Christmas 2014 and a New Year of Adventures!

Posted on January 21, 2015 by gulfcoastquilter

Gulfcoastquilts.com Bou chillin’ under his Christmas Tree decorated with birds, mice, fish, butterflies and other things cat’s love.

December 2014 was a very busy season and I had fun creating all kinds of fabric art but my favorite project began when a sweet lady brought to me an old shirt and a pair of jeans that belonged to her dad and asked, “Can you make something from this?” She also brought some items that had logos that were powerful reminders of him. You see, they were mourning the loss of a good man and she wanted a special Christmas gift for her mother and sister. She gave me the freedom to try anything and it was fun!

The final project was to create bears from the shirt and jeans, add the special logos, and fill them with rice and dried lavender. If you pop the bears in the microwave oven for 1-2 minutes the bears are a perfect way to sooth aches, pains, and headaches. From the items she brought to me I judged her dad to be a practical man and decided that whatever I made should actually “DO” something. Well, I was right and the bears were a hit! I ended up making several more bears from my fabric stash as Christmas gifts for friends and family, and I even made an adorable cat stuffed with rice and rosemary for my best friend to wrap around her neck after grueling days working at her computer. Here’s a photo of the bears:

Rice and lavender filled bears made from recycled clothing. GulfCoastQuilts.com

My busy Christmas season will be followed by a break from quilting and playing with fabric for a while. The New Year puts me back to work after a very short stab at retirement. With a return to teaching a leadership program for the first half of 2015, and sadly, the closing of Pottery & Garden Alley due to some life changes for the owner, my sewing room is now neat and tidy and my office takes center stage for curriculum development, PowerPoint, and business travel. In between business trips I’ll be back to work on my novel, the right-wing chick lit project, “The Quilt-maker’s Christmas.” Main characters Fiona and Ann Marie need their adventure completed and with some hard work the book will be ready for Christmas 2015. I’ll keep you posted! Have fun everyone!

You Never Know What You’ll Be Asked to Create!

Posted on November 25, 2014 by gulfcoastquilter

I believed that my creative talent had sunk to a new low as I found myself stuffing old WalMart bags into the Grinch’s backside…yes…as in butt. I stuffed the Grinch’s butt with old WalMart bags. And yes…I made a Grinch butt for a Christmas display for the store.

Pottery & Garden Alley’s owner decided she wanted a Grinch Chrsitmas tree display. She found a photo on Pinterest of a bent-over Grinch tucked inside a tree stealing all the gifts and said, “I need you to make one for me.” The challenge was on.

Materials: An old Delta Airlines blanket, two yards of old green flannel found for two bucks at the Waterfront Rescue Mission, two gift wrap cardboard tubes, a hundred old plastic grocery bags, an old pair of slippers, some polyester fiberfill, a hot glue gun, a sewing machine, and a woman bold enough to think she could copy something she saw on Pinterest.

This had the makings for an extraordinary Pinterest FAIL but in the end…as in Grinch butt…it turned out OK.

Grinch for display by gulfcoastquilts.com

She’s Flamboyant, Feisty and Named Francesca Gabriella!

Posted on November 11, 2014 by gulfcoastquilter

The owls having been flying out the door at Pottery & Garden Alley so I needed to add one more to the store. I found this delightful piece of red velvet in the stash of fabric samples I scored from my favorite decorator, McAlpin Interiors. The red velvet just screamed flamboyant, feisty, fierce! She had to be named Francesca Gabriella, and she fits right in at the shop with the feisty ladies at Pottery & Garden Alley, Lee and Dawn. Stop by the shop and you’ll find treasures from furniture to Christmas stocking stuffers.

Francesca Gabriela Owl is up for adoption at Pottery & Garden Alley. Made by gulfcoastquilts.com

Evolution of an Owl

Posted on September 22, 2014 by gulfcoastquilter

Happy Fall, y’all! Owls are flying out the door!

I got a call from Pottery & Garden Alley telling me that two more Velveteen Owls sold and they needed some more. This gave me the perfect opportunity to make some changes to the design.

I enlarged the owls and added bulk to their face in the hope of giving them more personality. I also added more defined legs and some internal wire to help them stand taller. I didn’t add as many “feathers” to their wings. Lee, at the shop, likes the old wings better but they were time consuming to make. We’ll see how these two owls sell and I’ll determine which wings will win out in the end.

The finished product? Drumroll, please…

Introducing Evan Emmanuel Owl and Guinevere Isabella Owl, my first “gal owl.” (And, in case you’re obsessive compulsive, yes, I skipped the letter “F” because I’m still working on Franchesca Gabriella, a flamboyant red velvet and gold trimmed owl.)

Velvet Owl Collection by gulfcoastquilts.com – Evan Emmanuel Owl

From the Velvet Owl Collection by gulfcoastquilts.com – Evan Emmanuel and Guinevere Isabella Owl.

Velvet Owl Collection by gulfcoastquilts.com – Guinevere Isabella Owl

A Great Horned Owl Inspires Fall Mug Rugs & Wreaths

Posted on September 16, 2014 by gulfcoastquilter

Last night a Great Horned Owl perched on the top of our three story high house. It’s the highest spot in the neighborhood; a perfect place for these silent hunters to sit until they swoop down onto unsuspecting prey on one of the nearby vacant lots. We heard the hooting just before bedtime and it brought a smile to my face. I always enjoy the return of the Great Horned Owls as it signals the beginning of Fall in Northwest Florida. The nights have been just a tad bit cooler and the mornings perfect for coffee on the dock. It’s still Florida warm in the daytime but the promise of fall is in the air. I was inspired to make some fall-themed mug rugs for the store and a few wreaths.

Rug by gulfcoastquilts.com – pumpkins

Mug Rug by gulfcoastquilts.com – fall leaves

Mug Rug by gulfcoastquilts.com

Rug by gulfcoastquilts.com – owls

Owl wreath by GulfCoastQuilts.com

Rug by gulfcoastquilts.com – For my Saints-loving NOLA friends.

The Velveteen Owl Collection

Posted on August 28, 2014 by gulfcoastquilter

With hopes of cooler weather and golden harvest moons arriving soon I’m waiting impatiently for fall to arrive. To pass the days until pumpkins, witches, ghosts and skeletons take over I’m cranking out velveteen owls. They make adorable early fall decorations, especially for school teachers. Here are the first four owls: Augustus Theodore, Bentley Jeremiah, Cornelius Horatio, and Donatello Marcus.