Wednesday again

As a quilter, I am used to getting a piece of fabric and cutting it into little pieces to sew back together again.  I bought this fabric to make placemats and napkins for my dil for Christmas.  I was so taken by this beautiful fabric that I was quite unable to cut it up.  So I made up some yards of a mini piping in a lavendar color to match her dining room walls, and then fussy cut a coordinating stripe for each side and for the napkins.  I am very happy with the results and I know that she will love them.  It took a couple of days to make up 8 sets, but the work was worth it.  One Christmas gift done! 

All other projects are currently on hold.  I am up to date with Peaceful Pathways, waiting for installment #4.  I have most of Hearts Desire quilted, just have to decide how to quilt the borders.  With a bit of cooler weather, we have been doing some long needed gardening, but I will get back to the sewing machine in a few days. 

Spent most of this week quilting my Hearts Desire.  Two more blocks to go, and then the border.  I have stitched in the ditch and then stippled the background fabric.  I can't get it to show up in the picture, the thread is the same exact color as the background.  I haven't yet decided how I want to do the veins on the leaves.  My first thought was couching, but that seems pretty labor intensive.  I picked up some 12 wt cotton thread and I will experiment with that later today. 

I won't be able to blog next Wednesday, we are heading to New York to celebrate my mom's 100th birthday!  I will follow WOW and read all your blogs though.  I really enjoy getting to "know" everyone who posts on Esther's blog.

Another visitor

He is a bit hard to see, I wasn't brave enough to go outside the screen room to take his picture.  We think he is a lynx. We have had bobcats several times, but this one seems to be too big to be a bobcat.  He wasn't shy, he stopped and stared at us several times. 

Just another day in paradise!

WOW

Started the quilting on my Hearts Desire yesterday.  It took me a while to decide how I want to quilt it.  I took it to my guild meeting on Monday and everyone loved it.  They tried to talk me into hand quilting it........ I gave it some thought and then decided to machine it anyways.  I have always rolled my quilts while working on them, but I tried a new method, kind of nesting the quilt around the machine bed.  It is working out really well.  My new machine has a big area to the right of the needle and that really makes a difference. 
Off to make some lunch, then back to my quilting.  I hope everyone has a good week.

Backyard Visitor

We had yard work to do today, but our visitor stayed out there for quite some time, and we didn't want to disturb his nap.  We aren't very brave!  but we do enjoy seeing the wildlife.

Sunday, Sept 25th

Just finished getting 3 quilts ready for my guild's annual show at the local college.  Sadly, this is the last year that we will have the show, our numbers have dwindled and it is just too much work for those of us who are left.  We won't be making a raffle quilt for 2012 either, same reason. 

The quilt above is called "Sew Many Blocks".  It was a block of the month for our guild, but I was having sew much fun with it, that I just kept on going until it was finished.  It is heavily quilted, but hard to see the quilting in the picture.

I finished the center of Peaceful Pathways yesterday.  It is coming together nicely, but I confess to doing a bit of un-sewing to get the triangles lined up with the HSTs.  I wasn't paying enough attention to that detail when I was adding the HST borders and a few of them weren't lined up like they should have been. 

Next project is sandwiching my Hearts Desire, basting it, deciding on how to quilt it, which is always the hardest part for me. 

Tuesday, September 20

Here it is, my completed Hearts Desire top.  I am quite pleased with it, it is a lovely design.

We are settled back in Florida, lots of gardening to do, but the unpacking is completed and I can almost find everything again!  Spent the morning doing a huge food shopping trip so we can settle in and spend our time playing again.  I have to search through my stash to see if I have an appropriate fabric for the backing, otherwise a trip to the quilt shop.

My Peaceful Pathways is coming along nicely, the center is completed, I just have to hand applique the hearts.  It really went together quickly.  I have hesitated a bit on the hearts, considering a machine embroidery design that I have.  But today, I cut the hearts for applique.  I really enjoy the peaceful handwork.