Texas Flag {Quilted Pillow}

"Houston Strong"

It's been very hard the last two weeks, watching our dearest of friends and family enduring Hurricane Harvey.  

It's very hard to sit watching, helplessly, as they hunkered down, evacuated flooding waters, and now clean out all the water damaged homes.  

Houston was where we lived for 15 years.  

Where we made very close friends.  Where we thought we may live forever.  

I won't say that its been the easiest of moves to Salt Lake City, Utah.   It was hard to leave Houston behind.

I made this pillow in the early spring for my husband's office.   It was a bit of "home" just for him.

I used old upholstery and canvas fabrics I had from my one of my son's bedding and window treatment make-overs.  It makes me smile and think of our time there whenever I walk in the room.

Pray for our Houston family.

Red, White, and Blue {Floor Cushions}

This project is the first one that I loved as soon as I dreamed it in my mind.  I loved it as I made all the tops.  I loved it as I was quilting it.  I loved it while I was constructing it.  I loved it when they were all finished. 

RARELY ever happens to me.  I usually hit a bump in the road at some point!  I envisioned these quilted bean bag floor cushions to complement the Stars and Stripes Quilt  I made for the boys' game room last year.  

Want to hear the BEST part?  

Entirely made of scraps and stash!!

(NOTE:  I am TOTALLY aware that I took this photo of an upside down Texas flag!  I apologize all you Texans.  I was concentrated more on lighting than the actual cushion!!)

The first cushion was in honor of our home the last 11 years.  I thought it was perfect considering the large quilt is the US quilt!

I used heavy home dec fabrics and denim from old projects.  Because the piecing was actually rather simple and boring, I tried to have fun on my longarm with the quilting.  On the red, I played with my 90 degree angle ruler and made various sized chevrons.  I wanted to play with movement.

On the white, I just free motion quilted squiggly lines.

 Meandering in the blue stripe and tiny echoes on the raw appliqué denim star.  I didn't pick up the needle and just kept spiraling into the center. 

Diamond Quilting on the denim sides.  

Do you just love the white and red ticking as the binding as much as I do?

All three cushions are constructed the same. The bottoms are heavy home dec material or denim with a zipper a few inches away from one side. I decided to treat the entire cushion like a quilt.  I quilted all the parts and washed them before sewing the sides to the top and bottom. I decided to do a binding instead of piping so I didn't have to turn a lot of bulk, inside-out.  Inside, I made an entire lining in the same size to hold the bean bags with some old sheets.  That way, I can wash the cushion shell.  Boys are dirty, after all!

The second cushion was leftover strips from other projects and stash.  I pieced a few of the strips and then cut 60 degree angles to make the triangles.  I added the gray to break up all the red, white and blue.

It seemed to beg for the solid red binding for some pop.  The cushion sides were a home dec fabric that just didn't work out for my bedroom window treatments.  Waste not, want not. 

The third cushion?  Last, but certainly not least. Actually?  My FAVORITE! This five point star was so fun to make.  I was very random with my scraps and stash and I just love how it turned out!  I love the straight line star quilting. It crinkled so beautifully!

Another home dec red stripe fabric for the sides and a solid blue binding. I did not want to take away from the top!

Perfect, right?

Texas Style Birthday!

Three and a half weeks later, I'm finally posting about his birthday, but I don't want him to say that I forgot his special day.

Seventeen.

 I cannot believe I have a child that will be an adult in less than one year.

Button can't believe it either!

The story goes.....the birthday boy wanted boots.  Bonafide, good ole, Texas boots.  If you have not ever had the honor of buying boots?  I have one word for you.

  Expensive.

It was also the type of thing that I couldn't go buy and wrap up. 

You need to make sure the boots fit perfectly.

So I decided to make him a Texas flag throw pillow to tuck in with his gift card.

  

The Marquette U. throw pillow was such a big hit last year, I thought it would be fun to do again.  Especially since I haven't finished his quilt yet. Yikes. 

 

But then I thought just the boot gift card would be boring, so why not more gift cards?  Or better yet?  A "certificate" declaring him an official Texan. 

 He was born in Virginia, but has been here for the past 11 years of his life!

I think he liked it! 

(Whataburger is a Texas thang)

And at that point the bunting I made for the fireplace made sense to him.

and the cupcake toppers.

All in all? A pretty successful birthday!

Too much for a seventeen year old...or not enough?