Monica Lou

Pickled Peppers!!

2011-02-14T05:12:00.002-05:00

There's a spot on my kitchen wall that just needs something. I wasn't sure what, other than new paint......hint hint John!! But I was browsing some magazines at the library and spotted a small wall hanging with hot peppers, and it dawned on me, that is it, a vegetable quilt. Stop laughing, right this minute! It's going to be great, I hope. I am going to applique a few different vegetables, add borders, quilt it and it will be a nice addition to our kitchen. And I'm certain that if my handsome, brilliant, husband would paint it first it would look even better, right? Here are the peppers, I'm auditioning vegetables for the next 2 or 3 blocks, any suggestions?

Vegetably yours,
Monica

Birdie Sling Class

2011-02-13T20:11:00.000-05:00

There's something so enjoyable and rewarding about women getting together to create. It is something that women of previous generations valued and made a priority. Our lives have become so hectic and crazy that we don't make time to spend with other women, days of quilting together, canning together, cooking etc seem to have become occasional joys rather than regular occurrences. We make time to get together for drinks, or dinner but its not the same level of fulfillment as helping one another create something. I began a new class Friday night at the shop, www.quiltingadventures.com. It's Amy Butler's Birdie Sling bag, one of my favorite projects. It occurred to me as I reflected on why I love teaching so much; that what I love about it is the camaraderie of watching women work towards a goal of completing a project from start to finish. When we spend time creating, be it a sewing project, cooking a meal for our family, creating a scrapbook page to remember a special day or gardening to share flowers and vegetables with our family and friends, we gain so much; self confidence , a sense of accomplishment, pride and a useful example of our creative selves. Find time to get together with some of the women in your life, creativity is important and we gain something from sharing it with one another. Here are a few photos of the projects so far.

Happy creating,
Monica

Warm and Comforting Cheddar Ale Soup

2011-02-04T04:58:00.002-05:00

John is a magazine and catalog junkie, he loves to read anything really. Over the holidays we received a Williams Sonoma catalog with a recipe he has been dying for me to try, Cheddar Ale Soup. A bit hesitant as some of you probably are, it sounds too rich and well; honestly it just doesn't sound appetizing. Its rich and creamy but not overly heavy, warm and richly flavored, just perfect for a cold winter's night. I served it with sliced pear, sliced sourdough bread and I topped John's with bacon. If you need a quick and delicious dinner give this recipe a run, it is delicious! For those of you who are vegetarians, I didn't use the bacon in the base of the soup as suggested just a tad of olive oil and it was fantastic. I chopped the bacon and microwaved it to garnish John's soup. Here is the recipe, http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/cheddar-ale-soup.html?cm_src=SEARCH_FEATURELIST||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-Feature_Recipe_Rule-_-&cm_re=OnsiteSearch-_-SCHBillboard-_-SEARCH_FEATURELIST
Happy cooking,
Monica

Teabag Wallet

2011-02-03T13:00:00.001-05:00

This wallet is created from teabag wrappers that I painted with watercolors, treated with medium and then used the "fabric" to create the wallet. Though it seems it would be fragile, it is quite functional and ready to take the wear and tear of life. I use a wallet I created of comic paper a couple of years ago and I love it. This was a gift for my mom for Christmas.
Have a wonderful day,
Monica

Little Shoes

2011-02-03T05:51:00.000-05:00

I shared with you a while ago the fantastic idea from Nicole over at http://blog.followthewhitebunny.com/. She embroidered canvas shoes for her daughter. This idea seemed the perfect gift for two of the little blessings in my life, my nieces Julia and Keeley. Both girls love anything, pink, purple, unique and glittery. Finding plain canvas shoes was quite the task but after finding them I had such fun embroidering and appliqueing them. I forgot to take photos of Julia's but here is a photo of Keeley modeling hers. Abby my older niece decided that she would like a pair also (I wasn't sure she'd like them so I made her a different gift) though without any pink or purple of course! " Those colors are for babies;" how fast they grow up, it seems just a few short months ago Abby wanted everything purple. Hope you are finding time to create as we run into February (hard to believe, January has passed us by).
Happy sewing,
Monica

Sharing a great idea!

2010-12-03T06:23:00.000-05:00

I must apologize for not posting regularly, it has been a crazy week. I haven't had even a moment to sit down at the machine in two days, very unlike me but you know, sometimes that's life. I do have something to share with you this morning, it is a wonderful idea.http://blog.followthewhitebunny.com/2010/11/sunday-morning-stitching-one-small.html. Hop on over to "Follow the White Bunny," (pun intended) and see the fun footwear she has created for her daughter. I have two nieces who would fall in love with these immediately!! I think I may see some embroidered shoes in my immediate future.

Hope you are doing well, getting ready for Christmas crafting, cooking and shopping! It's a busy time of year but remember; time spent cuddled up in pjs, drinking a warm cup of cocoa, lights out, Christmas tree lit; that time is important!
Have a great day!

Monica

Rapid Fire Hunter's Star

2010-11-30T07:07:00.000-05:00

This block is so simply beautiful, and with the ruler designed by Deb Tucker it is so easy to create. I can only imagine all of the measurement that would be involved in creating this block without this ruler. Trust me it is manageable, once you have created the block you can arrange them in so many different ways to create the most beautiful designs. As you have seen, I have Christmas on the brain so here is a block I played with using Christmas fabrics. And here is a link to a demonstration of how to use the ruler, the directions included with the ruler are straightforward and easy to follow but if you need a bit of a nudge, here it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWOS9KBDJgU
And if you'd like to have the Hunter's Star Ruler here's a link to my favorite Quilt Shop, www.quiltingadventures.com

That's all for today, working on lots of projects but most are Christmas gifts. I'll be teaching a beginning dress class tonight with some fantastic ladies at the shop. I'll post photos in the next few days of their fantastic creations.

Have a beautiful day!
Monica

What a day!

2010-11-27T19:42:00.000-05:00

It's all to rare that I have an entire day to spend in the studio with no other obligations but today was one of those occasions. John was working so the house was quiet and I was able to get so much done. Some of what I accomplished were Christmas gifts so I promise I'll post those later but for now, here are some of the projects I'm working on.

Here is the bag after its quilted, the picture really doesn't so it justice, the texture is fantastic. It will be a bag this evening I hope.

Here is the back side, you can really see the quilting, unfortunately it will not be visible once the bag is completed. Isn;t it fun to look at the back of quilts? Or is that just me?

Here are some teabag wrappers that I am painting, this will be a wallet when I am finished; sometime later in the week. I have made several similar pieces and they have been received well at two galleries so I will make a few of these for a show opening on December 11th. These are so much fun to make because everyone is its own piece unlike any other. I make the outside entirely from recycled trash and the lining I try to create using recycled clothing or scraps of fabric.

I apologize, this is a terrible picture. This is a quilt for us. I began it on Thanksgiving morning and completed the blocks today, and hope to piece them together sometime this week. It was improvisational, I had a charm pack and a jelly roll of red and green fabrics from last Christmas. As much as I sew, there is little in our home that I made(other than clothes), so John's excited about this one also.

I hope everyone had a wonderful day, and that your Sunday is a joy!

Good night,
Monica

Christmas Jars

2010-11-26T05:50:00.001-05:00

I have been blessed or burdened; depending on your point of view with the ability to completely empathize with other people’s feelings and life experiences. While this sometimes means that I feel other’s burdens and pain more than some would it also means that I feel their joy and happiness in a way that almost makes it mine. Oddly enough this empathy seems to extend to fictional characters,(perhaps I should talk to a professional about this ;) meaning that sometimes I find myself entrenched in a book so intensely that it adjusts my way of thinking. This has happened recently with Jason F Wright’s Christmas Jars. It's a short but beautiful story with characters and life lessons that will linger long after the pages are closed. If you find yourself with a little time and not enough Christmas spirit this season you should find a copy, make a cup of tea, and relax into a beautiful story.

Thanksgiving Day

2010-11-25T06:13:00.000-05:00

The blessings in my life are far too many to imagine counting. Today, I wake up to a smile filled with love. My love, my best friend, my husband, I love you more every day. I truly cannot imagine a day without you. Today I wake up in our home which is warm, comfortable, beautiful and filled with both what we need and want to be comfortable and content. Today I wake with a family so loving and supportive it is unbelievable unless you have experienced a love like it. Today I wake up with a family much larger than the one I was born with, and it seems sinful that one person could have so many wonderful people to both love and be loved by. Today I wake up with a multitude of friends both old and new who daily enter my prayers and I theirs, each enhancing my life in a new way. Today I wake up with the right to say, believe, listen to, and express anything I would like. Today I wake up knowing that I will never meet the many men and women who make these rights possible but feeling gratitude for their choice to serve all the same. Today I will have more than enough to eat and I will enjoy preparing it with part of my loving family. Today I will laugh. Today I will try to be grateful for all of the blessings in my life for there are many.

My sincerest hope for you is that you enjoy your day, and that it is filled with love, laughter, family and friends and wonderful memories. Happy Thanksgiving!

Love and prayers,
Monica

Timeless Music

2010-11-24T05:50:00.001-05:00

A few months ago I was browsing a consignment shop looking for old magazines and papers, I hit the jackpot. After inquiring with the owner about my search she smiled and led me to a giant box filled with wonderful treasures from days long past. When I asked her for a price she laughed and said, "$5 for the lot of it." I was thrilled. As I explored the box when I got home a found treasures I couldn't have imagined from old songbooks and sheet music to magazines from the 40s and 50s. This fabric is created from the pages of a songbook that has lost its cover so I'm uncertain of its exact age, though I will say the aging in this piece is natural and not manufactured with inks, paints etc. as I often do. This weekend I anticipate this paper becoming either a bag or a wallet, we'll see how the wind blows. The wallet idea seems to be taking a stronger shape in my mind so that will likely be it's life. I'll post photos as soon as it's completed.

Happy sewing,
Mon

Seeing Red, and loving it!

2010-11-23T05:22:00.000-05:00

Quilting is a way to work through my thoughts, solve problems, celebrate people and events. Garment sewing bring a great deal of satisfaction at completion but quilting provides a totally different rush for me. Lately I have found myself drawn to improvisational quilting, particularly with a monochrome palette. It is so interesting how variations of the same color work together to create texture and interest. To begin I just choose the fabrics I’d like to work with and start cutting strips. After cutting several different widths of strips I begin piecing together with a cutting board on my table and chop and cut as needed slowly working my way into an abstract design. This process has a meditative quality, as there are no rules, you can’t “do it wrong.” You should try it, and even more interesting is the impact that the music I play while creating these pieces seems to impact the outcome. I love this red piece but I’m not sure what it’s going to be, the original plan was a bag with a wool applique grinch on it but I don’t know......I think I’ll quilt it this week and then see what it should be after that is completed. My indecisiveness will make it ten thing sin my head before my body catches up to complete the project. Does that happen to you? I also find myself working on one project and suddenly sparked with an idea for a new one; good things never come from this...........this is precisely why I have several projects going at any given time.

Happy sewing,

Mon

Getting Back to it!

2010-11-22T21:37:00.001-05:00

I must apologize I have been much less than diligent about blogging, there are a million excuses that I could offer but who among you would like to hear them? I promise that I am going to make it a priority to share what I am creating. There is sense of obligation on my part because I so enjoy reading all of the creative blogs out there. Thank you for everyone who takes the time to share your work and life online, it is so fun to see the photos and read your stories. My brother in law has so graciously helped me create an online store and new layout which I'm really excited about. This will be my springboard towards blogging much more regularly. Thank you so much JC for all of your work, it is appreciated much more than you know! And so I begin.....tomorrow.

Happy sewing,
Mon

Spring Beauties

2010-04-10T14:07:00.009-04:00

This post needs little by way of words, here are some photos of our Hellebores this spring. Believe it or not these photos don't begin to show you how amazing these flowers are, hope you're enjoying spring in your way. More garden photos and sewing projects to share later today, until then . . .

Here are a few shots of my new love . . .

2010-02-12T15:53:00.008-05:00

Anyone who has been around me in the past few weeks knows that I have fallen in love with my recent project, the Arabesque Quilt. The quilt was designed by one of my fellow teachers at Quilting Adventures. Laura, at Plumtree Quilts, is so talented both as a designer and as a teacher, she has made so many people fall in love with quilting, by sharing the skills required to be a success. Her shop sample for this new pattern has made have to try it. I have completed four quilts now and have found myself enjoying the process immensely but this project has had me enchanted.

The compulsion to work on it has been like the draw of a really good book, I'm searching for every moment to work on it a bit. I have now completed the blocks and the next step will be to piece the top together. I probably won't quilt this one myself, though I must admit that part is enjoyable also but I think because this one is larger I will have Deb, at Cottage Garden Quilting, quilt it. I'll update the photos soon . . . I hope that when this is constructed I love it as much as I have loved working it.

Julia's Birthday

2010-02-07T11:54:00.010-05:00

My beautiful and incredibly creative niece's birthday was this past Wednesday in the midst of our Artic weather (we've had 24 inches of snow already this winter; unheard of for Richmond) so as a result she missed both her classroom birthday party at school and the one her Mom planned for Saturday.

We were able to make it there on Sunday and she had a great time we had a snowball fight, ate tacos and cake and the BEST coffee ice cream!!

Yes, our family is indeed an eating crew, after all that is the point of family get togethers, right? Just kidding!!

On to the gift . . . I made a crayon roll and a carrying case for coloring books, drawing pads etc. I hope she loves them.

New Projects

2009-05-31T18:08:00.006-04:00

Here are some photos of some newly completed projects for the festival next weekend. I hope the weather is nice. I'm really looking forward to the festival and more importantly to seeing my family. My baby sister is going to be in town for the weekend YEAH!!!! I don't get to see her nearly as often as I'd like. My nieces are going to have a dance recital which I'll be able to attend, I'm sure lots of you remember how exciting those day are. I miss my family, though we're not far sometimes life is just too busy.

You'll notice there's an unfinished quilt in my photos, (I'm afraid after all of the declarations that I would not become a quilter but would remain strictly a garment sewer.......) I had a great time working on this, its going to be a beach blanket, and after finishing the patchwork, I'm going to applique and anchor and rope on one corner. My thought was that this was going to be a simple project but perhaps I have underestimated what you quilters do. There is a method to your madness. Thanks Pattie, Krystal, Mary and Cheryl for helping me arrange my blocks so that they look, "random" and for all of the advice on nesting seam allowances, batting, quilting etc. Though I must say you quilters could definitely take a note from we garment sewers on the pins, sewing without pins takes a bit of getting used to........I'm not there yet.

Both purses are made from paper, one is newspaper that I have aged and treated with medium. It is reinforced with batting made from recycled plastic bottles and trimmed with corduroy (used on the reverse) made from bamboo. This is a very "Green" bag. The green one is made from a beautiful paper I stumbled upon last December, it is embroidered and lined with a bright orange. The green bag is a bit bright for me but I loved how summery and happy the colors are.

Happy sewing,

Monica

Beautiful Blooms

2009-05-31T17:56:00.004-04:00

I haven't done a good job of blogging our blooms lately. I'm sorry about that because you missed the false indigo, blue and yellow, spider wort, some poppies, foxgloves, the red honeysuckle (it will re bloom later in the summer and I promise to photograph it). Here are a few photos of some things blooming now. The Oak Leaf Hydrangea we just planted this past fall and it was just a single limb transplanted from Jeff's yard. I can't imagine how beautiful it will be in a few years. Enjoy the photos......there will be garden photos soon. I had fresh broccoli yesterday, it was fantastic and asparagus from the garden is on the menu for tonight. Hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of summer.

Love,

Monica

An afternoon of playing....

2009-05-17T20:48:00.003-04:00

A rainy Sunday makes for some fun sewing time. I completed a comic strip purse for the show in a few weeks, and I created my first "quilt" I played around with scraps and came up with this wall hanging. Don't tell the quilters at the shop, but I had a great time. I didn't really have a plan, I just started pulling bits from my scrap basket and I think I like the results. It needs a border and then I suppose I'll quilt it. Free motion has become something I use in my bag creation but that is much more forgiving than a wallhanging........we'll see, some practice and careful planning may be in my future. Hope everyone had a wonderful Sunday!

Monica

Why I love him.....

2009-05-17T20:33:00.002-04:00

As many of you know John and I both had the entire weekend off together; something that almost never happens. Between John's work and my teaching our weekends are as busy if not busier than our weekdays are. We scheduled this weekend to be "our weekend" a few months ago with thoughts that we we hit the beach. We weren't able to hit the beach but we had just as much fun. We hung out Friday afternoon, grilled and enjoyed our beautiful yard. Saturday we meandered all over Richmond, from the mall to the river and had lunch at The Black Sheep (it was amazing). Last night I was laying there thinking what a perfect few days we've had together and I thought.........You know what I love the most about John? I love that I love being with him, I love that my best days are with him.... I must be one of the luckiest people to have found someone whose company I so enjoy, whose advice I always seek, whose intelligence I admire, whose jokes make me smile and whose embrace can make the rest of the world insignificant . I am blessed.

Sunday in the garden

2009-04-27T18:55:00.005-04:00

Our whole family works a garden plot in Powhatan at Joan and Wayne's home. Jeff organizes us all and plans the weekend work outings, and we all share the workload and the bounty. This weekend Jeanne, Eric and the kids were out of town and Wayne was making the Southern States run so it was John, Jeff, Joan and I. I've taken a few shots and I'll update them as the garden grows this summer. I know it looks empty now but we have planted a lot of spring crops; potatoes, lettuce, beets, broccoli, cabbage, onions, spinach. And we're harvesting asparagus right now, nothing beats homegrown.

Find a local farmer's market, it really is a better way to feed your family!

Happy spring!

Monica

I love Spring!

2009-04-25T19:58:00.003-04:00

I love spring! Walking around our yard is inspiring, the colors are breathtaking. It seems everywhere you look there's something interesting. I had a chunk of time to sew today (Ill post photos later) and I know my creativity was inspired by all of John's work. The pollen is a small price to pay for all this glamour!

Friday Night Sewing

2009-04-25T19:39:00.002-04:00

Quite a while ago I began a Friday night sewing group to help some beginning garment sewers catch the "fever." It has without a doubt become one of my favorite nights of the week now. We've developed friendships and had a terrific time. Its interesting to look at the dynamics of our group we range in age from 10- well I won't say but ...the number goes up from there. We have several young sewers who don't seem to mind spending Friday nights with those of us who've been blessed with age, ;) I don't know if any of you have read the book The Friday Night Knitting Club but that's what we remind me of. I'm glad we're all together sewing, chatting about our weeks and everyone is working on different projects so you get the creative inspiration that comes from being around others who love to sew.

Last night Pheobe was working on the beautiful bubble quilt, I can't wait to see it. Pamela wouldn't let me take her photo (she was still in work clothes) but she's making the Sweet and Sassy Purse with the beautiful Touille and a denim bottom, it's going to be gorgeous. Pam has the sewing bug, in a bad way but she's so organized she never has more than one or two projects at once so she works through them and checks them off her list.........I'm envious!! Nan one of our youngest at 17 left last night before we could snap a photo but she finished (with the exception of hemming) her first skirt last night. It looks great on her, I'm impressed. The excitement is contagious when you watch someone complete something they've been working on.

Happy sewing,

Monica

Indygo Junction Skirt

2009-04-21T20:17:00.003-04:00

Here's a class sample for the Indygo Junction, Great Fit Gored Skirt. I apologize for the terrible photo, my dressform is at the shop wearing another class sample. This skirt is so cute but I'm not 100% sold on the contrasting panels (I believe this may be a style for those people without my generous hips ;). I stepped way outside my brown and black comfort zone for this skirt. Pattie, Joyce and Pheobe all convinced me to step outside my zone, I'm blessed to have friends who challenge me. I LOVE this fabric line, it's Tula Pink's Neptune line and there is just something I am drawn to in it. If you don't have a local quilt shop carrying this line, you can of course order it from Quilting Adventures. http://www.quiltingadventures.com/

Happy sewing,

Monica

After the rain

2009-04-21T20:10:00.002-04:00

After our storm, who can resist walking outside to explore....Jacob on of our favorite neighbors came over as soon as he spotted the rainbow to make sure we didn't miss anything. We continued knocking on doors until everyone on the block was outside.

Blooming Collards

2009-04-20T19:55:00.003-04:00

Some of you have laughed when I told you how beautiful the collards are blooming in our front yard, here's the proof. They're blooming under a pink dogwood that is particularly lovely this year. Before long everything will be blooming and John will be outside working. Between you and me he drives me crazy being stuck inside all winter with no gardening to keep him busy, and it gets much worse after football season is over. He has been working already on warm days, its amazing how beautiful he makes our home with his green thumb.

And the world went blue....

2009-04-20T19:34:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday I had the most fun dyeing fabric with Debbie, her husband Darrin, Chesley and Joyce. We had an incredible time experimenting with folding and clamping techniques to create spectacular effects on various pfd fabrics. And then........I realize with my hands deep in a bucket of soda ash and filled with various colors of dye....my glove has a tear in it YIKES!! Keep in mind, its Saturday and while I love my time at the shop and in the studio on the weekends; my "grown up" job is not one for which blue hands are acceptable. I scrubbed and scrubbed (ruining my skin in the process) and finally Sunday evening had removed it all with the exception of my fingernails. So I did what any born and bred southern girl would, I drove to RiteAid and bought the darkest, reddest fingernail polish I could find. Those of you who know me understand how funny it is that I walked around the entire week with red nails. Pheobe, dear friend, just laughed when she saw me. You have to love people who know you well enough to know your habits. I suppose it was worth it, I had some beautiful fabric to show for it. Here's a photo of my favorite, its silk, and feels as luxurious as it looks. I'm not sure what I'll make with it yet, more to come.
smiles and hugs,

Mon