Flanders....

Well, October has turned out to be a very difficult month this year...

I mentioned in my last post that our dear Flanders was feeling a bit under the weather.  She seemed to be on the mend, but unfortunately we lost her last week. A tumor hiding in her bladder. Darn it! 

She was 14 years old, so I knew the day was approaching.  But I didn't realize how difficult this would be. She meant so much to our family.  She loved us and we loved her.

Sorry for being such a lazy blogger lately...and for not being consistent in my blog reading, as well.  I promise to try to do better.  I have some exciting things to share!  

Give your pets an extra squeeze.  

xo mary     

Big Wheel Keep on Turnin'.....

Proud Mary keep on burnin'.....

Recently, I purchased a Kaffe Fassett book called Passionate Patchwork...

     I fell in love with a quilt on the first few pages.  I thought it was vintage, but it is not.  And unfortunately the pattern is not in this book.  I am not sure if there is a pattern for this particular quilt....

This is so me!!!  Circles..spokes....print and color!!!! 

So I have decided to try to draft one on my own....

I drafted the arcs with my trusty freezer paper....

 There are three sections of wheels within this one large wheel.  So lots of folding, sewing, pressing and cutting....

   

And this is my version of the wheel....

If I am crazy enough to continue with this, I will make the center section with less spokes....the center is very thick where all those spokes meet.

That has been my distraction for the last couple of days...

 Flanders has been distracted by a chubby little ground hog {my kids called them grass hogs} running across our yard.

     She looks serious, doesn't she?

What has been your distraction today?  Hope it hasn't kept you from sewing :)

mary

A Work Day....

I love Thursdays....everyone is gone and I have a quiet house.  I usually get up about 5:00 am...the boy {my husband} gets up about 4:30 am to get his shower....so at about 5:00 I drag my bag of bones out of the bed and down to the coffee pot. 

Once everyone is gone...I do a little jig and get going.

This morning the Strawberry Fields got me cookin'....

After some deliberation over the cutting instructions....I have a few blocks beginning to look like they belong in a quilt....

I love this fabric!!!  It is Flower Sugar by Lecien.   Very Spring- y....

And I think I have decided that this Strawberry Fields quilt should be re-named Tea Party Quilt...

It is turning out to be a very feminine quilt ....

Delicate Lace....by Hokkoh....

So - of course - in honor of the Tea Party quilt....I had to make Blueberry Muffins :)

YUM!!!!

A girl has to keep her strength up....you know.....

I hope you are having a lovely Thursday....maybe I will have some blocks all sewn together to show you soon {and yes the pickle-dish is almost all quilted}....

Flanders and I wish you a happy Thursday!!!

mary    

Puppies!!!!

Last night I worked on a special doggy for an adorable little man....turning 2!  I used the Moxy Doxy pattern from Badskirt Amy!  This is such a fantastic gift!  Last I looked you can order either a finished Moxy Doxy or the downloadable pattern from Amy's online shop....

All of the fabrics are from Sew To Speak...and they have an online shoppe as well.....

Who wouldn't love this cute guy?   Happy Birthday, Enzo!!!

Another cute puppy I know well, is having the best time with her new toy....

Yep...that's Mr. Bill....and he screams Oh NOOOOO!!!

And finally, I want to share with you the lovely view I have enjoyed over the last couple of days while I am sewing....

The only thing that would make it better is if these were for me!  But, alas, this bouquet is for the lovely Molly....

Lucky girl!!!

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday!

Mary

W.I.P. Wednesday....

Still a good deal of work to be done, but it is beginning to look like a quilt....

My apologies for the dark, fuzzy picture....our January days have been anything but bright....

Mary

Meandering About....

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!!  Ours was fun with family in and almost everyone healthy :)  And fortunately, only two gifts to exchange!  YAY!  

The rush of Christmas left Flanders exhausted....last night, after the dust had settled, she found a spot under the tree to take a rest....

Flanders turned 10 yrs. old yesterday!!!  Happy Birthday Flanders!

While Flanders dog chilled, I did a little meandering on the baby quilt (baby shower this week)....

Only a little more to do on the borders....then binding....followed by a nice wash so it is all quilty crinkly good!!!!

I am so excited that gifts are finished and I can devote my time to the pickle-dish quilt....I can't wait to see it all together.

Stay warm :)

Mary 

Hello Winter!!!!

Here is the view outside my front window...the first snow is always so pretty....

But it did interrupt my plans to quilt with some friends (boo)...the roads were treacherous - so I just stayed inside and finished the zig zag quilt #2.....

Just like the first quilt, this one is completely hand quilted with perle cotton...ready for the little girls to wrap up in this winter...

It is good to have that finished...more projects to finish this week...and shopping left to do before Santa's big day!

Stay warm and dry!

Mary :) 

Molly Flanders

After much consideration I have decided to embark on the world of blogging. My name is Mary and my blog is titled Molly Flanders.

Molly is my oldest daughter who loves embroidery and Flanders is our adorable Mutt!

I am the mother of 3 girls, a wife, a former elementary teacher and an avid quilter. I spend A LOT of time quilting, thinking about quilts, and planning my next quilt. I do think it is a sickness!

So why begin blogging? Really, I am not sure, so far I have been rather frustrated with the whole creating, setting and posting process. Certainly computer skills are not at the top of my "skills list", but I have several folks I can seek out for help.

So why begin blogging? Well, I enjoy the creative blogs I regularly visit. They are a real source of ideas and inspiration. So I am hoping we can share tips, ideas, and lots of compliments while involved in this creative expression.

Mary