Pretties created by my customers

Happy Spring!  Are ya'll as happy as I am that winter is finally over, the snow is GONE and the birds are singing?  To me spring represents fresh new life - beautiful colors, all things pretty and like they say "a breath of fresh air".  I'm so looking forward to spending lots of time on my deck this summer playing with my laces & dyes and stitching like a crazy lady!

Over the years I have enjoyed seeing some beautiful creations that my customers have made using my hand dyed laces.  I thought I would share a few of the beautiful pictures that have been sent to me lately.  If you have bought any of my pretties and used them in a project, I would love it if you would please send me pictures so I can Blog about them   I would love to make this a regular feature here and will be happy to link your Blog or Website too.

Today I would like to show you some gorgeous jewelry that my friend Eleonora makes.  She doesn't have a website or shop but she sells her jewelry at Exhibitions in Italy.  For the past year I have had the pleasure of not only making a new friend but I've been able to be treated to some of the most gorgeous eye candy.  Enjoy!

By the way.... don't you think it's time for a Give-away - maybe one to celebrate spring arriving?  Let me think about it for a few days and see what if I can come up with something unique and pretty so stay tuned!

Message in a Bottle Contest - 2nd Place!

Here it is a month later and I finally have some time to sit and catch up on all my Blog reading and even post some pictures.  By now you'd think we'd all be enjoying some beautiful spring time weather but Noooooo old man winter still is hanging on - temps today were in the low 40's which wasn't quite warm enough to start melting the snow.

I've been quite busy over the past month.  Rob's mother is now safely moved into an Assisted Living facility and now we are left with trying to clean out the condo and get it ready to sell.  Not too busy though...found time to work on an entry for   Thearica's  "Message in a Bottle" Crazy Quilt Contest.  The perfect theme for me as ya'll know how I love anything that is related to the ocean and the color blue.  I've decided my entry will be called "Mermaid's Fantasy Land"

Each person who entered the Contest purchased a ready made kit which consisted of fabrics, silk ribbon, thread, beads, lace, charms and of course, a little glass bottle with a cork (message in a bottle) ... all of which needed to be incorporated into your choice of design.  If you look closely you will see that I fused some of the fabric and made seaweed and fish out of it.  Also cut apart some of the fabric to use the turquoise sequin trim and lace for some of the ocean and even dyed some of the silk ribbon for some bright colored seaweed.  I estimate that I spent approximately 80-90 hours just in all the hand sewing not to mention putting the block together and the time I spent taking things apart that just didn't fit.  All in all... love it!


UPDATE!  I was just notified that I took 2nd Place with my "Mermaid's Fantasy Land" - $50 Gift  Certificate to Thearica's shop and a 2013 Pat Winter CQ Calendar - doing the happy dance!!!  To see all the entries ,please check out Thearica's post:  Message in a Bottle Contest Winners  Next time Thearica has a challenge - jump in - so much fun!

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Mermaid's Fantasy Land

CQJP 2012 Finally completed!

Yea!  have you ever worked on a project that you were almost done with and just couldn't figure out how to complete it?  For a couple of months I have had my last CQJP 2012 block (Dec) about 90% done but just couldn't for the life of me figure out what to do with the center.  Strange thing is I usually start my projects from the middle working out.  This time - Not!

The other day I posted on the Face Book page for CQJP that I needed some help trying to come up with something to bring my block all together.  Received some great ideas but the minute I read Maureen's suggestion for a cornucopia I knew what I needed to do.  I had bought 2 of these adorable little cornucopia motifs a while back from a lady in Belgium and never really thought about using them.  I had already dyed both pieces of lace so I was amazed that one of them fit perfectly in the center of my bock.  I decided to stitch it down and embellish it up so as to make it look like it was pouring out flowers.



Dec CQJP 2012 (After)

CQJP 2012 Dec (Before Center)

 

 

Now to get started on CQJP 2013.  Already have a few blocks made up so now need to find the time to play "dress up!"

 

For all you Crazy Quilters, Pat Winter's Spring Edition of Crazy Quilt Gatherings is now out and available through McCloud  CRAZY QUILT GATHERINGS recieved my copy yesterday and am blow away by the talent of so many ladies - beautiful job Pat! Oh, and by the way .... guess who is on the back cover?! If you've never bought this magazine ...it is a MUST!  Back copies are available too as well as Pat's beautiful Calendar and BoHo Purse Magazine.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Happy Valenitne's Day!

To my one and only Babe... I loved you yesterday, Love you still... Always have... always will

Good New, Sad News

When someone says "Good News,Sad News" you think for a minute and wonder which one you want to hear first.  I think I'll start off with the good news ...

I'm back from my trip to California and must say I enjoyed every single minute.  To start my trip off, I left 18 degree weather and arrived in California to 75-80 beautiful sunny degrees for the whole week I was there - can you say "heaven"!  My grand babies Evita & DeAngelo have grown so much since I had last seen them in August.. hard to believe they are going to be 4 in May. 

Yummy treats!

Nana's new little lace helpers

Every morning these two precious babes would run into my room and jump under the covers with me.  We'd build a tent and turn on their little star making machine while naming each and every star.   On the Saturday I was there, my DIL came to me with a choice - I could either go to Evita's Ballet Class to see her dance or I could go to DeAngelo's soccer game and watch him play - both were being held at the same time!  OMG!  No way could I make that kind of decision as they had both come to me asking me to come see them.  There's always a solution to a problem.  Nana took daddy's car and had him program in the directions from the dance studio to the soccer field.  Watched Evita for about half and hour and made it to DeAngelo's soccer practice in plenty of time to see him play.

During the evening after everyone was tucked in I would settle in bed surrounded with all my CQing pretties.  It was so nice to just sit and relax with no tv, no computer and no phones.  I finally finished my October & November CQJP 2012 and only need a couple more hours on my December block before I can begin CQJP 2013.  Even had time to comlete a RR block.


November CQJP 2013 - Nicki Lee & Rob - Age 2

 

October CQJP 2013

All Things Pretty CQI RR - For Janie

Now the for the sad part of my post.  On Friday, January 25th,  I lost one of the most important ladies in my life - my exMIL.  Way back in 1975 my parents moved away to Virgina - I stayed here in Massachusetts to raise my two babies by by myself.  At the time Rita was already my exMIL but over the years she became so much more.  For 40 years she was like a mother to me and told everyone I was her daughter.  Lots of tears and laughter came about in those years - I  miss her terribly but know that she is at peace now - I'll just hold tight to all my cherished memories and the words she spoke to me a millions time:  "This too shall pass - life goes on"  I love you Rita.
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Finally 2013!!

Happy New Year! My best wishes to everyone for a beautiful, healthy and happy 2013!

Yes, I know I'm a bit late but with all the problems I've been having with Blogger I sorta gave up posting for a bit, but thanks to a couple great friends who came to my rescue, I think I might be able to start posting again. This year has started out really crazy as it seems that I haven't have time to catch my breath.  I've been trying finish up some projects from the end of last year and at the same time start a bunch of new ones including CQJP 2013. 

Once again I am in a rush rush frame of mind and am trying to get 1,000 things done in a short span of time.  In 2 days I'll be singing "California here I come"!  Take a look at these two gorgeous babes and you'll know why I am so excited - going to see my grand babies for a week!   They are going to be 4 in May and it just amazes me how fast the years are flying by.  Seems like I was just posting pictures of them when they were first born.




Evita the Little Princess

 



DeAngelo the Karate Kid

 

 

Coming to pick Nana up at the airport!



Oh Duh... this Blogger needs help!

Can you say.... "blonde moment"!!!  Yep!  I decided to spend this morning changing my header and ended up loosing my whole sidebar... well it's not actually gone it's all down at the very bottom of the page.  I spent hours trying to work with Page Layout, Templates... but cannot get it back to where it was before - running down the right hand side of the page.  Can anyone help me?

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a beautiful day filled with
love, laughter, hugs and kisses

In Memory of Clare / CQ Magazine

I'd like to share with you an article I wrote for  Pat Winter's Winter Edition of Crazy Quilt Gatherings magazine.  If you have yet to purchase one of the many editions, you are certainly missing out on a real treasure.  Pat's magazine is always filled with fabulous tips, beautiful crazy quilting eye candy from around the world and wonderful stories. This magazine can be ordered via McCloud as well as all of the back issues - usually takes about a week for delivery.

For the Winter edition I submitted pictures and a short story about the pillow I had made for my friend Angela. (Page 39)   For those of you who don't Crazy Quilt and might have missed it, here is a copy of my story and a few pictures.

Clare Elizabeth Morris

 

In Memory of Clare

I love to Crazy Quilt.  Plain and simple.    I love to talk.  Plain and simple.  But when it comes to telling someone how terribly sorry I am for a loss of someone close, I have always been stumped for words.  Saying “sorry” just never seemed quite enough. 

Last year my friend Angela, who I met through the HGTV Quilting Forum and have had the pleasure of meeting at a couple quilting retreats, lost her daughter Clare to a terrible accident.  Yes, I sent her a condolence card but somehow it just wasn’t enough.  Angela lives in CO, a long ride from MA so it wasn’t like I could just jump in the car and drive out to give her give her a hug.  So, without much thought, I knew I had to make her something that would express my heartfelt sympathies to her as a mother and as a friend.

Being friends with Angela’s mother, I contact Mary and told her what I had in mind.  Mary got busy and collected a few items for me that belonged to Clare.  She sent me a pair of her favorite earrings and also a necklace and some fabric from some of Clare’s favorite clothing and a few pictures of Clare and her mother. 

I started this pillow out by printing out the pictures – one of Clare and one of her mother and her together.  Seeing that the fabrics were all sort of “girly girl” I pulled out some threads, ribbon and dyed laces and began stitching.  I have to admit during the course of putting this pillow together I shed quite a few tears.  Tears for the loss of such a young, vibrant and beautiful girl and tears for the heartache I felt for her mother and father’s loss. 

I could tell by the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eye that Clare was a lover of life.  I was right.  Angela has since sent me a letter telling me about her beautiful daughter and I would like to share some of it.

Clare Elizabeth Morris was just 20 years young when she passed away on May 27, 2011. Clare was a confident young woman who knew her own mind. She was not afraid to stand up for herself and others.   She was vibrant, enthusiastic, and wanted justice for all. Many people believed she would change the world.   After graduating from High School, Clare attended Arizona State University (ASU), majoring in justice studies while pursuing minors in women’s studies and global health and working towards a certificate in religious studies. Unfortunately, Clare was in a fatal accident during the Memorial Day weekend following her junior year at ASU.

One of the most touching things Angela said to me after receiving the pillow was:

“I have been looking at it and hugging it close for the last 15 minutes. I cannot thank you enough. It is beautiful, just like my Clare. And I thank you so much for putting a picture of me with her on it. It means soooooooo much.  I noticed the earring charms right away. They mean "best friend". She gave a pair to her best friend back in 4th grade. Little Alex was Clare's first real friend and made a difference in her life. She didn't have a close friend up until then and Alex's friendship helped her believe in herself and others”.

Crazy Quilting has become more than just picking out fabrics and trying to come up with a way to incorporate all the things I love to play with – beads, ribbon and lace but a way to express not only what I feel inside but what a small item, like the earrings in Clare’s pillow, might mean to someone.  Next time you are working on a project, pick out an item that you’ve been holding on to, something that has meaning and sew it down….. it’ll make your heart sing and just maybe, someone else's.



 

 

CQ Snowballs/Vintage Bluejeans/Free Shipping on Laces

Last time I posted it was just starting to get cold... today it is cold enough to snow!  I think we are expecting maybe 2-3" before it's over.  Some of you might have guessed by now that I am a lover of warm weather  - this cold weather is pushing me into my hibernation mode.  Hopefully while retreating into the warmth of my home, I will get back into my creative frame of mind.

I've been trying to get caught up on a few projects.  Here is a sneak peek of my CQJP 2012 October Block - almost done!  Two more blocks to go - been working on 3 at a time to get through 2012.  If you haven't signed up for CQJP 2013, please do as it will certainly challenge you.  Just click on the button for CQJP 2013 on the right side of my sidebar to register.

With the Christmas just around the corner I have been busy dyeing up tons of pretty new laces.  I recently uploaded quite a few in my shop RavioleeDreams  and will continue to do so over the next couple of weeks.  If there is a particular theme/color combination you are interested in please let me know.   As a thank you to everyone who reads my blog, I would like to offer you Free Shipping on any orders you place through December 15th.  All you have to do:  When you are checking out simply write in the "note" section that you are a Raviolee Dream Follower and I will reimburse your shipping costs.

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Completed another snowball - this one is for Kristie.  She had mentioned she liked the colors blue and orange so I did my best with this little bird to accommodate her wishes. 

Snowball for Kristie

My requests for snowballs was "Under the Sea" theme.  Kristie made this beauty for me.  Love the shark & jellyfish!  Thank you Kristie!


Made by Kristie for Nicki


I have been asked so many times "How did you ever get involved with Crazy Quilting?"  "When did you start embroidering?"   I know I've been picking up the needle and thread for a long long time - as early as my Brownie and Girl Scout days but it wasn't until I started cleaning out an old closet full of clothes that I remembered working on my very first pair of bluejeans. 

How many of you remember "Landlubber Bluejeans?"  If you are from the early 70's then you know they were a must to your wardrobe!  I remember collecting old bluejeans from my friends and cutting them up into squares.  I made a huge piece of patchwork fabric and then cut out something that resembled a skirt.  Trust me when I say this skirt was short!  I'm thinking it was probably the size equivalent to a 6 and was only about 14" long - yes... there was a time I wore my skirts that short!  After putting the skirt together I pulled out some Coats and Clark embroidery threads and just started free hand stitching.  Of course I had to have flowers and my zodiac sign - Cancer/crab/69.    If you take a real hard look you can almost tell what year this was just by what I had embroidered - ahhhh those hippie years!  I'm pretty sure it was 1970 - the year I graduated from High School. 

 

 

My first pair of Landlubber bluejeans - Can you tell they were worn just about everyday!  

 

 

I won't both showing the backside as theres' just about nothing left.  Why I have held on to these I'm not sure..... maybe I thought I could get back into them one day - NOT!  (OMG! these are at least 42 years old - do they (I) qualify as vintage?)

 

Happy Stitching!!