Dear Blog… I apologize for neglecting you… but at least I finished my lovely cathedral quilt!

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Yes, it has been just over a month since my last post… how did this happen?  Is it my New Year’s resolution to not buy fabric or is it my overwhelm of a wonderful life?  I am not sure, but I miss my quilty community none the less…

So, I finished my quilt for our Holy Nativity School auction on March 2nd… ta da!

The artwork is from our treasured Kindergarten classmates of Ella and I embellished the quilt with pieces of HNS uniforms.  It will be a treasured piece for years to come… I will post pictures and results from the Holy Nativity School Paina fundraiser next week.

The pattern is from a lovely tutorial on cathedral blocks.  The House of A La Mode blog demonstrates a modern pillow project and I just expanded the number of rows and columns and gave it a whirl!  Wow, this was a test of my patience but I love the outcome!

In the meantime and all the while I have been salivating over the newly released fabrics and have remained steadfast in my commitment to reduce my stash… it hasn’t been easy, but I will prevail!

Happy stitching and cheers!  Linda at QUTI.org

 

There’s a little school in the valley… a tradition of quilting sentimental keepsakes continues at Holy Nativity School!

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There’s a little school in the valley, at Maunalua Bay… you will get this once you go our Holy Nativity School’s website www.holynativityschool.org to hear our keiki (children) sing their school song.  It is even more angelic to hear it in person.  This little elementary school in Hawaii is over 62 years strong and has a rich tradition of quilters.

Each year, quilters prepare a quilt for each class with the helping hands of the keiki to create memories and quilts for a lifetime.  They are auctioned off at their annual fundraising event titled “Pa’ina” which raises anywhere from $500-$5,000 in recent auctions per quilt!  My children are in Kindergarten and Second grade and I have the pleasure of making the “Kinder” quilt that will be put up for auction this year.

I decided to try my hand at a cathedral quilt.  Not only to try something new but to introduce a new type of quilt to our long tradition of unique quilts.  Our quilters have made amazing pieces of art in the past with beautiful mosaics, rag quilts, story quilts and more!

I searched the web and found a lovely tutorial on cathedral blocks.  The House of A La Mode blog demonstrates a modern pillow project and I just expanded the number of rows and columns and gave it a whirl!  This project is more fabric origami more than anything else.  It takes patience and more patience until you can’t imagine doing another block!  Your hard work will pay off in the end-it is truly unique and lovely…

The keiki drew items that were important to them from nature and I then fussy cut their art to fit the blocks.  I also used some of their old uniforms to recycle and re-purpose this lovely fabric to make it even more sentimental to their time here at Holy Nativity School and their elementary school days.

Here is a sneak peek; I have more to do… and I will post more as I go and also share other pictures of our Pa’ina quilts, guest bloggers and the like-the quilts are really sweet and sentimental…like only children’s art can be!  The event is March 2, 2012!

What projects are you working on for charity or others?  QUTI wants to know…

New Year’s resolution from a fellow fabricholic!

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Help, I need a 12 step program!!! It is like I woke up one day and *poof* I practically have a fabric store in my sewing cave!  Where did it all come from?  I promise that I only went to the fabric store once, slightly under the influence, and came back with goodies that I didn’t really need… but that is another story.  The rest, well… is history now. Yes, I am girl that fellow QUTI girls come to when they need just a little bit of black, or a little bit of Wonder Under, or a little bit of this or that… yes, I usually deliver and don’t let my girlies down!

So here it goes, a public announcement to the world… wait for it…. wait for it….

I, Linda, vow not to buy any fabric in 2012.  There, I said it.  Whew… I feel so righteous!  Can I do it?  Eeek! I have more than I will ever need to complete at least a year’s worth of projects.  And to honor our family’s financial goals, it is the least I can do… and I might even have fun at it!  My husband better watch his back… you know, literally, as I might need to re-purpose his nice work shirts to stitch in desperate times and desperate measures…

Oh, to all of my online and local retailers, don’t worry, I will still support our nation’s economy with scads of notions, and stuff… you know, it takes more than fabric to make cherished memories!

What is your sewing resolution!  I will pick a winner on January 6th based on the most wild, silly and most QUTI comment out there.  Happy wild and righteous planning!

Cheers!  Linda at Quilting Under The Influence

P.S., aka Footnote, aka disclosure…  That doesn’t mean I can’t participate in a fabric exchange or accept fabric gifts… come on, I have to be reasonable with my resolutions, right?  :-)

Ho, Ho, Ho! Santa gifts a new Sewing Machine into the growing family…

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Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house… Ok, it wasn’t really that dramatic, but I was like a kid waiting for the last postmaster delivery before Christmas and look…the universe delivers!

Santa aka Aunty Linda sent me a beauty! ***Squeal***  Isn’t she cute and spunky?

Lovely...

 

 

What shall I name her? A prize is in order if I pick your story/name for her!

 

 

 

To help you understand my nervosa, “see related post” to meet the rest of my needle family… Woohoo!

Ok, here is the story… My Aunty Linda visited and I made her, her first quilt “see post”.  You see, she is quite a collector and more times than not, you can stop by her house to find treasures before you go and scour the universe for treasures!  Case in point, she happened to have this gem times two!!! So she parted this one inspired by QUTI and of course because she loves me!!!

I am in search of an original manual if anyway can find one for me to buy!!!  I believe it is a Singer SewHandy Model 40k.

So I feel loved and blessed this holiday season…thank you Aunty!

P.S.  This is your virtual thank you card! Ha! Just kidding!

P.S.S.  Don’t forget to share your Quilting Under The Influence of The Holidays Stories!

 

A Quilt for a Pampered Pet! The BabyGo! Delivers!

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Another commissioned quilt for the Wicked Step Mother…Hmmm, something is so wrong about making a quilt for a dog but it’s for family-what can I say???

There are no words here...

A little background is in order… my father and my Wicked Step Mother (a shared affection in deed :-) ), welcomed Zoe into their lives in 2005 and their lives have changed forever.  First of all, they are obsessed.  So much so, I think Zoe ranks over their own grandchildren…really, I think an intervention is in order!

Here is evidence.  I would like to think that this was staged as a joke, but I am afraid, it might not be…or perhaps they should explain in their own defense?

Ok, back to quilting… I used my awesome Accuquilt Go!Baby with my new Rick Rack die!  Woohoo!  Both rock-get them!  Check out the starter set!  And sign up on their website for 22 free patterns!  Join the other 50,000 friends on Accuquilt’s Facebook page!

Woohoo!

The Layers

 

So I cut my rick rack with ease using my lovely Go!Baby.  I layered my fabric with interfacing to make it all cut perfectly with the interfacing!  I am telling you-the Go!Baby makes this sooooo easy and fast! My interfacing of choice is my favorite Pellon Wonder Under 805 (love this stuff-check it out!).  Used my Warm and Natural Batting (again, love this stuff, won’t quilt without it!) and sealed it with a minky dot cuddle fabric… wow! do you think I can change the name and keep it instead?  Ha!

 

 

And so, I machine quilted the rest using white and metallic threads to make it even more festive! Yes, festive for the Zoe, it does seem so wrong… but if it were your precious baby, you would do the same I suppose!

Zoerrific!

Postscript:  I just know I am going to hear it from my brother… he sent fabric and threatened me that I better not make Zoe’s quilt before his-ooops…  Here is my defense… he ordered a king size quilt-the quilters will understand, the brother won’t… peace out…

QUTIs hopping under the influence this holiday season! Prizes! Join us!

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Let’s hop til we drop!  Free prizes await you and your fellow “sewists!”

What’s in it for you?  Free to a randomly selected winner is a QUTI bag, cool cap and a surprise fat quarter bundle of fun!  Woohoo!

Check out the shopping page to see the loot! http://quti.org/shopping/

The fun starts now and ends on December 17th!

Here’s the gig:

1.Register on QUTI’s site by submitting your email address into the subscribed field to the right (following the Feedburner instructions and confirm your subscription via email).  Or sign up through Google Friends Connect (I am so lonely there!).  If you are already registered, thank you for following us-I will check your email from my master list! (Required for drawing) :-)

2. Either post a QUTI button on your blog or link back to QUTI in a blog post.  (This would be lovely but not required to enter!)

3.  Post a comment on QUTI indicating how you QUTI! Share a fun fact or share your favorite vice that goes with your quilting/sewing traditions. (Required for drawing) :-)

4.  Check out our fellow fab blogs tomorrow when all 250 blogs with prizes are revealed! Woohoo! http://quiltinggallery.com/quilters-fun/quilters-blog-hop-party/

Cheers!  Happy blogging and hopping!  Linda at QUTI

 

Spooky Halloween Post-by Guest Blogger Tiffany

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Cheers to the QUTI Club!  Here is Tiffany, an avid QUTI follower’s post…

Ever since last year, I wanted to make a tree quilt.  I spent the summer looking at the Monkeypod trees at basketball practice and wondered how a tree would look on fabric.  Then, my son’s 2nd grade class explored thanksgiving through the 5 senses and my daughter just loved the many different happy Halloween prints at the fabric store.  Voila!  The tree quilt presented itself–a cobweb trunk with pumpkin and spider leaves, art from my 2 year old, and thoughts from my son…what an excellent way to celebrate the fall holidays!

A quilt born from celebrating under the influence of my kids, fabulous fabric, fantastically creative friends, and the holiday season before us!!

Signed, Tiffany, a QUTI fan and obsessive hand quilter

 

Sassy Gifts for your Quirky, Quilty, QUTI friends!

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Join the QUTI crew with a fun cap and pinkalicious tote bag for the holidays!  Each purchase comes with a secret quilters gift to keep or regift to your quilty friends!

Check out the shopping page to order now! http://wp.me/P1JRkn-7k

Cheers!  Linda at Quilting Under The Influence