Stitchery Blocks

Sweet Nostalgia July Block

Fun at the Beach

Sweet Nostalgia August Block

Hide and Seek

Hocuspocusville (my 4th block)

Hermoine's Split Ends

Now that all my Sweet Nostalgia blocks are complete, I read the finishing instructions for the quilt.  Though a beautiful finish, it could send one running.  For now, I will cut my blocks down to size, maybe add the first round of fabric strips and think about a simpler plan to finish it off.

Until next time.....happy quilting!

Karen

Small Studies 1

You may remember, some time back, I purchased Gwen Marston's book, 37 Sketches.  My intention was, one day stitching a series of Small Study quilts.  Well, around the end of summer I pieced together my first one, Small Studies 1.

Also, stitched the June Sweet Nostalgia block, Let's Play Ball.

And, appliqued my Fish Challenge quilt.

Today I finished stitching the July Sweet Nostalgia block, Fun at the Beach.  I am going to prep and start right into the August block as this is the last block.  It only took me what, four years?  Now I am rushing to finish!

Worked a bit on my Postage Stamp quilt and now have 992 stamps pieced together.  Small Studies 2 is almost finished. And, well thinking about warmer days to come, I prepped two quilts for spring, a small applique and a mid-sized quilt for hand piecing.

Still to show you, the center of my new hexagon quilt, Recipe for Friendship.  I stopped working on it back in the fall to take a picture before continuing on.  That's right; I have yet to take that picture!  Or a picture of my mini quilt top called, Camellia, or my latest Hocuspocusville block.

Besides quilting I have been working on crochet and slowly learning drop spindle.  My rug hooking is back out and will be completed  by the end of March.

Hope you are enjoying your winter as much as I am and all is well.

Until next time.....happy quilting!

Karen

Still Beautiful

As fast as they bloom, they fade away,

and sometimes what is left is just as beautiful.

Lots to see and do in the garden as summer gets underway. 

Spring flew by, will summer do the same?  

I finished my May Sweet Nostalgia block, How Does your Garden Grow? back in May, but have yet to start the June block.  When the garden sprung to life, this gardener had to spring into action, trading in my needle and thread for clippers and shovel.

But, I am still getting just enough of a fix to keep me going until things slow down in the garden.  I long to return to my evening hand quilting and spend whole days in my sewing room.  Reading Kaffe Fassett's, Dreaming in Color inspired one of two new mini quilts, that I will share with you once quilted. 

 

Fun with crochet continues.  I fell in love with the cover of Doilies in Color, so home it came along with a ball of size 10 crochet cotton and a 1.65 mm hook.

I wasn't sure how it would go with such fine thread, a small hook and hands that fall asleep, but turns out to be no different than hand quilting with hands that fall asleep and I mastered that no problem.  I am also learning Tunisian crochet from a book called, 101 Easy Tunisian Stitches.

Looks like I'm hooked on felted bowls, four more to show you.  I should have taken a photo of the one with the purple center before it was felted; it was beautiful with pretty ruffled edges.

Lesson learned that detail may disappear when felted.  My fancy crochet stitches in the center of the same bowl also melted together after felting.  So, in the end a single crochet stitch would have given me the same result, but it was fun stitching the fancy stitches.

Love my little lilac bowl and the handles on the white one.  The blue and white bowl may be my favourite so far.  I can say so far as I have three other bowls ready for felting!

I will be participating in a quilt challenge in a couple of weeks and the theme is Fish.  So, my mind has been working overtime trying to think of an idea.  One idea keeps coming back to mind.  Maybe on Sunday I will put a do not disturb sign on my sewing room door and see how much prep work I can get done.

Until next time.....happy quilting!

Karen

Civil War Bride Block 2

Today was a cold, windy and somewhat rainy Sunday, so spending time in the garden was now freed up for other things.  It was a good day for PPP, press, picture and post.

And, this would be the April Sweet Nostalgia block, Happy Easter.

Until next time.....happy quilting!

Karen

Friendship Star Finished

I was seeing stars as I hand quilted Friendship Star, with so many seams it was hard to keep the stitches nice and even.  But, it's done and still worthy of a place on the wall. 

Also finished

Sweet Nostalgia

March Winds Doth Blow

We have been enjoyed some really nice spring like days that melted away the snow and made it possible to open windows and take in a breath of fresh air.  A little spring in the air put a spring in my step and I made a dint in some much needed prep work.  I prepared April and May's Sweet Nostalgia blocks, five Dear Jane blocks and two Civil War Bride blocks.  Now, that should keep me busy this spring.

Something else I have been working on is a little crochet, but I will keep that a secret until it is done.  I'm going to try felting, so fingers crossed.

As always, when one googles a subject, in this case crochet, one thing leads to another and you spend way too much time surfing the net.  But, I did find some interesting websites, blogs and patterns.

Crochet Me

Ravelry

icrochet

Patons

Lion Brand Yarns

AllFreeCrochet

Attic 24

Hookin on Hump Day

Le Monde de Sucrette

Clever Cheshire Cats

The Flower Bed

Moogly

Felted Button

Crochet with Elizzza

Larksfoot Stitch

Anastasia Stitch

Crocodile Stitch

Rings of Love Stitch

A nice neat finish

Japanese Flower

Hawaiian Flower

Five Petal Flower

or

Five Petal Flower

Flowers in the Snow

Mille Fiore Flower

Puff Stitch Flower

Chunky Cable Slippers

Electronics Cozy

Fusion Blanket

Blackberry Salad Striped Afghan

Sea Pennies

Crochet Yo-Yo

Easter Eggs

Spring Basket

Easter Egg Treat Bags

Pumpkin Trick or Treat Bag

or

Trick or Treat Bag

Hearts

Picasso Potholder

Birdie Decoration

Tiny Owl

Until next time.....happy quilting and maybe a little crochet!

Karen

Love's Young Dream

February's Sweet Nostalgia block.

Snow Days and More

Well, actually, everything I am about to show you was completed long before the snow started to fly.  As summer turned to fall I began stitching Snow Days, the January block of the Sweet Nostalgia BOM.

 

The last time I showed you my Kansas Dug-Out, I was deciding on border and binding colour.  As you can see I went with a black border and coloured binding.  This little dug-out was hand pieced and quilted, in the ditch, with black thread.

My third Hocuspocusville block, Spooky Lou's.

And, a long time coming, but now finished my Amish Stripe quilt.  Machine pieced in 2008 and recently hand quilted with a variegated thread.

I also machine quilted my free-form quilt and decided not to square up the edges before binding.  Letting it  remain in its free-form state seemed like the thing to do.

Remember Jeanneke's Building Houses with Scraps from last year?  Well, here is my mini version.  I hand pieced a house or two each month and put it all together before the end of the year.  Once hand quilted the binding will be done in the same fabric as the corner squares.

And, what I spent most of my time working on, my Shades of Autumn POTC quilt top.  The blocks were hand pieced in 2009-2010, but I still had a long way to go added the sashing and borders.

The colour in this photo is more true to the fabric I used for the Shades of Autumn POTC background.  So, try and image this earthy yellow colour instead of the washed out white (damn the camera) in the quilt top photo above,  Much nicer, yes?

That was autumn and it's on to winter, more to tell you another day.

Until next time.....happy quilting!

Karen

Naughty Or Nice?

Is it right to be posting about Christmas with spring just around the corner?  I didn't think so a few weeks back, but lately I have noticed quilters taking part in Christmas Through the Year and other such quilt-along groups, so I said to myself, go ahead and post your Sweet Nostalgia Naughty Or Nice? block.

Until next time.....happy quilting!

Karen

Making Friends

I thought I had finished my November Sweet Nostalgia block, but I see I missed stitching a little grass under the squirrel's tail.  Such a delightful stitchery, that I have already started stitching Santa, on the December block Checking the List...Naughty or Nice?

Only a few days left before the big day and surprisingly everything is in order.  The house is decorated, gifts are wrapped, baking is done and meals have been planned.  Today, I think I will make a batch of yummy Holiday Jewel Fudge and start binding my sister's Christmas quilt.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Until next year.....happy quilting!

Karen

The Witching Hour

Finally finished, my second block of the Sweet Nostalgia BOM.  I was so relaxed and enjoying myself as I stitched away on The Witching Hour that the month just zipped by.  Oh well, they don't call it the lazy days of summer for nothing!

I had a light bulb moment, but it came after I finished stitching the leaves.  The instructions called for a dark green, I should have done them in autumn colours!

It wasn't all stitchery this month as I spent many hours in my sewing room doing prep work.  First, the layout for my Twisted Tumbler blocks.  Now they are numbered and ready for hand piecing.  I also prepared my next Civil War Bride block and a wall quilt project called, October Moon.  This one had me so excited I started it right away and already half the applique is done.  Because I am moving along at a nice pace I think I will wait until I have it all quilted before I show you.

Until next time.....happy quilting!

Karen

Summer's Gone

It took a bit of time, but I final stitched my first Sweet Nostalgia block.  Borders will be done in 1930's fabric and I plan to add them as each block is made.  Also, I took the opportunity to test out some Cosmo thread and was pretty pleased.  It is a little smoother then DMC, but like DMC, it does fuzz some, but a very nice addition to my thread collection.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I have yet to make a Valentine's Day quilt.  So, for this year, my Dear Jane Valentine's block will have to do.  Vivian at Quilts and a Mug had an anniversary giveaway and I won a lovely bundle of reproduction fat quarters.  Quilts and a Mug is one of my most favourite blogs to visit, so this was a special win.  Thank you Vivian!

Are you a cat lover?  If so, you may be interested in Catalicious by Red Brolly. Bronwyn Hayes will be posting, each month, a free stitchery cat design.  Right now, I am machine quilting my Country Calendar stitchery quilt and plan to have it finished, binding and all, by Sunday.

Until next time.....happy quilting!

Karen