What Day Is It Anyway???

This has been such a weirdly busy day....for no reason really....and nothing much has been accomplished...except laundry and I don't think you want to hear about that.

I almost forgot to tell you all about the WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced....if you have a project in the works and it's Wednesday...add a picture here!

Since I really don't have anything new to show you, I thought I would show you bits of another applique project I completed many years ago.  This is a Baltimore Album Quilt and I do love this quilt....it is all finished except for the quilting.  Life got in the way and I haven't been able to connect with this quilt again....sigh.....

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

Applique'.....applied

Now that all my arcs are finished...I have stitched a machine basting stitch (white thread) along the edge of the foundation paper before actually removing the paper...

Not only does this give me a line to follow as I press the 1/4 inch edge under, but I find this basting stitch (white thread) gives the edge a memory of sorts so that it turns under more easily...

Then I baste the entire arc to the lovely background fabric (Betty Dear) with a black thread...both the white basting stitch and the black stitch will be removed after the arc is appliqued....

Of course, in applique the goal is to apply the shape to the background fabric without the stitches showing....

I begin stitching from underneath the background fabric and come up slightly under the edge of the shape being applied and I just take a bite of the edge of the shape....

Then if I go back into my background fabric directly under the spot where I just took a bite....my stitch will be hidden....

I have found that if my stitch is forward of the edge of my applied shape as I take my needle back into the background fabric....the stitch will show.

All the forward movement will happen on the back of the background fabric...

Once all the arcs are applied, I will piece the rows together and then fill in the background sections (between the rows) using applique'......so it is coming right along.....

I had a lovely dinner last night with my sweet friends from work....it was my first experience with 

Indian Cuisine....yum!  I was delighted to discover they use a lot of potatoes...perfect for an Irish girl like me!  I had a fabulous time....thanks friends :)

Mary

Wordless Wednesday....in the hoop....

Mary

Let the Quilting Begin!!!!

Finished piecing the first new project of 2011!!!!

A bright, fun Union Jack Quilt for the New Year....

This one is made up mostly of Hideaway by Lauren and Jessi Jung....a little of Sarah Fielke's Little Things and a bit of gingham from Michael Miller....

I added borders of bright red and white Dumb Dot....also from Michael Miller

I think some fun, chunky stitches with perle cotton to top it off!!!

Cheers!

Mary

Zippity - Do - Da......

The girls are back in school (wah!!!) and I am back in a regular routine.....I love it....no spontaniety for me....just give me the mundane....

Today I started a short-term project....with some fabulous fabrics from Sew To Speak...

I enjoy having a couple of projects going at once...a long term and a short term...usually if I have hand quilting to do....that is, evening-by-the-TV sort of work.... 

My long term is, of course, the Gypsy Kisses...and my short term is a new/old pattern....

I will only give a hint for now...it really should not take long to piece together...

So what is your first new project for the new year????

Happy Sewing!!!

Mary

2011 Is Off to A Great Start!!!!

The arcs are pieced and the "eyes" are appliqued.....

(excuse the stray threads)

This is a pickle-dish pattern from Material Obsession 2....called Gypsy Kisses....

The pattern calls for 12 blocks (each block is about 24 inches) - and the finished size of the quilt is HUGE!!!  Much larger than I need...so I am making mine a 9 block quilt.

The next step is to applique the arcs to the background fabric....the lovely Betty Dear....

Hope everyone had a lovely and safe New Year's!  Ours was very low key....although with college age children about it is a bit worrisome - they will understand when they have children of their own :)

And here they are goofing off at their cousin's wedding....from left to right....Mary Mac, Molly and Maggie....cousin Joe in between....yep....those are my girls!!!

Welcome 2011!

Mary ;)