So what's next?

Since I just finished a quilt I am looking forward to what is next.  I remember a time when I just couldn't wait to start the next project.  It seems now a days I like to put a bit more thought into what I want to spend my time making.  I have wrestled with what to do with a bolt of solid red fabric I bought several years ago. I really love two color quilts and know that is the direction I want to move.  So I narrowed down my choices for a red and white quilt to an ocean waves, lady of the lake, or broken dishes.  Well, I have made my choice Lady of the Lake.  Not quite as many of those HST's as Ocean Waves which is helping me with the decision.  Piecing has alway been a challenge for me!  So to encourage me to start I ordered Bonnie Hunter's essential triangle ruler and I hope with her experienced advice I can become a more accurate piecer.  I need to dig out my white bolt of fabric and see if I have enough to start but hopefully that will happen over the next few weeks.

As for today, I really need to relax.  It has been a crazy week here.  I spent a  lot to time working on the lawn.  The previous owner did nothing to control the weeds.  I had some weed with a purple daisy looking flower that are actually winning the war between it and the burmuda.  I also have been tilling organic matter into the soil that will be my little kitchen garden.  We will see??  It has come along way this summer at least all the rocks have been removed and the sod has been busted. Now to let the organic matter and worms do their magic over the winter.  So it feels good to take the afternoon off and add some leaves to my trailing vine quilt.  It's my go to project in between any others.  So glad it is there.

Pieced and prepped leaves for Trailing Vines

My granddaughter Aria put in a request for a quilt for her doll Leah.  She told me Leah would love to have a quilt just like the one that I made for her. So this is what I cameup with this week.

Aria'a Wonky Star Quilt

Leah's wonky star doll quilt

Hopefully, this will work! 

Finally Finished!

It seems like the final steps have taken forever, but Baltimore Garden is now happily hanging in our front room.  I wish I had a better camera and had some knowledge when it comes to photography, but it is what it is.  I am very pleased with the hang it dang it quilt hanger that I purchased to hang this quilt.  I have several quilts that I would like to hang in on this wall as the seasons change and this hanger allows you to adjust the rod to fit your quilt. Hope you enjoy the pics.

What a journey this quilt has been. I learned so much about applique and I love that the hand quilting and added trapunto balance well with the beautiful applique blocks.  I really enjoyed working on this, often thinking back to the originial quilter or quilters who made this quilt.  What it must have been like in 1848 when the originial was made.  I love that it isn't perfect but that it is unique!  When I first fell in love with antique quilts over 40 years ago, I just couldn't fathom having the tanacity to make a quilt.  But, now having several large quilts under my belt I can't imagine spending the time any other way, as I now know there are so many rewards to stitching and I enjoyed the challenge of learning the techniques needed to make a quilt!  Plus the final bonus of having this beauty hanging in my house to enjoy for years to come!

Fall color

For those of you that follow along on my blog I have finished  Baltimore Garden and photos will be posted when I get it hung.  I still need to attach a sleeve but I am waiting for the hang it dang it to arrive.  So this week I did pull out the trailing vines panel that I prepped several weeks ago.  It's fall afterall and the north wind came down this week and cooled us off here in north Texas.   It sure feels good and although we don't have much fall color down here with our live oaks  I did plant a Natchez crepe myrtle that is showing some burgundy color and there is also plenty of color as I add each leaf to the prepped vine on my version of Trailing Vines. A quilt first made by Susan McCord.  Here is a link to some info about the quilt.  I love how they described the quilting 9-10 stitches per inch, outline or self quilting.  That tells me she just enjoyed her stitching and didn't get hung up about perfection.   She made some remarkable quilts out of tiny pieces of scraps. I am including pics of a couple of photos I found on line.  She really was talented don't you think?

Susan McCord's Trailing Vine

My version

Susan McCords Ocean Waves