Everything's Coming Up Roses!

My work on the Art Nouveau RR for Nicki. I added a lot of rose motifs.

My work on Paula's block for the Lucious Lace RR - bullion rose buds, fargo roses, spider web roses, french knot roses, lace with roses I stitched over with variegated thread.

The whole block after Candji and me.

Bag Lady

Made some reversable patchwork bags using a tutorial at Pink Penguin.  Purple and cats were the themes. I will use them as gift bags. And thankfully they use up scraps.

Memories and Making Memories

Some of the ladies of the CQI Yahoo Group are making blocks from old wedding gowns for a Making Memories quilt to be sold to raise funds to grant a final wish to a terminal breast cancer patient. I promised to make 2 blocks. This is my first. Since mom died of breast cancer I feel obligated to help others. I thought of mom as I stitched. She was a drunk  and an absent mother but I loved her anyway. I didn't realize how much until I sat by her side while she was in hospice. I learned how not to be from my mom. That must have been her purpose in life.

Beet It!

I harvested beets today and pickled them. My DH and I love pickled beets. I ended up with 13 quarts so that should last us for the year. I hated to see all that beet juice go to waste so I tried using it as a dye. First I boiled muslin, lace, thread, rickrack, old doilies, etc. in 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water for 1 hour. Then I put everything in a pot with the beet juice and boiled for a couple of hours. Now I'm going to leave it set overnight. I'll see what it looks like tomorrow when I get home from work and hope it's not raining so I can hang it all on the line.

Fairies, Lace, Pansies

Pansy block for Alice. Buttonhole flowers were new to me. I need to work on them a little more. I think my centers are too big.

My work on Alice's joint block. I tried a felted pansy. This one didn't turn out too bad. The first one I made looked like some bugs nibbled at it.

The entire joint block after me and Arlene stitched on it.

My work on Janet's Canterbury Flower Fairy block. New to me was the raised cup stitch Canterbury bells I embroidered around the silkie.

Part of my work on Candji's Lucious Lace block. I made garden rows of lace and flowers.

Another section I embroidered of Candji's block.

And final section I embroidered. This was my attempt at a lace b'fly. I guess it turned out okay.

And this is what Candji's whole block looks like now that I am finished with it and ready to send it on to next person.

Fairies

My blocks are back from both Fairy RRs on CQI. I now have one from each of these RRs and 6 more to sew embellish and sew together for a big wallhanging. I love fairies. Strange thing...I am of Irish ancestry and their tales tell of fairies that steal away babies and other things.

Fairy II Blocks

Fairy III Blocks

Learning to Sew

After a brisk swim yesterday the granddaus. and I sat on the deck and did our sewing - the girls on their cards and I on my CQ.  The weather was beautiful.

And last week Kayla sat near me in the sewing room while I worked on a sane quilt. She loves the button box and spent most of her time making food items. No wonder she's always hungry!