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| I began with a purse for a dear friend who only uses Dogwood Blossom purses! That is because I make them especially allergy free for her! I was anxious to get to a quilt for my daughter in law, but my friend has waited long enough for a new purse! |
Next came one of my favorite quilts of all time. A gift for
my daughter in law's birthday. I did blog posts about this quilt. But some excitement for me came when I tagged the pattern designer, fabric designer and fabric company in my Instagram post. Later Riley Blake reposted my photo on their instagram! How exciting is that!
There was a special graduate in my life who worked very hard and overcame a lot of obstacles to get his degree. So he needed a very special quilt. Karen Combs had visited our quilt guild and I loved her 3-D effect designs. Long and hard thinking went into deciding how to applique Blaze, the University of Alabama at Birmingham mascot. I really should do a blog post on that.
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| The back was inspired by a wall in a restaurant! When I saw the wall, I thought,"What a great quilt that would be." so I snapped a picture. I wonder what it means when the ladies in your quilt guild rave about the back of your quilt more than the front? |
than one state, I decided I really needed to get something done with it! So I spend a few weeks tearing up jeans and putting the fabric back together as something else.
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| There were 2 of these quilts ordered by a grandfather to be for his twin granddaughters being born in the summer. It was interesting to find a man who had looked and knew exactly what quilt he wanted. He purchased the kits and I made them for him in time for the shower. |
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| The pattern from the kits for the twins has always been a favorite of mine, so with another special baby coming, I slightly altered the pattern and made this one.
In April, I was contacted by someone who had spent time studying in India and wondered if the fabrics from her old clothes could be made into a quilt. We discussed many things and got to know each other online in order to come up with a design that would be all she wanted. We had to add some additional fabrics. She wanted elephants, peacocks, Hindi writing, and the Taj Mahal. Quite a bit for a wall hanging. I consulted with my artist sister, who only said, "That is a lot of unconnected themes for one piece." Well in the end, my customer was thrilled with the final product.
 
This was reproduced from a photo of her at the Taj Mahal. After making Blaze, the UAB dragon, I felt I could do almost anything applique wise. This included shading with crayons and fancy quilting in the sky.
The last 5%, getting a great photo. Fail in that department. This quilt was a commision for a baby girl named Arizona. Her parents no longer live there, but decided on that as her name. The mountain is Picacho Peak and her parents climbed it many times just south of where they had lived. It is very distinctive and the parents recognized it right off. There are desert animals quilted around the cacti in the bottom.
It met with baby approval!
Mom used it each month as the baby's monthly photo.
Since we move every year, we often look for a furnished place so that we will not have to move furniture. The last 2 places we have lived have not had that as an option. After dragging my 20 year old sofa to Georgia, I knew it desperately needed an update. No time for something there. BUT then we needed to furnish a place in Florida when we moved there in July. I really don't want to buy a sofa until we have quit moving around so much and I can decorate a place to my total satisfaction. So, some great unbleached canvas was found in Georgia at the great place called Fabric Barn. They are a clearing house for fabric.com and other fabric stores. It was only $3 per yard! So I decided it was time to redo my 1990's plaid sofa. Also the cording was purchased for $3 for the whole roll! I still have tons left. Here's my before and after.
 
I began quilting because I found 80 year old quilt tops my great grandmothers had made. That began my quilting, then later piecing, and now my passion. One of the quilts is well loved by my niece, but the fabrics have started to wear out. She shipped it to me and after much thinking, I found not only a way to repair it, but I also found fabrics left from the great grandmothers that were authentic 30's fabrics.
  
With Christmas coming up,my fancy photographer sister in law wanted some Christmas quilts and baby dresses for her photoshoot dreams to come true. So to finish this long post, here are pictures from Christmas and this completes my year of sewing review!
  
Happy Sewing in 2020!
Deanna
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