Thursday, March 29, 2012

I'm A Guest Blogger Today at Sew We Quilt!

It's a month of table runners over at Sew We Quilt blog this month, and today I'm a guest blogger there.  Here is a sneak peek of the photo from the tutorial that I posted there today. 



I hope you will hop over to Sew We Quilt to see my post and leave a comment.

My green Nearly Insane quilt is also over there on the banner for this month. 

Sew we quilt


Thanks for stopping by for a visit today!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

I Won A Giveaway and Spring Trees

I was lucky enough to win a giveaway from Kathryn over at Needles and Pins blog.  Kathryn crocheted these dishcloths, and then after I won she let me pick the trim colors.  They look so fresh and springlike.  Thank you Kathryn for making these for me!  I love them.



This is one of the trees in our back yard - a flowering crab tree.



The tree in the foreground is a redbud.



This is the flowering crab at the front of our home.



This is my grandson, Daniel taken last Saturday at 4 days old.  He's being held by Grandpa.



There has been a little sewing going on here, but more on that in a couple of days. 

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.
Posted by Picasa

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Meet My New Grandson

This is my grandson (and my first grandchild), Daniel Lewis born at 12:01 a.m. yesterday, March 21.  He weighed in at 8# 4 oz., 21 inches long.  I took this photo yesterday when he was only about 14 hours old, and then I held him for awhile.  Everyone is doing fine!

Thanks for stopping by.
Posted by Picasa

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Spring is here!

The weather here has been unseasonably warm, and it appears that spring is arriving early this year.  I've been saving yarn and thin fabric strips to put outside for the birds to use as nest material. 
 
Here is a list of materials that I found on the Cornell University web site that are suitable for bird's nests.   
  • Dead twigs   
  • Dead leaves
  • Dry grass (make sure the grass hadn’t been treated with pesticides)   
  • Yarn or string—cut into 4- to 8-inch pieces   
  • Human or animal hair (especially horse hair) (use short lengths—no longer than 4-6 inches long)   
  • Pet fur (Never use fur from pets that received flea or tick treatments)   
  • Sheep's wool   
  • Feathers   
  • Plant fluff or down (e.g. cattail fluff, cottonwood down)  
  • Kapok, cotton batting, or other stuffing material   
  • Moss
  • Bark strips   
  • Pine needles
  • Thin strips of cloth, about 1 inch wide by 6 inches long
 
The container I've used is normally used to hold a suet cake for the birds to eat. I found this one in the pet aisle at my local supermarket.



The magnolia tree at the corner of the house is in full bloom.


I know this is called a tree, but it is really more like a bush.  The flowers grow on this thick mass of twigs.


The flowers don't last long; the petals are already starting to fall to the ground. 
 

I'm heading to the sewing room now to take a few stitches.  I hope you are either stitching or outside enjoying the beautiful weather.
 
Thanks for stopping by today!   
Posted by Picasa

Friday, March 16, 2012

Baskets and More Baskets

I've been working on these basket blocks from When The Cold Wind Blows by Barb Adams and Alma Allen.  Several of us that attend the Dear Jane retreat in Shipshewana, Indiana, started these blocks when the book was first published.  Someone at the retreat thought it would be fun if we reduced the size of the blocks to finish at 3 inches.  The first photo shows the ones that I made at that size.


Then I decided I would make the rest of my baskets at the 5 inch size like those in the book.



When  I get an email from my friend Trudy she usually asks whether or not I'm working on my baskets and how many I have finished.   I'm always glad when she asks about them because it motivates me to pull out some fabric and applique' a few more each time.  Here are the three that I just finished.



.......and a few more


I also found these three baskets in the 3 1/2" size done in 30s fabrics.  I think I'll do a few more of these and make a wall hanging.   

Posted by Picasa
The quilt in the book has 300 baskets so I'd better get busy.  I hope you are finding a few minutes to do some stitching today.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Yarn On My Design Wall

I've seen all kinds of great quilts today on design wall Monday posts.  Instead of quilting, I really wanted to work with the yarn that I just bought on Saturday instead.



I really love Cath Kidston colors, and I tried to duplicate those in the yarn colors that I bought.  If you google Cath Kidston blanket images, you will find lots of crocheted afghans in her colors. 

I hadn't planned to start another project, but I happened on to the Sew! Cath Kidston book at my local JoAnns store. The bag (below left) was a gift from my friend, Fiona, of Country Threads blog

Do you ever have one of those days when you know you want to do something but can't quite figure out what that is?  My weekend was like that.

 
First I made a few granny squares from the yarn. 



I think I need a couple more colors to go with the rest.


So then I decided to knit a square.


Then I remembered the Creative Knitting magazine that I just bought at the grocery has several dishcloth patterns in it.   My daughter pulled out a couple balls of cotton yarn, and we each knit a dishcloth.  Hers is on the left. 




Hopefully I will get in the quilting mood again soon, but for now I'm in a yarn mood. 

Thanks for stopping by for a visit! 
Posted by Picasa

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Quilt Show Shopping

There were lots of vendors at the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show. I bought a few things but decided I should pace myself since I have a couple more quilting adventures planned for this spring.

I bought a few pieces of Kaffe and Brandon.





This group is for the shabby chic phase that I feel coming on and because I thought they were pretty. 



This flannel charm pack will be perfect for a baby quilt.

 

And I bought a couple of patterns. The sample of the feathered star made the pattern hard to resist. I love the Schnibbles baskets.

 
Posted by Picasa
I'm still sewing....and sewing on Orca Bay, this years Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt.  I hope to have photos soon.

Thanks for stopping by.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Indiana Heritage Quilt Show 2012

My friend Pam picked me up bright and early Saturday morning, and we headed south to Blooming, Indiana, to the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show.  It was a beautiful day weatherwise unlike the day before when all of the tornados struck the southern part of our state.

Here are some of my favorite quilts from the show:

This quilt is called Letter Carriers by Janet Stone, Overland Park, KS.  The ribbon is for Exemplary Machine Quilting.




This quilt won ribbons for both Exemplary Hand Quilting and 2nd place in the Applique' Bed Quilt category.  The maker is Betty Ekern-Suiter, Racine, AL.

Love the colors on this one...2nd place pieced wall quilt.  This quilt is by Birgit Schueller, Riegelsberg, Germany.


Love this scrappy log cabin quilt with a great border.  Quilt by Charlotte Alexander, English, IN.

This quilt is called Granny Squares.  Quilt by Jane Pitt, Bloomington, IN.

This quilt was just interesting to look at with all of the different block backgrounds and so many designs.  This quilt was made by Wendy Caton Reed of Bath, ME.


This Dear Jane was made by Miriam Bruening of Oregon, IL.  Love her border scallops.

Beautiful applique' on this one by Mary-Margaret Morton of Ann Arbor, MI.  The ribbon is for 3rd prize in Mixed and Special Techniques for Wall Quilts.

The electric blue color on this quilt just glowed.  This quilt won 1st place in the Applique' Wall Quilt category.  Quilt by Rachel Wetzler, St. Charles, IL.


This quilt by Klonda Holt of Lee's Summit, MO, won Honorable Mention in the Ensemble Wall Quilt Category. 

Posted by Picasa

The rest of the photos from the quilt show can be found here

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Thursday, March 1, 2012

I'm On the March Banner of !Sew We Quilt!

I'm thrilled that Madame Samm has chosen my Nearly Insane quilt as one of the four quilts featured on the March Banner at Sew We Quilt.  You can read the story of my quilt in the post there today.




Here are some of the blocks from the quilt:

The limes are from Diane in New York.


The green with the tiny white flowers is from Hanne in Norway.


This block has 229 pieces.



The vegetable center is from Claire here in Indiana.



         
                                   


I even used some 30s greens.


                                                                                     






You can read my other blog posts about this quilt.  This post tells a little about the quilt and shows the finished top.

I entered the quilt in the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show in 2010.  Here is the post about that. 

You can read more about the story of my quilt at Sew We Quilt.

Thanks for stopping by today! 
Posted by Picasa

Print This Post

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...