A Bundle Bed

This is a bundle bed for kids.  It is" perfect for movie nights, sleepovers, or just lounging around."  It is a pattern by Little Londyn called The Bundle Bed. It consists of five pillows with pillowcases that are stitched together.It has a carrying strap that uses velcro.   I have made four of them for the grands.  I'll tell you if they like them in a couple of days.

The Bundle Beds were a big hit.  The greats today were three and five.  The loved them and wanted to use them immediately.  It was the teenagers and the early twenties grands who also wanted one of their own who surprised me.  I never thought they would like them.

Christmas Gift

In 2009 I made Christmas stockings for all of my family.  That was 19 stockings.  Each year there seems to be one more that is added to the family.  I even had to get a pattern from one of my children's stockings.  The tree looks askew in the photo.  It was not a straight up and down tree.  So it will just have to work like that.  The tree design comes from one of the OESD Christmas Embroidery disks.

Binding

It is really hard to post a photo of a project this time of the year.  I have finished several but they will have to wait for a week or so.  This is one of two quilts I am binding.  This one is called Chloe by Benartex and also had embroidery designs in several blocks.  The border of the quilt is curved.  I used one of Sue Pelland's "Leaves Galore" rulers that has gentle curves.  Earlier in the year, I was at a Nina McVeigh trunk show and she uses the rulers for the borders on many of her quilts.  It was very easy.  It is a little time-consuming to stitch on the binding.  The hand stitching has been started.  I'll show you a photo of the quilt in a day or two...

Today's Output

It does not look like I have gotten much stitching done today--and that would be true.  Tomorrow is a craft fair at the Appanoose Museum.  The Appanoose Baptist Church will have a booth, so I made some bread today for that.  It was a seven-hour baking frenzy in my kitchen.  I do have a few little stitching projects that I will take.  Have to get to that sewing room now.

I had an appointment with my oncologist yesterday. It is almost five years since my cancer diagnosis.  He gave me a clean bill of health but said that mammograms are never to be forgotten. I am a lucky lady.

Tree Of LIfe

This quilt is going to be beautiful.  It is called Tree of Life by Anita Gooddesign.  After all the blocks are made, leaves with family names are added to the tree.  It is made in brights and is embroidery fun!  This is all I have completed and the rest will have to wait until after Christmas.

Name Above All Names Quilt

The is the quilt I am finishing this week.  I am working on the border stitching today.  Name Above All Names is an OESD quilt by Krista Hamrick.  When I was finished, I had over 60 different colored spools of thread around my machine.  The designs are beautiful and the symbols are so appropriate.  Each of the symbols represent a letter of the alphabet and are represented by a Bible verse.  Everyone who has seen it is awed by it!  It will be a special gift. Overbrook Quilt Connection would be glad to get the pattern for you.

Last week's Quilting Gallery Blog Hop was such fun.  My give-away was won by Jane in South Carolina. Her box was put in the mail on Wednesday.

Blog Hop Party Give-Away

This is the first time for me to participate in a Blog Hop Party.  This should be a fun week of finding new stitching friends and great projects.  This mesh pouch is one I made for a "Quick Project" class at the Overbrook Quilt Connection.  I can give you instructions if you ask for them.

My give-away will be a mesh pouch and twelve Moda fat-quarters.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will choose someone with the help of a random number generator after noon on November 26. Have fun with the Quilting Gallery's Blog Hop Party!!

Mesh Zippered Pouch

This is the mesh zippered pouch that I made as a sample for a short class at the Overbrook Quilt Connection.  The embroidered design is from an OESD collection called Steampunk.  I used a water-soluble stabilizer, slowed my machine speed, and embroidered on the mesh.  Then I just rinsed the mesh with hot water to dissolve the stabilizer.  The pouch should not take more than an hour including the embroidery.

New Project

These small blocks are part of a quilt titled Name Above All Names. They are part of an OESD collection.  We found this collection in a Houston Benina shop.  It is going to be very striking.  Now to get on with the stitching...

Mug Rug Swap in Person

I participated in a mug rug swap through the Quilting Gallery.  My partner, Anne, was from Australia.  When we started to email each other, I found that she was going to be in Houston for Quilt Market.  I was also going to quilt market to demo in a booth at market.  So Anne and I met hundreds of miles from each of our homes to see each other and to exchanges our mug rugs.  It was so much fun and a very unique experience.

Mug Rug Swap

My exchange partner lives in Australia and does not have a fall season.  So it was fall leaves for her.  I hope she likes them.  We will exchange mug rugs in Houston at quilt market.  That will be so fun!

More Pillow Talk

This is the newest set of designs from Claudia's Creations. It is called More Pillow Talk and has six different designs.  It includes birthday, anniversary, friendship, family, and graduates besides the baby design.  The designs are for making a pillow wrap, but I am not pillow-friendly, so I make small quilts.  The designs are easy to stitch.  The batting used is a fusible fleece.

I have also made her I Pledge Allegiance and many of the original Pillow Talk designs. Claudia has great directions that produce great results.

Montana Log Cabin

Another quilt tired of waiting for me to pull it out of its plastic tomb.  Montana Log Cabin by Janet Kessler started with a Benartex panel and woodsy fabric.  I still have to stitch the final border and then decide how to quilt it.  But it is almost complete.  Hurrah!

Mug Rug

Yesterday was a very productive day.  I have the Wildflowers quilt stitched together and now I am mulling over the border color.  I agreed to be in a mug rug swap, so I needed to make a trial one to see how they look.  This is one of the Wildflower blocks that became the focus in the mug rug.  I think the flower is really too big and I need to use something smaller so that the design does not get partially covered with the cup.  Maybe a small flower at each end of the 6" x 10" inch rectangle.  We'll see what I find in my design stash.

Wild!flowers Too

I remember when I first saw this quilt in a Phoenix area quilt shop.  It was love at first sight.  This was the first embroidery quilt pattern that I used.  These blocks have been in a box for a while, so it was time they were set together and quilted.

The pattern is Wild!flowers from Smith Street Designs. I have also stitched More Wild!flowers and several of her other designs.  They are all beautiful. Overbrook Quilt Connection has her designs at the shop.

Strip Stacks

Several years ago I received a jelly roll of Kaffe Fassett brights.  I looked for just the right quilt pattern and finally found it at the Phoenix Expo.  Their quilt looked very much like this one.  The pattern is "Strip Stacks" by G.E. Designs. The quilt is easy and quick to make.  I used multi-color thread to meander on the bright fabric and black on the black-on-black fabrics.  The backing is also a black-on-black.  I really like this quilt.  It will probably be a Christmas gift.

Afternoon Delight Quilt

I have had this quilt kit for a while and this weekend was its time to shine.  I really is a quilt that can be sewn together in a few hours.  It is designed by Ann Lauer of Grizzly Gulch Gallery. I use the spray-baste-on-the design-wall method to layer the quilt. My bones like it much better than crawling around on the floor.  Now I am quilting-in-the-hoop.  The nine large blocks have been quilted with a design from the English Cottage Collection by Sharon Schamber of Purple Daisies, LLC. I am going to use dark purple thread in the triangles around the large squares.  It is going to be a nice wall quilt.

Replacements

Several years ago, I made my friend Beverly a Jayhawk credit card holder.  She sent me a message several months ago and said her cord was frayed.  Wednesday we had lunch and she loved her two new credit card holders.  We always have a lot of catching up to do when we meet.  It was great to see her.

The credit card holders are made from three pieces of peltex. Pull on the cord and the card magically appears.  So easy to make.

Liberty Belle

This is my latest finish.  It is called Liberty Belle and was from a Snap Sack that I purchased from Mea Bernina, my local Bernina dealer. The kit contains the pattern, fabric, and backing.  I have seen the Snap Sack at quilt shops.  The have several different patterns. This is a small quilt approximately 10x26".  It was quick to make and then gave me another opportunity to quilt in the hoop.  The star square was quilted with a design that is on my 830.  It was just a matter of resizing to fit the block.  The stripes were quilted from a sashing design from the Classic Line Quilting collection.  I did use software to link the sashing design to make it longer.  I did have to rehoop to finishing the stripes. It will be a birthday gift.  

Triangles and Squares

This was a kit that I found in Paducah.  It really is not my colors but nagged at me for a while.  So it came home with me.  The quilt was pieced last year while we were in Arizona and I just finished quilting it with my embroidery module.  I am not sure where it will live its life, but I am glad to have it finished. In the near future it will be an example of machine embroidery quilting for a workshop.

Chicken Wall Hanging

This is a wall hanging/ table runner made for my DIL.  It is a gift for her birthday.  The chicken designs are from Dakota Embroidery and the design of the quilt is taken from the September Software Sampler project. My Bernina 830 performed magnificently. I was a little worried that the squares were not looking like I wanted, but by the time everything was trimmed, it looked great. On to the next project...

Ready for November

This is one sample of the Embroidery Design Studio Holiday Couture collection. Most of the designs are a simple applique with elegant line accents.  I stitched 12 applique designs that can be used for Christmas including the words Noel and Joy.  There are also applique designs that have a heart theme and the word Love. I also found stand-alone line accents.  Five of the designs are free standing lace. This CD is really a treasure. It will be available at Mea Bernina.

Getting Ready for October

These are designs from the 2013 Holiday Celebration collection that will be available in October from Embroidery Design Studio.  All of the designs are focused on holiday entertaining.  The tags need to have holes punched in the circles.  When I first saw the collection, I was not impressed.  But I have decided that it is a beautiful collection.  It is available from your Bernina dealer when you purchase $79 of Design Studio products.

September Software Sampler Project

This is one of my favorite projects for software sampler.  It is a simple 8-block table runner.  The challenge of the project is to quilt it with the embroidery module.  It is one of the easiest types of embroidery.  No stabilizer to hoop, just line-up the block with the hoop template and it comes out perfect every time. The quilt top, batting, and backing are enough to keep the fabric stable.  I do use 505 basting spray to adhere the layers together.  In fact, I use 505 with all of my quilts that I quilt myself.  This is new Christmas fabric from Benartex.

Software Sampler Project

This is my version of the software sampler project for August.  It was fun to make and only had one or two new techniques.  The techniques could be used to make any type of little quilt--especially one to celebrate a big accomplishment.

Table Topper

This delightful table topper can be found on The Quilt Show site.  Complete directions are given.  Thank you SarahRose Quilts for a great gift idea!

My Favorite Fabric

This is the quilt I made from Paris Flea Market fabric by Moda. I loved this fabric when it first came out about 10 years ago.  I was messing around yesterday and saw that it had been reprinted.  So it was off on an  Internet adventure to find this fabric for a new quilt.  The fabric should be arriving in my mailbox in the next few days.

Lucky Day!

This is the bundle of 11 fat quarters that I was so lucky to win from Benartex on Facebook.  I just went to their blog and added a comment.  The package arrived by USP today.  The fabrics are from several different lines but all work together as muted pastels.  Now I just have to make a plan!

Small Saying!

This is a small gift that I stitched for a friend.  She had a rough week and this seemed like the right things for her to remember as she tackles her day.  I found this somewhere as I was cruising around the Internet.  I have had it beside me at my desk for a long time.

Mesh Bag

This small mesh bag is made from pet screen.  It is soft and pliable and can easily be embroidered.  I did stitch in the zipper as part of the embroidery design.  So the project was quick and easy.  This is my version of the June Software Sampler project.

Starlit Evening Top is Pieced

I just stitched the last border for Starlit Evening by Heather Peterson of Anka's Treasures. The pattern is in the book titled Living Large 2. The greatest thing about this quilt other than its uniqueness is that it goes together perfectly.  The pieces are pressed so that the seams fit together.  It really was a fun quilt to sew together. I used 30's fabrics that I had and added some of Roxane's from the Overbrook Quilt Connection.  You can stop by her shop to see the quilt.

I finished the embroidery for the Chloe quilt and now it needs to be layered and quilted.  That will be the next big project.

More Stars

More stars have been completed for the Starlit Evening quilt.  I have the blocks about half completed.  It should be finished this week.  Two more blocks need to be embroidered for the Chloe quilt and it will be ready to quilt.  So lots going on in the stitching area.

Starlit Evening

This is my first block for Starlit Evening.  The quilt is a pattern in Heather Peterson"s book Living Large 2. Someone on the Internet had made several of these quilts and I was fascinated with them.   Roxane ordered the book for me and here I go. This will be a twin quilt but the Christmas tree skirt looks great. I just have three projects going at the same time.  One of them is finishing the embroidery and I can keep that going.  The other two are stitching projects, so one of them will suffer a bit.

Daisy

This is Daisy.  She is four months old today.  This is the main reason that my sewing time has been scarce.  She is a blue heeler and can run like the wind.  She is very busy trying to train Jim and I.  She loves Jim and tolerates me.  Right now she is cleaning her crate by airing out her bedding.  She just has not gotten the idea of putting it back! When she is good she is very, very good and when she is bad, wow!!

May Software Sampler Project

I needed a new notebook for my Software Sampler lessons.  So I used the applique flower from the lesson on the front of my notebook.  The directions for the notebook and CD holder can be found in "One Yard Wonders" that we used in the January 2012 SS lesson. I did make some changes to the CD holder so that I could use it in the notebook.  I would like to cover several notebooks but I don't seem to get that done!

Chloe is Growing

I finally have all the blocks completed for the Chloe quilt.  Now to stitch the five sections together and then to embroider the lilac blocks.  I have two blocks embroidered and the rest were to be completed after the top was pieced.  So onto the next steps.  Stay tuned...

Fabric Box

This is the fabric box that I made for Software Sampler this month. Each block is made with half square triangles that were stitched in the hoop. The box directions come from the Zakka Style book. I used "Taj Mahal" fabric from Exclusively Quilters.  The quilted design is from Sharon Schamber's "Vintage" collection from Purple Daisies. All the elements of this project fit together perfectly.  I really like this box!

Chloe is Started

This is one of the completed blocks of my Chloe quilt.  This quilt is a combination of pieced blocks and embroidery blocks.  The embroidery designs, thread, and fabric were purchased in a kit during my Bernina store's holiday pricing.  I will try to have it completed in a couple of weeks.

Storm at Sea

 Judy Danz quilted my Storm at Sea and did a wonderful job.  I asked her to emphasize the colorways.  She has some wide featherss and some narrow parts that follow the colors.  You can see the quilting when you enlarge the photo. The quilt gives you a happy feeling!

Canyon Vistas Quilt Show

Last Wednesday Canyon Vistas held their first ever Quilters', Carvers', and Creative Crafters' showcase.  We had been working on the organization of the event for a year.  It was a great success with lots of volunteers and many vendors from the park.  The maintenance people set up the standards for the show and hung the large quilts from the ceiling.  We had most of the quilts hung in an hour.  My green Nouveau Fleur quilt won first for viewer's choice.  The second place was Diane's John Deere tractor quilt that was completely hand-done.  The third place was Janice's Watercolor quilt.  It was a rainy day and we had so many people come to the showcase.  It was a successful event for everyone.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.  This is a quilt I completed in 2009 to remember all types of cancer with the different colors of the hearts.  I presented the quilt to the radiology department of my local cancer center after my last treatment.

This is a pattern from Smith Street Designs called Heart of My Heart. A quick quilt to complete.

Arizona Desert

This is a photo I took while we were on a jeep trail in the Arizona Desert.  There were six jeeps on the trek.  We usually take some kind of jeep trip on Thursday. We start about nine, take a lunch, and arrive back home in the afternoon.We are usually in the mountains and the high desert. A small area that we drove through had a high density of saguaro cactus.  It was hard to get it in a photo.

Storm at Sea Top

 My only Storm at Sea is stitched together.  I finished the borders and the miters this afternoon.  I only have to stitch the backing and I am ready to take it to the quilter. 

I know that Mona is anxious to see this.  The fabric was purchased at Mea Bernina in Lawrence.  Then I cut most of the pieces with their AccuQuilt. 

It will be interesting to see what the quilter will do with this quilt.

The Blocks are Complete

The blocks for the Storm at Sea are now complete.  It is going to look fabulous.  Now I just need the energy to get the blocks stitched together.

We have had the cough and choke sickness for the past week.  So have been reading a lot and coughing a lot.  Hopefully we both are on the mend although it seems really slow.  It is about time to disinfect this place.

Block Two

 This is a photo of the second block of the Storm At Sea quilt.  The quilt will have a range of colors and tones.  The block I am working on now is all green.  I have five of sixteen block complete.