Five Shadows

Thank you, Vicki, for hosting the Drunkard’s Path quilt along! Even though I didn’t finish the quilt, I did have fun playing with Drunkard’s Path units. And it was great visiting the blogs of other participants. There is so much creativity out there in the wide world of quilting!

From the playing I did with the Drunkard’s Path units, my favorite pieced design was the Lily quilt, designed by Lynne Edwards for the Creative Grids Corner to Corner Curve Strip Ruler.

2014 brought several changes to my family. In May, our daughter, Anna, married Nathan. We are very happy to welcome Nathan to our family! In August, Anna and Nathan moved two hours away for Nathan’s job.

Nathan & Anna with my husband and little ol’ me.

In June, our youngest daughter, Charis, graduated from high school. Her freshman college year started in August at a college about an hour away.

My girls, Anna, Charis, Janelle, and Kim

The weekend of Anna’s wedding, our son Luke and his wife, Kim, announced that they were expecting – our first grand baby is to be born around December 30th! Kim and baby are doing well and we are waiting, ever so patiently, for the little one to make his/her appearance!

Kim’s birthday, John & I, Luke & Kim

Just this past week, I started moving my sewing into Anna’s former room. I’m so excited about having a dedicated space that will be all mine! As I move my supplies into the new room, I’m weeding through and moving only what I really want, like or will use into my new space. I’m sorting through the UFOs, setting some aside for charity quilts, and others that I intend to finish in 2015 to either use of gift.

Looking into the sewing room from the doorway.

Looking from the book shelve across room towards the cutting table and computer table.

I have a lot of organizing and purging to do as I set up the new room. The quilt in the foreground is my 2014 Block of the Month, Stitcher’s Garden. Two more borders and it will be complete!

Merry Christmas! everyone!

Block 12!

Almost complete! The blocks with sashing are sewn together. Today I’ll work on the borders.

Picture to follow!

I’m linking up to Connie’s Linky Tuesday over at Freemotion by the River

Rail Fence quilt blocks using Jenny Pedigo’s Quick Curve Ruler.

Log Cabin using Jenny’s curve technique. Love it! Does the corner curve count as a Drunkard’s Path variation? It is the closest thing I have to a Drunkard’s Path this week.

Progress on the Black and White Drunkard’s Path – none! I am still stumped as to what to do about that quilt! Please give me your honest opinion, do you like the white sashing? For me, it just seems too bright. I tried replacing it with a black, but that didn’t work either. (no picture with the black) Hmmm. Maybe the black would work as sashing between the blocks, with the white in the blocks?  I think I’ll give that a try. I’m open to suggestions!

Linking to Vicki’s Cross the Drunkard’s Path Quilt Along.

This little fella needs borders and embellishments. He won’t be finished for this season, but hopefully over the course of 2015, he will be all dressed up and ready for next Christmas.

How are your Christmas projects going?

Linking to Vicki’s Cross the Drunkard’s Path Quilt Along

My girls held a baby shower for my daughter-in-law, at my house a few Sundays ago. The theme was Turtles. So much homemade goodness! My middle daughter loves to bake. She made this lovely & yummy Turtle cake and cupcakes!

Kim, our expecting mommy, and Turtle Cake

Turtle Cupcakes

Turtle toys!

I followed the theme, and made a turtle ribbon blanket. Babies love the texture of the different ribbons. To add more texture, the background is flannel, the back is Satin, and the turtle shell was made with Texture Magic.

Kim received several homemade goodies. Here she holds a knitted sweater, hat, and booties. She also received hand knitted baby wash clothes, and homemade burp clothes.

Kim’s Grandmother sent a cross stitched Alphabet Blanket.

I sewed up a receiving blanket using an alphabet panel. “T” is for Turtle!

The girls forgot to get a picture of the four of them all together. They pulled off a nice party for Kim with 19 guests in attendance. Lovely day!

One more picture! At the shower given to Kim by our church, I gave her a Very Hungry Caterpillar quilt and several books.

I sewed up a very simple front with green wedges as leaves, appliqued the VHC on one of the leaves, and the butterfly floating near by.

Baby is due December 30th! My first grandbaby!

I wrote to Lynne Edwards, the creator of the Creative Grids Corner to Corner Curve Strip Ruler. I inquired about the picture of the blue lily quilt on the Creative Grids website, lovely picture, no pattern. She wrote back saying she would send a copy of her Blue Lily Pattern to me. She gave me permission to use it as long as I give recognition to her. She is so sweet and a very generous quilter!

Here is my Pink Lily all sewn together. Flower stems are raw edge applique.

Visit Lynne Edwards website to see her other beautiful designs and a list of her lectures and classes. She has created several rulers for Creative Grids and also has written books, all listed on her website.

I’m linking to Vicki’s Cross the Drunkard’s Path Quilt Along.

Here is just a little something I’m working up. Inspiration from the Creative Grids Rule website, for possibilities on how to use the Curve Strip Ruler.  All the curve units are a variation of Drunkard’s Path units, with the curve going into the corners.

My version so far. Now that I see the photo, I think I’ll make a few more changes.

The quilt posted on the Creative Grids website does not list a pattern, just a picture. I’m trying to locate the pattern/designer, hoping there is one available – so I can purchase it.

Plans are to  return to my regular scheduled Black and White Drunkard’s Path soon. I have some baby items I need to whip up first. This weekend. For a shower Sunday. I’m so behind.

Linking to Vicki Welsh’s Cross the Drunkard’s Path Quilt Along.

Oldie but goodie. I created this tote cover back in 2010, or there about.

And it has just recently surfaced on Pinterest labeled as ‘uploaded by user’. I thought I should straighten that out and take credit where credit is due. I’m still not sure what to call it, it’s a tote without handles, it’s a cover for storage using ziplock bags. Future plans are to use mesh bags now available to quilters and crafters in place of plastic bags. Anyway, it is a handy little thing that I get lots of compliments on, with gallon and quart size bags for storage on the inside, and good size pockets on the inside front and back covers. I guess it is a ‘journal’ tote with the bags being the pages. I use it to carry around my bits and pieces of hexies in progress. A quilting friend made one for me years ago with a quilt block as the front and no added pockets on the inside. I have no idea where she got the idea from, put it is very handy.

When gals at the quilt shop or retreats see it, they love the front cover. Then when they open it and see the storage, they always want to make one. A class is being planned for early next year, 2015, at Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shoppe in Roanoke, IN. We are just now working up the next class list, so time and dates to be announced.

The cover was made with Misty Fuse and scrap fabric, and then machine embellished with free motion quilting and decorative stitches. This is just a house shape I dreamed up,  you can use any design you like for the cover. Have fun being creative with shapes and colors! I’ll show a few more covers at the end of this post.

Inside front pocket and Ziplock bags sewn into spine.

Baggies, and back pocket.

Free Form Applique and decorative stitching on back. By ‘free form applique’ I mean using scraps of fabric with fusible webbing – I use Misty Fuse – already fused to fabric, usually left from other projects, and just cutting out shapes and ironing in place in designs I like.

Here are a few more covers that are not quite as ‘free’

Fusible applique, fussy cut bird, ribbons.

Fusible applique pieces, prairie points, ribbon, decorative stitching.

That’s it folks!

New Book! Newly arrived in my mail box!

I won Katja Marek’s new book The New Hexagon over at Linda’s Quiltmania Blog. Believe me! I was so excited when I read her email informing me I had won the book!  Imagine my surprise when I received another email the next morning from Carla of Grace and Favour Blog announcing I had won another copy of Katja’s book! I was thrilled! But, in all fairness, I replied to Carla letting her know I had heard from Linda the night before stating I had won her copy! Carla could draw another winner. Really, what are the odds!? Three blogs promoting Katja’s new book with a give-away and I won two of them! And yes, I did enter all three give-aways! I rarely win when I enter these things, Carla said it was time to buy a lottery ticket!

The New Hexagon looks like a great book. 52 English Paper Pieced blocks – which one will I start on first? Time to get to some handwork!

Next up, curves!  I’m using Jenny Pedigo’s Quick Curve Ruler and Curve it Up booklet and having lots of fun!

Drunkard’s Path Variation Block

Curvy Geese Block

My goal is to sew up one block per week, fitting this project into everything else going on.

Chair Update! Monday night was our last class. The chair is not complete, but very close.

See that hint of gold chair on the left of my blue chair? That is the wing chair my daughter is working on! It is so lovely with gold clam shells.

On my chair, the back and side panels are now attached. Next up, more cording needs to be glued in place to cover the staples on the arms. Then I’ll add more cording to the bottom edge for a decorative touch. The last step – the bottom dust cover needs to be stapled in place and she will be finished!