Zipped lined pouches!

I've been wanting to make these forever, and then finally, Elena Maria rummaged through my fabric stash and chose these. The stripes and dots in oranges and pinks were the first ones made. The pink and white dots and stripes pouch I made for Beth. Those are her hands holding them. So cutie! I love mine. I'm using it to hold my camera. And the stripes on mine match perfectly! I'm making these for Christmas for all my sisters and neices. I might even buy some oilcloth to make some of the pouches waterproof! Isn't this so much fun?

Caprese anyone?

Michael and I love love love a caprese salad, but when you put it on a piece of baguette bread and serve it up in a beautiful Italian platter, well then! It's yummy. We love it. We even sometimes will take a picture of it. That's usually me, not him. Want to come over for dinner?

Waimanalo Down Dirty Shame

My nephew Matthew, I like to call him, "Matty." But I'm the only one. Everyone else calls him, Matthew or Mattoe, or Boy. I made him a hankerchief quilt, a little newborn size security blanket. It was meant to be the prelude to his baby quilt. Well, as you might have already surmised from my previous endeavors, things aren't always done in the timely fashion you might imagine. So, I fell in love with the way this pattern could change once you started playing with it. It's really just a small square cut in half on the diagonal. But once you start piecing it, it turns into something else. The swirly nature made me think of water and flowers and how water changes color with depth, undergrowth and light. So I started cutting. I cut so much I decided to make it a queen size quilt for Keani. It's all aloha fabrics and I love it! I love it so much, and I had cut so much for it, that I have enough for one for me too! Her's will be called "Waimanalo down dirty shame", mine's going to be called, "Waimanalo down dirty shame coda."

Cork Colors or is it really just Fairview?

Red and White are the colors of Cork. They are also the colors of Fairview High School! When I say, "Red" you say, "White". "Red." "White." "Red." "White." When I say...oh, for goodness sakes. What? It's a quilt, from so many years ago. Jaye Lapachet thinks it's hers. She likes it. We joke it's hers. But it's mine.

It's a pattern from a quilting class I took on the use of color. I can't remember the woman, but it was at a quilting retreat. Yeah, like you didn't already know what kind of nerd I am. Of course I've been to quilting retreats! And it wasn't even the first one I've been to! Hello! Do you even know me?

I'm thinking of naming this one, "What's Red got to do with it?".

oh Mikimoto you're so fine you're so fine you blow my mind hey Miki!

This is another String of Pearls pattern, but with Japanese inspired fall patterned fabrics. It's a big square that was originally pieced for my Mom-in-law, but I think it's way too Japanesey for her. She's an elderly Irish woman who lives on a farm in a beautiful coastal place way down in the southern most part of Ireland, down near the fingers. It's a tiny village, yes, I said, "village." It's not even a town. The closest town is a good twenty or thirty minutes away. But my husband's home place is beautiful. It's just stunning, and it's hard to describe how comforting the windy roads are when you're traveling to their home. But I digress. It's a quilt that is really well done for me. It's surprising, and I'm going to add a big border around it to make it a queen size quilt. I'm thinking something like a solid chocolate brown, maybe in a silk shantung, or dupioni. Won't that be so elegant and fabulous? Oh, I'm loving it just thinking about it.

Siska's Pearls

All the fabrics used here are 100% cotton, and are 1930's reproductions. I started this quilt when Francisca, my sweet little neice was maybe six? I collected the fabrics, but I didn't actually start cutting and sewing until she was maybe nine or ten? And by then, she wasn't into pink. See, what I get for being so slow? So, now, it's too babyish maybe for her, and also kind of small. It's nowhere near a queen size. It's still pretty, feminine and young, but the bottom border of squares was pieced years after the rest of the quilt and now it's so jacked up it won't match! Arg! Why am I such a crappy sewer?

So anyhow, the pattern is from a woman I took a class from and she calls it String of Pearls. I've named mine "Siska's Pearls". It may end up with her, or someone else. But the name will stay. I like naming quilts. It's kind of fun.

Stack of Aloha Squares

This is a quilt top that was made from a stack of fabric squares that Joey and Lynn gave me when they were married and living in Hawaii. I think it might have even been Jose Vicente that suggested it as something to give me. That's how long it's been. I did put them together, and now it's way too long. It would fit a twin and hang way way over, but I think I'll trim it and add a border on both sides. My sense is that all my quilts should be about queen size now. It's the most practical, and I would like them to be used.

This quilt has a really masculine feel to it, but there are squares with neon colors like pink and turquoise that make it pop. Also the fabrics are funky fabulous. They're all different. Some are 100% cotton, some are poly-cotton, some just poly no cotton. So it would be good to give to someone very tactile, because as you touch it, the hand of the fabric changes.

To be completely honest. I have no idea who's quilt this is. Maybe after I choose the border and backing it will become more clear. It should be a boy though, or a girl who isn't particularly girly. I love it. Don't you?