Browsing Tag

anna maria horner

finishes

let’s catch up!

Posted on January 13, 2015

Anna Maria Horner Embroidery by Kim Soper/Leland Ave Studios

Oh, hello there! How are you? Can you believe we are already almost two weeks into the New Year? Time seems to be flying by as I am trying to get myself ready for the start of Curves Class with Rachel from Stitched in Color! I’m excited, as it was on my list of resolutions for this year, and my head is already spinning with ideas of things I’ll be able to make with my newfound curvy skilzzzzz!

In order to get myself mentally ready for the class, I’ve been trying to get all of my other obligations and tasks out of the way. The first order of business was to finish the Anna Maria Horner embroidery project that I had started ages ago. It’s the first embroidery project I ever embarked upon, and I had NO idea what I was getting myself into! But I love how it turned out and can say it was definitely worth it in the end!

I also finished my blocks for this month’s do. Good Stitches.

I got a sleeve on this quilt, so that I can package it up and send it off to Austin!

And started the process of teaching myself how to appliqué, as part of my entry for the LIMOD Charm Square Swap Challenge. (Wish me luck!)

The last thing I’ve been doing (which was also on my list of resolutions) is taking an online drawing class. I signed up through Creativebug for Lisa Congdon’s Basic Line Drawing AND her Sketchbook Explorations class (I know, it’s like I have New Year fever!), and I have already learned a ton! (I have tons to learn, trust me! But, here’s a few snaps of my first doodles!

I’ve been watching the two classes in increments with my four year old, who loves to draw, and we’ve really been enjoying it! Obviously he is young to be grasping the technique, but he loves to watch her pen make shapes on paper, and even though he is not able to replicate her designs, he’s still absorbing the knowledge. Plus, it’s fun to snuggle with him while we watch the videos!

Okay, I think that’s pretty much it for now. How’s your year been so far? What are you working on? Are you gearing up for a big project? Already in the midst of a project that you started on the 1st? I’d love to hear what you’re up to, so please, catch me up!

Linking up with Sew Cute Tuesday!

finishes

a finish. finally.

Posted on September 26, 2014

Scrappy Picnic Quilt kim soper/leland ave studios

I can’t remember the last time I sewed a binding on a quilt. It’s been that long. I’ve been plugging away at tops, but have not had any finishes to report — until now! And this one has been a long time in the making! This quilt, the first I ever started, sat in the bottom of my linen closet for so long that it needed sunglasses when it came into the light.

I didn’t even have much to do on it. I had to finish the quilting and put a binding on. That was it! But getting all of that fabric under the machine to finish up the chevron pattern had become such a chore as a brand new sewer, that I had given up. And I had built it up in my head for all of this time. But now that I have a few years of sewing under my belt, once I got back to it, I realized it really was not bad at all! And it feels like a tremendous burden has been lifted. . . isn’t that funny? You don’t realize that unfinished projects are causing mental stress until you finish them, and then you can let out a huge sigh of relief!

This quilt was made with all of my favorite fabrics at the time. There’s a good deal of AMH, some Amy Butler, Denyse Schmidt, and a couple of coordinating pieces from my mom’s stash. I had no idea how big the quilt was going to be when I started it. The chevrons are not exact. And I never would have picked the batik on the back. But I was just trying it to see if I liked quilting. Little did I know! Even without finishing it, this quilt would be the gateway to an addiction I never dreamed of! All I can say is, NO REGRETS!

Finishing this quilt was one of my goals for the 2014 Finish Along, so I’ll be linking up with The Littlest Thistle and to TGIFF and Crazy Mom Quilts !

Have a great weekend everybody!

work in progress

sometimes the dining room is just a dining room.

Posted on April 6, 2014

embroidery by kim soper/leland ave studios

This week, my dining room had to actually be a dining room. Which means it could not be a studio. Which means my fabrics are back in the closet along with the iron and the ironing board. The cutting mat is hiding underneath the couch in the living room. And my sewing machine is tucked way into the back of the utility closet in the upstairs hallway. Not a setup conducive to just “pulling things out” for a few mins. So, it is weeks like these, that I am reduced to merely opening my dining room cabinet and staring at my fabrics and admiring their loveliness. I also have a side project, one that has been in the works for close to a year now, that is my go-to for studio-free weeks. I’m quite sure I will need at least another year to finish it. But it’s cute enough to encourage me to keep plugging away — as slow as the going may be for me — one. stitch. at a time.

This is my first embroidery project, so at the time I started it, I had no idea what a giant I was taking on. It’s Anna Maria Horner’s “Loves Me Bouquet” from her Needleworks Notebook. (Not only did I go for broke with this first project, but I enlarged the pattern so the finished size will be even larger than the one in her book). Come to think of it, I may finish it two years from now. . . not one! Anywho, it doesn’t matter when it gets done, because I love the book, I love the project, and my husband even had it signed for me before he gave it to me as a mother’s day gift, which makes it extra special!

I don’t know about you, but I seriously crush on Anna Maria Horner’s talent and her adorable family! I mean, she’s such an inspiration, am I right??!?

anna maria horner

let’s catch up!

a finish. finally.

sometimes the dining room is just a dining room.

lelandavestudios