Just A Few Things + Portholes

Snippets top is done! I'm so happy.

My back is yelling at me so I'm going to sit and stitch the rest of the day. Here's a sneak peek:

I need to rest up for the Expo tomorrow, ya know. I hope I can sleep tonight.

A few people have finished their Portholes and shared pics. I think Jenny finished hers first; she made a gorgeous beach bag for a friend. The wave quilting is awesome!

Peg made a wonderful table runner. Don't those colors just scream summer! [She lives in Australia.] Beautiful, Peg!

And Carrie stitched towels for her daughter - love the fabric borders! What a nifty idea, Carrie, I love them!

You all did such wonderful projects! I'm so thrilled that you liked my designs. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone - I know I will, lol!

I Need A Beach Party

Cuz I ALWAYS need a beach party. Fortunately, I just finished one. And here it is.



The wonderful fabrics from Jennifer at Sis Boom set the blocks off perfectly.

The fabric line is called Dance With Me. And I'd love to wallpaper my house in it. Inside and out. And clothe myself in it from head to toe. Thank you Jennifer for being such an angel - and so creative and talented too!

This is what was left.

You KNOW I'll find a use for these.

To make the wallhanging, I put 2" strips between and at the ends of the blocks, then sewed them together, then added a 2" strip at the top and bottom. I added 2.5" strips as a frame around all that. The binding was more 2.5" strips. I quilted very simply, in the ditch. I didn't want the quilting to detract from the fabric. Flannel for the batting, of course, and muslin on the back.

Designs are available (edit: no longer available] , if you need a beach party too.

Unfortunately, my machine decided to act up. During the last quilt, which was a jelly roll, it got packed with fluff from the jelly roll and started squeaking. I cleaned it out best I could, and it stopped squeaking, but now is skipping stitches. Both machines have to go to the shop, but finances being what they are, it'll have to wait. I'm on a machine sewing hiatus for now. That will give me lots of time to work on my Shabby Roses and some new designs - my sketch pad is out and pencils are sharpened, just waiting for inspiration. By the way, check out Jenny's Etsy shop - she has some new Shabby Rose designs! They are really lovely!

Final Porthole!

This is the last porthole block. And my personal favorite. I added stripes to the umbrella, and a bunch of french knot flowers in the windows. Practice makes, well, not perfect, but better! So, get your needlebook and floss and come sit by me on the beach - I brought a seat for you! We'll stitch to the sound of waves on the beach and listen to the trade winds blow through the palms.

You can get it [edit: no longer available].






PLEASE ignore the embarrassing threads left everywhere.





I tried to get some close-ups of the flowers.

I think I need a better camera for that, lol. I like these little flowers so much, I'm tempted to go back to the other portholes and stitch some on those as well. Maybe a climbing flower bush? We'll see. I hope you enjoy stitching these with me!

And now, the naughty quilt that caused me so much grief. The quilting is done, the binding is on the front, and stitching on the back has commenced.

I used another vintage sheet for the back, it is incrediby soft. A very pale yellow. This quilt may have caused problems, but it's going to feel lovely.

I used a fashion stitch to quilt it. It's like a zig-zag with a little triangle at the top. Can't really see it in these pics, and on parts of the quilt - I was in a hurry and pushing it through the needle so fast, sometimes it missed the little triangle, lol!

I found some red fabric in my stash for the binding. I thought I had some red polka-dot, but couldn't find it - but that's ok, it was horrible stuff, frayed like mad. I like the plain red JUST fine.

I think it brings out the reds in the fabrics, and ties it all together. I'll post a final pic when I'm all done with the binding.

Yikes, more embarrassing threads, lol! Funny how you don't see that stuff while you're taking the picture. This quilt is my entry for the Charming Girls Quilt Club, click here or the link on my sidebar to join. Kelly has tagged all the members so that will be my next post.

I hope you all have a lovely day of stitching!

Portholes Thursday

I went to an art fair yesterday, and this is the only picture I took. Why? I love the lettering.




I have that font somewhere on my computer. I love art fairs, they re-charge my creativity - but not this one. But it was a great day to be outside - a cool breeze from the river, beautiful sunshine, and great company.



And now, without further ado, Porthole Two......

You can get it [edit: no longer available]. (I scanned it a bit crooked - sorry!)
Get your feet wet and hang ten with me. You know you want to. And don't worry, there are no sharks in these waters - it's not allowed in my happy little world.

Jennifer Paganelli from Sis Boom sent me these wonderful pieces from her new fabric line, Dance With Me. I really wish you could touch these, they are WONDERFUL. So many of her fabrics are made into wearables, and I can see why. I can't stop touching them. The colors are fabulous, like always, and they go perfectly with Portholes. As soon as I saw them, I knew I would have to use them for this.

Have you ever seen anything so yummy!

Sorry, I couldn't stop taking pictures. These colors make me SO happy. Thank you Jennifer!!!

And now, what would a post be without a picture of Hermoine. My oldest son is going to a family reunion today in another state. He didn't mean to pack the cat, but apparently she's feeling the need for a road trip. Either that, or she realized her kitty box cleaner won't be here. Her nose is pushed into a sock roll. Cats are so subtle.

WHAT a life.

Portholes

It's July, and I'd like to introduce Portholes, a series of three stitcheries I designed for you. This is the first. Let's celebrate summer!

You can get it (edit: no longer available]. I was going to release these monthly, but summer is here and these are summer stitcheries - so it will be a weekly release. I hope you like them!
Summer, to me, means beaches and palm trees and cute little cottages, where you can get sand on the floor and nobody cares. With bathing suits flapping on the line at all times, meals eaten on your beach blanket, and the sound of waves playing like a soundtrack in the background of your days. Simple and carefree living - I love summer!

I'm not going to give you a pattern for the final product. I'm not sure what *I'm* going to do with them! Maybe a small wallhanging. I also think they would look good on a beach tote. If you have any questions, be sure to email me! Use whatever colors your imagination can come up with - and I would LOVE to see what you've made! Also, I'd love to see you add things to your summer beaches, I added a bit of grass. For the doorknob I used a french knot, but a small satin stitch would also work [probably better, you don't want a close-up of my french knot, lol!].
Wait - I hear the ice cream man - must run - go celebrate your summer!