Ocean Waves Quilts

Donna's birthday gift.................

I keep forgetting to post this. My friend Donna loves tulips. She recently had a birthday. I wanted to make her something handmade to go along with her birthday gift. I bought this pattern eons ago, and then recently "found" it again. Amazing what you find when you are doing a winter "clear out"........ It usually happens if I watch a "hoarding" program on tv

 

Anyway, I  hand appliqued the tulips, then hand quilted it. The border is a woodgrain fabric to simulate a frame. It's kind of hard to see it up against the deck where I took the pic. You can tell my photographer wasn't home, lol.
 It was fun to do, and great to have a project to do "on the go". So much of my sewing now is done by machine. I do miss the handwork though!

I have been working on some hawaiian wedding ring blocks, there are 40 blocks, and I am working away on them...they are made with gorgeous teal, blue, aqua and green fabrics from hawaii. I plan to work on them on our "super bowl sunday" sewing day, so stay tuned..............

easy 1/2 square triangles...........

Remember I showed you the quick and easy half square triangles? This was a result of making some of those , putting them together with a solid, voila a baby quilt! I had some leftover blocks, so I made a second baby quilt, using the winnie the pooh fabric as an alternate square. It came out cute too, and as soon as I can find the picture, I will post that one too.

Patrick lose Block of the month......................

 I am doing a block  every month for my sister as well. This is one of the blocks I made up for my her  stand. She can hang this one up when somene in the family has a birthday!
I have been doing the "Patrick Lose block of the month"  This was a cute one, something different, a polar bear. It's fun to just do a small block at a time, instant gratification.

 

We got quite a lot of snow yesterday on Cape cod. Nice to be in and cozy, and have lots of things to work on. Stay tuned......................

More WOW bags..............

I showed you previously my Wow bag that Kathie made for me. The one above was made for one of her daughters who likes "Vera Bradley type bags. I LOVE the combination of the two prints. This one has the polka dot lining for the duffel bag!

Below, is the lobster bag Kathie made for her other daughter, who had the lobster theme at her recent cape cod wedding! The bag on the bottom is done in a "Paris" them for Kathie's new daughter-in-law!

These are the coolest bags! I love mine, and look forward to using it for a lot of different occasions. What a great gift these are, you could make them for just about anyone. YOU could....lol....not saying I could, because I hate making bags, but I sure did like getting this one;)

Easiest ever half/square triangles.................................

I saw this method on someone's blog, and couldn't believe how simple it is. It is a real time saver, so lets see if I can explain. You take two squares of fabric, place them RIGHT sides together. Sew with a  1/4 " seam all the way around. Then you simply make two diagonal cuts with your rotary cutter, and voila!!!!

Now, the size of your original squares, determines what size half square triangles you end up with. For
 example, the demo above, I used a 12 1/2" square, so each half square triangle finishes out to 6 inches.
It was so easy, and much faster than other ways I have tried. Good luck!

I am a copy cat..............

I saw this "baby wipe case" in a fancy dancy baby store. I thought it was cute, but ridiculously expensive. I made this for my niece and her baby. I basically used a fat quarter and some leftover batting. I made a case, put velcro at the top to be able to slide the pack of wipes inside. Then I cut a hole with pinking shears where the wipes dispense. Add a small piece for the cover, an elastic band and a button, and you have a "baby boutique" wipes case! A "stylin" baby for the cost of a  fat quarter!

It has been so nice to sloooow down a bit. I have gotten some time in the sewing room. I have a baby quilt to show you, and I need to take pictures to show you the easiest way I have ever done half square triangles. Maybe it's only me who hasn't seen this before...but in any case, I will take pics this afternoon to show you how it's done.

I talked to one of the snowbirds last night. I miss those Florida" ladies of the evening".! I can't wait till I can become one of them:) Maybe I can start a Florida "ladies of the Evening" group!  Stay tuned.......................

Christmas gift...out of hiding..............

I really enjoyed making this wall quilt for my husband Bill. I wanted to make a keepsake for our hawaiian vacation, and wedding. I transferred all of the photos to fabric, then made a" bookcase"
 out of wood grained fabric. The pictures are all "framed", and cut at alternate angles to make them look three dimensional on the shelves. I made "books" out of fabric strips, and wrote titles on them pertaining to our vacation.

My bouquet was made of my favorite flowers, hydrangeas, so I also made a vase of 3d flowers to go on it. It was a project that took quite a lot of time, and especially since it was a secret, and I never worked on it when he was around! He was very surprised, and now we have it hanging up, where we can dream of hawaii every day!

I have some more Christmas gifts that have been in hiding, so stay tuned, I will post more soon............Barb

WOW bag..............

This is the coolest bag, that Kathie (ladies of the evening)
 made for me! Not only is it in my favorite color, but it is the coolest thing. It's like a transformer for quilters. It looks like a perfectly innocent tote bag, then you reach down inside, give it a tug, and it becomes a large duffel bag! Think quilt shows, or shopping trips. The bigger part is actually big enough for an overnight bag. Kathie made several of these for gifts, I hope she will share the other pictures with us. What a great gift these are. The fact that Kathie made a bag is an amazement in itself, let alone 4  of them,  because, like me, she HATES making bags! I love it, what a great idea.

 I am getting ready to put in a few hours sewing! I hope you all have a very happy new year, and have some great sewing projects to share. I am knee deep in gorgeous aqua and blue and green batiks, for my "Hawaiian wedding ring" quilt. I am also starting a baby quilt today, made  with pinwheels. I found the coolest easy way to make pinwheels, If it works as well as I think it will, I will share the method with you all....so....stay tuned!

winter slowdown............

In the above pic ture is granddaughter Raelynn, now 8, and her brother Camden, who is 3.

I don't know about all of you, but I am finally starting to wind down! Every year I say I am going to slow down at Christmas, and it seems to always be a whirlwind. It is "good kind of busy" but BUSY!

I got to see the cutie patooties just before Christmas. I have made all of my grandkids quilts, but they really love these fleece tied blankets. I thought it was time for them to have new ones, and you can see by the expressions they really love them. I made these bigger, using 2 yards of fleece. Its a good time to get the fleece on sale, as 4  yards of fleece can get expensive. I think I made 8 of these throughout the year for the kids on my list.
This is cousin Kevin Junior, ( called Junior). Is he going to be a big boy! He is 5 months old!Another cutie patootie to add to the group, lol.
The newest cutie, is Cayden, my new grandson.
Here is Riley, with her new blanket, she snuggled it right away.
When Raelynn was asked what type of blanket she liked, she replied" anything with peace signs" Hmmm reminds me of my high school years!

It was a great Christmas, time for a winter slowdown, and some time to sew! Stay tuned, I hope you all are getting some time to relax now that the hustle and bustle are over!

Ladies of the evening....

no pictures yet, but I will have a few later. I just had to stop in and mention" the ladies of the Evening". as we were talking last night, there was some sadness and worry. One of our members has lost her two grandsons this year. we mentioned how difficult it must be for her family to deal with. Another member is dealing with her daughter's very serious illness, and upcoming surgery. Several of us talked about losses of loved ones, that are difficult to deal with, especially at the holidays when they are missed even more. I felt the support in that room, for each other.Even though we are all as different as night and day, and probably can all drive each other crazy. we really all care about each other, and miss greatly the " ladies of the evening" who are no longer with us.I really appreciate these friends, who have always supported each other, through good times, and bad. After the sad stories, The next thing you know, we were laughing our butts off at what " scotsmen" wear under their kilts:))) Isnt that just like women though? We deal with sadness, worry and heartbreak, but we keep on going, and laugh when we can. merry Christmas everyone!

Another family quilt....

I have  made many of these photo quilts for members of my family. The theory is...none of us ever look at the family photos, as they are in a drawer somewhere, or an album. My nephew Sean had seen some of these quilts  that I made, and his mom mentioned how much he would like one. So, i made him this hanging with his dad's side of the family. Next year I plan to make him one with his moms side too.

I could show you this one, as he doesn't read my blog. The border fabric is nautical, as we are all from nantucketT I machine quilted in waves, I thought that would be appropraite coming from an island!
Its a fun thing to do, and is a great gift for many occasions.

Going to see the "ladies of the evening" tonight, I hope everyone will have a wonderful Christmas...stay tuned............

Snap sack quilt..............

This is a cute little wall hanging that was made from a 'snap sack" they are  sold at the vac and sew quilt shop in North Conway, New Hampshire. I love these little quilt kits.  They come with everything included in a cute little 'sack" to make a small quilt.  Sometimes the kit could be for a table runner, pillow, or other small quilted item.They make great gifts made up, or, the kit itself,  as a gift for a quilting buddy.The ribbon is not wonky, I think my photographer didnt know how it  was supposed to go, lol.

I imagine eveyone is rushing around crazy trying to get all the last minute Christmas things done. I am looking forward to some dull days of January, to have more time to  sew! Right now at my sewing machine is a cute little snowman  "mug rug". What is a mug rug? You ask? It really is a bigger than usual coaster, big enough for a mug and a snack. They are really versatile, you can make them in any design. I am thinking a little gift pack could be made by filling a corresponding mug with cocoa, coffee, or a DD card! so...stay tuned for a finished "mug rug " to be shown.

Quilted advent calendar...........

I popped into a quilt shop in Salem, Ma , a couple of weeks ago, and found this panel for an advent calendar. The panel included 31 little ornaments that go on the calendatr and a matching bag to store them all in. You can either pin on one each day, or just put all of the ornaments on at the beginning of the month. The ornaments are backed with a heavy duty fusible, and then I cut them  out with pinking shears, to avoid raveling.

 

 I  only bought one panel, and now wish I had bought a couple more for gifts. The panel has the bag printed on it, and even the binding. You only had to add a backing.  In my quest to  "use up" fabrics that I already have, I used a piece of Christmas fabric. that I had on the shelf.

The biggest pain in the neck was tying 31 bows on the ornaments. I did get smart, and sewed the bows on by machine!

This is off the subject, but for many years I have always heard the query "What do scotsmen wear under their kilt" Just to make you wonder, or maybe you already know......I went to a wedding this past weekend, and I now KNOW what they wear under there, or should I say don't wear:)))) Ladies of the evening...stay tuned, I am bringing a pic for you all to see........................

 

Patrick Lose Block of the month..................

I love" kits", and I love "block of the month" programs. there is something about getting all the fabrics
, and a pattern in a neat little package, just sitting there, waiting to be made. I don't have to go searching for fabrics, and buy a whole bunch of a color I would never use again.

I signed up for the Patrick Lose block of the month. Thes 12 inch blocks can be made into a complete quilt, or they are the perfect size to put on those wire racks to change every month. I like the idea of having a monthly small quilt to change .

It is also a great way to practice machine quilting, because it is a small item, and easy to move around under the presser foot. I signed up for this one through Fons and Porter.com. They also have the wire stands to hang the blocks on.

It also makes sure that I will have something new to show you each month. So....stay tuned................

OMG..... I am losing it.....

I truly thought I had posted these pictures, but I didn't! Our new grandson was born last week, Cayden Ryan is welcomed by big sisters, Raeylnn, and Riley, and big brother Camden! Everyone is healthy and happy!  Being the mother of one son, I am so lucky to have 4 grandchildren! God bless them, I can't even imagine it, lol!!

New quilter...............

Mickey's sister in law, another Barb, has recently taken up quilting....no I am not kidding, I did say
RECENTLY. Ok, she IS retired, but still..........Above is Lisa, and Lisa's adorable granddaughter Abby. It's not a handmade quilt that Abby is sitting on, but I had to show you her cuteness!Here is Barb with one of her Christmas gifts that she made! I love the happy colors, and can just see this quilt in a little girls room!
I love the timeless simplicity of a log cabin quilt. I can see a guy snuggled up in this! Below is another classic pattern, so pretty in soft greens. Well, we all know that this new quilter has surely been bitten by the bug! I look forward to seeing many more of her creations!

Nantucket Christmas stroll 2011

We went over to  Nantucket this past weekend, both  for the Nantucket Christmas stroll, and to see  family. They always block off the main street, so everyone can stroll along, looking in the stores, and stopping to hear musicians, and carolers dressed in old-fashioned garb.

The stroll is always so pretty, and old fashioned. Each tree on main street is decorated
 by a classroom   . The  decorations  are handmade, and very inventive! Here is my brother Kelly, with his son Cayce. Cayce was particularly enamored by a "Rubber Duckie" tree.


The Nantucket Town Crier stopped often to have his picture taken with the natives!
I have always loved the big tree in front of the bank, It has been the same since I was a small child.
 It doesnt really feel like the Christmas season to me unless I go over and visit the place where I was born and grew up!

Strip-pieced stocking....................

I made this stocking for my niece's new baby. These stockings are fun to make. I strip pieced many Christmas fabrics together, to form a piece big enough to cut out an extra large stocking (front and back).

 I sandwiched this fabric with some old-fashioned Christmas fabric on the back, and some lightweight batting in between. When these steps are complete, you can cut the stocking shapes  out of the one piece of fabric you have made., and sew them together. A white cuff with the name embroidered completes the stocking.  A dark green ribbon bow with a large snowman button sewed on adds a nice finishing touch. If it is a girl's stocking, I sometimes add battenburg lace around the edges.

Christmas is getting close, I hope you all are working in your sewing rooms to complete your projects! I would love to see pics or links to what you creating!  I had  some time today to work on an advent calendar, so, stay tuned.................

New Christmas 12 1/2" block................

Have you seen the wire stands that hold a 12" block? I signed up for a block of the month by Patrick Lose, but hadnt gotten my Christmas block yet.

The other day, I decided to whip one up to put on my bare stand. I sewed some leftover green strips together, and cut  some 1  1/2" by 2" brown trunks. I used my triangle ruler to cut out the tree shape. These two got fused to a 12 1/2" square of white on white., a quick zig zag around the edges, then some machine quilting with silver on the tree, and white in the background, and voila! I have a block for my stand.

 I had some silver bells  and snowflake buttons, they got tacked on too. This would be a really cute candle mat or little centerpiece for your table too, and it was quick and easy!

"Ladies of the evening "met last night, and everyone was busy busy busy! If you have made anything new for Christmas, please send pics, I would love to post them.....stay tuned.....Barb

Hi...............

Just peeking in to say Hi after Thanksgiving! We had a great time at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem Ma. It was a small group this year, but we all had a good time, and enjoyed each other's company. This was the most unbelievable buffet, you couldn't possibly even try everything! 

We stayed next door at the salem waterfront hotel. The weather was gorgeous, what a perfect day for a long walk after too much dinner!  A totally relaxing thanksgiving weekend.

We came home  to Christmas in high gear everywhere!  We managed to avoid any stores at all on the way home...no matter how good the bargains.

 

We are missing those snowbirds already! We hope Florida Barb is settling in for the winter. We will miss seeing her projects, and hope she will send pics of her latest "dog quilt". It is so beautiful, she brought it to show me right before she left.

We are missing Peggy who escaped to the north shore a while ago. The "winter" ladies of the evening will get together for dinner before Christmas, so stay tuned.................

Peeking in..............

Well, I haven't cancelled the blog yet, so I thought I would pop in and say hello.  Ok, truthfully the ladies of the evening really miss the blog, so I will do my best to pop in now and again;))  Peggy got me started on making these 12 " blocks. You make one for each month, and you can buy the stand at Fons and Porter.com. They also have two blocks of the month that you can sign up for.  I signed up for the Patric Lose block of the month.

 Peggy is doing the other blocks. hers is not a block of the month, but you can buy the book, and make the blocks from the book directions.  Peggy will have to tell us the name of the book she is working from.

This is a block from Peggy's book, I think it looks rather nice on my fireplace mantel. Today I came across some fabric that said "birthday" to me. I sketched a cupcake and candles, and ended up with a birthday block that could be put up for any month that you have a birthday in the family. So, stay tuned, and I will show you a pic of that block when it's done. It's fun making a small project that can be completed in a short amount of time.

 The snow bird "ladies of the evening" are flying away soon. Peggy has just moved to the north shore. I miss them all already. Thank God for e mail, and yes...blogs, to keep in touch.

.

Blogging is getting tiring..............

As you all know, I haven't been doing as much sewing. Blogging has begun to get to be a "job", and it's supposed to be fun. So, I guess the bottom line is...I am tired of doing it. So, I am going to give you all a few days to bookmark the other blogs that are listed on my page. Then I will be taking a vacation from blogging...maybe just stop doing it altogether. I will just visit all the other great blogs. Thanks to all the loyal readers who have enjoyed seeing the projects,and hearing about the "ladies of the evening".

New table runners...............

 A friend of mine has her kitchen decorated in black and white. I bought  a pack of black and white charm squares, and made this runner for her.

The table runner below I made from some leftover quilt blocks. I was cleaning my sewing closet, saw the leftover blocks, and whipped up the runner with them. If I already showed it, dont mind me! I saw it in my photo log, and couldnt remember whether I showed it, as I made it quite some time ago.

  I am still sewing at a snails pace, but working on a photo quilt for my nephew for Christmas. My nephew had seen  some family photo quilts that I made, and really liked them. His dad, (my brother) passed away at a young age. I have been looking through old photo albums to find pics of Sean and his dad. The old pictures surely aren't the quality that we have today, but I think he will like his wallhanging anyway. So, stay tuned, I will have pics of that soon! 

North shore quilters peeking in.................

 Mickey will have to help me out with who made beautiful items, as I have lost the text of her e mail. I believe her sister Lisa made the star quilt, and quilted it, and I think their friend Barb made the great bag. The quilting looks fantastic on the lucky star quilt, a beautiful job! The bag looks like you could fit a lot in it too! Nice job, thanks for sharing your work.

 

Lady of the evening "Peggy" is now moved north! Lucky her, she already has these quilting friends in place. We hope to see some of Peggy's work from that end, once she is settled. We miss her already!

 Lady of the evening "Kathie" has just retired! We wish Kathie many leisurely days to sew, and enjoy life!
 
 

Beachwalk Quilt...............

 Well, it took forever....over a year! But, it's finally DONE. As you all know, I was sidelined with a broken shoulder, and still can't sew for more than a short period of time. I set a timer, and did the machine quilting in 1/2 hour intervals. Slow and steady still gets it done!

 Below you can see the closeups of the quilting. I did the first block heavily quilted, so I had to follow suit with the rest of them. I used clear monofilament thread on the top, so that the quilting indentations would show, rather than the thread color. I am happy with it, and glad it is done!
If you have started this quilt, and gotten dicouraged along the way, i hope these pics give you some encouragement to finish! I changed the lighthouse block to the nantucket lighthouse, to make it personal for me. 
 
 

Bibs for baby................................

 If you have some "kiddy" print fat quarters, here is a good idea what to do with them! A simple baby bib with velcro used to attach. Another project in my quest to 'use up" things that I have. I think some little baby would love these bibs! If you have some small projects that you use fat quarters to make, I would love to see them! Stay tuned.....................

Chalkboard placemat.................

 I love to see pics of a cutie patootie enjoying something I made! This was a birthday gift to nephew Cayce. He seems to be enjoying his new placemat. I think I need to work on a tutorial for one of these, as they make a great gift! They can be personalized for any kid, Cayce loves big trucks, so I used "construction vehicle" fabric for his. Stay tuned.........

Beautiful quilted works of art"

Www.erikabmolnar.com A friend sent me this website. there are some amazing quilts here, thought you might like to check them out!

Dusty Attic Quilt shop......Maryland......

 "Lady of the Evening" Kathie, went to visit this quilt shop in Maryland. It looks like a really good one! I like the set-up, it looks like we could walk right in!
 
 
Looks like some great patterns here, I like the above table squares! 
 Looks like a good time Kathie, thanks for sharing!

Nautical Christmas wallhanging......................pattern for sale

 
This is an original pattern for sale. This wall hanging is 27x33. It has FULL sized traceable patterns, for fusible applique, of course you can do this by hand also, if you choose. This is a gorgeous wallhanging for anyone that lives near the ocean, or wishes that they did. This pattern is $14.00, plus 2.99 shipping. You can use the pay pal button, or send me a money order, and I will send your pattern right out to you! 

Hydrangea quilting, and bluework pattern for sale.......................

 
This is another pattern that I designed , this pattern has some simple embroidery on it. I have full sized traceable pattern for the embroidery, as well as directions to do the few stitches necessary, and complete instructions to make it into a wall hanging.

 You can see by the two photographs how easily this pattern can be changed, just by the fabric used to border the design.  This pattern is $8.00, plus 2.99 shipping. Use the pay pal button, or send me a money order. 
 

Quilting Patterns for sale................

 Here is another original pattern for sale. This pattern has been used for  a wallhanging, or makes a beautiful table runner. My pattern comes with full sized templates to trace, and clear, easy instructions.

 This is a very quick pattern, and can be changed so completely by the fabrics that you choose for water and  sand. I have also given you directions for a cool way to make the seaweed! This pattern is $8.00 plus $2.99 shipping. You can use the pay pal button, or send me a money order, and I will mail to you! All of these original patterns are copyrighted.
 

Quilting patterns for sale........................

 
 Since I have had so much new traffic to my blog, I thought I would show my original
 patterns that I have for sale. This is a pattern for a "Tooth Fairy" pillow or wallhanging. The tooth goes in either the girl's purse, or the boy's marble bag until the tooth fairy arrives.  This pattern contains FULL SIZED patterns to trace for fusible applique, or you can do it by hand if you choose. There are full,  easy to understand  directions, and a color picture as well. This is a large pillow, or you can use it for a wallhanging as well. It makes a cute decoration for the child's room, even when not waiting for the fairy to arrive. This pattern is $8.00, plus 2.99 shipping. You can use the pay pal button, or send me a money order, and I will mail to you.

I found it!............

 Here is actually, a better picture of the potato chip scarf. I found the free CROCHET directions on the "Lion Brand Yarn" site.
Lots of pretty yarns here to use, and great prices too. As you can see in this picture, they made the scarves long. You really can make them as long or short as you wish. Good luck crocheters!

What I did during the storm......

I was very fortunate to not lose power during the storm. It was pretty wild outside, so we stayed in and watched a movie.

 
 
 I made a cute baby gift. making this tied fleece blanket, and a matching 'taggie". The "taggie " type blanket is small, about 16"x 20". I add a teething ring, a small toy, and a pacifier clip to some of the ribbons around the edge. The ribbons are made to be "felt" so, I use grosgrain, satin, and a cotton nubby ribbon for different textures.

 I can make the most beautiful quilts for kids, and they love these tied blankets the most. My granddaughters used theirs till they were almost worn out! They can drag them around by the strings, and they go in the washer and dryer easily. "beachwalk Quilt" almost done....stay tuned......

 

 

More quilts from the Debby Brown workshop...............

 
Here are some of the quilt tops that people brought in to the Debby Brown workshop. They were able  to get advice on how to quilt them, a dilemma that all quilters face!

 You get the top, done, then stand there scratching your head wondering "What now"? This would be a great workshop, even if you weren't going to long arm it. Looks like some beauitufl quilts were shown that day! Glad you had fun Mickey and Lisa, thank you for sharing your day.

 As for my progress, I have been doing one block of "beachwalk" quilt at a time, and someday soon I should be able to show it to you....DONE. I LOVE this quilt, it has been an unbelievable amount of work, but worth every stitch. I do a block, and ice my shoulder, lol, but stay tuned for the finished project! 
 

Handiquilter workshop with Debby Brown.......................

Living vicariously through Mickey, and her sister Lisa. they went to a workshop this weekend at the "Bits and Pieces* quilt shop in Pelham New Hampshire.  Lisa is interested in getting a handi quilter someday. They learned all about needles, threads, bobbins, and tension. Then everyone was allowed to bring in a finished top, and get advice and ideas about how to best quilt it. This is Lisa's card trick quilt. She won the blocks at her guild. She added the borders. That is beautiful! I love the brights. 
 This quilt above is made by Debby Brown, Mickey said she wishes we could see the machine quilting, it was beautiful. I cant wait for Lisa to get her long awaited long arm, even if it is a couple of years down the road!

 

not much sewing going on...................

 We have been enjoying the last few weeks of summer, and spending our weekends on the beach. I finally was able to give this quilt as a gift, because the baby, Hope Anne Frost was born! I made this quilt last winter, as the mom was sure she was having a girl. Thank God she was right, as I am sewing very slowly at this point in time.

I was able to quilt one block of my "beachwalk" quilt. Each time I am having a good shoulder day, i will do one block. Eventually...I will be able to show you that it is done!
Ladies of the Evening have been to some quilt shows lately, and stocking up on things to make. Soon, when fall rolls around, I should have some things to show you! Mickey and her sister Lisa are going to a "Handi quilter" demo and instruction this upcoming weekend, and then the following day, they are going to try their hand at it again. I hope they will send some pics of what they are doing, hint hint. Stay tuned................................

A few more pics from the Images quilt show...........

 I love this cat quilt, what a great depicition!   A beautiful pineapple quilt below.
 
 Nice earth tones in this quilt , beautiful piecing too!

Images Quilt Show at Lowell Quilt museum.......................

 Mickey took some time out to  go to a quilt show at the Lowell quilt museumI She was nice enough to share the pics of some beautiful quilts that she saw. I love it when people send me pics, because everyone tends to photograph the quilts that they like best. It is so nice to see what they prefer in the way of quilts!
 
 Thank you Mickey for sharing these quilts with us.................... 
 
 

more quilt show pics..................

 I got so busy this week, I  totally forgot to post more pics from the quilt show! I loved the quilt above, so different, and unusual ,but effective, color choices. 
I always gravitate towards spectacular applique, and this quilt surely has that! Gorgeous handwork, I love it! 
 Another beautiful example of applique, nice fall colors in this one! Summer is winding down on cape cod, so we are trying to squeeze in every last beach day we can! So, if you're looking for me, I'm at the beach. Stay tuned.............................

Quilt show pics...................................

 I fell in love with this hawaiian quilt! It was hand appliqued, and hand quilted! It was truly exquisite. I dont think I would have the fortitude to take on a hand  project like this, but it was gorgeous!!

I loved all of the small "national seashore" wallhangings, excelelnt work, each one was a work of art in itself. 
 Beautiful depiction of an amaryllis!
 Wonderful still life, done in fabric.

Ladies of the Evening, and friends.....................

 Here are some of the "ladies of the Evening" and  friends from the "reading,  ma area. Mickey came down to join us at the quilt show, as well as her sister Lisa, friend Janice, and friend Maddy. It was so nice to combine both groups. We had a great time at the quilt show. There were lots of wonderful quilts, great vendors, and inspiration everywhere you look!

After the quilt show, we made our way to Heartbeat Quilts in hyannis, and then on to Tumbleweeds in Barnstable. When we were ready to drop, we made our way over to the Olive Garden and had a great dinner together. That pretty much did us in! Like I said last year "shop till you drop" used to take a lot longer, lol. We had a wonderful day, with great friends. we are so lucky to have friends who all have the same interest (obsession).

 

We need to have a sewing day soon, for some uninterrupted sewing time. I notice no one seemed to buy as much as in past years. We all have things we need to SEW! My next post will show some quilts from the show....stay tuned......

Moda charm squares,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Eye rolling invited..........................

 
I DO know it's August....  lol......I do have to admit it was wierd working on Christmas fabric when it was 80 degrees out. I had a pkg. of Moda charm squares given to me at Christmas time. I was looking for a project that wasn't too time consuming, or too hard to manage. I  pinned the 40 , 5" charm squares together, while watching t.v. one night. The next day, I sewed them together, 3 across.

When they were all sewn, I trimmed the top  and bottom into points. I fused the squares down using June Tailor fusible backing. I had a piece of Christmas fabric left from another project that became the backing. The next time I had to sew, I free-motion quilted in a random pattern. I bound the runner with a red print. I like how it came out, simple, and kind of old-fashioned.

I have given table runners before at Christmas...paired with some nice taper candles, and a bottle of wine, it makes a great hostess gift. I will be glad when Christmas rolls around that I made this in August!

"Ladies of the Evening are headed to a quilt show tomorrow in Harwich Ma. Some of them went today...they wanted to buy all of the good stuff before the rest of us get there...you know who you are:))) So, stay tuned for some eye candy from the quilt show.

 

Our hearts are heavy............

The "Ladies of the Evening" are so very sorry for the loss of Mary's second grandson. It is so unimaginable to lose two grandchildren in the same family, within such a short time. It is a terrible tragedy. Our hearts go out to Mary and her entire family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Baby gifts.............

 My niece Dacia just had her baby boy Kevin, so now I can show you the gifts! I made the above gift basket, which is a bath caddy, and filled it with handmade burp cloths, onesies, a teether, a hand sanitizer,  picture frame, and baby neck pillow. 

 

The quilt below is simple, but made more special by the addition of  Kevin's name, and soft flannel on the back. This quilt was made to be USED and abused. Machine sewn and quilted. Below you can see sweet baby Kevin, enjoying the quilt, that looked SO tiny, till you put a tinier baby on it!

I am still having to look at sewing in a new way...I used to be able to sew for many hours, and not think a thing of it. Now, I break up my sewing time, take frequent breaks, and realize that  even if you can only sew for a short time, you still can get things finished! I think Kevin likes his new quilt! 
 

Clearing out............For sale......

 What you get,in group 1, above,  11 assorted fat quarters, quilt shop quality, non smoking home
. $12.00 plus actual postage, a $4.95 priority envelope would fit them all.

In group 2, there is  5 half yards, and 6 fat quarters 16.00 plus same postage. quilt shop quality. This group should fit in a $4.95 envelope as well.  E mail me if you would like them, sold in groups.

 

 If you want ALL of the fabrics  shown, $25.00, plus actual postage. 

Welcome to the shore wall hanging , by Cottage creek Quilts....................

 It still is very frustrating to be able to sew for such a short time, or do ANYTHING for very long. But, It's like  "How do you eat an elephant?" "One bite at a time"...lol! I find that I just have to manage my time, so that I do a half hour or so, then stop. It was great to finally finish a machine sewn project!

I loved this pattern "welcome to the shore" by Cottage Creek Quilts. The pattern is shown in darker, "thimbleberries" type fabrics. I raided my stash of scraps, and  made the 1 and 1/2" strips, and used small leftover pieces for the applique parts. It could be  easily hung on a front  door, but for now, mine is hanging up inside. It makes a cute summery hanging!

I have been cleaning and reorganizing in my sewing room...which really needs to be done quite often. I was telling one of my sewing friends, I am going to stop buying fabric, unless its for a specific project. I found myself looking at fabric, and wondering "what the heck did I think I was going to use this for?"  The good thing is...someone else will find it to be" just what they were looking for". I will pass it on...and make room  for "new stuff"..........

"Ladies of the Evening" are going to a quilt show soon, which involves lots of shopping too. Mickey and her friend Janice are going to join us at the Bayberry Quilt show...let's just see what kind of trouble we can get into..lol. So, stay tuned......................

Hawaiian pillow......................

 
Finally...something to remember my hawaiiian trip that doesn't involve tripping, or therapy.., lol. I got the fabric and pattern for this pillow when I was in the Maui quilt shop. I had actually basted it down, and started the applique while lounging on the beach in Maui. I enjoyed doing this handwork when I was unable to do much else. I finally finished it, and made it into a pillow cover....30 minutes at a time:)

This and That.........................

 I can't believe I missed this picture the other day, when I did the post about Mickey, sister Lisa, and cousin Suzie at
 the lowell quilt museum. This was Suzie's stained glass quilt! Isn't is beautiful! It looks like batik fabrics to me. How effective with the black to make them stand out! Nice job Suzie! In the pic below, from l to r, is Suzie, Mickey's sister Liza, and I don't know who, lol. Maybe Mickey can fill us in on the other woman's identity, lol!