Denim and Flannel

Two Denim Memory Quilts

Three Memory Quilts for Three Siblings

Ashley's Quilt

Ashley's Quilt

Bradley's Blanket

 This is a small quilt put together from blocks of muslin that were signed by family members for Bradley's 2nd birthday.  I put the blocks together and then used fabric in Bradley's favorite color.

 I didn't sign a square, so I left a touch of me on the back of the quilt where I would usually sign my name.  I left a little cheeseburger for him.  His mom and I laugh about my love for McDonald's themed baby quilts all the time and this was a great way for me to put our laughter, love and friendship into Bradley's quilt. 

Bradley passed away not long after his birthday and he would have recently turned 3 years old.  He is loved and missed.  I am grateful for the opportunity to make such a special gift for him and for his family.

In Memory of a Mother

 Here are four quilts I did in memory of a mother.  Each one has a different backing.  The trim in the sashing is made from her dresses, each quilt has a different trim.  The family also wanted a block with an applique heart that would act as a pocket for a small sound device so they could hear their mother's words.

Memories of a Brother

 I make a lot of memory quilts, but recently I have been doing memorial quilts.  This is a series of eight throw size quilts in memory of a young man who passed away.  His family requested these quilts to be made from his clothes. 

Helping Hands

 A girl in my son's class became very ill and at a moments notice I thought it would be a good idea to make a whole quilt for her to have at the hospital.  I had all the kids trace their names and handprints on the quilt and then I stitched them in.  There is a blank spot on the top of the quilt for her to add her handprint later.

A Graduation Memory Quilt

This spring I was asked to do a memory quilt for a high school graduate.  The quilt is made from t-shirts, and one tutu.  There were also three letterman letters that were added.  One from the student, her father and grandfather so there was a lot of history in the quilt as well.

 The backing was a gorgeous black and white print.

 There was a heart quilted into each corner.

 A close up of one of the letterman blocks.

Spring Bags

Completely reversible totes with front pockets and flower embellishments by The Vintage Cabbage Rose.

A Larryboy helmet! A real Larryboy helmet!

 If any superhero ever needed something available on the commercial market it's this guy.  You can absolutely not find a helmet ready to buy!  That being said I embarked on a six week crusade to make a helmet that would stay on, whose plunger ears would come on and off, and that wouldn't pose imminent danger to the child wearing it.
I played around with a lot of different prototypes.  I even had a retracting mechanism for the ears, but that proved bulky and dangerous if I child rolled over onto their head.  I also wanted real plunger ears, but that would have hurt a lot when rolling around.
In the end I settled on fleece.  A nice stretchy fabric that would fit snugly around the head and hold the helmet together.
I sculpted the comb out of furniture foam and then covered it in fabric and hand sewed it to the hat.  I hand sculpted two plungers out of furniture foam and then carefully covered them in red fleece, with velcro on the ends.  (I made it sound so easy here, but I think there is still furniture foam bits lingering in the house from carving them out). 
The ears come on and off really easily and when Larryboy goes to the rescue, he can roll and tumble all he likes and his helmet will bend and flex with him. 
Only about 42 hours worth of work!

Dahlia had a lot of fun modeling the helmet and running through the house with it on.

The Water Quilt

 This is the third quilt in a series that I have made with these firetrucks.  Each quilt has been about two years apart.  The first one focused on the firetrucks, the second on the fire, so I thought this one should be about water.  I swirled water in to the quilting and used a lot of blue fabrics. 
When I went to photograph it Dahlia had to be in all the pictures.  It was a struggle to get her to stand to the side, but the one above was my favorite photo so I had to put it in.