Christmas Tie

I was given  this gorgeous tie, but it didn't come with instructions!  I am holding it together with my AQS "tie pin" until my date arrives.  Don't know how I lived all those years with a husband and three sons without learning to tie a Windsor knot!  There's always something new to learn...

Happy New Year's Eve to you all!!!

Good Morning Starshine!

My visitors have all gone and I am back to my little Christmas quilts again.  This very mod block was made by Bee pal Suzanne.  Love her festive colors with the greens.   I will study her design as I quilt it today and hope to try it myself.  The ideas just keep coming...

Hope your Holiday season is twinkling!!

Melissa

Melissa is learning needle-turn applique.  She enjoys relaxing with handwork.   I know the feeling!

Wishing you all peace, joy, and creativity in the New Year!

Christmas Stockings

Aren't these just the cutest?   My son's girlfriend Melissa came for Christmas wearing these fun sox.  What a fun gal she is!

And talented, too.  She made these pretty little ornaments and stuffed them with fragrant soy beads.   I am very excited about her interest in sewing.  Perhaps quilting is in her future...

Seeing Stars!

Kim combined this big wonky star with her 'postage stamps' and it's a knockout!  Tempted to put it into my stamp quilt, but I will let it shine on its own.   

'Tipsy Tree' is bound and ready to hang.  Can you see the little wonky stars I machine quilted?  Too subtle, perhaps, but the tree is actually the main event.

Day 3

Next up:

Whose Tipsy tree and Wonky star?  Lisa's, of course!  This block makes me smile. 

 



       Second quilt finished!   I loved stitching the garland on this one.  Recalled my school days when we made chains from construction paper.  This time I used my favorite Aurifil #12.  It matches the metallic background and binding, too.

Little Christmas Quilts

This elegant Christmas tree block is from Carole.  I want to quilt this next.  This is so much more fun than struggling with all the tangled wires and tinsel...and the needles aren't falling all over the floor.

David's block called for very little quilting....just a few tracks in the snow and a sky full of WI stars.

I simply love it!

A Quilt a Day

I am going to quilt my version of the 12 Days of Christmas this year starting with this little block that my Mod Bee pal David made for me last year.  He told me about his family 'tree hunts' in WI when he was a kid.  What great fun that must have been!  I know I will have a wonderful time making this into a little quilt.  Hope to have it quilted and bound before nightfall.  This is the shortest day of the year!

Christmas Card

My favorite cards are stamp-filled!  Kim tucked a bunch of cuties from her own stamp collection into this holiday greeting card.  I love 'em all!  The steaming cup and the mini Holstein cows are adorable,  and the gold and blue print in the upper right was leftover from her mom's kitchen curtains.  Sweet!!!

Perfect Fit

This is 'Friendship Star Chain', a mini mosaic made by Paula Doyle, Pam Thompson, & Venetta Morger, ( aka 2 Brits and a Blonde).   I was the lucky winner of this amazing little quilt!!!   I believe it was meant to be, because it makes a perfect cover for my new Deluxe Scrabble game... another passion of mine.

Holiday Mail

My postman is getting a big tip this year!  He brings me the best mail.   Scraps for my postage stamp quilt from Lisa that make me smile....and so does she!

And from dear "V"....a packet of precuts all ready to sew.  Thanks a million, Dear Girls!!!

Decking the Halls

Decorating my house with Christmas quilts today...starting with the first one I ever made...

hanging my favorite tree quilt made by my 'daughter'......

recalling the liberated quilt I made in Gwen Marston's class...

and remembering the effort that went into making

 this appliqued cardinal...

and the fun I had with this fabric challenge....

running out of wall space... but definitely catching the Christmas spirit with quilts!

Who needs holly!!!!

Are You Ready For Christmas?

I am behind this year.  Everyone else has their tree up...

and their holiday wear....

and their toys made...

I'd better get a move on!!!

Favorite Things

"These are a few of my favorite things" ~  My Japanese bunny pincushion, my little Gingher scissors on a lanyard from Eri, my bamboo skewer, my Bernina walking foot and seam ripper, and of course my old Bernina 1230.  In case of fire, I would save these favorite things and the family photos first...  

One more favorite thing has been added to my list today.  My new side threading needle for burying threads.  It is pricey but worth every cent!  You can see it better at www.SpiralEyeNeedles.com. 

Needs More Quilting

Those grey triangles needed quilting.  Couldn't decide what kind, so I went with something simple.

Series?

This Amish inspired miniature was a joy to make!   Would like to try a few more with  my silks.  Maybe fans next?  

On the Fly...

My Amish mini was calling for feathers but is getting a fly stitch instead.    Was inspired by my friend Susan, a blue-ribboned embroiderer.  She said this was easier and more fun to do.   I'm using Aurifil #12 wt. similar to Perle cotton.

Which reminds me...my mom, Pearl, turns 94 today!  I owe her big time for teaching me how to sew ...plus a whole lot more!!!

11/22/13

Cannot find the words to express the sadness I feel today.  My friend Liz just called to invite me over for some of her homemade soup.  We will be sad together, but the soup will be wonderful...

Bamboo Magic

I am crazy for bamboo.  This little skewer for kabobs is a wonder.

It steers my tiny squares.

It opens all those seams for pressing.

And it makes those seam allowances behave.

Abacadabra.....another postage stamp page for my album!

Kitchen Kitsch

      The kitchen fabric reminds me of Seventies wallpaper.  The rickrack completes the look I wanted for this fun little piece.

        This is my first attempt at a Double Wedding Ring.  My wedding dreams did not center around the kitchen table, but it is where I have had some of the happiest times!

Long Island Loves Quilts

Long Island is home to some beautiful antique quilts.  The Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society has a lovely exhibit of quilts made from 1850-1965 which are now owned and loved by the locals.  This Lone Star was purchased in Pennsylvania but had no documentation.  A reminder to us... how important labels are!

This Attic Windows quilt was also purchased, or rather rescued.  It had been used as a seat cushion.  I love the plaids.  Probably made from men's shirts?

Abraham Lincoln's History is a real charmer.  This quiltmaker lived 99 years and made many handmade quilts as gifts.  What an inspiration!

I could hardly believe my eyes when I noticed this Mariner's Compass Circa:1880 was entirely appliqued.  Imagine needle-turning all those sharp points!

Hard to pick a favorite, but this Scrappy Zig Zag won my Viewer's Choice.  I feel compelled to make this now.  Only problem is I cannot figure out how it goes together.  Partial seam construction maybe?
If anyone knows, please let me in on the secret.

 

Another 'must make'  ~  Silk Fans 

Baggie from Betty

I just got this bagful of scraps from my friend Betty.  I am a HUGE fan of hers, as she has a real gift for selecting the perfect fabrics for every quilt she makes.  She just won FOUR ribbons at the Evening Star show, so I know that I'm not the only one who appreciates her work.  Hope some of her magic has been tucked in with these scraps.  Another postage stamp page is my project for today.  My new vision has given me a bonus of brighter and clearer colors.  The joy is indescribable!

Whatta Week!

Whatta week!  I had cataract surgery on Wednesday

AND.... I now have 20/20 vision!!!!

AND... I won two ribbons at the Evening Star Quilt Show on Saturday!  

Life is very, very good!

Diamond-in-the-Rough

My miniature quilt top is done!  For the whole story, go to www.15minutesplay.com.

Listen to the Fabrics!

This morning my red silks were all fanned out on my table.  I sewed them all together and cut into a 7" block.  I have wanted to make a silk fan quilt for a long time.  Maybe this is it...

I added a black border and it looked like it would be a good center for an Amish Diamond-in-the-Square quilt.  Made fabric from neutrals for the side triangles.  But the combination just didn't sing to me...

The reds needed a little improv, too!  I hear ya!