Merry Christmas !

Mosley is posing here with the Debbie Mumm tree skirt turned table covering that I'm shocked to say I finally completed 2 years ago...how did 2 years go by!  Oh well...It's just in time now so that I can share a holiday photo and wish you all a very Merry, Happy Christmas!                                       

Life is getting back to something more normal slowly and surely around here after everything seemed to be "breaking" for awhile.  My mom fell and broke her wrist, my cat was having some troubles, both our computers broke down and the list went on.  I'm happy to say that my mom is healing well without having to have surgery, the cat got a new diet and we are determinedly loading software and learning Windows 7 :-)  

Not alot of sewing has been going with all the extra needs, but I have been able to get one quilt completed and several 'almosts' that I started in the fall. As I get these quilted I'll get back to taking some pictures and posting them.  I can start with this one that is actually the picture I'll show for four of them!

This is a quilt by Karen Montgomery called Jungle Fever. I purchased it along with 3 layer cakes of Tonga batiks when I was at the PIQF in October.  I needed a few quick gifts for weddings, etc for people who wanted neutral or earth tone quilts for their living rooms. This was not the most interesting past time but it sure has been fast as I was able to make four quilts out of the 3 layer cakes plus yardage for the borders,etc. So far the first recipient has been pleased. Yeah!

I couldn't get any volunteers to quilt model for me but here is Elinor. I had added a quilt sleeve on the quilt I gave my sister in the summer, put it on the piano till I could give it to her and Elinor jumped up there immediately to bless it for me.

Hope you are enjoying the fruits of your efforts this year and are blessed with loved ones around you to share them. God's peace in my heart is the sweetest gift I have this year and I treasure it each moment. I pray that you are blessed with His presence during this season and all year long. Joy and Peace to your world!

The Wedding Quilt Winner

The day is almost over and I have the name for our giveaway winner! Quilt Hollow will now have the chance to read this sweet book!

Quilt Hollow said...

I've hardly had computer time and so glad I didn't miss this post. This book will come in handy for when I'm down with surgery the 16th...or some drugs! LOL
Thanks for the chance Loris!!

November 28, 2011 9:46 AM

Quilt Hollow please email your address and I will send it on and hopefully it will be a comforting distraction as you recover :-)

Thank you all for your comments and interest. I enjoyed the read all the more knowing I could share it with someone else who would enjoy it.

Wedding Quilt Giveaway!

Hope that title got your attention :-) Today is the day to begin the giveaway for this new book by Jennifer Chiaverini, The Wedding Quilt. This book is a continued delight of reading about the Elm Creek quilters. Jennifer Chiaverini's books include interesting bits of history...some of it authentic and some of it developed in the many endearing characters she has introduced to us. This latest story is written 'from' the future and tells of what has gone on in the lives of the Elm Creek quilters and their families since we were last with them.

I thoroughly enjoyed it! The characters in these books are like old friends that I love reading about and I'm really happy I get to share them with you.

Since this giveaway can have a special goal of getting the word out about this new book and giving someone else the joy of reading it, I want to encourage you to share this book picture and link on your own blogs.  Leave a comment of your interest in reading it and if you have a blog, send me a link to where you have posted about the giveaway.  One chance will be entered for a comment and an additional chance will be added for your 'getting the word out' post. I will choose and post the winner on December 4, 2011.
If you haven't read any of the Elm Creek Quilters series, I would definitely recommend you treat yourself to these wonderful books. They are in libraries, Amazon and all over the place :-) Start with The Quilter's Apprentice and enjoy your way through the stories.  

Giveaway coming!

For some reason :-) my humble little blog was noticed and I am getting a chance to giveaway a new book. The Wedding Quilt  by Jennifer Chiaverini has been released.  I received the copy of it this week and will get to start reading it today....sitting in the docs office waiting to get my sweet mom's fractured wrist rechecked :-(  
So stay tuned for a review and giveaway of what I'm sure is to be a very enjoyable read. The Elm Creek quilters draw me in every time!

I've been distracted

lately and not posting what I'm working on.  So here's a peek into my world :-)
I was the lucky recipient of a giveaway by JulieQ.  Here is Elinor in the midst of triangles galore!  Some were sewn together, some weren't.  I am having a great time with them as leader/ender units. All different fabrics than my own and already cut :-) Thank you, Julie!

Last week I found a lovely pumpkin color check from Buggy Barn to use with these triangles. I'm going to love all this country warmth!

In the finishing area, I was able to piece and quilt a wedding gift. However, Marianne is blessing it for me and I will need to take a photo for you later.

I hope you are having a beautiful day!

a few more pics from PIQF

Fall Spendour. I think this quilt was actually machine pieced together. Impressive work.

More pictoral quilts.

This first one was applique and thread play.

Applique



I still have a few more to show next time :-)

west coast quilt show

Pacific International Quilt Show is this weekend in Santa Clara, California. I was able to go yesterday and really enjoyed some beautiful quilts as well as meeting up with some of my favorite quilters! First on my agenda was to see quilts that Nancy Brown had entered. I was thrilled to see a blue ribbon by her quilt with the elephant seals and penguins. I love it when the judges realize what good taste I have and they put the ribbons on my favorites :-)

 I love the expressions on these girls faces (the elephant seals depicted here are the females...I don't know about those cute penguins though...there could be some boys there).

 Here is another quilt of Nancy's that was commissioned by another quilter. Just by looking at this picture, you could tell this was a very sweet grandmother. I know the pigeons liked her :-)

 There were some beautiful quilts with flowers. Iris are my favorite.

 This quilt was gorgeous fall colors and included plaid.

 This quilt really was inspiring to me. I don't know if the picture will show it well but it has the look of wood block art....I think I just made that term up...I don't know what they call it but...the background is black with the scene appliqued onto it (I think?!)  Anyway..it is a breathtaking view of the Sisters Mountains in Oregon. So wonderfully done!

The vendors were as delightful as ever. I didn't do too much 'damage' but found some good hand dyes to use for applique pictures of my labs and some pretty batik layer cakes to make a couple of gift quilts. A sweet, memorable day!

meet Wizard

Here is my completed pup applique. It looks like another dog I used to know rather than my dog, Bridget. So I'm calling this one Wizard. I definitely needed some practice with this (and I need to wash out the pencil markings!). So I'm going to shop for some perfect fabrics..maybe hand dyes and then make a picture with my two labs, Sandy and Bridget. Then if Mosley is sweet and not acting like a criminal, I'll try one with his picture....if!

I really enjoyed stitching this boy. Marianne is posing here while I type this reminding me that she would also look beautiful in a quilt.  She's right, of course.

Note, this is an older post for Pets on Quilts 2017 of a quilt I hadn't shared yet.

In the meantime, the quilt group I meet with monthly has started a BOM. It is a mystery revealed one step each month. If you would like to join along with us, check out Pieces of Rana's Life for the pattern instructions.
This is my effort for the first month.  The edge is just turned over and will hopefully look alot smoother when I stitch it onto the background.

Pumpkins :-) just in time for autumn!

applique class with Nancy Brown

We gathered (opps, Nancy's not in this picture!) last Sunday in Morro Bay and learned applique tips and how to shape cat and dog faces in fabric. We had beautiful samples and a wonderful (and entertaining!) instructor right there to inspire and teach us. I enjoyed the whole day!

This first picture is Nancy's quilt of her friend, Mittens.

And this quilt is of Nancy's cat, Opie. The quilt shows off Opie's beautiful blue eyes.

If we locked ourselves in this room for the next three years, Nancy promised that we could complete this lovely quilt with several of our favorite dogs....might take me six with lots of help!

Nancy also showed us how to trace pictures of our own pets and accent the light and dark to make quilt replicas of them.  This week was busy so I only got as far as a neck and two eyes for the dog applique that will look like my dog, Bridget....completed that in the class, except for having to redo one of the pupils on one dog eye. And then another dog eye for a second dog applique that will look like my other dog, Sandy.

Hopefully someday these parts will look a little like this.

My thoughts and prayers are with those of you on the east coast braving those storms this weekend. Hope it's almost over.

finally some finishes

Mr. Walking Rabbit is quilted and decorating the wall in our family room, warming my primitive heart.  Thank you to Log Cabin Quilter for the inspiration. I loved the plaids and flannel that went into making this guy. It was just a fun project.

Next I have another attempt at dealing with my novelty fabric "problem". When I started quilting back in the 90's, Debbie Mumm's designs thrilled me...to the point of buying an awful lot of Noah and his ark. (I am fighting with Blogger again about where I want to place text)...So here is the quilt top and then the quilt back. I actually still enjoy Noah...fortunately. This quilt was simply designed to showcase the large images.

One initial plan for this fabric was to use a "10 minute block" method that I saw posted on Happy Cottage Quilter's blog but it didn't work so well with these novelties. Zebra would be Zera in all the blocks. I do like the idea of this method though and will look for a chance to use it.

On to newer fabric...but still a few years old...I made a king size quilt for my friend several years ago for her wedding. Recently, I realized I had leftover blocks and lots of fabric I could use to make a smaller version for myself. This quilt is called Buckeye Beauty in Marsha McCloskey's Quick Classic Quilts. Tonya chose the fabric collection from my stash and selected this pattern. It is still a favorite with both of us. For mine, I quilted it with a pattern called Plumage...which seems to be my current favorite.

I have been doing some embroidery and now quilting on a couple of little quilts planned for Christmas presents....no pictures available because of the surprise factor. And today I have gathered up all the Psalms blocks and will start on putting them together with sashing fabric.  I will show a picture next time because if I try to add it now...who knows where it will show up in this post.

Hope you are having a wonderful summer day!

Happy Independence Day!

I have been doing embroidery, piecing and longarm quilting but have no pictures to show for it yet.  What I do have though is a picture of the new baby deer in our neighborhood and some views of where we go to walk the dogs most days.

This sweet little creature will learn which houses have the best salad!

We are blessed to live by a large ranchland that our town purchased and now has open as a park for everyone to enjoy. Along the ocean we have a beautiful circuit to walk and view the ocean and some interesting creatures.

This is looking north to San Simeon.

And here we head back toward the south to check out who is hanging out on the rocks.

We love seeing these sunbathers everyday.

Hope you are having a great day with family and friends.

a couple of finishes

Finished this small floral quilt for a co-worker but I'm not sure if this is her style or not. This was started with some leftover blocks from the quilt I made for my mom. I quilted it using the Plumage panto. I love the feathers but this pattern is kind of narrow which means more passes on the longarm. Perfect for a smaller quilt as I don't run out of interest like I would on a queen size.

So in case she isn't into sweet florals, I pulled from my stash and made up this quick darker quilt...which I sort of prefer for me as well.  I put the feathers on this one too.

Carol of Brown Quilts posted about a friend of hers making pillowcases for servicemen and women. Some help could be useful so several of us are pitching in.  Feel free to join the effort if you are so inclined. It is kind of fun. Here are the two that I am sending off.

I'm currently working with more leftover blocks making a quilt for me :-)  Will show pics of that later but I leave you with improved pics from my new camera of my friends, the billboard cows on 101 north to Salinas. These guys always make me smile.