Ingrid Whitcher

I have been so busy that I have not taken time to write lately. I do not see how some bloggers can write daily and get things done – anyway. Here are some of the projects I have been working on.

Mark and I teach a 2-3 year old Sunday School class and this year each of them got a handmade ornament from us. My Mom had given me some wool several years ago and I came across this adorable pattern. I did enlarge it from the original size. I even made a few extras. Here are some of them.

Our family decided to “sponsor” another family for Christmas this year. For the 2 teenage girls, I made quilts.

I have been busy the past few weeks. A friend at our church is having a baby and her shower was today. I was planning to do a “generic” baby boy quilt with trucks and planes (fabric from my stash) and then I found out that they were doing tropical fish in the nursery. I got to buy fabric! I had the accent fabrics already, it was a perfect match.

Here is a close-up of the wonderful fish fabric.

This is the back. It got a little larger than I planned and I ended up having to piece the back.

I had also gotten a book out at the library about stuffed animals made with fleece. I wanted to make a “quilted” turtle for the baby. I adapted the pattern a little to make it easier with the quilted fabric. I added a music box inside. I think I have a new fun thing to send with a baby quilt now. The owl will be given as a Christmas present.

I have also been working on new iPad designs for our new website.

Here is the second quilt in the series. I really liked Emilie’s drawing for this one. The quilting is not as detailed but I like the over-all design better. I forgot to get pictures before I started painting.

Before quilting, I transferred the drawing with pencil to the fabric. I starched the fabric three times before transferring the design. This keeps the pencil from staying in the fabric. The paint that I use is Jacquard fabric paint. I used a hand-dyed fabric base for this one instead of muslin.

October is usually a time of a creative slump for me. I don’t know if it is because the kids school schedule, home and work all get so busy – or just a weird time for me. I do know that if I do not have a hard deadline for a project, I usually do not get any “quilting” done. This year I have decided to not enter the AQS Knoxville quilt show in 2011, so I have not had the drive to get the frog quilt done. I will probably work towards entering it into the Des Moines show later in the year.

So, instead of working on a big project, I have been working on several small projects. Last month my husband asked if I would make a quilted sleeve for his iPad. The case he had purchased for it was already falling apart and he needed something to protect it while it was not in use. This was a fun project for me and it turned out so cool. A teenager at our church saw it and asked for one for his birthday. Now my brain was really going.

Mark and I have decided to start a new business venture in making iPad sleeves. I enjoy this project because I get to make a lot of “small quilts.” I am making about 5 sleeves in each pattern which is just long enough to play with a new piecing, quilting or embellishment technique and then I get to move on to something new. It has started to jump-start my creative juices again.

To see the new web site and iPad cases visit our new site.

I have really enjoyed working with new fabrics- such as silk ties. Emilie (my daughter) drew a key design that I fused to organza to put on the front of one of the sleeves. I also have been re-learning some hand embroidery stitches. I am having so mush fun!

Emilie and I started a new project together. She really enjoys drawing and painting and wanted a new quilt to hang in her room, so I proposed a joint project. She drew the image of the fairy and planned the shape of the border. I quilted the piece and then we painted it together. I hope that this is just 1 in a series.

We used both Jacquard and Dye-n-flow fabric paints. The finished size is 18×16 inches.