A Whole Lotta Summer CQing and Sewing

Let me see, this past month has been a busy one for me - trying to get caught up on a bunch of different projects all the while having a fun summer seeing old friends and actually spending time at home for once.

I belong to a great Group called the Bakers Dozen. Each month a group of us have a specific project that we have to create using any technique we want. For the next 12 months we will all make a project, be it a mini quilt or whatever. Our first project was to represent the word "Freedom". These mini peices of art are not for swapping - once the projects are all done we are hoping to have them all shown in a Gallery.

Now, I could have gone the route of making up something that was patriotic in Red, White and Blue but ya'll know me by now.... I have to find a way to incorporate my pretty dyed laces. So... I decided to cut up one of my beautiful Victoria Secret bras and create "Freedom - Let the Girl Fly" - This little mini quilt measures 13x15 and is complete with "stuiffed bra". You can read the full story behind my creation at : Bakers Dozen Also, while you are there check out some of the other creations - simply awesome!

Notice the little pair of gold scissors? Yeeeehaw! Cutting them free!!!

Another fabulous group I'm in is called "The Twelve of Us" a fun group of talented ladies who love to sew. Each one of us picked a project for the next 12 months and have been matched up with a different person each month to make that particular months project. Our first project was to make a purse using yo yos. I made my purse for Amanda and had a blast - it was the first time I ever used these big grommets. I've been so afraid of trying to use them and was laughing at myself when I realized how easy they were to put in. You can see all the other beautiful purses at: The-twelve-of-us

So... now on to some Crazing Quilting. My new friend Susan (from Canada) and I started our friendship by swapping out her tatting for some of my dyed laces. We decided right away that we would love to do a 1 on 1 CQ block swap and picked a theme "All things that fly". Susan made her block and sent it to me for embellishing as I did mine to her ... of course you already KNOW what color my block was LOL. If you'd like to see her work on my block please check her blog out: Suztats I can't wait for it to arrive. BTW - her tatting is fabulous- she sent me some really cute seahorses that will appear in one of my next mermaid projects.

I dyed up tons of laces to match the color of her fabrics. Beaded, layered and stitched my way into a flower garden with bees, butterflies, birds and bumble bees.

A Group which is the brain child of Pat Winters is for the making of CQ Puzzle Pieces. Pat provides you with the Puzzle Pattern and you in turn make 4x4 little CQ pieces. I had a ball making these and received some gorgeous pieces back in the latest swap. Think I will have to get myself busy and make some more to swap as they were so much fun.

Ahhhhhh isn't she just adorable!!! One of the CQI RR's I'm in calls for a block to be CQ'd in Luscious Laces. I received Colleen's block and on it was a picture of her beautiful grand daughter Annebelle. Being the first to work on her block I was so excited I just had to give Annebelle a pretty little headband.... after all..... her Gramma is an old hippie LOL!

Next I wanted to create a little garden for her with a momma kitty and her baby. I found a couple of these wooden kitties at a dollar store - would you believe a $ for 6 ofg these?! My wonderful hubby drilled two small holes in them so I could sew them down by inserting a bead.

Of course the kitties had to have a pretty playground so I layered tons of dyed lace over a piece of lattice lace ... oh..... and check out the little bumble bees - my friend Carolyn taught me how to make them - aren't they adorable!

If you want to be a part of a Grrrrrrreat Crazy Quilting group click on the button on the right hand column of my blog -you can't miss it - CQI. You will love all the wonderufl ladies that come out to play and swap with you and above all ... you will learn so much!

I've ton more than I've been working on and need to be working on but I also had to take a break and get some more laces dyed. I've loaded up RavioleeDreams so please stop by for a peek at some CQ pretties. If you see something you like and want it in a different color range please let me know. Slowly but surely I will be loading up 100's more pieces in all colors and designs.

For those of you interested, I am heading back out to CA in a couple of weeks for another CQ Treasure Hunt: LA Fabric District - CQ Treasure Hunt - if you are interested in this awesome CQ Buy In, please contact me.

Sunday Morning Colors

Who doesn't love the colors of summer? Pretty flowers all dressed up in every shade of pink, purple, blue, yellow, whites etc. .... all just waiting to be picked. Before picking my morning bouquet of flowers, I took a walk around my gardens with my camera for some inspiration ... I was planning a day dying up laces (for RavioLee Dreams) and wanted to take a good look at what mother nature had on parade right in my own yard. No other words are needed... enjoy!

Pat Winters Summer Celebration Give Away!

Want a chance to win a fabulous Prize? Pat Winters, one of my all time favorite CQers, is celebrating the beginning of summer by having a fabulous a Give - Away! Check her beautiful Blog out while signing up for a chance to win a terrific prize. Pat Winters Gatherings

Mosaics... somewhat like Crazy Quilting?

After posting my mosaic crazy quilt cabinet in my last give-away, a few of you emailed me asking me about other pieces I have made. Here are a few pieces that I will be putting up in my Etsy shop RavioleeDreams sometime this week.

Before I was ever into Crazy Quilting I was addicted to creating mosaics. I would scour yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores for fun and different items that I could work my magic on. The hunt was so much fun - not to mention the thrill of finding a new piece of vintage china… something that was cracked, chipped or broken. I spent quite a few summers in my back yard mosaicing the day away getting things ready to sell at local Art & Craft Shows and Christmas Festivals. One of my most favorite pieces to make was this cute little bird house. Using pieces of vintage china and stained glass I laid it out like I would a crazy quilt foundation... blending colors. Then I embellished it with some broken pieces of vintage costume jewelry and a porcelain rose. Funny... I just noticed that the colors I choose to use in my mosaics are the same shabby chic colors I use when dying up my laces.


This picture frame was one I actually cried over. I mistakenly broke a plate that was part of my collectors series ... you should have heard me.... no... better you didn't LOL!

I added cute little polymer clay roses to this cute little frame to finish it off.

When I found that my attention shifted to crazy quilting, I almost forgot my mosaics… such a shame since I have a room full of china dishes and stained glass just waiting to be played with again. I got to thinking a while back how much Mosaics were much like Crazy Quilting. Little bits of broken china put together to create an unusual design and embellished with beads, vintage jewelry and sometimes other pieces of china findings.

This mirror is made using all cut stained glass and topped off with a cute little set of porcelain roses.

Another mirror is a mixture of stained glass and vintage china. In the corners are bits and pieces of costume jewelry, buttons and even an adorable little porcelain bench.

Finally, I couldn't resist trying to dress up this cute bird dish - just the perfect size to hold a plant, jewelry or pretty soaps. I brushed it with some metallic gold paint and using a mixture of broken china and stained glass , I also added a few little clay roses.

Last month I gave away a little mosaic cabinet which I made specifically for storing crazy quilt pretties. I have two more cabinets that are similar, some old sewing machine drawers and lots of frames so I've decided that maybe it’s time I get back to breaking up china and start playing with my mosaic work again. What led me to this decision? After the flood we had in our basement a couple months ago I have had to take a good look at all the “stuff” I have accumulated over the years in my studio. I’ve been gradually cleaning and tossing things out and need to rethink how I am going to set it up once all the major work has been done to revamp the basement. I took me a whole day just to remove the fabrics and china and I still have half the room to go! Enough is enough…. Yea right… wait until I head upstairs to my Crazy Quilt room or worse.... find another object of my desires at an antique shop or flea market! OMG! I need a few more hands!

Beautiful Lace & Bead Treasure

Last year I received a package in the mail from my best friend Bev. Bev had been helping her father clean out his house and was going through some items that had belonged to her mother (Barbara). Barbara passed away close to 20 years ago but to this day I can still hear her wonderful laugh and remember how she used to love to eat raw onions like they were apples.

Bev knows everything about me (maybe too much LOL!) - she knows I love the color blue, love lace and love anything beaded. Knowing that her mother would have loved for me to have these treasures, she decided to share them with me. I feel so lucky and so honored to own something that is so beautiful. One of the items she sent me was her mother's gorgeous blue chenille bedspread which I have on my bed right now. I thought I'd share with you a couple of the other treasures she sent me in hopes that maybe someone out there could tell me a little more about the dress. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The dress is very thin and light weight and very tiny - looks to be like a size 2 so it sure won't fit me. It is all hand embroidered lace and is incredibly beautiful. It looks as though it might have been a night gown for a wedding night. Along with the dress I received a beaded purse with this note tucked inside. It reads:

5/3/75 : "the black beaded bag and dress will be Barbara Payne when I am gone" and it is signed Beulah. Barbara was willed this by a close friend of hers before she passed away and it had been tucked inside a dresser for years.

Some close ups of the dress: Front center. Note that there is some staining and a few areas where the stitching is coming apart.

Left side of dress:

Right side of dress:

Close up of boy:

Top front of dress:

Back of Dress: The bottom portion of the front and back of the dress has a slit and is not ripped.

Bottom of back:

Bottom right side of dress: Looks like rust stain

This is the beaded purse that the note was found in: Gorgeous bead work

Check out the birds!

Close up:

Also inside the purse was this necklace and earrings set. We are not sure but think this set was Barbara's. Bev and I met when we lived in Seville, Spain 1965-1969 and this is the style of jewelry that the Spanish ladies would wear with their flamingo dresses. We think her mother might have purchased them - what a fabulous reminder for me of those wonderful years!

For right now I have everything stored in one of my dressers wrapped in a white sheet. If anyone can tell me how I should take care of the dress I'd be forever grateful. I had thought of hanging it up on my bedroom wall but because it is so thin I don't want it just hanging there. I'm not even sure how to go about cleaning it to preserve it.

Mermaid Crazy Quilt Purse - Love it!

Yea! I can finally post pictures of my most favorite CQ project. About 3 months ago I entered my very first contest - a CQ purse contest held by the CQI Group. With all the things I have created over the years, I have never entered anything into a contest so thought it was about time to at least try. I'm thrilled that I did - my Mermaid purse took 3rd place.... not bad for my first contest.

The idea to make a mermaid purses was easy - I love blue, love the ocean and anything that has to do with the sand and mermaids. I already had everything I needed to put the purse together - even the gorgeous blue/green velvet velor that I used to frame out the purse and the black bamboo handle. This purse was a labor of love - all 120+ hours! With every stitch and every bead sewn in place, I was excited to take the next one... even though my finger tips were bleeding at times - Ouch! Do you know how many times I poked myself with the needle?

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