Sew It Up

This is my work on Rose Anne's block for the Sew It Up themed RR over on CQI.  I made some padded felt shaped spools/cards and "wrapped" them with thread that was knotted from skein to spool to card to spool. Looks like my white card is a little out of sorts. I never noticed the top of it wasn't smooth. Of course I have been hardly able to see the last couple of days. I kept washing my glasses but I just think there is that much stuff in the air clouding my vision. (I hope). 

For this RR we also agreed to do a little bit on the sixth or group block. This was my addition.  These blocks are 6 inches and I have one more set to work on before this RR is complete. 

Heavenly Garden

I participated in an angel themed rr over on CQI yahoo group. This is the last block I had to stitch on and it belongs to Joyce. She had the cross stitched angel on the block when I received it. I really had a difficult time thinking of what to do on this block but finally decided to do all stitching in white and gold, to add lots of stars to kind of keep with the angel theme and to add some flowers since that flower trim was on the block when I received it.  I really didn't like that blue sparkly plastic strip below the angel motif and it bothered me when I thought I was finished with my stitching. I finally decided to tone it down with some white feather stitch with cast on flowers. If I had thought of it to begin with I would have trailed some gold soutache like I had around the rest of the cross stitch over that blue but I didn't know it was so pliable and I could stitch through it until the end.  So, anyway...I hope I have some stars and flowers fit for an angel. 

And now I can't wait to get all my blocks home!     

TAST 2012 Weeks 3 and 4 - Feather and Cretan Stitches

This week's TAST stitch is the Cretan stitch. I have never done this stitch before. I just can't seam to get into the rhythm of it but I tried. Maybe if I had used my smaller squared gingham it would have been easier but I doubt it. I will just have to practice, practice, practice and then practice some more. I've really avoided this stitch but glad I forced myself to try it. I will have to use it on a seam on my CQJP 2012 quilt too. 

I thought I had posted my stitch from last week - feather stitch - but looks like I forgot. So, here's my feather stitch and another happy block for my lap quilt 

And here's the Happy Block lap quilt squares so far. I need to add the last two blocks on to the quilt and then start some more stitching on the white part which will be quotes or thoughts on my word for 2012 which is LISTEN. (I don't think enough people do). 

Go on over to Sharon's blog, Pin Tangle to see what everyone else has done for the Cretan stitch. I know I'm going to check it out. There is also a link on my side bar.

More Roses

This is Kathy's completed block ready to return home to her. This was a roses themed rr over on CQI Yahoo Group that 5 ladies participate in. I was the last to stitch on this block. Rita, Meg and Ruby did their magic before me. 

I added a wired ribbon wild rose and bud and leaves and to the right some peach colored spider web roses to fill up a gap where someone's lace didn't quite extend to the edge. 

Over on the left hand side of the block there was a naked seam so I added a few sweetheart roses. 

Here's my addition of a "shabby chic" butterfly and some bullion roses. There is another shabby butterfly on there somewhere too. 

So, that ends my stitching for both rose themed RRs I was in. Now I can't wait to get my own blocks home! I have really enjoyed this RR. I think I will make two more blocks for myself since I bought a new book on ribbon roses. 

Happy Summer

Last year we swapped summer themed 5.5 inch squares over on the I Spy Yahoo Group. I used the swapped fabrics for the centers for a happy block...

 ... and now I have them all sewn and quilted into a quilt for the camper called "Happy Summer". I'm sure the DGKs will love to sit on it under a tree and play games with their cousins at the campground.

I don't have (and probably never will) a longarm quilter but I got a little adventurous and tried a free motion quilting beginner design from Leah Day's website called "spiral knots". Backing shows as white on my monitor but it is actually a light green. 

And now I'm linking up to Pigtales and Quilts  because she is having a linky party - I Love a Good Swap Party because I do! 

There will be more to come because I have lots of blocks in drawers and wips because I have participated in swaps for years on all the lists I'm on.  Next up will probably be my Buckeye Beauty quilt that just needs a border, quilting, and binding. 

Roses

The days have been very cold and dreary. It's snowing outside now. Inside, roses are blooming and now Colleen's block is ready to be mailed home. This is a 12 inch block for a traditional RR with a rose theme over on CQI Yahoo Group. Four ladies before me added their special touches to Colleen's block.

I added some silk ribbon roses, baby's breath, bullion rose buds and a tatted butterfly...

...and a crocheted heart with an organdy ribbon spider rose.

TAST 2012 - Buttonhole Stitch

Take a Stitch Tuesday Challenge  (TAST)  buttonhole stitch. This is my flower. Only other stitch is seed. So, it's a buttonhole seed flower. 

More buttonhole stitches on gingham. 

All four "happy blocks" with fly and buttonhole stitches stitched together and on their way for a lap quilt sampler. I will probably embroider more on the white like I did with the quote on upper left block. My word for 2012 is listen so I will probably cover the squares with more quotes that relate to listening or things I like to listen to. 

Going Crazy (Again)

I've joined a "Be My (Vintage) Valentine" RR. Each participant sews up 6 - 6 inch blocks...

...and passes them around to other participants to embellish. Then they return home and (in this case) get turned into a bellpull.

And this block (12 inch finished) is for the "Midnight Fantasy Garden" themed RR. In this case each particpant embellishes the same block. This will be my fourth block in the Midnight Fantasy Garden theme. I want to make a huge glow-in-the dark wall hanging. My inspiration? The fairies that dance at midnight in my own garden!

Free Motion Quilt Challenge - Leaves

SewCalGal is hosting a Free Motion Quilt Challenge.  Since I make a lot of quilts and will never be able to afford a longarm and since I'm tired of quilting straight lines or stipples I decided to take the plunge. I'm making my samplers into hotpads so the inner layers consist of insulbright and terrycloth.  Above is my first attempt. I kept getting thrown off by the leaf pattern in the fabric so this doesn't look too hot. In fact some look like bananas instead of leaves but, hey, a girl's got to start somewhere. Good thing the thread (Coat's and Clark's machine quilting) blends in. I'll give it to someone who doesn't see well for Christmas. 

And this was my second attempt. I was getting a little better. BTW, my hotpad size is about 8.5x9.5 so I was trying to make the leaves small. A couple of times I left a big blank spot and didn't know how to get back over to it so had to cut thread and try to connect the vines. Good thing these leaves don't show up well either. 

And, with my third attempt I was getting better still. At least most of these look like leaves and not bananas or  globs.  Now, I just need to cut some binding, sew it on, and I've got a couple of Christmas presents made for the Christmas box. 

To see how everyone else has been doing visit the Jan. linky party going on at SewCalGal's blog. 

Now, I just need to piece the back for this "Buckeye Beauty" flimsy and I'll be quilting it with leaves, I hope. This was made with HSTs and 4 patches in fall colors swapped on BlockSwappers Yahoo group.  So, leaves seem to fit with a fall theme. I'm going to give it a try. And, if I do well, I'm going to quilt my bird themed snowball and nine patch with leaves too. 

TAST 2012 - Fly Stitch

I'm using "happy blocks" (4.5 inch centers with 2.5 inch sides) as my TAST canvases. I made the centers of ginghams and stripes, etc. so I would have a graph to practice on and I will sew them all together into a sampler lap quilt at the end of the year (or sooner). I think I will put a border of fly stitch between the gingham and white. 

And this block has leaves and petals of fly stitch. I think I will also border this with a fly stitch border. In the white sections I will probably do a little more doodling and stitch some phrases and words. 

To see how others have used the fly stitch visit Sharon Boggon's blog PINTANGLE. 

Crazy Basket Case - Jan CQJP 2012 Project

I'm working on a lap quilt for my CQJP 2012 Project. My goals:

1. Mostly red and white for colors.

2. No duplicate seam treatments (I hope)

3. All must be washable

4. Hopefully two baskets per block

Basket 1 is a sane block I had sitting around and well...the gingham is not exactly straight. I started to do some chicken scratch across the top and...ooops...the second row in red is a new to me "crow's foot". It is so small following the teeny, tiny gingham as a stitch guide that I'm going to try to do this on something in a bigger format. I like those crow's feet on the old aprons from the 30s.

Some different seams and I used I strand of metallic and one strand of DMC for the butterfly and did a wrapped chain for the curvy seam with lazy daisy inside. The other seam is herringbone with variegated thread to make a little "flower" inside the "v" that doesn't really show up in this picture.

And basket 2 is being carried by a fashionable bunny - a transfer I had in my collection that doesn't transfer anymore! Seam is buttonhole and french knots.

And that's my CQJP January block and one block out of 24-30 for a lap quilt. Hope I'm not a crazy basket case by the time it is completed.

To see what everyone else who joined the project is doing check out the CQJP 2012 blog. 

Mystery Quilt is a Mystery No Longer !

Time to sew together all the parts for the Orca Bay Mystery Quilt. 

Looks a little busy up close. 

But it will be a beauty when I get it finished.

I had a whale of a good time.  Visit Quiltville to see how everyone else is progressing.