Happy Birthday Liana!

One of my favorite things, of course is my sister, Liana! We are only 1.5 years apart in age, so we were always together during our childhood.  I could go on and on  about our childhood adventures, but I will sum it up with she was my best  bud and confident.  Anyway, she is celebrating the big 6 0 this year and in her honor I made this quilt.

                                              Happy Birthday Liana!

We both love gardening, so this pattern was chosen for that reason.  It reminds me of walking on stepping stones and enjoying the wonderful colors that are in the garden.

Happy Thanksgiving

This turkey is a free pattern over at Craftsy.   I found a link to it here !  Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!

Slow Stitching Hexies

I haven't done a post on my hexie project as of late. I started this project a while back and it was intended as a travel project. You know the time waiting at the airport or while traveling in the car. It is amazing what one can get done in a few minutes here or there. I love how they are turning out so far. I haven't made any final decisions on how I will set these into a quilt. But, I am leaning toward doing a medallion quilt with the hexies as a border.

Last night I put the last quilting stitches into Christmas Journey my red and green traditional quilt. I won't get to the binding till next week after a trip to Texas to see family for Thanksgiving. So today, I will be making sure I have enough fabric and card stock cut to keep me busy for the week.  I also need to get ready to head out in the morning, but I know I will find a few minutes to put in some slow stitching basting stitches between loads of laundry and packing. Hope you are able to be with family this Thanksgiving and able to put in a few stitches today.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Hand quilting

 Why do we slow stitch, when there is so much technology out there today to help us get things done quickly? Kathy's Slow Stitching Sunday post this morning points out that slowing down and enjoying a day of rest and putting in a few stitches is good for us.  I think those that slow stitch,  slow stitch for this very reason. They understand the benefits and because they enjoy those benefits so much,   many indulge in it daily.

I wasn't going to post today, as I have probably bored all of blog land with pictures of this project.  But, I wanted to add that by simply taking fabric, a needle and  thread we can create beauty. It allows us to express ourselves, share with others in time of need and create something that we can snuggle under and that holds so many memories. Somehow, those memories come thru, just look at any antique quilt, it won't be long till you start wondering who made the quilt and why.

Life is good!

Yesterday I started machine basting the very edge of my red and green traditional quilt. I always like to do that when I get near the edge so that I can get rid of the basting pins.

So this morning when I walked into my sewing room this is what I saw.  It doesn't get better than this!  So I took advantage of the morning light to snap this picture. I apologize that the picture leans a bit. I never claimed to be a photographer.

I guess I have been so busy, I hadn't noticed how wonderful the back of this quilt looks. It is like owning a secret whole cloth. 

My new bag!

I love this time of year, all the trees showing off their fall colors.  So I decided to take a Craftsy class and make this bag with some of the bits and pieces in my stash.

I had a beautiful leaf fabric that I bought over ten years ago. I needed to find the right project to use it, and this bag fit the bill. It made a perfect lining fabric.

Have any of you taken a craftsy class? This was my first and I had a good experience.  I also have a new appreciation for what bags are going for in the local box store.

Wordless Wednesday

 

What's in your hoop?

Another beautiful sunrise, my favorite time of day to quilt. Starting my day with a few stitches and ending it with a few, makes me a happy quilter.

I am down to the last four corner blocks on my red and green traditional quilts. They are identical blocks that Janet of Qultsalott  blog was sweet enough to share with me.  After making one block, I was smitten with it and decided to do four, one for each corner. It definitely gives the quilt the sparkle I was looking for. I can see why she did a quilt that featured this block only. You can see it here, before she hand quilted it.

 So today, I will be outlining and adding background grid to the first of the four corner blocks.  They will take a little longer as stitching around the berries does take some time, but they are so pretty when they are finished, don't you think?

I've been hexed!

I have played with hexies, once before, but just didn't get hexed as most quilter's do.  But, I keep seeing pictures of cute hexi projects and gorgeous quilts.  So I thought I would give them another try. I didn't put to much thought into it, just decided to use some scraps and make some flowers. Who knows where this will go.  I am using card stock this time instead of paper and I think it makes basting the hexies much more enjoyable.

This is my travel project, so I put together this little kit with a box I used in my sewing room.  It has everything I need to baste or sew the hexagons together. So everytime we jump in the car and head to town or take a trip it comes with me.  I am really surprised at the results of  fitting in a few minutes here or there makes.  Now I just need to keep at it and someday just  maybe  there will be enough for a a quilt.

Slow Stitching Sunday

                 I have been following Kathy's blog for sometime now. She hosts Slow Stitching Sunday's for all those that enjoy hand work.

Today, I will start another block on my Red and Green Traditional Quilt.  It is the cotton boll block.  When I appliqued this block I was surprised at the difficulty I was having. Looking back I think I should have used the back basting method and saved myself a lot of frustration.  That is the wonderful thing about quilting, it is such a journey, each quilt teaches me so much.

Non quilter's often mention that they wouldn't have the patience to make a quilt. I don't think it has anything to do about patience. Perseverance is probably a better word. Some of us just love the journey, seeing it to the end is important for me! Some quilters love the thrill of starting a new quilt, but for me, the best part is all the stitches I put in to finish it! So, each day I put in a few stitches and each day I get closer to finishing! Thanks Kathy for helping to spread the love hand stitching!