I have 11 art quilts in various stages of completion on my desk. I work better in larger quantities. The repetition of mass production is soothing. It allows me to dream up new ideas or just engross myself in Vampire Diaries on Netflix.

These are sneak peeks of what’s captivating my attention. It was supposed to be just 7 quilts but a few ideas snuck in and had to be started.

These aren’t the quilts with deadlines that I ‘should’ be working on, but they are allowing me to stew about what’s next while having fun in my studio.

My quilt guild creates quilts for teddy bears and other stuffed animals for various charities. I was given the 4 stuffed animals and used various scraps to create their quilts.

A teddy and a chance to play with 1/2 square triangles – I typically avoid triangles but I’m trying to practice using them more.

I couldn’t resist writing bunny phrased for the little yellow rabbit.

The bear with the tie reminds me of a dad so I added the name of one of my favorite book when I was a kid and a little picture of a boy with his play car.

I had a few extra 1/2 square triangles and randomly started piecing extra fabrics to create a quilt for the teddy whose feet say ‘hug me.’

These quilts are fun to make and allow me to try techniques on a small scale and the kids who receive them don’t mind if everything doesn’t quite line up.

She let love grow – detail

I have Valentine’s Day on my brain – I keep sewing, doodling and fashioning hearts.

She let love grow (9”x12”)

I decided to stitch up two little ladies who love love from various scraps on background fabric I dyed for my wedding in 2005 (rather fitting for valentine’s quilts)

She celebrated love’s gifts (9”x12”)

I am quite smitten with the red head and her heart garland and I love the curly long hair and ‘hello love’ on the other girl.

She celebrated love’s gifts – details

A few favorites from this time of year – there are Sweethearts candies everywhere and it’s the perfect time to enjoy the tiny box of salted caramels in milk chocolate that I received with my veggie delivery this week.

Preparation for quilt bingo to be played at Anchorage Modern Quilt Guild meeting tonight

art quilt background from scraps

detail of background on art quilt in progress

Swoon baby quilt – blue/green (34” x 34”)

In a quest to complete UFOs and avoid creating new UFOs, I couldn’t leave my test blocks sitting around. I added more fabric and turned them into quilts to welcome new babies.

Swoon baby quilt – purple/pink (34” x 34”)

On the blue/green one I quilted in concentric squares and on the purple/pink one I followed the shape of the star. I like the concentric squares better – as I relax more as go round and round.

On both quilts I added some free motion stitching – hearts and ‘hello’.

I kept seeing Swoon blocks in various blogs – I loved the size of the block (24”) and how different they could be based on fabric selection. I had to give it a try.

I purchased the pattern late last week and made a two test blocks. I’m not usually much for intricate cutting and piecing but the results are oh so worth the time and effort.

I’ll be joining the swoon-along – it’s the perfect pattern for the luscious Anna Maria Horner fabrics I gifted myself for Christmas.

Portrait of a Dreamer (13” x 18”)

In 2007 I had the opportunity to take a narrative quilt making class with Kate Gorman. With fused fabric we constructed a quilt top. I loved my finished top – a self portrait, that I feared messing it up with the quilting. It took almost 5 years but I finally found the the confidence and courage to quilt it.

I’m so happy that I trusted my free motion quilting skills – the results are beautiful.

Now that this quilt is done, maybe I’ll try making another.

Love and Happiness (44” x 44”)

When I was making the Joy quilt, I second guessed the bright colors and pieced a second top. I consulted my husband as to which to finish and give to his grandmother who loved the bright colors and patterns in her quilt. I didn’t want the other top be another UFO in my studio so I finished it last week.

I quilted it in concentric squares, bound it by wrapping the backing fabric around to the front and added a bit of free motion stitching.

I really love the doodle stitching in a contrasting color – I will be trying that again in the future.

Now I need to figure out what to do with this pretty quilt…

My final handmade holiday gift has been received. Our friend loves mustaches and my husband and I wanted to find something for her new apartment to reflect her style. After a bit of searching we opted to make her some art. She’d been out of town for 3 weeks so she didn’t open her gift until yesterday.

I covered four 12”x12” canvases with pictures of mustaches. Then applied a layer of gesso and painted larger versions of the mustache styles.

I added the names of the mustache styles with rub-on letters and covered the canvases with two layers of Mod Podge.

View from door into my studio

I spent the long new year’s weekend organizing my studio. I wanted to be able to see my fabrics more easily. The had been stored in a basket, cabinet, various totes and the closet. It was difficult to keep everything neat and I kept forgetting what I had. The shelves in my studio do not have a back so they are good for books and boxes but not great for stacks of fabric – things would fall behind the shelves.

I spent last Friday searching the city for furniture options only to determine that my small 8.5’ x 8.5’ room just wouldn’t fit the furniture available and I really do like the pieces I have. After a bit of research, I opted to turn my fabric into mini bolts, wrapped on acid free cards acquired from a comic book store. They can stand up on my shelves like little books.

I hope you enjoy seeing the results of my reorganization.

The shelves on the left hold baskets full of scraps and clear containers filled with paint, glue and embellishments. The small drawers also keep embellishments organized.

The shelves with mini fabric bolts used to be filled with magazines and books, but fabric is more important than books and magazines! The clear shoe boxes are filled with ribbon, vintage trim, sewing notions, buttons and various fibers. The basket on the bottom is filled with finished art.

Opposite the shelves is a display wall and areas for cutting and ironing. The white drawers hold paper crafting supplies. The cabinet on the left has more clear shoe boxes filled with supplies I don’t use often like stickers, paper scraps and yarn.

The cabinet on the right has upholstery fabrics which are great for fabric books.

My books and magazines are now in the closet and there’s room to add more (I had a precarious stacking situation due to lack of space before). The totes above hold upholstery fabric samples, wool, yarn and blank books. The basket on the floor is filled with UFOs waiting to be completed. There’s also miscellaneous storage on the right (freezer paper, patterns, tote bags).

I didn’t move any furniture for the reorganization, just changed where I stored my supplies.

I bought boards in two sizes (magazine and comic book). On the magazine boards, I placed pieces of 2 yards or more and bulky fabrics. The comic book boards hold 1-2 yard pieces. I cut some of the comic book boards in half and used them for fat quarters. I wrapped the fabric tightly around the board and secured it with a pin.

My studio is now a treasure of inspiring color. I can easily see the fabrics I have and I’m already formulating ideas for new projects.