bring on the babies!

nerdy bert quilts are here! hooray!

i finally finally finally finished the first four quilts. i am very pleased with how they turned out, and i hope that each one of them will bring lots of love and enjoyment to some lucky babies.

i created a pattern that i really liked, and rather than reinvent the wheel, i used the pattern for each quilt. it was fun to see my design with several different fabric groupings.

each quilt is made of 100% cotton materials and measure 40" x 45". they have all been hand quilted by yours truly. i really like the result of hand-quilting, gives them that extra character.

nerdy bert designs does have a page on etsy, and the quilts will be posted there for sale very soon...

www.nerdybertdesigns.etsy.com

enjoy!

#1: 'sweetpea'

 

the front...

 

the back....

 

detail of the hand-quilting...

  

 #2: 'sugar plum'

 

the front...

 

the back...

 

detail of the hand-quilting...

 

#3:  'sassy girl'

  

the front...

 

  the back...

 

 detail of hand-quilting...

  

#4: 'punkin'

 

the front...

 

the back...

 

 detail of hand-quilting...

each quilt is priced at $165.

thanks for visiting!

what i did on my summer vacation...

well, my summer vacation is over already.

i had a month between classes that i put to good use quilting. yay! it was quite fun getting the experience of being a full-time working artist. i think i could get used to it...

i have a few previews of things i worked on. they are still works in progress, but i just had to share anyway....

this one is in the works as a gift for a friend.... i had a ton of fun working on it, experimenting with improv piecing and no rotary cutter. i used scissors to cut my pieces and i didn't measure anything. quite liberating indeed! quilting and binding are next for this one...

these next two pics are a continuation of the ongoing 'turning 30 project'.  3 of the 7 quilts are finished and have been given to their owners. the next four are scheduled to be given in the first half of 2012. i'm pluggin along...

now on to figure drawing (my summer class)...

is it summertime yet?

this was the first weekend recently that supported the idea that summer just might be on it's way. yay!

a friend of mine came to town to celebrate her birthday with me. the big 3-0. (a lot of those happening recently, seems like) we spent time catching up, drawing, journaling, planning, etc and we even got in a sunrise hike up to horsetooth lake.

lots of fun, and a birthday quilt too....

larissa has always loved the color red, and a couple years ago i found a bunch of fabric that had her name written all over them. they finally worked their way into a quilt in time for her birthday.

 

the back....

and the birthday girl.

i've had a few weeks off of school (summer classes start next week) and i've been spending my free time quilting. i'm realize how much i love it and how much fun i have creating and giving. i am grateful my life affords me this joy.

camo commission

a good friend of mine recently wanted a quilt for his nephew's first birthday, but informed me that the quilts i had available were nowhere tough enough for the little guy....

so, we came up with a different plan. my friend donated some of his camo from his first days as an outfitter. there's lots of sentimental value and memories attached to the garments that will now be immortalized in the form of a quilt for the next generation.


i used my typical design style but with radically different prints than i typically use. i had a great time and enjoyed the break from my usual brights and the challenge of working with prints that are designed to blend in.

the back of the quilt was designed around a flannel shirt. again, it holds special memories for my friend. it was a shirt from his high school days, and it's possible it was worn almost every day for several years. it has now been retired.


i finished this quilt right before it left for texas, so it wasn't completely dry for the picture taking. the variation in the solid fabrics is actually water....

one of the garments used on the front was a pair of cargo pants, and i loved the pocket on the side of the pant leg. instead of working around it or deconstructing it, i just cut it out and used it for a big block on the quilt. i'm sure the little guy receiving the quilt will find lots of fun toys to store in the pocket of his quilt.

i put the nerdy bert label inside the pocket.


i also used t-shirts in the quilt and included the t-shirt pockets as well. i machine quilted the layers to give it durability, and then i hand quilted for fun. i used hunter's safety orange (or as close as i could find). it looked really great. it's visible in the next picture outlining the pocket.


this was a great idea and a very generous gift on the part of my friend. his nephew is lucky to have such love in his corner. happy 1st birthday, bronc!

turning 30 project - vol. V

the latest 'turning 30' quilt....




ranetta, my cousin, was in town this weekend so i seized the opportunity to send her home with her quilt. the wind was blowing when we finally decided to take pictures, so our posing was quite entertaining. stephanie, ranetta's younger sister, took the photos. it was a family affair....


each time i have presented a quilt to one of the girls, i'm amazed at how different each quilt is from the others and how appropriate each one is in representing it's owner. this one is no exception. this quilt is sweet and bright, energetic and cheery....kind of like ranetta.


i'm so happy with how this turned out, and once again was thrilled to give it away. i feel blessed to have awesome people in my life and the means to express and share my love with them. my cousin is ridiculously special to me and she is the spirit of love. and her quilt was named accordingly.


the label reads:

Turning 30 Project

'Spirit'

3 of 7

Made for: Ranetta Blank Kinney
June 6

Designed and Quilted by: Shawna Doering
Littleton CO USA

2011

another peek....

another peek at a new creation from nerdy bert.....


i promise i won't drag this out for too much longer. stay tuned.

a preview

thought i'd give a tiny clue of great things to come....


it's gonna be good. don't touch that dial....

the wonderful world of trade....

my fabulous color theory class has included several painting projects. i now appreciate anyone who can successfully work with paint, and i am fascinated by everybody's individual style. i have a classmate who is already a painter so she showed superior skills to the rest of us who had never played around with the stuff. i fell in love with one of her paintings......

and i asked her if she would be willing to let me have it. she suggested a trade. i was flattered. i am always excited when i find people who enjoy and support my craftiness. i quilt and she crochets (and she often includes it in her artwork) and we are both looking at exploring womens 'craft' and how it can/will overlap the art world. what a great exploration!

here is the quilt i made for her.

it's about 38" x 45" and it was super fun (and quick) to make.

here's the back:

i hand quilted it and love, love, love the way it turned out. it was my first experience handquilting, and i am a convert. i am now excited to handquilt everything. i feel like it gives me more creative control.

i'm always excited to have great pieces of art from people i know. thanks for trading with me allyson.

the latest project...

my assignment for color class.... create something with color.

sounds great right? sometimes when the possibilities are endless it gets overwhelming though. you pray for inspiration to land on your shoulder.

so i decided to create a process, rather than an outcome. i selected several fabrics (some of my favorites, some i don't like, some i figured don't go and some solids) and cut them up into random pieces. i threw them into a paper bag and as i drew them out, i sewed them together. i do have to admit there was some editing though. same fabrics didn't get sewn together and sometimes i had size issues.

for the most part, it was very improvisational. and, it was fun! i like the result and i created something i might not have before with my brain engaged.

cute huh?

i am exploring the line between quilting as a craft and quilting as a fine art. i am pushing myself as a quilter to create modern and contemporary pieces and i am exploring my personal style as an artist.

my next step is to expand on this project. i have a sketch of an arrangement of several pieces. they will be made in a similar fashion and then displayed like the sketch shows. i'm hoping it helps create the feel of a modern art exhibit.

turning 30 project - vol. IV (part 2)

yesterday i met lindsey at a fun restaurant in downtown littleton called merle's. it was quite fun and I think it might have been the first time ever that just the two of us sat down to lunch. there was plenty of talk about various life subjects: her boys, my school and other facinating tidbits.

and of course, she walked away with her fabulous birthday quilt.

i have had a blast with this project, and i am excited to finish and give away the next 5 quilts.

read the next installment here:
turning 30 project - vol. V

turning 30 project - vol. IV

ta da! here is the second quilt of this lovely series. one of the best things about this project is the different personalities that show up in each quilt. this one is for lindsey and it turned out beautifully.

lindsey's choice of fabric was a classic black and white floral with small roses. for the most part i kept with black and white compliments and threw in a splash of color. the border repeats the rose theme with a black background and a very delicate line drawing of roses in white. i used what was leftover from the border of summer's quilt to bind this one. the classic combo of black and white bordered with red looks awesome.

i found this great fabric for the back, white with black hummingbirds and green flowers. i used a green coordinate to border the section of squares. needless to say, i was thrilled when lindsey told me that she loved green!

here is the label. it reads:

Turning 30 Project

"Delight"

2 of 7

Made for: Lindsey DeJonge Lehman

October 14

Designed & Quilted by: Shawna Doering

Littleton CO USA

2010

i haven't given lindsey her quilt yet, but i just couldn't wait to get it posted. = ) i'll update with pictures of the happy recipient on a later date.

read the next installment here:
turning 30 project - vol. IV (part 2)

turning 30 project - vol. III

so, here is the reveal of the first finished quilt. summer was here in denver over the 4th of july weekend, so i took the opportunity to give her quilt to her in person. i was really excited to get this quilt finished and very pleased with how it turned out.

summer has always liked the purple since i can remember. the fabulous fabric she chose would have been complimented nicely by purple, but i wanted to do something unexpected, so i bordered the quilt in a terrific cranberry color. i love how it turned out. i did incorporate purple into the quilt in the end though.....i put it on the back.

here is the label for the quilt. it reads:

Turning 30 Project

"Serenity"

1 of 7

Made for: Summer

September 18

Designed & Quilted by: Shawna Doering

Littleton CO USA

2010

and here is the happy recipient!

read the next installment here:
turning 30 project - vol. IV

turning 30 project - the official introduction

i am approaching the big 3-0 and for the most part i am excited and empowered by it. however it has caused me to stop and take notice. the past 10 years since high school have blown by like time does whether you're having fun or not. i started to take an inventory of my life....what i've accomplished, what i haven't and what i want to. more on that later.

i grew up with six other girls my same age. our parents were friends since they were teenagers and in some cases our grandparents were friends as young people. we're long time friends, and coincidentally going to all be turning 30 (hence the title of the project). i wanted to create something that connected us all in our busy lives. since i am a quilter i naturally went in that direction.

i asked all the ladies to go to my mother-ship (the fabric store) and pick out one fabric they felt represented themselves and send it to me. getting fabulous fabric in the mail felt like it was my birthday everyday. it was awesome! everyone participated which made me super happy and it was a ton of fun seeing what everyone picked out.

Summer

Lindsey

Ranetta

Moi

Sharalyn

Jennifer

Julie

read the next installment here:
turning 30 project - vol. II