Happy 4th!

Finally some time to get caught up! I've been busy sewing, just not blogging. Here are some recent projects.

Welcome 2012

I start the year with a trivia quilt. Red, white, and blue fabrics were cut and fussy cut to hide the answers to American history questions. It will be auctioned off in March to benefit an educational foundation.

Where did the time go?

I missed January. I missed February. Hello March.

Surprise!

A special Christmas present for Eunzoo. I have never met her, but her daughter says she is a survivor. She has just beaten back breast cancer for the second time. I had fun with the ferns on the border. She has no idea this is coming her way. Can't wait to hear about her reaction.

Rain, Rain, Stay

Rusty here making a post for mom. She is upstairs making another quilt. When it rains around here, it really rains. The only good thing is that the neighbor's slobber hounds are in the house and not barking. Mom is keeping her eye on a big ol'pine tree on the slope. It seems to be leaning towards our house. The power men have parked all the trucks in front of our house, ready to go help cats all over town. We feel safe with them here. Yesterday we baked them cookies. Two more days of the heat up high, quilts for me to sleep on all over the house (I pretended to be really cold), and mommy stuck at home. I think I like rain.

Outside the Box Thanks to Tonya

I made this quilt from students drawings and added our town name. I sat at the sewing machine with my lap top at Tonya's website. I was super proud of this, especially the tilde over the 'n'. Congratulations Tonya! Can't wait to get the book.

Yankees Quilt for Lisa

After I had started this quilt for Lisa, her friend, my sister-in-law Patty, said, "How about a Yankees' quilt!" Well, this is about as far from Yankees as it gets. I hope it brings a hug from California to Lisa. And who knows, maybe the Yankees would consider new uniforms in turquoise and hot pink. The quilt was made with a layer cake.

Becca is Having a Baby

Becca teaches third grade and is the cutest little pregnant woman ever. I looked like the side of a barn. Her shower is tomorrow. I hope she likes this yummy fabric from Bunny Hill.

Halloween Haunt

This was my 12th Halloween Haunt; my school's biggest fundraiser. In lieu of a child's quilt, I tapped into our local love of all things USC and UCLA. The result was two table runners and baskets made by Longaberger. They both did really well at the auction.

All Grown Up

One of my favorite students of all time, Christopher, went off to college this fall. He will be studying marine biology. I surprised him with a quilt for his dorm room. I used 10 or so ocean prints and quilted it with ocean waves.

Surfin' Baby

This surfin" baby will be living in Alaska. I thought a little California sunshine in a quilt just might brighten up a very cold winter. It was made on a 5" grid. Charm squares and half charms alternated with 2.5" and 5" strips of Kona cotton. I may never do the channel quilting again. It took forever and shifted the quilt left to right more than I expected. The result, however, was a very soft hand.

Baby #2

Jenn will be having a little boy this fall. She lives in Alaska and her shower will be in Southern Cal this weekend. I made her a boy friendly diaper bag with travel themed burpies. There is a quilt too! I love this one. The colors are so much fun.

One, two, three babies on the way!

Katie, Caroline, and Jenn, are all due with babies in the fall. With three baby showers on the horizon, I decided to get busy and make diaper bags, matching burpies, and quilts. The first bag is for Katie. She is having a girl. Jenn's baby boy bag is up next.

Sweet Dreams

One of my students had us over for dinner. She made the entire meal herself. I was so proud of her! As a little thank you, I made the sisters sweet pillowcases.

Shannon's Baby

Shannon works at our school as a PE and recess aide. She always has a smile on her face and speaks in soft tones. The kids LOVE her. Mrs. Shannon, as she is known, is now having a baby of her own. We will miss her at LCE. She was mum about the baby's gender so I went old school with the 1930's fabric and some hankies.

Bon Appetit Bob and Roz

I made these place mats for my jet setting friends Bob and Roz. Captain Bob is a pilot with Quantas and literally is a jet setter! We love the opportunity to spend time with him and his beautiful wife Roz. Back home in Australia, they own a winery, hence the wine theme fabric.

Happy July!

School's out and I'm loving it! I adore the kids, love my job, but let's face it, having the summer off is pretty wonderful. I have been sewing every day and even managed to dust the family room yesterday and clean the kitchen. Today I am off to deliver some fabric tubs to a friend and surprise my Angel Kathy with a 4th of July table runner. It is nothing fancy, but will add a bit of color to her table.

Happy Day and Helping Paws

Just trying to get some work finished and Rusty had other ideas. Thanks kitty.
We celebrated Carly's graduation and met her lovely family.

Helping Hands Festival for Haiti and Chile

I had the best day today. One of Girl Scout troops held a fundraiser to help the earthquake victims Haiti and Chile. This same group held their first festival after Hurricane Katrina. I am so proud of these girls. They made gift items for sale, had music, a magician, a garage sale, games, and craft booths. The fire department came with the big hook and ladder truck. Even Miss La Canada made an appearance. I made a quilt and it sold right away. I love hanging out with 2nd graders, but watching them grow up is pretty cool too.

Isn't She Lovely?

We met Carly today. Billy never stopped smiling. She is smart, funny, talented, lovely, and she makes my son happy. We heart Carly.