Hill and Crag

Hard work going on here in the sewing room. You can see I have not given up with the krinkly sac. It is stuffed with tissue paper and ribbons that the cats like to play with so that maybe they'll be persuaded to sit on it or in it and please me once and for all :-) They are not budging today though. They are, however, keeping me company as I sew these little blocks together.

Last night I finished stitching this Hill and Crag block for Psalm 121.
"I will lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Ps 121:1,2
Almost forgot to mention...this 6 inch block and 52 pieces in it! My, oh my!

Happy Autumn!

I love this season! It is my favorite and yesterday was an absolutely wonderful way to start enjoying it :-) The sew day with Rana and Melanie's sweet dog, Kali was fantastic fun and amazingly productive. I was able to sew all 18 sawtooth star blocks together....Rana probably thought I would never leave, as she finished an entire quilt top and got two all basted together and ready to quilt before she started working on more blocks for yet another quilt! She's fast..I'm not. But I was definitely dedicated! The technique I used to sew these is used by Jo Morton and I think, Carrie Nelson as well. It takes awhile but I think they are somewhat goof proof for the less than precise stitchers because the stars came out just like I like them :-)

We stopped midway for a delicious lunch out at the French Bakery in Morro Bay down by the harbor. What a beautiful, sunny day which of course I can't share with you because I forgot my camera. Still not the blogging expert here...
But the day was a huge success and only wish Melanie could have been in 2 places at once...having a wonderful vacation and there with us too!

getting ready

I'm getting ready tonight...with Marianne's help...to go for a sew day tomorrow. Having cut out all the pieces for little sawtooth blocks, I hope I can get many of them all sewn together.

And check out the blog hop starting September 27 with Gudrun's blog.

10 of the designers we all love.

Swamp Angel

Surely there must be a better name for this block but I'm not going to take the time to look for it just yet. So here is block #12 for Psalm 91. "If you make the Most High your dwelling--even the Lord who is my refuge-- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways..." Ps 91:9-11 These words cause me to search further for meaning as disasters do come near those who trust in God. What is not destroyed though is their faith when they seek God for their refuge. Ps 91 promises That God will be with us during the bad times of our life, to guide us and show us His faithfulness. Though I must say, I have certainly felt and known some Godly protection in my life. I have definitely felt like Amy Grant's song says.."angels watching over me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1jdlsw08p0
I am thrilled to say that I get to start a new quilt this week...even if it is one I've made before. I have another Jo Morton quilt kit from The Quilted Moose to make this wall hanging for a friend who really liked it. He builds things...not quilts...so I'm hoping he'll enjoy having another of my quilts in his home....when I get it finished, that is.
And I'm thrilled to say, I get to start this on Wednesday sewing with Rana :-)

Three cheers

Ever get a good way into a book or movie and wonder how they came up with the title? This blog post title is mentioned towards the end. But for those of you that love pictures of pets, here are some of one of mine.

We have dog beds tucked into most rooms of our house. The dogs are protected from getting walked on and we enjoy the comfort of them resting wherever we happen to be. This shows Sandy sleeping underneath the desk here in my sewing room. She was kind enough to wake up and give me a look for the camera. Sandy is probably the sweetest one in our household. The rest of us are a little more self centered and touchy.

I'm working away on Psalms blocks and here's the one I sewed this week.

I watched the video I mentioned with the pressing tips but am still not too impressed with my attempts...so I will NOT be showing the reverse side of this block :-)

For Psalm 71, this is a block called Three Cheers. Not the best name, I don't think, but I like the design. Verse 8 "Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise and with Thy honour all the day."

mailbox party and giveaway notice

Came home from a very busy day in the ER to find a whole lot of fun going on in my mailbox. I had ordered this umbrella not because I needed one but because it was PLAID! Silly me. It probably won't even rain much this year in this usually drought ridden area. I'm trying to figure out a way to leave it open and 'on display' without scaring the cats.
Plaid is just so fun. I love it and hope I'm going to find a bunch of it in stores this year cuz I think it might be 'in' this season.
Then I opened a package with the book I won in the recent giveaway for the Pet Picture parade. Kay Mackenzie sent me a copy of her book which will hopefully help me with the overload of novelty fabrics I'm hoarding.

Thank you Kay!
And then for a total surprise..there was this adorable Snap bag from Mary at Quilt Hollow

It is so cool! My rotary cutter and ruler and scissors fit ...but I'm not sure if I'm using this for quilting notions...not sure yet. It is handy for many ideas. Included in the bag were the 2" squares of Bar Harbor charms by Minick and Simpson. These are especially fun...the fabric is wonderful...and they are called Bar Harbor which reminds me of Maine (I love Maine) which reminds me of fall(I love fall!) which reminds me of PLAID...and as I've said I love PLAID. Yes, I'm a little nuts! Thank You, Mary :-)

So I've been doing more hand stitching and some crochet as I sit watching tv and recovering from work. We have been watching the past seasons of Leverage..liked it. And an older BBC program of Delderfield's To Serve Them All My Days. I read many of his books including this one back in the 90's and we enjoyed watching this one.

Click the picture of the buttons and head over to The Quilted Fish for a great giveaway! And have a happy holiday :-)

Winged four patch

Interesting name for this block. Winged four patch is for Psalm 57. "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed." David wrote this when he was fleeing for his life from King Saul.
In the pattern I followed for this block, there were brighter colors with more contrast. But I kind of like it subdued.
I am enjoying hand piecing alot but not so much the pressing after it is completed. Fortunately, Linda Franz has provided some extra instruction for this in a DVD/CD that she produced called Jane Austen's Writing Table Quilts. I am finally getting around to ordering it today...which I happily find on sale...so I can improve the pressing on these blocks. She was inspired to make quilts such as these as Jane use to write her wonderful books at a small twelve sided table in her dining table in Chawton. It was through Linda Franz that I discovered the fun of hand piecing...enriched by inspiration from Jane Austen's diamond shaped block quilt and from her writing as well. After I finish this Psalm's quilt, I will get back to making some diamonds.