a quilt in process made by friends.

what a beautiful "book stacks" quilt made by casey and nikole.  it's fantastic!  we hand stitched a bit in preparation for it's wonderful completion.  the quilt will receive binding this weekend and will be ready for the big auction it's been made for.  some of the fabrics were hand stamped by a class of 4 & 5 year olds at the preschool my sweet boy attended.  those were three very happy years in his life.  so happy to show love through a few stitches for this work that will benefit the scholarship fund.  love.  

in the studio: stitching of late.

stacks of my own. fabrics for my story quilt duvet cover.  

hand quilting a nearly complete quilt!  

a completed custom story quilt duvet cover.  

starting at $500. these are available for you, too!  

ready to ship! 

stitch on.  

xo.

colors of my day: 3.10.2012.

in the studio: a quilt for my boy.

my mother has saved a couple of unfinished quilt tops.  

if memory serves, my grandmother made this one.  

i'll fact check and edit if i'm wrong about the patchwork story you read here.

as i was preparing to use this on our dining room table for a bit, my son stopped me claiming this quilt for his own.  he wanted me to put it on his bed right. then.  so, i made a decision not to put it on the table but instead see if i could quickly whip this into a simple quilt for his bed by his birthday celebration which is fast approaching.  we'll see.  

i see fabric that was used in my mother's 4H uniform.  i'd love to know stories of as many fabrics as i can.  i love the colors.  love, love the yellow with little white dots.  love the purple & black.  love the combinations. 

and my grandmother hand stitched everything.  i'll serge to keep it strong, as you can see the stitching pulling away here and there.  her stitches will remain.  i love that.  what a gift.  

the work of my hands: a mother's quilt.

my mother received this mini quilt for mother's day.  of course, i carried it in my bag for a week before mailing it.  in it, from top left clockwise, you see my sweet boy by the james river; me holding a K graduation picture of me at 5; my grandmother, mother, and her brother; and my grandfather, my, and my sweet boy's hands.  

i loved creating this work, sending her love.  and i think she likes it! 

quilting bee quilt: flower fantasy

this quilt from my grandmother's home belonged to her mother's (my great-grandmother lennye) circle of women. i really don't remember the details, but my great-aunt's name, jennie, is embroidered on the quilt as is this name i can't quite make out:

i do not know how many hands were involved, but i like to imagine a circle of women chatting well, sharing stories, with the sunlight beaming around them & their work. i like to imagine their love in each stitch, for a generation they wouldn't see to adulthood. i like to imagine they might have imagined me, my family, curling up with this quilt.

so lovely, even with the tea stains of time.

and so much better with little toes and long toes on top. to touch each flower and enjoy the pinwheel shapes and movement that you see with your mind's eye.

and especially good to sit and read. to enjoy. to picnic in the house. to savor a moment with my boy on the floor and his loving spirit. he soon jumped into my lap after this picture and warmed up with a mother's love. joys shared in a timeless moment atop a quilt assembled so many, many years ago.

quilted squares

a quilt by the window. receiving light, creating comfortable space, visually appealing.

this quilt was made by my great-grandmother's hands. i remember her hands well, hands that held us close, loving us fiercely. she was quite a lady.

folded down, you can see the variety of polyester squares with the hand stitching, crochet, all around each square.

i love the simplicity of the design with the bold colors & variation in textures. i can imagine her wearing polyester pants.

quilts are made to be used, to wrap yourself in or sit yourself upon. i love the boy at the window, looking down our street. he's at home. this quilt is a part of our home and the warmth & love we hold dear.

sacred space: jayme's quilt

a quilt created for my friend jayme. design by suzanne l. vinson, 2008.

tree of life quilt for kacey & scott

i love making quilts, but not for profit. i love making quilts that send love and life to those whom they are given. for kacey and scott this quilt is a quilt that took almost a year to create & give. the time is relative, as it didn't feel like a year, but a collection of moments i could think about these friends and send love through each stitch. i'm eagerly awaiting the work of kacey's hands: an awesome painting that will hold some of my own treasures. i'm so thankful for so many of you creative friends.

as quilts and love are on my mind this week, i thought i would share pictures both familiar & some new of this quilt. you can see more of this quilt on my flickr set: quilts + fabric.

an image of the back of the quilt.

the weekend in photos

what a great turnout for the Holiday Hotcakes show in Baltimore! my goodness. there were so many great artists there. so many kindred spirits in one space.

we enjoyed brunch a.k.a. my all-time-favorite-meal-of-the-day at my favorite spot for just such a meal in Baltimore: Mrs. Shirley's. Yum and yum! these glorious chocolate waffles were among the delicious food we enjoyed. so so good. the day was perfect for outdoor dining!

kacey of Found Studio's online etsy shop holds all sorts of goodness. i love love love her paintings. so beautiful. we have 3 of her tasty bacon ornaments for the tree and egg ornaments to come! kacey's work will be at our richmond holiday hotcakes show december 15th!

ana's hands with her beautiful polish! i love the work that ana puts into her pottery and jewelry. she's a potter, minister, and traveler (among other talents). ana's work will also be in the richmond holiday hotcakes show!

gary's shadow boxes are simply amazing. the boxes are constructed of old door frames and each box carries a story. i love looking into these and getting caught in a dream of the story. his photography is awesome, as one graces my happy studio. his work can be purchased from Red Tree Baltimore where gary will greet you with the best of smiles. one of these will be mine very, very soon. we hope to have a few of these at the richmond holiday hotcakes show as well!

my concentric table circles captured. i love these and they received so many compliments. had to share this image, which i truly enjoy. this great program is called ShakeItPhoto for iphone. thanks to sarah of the small object for posting about this app! i've been wanting something fauxlariod (in the spirit of polariod) and i like this program better than the other i downloaded.

new celebration circle ornaments available through the holidays to meet my blessing birdie ornaments. love, love these and the meaning that goes into the pockets on the opposite side as pictured. soon to come in my etsy shop.

and the quilt is complete. i left her with her new happy owners. she was fun to work on this past year. i have ideas for some lap quilts that i'll do next, modeled after one that my grandmother made for me years and years and years ago (okay, so i was in high school). still a few years ago.

more to come this week as my energy returns and shows, along with facilitation bereavement support groups, are a little more spaced out. until then, enjoy these kindred spirits and the wonderful work of their hands! cheers.

Inspiring Spaces: Alabama Chanin

With our recent Tour of the South, I spent an afternoon in AL receiving hospitality, inspiration, and appreciation from another creative spirit whose work I am in awe.

it is not the length of life, but the depth of life.

These words are carved into this old chair at the Alabama Chanin @ The Factory, in Florence, AL. Natalie Chanin, author and designer, impresses me so much with the details that go into her work. In the chair above, she has woven men's ties, leaving the ends to hang underneath the chair. I love her quote as seen above, which is likely to inspire a new block print or drawing in my upcoming quotes/mantras series. So lovely.

A glimpse of one of the table spaces in The Factory. So much of what we vintage-loving gals enjoy: silver, glass jars, milk glass, wooden spools of thread, scissors, and worn wood. The assortment carries me to the windows in my grandmother's home, with the glass elements catching the light.

A wedding dress with so much detail. Really lovely.

A headscarf, as seen in Natalie's book Alabama Chanin. You can attend workshops in The Factory where you can make one of these great pieces.
the simple beauty of strips of cloth hanging near the cutting tables.

A burst of rainbow colors from the stores of t-shirts. The cotton jersey fabrics are so soft. You just want to run your hands over them or possibly curl up in one!
Inspiration. I love to see so many good books lining these shelves. Some of these are on my wish list and I was so pleased to preview them. STC Craft/Melanie Falick Books are just so good. (All that I have & have previewed have been good. Really good.) What makes me happy is to see that our library system carries many of them, and if they don't you can request a library purchase, just as I did for Natalie's book: Alabama Stitch Book: Projects and Stories Celebrating Hand-Sewing, Quilting, and Embroidery for Contemporary Sustainable Style.

My favorite finds: vintage quilts reclaimed, repaired, and loved. Natalie has written in script on the quilt and then it's hand embroidered. I love that these quilts are tended so well and cared for through repair. They are given a new spirit, transformed through the details & work going into them. Such artistry inspired me to transform my women's retreat with a quilting projects The Work of Our Hands to include an existing quilt in need of love as a part of the project. Inspiring spaces. Inspiring women. And don't you love that a quilt says buttermilk?

Inspiration flows from hands a century ago to hands today. I love the work of many hands that touch these pieces of art.

Like the art and the space the folks at Alabama Chanin are a treat. Hospitality was shared. I was attended to effortlessly as the work day continued for these folks. Busy, busy bees. I found inspiration and learned a great deal through Natalie's success and style. Natalie is as gracious as her team. I appreciated the moments meeting her. My time there was well spent and continues to inspire me. I'm sure that as I continue to make way re-creating my studio upstairs, I will be inspired by my visit to Natalie's wonderful space. Thanks, Alabama Chanin!

these days...

a pierce pettis song comes to mind with my title.  i'm taking a moment to let my tea water boil to let you in on my solitary moments:    

i love this book.  domesticity? you might ask.  yes.  it's not what you think.  jane, whom i adore as the blogger yarnstorm, expresses the same sentiments about home life as i'm loving these days.  creating space, the pace, life outside the home, life with child, living creatively.  oh the book!  the colors, stories, compilation of life + movies + books + food + art + quilting + play.  so much fun.  it's very inspiring and fitting for these wintery blues.  the sky is gray today (which is a color I love combined with kelly green or a really fun hot pink) but i need color. therefore, while working on kacey's quilt keeps me warm on the outside and in, this book provides the same.  warm and funny!  i've been anticipating this book since i knew it was coming, but hey...thought i could wait for christmas.  

then, lo and behold, there's this place.  it's called a library.  you check books out there.  yes, i check out books regularly with jo.  dvd's too.  why i didn't rush over sooner i don't know.  2 days on hold and bam! the call came.  the book was in my hands.  tea was made.  i'm reading each word.  i'm savoring each image.  how fun!  and when jim comes in january, i hope to fully understand the english flapjack!

another treat:  new fabrics for an upcoming quilt. i love these colors and will combine them with vintage + newer fabrics in my stash.  

today's advent fun included unveiling the cute nativity set given by a congregant of the church I formerly served.  thank you, elaine!