Mission Accomplished

My goal last week was to complete my Japanese Lanterns and Homespun Cupcakes and see how far I could get on Waste Not, Want Not. I am happy to report, I finished all three.

 

 

First up, the Japanese Lanterns. I purchased the fabric at one of the booths at the International Quilt Festival, in Chicago, last year. That was a fun trip. My sister went through my stash and decided on this fabric for the lanterns. I think it was the perfect choice. The lanterns were pieced back in early June, so it is about time I finished them.

 
When I pieced together my Amish Bars, which I have yet to decide how I am going to quilt it, I had some strips left, so I pieced them together and made Waste Not, Want Not, a colourful table topper. You would have to enlarge the photo (if you can) to see the multi coloured thread I used to stitch in the ditch . I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

Last up, Homespun Cupcakes. The finished quilt measures 16.5 x 16.5 inches and the cupcakes are 2.5 inches tall. I hand appliqued the cupcakes. These tasty treats seem to have gained some popularity, in the quilting world.

Saturday was off to the quilt shop for the summer clearance sale. I managed to come home with a few things. Charm squares of Shangri-la by 3 Sisters for Moda, charm squares of At Water's Edge by Blackbird Design for Moda, lots of fat quarters of At Water's Edge and Dandelion Girl by Joanna Figueroa Fig Tree Quilts for Moda, some 1930's fabric and a piece of orange batik.

Have you downloaded this weeks Stitchers' Angel project yet? Natalie from Cinderberry Stitches designed a cute mini tote called, Blue Wren's Nest.

 

 

Tasha Tudor

August 28, 1915 - June 18, 2008

Celebrate Tasha Tudor Day August 28. To learn more about Tasha, go to Tasha Tudor and Family. Tasha was renowned for her Afternoon Tea parties, so what better way to celebrate her life, then with a tea party.

Until next week.....happy quilting!

Karen

In Search of Butterflies

Butterflies have captured my interest. So, I went through my quilting books and magazines in search of butterflies and what I found was very pleasing.

Hmmmm......I think I'm seeing a series of butterfly quilts.

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."

~Hans Christian Anderson

Free butterfly patterns on the Internet:

Butterfly 1 , Butterfly 2, Butterfly 3

The Butterfly Garden pattern shown above can be found in the July/August 2008 issue of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine. Carol made a wall size version of the Butterfly Garden quilt. You must take a peek.

As you can see from the photos above, I selected two different groups of fabric to make the Butterfly Garden quilt. Originally I was thinking of making two wall hangings, but because I have such a wonderful collection of butterflies, I think I should use the second group of fabrics for different butterflies.

Saturday was spent preparing my project box for the Butterfly Garden quilt. Mine will just be a small wall hanging, with six (12 inch) butterfly blocks. In The Applique Sampler book, by Piece O' Cake, they suggest using clear upholstery vinyl, in medium weight to make a positioning overlay. So, I am going to give that a try.

My sister asked me why I was starting another project when I still had projects to finish. Boy, does she have lots to learn about quilters! Anyway, before I begin the butterflies, I will complete the binding around my Japanese Lanterns and finish decorating my Homespun Cupcakes, which came to a stop to get Noah's Ark caught up, then get that pieced. Maybe even get Waste Not Want Not finished. Looks like I'm in for a busy week.

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun

And find your shoulder to light on,

To bring you luck, happiness and riches

Today, tomorrow and beyond.

~Irish Blessing

I finished block 6 of the Noah's Ark BOM and also did the log cabin around each block. So tiny! I think I'm going to need glasses.

The first free Stitchers' Angel project is ready for downloading. Helen made a really nice Armchair Caddy. I better not start that anytime soon. My sister may be watching.

Until next week.....happy quilting!

Karen

Spools of Thread

I love thread! Like a kid in a candy store, I must stop and look at the thread. It doesn't matter if I need it or not. I must have a look.

For quilting, I always use 100% cotton thread. Coats & Clark brand was the first cotton thread I ever bought. They have some really nice multicolour threads out now. Both for machine and hand quilting. In my thread basket is a part roll of Coats & Clark hand quilting thread that goes back fifteen, twenty years and it springs off the spool like wire. Today it's hard to tell the difference between hand quilting thread and regular thread.

Gutermann thread is what I use the most, for hand applique, hand piecing, machine piecing and hand quilting. I also have a few spools of Signature and Mettler 40 wt thread for machine quilting, but have not tested them out yet.

My new favourite thread is Aurifil, from Italy. At the Creativ Festival, in Toronto, a few years back, Aurifil was giving out free samples of their 50 Cotton Mako thread. I picked out a wonderful shade of green (No. 2887) and seem to use this one the most for appliqued foliage. They also make a wonderful Wool thread that can be used for both hand and machine Folk Art applique and Penny Rugs. They have 40 Cotton Mako thread for machine quilting and 28 Cotton Mako thread for hand quilting and machine blanket stitch and, I must not forget, 12 Cotton Mako thread for redwork, sashiko, hand & machine quilting and big-stitch quilting.

I was given as a gift, a few spools of YLI Silk thread for applique. Very nice thread to work with. Previously I purchased several spools of Gutermann Silk thread. I didn't realize until later that it was 30 wt. Not so good for applique, but I'm sure I will find another use for it. Maybe for Crazy quilting.

Because I love thread so very much, I just had to make a Spool quilt! I didn't realize until after it was all pieced and I had it hanging on my design board, how well it matched the colours in my quilting room. Isn't that a perfect place for a Spool quilt anyway?

I recently started working on Lynette Anderson's Noah's Art BOM. It has been a long time since I have done any stitchery. I had to dig out my Stitch Sampler book, by Lucinda Ganderton, to relearn the different stitches. I'm using most of the same thread colours as Lynette. A few colours I did not have, so I substituted. I am working on Noah and the Giraffe's right now and will post a picture next week.

Just love the Elephants!

Also, looking forward to the Stitchers' Angel stitchery projects. This one starts August 18th, for seven weeks. Each week a different designer. I'm also looking forward to starting the Polka-Dot Girls, which I purchased from Treasured Threads, this past July.

Bargain of the Week

$4.44

I mentioned about Big-Stitch quilting last week and the supplies you need to try it. Well, did I hit the jackpot. Everything I needed, on sale, at a quarter of the regular cost.

Until next week.....happy quilting!

Karen

Farmer's Market

Rise and shine, it's market time!

Did you know, that supporting your local farmer's is good for the local economy, the earth and even your health. If you buy local, you stand a better chance of produce being grown with minimal pesticide and the flavour is "so" much better. Every summer, behind a picket fence, grows my favourite veggies. Nothing beats the taste of homegrown vegetables. So, if you can't grow your own veggies, may I suggest the Farmer's Market. :)

Rebecca Tonqueray wrote in her book, Simply Green: The seasonality of fruits and vegetables is something that should be respected and relished as a way of encouraging us to vary our diets as the year goes by and Tracey McBride wrote in her book, Frugal Luxuries: If you long to eat well yet spend less doing so, cultivate the art of eating by the seasons.

Now, I would like to show you my Farmer's Market quilt.

This was my first BOM and it was free.

Juicy Red Tomatoes

I could eat nothing but tomato sandwiches all summer.

Spring Seedlings

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant." Robert Louis

Bakery Box

Some fresh flowers, from the market.

Zucchini

I like the name of this block. Strawberries for Karen

My favourite block.....Blue Ribbon Pies

Oh, can you taste the sweet corn?

Eggplant

Yummy Jams

Sweet Cherries

How about a fresh baked peach pie?

I'll take two please!

I just read in a magazine about Big-Stitch quilting. Maybe I will give it a try on my Farmer's Market quilt.

Until next week.....happy quilting!

Karen