Sue Spargo BOM

Yesterday was the monthly meeting of "Woolie Women", my wool appliqué group. The group was formed several years ago after a workshop with Sue Spargo. Many of us wanted to get together and inspire each other to continue with our wool projects. It is a lovely group and returning to it after moving back to the area has renewed my interest in wool appliqué. I had sorta let my Sue Spargo BOM from 2012 go by the wayside until returning but yesterday I finally finished the 3rd block of Earth 'n Twig.

Mostly we just sit and stitch during these meetings and I do so much chatting that it is slow going but I am determined to get this project finished someday so I am already prepping the next block. Hopefully next month I will think to take some pictures of everyone's work to share!

 

 

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Prioritize

I have been reading lots of blogs the past week ( though I am sticking to my goal of less time on the computer), and I am noticing that for many quilters the New Year is an opportunity to make quilting goals and to take stock of that ever growing pile of UFOs. If you don't have one of those piles then this I am sure this seems crazy but for many of us there are projects in various stages of completion that may, or may not be worth finishing. Ok, I confess I don't have the desire to make a count of all my projects just yet but I do think it is time to look around and start prioritizing stuff. One thing I have noticed is that often the quilts that end up finished aren't really the ones I most want done and that leaves me with a whole bunch of really nice stuff that will never see the light of day if I don't refocus some of my energy. So my word for 2015 is "prioritize". And this applies to lots more than just my quilting, I need to apply it to my time in other areas, my spending and even my health. First up is to put my adaptation of the Rachel Meyer quilt higher on my list this year. I love this quilt and really think it deserves to be finished so, with that in mind, I completed one more block this past week.

This is such an interesting block to me as it is speculated to be a Christmas cactus. How exotic a plant that must have been in the 1830's when it is thought that the original was made. It is not my favorite block to look at but I do love the addition of the deer. What an imagination the designer had.

I did finish sewing my Scrappy Trip to France quilt. It was such fun using so many of the French General fabrics that I have collected being used. You might notice that I am using lots of French General in the Rachel Meyer quilt as well, I love so many of their fabrics. Since my quilt holder is occupied elsewhere I took a shot of the quilt in a decorative setting. As you can see I am NOT much of a photographer and if you look closely you can see me, in my jammies, in that mirror behind the quilt but doesn't it look pretty against the aqua walls and red transferware! Can't wait for my sitting room to be finished.

 

 

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Another year begins

Once again my year begins with the reveal of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt. This year it is Grand Illusion and I stuck much closer to Bonnie's color suggestions. I really thought I was confused by this one but had actually figured it out beforehand, I just thought I must be wrong because when I laid out one block with the sashing I was not pleased.

But this is a quilt that needs more blocks put together so the secondary pattern comes to life and perhaps a little time to let it grow on you. I admit I do not like it as well as last year's Celtic Solstice but it was a fun experience and it will be perfect in my guest room. I am so happy that I went with a solid white for my neutral and am pleased that the modern brights seem to be working OK. I do love the colors together and look forward to seeing it with the added borders.

The Scrappy Trip to France quilt is also still on my design wall. They are quite the contrast and certainly reflect my eclectic quilting taste.

2014 was a very busy year for me and included another major move. As a result I have very few finishes, though my pile of finished tops grew! I hope to get a good start on getting those completed this year but much of that depends on when DH finishes my sewing room and the longarm can be put up again. My main quilting goal this year is to enjoy the creative journey and to use more of what I already have in the process. I am also hoping to take a good look at my UFO's and my list of "want to make" and prioritize the list. I am finding that with constant inspiration online I get easily distracted to try the newest thing and while that is great, I don't want to neglect projects that I still love. So perhaps my goal should be less computer time!

Wishing all a happy and creative year ahead.

 

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Rachel Meyer block 4 and some simple sewing

Well, my youngest son heads home today after a two week visit. He heads into his last semester of Graduate school so this may be the last time he will be here for such a long visit. On the other hand if he is unable to find a permanent job he may end up living here but at least he has a job planned for summer! It has been nice having him here and having my brother and his family spend some time here on his way to and from Florida. My brother lives in Canada, where I grew up, so our visits are not as often as we would like but it is so nice to catch up when we can. Unfortunately DH, DS and I have all been suffering with some weird cold/respiratory infection so we have not been doing too much this holiday. I did do a little hand stitching and since I had no more Stonefield's blocks prepped I pulled out a 1/2 finished block from my Rachel Meyer quilt and was able to complete it. The original quilt has lots of embroidered details so I am trying to incorporate embroidery into my version. I think this quilt needs to be higher on my list of priorities for 2015!

Just after Christmas I decided to go to my LQS to check out their annual sale. I stocked up on some Kona Snow and found a French General Jelly roll that I wanted to play with. I really wanted a quick simple machine piecing project to work on til the final Grand Illusion Mystery reveal. I had debated doing a New Years mystery sew along but I decided it would be more fun to work on something scrappy that I had been wanting to try. So I started pulling more French General fabrics and some leftover jelly roll strips to make Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trip Around the World.

This quilt has been popular around blogland for the last 2 years and I have loved seeing all the different versions. I originally had planned to do mine in brights but I need something to wrap around the cushion on an antique wicker sofa that will be used in the sitting room next to my sewing studio. DH is still working hard to get the basement finished but it is a huge job so it may be 2016 before I move in! I have a really comfortable chair and ottoman covered in a floral that will also be in the sitting room and two off white chairs and a wicker chaise style chair with yellow cushions so I am trying to pull these things together with lots of pillows and of course quilts. There will also be a guest room and bath room as well as open shelves and closets for quilt storage, I can't wait. Anyway back to my project. I am thinking this could be wrapped around the sofa cushion, or tossed on a chair or hung on a wall to help pull things together. But more important I am using up stuff and having fun.

Once you get the strips cut to size it is just a matter of putting 6 together and making a block. Not much thinking, just fun easy sewing. And I love seeing how the blocks come together.

The first 4 were looking a bit too planned so I began going even more random and added a bit of green to pull in the green of the floral. Now to get back to stitching more of these and to start thinking about what I want to accomplish in 2015.

 

 

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Stonefields, Starting Part 4

Like so many of us, the holiday season's activities have cut into my sewing time. Rather than stitching I have been baking, cooking and entertaining so I have been glad to have had some of the Stonefield's blocks ready for stitching when I have had a minute here and there. I am caught up with my prepped blocks now so here are a few. First is the last block from Part 3.

This little tulip block is so sweet but I somehow got it off center. I added the little butterfly to fill the empty space. I also realized that the light pink did not show up against the background so I added a bit of embroidery around the edge.

I love these simple cameo blocks. Such fun to look for just the right fabric for the center. Sadly my ovals are not perfect but let's just say that adds to the charm. :)

This block is called Angel Wings. One of my favorites so far!

I am using my spare time to sew more hexagon flowers. Some are much nicer than others but I am determined to use as much of the pre cut fabric, leftover from a previous project as I can. When I cut new fabric I am doing some fussy cutting to make more interesting rosettes. Hopefully mixing them up in the border will give a nice look.

And finally here are the blocks together so far. I can't wait to get back to this after the holidays. Hope yours are happy.

 

 

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Grand Illusion part 3 and little apron gifts

I truly think that one of my favorite Christmas gifts is Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt. Despite the busyness of the season it is something fun just for me and gives me the same sense of anticipation that waiting for Santa did when I was a little girl. My family says that I am difficult to surprise but this is one surprise that is just delightful. Sure I try to figure out how the blocks will be used in the quilt but that just add to the fun and I know that Bonnie's plan will be better than whatever I might come up with. And with my SIL and I both working on the mystery it just adds to the fun as we text each other pictures of our progress. I only hope that Bonnie understands how much all her work is appreciated and I for one, thank her from the bottom of my heart. Anyway, I am all caught up and am really starting to see the colors come together. I found 2 3/4 years of this floral fabric in my stash and love how it ties things together. I don't have enough for a backing (and can't get more) but I think I can incorporate some in the back and perhaps some pillows and a wall hanging for the guest room.

And I have also been doing a little Chrismas sewing. A few months ago My DIL mentioned that she wanted an apron for her little girl. We were in a quilt store at the time an saw the most adorable Ladybug apron sample and both squealed in delight. Well, my DIL did not feel she was quite ready for that challenge so I offered to make it and ordered the pattern. Once it was made I decided some little oven mitts were in order to complete the set and I found a great tutorial by Little Black Duck. I just googled "child's oven mitt tutorial" and the PDF came up. So cute!

And since our little grandson was here this week playing with toy food and dishes and using a Kleenex as a pretend hot pad, I figured he would like a set of oven mitts too. And when I googled the oven mitt tutorial a second PDF came up from Homespun Threads that included this cute little apron pattern. I changed the pattern slightly so I could use this car fabric as the pocket. I am delighted with the result and so happy to use up some more of the stash on some "free" gifts!

 

 

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A Woolie Party and more

Yesterday I enjoyed a fun day of stitching with the Woolie Women, a delightful group that meets once a month to share our love of wool appliqué and embellishment. The group was formed soon after Sue Spargo came to our guild and inspired us with her techniques and designs. I started when the group was formed and was sad to leave them when I moved. Ahh, one of the perks of moving was being able to rejoin this fun group. Anyway, yesterday was our holiday get together and we had a little pin cushion exchange. Here are some of the delightful pincushions each special and unique.

Sadly I don't remember who made each one but I made the white square one with the Sue Spargo bird. It was actually my third attempt. I made the same bird in the first one and decided to try a fancy assembly. It turned out cute but was huge, more of a pillow size so I have kept it. And my second attempt must remain hidden for now as I decided it was more suitable for a different recipient. I received the white square with the colorful embroidered squared, so cute - I love it. Thanks Judy!

I have also been working away on the Bonnie Hunter mystery and am pleased to be all caught up with the second clue. Here is my test block.

Bonnie provided instructions for 3 ways to do these double diamond blocks and I went with the third method which resulted in lots and lots of bonus HST units. These will be fun to play with later! Now that the white has been added I am much happier with my color selections. I like how the solid plays with the print fabrics and makes the colors pop. I am really having fun with this and am looking forward to part 3.

I have also been busy getting up the Christmas decorations. Last year at this time I was working on the Bonnie Hunter mystery, Celtic Solstice, and selected colors that would go with my Christmas decor. I knew it was not yet quilted but was shocked when I pulled it out to discover that I had not finished the borders. It must have been packed away unfinished during one of the house showings last year! Anyway I finally added the borders and here is the finished top. I love this quilt and really learned a lot from the mystery experience.

And here is how I am using it this season. It may not be finished but it adds lots of color on the back of a chair. And I made snowflake pillows this year too. I took felt snowflake placemats from Pier One and appliquéd them onto red fabric and then made quick pillow covers. Easy and cheap!

And another Christmas quilt over the mantel. I made this a few years ago for a guest bedroom. That was before I had the teal sofa and seeing these colors come together influenced our decision on sofa color. I am happy to be able to use it in the livingroom this year. Those silly looking stockings are a throwback to my childhood. Mine was a gift to me on my first Chrismas many, many years ago. I made one for my DH the year we became engaged and then one for each of my children for their first Christmas. I have made them for my children's spouses and my grandchildren and even for a dog or 2. They are kinda kitsch but have become a family favorite and they hang in each of our households. We still keep our youngest son's as he is still in college. I will be sad once we are down to just the two of us!

Finally I am still working away on Stonefields but I will wait til my next post to share that progress. Hope you are finding time to stitch in this busy season.

 

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