Show Moore Love - Tornado Relief

No doubt you've seen the footage on T.V.  It's pretty devastating here in Oklahoma. So many have lost so much. One co-worker's house was spared, while another lost everything.

I'm reminded of the song, The Flagmaker, 1775 from the musical Songs for a New World:

The wise woman does what she knows

If it's fighting she fights

If it's sewing she sews

When the tension inside

Overflows and goes too far

 One more star

So, that's what "we" at the Oklahoma City Quilt Guild are doing. We're sewing. Currently, we are making a quilt that you will be able to "win" by donating to the Red Cross or the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. More details will come on that when the quilt is complete.

For now, we are accepting finished quilts of all sizes, colors and makes. Modern, traditional, pieced, whole cloth…all are appreciated. Please know these quilts will go to those who need them. We've already had numerous people reach out and leave messages on our Facebook page. We appreciate everyone's thoughts, prayers and generous offers so much!

For more details on how you can participate, please visit OKCMQG.com. 

Blogger's Quilt Festival: May 2013

It's time once again for...the Blogger's Quilt Festival! I'm really happy to have something to show. My quilt guild buddies know I struggle with time to sew these days. In fact, it's been months since I've had a completed project to show at a meeting. So, I took advantage of being home one weekend (miserable with allergies) and focused all my energy on this quilt.

I bought the fabric with a completely different quilt in mind that just didn't feel "right" once I got home. My good friend, Amanda at The Cozy Pumpkin, had this link on Facebook and the idea went from there.

I drafted a mock up of how I wanted the quilt, color coded my fabrics and started sewing. 

When going through my blog reader a couple days later, I saw this post on V & Co. Apparently, great minds think alike.

I simply cut 5.5" x 5.5" squares and randomly placed a star in white. For my star, I used the February Block-of-the-Month pattern on the OKC Modern Quilt Guild site. I made my points even, rather than wonky and quilted it with a random meandering pattern to enhance that crinkly look I love so much.

Before washing and drying.

After washing and drying.

I love how this quilt turned out and the new mommy did too! Congratulations Kristi!

Easy Kindle Quilted Case

For Mother's Day I made my mom a case for the Kindle we gave her last year. It was a surprisingly quick and easy project! Here's a quick how-to that can be customized to fit your eReader, iPad or notebook!

1.  Sew two strips together and then trim at an angle. Continue sewing the necessary strips needed and trim to desired size.

2.  Cut a piece of batting just a little bit bigger than the cover. With RIGHT side up, layer batting and then the cover, and quilt together.

3.  Cut a piece of lining to the same size as the quilted cover.

4.  Lay lining on top of quilted cover, RIGHT sides together.

5.  Cut a piece of thin elastic and pin in between the lining and cover approximately one-fouth of the way from the raw edge, loop facing inward and the cut edges of the elastic along the raw edges of the fabric.

6.  Stitch along the top. Press seam open.

7.  Fold over on itself and sew along the edge.

8.  With RIGHT sides still together, sew along the bottom of the quilted edge.

9.  At the open end, turn inside out.

 10.  Press.

11.  At the open end, turn raw edge under about one-quarter inch.

12.  Press and line up turned under edges and sew together.

13.  Push the lining down into the cover and press the seam around the opening flat.

14.  Add a button and you're done!

My Mom's Better Than Your Mom

I'm not exaggerating when I say everyone loves my mom. Even people who don't personally know my mom, but have heard me tell stories, love my mom. In fact, if you don't love my mom, there's something wrong with you. That's how great she is.

At church, all the teenage girls called her "Mama Dee". I'm told that on a youth conference trip to BYU, she jumped on the beds with the girls. At girls camp, she took them snipe hunting, cow-tipping and to raid the kitchen late one night.  She held not only MY hair back and that of my sisters' when we were throwing up, but also the hair of our friends.

The first store-bought dress I really remember getting was when I was about 11 or 12. Up until then, she'd made all our dresses. And not because she had to, but because she wanted to do it. She made doll clothes, costumes, dresses for dances, prom dresses and even my wedding dress (and in less than 3 days too!)

She was always willing to let my sister and I have parties at our house. One year we taped a net to our high-pitched ceiling in the family room and filled it with balloons so that when 12 o'clock hit at our New Year's Eve party, we could pull the cord and have the balloons drop. Another time we had a summer party called "Club Soda" with a friend's band playing. She insisted on red and white checked tablecloths outside for our "club" feel and we always had lots of great food.

My friends learned that when we had to travel 30-45 minutes to the nearest mall, the first thing we had to do was eat something so we wouldn't be cranky. Nothing kills a shopping trip quicker than being hungry. After 20 some-odd years, I love that my two best friends from high school still remember this!

I started piano lessons at 9 years old and kept up with them until my senior year of high school. Mom always sat and listened to me play. Sure, sometimes she fell asleep, but she was right there, in a chair next to the piano. Sometimes I'd get on a roll and play until midnight. She introduced me to like Glen Miller, George Gershwin and Cole Porter.

Bottom line? My mom is awesome and on this Mother's Day I not only wanted to tell the world how much I love her, I also wanted to share some of the beautiful quilts she's made recently.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to do this, so we simply hung them on a line and snapped a pic. No fancy camera shooting, I just wanted to show them off.

And please note: all these quilts are hand-quilted by mom.

Mom's most recent finish is this adorable umbrella quilt.

The umbrella shoots are machine appliqued.

Polka-dot pinwheels.

 A bunch of groovy fabrics.

Mom's been trying to use up her stash. Here's a scrappy quilt with a bit of black and white stripe.

Paper-pieced 5-point star!

This one is made from a variety of striped fabrics, cut and sewn to make squares.

I love this quilt!

From the leftovers, she made this one.

Some of the same fabrics, different layout.

And this one from the same. I'm always telling her to buy more than she probably needs.

Black/white and hand-embroidered.

A bit of piecing and a bit of hand-applique.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!
I love you!

Love your daughter,
Leslie the Great

Past Obsession: Shard Art

Several years ago, my mom and I were obsessed with Shard Art. My mom had taken a class at a local antique business and we caught the bug. Big time. 

We looked through everything we owned to determine what we’d be willing to part with so we could break it. That was the best part of it. The breaking.

Some things were harder to break than others. For the more sturdy items such as tile or plates, we’d layer the item between two old towels and place it on a board (to protect the table) before hitting it with a hammer. I remember beating the heck out of a tile with a hammer trying to get it just the right size. It was a good way to get out any frustrations too.

Other items (teacups and figurines) were so fragile you had be careful not to pulverize them. Those we’d put in an old pillowcase and simply drop them on the floor or swing them against a doorframe. Teacups were tricky, because we wanted to keep the handles intact. Depending on what we were making, cup handles and little teapot lids were a special detail.

We found a lot of ‘treasures’ at a favorite thrift store that benefitted the blind. When the cashier would find out what were doing with the dishes we bought, she’d give us half off. “Oh, if you’re just going to break them, I’ll give you half off”. Hmmm… I always thought I should get half off only if I truly needed them and couldn’t afford anything else. Anyway, I once found almost a dozen green and white polka dot mugs there. They were really cute. I thought about actually using them to drink out of, but I couldn’t resist…

The birdhouse below is made from dishes that we used at our cabin in Lake Tahoe when I was a kid. I always loved them and they have sentimental value. I still get excited if I see them in a thrift or antique junk store. They were shipped to me and the soup tureen broke in transit. Heartbreaking at first, but then I used the broken pieces to make a couple of birdhouses for my sister and me. Now we have the memory of our cabin!

 SHARD ART How-To:

 Supplies:

•  Tile, ceramic plates, cups, figurines, etc.
• Small board
• Two old towels
• Hammer        
• Item to cover with tile
•  Silicone glue (clear)
• Container for grout
•  Container for water
• Old rubber spatula
• Sponge or baby wipes
• Table covering (vinyl cloth, newspapers, etc.)

Directions:

1. Layer your item between two old towels and place on a board on a sturdy surface. It WILL damage your table, so put a board under before breaking. Using a hammer, break your items into pieces of desired size.
2. Using silicone glue, arrange and adhere the pieces to the object you are covering. It’s almost as if you are putting together a puzzle. Sometimes you have to search for just the right piece to fill a gap. The closer together your shards are, the better. And don’t be gloppy with the glue. It doesn’t take a tremendous amount to work. [Be careful not to get glue on your hands. It doesn’t come off easily.]
3. Once the glue is dry (which does not take long) mix a small amount of grout in a container that you don’t want to use again. Have another container of water nearby with a sponge. Mix the grout so that it is thick, but spreadable.
4. Working in small areas at a time and using an old rubber spatula, generously spread the grout on your object. Use the spatula to push the grout down into the gaps. You want to keep pushing and smushing it down so that it gets underneath the pieces and gaps. This helps prevent against cracking. Don’t worry that the grout covers the shards, you’ll uncover them later.
5. As you continue grouting the entire piece, you’ll see the grout become crumbly as it dries out. As this happens, simply add more water to your mixture. Use a damp sponge to help smooth out and push the grout between the gaps.
6. When you are finished grouting, take a damp sponge and gently clean off the grout to expose the shards, rinsing the sponge clean as needed. Baby wipes also work well and are disposable. The shards don’t have to be perfectly clean the chalky white residue will come off easily after the grout sets.
7. When it looks clean, set it aside to dry. It’ll be dry overnight!