November?

This has been a most unusual November - temps in the high 70's, such lovely days, and crisp nights.  Last night it was so mild, I fell asleep listening to crickets, of all things!

Night before last, I had a dream that because it was so warm, everything bloomed again.  I was driving [in my dream] down a road lined with cherry trees, in full bloom, and it was so gorgeous that I pulled over to take a picture for the blog.  But I woke up before I could take any, so sorry, no pics.  But here's a pic from last spring's tree outside my window....

We have two apple trees, one in the front yard, one in the back.  The deer have been going nuts with them.  You can hear them out there every night, crunching, they're very loud eaters!

I caught a tiny squirrel picking the apples yesterday, dropping them on the ground for the deer.

Sometimes it's very distracting to see all the city wildlife outside my window - but I have been working on my free Christmas design, I'm so close to being done!  I hope I can get it uploaded this weekend, I'll let you know.

I think this will be the last warm day, so I'm going to go enjoy it - grocery shopping.  Always nicer to do those necessary chores when the weather is good!  I think we had snow last year at this time....
See ya soon!!

Scrappy Harvest at the Cabin SAL Applique Block 2

How are you going with your blocks?  I haven't been doing very well....after being so sick, and then putting my back out, my stitching has suffered greatly.  But today I got busy, and spent the day at my sewing machine, yay!  Well, part of the day.

Our second block is ready for you to download in my craftsy shop, click HERE.  This time a sweet red bird has flown in to partake of the harvest.

First, make your neutral block, but only up to log 9.  Start adding your applique, following the picture - branch, bird, and wing.

Stitch them down, then start adding leaves - the more the merrier!

You might need a little sustenance to stitch down all the leaves - *ahem*

After you get all the leaves stitched with a blanket stitch, you can switch to a straight stitch and add the legs.  Placement doesn't have to be exact.

You can add the eye either with a small button, a French knot, or a black bead - I haven't added mine yet.  Then add your final four logs, in darks, and you're done!

Here are all my blocks so far -

Not as many as I'd hoped, but as you can see I have my next neutral block ready for the house applique.  Here's hoping I stay relatively healthy for the next little while, lol, and can get more done.  I'm planning on adding more leaves to the applique blocks, going out into the darker border, but that will wait til I have a lot more blocks done.

I did also make some new curtains for my room - inner curtains, so I have light without neighbors seeing in.  I made them from a chenille bedspread.

Hermione hates them - she likes to be able to see out.  She gets quite comfy by the window, on my cutting table.

Her middle name is Spoiled Brat.

See ya soon!

I'm Back

And refreshed in spirit - the body is another story.  Somehow I've put my back out, and can't sit for very long.

 My view on the way to my aunt's.  I wish my camera had captured the hugeness of this moon!

The leaves are really changing, and the tree skeletons are starting to show.

The moon the other night was so spooky - it would have been a good night for trick-or-treating.

One of the joys of visiting my aunt's house is the fabulous Joann's 5 minutes away.  Look what I found there - Wendy's [from Ivory Spring blog] new book!  Well, one of her new books, lol!  So pretty!  Love those swirls and birdy.

I'm afraid I can't do much sitting [or standing or laying down!] so I've not visited blogs much.    But I do want to mention something Jenny blogged about - her new two free BOM's for next year, one of which I'll be collaborating on with her!

It's called Postcards From Heaven, and will begin on New Year's Day 2016.  Jenny will kick off the free BOM with her design, and I'll take over in February, and we'll tag-team back and forth with 12 free designs.  I hope you'll join us!  

I'm off to take more Tylenol - I'll see you as soon as I can sit for a spell!

A Bit Of News And A Breather

The leaves are turning so fast here in Michigan -

I love how on even rainy days, you get under some bright yellow trees and you'd think the sun was still shining.  So gorgeous.

I'm going out to my aunt's for a few days, I need a breather and that's the best way to get it.  I'll be working on a project for next year....taking my pencils and most importantly, my eraser.  So you may not hear from me for a few!

I did finish up my first Christmas design, still working on the free one - I've been so busy cleaning this week, I haven't picked up a needle or turned my machine on at all!  Christmas Canoe is now in my shop, as an instant pdf download, for only $1.98!

I come from the land of Hiawatha [seems like everything around here is named after him] so I thought a canoe would be fitting.

The pattern is for the stitchery design only.  I used colored pencils on this one, rather than crayons - I like them better.  You do have to use a textile medium over them to make them permanent, but it's fast, easy and fun.

You just lightly brush on the medium after coloring, and let it dry.  I don't find it any harder to stitch through.  After coloring and adding the medium, I add the fusible interfacing to the back, and that heat sets the color.  Then your piece is washable!

I'm going to turn mine into a small door hanging, to greet visitors.  I'd love to see how you finish yours!

I am still stitching the free Christmas design coming up, my cleaning kind of got in the way this week.  I'm taking that with me as well to my aunt's, hopefully it will be finished in the next few days.  See ya soon - don't forget to BREATHE!

Quilt Show Part Two - Kathleen Mayo

My friend Patty and I were in junior high and high school together.  The ink wasn't dry on her high school diploma when she made tracks for Florida - I had gone into the military by that time and we lost touch.  A few years ago, I found her on classmates.com, and found out that she had lost her mom.  I loved her mom.  So sweet, so gentle, so loving....and after we had lost touch, she'd become a quilter!  How I wish I had known her then.

She was an amazing quilter, and she was a big part of this quilt show for many years.  Patty and her family come up every year for it, and bring her quilts to put in the show.  This time, one of her quilts was donated to the church - it's called How Great Thou Art, and it is the most amazing work of art.




I'm sorry that my stupid cell phone took such bad pictures of it.  Although there's no way a picture could do this quilt justice.  The amount of hand work in it is mind-boggling.








The quilt will hang in the Children's Ministry, to teach children the stories of the bible.  What a blessing!

The other quilt is called Claude's Navy Quilt, made for her husband to commemorate his service.  Only two of my pictures turned out at all - the quilt was laying on a table, and the lighting was less than ideal.  It was no less amazing than the bible quilt.



I wish the close-ups had turned out on this.  It was jam-packed with information about his service, the top right border was all hand-drawn mermaids and oh it was splendid.  The back was equally amazing.



That ship was HIS ship, in WWII.  All the signal flags, as well.  When I say she was a quilter, I really mean she was an artist of the highest caliber.  You could look at these quilts all day and not see everything, they're so detailed.  All the silks and laces and hand-drawn details - the exquisite workmanship in the applique and quilting - just magnificent.

Seeing her work really makes me want to be a better quilter!  Thanks for coming to the show with me, I am sorry about the quality of the pics - next year I'll do better, and that's a promise to me AND to you!

Happy stitching!!

How About A Quilt Show?

Taken with my awful phone camera - in dim light.  Honestly, I'm choosing my next cell phone by how good the camera is.  I should have taken my son's phone, it takes great pics, or my good camera....but hey.

Today was the Festival of Quilts at First United Methodist Church in Dearborn, MI.  I have a friend from high school, who's mum used to be a huge part of this - she's gone now, but they still hang her quilts, and my friend comes up from FL every year for it.  It was great catching up with her.  And I'll show her quilts, but first, the others.  Descriptions are under the photo.


Tiny vintage quilt made from yo-yo's.


All the pews had quilts on them.  These two were hand cross-stitched.


Pretty wall quilt.  Loved the colors.


This was just gorgeous, hanging high from a branch.  A tribute quilt to their show horses that had passed.


The sanctuary.


Beautiful quilt hanging by the altar.


Trip Around The World quilt - I'd never seen an edging done like this.  I think it was vintage.


Lovely pew quilt.


This was gorgeous.


Another vintage quilt.


Pretty.


The vintage quilts were on loan from the Dearborn Historical Museum.


Quilts of Valor were there - mum and I signed blocks.


This won best of show, it was all pieced.


This was an amazing 3D quilt.


Hand appliqued, hand quilted.


Also hand appliqued, but machine quilted.


This was in the story quilts section.


This was too - with 3D ears on the elephants.


Pretty.



So - those are some of  the other quilts, I'll do another post for my friend's mum.  A few of my favorites didn't turn out - I was so bummed.  It was lovely to see all the handwork - there were some machine embroidered quilts, and machine quilted, but TONS of ones done by hand.  I'll see you tomorrow with more!  I have to go make some microwave rice bags - we got down below freezing last night, with another freeze warning for tonight, and we need them!