April Showers Kind of Day

 

I've been away a long time and don't have much to show for it. I finally got the rows of this quilt sewn together but have to get it finished. For goodness sakes its 95% done! I will not be quilting it, my friends Carolyn and Jamie will be asked to perform the magic. The patterns are by Lori Holt from Bee In My Bonnet and it was a sew along last summer. I love the blocks but was tired of them once they were done. Now I am excited to have it be a quilt.

I also kept up and finished my block of the month, Anna's Baskets by Laundry Basket Quilts. I need to get my back ready to have this one quilted too. I'll show you a better picture when it is completely done!

So I feel like I have fallen off the sewing path......I made this adorable project bag.....

that has this cute little zipper pull charm.......

to hold my cross stitch!

Yes I have wandered back into cross stitch. I did it back in the 1970's and gave it up for quilting. When we were all stuck in the house for what felt like forever, I started watching YouTube videos while I sewed. A lot of people cross over into all different parts of needlework. It is amazing how much different the flosses and the linens are compared to when I was doing it in the '70s. They are gorgeous and hard to resist. I want you to know I held back for a long time!

So I needed some accessories for my new venture!

Like sewing, we use different size needles and need to keep track. These are labeled #24 as you can see in the bottom left corner. I could have written it in pen but why when you can embroider it?

This is a catch all that houses my scissors, needle minder and I use it to keep track of floss that I am using for easy access.

A handy little pocket....

Needle minder and floss.....

 A spot for my scissors.

I have done some charity sewing......

Some fun and easy sewing. I want to have a bunch of fabric strawberries to put in a bowl for decoration. I am making them as I feel like it. Some of these are waiting to have the leaves stitched down. I got this cute shaker sewing box at the Lancaster Quilt Show.

This is made with a vintage fabric that I have very little of and I stuffed it with emery.

Strawberry fabric for a strawberry!

These are much bigger and were from a pattern I got from Fig Tree Quilts. I don't love the leaves but they will do for now.

This pouch is next on my list. Who knows what I will put in it! The directions are not great but I think I can figure it out.

I found this old box that is perfect for next to my sewing machine and holds random things I need from time to time. I think it adds personality to my sewing room. 

It seems like my tastes are changing once again. I think for me the past 2 years made me want homey, cozy things. Don't worry I am not giving up on quilting, just changing lanes a bit.

Kelly

Icy February

 

First of all I am sorry for the bad pictures, we are in the midst of rain turning to ice later today. 

This was a quilt that did not start out as a Valentine quilt but turned into one!

I was thinking more "Home is where the heart is" But I think the pink made it more Valentineish. Is that even a word?

Picking out just the perfect fabric is a labor of love. Checks are always a "yes" in my book.

The hearts were simple to make, I am sure you can figure them out just by looking at them. I used easy corners at the top and bottom and made the length the size of the house blocks. If you are on Instagram I did a tutorial, go check it out!

These darling school house blocks are paper pieced and are in the current  issue of American Patchwork & Quilting if you are so inclined to make some. The pattern is called Close To Home.

Again I love searching for just the right fabric!

The houses sew up quickly and if you look closely I made a mistake in the upper right hand block. I accidently sewed the section on upside down. It was not hard to fix and way better than having to make an entire new block!

I did some random straight line quilting because this will be a wall hanging and it makes it nice and sturdy.

I am participating in a doll quilt swap in March.  This is about 18" x 18". Red and green is always a favorite and classic color combination for me.

I was feeling very confident that I would hand quilt this little gem. Well after my attempt at the center I quickly abandoned that idea! It was really awful. So the little squares are machine quilted, at least I tried!

I am still pecking away at this and usually only work on it at my bee. I am in no hurry and always need some handwork now and then.

I always bring these to bee as well. It is the first thing I work on and usually finish with time to work on some of the Robbin Peter to Pay Paul quilt. The blocks are small, they finish at 5".

I have ANOTHER applique project that I would like to start and may give back basting a try. Has anyone done this and have any tips or suggestions for me?

Kelly