GooseyGirl had a sleepover

GooseyGirl just got her very own bedroom and to celebrate she decided to invite over some friends for a sleepover.  She asked me to buy some shaving cream for them to play with and I had no idea what they intended to do with it. My mother thought they would wind up throwing it at each other and had visions of the chandelier caked in dripping foam.

Instead, we put it on cookie trays and got out the food coloring.  A few drops of color and some toothpicks to run through the color puddles made for some fun, interesting color shapes.

Then we got out some paper and placed it on the shaving cream concoction. This transfered the colors and made for some beautiful creations.

Plus... they had a ball.

Sandy's Pick Up Sticks

Sandy is one of the most creative quilters I know. She designs her own quilts and they are always so graphically strong. I really love this funky, artsy quilt layout she's come up with using her new DIL's favorite color palatte.

Sandy wants the quilting on this to be custom so I need to stand and stare for a bit to get some ideas. Right now the dramatic lines remind me of pick up sticks. I'm toying with the idea of some spirograph designs scattered around the top. I'm tempted to put those spirograph designs kind of willy nilly without regard to blocks or piecing. I'm also tempted to use a strong color thread. Here are a few quilting motif choices that have that spirograph look. What do you think? 

Keep in mind the small hot pink inner border is a flange so I can't cross over that with a quilting line. I'm thinking of mimicing the pickup sticks in those same two hot colors randomly around the outside black border. I'd put black on black thread filler designs between the pickup sticks all around the outside.

Any other ideas anyone?

Karen's Frog Hop Quilt is on the APQS Millennium

Karen's adorable froggie quilt for her grand daughter is on the frame today.

First I had to break out all my bright, hot threads for this fun top. Here are the three I decided upon.

Karen always has clever ways of piecing her quilts and these little frogs are no exception. Can you see the 3D elements she added in the legs, knees and feet of her frogs?  Those flaps will be so much fun for her grand daughter to manipulate.

I also like how Karen embroidered the eyeballs on all those hoppin' toads! I've got some bugs I'll be quilting around the amphibians along with a water motif on the blue area. I'll post photos of the finished quilt ASAP.

Indiana University T-shirt quilt ready for auction!

Here are the two T-shirt quilts I made for the 100th biennial reunion of the Indiana University Union Board!  The shirts were all sent to me from various past directors. I seperated out the most recent shirts and made those into a smaller, lap sized quilt ready for snuggling on the couch.

The second, twin sized quilt is made from quilts that represent the general history of this wonderful student leadership organization which I was a part of for 2 years.

I left a white inner border on the quilts and during the big reunion this weekend, folks gathering from all over the country will be signing the border before the quilt is auctioned off.

I used a loopy design all over the quilt which adds to the whimsy of these great shirts. I am so proud of all Union Board of IU has accomplished over the years. They are a fantastic organization which provides outstanding leadership opportunities for IU students. I am honored to be able to support on of my favorite groups with these two quilts.

The live auction is this Saturday at the Union in Bloomington. I'll be there and I'm looking forward to seeing so many long lost friendly faces!

Habitat for Humanity T-shirt Quilt

I made this Tshirt quilt for my local Habitat for Humanity chapter.

I recently started volunteering for them after running into an old friend at my 20th High School reunion last year. My friend, Rob, dated my best friend in high school so we were always hanging out together.


He is a great guy who has always shown compassion and empathy for those around him. Needless to say, I wasn't surprised at all when I discovered he was the Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville.


Not long after the reunion I sent him an email asking him how I could help without using a hammer or nail. I am definitely NOT talented with hammers! He asked me to help out with the communications committee and shepard the social media presence of Habitat online.

I have had such a wonderful time with the committee. I have made friends and met some really talented, fabulous people! Tomorrow night is the big fund-raising event and I made this quilt for the auction. I'm really hoping it brings in some nice $$$ for Habitat! Cross your fingers!

If you would like me to make a quilt from your T-shirts, just give me a call! (Poke the 'call me' button over on the right column.) The price is $14/shirt and that includes everything. I just need the shirts freshly laundered WITHOUT fabric softer. These quilts are perfect Christmas and Graduation gifts! Each of the blocks is 15 inches so that should give you a good idea of the sizing.

If you are going to the Hammers, Hardhats, and Hope gala... HAVE FUN!!

Pat's Batik Strip Quilt

Pat is in my local guild and is a super sweet lady. She was working on this top at our retreat on her beautiful featherweight machine. I just adore batiks and if I could, that is all I'd ever piece with because they are so luscious.









She wanted something that stayed in the Asian flavor of the batiks and she wanted an all over, edge to edge treatment. We batted around some ideas and then I found this delicate, floral pantograph from TK Quilting. It is called Pretty Posies.

I love the way her quilt turned out. This quilting design really allowed Pat's piecing and her batiks to take center stage. The quilting was subdued and offered some nice texture but didn't over power the peicing.

I asked Pat what her plans were for this quilt. She said, "This one is for ME!" Good for her!











You might notice I couldn't get a very good wide shot of Pat's quilt. I normally use the entertainment center in the family room to hold up the quilts so I can get a photo. However, we are painting all the bedrooms right now and the house is a complete upside down wreck! It will all be back to normal soon but, for now, my wide shot photos are going to be a bit funky.

The sweet little APQS Lenni!

I'm on retreat this weekend but I thought you might like a peek at the APQS Lenni machine. It is a sweet little machine for the home hobbyist and comes on a 10 foot or 12 foot table.

I've got this machine on sale right now for $8,800 for a new 2009 Lenni with an 8 year warranty. If you've been looking at a Lenni you know this is one amazing price and it is only being offered through Sunday, Oct. 18 so call me ASAP if you want to lock it in. I've also got a factory certified 2008 pre-owned Lenni for only $8,000.



I've also got some super amazing deals on Millenniums. You can get a 2009 Millennium with Quilt Glide and an 8 year warranty for only $15,400. Plus, I'm offering a delicious additional offer just for my customers that makes this deal phenomenal! Give me a ring and I'll tell you more. I haven't seen a deal this good in a LONG time. Call Santa and tell him you've been good! Again, this special price is only good through Sunday, Oct. 18 so call me right away to lock in your machine.

For more info on the APQS machines visit QuiltedJoy.com Any machine can be held for you with a fully refundable $500 deposit. Just give me a call- poke on the "call me" button on the right hand column to reach Quilted Joy Studios!