Sunday, December 6, 2015

Home For Christmas

Christmas bed quilt number 4 - measures 96" square, and I quilted lots of bump bump feathers and fluer de lis! Love the fabrics in this quilt - enjoyed each stitch!









Go here for a look at the other 3! This completes the quilts for the beds in the main house. Now just 3 to go for the guest house!


Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Myrtle

We had friends from out of town spend last week with us!! We had a grand time playing "tourist" in the neighboring towns. We visited a WWII Museum, ate at a Bavarian Restaurant, shopped, sampled goodies at a local Pecan Orchard (and purchased a few, too!) and browsed through Antique Stores. At our last stop, Mike fell in love with a 1913 Singer Model 127 Treadle Sewing Machine. The very next day, she came home to reside in my sewing room (aka "Woman Cave" as Mike calls it!!!)




As you can see, the cabinet is in excellent condition and she is all refurbished and runs great! It was quite a learning curve to learn to treadle, but I've succeeded and have stitched up several nine patch blocks and just this morning I stitched a string of binding. It is very relaxing to treadle and it is nearly as fast as sewing with a motorized machine!!

I named her Myrtle in honor of Mike's paternal grandmother. She passed before I met Mike, but he adored her and from what I hear, she adored him. It was her quilts that Mike inherited that inspired me to start quilting, so I thought the name very fitting.

On the wall behind Myrtle is "Tucker" the latest SAL from Pam over at HeartSpun Quilts


Have a blessed day and remember:

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Country Rose Garden

That's what I'm calling my "Country Charmer" quilt. Marie recently posted about her Country Charmer being finished and on it's way to the long arm quilter. I've been "strong" - I DIDN'T need to make another star quilt!!!! But I couldn't stand it!!!! Ordered the the pattern (BTW nicest people at In Between Stitches!!!).


Selected the focus fabrics:

I bought the green rose calico on ebay a couple of years ago. It was originally purposed for another project, but the colors didn't quite match, so it has been setting in a box (and found when I reorganized!!) The cream tone on tone is one of my all time favorite fabrics and thought it was perfect to use with the calico.



Then went through my stash and selected greens and "roses" that would coordinate.


Then stitched up some blocks. I have found that I do best by assembling the flimsy as I make blocks (if I know how I'm going to set them).



It could be used as a Christmas quilt, but the colors to me or more like a beautiful summer rose garden - hence the name "Country Rose Garden".

Not sure how big I will make it yet - depends when the fabric runs out or I tire of making star blocks - which ever occurs first (and we know which one that will be!!! LOL)

I've started another project for a gift for a family member, so the Country Rose Garden blocks are on hold for a while, but I'll still be working on my leader/ender project: scrappy nine patches. (there is a story behind the blocks - will save it for a post of its own)



Blessings to each of you and remember:


Sunday, October 25, 2015

Additions to the Sewing Room

This is definitely not original, as display options for small quilts are prevalent all over blog land - but that is what blogger is about - inspiring and encouraging one another!!! But alas, I didn't have any available baskets, so wandered about my house and spied my grandmother's 3 Gallon Crock - Perfect!!! Gathered my small quilts that were stored in a quilt box, fussed and tried different arrangements and settled for this -



Up until a few days ago, much of my fat quarters and smaller yardages were stored in boxes stacked in a closet. Since, I had more space in my sewing room, and pondered about how to had easy access storage right in the sewing room. Voila - two cabinets made with old barn wood and old windows. I hadn't constructed any work projects for a couple of years, so it was fun to get our the tools and go to work. I'm so pleased with my cupboards!





The small quilt on top of this cupboard was a doll quilt that was given to me when I was wee little girl!! I am so thankful that I saved it after all these years!

Blessings to each and every one of you, and remember:


Thursday, October 15, 2015

Some Finishes

A couple of months (I think LOL!!!!) ago my daughter asked me to quilt another quilt that her friend commissioned from her. So Mandie and I teamed up again - she made the flimsy and I did the quilting. But it had been a couple of months since I had done any FMQ, so I pulled out some small quilt flimsys, got them basted and did some practice.

This is a little fall quilt that I made from a charm pack sent from a dear friend. I tried a new border design (again from Lori Kennedy). Of course I seem to always add (or subtract) as it suits me, but I love Lori's designs to kick start my FMQ. I think each of us creates our own style and that is what is so cool about quilting - no two quilts are EXACTLY alike and every quilt tells a story!




Then I found a panel (gifted from another dear friend) in my reorganizing and cleaning out, so put together a small quilt to hang on the wall in my "new" sewing room. Though you can't see them, I made my first "bump bump' vine feathers in the borders (black thread on black fabric).


What got me into quilt making was having some quilts that Mike's grandmother had made. I love the vintage scrap quilts, but wanted to expand my horizons and blogger has done just that. But I still find myself leaning toward the "old " quilts. I have several books with old quilts and their stories and one of my favorites is this one by Mary Bywater Cross.


And one of my favorite quilts in the book was made by the women of The Aurora Colony circa 1875.



Several years ago I made a small replica flimsy, but had not quilted it. Thought I might get it hand quilted, but that hadn't happened. I wanted to make my quilting as close as possible to the original with feathered wreaths in the setting blocks and outline quilting in the pieced blocks.

Here's my version which measures about 37" X 46".






My first "big" finish of "bump bump" feathers. I've found I love making them!

Well, I finally got to the "commissioned" quilt, and of course I had to look at it for several days to decide how to quilt it. Lovely fabrics with simply pieced  horizontal strips - modern fabrics - so stretching my quilting repertoire once again (builds character I know, I know - but "comfortable" is nice!!)

Decided on hooked swirls, found a pattern/template in one of my magazines and proceeded. About one "pattern" worth and it became pretty much "Free" motion swirls! But it was fun and I think the overall look is pleasing.





And Finally... (aren't you glad I'm almost done!!! LOL I've been taking posting lessons from Janet O. (LOL) but I don't think mine are near as wonderful as hers - I LOVE her projects!)...

...I finished Country Roads SAL from Lori at Humble Quilts.

What a fun, fun SAL!!





Simple Cross Hatch in the Country Lane blocks and pumpkin seeds in the setting blocks. This is a companion quilt to one a made earlier in the year (I just didn't realize it until I was almost finished with Country Roads)



That's all for now, but remember:


Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Community Service Projects

You know when you reorganize and clean up you find things that you forgot about?!!! Yikes - it happened to me - 6 Yards of really cute flannel fabric - donated to the quilt guild - taken home by me (several months ago) to stitch up into something for our Wee Care Program.



Voila - 4 very nice sized (they measure about 40" square - I made mine a big bigger than in the tutorial) self-binding receiving blankets ready to go!! I used this tutorial to make them.


Okay, so found something else when sorting through drawers - a John Deere Tractor Panel with some John Deere Fabric. Add a border of yellow gingham, baste, simple cross hatch quilting and machine attached binding and a cute quilt for a wee one for the Wee Care Program.




Since I was on a roll with Community Service Projects for the guild, the third project is what is called CPS (Child Protective Services) bags. When a child is removed from a home. their belongings are placed in a pillow cased sized drawstring bag. We try to make them cheerful and fun - but they also have to be sturdy. Mikkie, out oldest daughter, sells baby swings on an etsy shop called Texas Cotton Tales. She uses duck fabric and she had a box of leftover strips. So I took those strips and stitched up 5 drawstring bags.


Hope they put a smile on one little face in a tough situation.


Remember:



Blessings my sweet blogging friends!

Monday, October 5, 2015

Greetings!

I really can't believe that it has been 3 1/2 months since I last posted! The summer has flown by!

I've been contemplating whether or not to even blog any more - time constraints, interest waning, etc. etc. etc.

I do love seeing others wonderful projects and sharing a bit of my life with others also, so here goes a multiple post update.

About 3 months ago, I did some deep cleaning of my sewing/creating areas. Firstly, for my "Inspiration Space", I unpiled my desk, rearranged magazines and books and made new curtains.



Secondly, I finally completely took over our son's bedroom for my sewing room. I had been sewing there for a couple of years but hadn't taken down his twin beds or anything from the walls. But I did it and I LOVE it!

As you enter:



Counter Clockwise Around the room: The Ironing Station:


Storage:



Great Grandmother's Pillow Cover framed by my DIL for a birthday present.



Grandmother's Garden quilt that I bought at a flea market, a small quilt from vintage blocks, one of my doll quilts (the Peter Rabbit) and mug rug from a friend..





Nene's Quilts:




Silvia - her primary use is FMQ though I do use her to mend jeans and attach bindings. She sits under the window so I can look out at the sky and occasionally ponder. She is a 1970's model and was made in Italy.



Another Vintage Necchi - a 1960's model named Nora. She belonged to Mike's mom and is a dream for stitching long straight stitches. I like to assemble flimsys with her.



Black Beauty's corner:



Black Beauty:

An old cigar box from my grandmother's things:




She kept buttons in it!



Hope you enjoyed the tour of my new sewing room! I'll be posting some of projects in a day or two!

Blessings to each of you!