So Mote it Be

I made a couple of quilts as gifts over the past few months and I want to catch you up.  So mote it be.

One was for our dear friends Emily and Neal, who recently got married!  They are involved in cat rescue, so this pattern was a pretty easy pick.  It was super fun to see all the different cats I could make.

Then I added a cat border. So mote it be.

And I quilted their names and wedding date in the borders. Then I boxed it up and sent it on its merry way! Just look at those cute little mice on the backing fabric.

Congratulations Emily and Neal!

In other news, our friend and realtor Clarity took amazing care of us when we bought and sold our house and we were no treat. Trust me. We were a pain. So I wanted to make a special thank you quilt for her.

I started by free motion quilting some metallic gold thread on a black background.

I added some appliqué

and I backed it with the reverse of an orange fabric from my stash.

And here it is!

We are now caught up on quilt projects. So mote it be.

Read More

Welcome to Four Cedars!

So we moved!  We're still in Portland, but we moved to a different part of town and we are loving it.  SO MANY PROJECTS TO DO.  Seriously.  It will take us a very long time.  These are big projects, so they will be a slow trickle making it to the blog.

That said, we busted our butts to get some of our outdoor projects finished before the rains set in and one of my priorities was to make the front of our house a little cuter.  Here's what the house looked like when we moved in.

One of the things I hated was these old rusty light fixtures.

So I got these new light fixtures.  We use them in pretty much every house we've ever owned, but this time I wanted to paint them a cute light blue.

Norman helped me paint them.

Then, guess what! I wired them all myself!

Also I painted both of our doors.

I threw some extra paint on this little guy.

Again, Norman helped.

Lastly, I made a sign using reclaimed pallet wood. We named our house Four Cedars! We name our houses. That's just how it goes.

Here's the new and improved front view of our new place!

Welcome to Four Cedars!

Read More

Frankenbench

It's Halloween! 

The best holiday every. 

I've been waiting to share this little project until it was seasonally appropriate, so here we go.  When we moved into our new house, I knew I wanted a long bench for our entryway and I knew I wanted to cover it with Pendleton wool.  That was the dream. 

We found this little number using the power of the internet and it was a good fit.  However, the leg was very much broken and because of several past failed attempts to fix it by previous owners and because of wanting to make a weird bench, I decided that the whole leg needed to go.    

I added a non-matching leg because that's how I do. 

Behold! My Frankenbench!

Okay, so. I am very aware that it is actually a Frankenstein's monster bench, but come on. Frankenbench! Frankenbench! Frankenbench!

Anyway, I stuck it in our entryway for a while until I had time to paint and reupholster. I threw one of my favorite quilts on top because I just could not look at the actual seat upholstery.

This picture was taken because look how many staples the upholsterer before me used at this corner, but it is also a picture of how very leopard print the seat of this bench used to be. The excess of staples was the same elsewhere. I removed so many staples. And after I removed them, I found, that's right. Another row of staples that the person before me just covered over instead of removing. I removed so many GD staples that day. Also, I painted the frame.

So here's my finished Frankenbench!

Also, BOO! Happy Halloween.

Read More

Quilts for Sale!

This is not your typical blog post.  We're moving and I have some little quilts that we won't be using in our new place, so I'm hoping someone else might love to have them!

Everything on this page is $20 each + $5 to defray domestic shipping costs, so $25 total.  I'm going to number each item and describe it fully.  The first person to email me at nicciwestbrook -{at}- gmail to claim a given number will get the quilt(s)!  I'll reply with payment details.  I'm busy packing, so I might not respond immediately, but I'll respond in the order in which I receive email requests and will update this page as things sell.

1. SOLD!  This is a table runner or wall hanging measuring 58" x 12" We had it hanging above our front door for a while. Super bright colors, really cheerful! The backing shows the wrong side of the fabric for a muted, linen-like effect. Completed 2019.

2. SOLD!  This is three for the price of one since these little Dresden plates are not bound! They do have a backing fabric as shown in the second picture. They could easily be framed and hung on a wall to hide the unfinished edges or they could be sewn into pillow covers if you want to. They each measure about 22" square.

3. This is a plain Jane table runner, no piecing, just single fabrics on front and back with some diagonal quilting. Simple! It measures 41 1/2" x 15 1/2". Completed 2015.

4. This is a finished pillow cover for a pillow insert measuring 24" square (a size that is easy to find at IKEA.) It has a patchwork background featuring Moomin fabrics with an applique moose head on top. Completed 2014.

5. SOLD!  This is a finished pillow cover for a pillow insert measuring 18" square (a size that is easy to find at IKEA.) It has a pieced starburst background with bunny applique. Completed 2014.

6. SOLD!  I saved the best for last! It's a table runner or wall hanging measuring 66" x 17". It's curved piecing with custom free-motion quilting with some really cute fabrics. Completed 2017.

Read More

Turkey Painting, Apparently

As part of our basement renovation project, I wanted to make a large abstract painting. I just used some paint samples we had around the house.

There's not too much narrative to add here, so here's a gif of the painting as it evolved.

When I finished it, I sent a picture to Eddy, who promptly informed me that it looks like a turkey. Or possibly a vulture.

Here's what it looks like on its shelf in our basement with some other very random stuff that's just sitting around downstairs waiting for the walls to be skim coated and wallpapered and painted.



So much fun to be had in the basement!

Read More

Quilty Giveaway!

We got a Nest cam for Xmas this year and due to cord-hiding we needed to add a little decor above our front door (it's a long and boring story).  So I got all wound up about it (like I do) and thought I would make a quilt to hang above the shelf.  Armed with Amy Gibson's The Quilt Block Cookbook I aimed to make a sampler in sort of a table runner format.

I really like her block patterns and if you are looking to make a DIY sampler, I highly recommend this book.

Eventually, I got stuck, though, and couldn't decide how to assemble the corner pieces of this block:

I settled it with a Facebook poll! I did some experimentation about the final position of the blocks.

Then I backed the quilt with some rather loud fabrics showing the reverse. This is a new technique for me and I like it because it gives the prints a linen-y look and dulls the colors a bit.

Here's the finished quilt!

After all that, I decided I didn't actually like it above our front door. I went instead for this green cutter quilt, which is divine and looks perfect up there.

That means there's just a little homeless table runner or wall hanging, just waiting for someone to love it.

Disclaimer: I wasn't too careful about burying threads or about how the quilting looked from the back (and indeed, from the front) because I was certain at the time that I was just going to hang it on the wall high up where it could not be seen up close.

With that in mind, if anyone wants this quilt, I'll ship it to you! I'll send it to the first person to send me their mailing address over Facebook or email and I'll update my Facebook post once the quilt has been claimed.

Read More