Give Thanks

I've completed 2 small table toppers ready to be quilted.

This project was a collaboration between my friend Carol and I. She wanted to make a autumn table runner for a friend. I had a pattern but really didn't want to embroider the design. So . . .

SHE did the embroidery and I added the borders and will do the quilting. She actually finished the embroidery more than a year ago, I just couldn't decide how to finish them. I had thought about piecing maple leaves but wasn't very excited about that idea.

# 1 measures 17" by 24".

I told her to make them slightly different. I like # 1 better because the Give Thanks shows up better.

# 2 is a tad bit smaller and measures 16" by 23". Carol embroidered the Give Thanks in soft yellow and it doesn't show very well.

I made this one slightly smaller so I could use leftover pieces from #1.

When I saw this fabric at Yoder Department Store, I knew I had found the perfect fabric for borders. The fabric is Sound of the Woods, design #17499, original artwork by James Weins Atelier Licensed by Wild Apple for  Robert Kaufman

The embroidery is from the Give Thanks Table Runner designed by Meg Hawkey for Crabapple Hill Studio. I only used the embroidery design and didn't sew the table runner the way the pattern was designed.

Two more small projects ready for hand quilting!

Linking to Let's Bee Social,  Needle & Thread Thursday,  the Peacock Party, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, TGIFF!, Brag About Your Beauties, Finished Or Not Friday

Still Weeding & New Project

I was more interested in piecing last week than spending the time quilting  Weeds N Tweeds, should be finished this week.

I've also started a new handwork project. As you know, each year my guild donates a quilt to the Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale. The work has started on the 2020 sale quilt. Most of the guild members are piecing 9 patch blocks but not me, I'm making flowers for the applique borders.

The EPP papers are hexdens from Paper Pieces. These flowers are the 1/2" size. I've got 9 made so far, 3 more to go. After these 12 are finished, I'll make larger ones

This quilt is going to be absolutely beautiful! How do I know that? Because the fabrics to be all medium blues and a very pale gray!

Linking to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Oh Scrap, Bambi's Show & Tell Monday, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, Moving It Forward

Miss Jane's Best

Miss Jane's Best is ready for the quilting frame! This was fun little quilt to make. Right now she measures 14-1/2" by 18". It has been nice to make something small for a change.

I took pictures during the process but I don't have pictures for every step.

After I had trimmed the embroidered squares, I cut QST's and arranged them around each block.

Several years ago, my friend Deanna made me a portable display board. It measures 18" by 18". It was very nice to carry the small blocks on.

After the QST's were attached to the embroidered blocks.

Then I trimmed and squared the blocks up. 

Sorry, forgot to take pictures after they were trimmed.

I web sewed the blocks together and again forgot to take a picture.

Here is a close up of just the embroidered blocks.

Miss Jane's Best was designed by Lori Smith. The instructions were clearly written. She even tells you how to press the blocks for sewing ease. Got to love that!

This was a kit I had purchased. The kit included all the fabrics you see including fabric for the binding. It also included the embroidery thread. I didn't use the yellow from the kit, it was a light pastel yellow. I never use pale yellow in my embroidery projects. I used my go to yellow, DMC #742. It's more gold shaded and just added more zing.

I had decided for the summer I'm going to work on small projects. Miss Jane has been the perfect small project.

Linking to Let's Bee Social, WIP's On Wednesday, Needle & Thread Thursday, Peacock Party, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, TGIFF!, Brag About Your Beauties, Finished Or Not Friday

More Weeds & Jane

The sky has been quilted on Weeds N Tweeds. The thread used for sky was variegated shades of gray. Perfect! And so was the small clamshell stencil used for the quilting!

I've rolled since the photos were taken and now I'm working on the outside borders. 

This heart was the last block to be embroidered for Miss Jane. Sorry it's blurry.

I think I had said several weeks ago that the little squares finish at 3", that is incorrect. I've trimmed them to 3", they'll finish at 2-1/2". 

This is going to be a small quilt. It's a nice change for the larger quilts I normally make.

Linking to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, HQAL, Oh Scrap, Bambi's Show & Tell Monday, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, BOM's Away, Moving It Forward

2019 Hands 2 Help Challenge

This year I participated in the Hands 2 Help Challenge. Sarah puts a lot of work and effort into this challenge. From recruiting bloggers who take the time to demonstrate a quilt they've made, to gathering sponsors who donate thank you gifts for the quilters.

The challenge is over for this year. Two hundred quilters made and donated a total of 876 quilts which is wonderful!

 I received the book City Quilts by Cherri House as my thank you. I found it interesting that all the quilts in the book were made from solid fabrics. Living in northern Indiana in "Amish Country", most of the solid fabric quilts I encounter are Amish quilts.

These two quilts were my favorites.

What can I say? City Harbor looks definitely Amish.

City Sweets is not Amish but really cute. I love the simplicity of the pattern. I can see myself making these quilts someday. 

Thank you Sarah for organizing Hands 2 Help 2019 and thank you to Cherri House for donating the book.

Linking to Needle & Thread Thursday, Peacock Party, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, TGIFF

Weeds & Miss Jane

Weeds N Tweeds is coming along faster than I had anticipated. The bottom part of the windows had a lot of detail to be quilted. The quilting completed last week had less detail and I completed quilting in all 3 windows.

I started quilting this week with the left "window". I decided to highlight the variations in the background hills.  After I had quilted some, I sat back and decided the hills were too pointy. I didn't remove the thread but just I finished these hills with more curved points.

These quilted hills in the center window are much less pointed and I think look better. I also did straight line quilting in the fields. 

I wasn't sure how to quilt the pasture but decided to just stitch around the sheep. Good enough.

The right window had both the background stitching and a field. 

The left window and this window both had stalks of feathered wheat. I really like how they turned out.

There is just one more block to embroider for Miss Jane's Best.

I've been in rather a slump with my sewing machine. After the embroidery is finished, that will be the next sewing project which will then turn into the next quilting project.

I'm still enjoying spring, the color green and all the flowers. This year I bought some hanging baskets for my porch.

The baskets look very nice hanging from the porch and the begonias perk up the hosta bed.

The hanging baskets are going to do double duty this summer. Our daughter and her husband have listed their house for sale. To give it more presentation, she's going to use the hanging baskets and planters.

The porch faces the east. Several weeks ago I showed you a bleeding heart that wasn't very big. She's in full bloom now.

While the bleeding heart on the west side of the house is starting to slow down blooming.

The peonies were just starting to bloom nicely last Sunday. 

We've had several heavy rains since then so they are looking rather bedraggled.

I didn't think the poppies were going to bloom this year but they finally sent up buds and started opening a couple days ago.

I wish the blooms lasted longer but they don't so it's enjoy them now, they'll be gone in 2 weeks.

I don't know what the name of this succulent ground cover is but it is going crazy and is 8" tall! It loves all the rain and is starting to bloom. By the end of this week it will look more  yellow than green.

I'll be showing you an updated picture of this spot in a week or two. The lilies are so tall and full of buds, I never remember what colors they are. I do know some of them will be white from previous planted Easter lilies.


Linking to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Oh Scrap, Bambi's Show & Tell Monday, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, BOM's Away, Moving It Forward

Weeds & Jane

Making quilting progress on Weeds N Tweeds. This section of the center window is finished.

The bottom part of the left window is completed.

Here is the quilting designs on the outside borders.

Progress is being made with Miss Jane's Best. 

I showed you the top row last week, the bottom row is what was completed this week.

We're still waiting to get in the fields. This is extremely late to be planting our crops! But I do have to say, it's been wonderful for transplanting plants in the flowerbeds.

Linking to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Oh Scrap, Bambi's Show & Tell Monday, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, BOM's Away, Moving It Forward, Peacock Party