Generations....

Less than 60 days to go...

it is hard to believe...

Oscar and Emma

I have been doing a bit of embroidery for wedding related items..

A label for the quilt...

{Working on} a swag for the card/gift table....

 "C"

transfers by Anna Maria Horner

 

 And a pillow for the ring bearer...

embroidery inspired by Urban Threads...

Some of my time has been spent collecting photos of moms and dads and grandparents on their wedding day...to be on display at the reception...

my kids laugh every time they see this photo of Mike and me!  It's the hair they can't get over...well, it was the 80's....

But my most touching discovery was my mother-in-law's wedding photo album...just lovely....

     

how precious are these bridesmaids dresses!

the very handsome father-in-law I never knew.... I wish I had....

  

so happy...we lovingly embrace a tradition shared by generations...

happy wednesday!

mary  

Monday Makes....

A few more class pictures to share with you while I am busy working on wedding related things....

more on this fabulous calligrapher later....

Here is Julie's quilt!  Again a first quilt for her....I am telling you, these folks amaze me!

 

and Julie's mom, Kay, chose a dark background!  LOVE IT!  And I enjoy having mother/daughter teams :)

so well done!

 

happy monday!

mary

Random...

February means a new block for the Mid-Century Modern Bee...

Cindy chose a great traditional block...the Winged Square block

 

my block is predominantly made of Denyse Schmidt fabrics, but I chose this great Kokka bug for the center square...

And I have had a request to sew a pickle-dish with a few folks...of course pickle-dish is one of my all time favorites!

I have done a couple of these...

and one for Clare...

 

 me thinks this one will be from Denyse Schmidt's new line Shelburne Falls...

happy thursday!

mary

A Happy Birthday To You, Friend....

Shortly after I became Molly Flanders I found Patchwork N Play...

we became buddies!  She would help me decode quilt patterns that didn't quite make sense....and....well, I am not sure what she gets out of this long distance relationship! Tee hee!

The genius behind Patchwork N Play is Susan, of course! I was drawn to her blog because of her attention to detail.  Her piecing is always perfect.  Her choice of fabrics and colors are always thoughtful.  And she has fantastic style! And to top it all off she is a really nice person....really.  She is just a gem!

So if you aren't her friend too {although I know many of you are} then you should be.

Susan has a February birthday and I wanted to make her something special.  Gifting can be tricky when it has to travel all the way to Oz.  So not too big and heavy, but something special for her day!

   

Since I was working on Molly's quilt and had just finished the Flowering Vine, I was in a bit of a flowery/vine-like mood.  And, of course, I turned to Denyse Schmidt for more inspiration.  

 

Denyse Schmidt's first craft book includes a pattern for embellishing a wool skirt with felted wool flowers and vines.  I borrowed this idea and applied it to a table runner/dresser scarf for my dear friend.

  

I had so much fun making this!  The strips of wool felt did not need to be cut on the bias to get these nice curves...the edges didn't need to be finished.  Just cut and stitch!  yay!

    

I used Essex linen for the background fabric and simply added a dot of Roxanne's Basting Glue to hold the pieces down while I stitched.  The entire vine has a couching stitch to hold it in place.

  

And I used my favorite Valdani Thread for all my stitching and embellishing!

 

Another gift stitched with love! Susan is posting about her gift today...please pop over and wish her a happy birthday!

happy wednesday!

mary

Top of the Class!

I have had the pleasure of sewing with some fantastic women the past several weeks.  I truly feel fortunate to be able to share a passion for quilting with so many folks...whether a beginner or an 'old pro'...it is just plain fun!

  

I want to share with you a few pictures from our Anna Maria Horner's Feather Bed Quilt session...

Jen made a quilt for a baby girl quilt using colors that match her nursery.  A white background and lovely pinks, blue, green and grey! 

  

she is hand quilting with perle cotton {be still my heart!}

It is lovely Jen!

Debbie accepted the challenge and decided Feather Bed would be her first quilt!  I knew she could do it!  Debbie's attention to detail is second to none.

Debbie used Essex cotton/linen blend as her background...she is also hand quilting.  And I am not sure if you can tell, but her quilting lines echo the shape of the feathers!  Amazing!

    

Debbie is a doll!

Allison did double duty, making two quilts at the same time!  It makes me tired just thinking about it! 

Her quilts are for two very special people in her life...

  

One orange and one purple. Sorry...the lighting is bad....I wish you could see these in person because they are fantastic! She added a 'special' block using the same background color with a patterned fabric.

 

how sweet to give a quilt to someone you love :)

And, finally, Jacquie's gigantic quilt began as this....

and became this...

It is awesome! A King size quilt fully pieced, quilted and bound! She owns and runs her own business and raises two young boys....wow!  Way to go, Jacquie!

  

The quilt in action!

Thank you!  It was wonderful sewing with all of you....I am one lucky girl :)

happy tuesday!

mary  

Whirligig Finish!

Shortly after my oldest daughter became engaged to be married, my thoughts turned to a quilt....a wedding quilt.  Knowing that she appreciates tradition, but loves a touch of whimsy...I had my work cut out for me to find the perfect design.

  

I can't recall which important component I found first, the fabric or the design.  It seems to have all happened simultaneously...even though I know it did not.  

I found this lovely yellow text on ivory from Lakehouse {Annie's Farm Stand}...with garden advertisements for seeds, bee hives,etc.  Molly's inspiration for her wedding is the honey bee and her colors are yellow, grey and a hint of green.

I think at this point I must have nailed down the design.  Sarah Fielke's pattern Whirligig from her fantastic book....From Little Things

I must say I loved making this quilt!  And I felt the needleturn applique would speak to the conservative, traditional side of my Molly and the whimsical twisty stems would appeal to the fun, young side of her :)

   

Rounding out as a perfect complement to the design and the inspiration, I discovered this amazing fabric from Art Gallery by Bari J.  It is from the LillyBelle collection....AMAZING!!!  The blue floral on each corner even has a honey bee!

The flowers, stems and leaves are all hand applique...and the fun flip-flappy scallops all along the perimeter are just delightful!

The grey border tucked under the scallops is, again, from the LillyBelle collection.

The entire quilt is hand quilted with Valdani {LOVE IT!!!} Perle Cotton!  I wish you could feel this quilt...so soft {Quilters Dream 100% cotton batting}.

 

For the backing fabric I chose a green from Denyse Schmidt...

I am still working on the label...I can't wait to give it to her at one of her showers :)  

my mom in her wedding dress:)

Tradition....family....perfectly stitched with love.

happy friday!

mary

Projects, projects, projects!

Wonder how many things can be juggled in one day?

I have been up to my eyes in projects....and my house looks like it!

Here is a little sneak peek....

this one is growing and making me smile :)

The wedding quilt is bound, but I am waiting for a sunny day to take pictures....

working on a label :)

happy tuesday!

mary

Weekend Plans....Binding

Two quilts with binding applied...

Weekend plans....hand stitch the binding to the back...

love hand stitching the binding :)

more later.

TGIF!

mary