Show & Tell ~ Lisa's Large Quilt

Hi friend!
So glad you stopped by. 

Today it's Show & Tell here at Miss Maribel's Place. Yay!

The large quilt I've been working on is finally done!

To read about the Show & Tell post for the small quilt I made click HERE. And click HERE to read the post about the extra little surprise I made.

Anyways, this large quilt ended up measuring 74" x 63". That's pretty big for my Singer sewing machine. I think it's about as big as my $99.00 machine from WalMart can handle. Yay for Singer machines!

So are you ready for the big reveal??

OK

And here

it

is.......


Taaa Daaaaa!

I wanted to somehow keep the individuality of each of the six baby blankets, so each block consists of two front and two back squares from the same baby blanket. I used dark and light denim to frame each block. The small squares match the back and binding.

And then.....


When I realized there was going to be a lot of squares and scraps leftover, I decided to incorporate a few quilt blocks onto the back. Another little surprise for my cuz Lisa.


Who says only the front of the quilt should be pretty?!

For the center design, I made six large blocks. For each block I  used a strip of the front and the back from each baby blanket. Framed them in the dark denim. Added a row of light denim rectangles and one square from each of the blankies. Then finished it all with one more row of dark denim to frame it all in.

Being that there's a pretty pattern on each side, the quilt is now reversible. Kinda like two quilts for the price of one.  

Lovin' it!

Thankfully, Lisa wasn't too concerned about a time frame for completing the quilts. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. I admit that I did do a few other sewing and quilting projects in between working on her two quilts and the pillow.

I've found if it's a really work intensive project I need to take a break or I get burnt out. Gotta keep the creative juices fresh and flowing. 

There were a lot of hours put into making these things for Lisa, but I put a lot of love in each one, too.

And that's the important thing - the love.

I'm not talking about just from me creating these quilts. But, also the love Lisa has for her sweet daughter to have kept her blankies for all these years and then have such a neat way to renew and reuse them. I'm thinking one day Kennedy will use the small blanket for her own babies. Wrap them in some love that's been passed down from her momma.

I truly hope my wonderful cousin and her sweet daughter enjoy what I've made and that these will be quilts that are passed down in their family for years to come.

How many years does it take before it's considered an heirloom I wonder?

Now, to get it all packed and shipped out to my cuz.

Quilting Scraps That Never End

Hi friend!

Ever sing - The song that never ends? 
You know the one - it goes on and on my friends.
And it's all because - someone started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because it's .........

Fun song until it sticks in your head for the next two days.
Oh sorry! Are you singing it now? Oops!

Well, I'm afraid I may just start singing my own version of that song.

It all started 
with a box full 
of baby blankets. 











We're talking just seven small receiving blankets - like 36" x 32".
The plan was to cut them up and make them into two quilts for my cousin Lisa.

As of now, I've completed one small quilt that is 36" x 35". I shared about it in my Whaa laaa! It's Magic! post.

Plus, I'm in the process of completing the second, larger quilt that should be about 70" x 80" when it's finished.

I'll do a Show & Tell post about that when it's finally done.

It seems that the box of leftover quilt squares and scrap pieces will never be empty. Who knew you could get so much fabric from just seven little blankies?!

Here's what I have left to play with - 
about half a box of scraps.
I swear they're multiplying! 








Sing with me -
The scraps that never end,
they go on and on my friends.
Someone started sewing them not knowing what it was,
and they'll continue quilting them forever just because it's .......

Sooooo...
I've made a little extra something to coordinate with the two quilts.

Sure hope my cousin and her daughter like it.

Thought I'd reveal it to them right here and now.
And of course that means I'm sharing it with you, too.

So cuz Lisa and sweet Kennedy......

*

*

*


SURPRISE!!

*

*

*

and Whaa laaa!

                                                                 

I hope you guys like it!  

It has one square of each front & back from all six blankets.
The corners and middle are from the solid yellow.
The flowered edging matches the backing on the small quilt I made.
The back is solid denim. 

I was just gonna have a "W" embroidered, but than decided to have Kennedy's initials put on it.

So, a few final thoughts here.....
 ~ if you'd like, I can make another pillow with just the "W"
 ~ Kennedy will now need to marry someone with his name starting with a "W"  {just kidding}
 ~ being that I still have some scraps left  - how about a Christmas tree skirt? table runner? teddy bear? ........ I guess the ideas are endless, too.

Whaa laaa! It's Magic!

Hey there friend!

For a while now I've been having a ton of  fun quilting. I've made rag quilts, baby quilts, big quilts, and lap quilts in all kinds of colors and designs. Some were for family, a few I made and donated to adoption fundraisers and once or twice now I've sold them for a small profit.

Today, I'd like to share with you about two special quilts I'm making for my cousin. Thought I'd share a couple of pictures I've taken of the process as well.

Anyways, quite a while ago I got a Facebook message asking me if I could make a quilt for her. She had a wonderful idea of having a quilt made from her daughter's baby blankets. Of course I said, "Yes!".

Once she found where she had stored the baby blankets (her daughter is now a beautiful and sweet teenager), she packed them up and mailed them to me to {in her words} "do my magic".

Whoa! The pressure is on.

No pressure from her. She is very laid back about the whole thing. Says she wouldn't know where to start to figure out a pattern and design. That's ok since I love that part as much as the quilting. And as far as a time frame - she says, "no worries".

But for me? Well, yea, there's a bit of pressure. I mean the first step is to cut these blankets into pieces. Chop up the very blankets that kept her baby girl, her first born, all snugly warm and comfy.

Plus, she would like to see if there would be enough fabric from the blankets to make not one quilt, but two. One "as large as I can make" and one "baby" size.

I think that's a great idea! I truly do. However, there's not much room for error when I measure out and begin cutting for the first one or there won't be enough left for the other. It's not like I can go to a fabric store to get more of the fabric if I happen to measure incorrectly. Yikes!


When I received the box and peeked inside I saw seven receiving blankets.

One blanket was pale yellow with an applique of a bird and bird house in one corner. The other six colorful blankets had a different pattern on each side. Each side's color scheme coordinated perfectly with the other side.

After a little testing I found that the two sides would come apart nicely once I removed the binding along the edges. It would be easy to turn six blankets into twelve pieces of fabric to work with. Whaa laaa!

However, now I had to figure out a way to coordinate all the different colors and patterns together into the new quilts. There were blues, pinks, purple, peach, red and yellow.

There was also at least one or two (ok maybe three) nervous messages back and forth on Facebook with my cuz.

Was she sure?

Can I add other fabrics?
What kind of fabric?
Solid or patterned?

What about the back of the quilt?
Solid or patterned?
What color?

She sweetly told me again to just do my magic. She's a southern gal and was probably really thinking, "Well, just bless her heart."

Once I got all that nonsense out of the way and after a deep breath, it was time to start trimming off the bindings and separating fronts from backs.


And now there are 14 rectangles of fabric and all those loose cut off bindings.

Whew! There's no turning back now.

A bit more measuring and then ironing on some stabilizer stuff to the back of each piece. Don't want the squares to be all wonky and uneven.

And let the cutting of squares begin!


Squares, rectangles and more squares.

Now time to actually start piecing and sewing and quilting.  Oh my!


For the baby blanket size -

I used one each of the twelve different patterns for the center making four blocks. I then framed that with some dark blue denim. Added  a border of the pale yellow around that. Next, I added another frame of small squares of each pattern with light blue denim in the corners.

I appliqued the birdie to one corner. And finished the whole thing off with a wide strip of dark blue denim.

For the backing I used a soft cotton in (what I'd call) a very light tea stained color. It has a light and airy design of tiny flowers and vines.

I turned over the denim from the front to make a border on the back.

And that's it!  Whaa laaa!!!

I did it! And I had a blast. It was a joy to make this for my cousin.

From the planning and measuring - to the trimming and cutting - to the sewing together the blocks and rows. Then finally quilting it all together. It's creatively fun stuff.

I love when I finish a quilt and see how pretty it is. Yet I usually feel kinda sorry it's done. Like finishing a really good book and not wanting the story to end.

But, it's ok because I still have lots of work to do on the big quilt. I already have everything planned, measured and cut. Even have a few rows pieced and sewn together. Yay!

All I'm gonna share for now is that it's gonna be similar, but different from the baby quilt. Ha!

That tells you a lot, doesn't it?

OK, so it'll have a different design using the same twelve patterns from the six quilts. The backing will be different, but similar.

Will there be denim? Well, ....... ummm ...... maybe. *wink*

Guess you'll have to wait for the pictures when it's all done and I've worked my magic once again.

Mother's Day ~ 2012

Happy Mother's Day 2012!

For Mother's Day  2011, I had shared about two Ugly Words - widow and orphan. It was a hard time and I was just keeping it real.  This year some things are the same and a few have changed. And I'm still gonna share what's on my heart.

It's never my intention to make you feel uncomfortable. Nevertheless, some things in life are hard, sad and wrong. They are the things we'd all like to ignore. Sometimes, the ugliness of it all makes us want to turn our head and close our eyes. And friend, I'm sorry, but sometimes we need to face it and make a difference.

Not quite the Mother's Day post you expected? Sorry about that. Please keep reading and you'll see where I'm going with this.

So, let's go back to those two ugly words from 2011......

Widow ~
Last year I was still in shock after my dad died. It broke my heart to think of my mom as a "widow". This year I don't really think about my mom being a widow. She's my wonderful mom. She's kind and giving. She loves to help and encourage. Yes, she misses my dad terribly, but she's a strong woman of faith. She knows dad is healthy and happy. She knows she'll see him again one day. 

Orphan~
Last year it made me so very sad to think of Maribel being in an orphanage and facing transfer to an institution. This year sweet Miss Maribel is home with her biological mom. So for her, the ugly word "orphan" no longer applies. I imagine her getting kisses, cuddles and hugs. I like to think she has sweet dreams each night after hearing a bed time story. I pray she is happy, healthy and adjusting quickly to her new home.

Thankfully this year the word widow doesn't have such a sting to it.

But orphan?  It will always be an ugly word.

*     1 ugly word
* 147 million orphans in the world
* ???? tears of loneliness
* ????? deaths from neglect

Hard numbers to consider? Yea, I know.
And we have a choice:  close our eyes?  or make a difference?
I vote for make a difference.

How?
Well, there are quite a number of ways.
But, today, I'm gonna suggest that we each help by donating to an orphan's adoption grant.

Because tomorrow is Mother's Day and every child deserves to have a mommy.

Would you do me a favor? Please consider giving something to one of the families at Reece's Rainbow. 

I've linked up to a few of my favorite adoption blogs. All you need to do is click on the child's name and it will bring you to that little one's forever family. Each blog has a donation button of some sort to make it easy to donate. Some families are having virtual fundraisers and giveaways. Oh these parents are so creative in the ways they come up with to raise the funds to bring their sweet son or daughter home.


Evie ~  Ashley & Seth had committed to bring home Maribel and make her part of their sweet family. They than decided to adopt a second little girl named Evie. Even though Maribel has been taken back by her biological mommy they still plan on bringing home Evie and one other sweet one.

Vitaliy ~ I fell in love with this little guy during Reece's Rainbow's annual Christmas tree fundraiser. Isn't he just the sweetest little man you've ever seen? Aaron & Jenny are very busy filling out their paperwork, praying and raising the money to bring this little guy home ASAP.

Lyla ~ What a story this little one has. She's had some heart problems which could have prevented her from being adopted. There was a wonderful  family that was going to adopt her, but then found out they couldn't. God quickly found another family,  Dave & Summer, who have committed to bring her home and be her forever family. What a precious family and an amazing story they've shared on their blog of finding this sweet little one.

Ian ~ This little dude lives in the Bad Place. Really. It's BAD. Please read Jennifer & Jon's story. I can't begin to explain the conditions their son is in. They are courageous in their fight for change and to bring him home.

Kory ~  After bringing home two little guys in 2011, Lindy & Guy are going back to bring this sweetheart home, too. They are just $3000 short and are planning a fundraiser via their blog in the near future.


Evie, Vitaliy, Lyla, Ian and Kory. This Mother's Day they are called orphans. By next year, on Mother's Day, they will give their mommy flowers. They will get hugs and kisses. And that's just the way it should be.


 "External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world." James 1:27 (Amplified)

Hey! Did You See The Rainbow?

I love rainbows! And a double rainbow just makes my heart dance.

I guess I get this from my mom. In fact, since we live only a few miles from each other, more than once we've called each other to say, "Quick! Go look outside and see the beautiful rainbow! It's over to the east."

When it's raining and the sun starts to peek out (which happens pretty often here in the Sunshine State) I start scanning the sky for a rainbow.

Rainbows amaze me as they hang shimmering in the sky. So pretty!
It takes a little bit of dark clouds, a bunch of raindrops, some sunshine....
and wha-lah!  ....
all those colors lined up to form a bow in the sky!

It also amazes me how many people just don't see it.
They never look up.
They don't venture outside.
They keep driving. {Well, ok, when driving it's good to keep eyes on the road.}

Maybe they just don't care.


Well, today, I was looking at a different rainbow and it's gotten me thinking........

You see friend, I was watching a video at Reece's Rainbow.

I love looking at the beautiful "rainbow" of children featured there. Wanna know what gets my heart dancing? Seeing that another sweet one's "forever family" has found them. Love the "My Family Found Me" page.

So, how about you think of this post as me calling you and saying, "Quick! Go look on Reece's Rainbow and see the beautiful ministry video they have there. It's on the right side of the homepage."

Please, look up .... look up www.reecesrainbow.org
Please do venture outside .... outside of your comfort zone.
Please don't keep "driving" ..... put it in "park" and check it out.

You do care, don't you? Yea, I know you do.

So could you pray for these little ones? Share on Facebook? Send a donation to Reece's Rainbow or a family's adoption fund? Or maybe even consider rescuing one of these precious little ones and give them a family.

My heart would just about be doing cartwheels if I saw you on the MFFM page!!

Ugly Words

Hey friend, thanks for stopping by. Tomorrow is Mother's Day and my goal was to get a new post up before it arrived. I had also wanted to have pictures of one or two of the items I'm going to be making to sell when I start my Etsy shop.

Life threw me a giant curve however, when on April 16th my daddy, unexpectedly, passed away in his sleep. My focus, emotions and world changed once again. 

Three weeks later we're doing ok and adjusting to life without my daddy being here. We know he's in heaven. We know we'll see him again. We know he's no longer in pain and can see. In fact, he's the first one of us to be greeted by my Kyle as he entered heaven's gates.


So, anyways, as part of the adjusting and it being the day before Mother's Day here's why I'm writing about "ugly words":

.... My Mom is an amazing woman. Her faith is strong and her resolve to adjust to life as a widow is just as strong.  Widow - that word has taken on a whole different sound to me. I hate saying it now. It's not a nice word to say when speaking of my mom. It means she's alone without my dad.

.... Miss Maribel is a little girl who is an orphan. She doesn't have a mommy to give flowers to tomorrow. Orphan - I have begun to really not like that word. It means more than not having parents. It means no cuddles or tickles or kisses. No mommy to read a bedtime story to her. It means she is alone without a mommy.


Both of these ugly words make me sad.
And yet there's not much I can do about it.... or is there?
Honestly, I'm trying to figure that out.

So, for now, I'm thinking the only things I can do
are pray and help in small ways with great love.
{so glad I picked that quote to be part of this blog}
OK - so that is like the third post in a row that I've referenced that quote. Silly me. I promise I won't do it again.
{at least not any time soon}


Mom - I love you bunches! You are not alone.... you've got me. 
 I'm praying for you every day.
Maribel - I love you sweetie! You are not alone.... Jesus is by your side.
 I'm praying that by next Mother's Day you'll have a mommy to give
 flowers to.