Catching up on A Swap for All Seasons

Well...I've certainly fallen behind on blogging...I'm blaming it on making quilt tops & also on Instagram.  Early in March we finally got smart phones & the first thing I did was sign up on Instagram.  Good grief...I can spend hours in there.  If you want to check me out, I'm ohkittencreates.

 

Anyway...the first thing I'm going to catch up on here is the samplers I've sent & received in A Swap for All Seasons.  The one above is what I created & sent to Jan of Jan's Arty Junk.  Way back in March.  I told you I was behind here.  Jan lives in the UK & it was lots of fun to get to know her a bit through this swap. 

 

This lovely sampler is the one I received in March from Marti of Artful Curiosities. Marti lives in my very favorite place on earth...San Diego!  The sampler she created for me is lovely...so many different vintage laces & a sweet romantic photo.  I love it.  Thanks, Marti!

 

In April I made a sampler for Marti...and from reading her blog I found out she loves Paris.  So...I pulled out an image of the Eiffel Tower & used some Paris map fabric I found at Fat Quarter Shop.  Marti said she loves what I created for her...and it was fun to make. 

 

My April mailbox held this wonderful sampler from Jan.  I love the blue & yellow color combination & that kitty cat is so ME.  All the little vintage laces & buttons & those sweet yellow crocheted flowers are awesome.  This sampler makes me very happy.  Thanks, Jan!

 

In May I created this little green 1930s print sampler for my friend Bev of Country Frog Creations. 

Bev & I have been swapping for years & have become friends...even though she lives in Pittsburgh & insists on rooting for the Steelers.  I'll forgive her for that!  Bev loves green so I hand pieced & quilted this little quilt for her.  I'm loving these little quilts...might have to make myself a bunch of them one of these days.

 

In May I received this bright & beautiful sampler from Pam of Treasures-n-Textures.  I've swapped with Pam in the past, too...and asked her for some bright colors & she sure delivered.  The batik fabric background is beautiful & the vintage flowers in the bouquet are so special.  Love that crocheted lace at the bottom, too.  I love it all...thanks Pam!

 

Whew!!!  Thanks if you've stayed with me to the end...I feel better now that I've posted the little works of art from A Swap for All Seasons.  I've just mailed off my June sampler to Texas...so once my partner has received it & I've received my June swap, I'll update them here.  AND I'll try to keep up with each month as it goes along. 

 

Oh...one more distraction from my new phone...I get alerts from the Los Angeles TV stations when there's a police pursuit in progress...

This one was along the 15 going north from near where we lived in Corona to Ontario & beyond.  I guess it's a Southern CA thing...but you've gotta love a good police pursuit!!!  I can't resist watching.

 

So...that's what I've been up to...I'll have some quilt top in progress pix to share soon...and our little garden is growing nicely...you can see them all on Instagram...look for ohkittencreates.

 

Happy SUMMER!!!

 

 

February 2015 Banner Swap, Part 2

I was definitely thinking SPRING when I made my banner for Joy who lives just south of me here in OH.  She's had a very rough winter, too...so I put the ugly images of the dead, snowy Ohio landscape out of my mind & thought of better days ahead.  BTW...that UGLY snow is still out there, but melting...just like the Wicked Witch.

I loved how the blue fabric has little birds printed on it...very subtle, but there.  Those are from the Zoey Christine Charm pack by Eleanor Burns for Benartex.  It's quite different from the fabric I usually buy, but I'm glad I have it as it was perfect for this sampler.  The green at the bottom in the first pic is from another Eleanor Burns charm pack called Ellie Ann's Treasures.  The two charm packs coordinate wonderfully with many of the same prints in different color ways.

 

Joy said she likes bling, too...so I took some vintage flowers apart & sewed them on with a sparkly little crystal bead in the center.  MY collection of beads is a great resource for these little banners.  I love the green leaf trim, too...that's from my days doing ATCs & tags.  Just add some vintage lace & trim & everything comes together.  I did this one entirely by hand again...being just 4"x6" it's an easy hand sewing & quilting project.  Hand sewing really relaxes me.

 

I had this cute little bit of 1930s fabric with green flowers...I thought it worked for the back of the little quilt.  Those 1930s prints always make me smile.

 

So here's the little banner with some walnut dyed clothespins that I've added little wooden hearts to...I think they're the perfect touch if Joy wants to use them to hang her spring banner as part of a garland. 

 

I sent a few little goodies in Joy's package, too...but I didn't take pix of them.  We're not really supposed to add goodies, but I have so much to share that I couldn't resist.  It's always fun to get some goodies in the mail, no?

 

Now on to the March Swap at A Swap for All Seasons.  I mail to Jan in the UK this month...and I've already pulled out a bunch of fabric & lace & trims to inspire me.  This has to be one of my all time favorite swaps ever!  Go check out the swap blog for some great eye candy & inspiration from Linda, our swap hostess.  There's also a monthly giveaway that you can enter.  You don't have to be part of the swap to win, so check it out!

 

So here's my latest challenge.  We finally broke down & got smartphones this weekend.  So far I'm loving it but I still have a lot to learn.  This old dog is really working on learning these new tricks.

 

Have a wonderfully creative...and hopefully warmer week!

 

 

 

 



February 2015 Banner Swap

I'm sorry this post is so late...I've been down & out with some crud that Phil brought home from work earlier in the month.  The weeks after Valentine's Day were mostly spent trying to breathe & feel somewhat near human.  I'll do my best to catch up on the little bit of creativity from February now. 

The package above arrived early in the month from May in the UK.  I just LOVE the stamped images on the envie...so different from the ones I have.  I'm loving the Swap for All Seasons this year.

The best part was what was inside that lovely package.  This is the little banner I received from May...I absolutely LOVE it!!!  Since I love to sew, the dress form is so perfect for me...and the vintage style & trims & lace are fabulous.  It's up on my quilting inspiration board right now, so I see it every time I'm in my studio.  Thanks, May!

 

Even the back of this piece is adorable...look at that tiny pink safety pin holding on her name so I always remember who created this wonderful piece just for me.  I wouldn't be able to forget anyway!

 

Gracie had to inspect it as soon as I opened it...of course.  May, you'll be happy to know that Gracie approves of your wonderful artwork.  It's kitty approved.

 

This is what everything looked like wrapped up...what a fabulous idea to use doilies to wrap the little banner.  In addition to the goodies above, May included lots of UK postage stamps for me to use in my journals & other artwork.  Yummy tea for these cold winter days & nights, too.  Awesome.

 

These are the doilies that were wrapped around my banner.  I need to do something special with them for sure. 

 

Look at the color & detail on this one.  I think it's calling out to be a pillow top.

 

Finally, this is the piece of fabric May sent my way.  It's beautiful...I still haven't decided what to do with it...maybe it will be the cover for a fantasy travel journal.  I'd love to get to the UK one day...and at least I can go there in my dreams. 

 

Well...this post is long enough.  In a few days I'll be back to share the little banner I made for Joy, my swap partner for February.  Luckily I had her banner done before the crud hit me. 

 

Take care & be creative...March has come in like a lion here...I'm hoping it will become a lamb really soon...this snow & cold stuff was old months ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Little Too Big

Along with the 1930s fabric pieces that I ordered from MaryB'sRepros&More  I ordered some of her precut 1.5" squares in 1930s prints.  Since my partner for the February Banner Swap loves pastels & blues, I thought I'd make her a little 4"x6" patchwork quilt.  Well, the squares DO measure 1.5"x1.5" but apparently my hand sewn seams were not quite 1/4" because this little beauty measures almost 5"x7"...so it's way too big for this swap.  I'll just keep this one & I'm already well on my way to another banner for this month.

 

The back of this little quilt is one of the 1930s prints from my last post.  It's one I got last year from Joyofquilting1.  Then I just folded over the edges on the front & did a little self binding to finish it off.  It was lots of fun to do...and I guess if I do this again, I'll do one that is 3x5 squares then add borders to make it a good 4"x6".  I still like this little quilt...even f it is too big.

 

I'm linking up to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching...be sure to visit there for lots of eye candy & inspiration.  There's always something wonderful to discover there.

January Fabric Banner Swap

Today's mail brought my mini banner from my partner Joy, who also lives in Ohio...not far from me actually.  She knows that winter is not a favorite of mine, so she went with a lovely pink theme for my banner.  I love it!  The little crocheted doily is so cute & the lace flower is the perfect reminder that spring is getting closer to us each day.  Joy added touches of embroidery & some pretty pink beads, too...as well as some of the pink ribbon I sent to her in a swap last year. 

 

You can see the details here.  I love hand stitching & the bits of embroidery & embellishment here are so sweet. 

 

Even the back of her little banner says spring to me...I can hardly wait until we'll have flowers & greenery outside instead of the dead looking trees & snow we have now. 

 

I'm lucky to be able to mail to Joy for our February swap...I'm already pulling out fabric & trims to inspire me.  You can read about our swap here at A Swap for All Seasons. 

 

Thanks so much Joy...you made my day so much brighter!!!

 

 

I can share this now...

I'm a member of a wonderful year long swap hosted by Linda at A Swap for All Seasons.  The swap is for 4" x 6" fabric banners...no glue allowed...all stitched together.  My kind of swap for sure.  Each month we will get one partner to send to & we'll receive a banner from a different partner.  For January I was lucky enough to send to Patty in Oz...she lives in Kansas & while I was tempted to do something with the Wizard of Oz...I decided that since the January banner would arrive late January or early February...I'd go with hearts & flowers. 

 

When I create just about anything, I pull out things from my stash that I think would work...then I have to have them laying around for awhile to see what inspires me the most.  Once I found this heart applique that's probably from the 1960s or 1970s...I knew I had found the focal point for this banner.  I hand stitched the applique to a piece of some 1970s era quilted fabric with the sweet Valentine's motif.  All the ribbon & lace & other trim I used was from my stash.  I need to confess...I have way over the legal limit of Valentine's fabric.  I didn't realize how much I had until I started pulling it out.  Oh well...fabric doesn't eat anything...so it can stick around.

 

I added that cute little rose applique to the heart....and sewed on some faux pearls & crystal beads for some texture & sparkle.  I love little details like that.

 

Of course, the back of the banner needed some love, too.  I made a little label so Patty would remember who created her banner...and you can't really see it here, but the heart charm says "Hand Made With Love".  I have enough of those to use throughout the year.

 

When Linda invited me to be part of this swap I knew it would be fun...and a bit of a challenge since 4" x 6" is pretty small.  So far I'm loving it...and we already have our partners for February...and I've pulled out another pile of fabric & trims for that one.  I'll post again after I receive my January banner...it won't be long now.  Be sure to visit Patty's blog to see the beautiful pix she took of her banner...I'm thrilled she liked it.