and Freddy, it was totally easy and unique. No hand-stitching, just a little fabric paint.

Broke up the shirts because I just didn't have enough room to put the whole image within the frame I'd left for myself. And, since I was only working with 12 shirts, it helped me fill the empty spaces, and cover up parts of the crazy piecing that looked weird.

I didn't even know what kind of quilting I was going to do around the multi-colored border, just standing there at the long-arm machine. I finished the middle and was like....crunch time. My first swoop of a flame or wing or whatever-you-want looked great and gave me the courage to forage ahead!

Whenever I'm not sure what kind of motif to use, I look to the quilt for any kind of style lines I see repeating. There were all these winged falcons that kept showing up on the shirts so I played with those shapes. Not too girly!

I force my boyfriend to give me his opinion before-hand and he said my original swirly idea was "too girly". 

"This is for a dude, right?"

Good call!

I love this quote Jessika chose for the back, I always give my clients the option to personalize the label and she's been the most creative so far! And we put Kirk's birthday on it since it was to be a birthday present. AND guess what? I got this finished and it delivered Feb. 15th!! Boo-ya!

"You're gonna make something cool for my baby, right?" says my brother, a few months before his wife's due date. "Ummm, well, it doesn't seem like you're giving me an option!"

Of course you know I always want to make something cool for every special person in my life, it's a matter of time and energy. But since Laurence decided to pressure me, I should probably move quick. 

 This quilt started out as a personal one for myself, which means it got started and then got continually pushed out of the way for years. I began working on it when I was living in LA, longing for trees and nature, and, because it was initially going to be a full-sized quilt, I had enough pieces to fill up a kid-sized quilt top off the bat. So that helped me move faster. This also was a good gender-neutral option since my brother and sister-in-law were choosing not to know the sex of the baby.

 I adapted the pattern from a tree quilt I saw in an old book, and then added in my own mountain and water landscape. It was trickier than I thought to piece because it was part geometric pattern, part free-form, but it was gratifying to be designing something strictly to my own liking. I haven't made a quilt without a client's taste to consider since 2009!

I fancied the idea of a "thumb hole" in the corner, stemming from a need to secure the layers of batting inside.

 This shot gives you a good idea as to how I tied the quilt. There's a layer of bamboo/cotton batting, a layer of wool, and two layers of poly high-loft inside. When I finished, the whole thing felt more like a soft mattress than a blanket! It'll be perfect for something to roll around on on the floor.

I painted the label with silkscreen ink, more because that's what I had lying around than because it was the best option. I'm sure there's something better for this application! I'm so excited to be an aunt and have a new member to our little family.