Posts
And I even might make a blog entry. :-)
But, over the past *several* months, I have discovered that when I got to the point of the project where I would normally publish what was going on, I felt incredibly lethargic. Those of you who *do* blog, know that there is a tremendous amount of behind the scenes work that needs to be done to get pictures ready for publishing and then, of course, you need to think of what words to say. And I was feeling ever-so-lazy.
Even though I "blog without obligation" (which basically means I'll blog whenever I doggone well feel like it), I have been feeling a twinge of guilt about not blathering about what I've been doing. Therefore, *this* blog entry is going to be a synopsis of projects that I've worked on ... some have even been completed! ... but never quite got around to blogging. It's going to be a bare-bones description and only one or two pictures per project because .... I still intend on making the full-blown webpage full of pictures and gory details of text and links! At some point. :-)
Quilting.
Sandy Brawner of Quilt Country From March through September 2014, I worked on and FINISHED this top! In order to bring it to the next Retreat (February 2015), I left it as a top, since bringing a fully quilted quilt on a plane is very cumbersome.
It still needs to be quilted.
June 2014. One of our niece's partners had twin boys. I made baby quilts and a pieced throw pillow for the babies. The quilt patterns are "Covent Garden" by Emma of Sampaguita Quilts.
and "Flying Geese" by Jackie Kunkel of Canton Village Quilt
Works.
The throw pillow used two blocks from "Jungle Friends" by Willow Bay Designs.
This top is "Garden View" by Wendy
Sheppard, as featured in the June/July 2014 issue of The Quilter and in the May 30th entry of her blog, Ivory Spring.
It still needs to be quilted.
September 2014. I also started a hand applique, needle-turn project that I would bring with me to work on when I was away from home.
This is "Plumeria" by Aloha Quilt Shop. It's about 18" x 18". I'll probably make it into a throw pillow after I quilt it.
I put the last needle-turn stitch in this project in March 2015.
September 2014. A friend of mine was going through some rough times .. personal health issues, her Mom's health issues and her cat's health issues. Good lord .. could it get any worse?
"Stairway to Heaven" is a pattern that I've had for a LONG time and I made it for her.
September 2014. "Ten Minute Tile" is an incredibly EASY quilt to make but you gotta beware ... it is THIS graduated colorway that makes the quilt!
I'd seen it previously in other, non-graduated fabric choices and just walked away ... boring.
But with the color gradients? Whoa! Super!
This quilt was given to my favorite middle daughter who loves purple.
This pattern is designed by Mary Lou Hallenbeack for H.D. Designs.
who loves all things Christmas.
"Simply Evergreen" by Marcia Layton of Marcia Layton Designs.
January 2015. Whilst going through piles and stacks of fabric and leftover units from other projects, I rediscovered a strip section not used in the original project.
It was too big to throw away but too small to use on its own, if left it the width-of-fabric size. So, I cut the WOF in half crosswise, stacked the two halves on top of each other and put a border around it.
I figured it was a good size for a drag-around quilt for the baby of one of our nieces.
The fabric is "From Paris With Love"
One is the Illusion quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Company
It's an incredibly fantastic optical illusion but the best part is that is made ENTIRELY OF HALF SQUARE TRIANGLES. It can't get too much easier than this.
The top is approximately 104"x116" and is *all hand sewn*. All the hexies, the border and the appliqued vines.
It took me about 18 months start to finish. And it will join all the OTHER completed tops in the stack of Tops to be Quilted.
I took the cupcake images from the fleece and made some fusible, machine appliqued cupcake blocks for the front.
I alternated the cupcake blocks with 4-patch blocks, did an all-over pantograph and .. voila .. a donation quilt is finished!
On the hand needlework front, in August 2014, I participated in a Basic Crazy Quilting online class given by Kathy L Shaw.
Machine Embroidery
On the machine embroidery front, I made a fully-embroidered mug rug for a swap. The design came from the San Francisco Stitch Company.
One of my crafty friends liked it so much, she commissioned me to make another one for a mutual friend's birthday.
December 2014: a tote bag and two pouches for my favorite middle daughter.
I've collected a LOT of patterns for different zippered, organizational pouches over time and just LOVE making them .. but *I* don't really need them.
I have no idea if my favorite middle daughter needed them either but she got them. She *did* ask for the tote bag. :-)
December 2014. One of Mr. Pirate's cousins is just a dear, sweet lady and I was in an absolute FRENZY of making all these cute
little pouches and bags and stuff. I was on a roll, so I just kept making oodles of them and gave her a whole bunch.
January 2015. I snailmailed a box to my favorite middle daughter. Since her apartment mailbox is really small and she doesn't have anyone to accept packages, I usually mail stuff to her at her work.
But she takes the subway home and that box was an awkward size to manhandle on the subway.
So, I made a custom sized tote to hold the box in transit.
And that gets everyone up to date on what I've worked on. Whew.
(and if blogger doesn't upload all this correctly, I will just cry).
