Fashion Show

Today, the blog post is by Aidan...who just turned 10 years old. It is a fashion show of just some of the wonderful outfits she got for her birthday...for her 18" doll. These creative ensembles were made by my friend Bea and mailed to Aidan. She was so excited to find that the box in the kitchen was for her...she didn't even wait to move it into the bedroom before opening it.  

It was full of doll clothes, shoes, hats, and even a doll bed with mattress, quilt, and pillows. Bea, you are just too much! Thank you so very much for making my darling Aidan smile for the past two days as she has dressed and re-dressed and re-dressed...etc...her doll. (p.s. I love the little fur monkey you included in the dolls backpack) Here's the fashion show!! 

  And, these are not even half of the outfits!
(p.s. yes, I did not make my bed this morning...ha!)  

Odds and Ends

It seems so strange to be working on things, and yet not have much to blog about. Recently, two blocks were created for friendship quilts...but I can't share the photos. I'm working on a gift swap for Christmas...again, can't share the photos. While at retreat last week, I also designed a monogram set, a couple of embroidery motifs, and did some other "behind the scenes" things for Stitchmap...but, can't share those either. But, I'm getting a lot done...honestly!  

There is some progress on my Birdhous Village Quilt...two of the twenty-eight embroidery blocks are now complete...but a long way to go. There's so little time for "myself" projects these days. I'm working on Alice's Encrusted CQ Block...and have a lot more stitching to do before it mailes out on the 15th of this month. I managed to add a little pink/silver tree to it while at retreat.  

And some basic swirls for silk ribbon accents...

  And a piece of lace trim all ready to be beaded.  

  There are also a couple of seams to be stitched. Some trims have been added, but mostly they are to save two seams that had begun to "unsew" themselves. One of my pet peeves is when seams are trimmed...always a mistake in my opinion. I can't count the number of "open" seams that I've had to cover or applique down in round robins I've participated in. Oh well...off my soap box now...and back to work on my giftees for the exchange. Once my little Christmas Giftees get completed I'll be back working on this CQ block.      

Can You Spare a Moment?

My friend Bea has entered a small quilt into an online challenge...and I'd love for you to consider taking a moment and voting. I hope you like her quilt and choose it...but there are others there to view as well.

The link is:

 http://quiltinggallery.com/2013/11/01/halloween-fun-quilts/

And her quilt is titled "Ghostly Parade" and you have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the site post to vote. 

Happy Halloween with my Quilt Retreat Friends.....

..and yes, these are grown women...even thought you might not believe it! Here are some of the costumes greeting me for breakfast today...  

 SunBonnet Sue (Kim)

 Zombee Black Widow Spider (SCLady)

 Possible Unicorn (Linda)

 Kitty (Ellen)

 Foxy Lady (Mary)

Saloon Gal (Charlyn)

And, I'm having some serious fun! Wish you were all here with us. Hugs  

Geez, What a Dufus!

Seriously, I need a keeper. Here I sit at a lovely retreat with some of my cyber pals....and my laptop is only running on battery power...because I forgot to pack the electric cord!!! So, don't fret over me if you don't hear from me for the next few days...and I'm sorry, but I also can not post any of the CQJP challenge blocks this week...or let folks know that they are registered for 2014.  I'm sure to have loads of emails to check when I get back home... so, just please bare with me. Hugs!   Edited to Add: 15:20 hrs...my pal Libby from South Carolina (sweet angel of a friend) took the time to drive me home and back today to get my computer cords! The day was not a total loss....we stopped at two quilt shops too!  

Fans Block for Colleen

Now that the binding for my brothers quilt is finished...I'm back on stitching my part of the three crazy quilt round robins I'm currently signed up for. This block is "Fans" and is for my pal Colleen. It's a bit non-traditional...but, so is Colleen. I think she will like it. 

  The roses in the fan blade section are from a piece of vintage lace that I dissected just to get these blooms. The vines are a mix of three light green and two teal. The teal is an accent color I picked up from the hand-dyed lace that I chose to use in the "handle" area of the fan. 

  There is silk ribbon only in the handle area. Pearls, crystals...and some metallic accents are scattered everywhere.  

Whew! A long week...and a wee surprise!

It's been a long week...and I'll tell you more about that in a minute. First, a little wee surprise today from Rosalyn B. of New Jersey...these lovely pieces from some formal gowns and a cute little set of buttons. Thanks so much Rosalyn...I so needed a smile today, and your sweet gift was just the thing!

I've been working on my brother's king size quilt this week. It just came back from the machine quilter...and honesty, I gave her a real problem. Not intentional...but the backing was way too narrow so she had to add fabric to it. I'm so glad that she understood and did that for me...so, I'm working to get the binding on. First the binding was made...next came attaching it to the quilt. Let me say...when you have a tiny little space to work in...a king size quilt is just a big ole bear!  

Then, I trimmed the backing up to the edge and decided to use the serger to overlock the edge. I read somewhere that this helped to flatten the quilt and made rolling the binding over easier. Well, it does do that...but the corners are a bit tricky...and of course I messed that up, and had to do a little needle magic to make mine even look adequate. Good thing my brother is not a critic...and doesn't sew.  

So, today...I'm finishing up the last side of the quilt...sewing the binding down to the back...by hand. Then, I discover that about 1/2" of the backing has been trimmed too close. Not by me...but by the quilter, probably by mistake I'm sure. Most likely, she was taking if off the frame...late at night...and didn't realize her scissors were catching on some of the backing near the trim line. So, now...I've got to go and add a piece of backing to the area...by hand...before finishing the binding. This is quickly turning into one of my "quilts from hell" in my memory!   So, Rosalyn...I needed a nice thing to happen today...and you did that for me! THANKS!

Lattice Monogram Pattern

Lately, I've been really interested in different types of monograms. You might have noticed that I've been sharing these as free patterns on my Craftsy page. Well, here is one more for you! These are lattice monograms, and can be used for lot's of embroidery filling stitches. If you reduce them, they would be adorable as pin cushions, scissor fobs, or tiny little giftees. Work a little harder and create them as goldwork on velvet! That would be spectacular!

  I decided to create a larger framed piece with silk ribbon for a special frame gifted to me. It will be completed soon and I'll show you the framed work. For now...here is the stitched part anyway!  

  I just used plain perle cotton and embroidered the letter "S" in stem stitch, then used simple straight stitches to do both directions of the lattice work...lastly, I tacked down the intersections of the lattice with teensy "x" straight stitches.  http://www.craftsy.com/user/1108892/pattern-store?_ct=fhevybu-ikrdql-fqjjuhdijehu 

This ribbon design is also included in the pattern as an oval and as a circle...in two different sizes.

Ritva's Encrusted Block Ready to Mail...

 
Here is my portion of the block. If you go back a couple of posts, you can see the "before ribbon or beads" look. Totally different for sure!  

  After being finished with the embroidery work...I changed my mind and decided to add some vines within the spider web area. It was just too open to be considered 'encrusted' style.  

  I still have to write in Ritva's little booklet today and get it packaged for mailing. It will be fun seeing what the other ladies in the group add to this block. I really enjoyed working on it!

  Here's another closeup for ya!

Scissors, scissors, scissors...

Today, over at pigtalesandquilts blog, Thearica posted about her thirty-two pairs of scissors...and about her friends at Kens Sewing Center where a lot of hers came from. Well, I don't have 32 pairs...but, I too have many more than I would have guessed! Above are my yucky paper cutting scissors...and they cut tape too which makes a couple of them gummy.  

  These are my project scissors for hardanger work, crochet, applique, and embroidery and I keep them in a cup or with the project I'm working on. There are two pairs "missing" that are shaped like little fairies...but Aidan probably has them with her things...and I was not going to attempt to sift through all of her toys, books, crayons, etc. to find them...so we won't be counting those in this hunt. The brown handle ones came with my old Pfaff sewing machine some 30 years ago. And the one in the middle folds up so you won't jab your tote bag when carrying them! The ones I use most often have little fobs hanging from them...to help me locate them in my project containers.  

  These are my main scissors. You will note that there is only one pair of dressmaker scissors. They are Gingher, and I've never needed any other. Of course another pair just like them would be great! My little gold embroidery scissors are also Gingher. One pair I use almost every day and the other is my spare, never been out ot their box.  

  And these are my most recent purchases. They will be giftees and are so cute in their black on white and white on black handles. Total for me is 21 pairs...how many do you have?    

Ritva's Encrusted Block Continues

Today, I found time to get the blossums on the wisteria. Hoping to get more stitching in tonight and tomorrow...if Brady decides to take a nap. He is getting older...and the naps are getting shorter and further apart. Hugs!

But, he keeps busy... Click above to check out how busy he is...makes me tired just to watch!  

Bird House Quilt Begins!

I'm done with the first embroidery block in the Bird House Village Quilt. Mine will be stitched in blues! They will match nicely with  these two shades of blue fabric. These and one solid white (like the embroidery blocks) will create the triple Irish chain center blocks, and I'm hoping to get some of those done this weekend.  I'm starting a count of embroidery blocks completed to keep me motivated. There are twenty-eight blocks needed for the queen-size quilt and I'm sure to get tired of stitching on them. But, a few at a time and before too many months have passed, they will be done! After all, I can't finish what I don't start...no matter how long it takes me! Ha!  

Ritva's Encrusted Block Begins

This weekend, I managed to even get a little crazy quilt stitching done on Ritva's block. Next comes the ribbon work and the beading...which will totally transform this basic stitching into a floral wonderland. I hope so at least!   And, if you are wondering what that piece of spagetti is doing right in the middle...(and I know that some of you are!)...it's not spagetti...it's a piece of jute that is couched into place for the vine part of my wisteria. Or, it could be for grapes...hugs!