Wordless Wednesday

13 down....17 to go



Hexagon Hoopla!

Where did the weekend go? 

Monday is here....and all I have accomplished is adding a few more hexagons to a growing garden....

I am up to 11 blocks...only 19 more to go!

In the Fall I will be teaching a few technique classes...including English Paper Piecing....

  

I absolutely love piecing by hand and am so excited to be able to pull a few others on board...YAY!

My Sunday was spent shopping with my middle daughter, Maggie.

She didn't have much luck finding what she was looking for...but I was able to pick up a couple of things at Anthropologie....

Some yummy smelling soaps...

And another plate to add to my collection....

Happy Monday!

mary

Critter Community Complete....Friday Finish!

This project started with a selection of fabulous fabrics designed by our own {Ohio} fabric designer....Suzy Ultman.  Our little shoppe {Sew To Speak} was fortunate enough to receive a preview bundle of fabric... and then I was fortunate enough to be allowed to take a bit to weave into a project!  So, at the risk of being labeled a One Trick Pony....I made a quilt!

I have blogged about this quilt for the past week or so...my inspiration was an antique quilt - a log cabin on point - made in the 1890's!  Although, I am sure the quilter of the 1890's would be totally perplexed by the term wonky or liberated to describe to her quilt, but that is exactly what she accomplished!!! 

  

Suzy's fabric is so bright and cheerful, I had to pull out my bright spots and ginghams! 

By placing the block on point, I ended up with a pieced square in between the blocks where the four points meet....I love this little square!

For the back I stitched a few cast off corners together and squared them up....just enough to give it a little pop on the back!

It is pick stitched with perle cotton....

And for the binding I used a Riley Blake stripe with dashed lines...love those dashed lines!

This is a small quilt...just about 45" X 45"...perfect size for a wee one!!!

I love it!  But it began with a fantastic inspiration fabric....thanks Suzy Ultman!  We adore you!!!

For today the plan is to do a little hand piecing on my hexagons....

    

And try to stay cool!!!

TGIF!!!

mary

Endings and Beginnings.....

This weekend is one we {the hubs and I} have eagerly anticipated for some time.... 

our sweet Molly will be graduating from college with a B.A. in Spanish....YAY! HAPPY DANCE!!!

As you have noticed most of my projects this week have centered around Christmas things...these will make great gifts, but also I am preparing for classes this Fall....

For this one, I started with a bunch of half square triangles in two different hues....

to create two long lines of zig - zag...

At this point I am 'making' fabric....not sure if I will use the ric-rak here....

And then cut out a stocking....

so what do you think about the ric-rak?

I have since added some lovely stitches with perle cotton....pics to come later....

And in the evenings I have been chugging away at the Grandmother's Flower Garden.....

Hopefully, between the inevitable tears this weekend, I will be able to snap a few pictures of Molly in her graduation garb....

Have a wonderful Friday!

mary 

  

    

Simply Satisfying....

I love quilting.  I love almost every style of quilting.  For me the joy is truly in the process.  I am eager to learn different techniques and more fully develop techniques I already have in my arsenal.  It really is the process...

 For me...hand work is so rewarding....I enjoy the quiet times to sit and let my hands go through the motions while my mind just thinks....about everything.  I clear up all the unanswered questions, make plans, dream of the next project...all in that little space of time while I lay my stitches down without a thought.  I really am not concerned when it will be finished....if it will be finished.  It is the process.

When my kids were little, I would take my sewing outside and sit in a lawn chair and watch them play.  This Carolina Lily quilt was made during one of those summers...it was one of my first quilts....

The mauve is a dead giveaway that this was made in the 80's!  I hand pieced this quilt and hand quilted it.  For the longest time it was on my Maggie's bed...

Then one night the corner slipped into the gerbil cage...and the gerbil had a good chew!

When I look at it now...I think how 'cutting edge' I must have been to have these simple solids on a white background! LOL!

It is very simple and yet as a whole probably took me a very long time to finish....

Today I tried a different design {same technique} using English Paper Piecing.  I followed a tutorial by Clare from My Selfsown Life    to create this lovely star flower block {don't know if that is the true name}

   

I used Denyse Schmidt voile for the star...if I continue, I am not sure I would use voile.  It is a bit flimsy in the center.  But I love the delicate design of this fabric.  And I actually like the black background....it is a lovely block.  Clare did an entire quilt with this block and I have enjoyed watching her progress.

Quilting is so simply satisfying....

Have a great Wednesday!

mary

PS.....I have had more than one issue with blogger lately...ugh....at the moment I cannot comment without my profile being anonymous....are any of you having similar issues?   

         

        

244!!!

Want to know what 244 hexagons looks like?

 

Almost enough to make a full row!!!

And a few cute grabs from this weekend!!!  Love gingham and dots :)

Hope your weekend has been fantastic!

mary

Working on the Border....

The New York Beauty may soon get a border!  I have made a decision {pretty sure anyway}....

To mimic the pointy parts of the block....I want a pointy border....

I drafted this pattern so that it would fit between two {NYB} quarter blocks on each end....

So it is a 10 inch finished border...

And will be flanked by quarter blocks....at least that is the plan....

Still working on the hexagons....if you haven't tried them yet....give them a try! They are cute little stinkers :)

The weekend is almost here!!!!  YAY!  I get to go to work....which for me is too much fun!

mary 

A Lifetime Quilt....

A few weeks ago I posted a picture from a Traditional American Arts book.... a quilt that I would love to have.... a Grandmother's Flower Garden....

Well, this quilt keeps haunting me....I found one 'not for sale' at an antique shop....one of my student's brought in a beautiful sample made by her grandma....then I found it again in this old book of mine....

So, I am taking this as a sign....and I started working on this quilt as a 'lifetime project'.  Hopefully, it won't really take a lifetime, but it just may.  This beauty is all hand pieced.  I have seen different versions of this quilt, but I am in LOVE with the one from the book....

I have seen hexagons floating around on the blogs for some time now...I am a little late on that bandwagon.... but these are fun to make and a bit addicting!

There will be 3 more rows added to this one....I quickly figured out how to do them so they fit together a little better than this one....it is a bit goopy in the corner....BTW don't you love that fabric in the background?  

This will be a late night/early morning project.....

Now back to work on the NYB....and then the QAL.....and then the Eloise Quilt.....geesh, I really need another project!!!!

mary