Still Working On It And Probably Will Be For Awhile

I've finished big stitch hand quilting on all of the "flower" parts of my super-sized Flowering Snowball quilt. 

And now it's time to work on the "snowballs". 

I couldn't decide what to quilt in the snowball sections. I originally thought I would add some simple circles. After all...more complex quilting designs don't show up very well with big stitches. But then I thought maybe a flower would be nice in the snowball sections. I almost, almost went with the one on the right...

...but finally decided to go with a vintage template from a box of old quilting things my daughter found long ago at a garage sale. 

The flower may not show up all that well with the big stitching but I think it will give me just the right amount of poofiness in those areas after the quilt is washed. 

(Speaking of snowballs...I awoke to eight inches of snow yesterday morning.)

I'm joining the other Slow Sunday stitchers at Kathy's Quilts for a virtual sewing bee. 

Bowl of Cherries or The Pits?

Earlier this year Mary of Molly Flanders Makerie hosted a Flowering Snowball QAL. 

Some people finished their quilt...I secretly sewed along but only completed 30 - 10 inch blocks. 

I wanted a BIG quilt. 

I wanted to use some more of my cherry fabrics since I didn't use them all in my Japanese x and + quilt. 

So, long story short...this weekend I got a hankering to work on my Flowering Snowballs and made 14 more blocks.  

I think it takes longer for me to cut pieces for the blocks than to actually make them. 

For some reason I'm hungry for some cherry pie. 

And there's not a Flowering Snowballs chance in heck that I'll have this completed any time soon.  If I make a quilt 80x90 that means I'm not quite at the halfway mark with blocks.  That's the pits! 

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Scrap Quilts

My entry into the Scrap Quilt category of the Blogger's Quilt Festival organized by Amy of Amy's Creative Side is called Hi-Ho Cherrio after a game I loved playing as a child and play now with my grandchildren.  The pattern is Japanese X and +  by Amy Gunson of Badskirt blog.  I love this pattern and plan on making another one some day soon.  I quilted it on my DSM with swirls. 

Hi Ho Cherrio!

Japanese X and +

69x77

Machine quilted

For me

I Love Cherries (or Hi-Ho Cherrio!)

I didn't know if I should call the quilt "I Love Cherries" or if I should name it "Hi-Ho Cherrio" after one of the first board games I played as a little girl...

...at any rate...here it is...a lap quilt which measures about 72x79. I've been collecting cherry themed fabrics for a couple of years. I'm not sure where I first saw the Japanese X and + block. I think I saw a picture on some link from a blog from a blog from a blog...but I eventually searched and found a tutorial at a blog named badskirt. 

72 blocks make up the quilt. 

How can you be in a bad mood when you are surrounded by so much color? 

This is the backing...little kids and cherries. Sweet. I quilted it on my sewing machine with a concentric circle pattern in variegated blue thread on the back and cream colored on the front.  Those aren't knots in the picture...they are little pieces of thread that got caught in the quilting.  I had thread snippets everywhere. In the middle of quilting my thread seemed to break after every couple of circles. I cleaned the machine, I changed bobbins, I re-threaded, changed needles, re-threaded again, cussed quite a bit and then finally changed the brand of quilting thread I was using as top thread and then all went well. 

I have other collections of fabrics of my fav things. This is the first of many quilts to use up some of that fabric. I thought it would be a nice lap quilt to take to the nursing home should I ever see that day. But by then there will probably be "death panels" that will deem me unfit to even see another day. 

Hmmm... Didn't I just say "How can you be in a bad mood when you are surrounded by so much color? "

Linking up at Quilting by the River and Quilt Story

I Love Cherries Part II

All 72 blocks (Japanese x & +) for the "I Love Cherries" quilt are complete. Assembly to begin soon.

Apples and Cherries - Feeling a Bit Fruity

My CQJP 2012 entry for April - another block for my Crazy Basket Case lap quilt. Twelve inch blocks are mostly done in reds, have a basket on each one and have all washable embellishments. 

And here's a "snowball" for Alice. Cherries! I'm not sure if my pink cherry blossoms go with everything else but everything does look better in real life. And this pic makes everything look a little distorted anyway especially at the bottom. 

Anyone for a game of "Fruit Basket Upset"? Ah, the memories! 

This and That

My work on Nicki's valentine block. I chain stitched on top of some baby rick rack which was on top of some stretchy gingham trim, added some perle 8 cherry stems and rhinestone and bead cherries. Some felt with buttonhole stitch and fabric cutouts on a couple and heart cookie button on another.

My work on Lorrie's Sew It Up block. I first cross stitched a basket of yarn with 14 count waste canvas, made a zipper flower, chevron stitch seam with buttons, and you can see the rest. I was totally uninspired since she used butterfly and dragonfly themed fabric and I was supposed to think "sewing"...

And this is my contribution to the joint block. In this DYB everyone in this RR stitched on a 6th block in addition to stitching one entire block. I crocheted a bunch of chain and ended it with a flower with a button center.

I'm off to make pies for Easter from pumpkin I grew and froze last fall.

I Love Cherries

I've been hoarding cherry themed fabrics long enough so I'm turning the fabrics into Japanese X & + blocks. I'm not sure yet what size quilt I'll be making. I've got a big box of fabrics. This will be the first in a series of "My Favorites" quilts. I love coffee, butterflies, fairies, large flowers, birds...that should give you a hint of what's to come. This is not the layout I'm using...just had to lay them on my "design floor" to take a pic.