Army Star

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I decided I wanted to teach myself how to paper piece, so I tried a random pattern I found online and failed miserably. I got a quick crash course from a fellow quilter a couple of years ago, and then never tried it again. A few months ago I came across this pattern for the Army Star and just fell in love with it. I pinned it to my quilting Pinterest board, and then was too terrified at all of the tiny pieces to try it out.

I got the urge to paper piece again a few months ago and immediately knew I had to try the Army Star before I lost the courage again. I am fairly happy with how it turned out, even though it isn't perfect. I have to find out how you make all the seam intersections less bulky, because that makes the finished product less appealing in my opinion!

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This quilt will be heading home with my mom after her trip here to Germany is over. She was a soldier herself, then an Army wife for almost 35 years, and is now an Army and Coast Guard mom to all 3 of us kids! I'm sure the quilt will look good with all the rest of her patriotic quilts in the house! 

Happy Quilting xx 

kickin' trudy's ass one block at a time!

where are all my crafities/ quilters at?? i made these three blocks on friday night and will be mailing them our first thing monday morning.  the hubby and i went to the quilt shop after work and he helped me pick out manly, tough colors... none of that 'girly crap' he says! would you like to have your go at kicking trudy's ass??  i'd love for you to join in.... click here to find out more and then here to join the flickr crew.

fleetwood love

so, my mom happened to mention she saw an antique sewing machine in a table for only $39 dollars. i immediately asked, "does it work?" {she said yes} and "why didn't you buy it?!" {um... well... uh...} i promptly explained to her that, as she knows, i won't have the luxury of using her brand new fancy-pants bernina forever and i will need a sewing machine! {gasp! the thought of no sewing machine makes me shudder!} so... mom was, well, mom and told me she'd go make sure it was in good working order and if so, purchase it. yay! i was thrilled to find these photos in my email last night {please excuse the graininess, they were taken with an iphone} after showing them to the hubby he promptly told me it looked like a lemon... and to prepare myself for it's potential short life. he's very much not into vintage, but i'll keep him anyway! well, i'm off to make a birthday card for a party tonight! yay for new friends! happy friday everyone!

{swooning over it's utterly lovely vintage-ness}

{there are even drawers to organize my craftiness}

{i think all call her 'mac'~ what do you think?}

my art.

i never thought i would enjoy sewing as much as i do. i remember watching my mom when i was a kid and thought, 'that's WAY too much work' and 'how could she possibly find that FUN?!' i always thought it was great when i saw the completed projects, and loved the quilt i snuggled under that made my bed so pretty. 

i have always loved to create things. i begged my dad for the 8 foot by 5 foot cork board that was in one of his offices and turned it into the biggest collage of my life. it was so much fun to put little bits and pieces of my life on that board over the years... it was full of scraps of paper, tiny pieces of fabric, pins and buttons... and i could tell you the story of every piece. i would also always steal the little scraps leftover from my mom's quilts and make crazy projects of my own... i made little bags, covers for my books... and the first clothing item i made was a little hippie tank top made especially for my 4th dave matthews band concert. (yes, i love him THAT much! ha)

after i got married last year we went to hawaii to visit family and do our "mock-honeymoon". while there, i thought it would be a good challenge for me to make a quilt. a big quilt. one that you have to follow directions to make. (i'm notorious for changing patterns to make them my own, or because i hate to follow directions...) i completed my challenge. i was pretty proud of myself... and when my husband was shocked and delighted, it make it all that much more special. 

since then, i've made two more quilts.... and thought i'd share the latest with you; plus a little piece of art i just made this afternoon for our bedroom. enjoy! 

my latest quilt:

an up-close look:

our new art:

lost in crafty land

hey everyone- i know, i know, where in the world have i been, right? well, i'll tell you- sort of. i got to my parents house here in hawaii and i fell into the abyss, otherwise known as the sewing room. there are piles and piles and more piles of fabric. there is thread in every color, size, and thickness you could ever want. there's ric-rack, buttons, stencils and marking pencils (also in every color). so, i went in to check it out and now i can't stop. i'm addicted. i am cutting and sewing and hand quilting and stitching until my fingers are raw. i'm working on a lot of new designs and i can't wait to share them all with you. *they just aren't quite ready for the public just yet* i am excited because i am in the process of deciding wether to open or not to open my very own etsy shop! i'm weighing the pros and cons and trying to finalize the ideas i am creating. if any of you have any tips or comments about having your own place on etsy let me know! i'd love to hear what you have to say about it! in the mean time, i promise i'll be posting more these days, i've got so much to tell you all, just not enough time in the day! yikes the hours just fly by when you're crafting! :) happy crafting to all of you! 


ps anyone have any suggestions for my shop name? if so, post a comment!