Weekly mail

   I decided to save the doll quilts for a weekly post on new arrivals.  Boy, did I get a wonderful selection of doll quilts this week.  It's like a quilt show in miniature!

  From Hill Country Quilter came this beauty in batiks!  Not only has this Mrs. Claus from Texas developed her eye for picking batiks lately, she has the knack for making them sing.  These are set in a chevron pattern and they just sparkle.

 

  From Mrs. Claus in Florida came a stack of lovely seasonal doll quilts.  Chris, aka cksvett, is a member of the HGTV Message Board. In her note she said that these quilts were a stretch of her talent.  I think she found a new skill with these.









 
   She created an assortment of doll quilts from  a printed panel.  Trees, stars, teddy bears, and gingerbread men all turned out delightful.














   Mrs. Claus for Indiana, aka McPatches, is also a member of the HGTV Board.  What a box full of wonder she sent!
   Christmas stars,  sampler with bargello, tiny pinwheels, and 2 Sun Bonnet Sue doll quilts .....I was in awe! Just look at those pinwheels.   But there is more.....

   A disappearing 9 patch design,  tiny flying geese, a bowl of fish, a string quilt, and a floral applique .....oh, my!  
  This Mrs. Claus has lots of skills!  She said that all the little quilts are from orphan blocks, or were  a leader/enders projects.







  Don't you want to see a full show of her quilts?   I do.

And here is the whole week's worth of quilts.
   I am so humbled and amazed each week as these arrive.  Mrs. Claus---each of you are so full of love and giving.  Each of these little quilts have started their journey and will be going to the arms of little girls soon.  Can't you just hear their squeals of delight.
Thank you all for your help and support.  Big, big hugs.

Happy stitching.

Un-planned Bargello

   The heat and humidity have been relentless here, so I've been hiding out and taking a break from my planned and usual routine.  That resulted in a  new---NewFO---small project.

    My nephew, Justin, just returned from a cruise to Alaska.  After hearing about his trip, I was inspired to put together a small bargello for his upcoming birthday.
      I have the background bargello together.   I used the left over fabric from the Buzz Saw quilt  plus one batik  in this.  Again, I paid attention to the value of the fabric when I arranged the strata for the bargello.   I just made random width cuts...from 3/4" to 2 1/2"  to get the wavy and unplanned look.



 My vision was to create a view of the Northern Lights against a dark sky.  I have a silhouette set---thanks to DeeAnn who won them and passed them on to me--- to applique  to this.   It is not trimmed yet, but I am happy with the way it came together.

    I wanted the top edge to be wavy and show the movement of the lights.  The pieced bargello was very uneven, so I faced it with interfacing to get a finished edge. Then I machine appliqued it down to a solid strip of dark speckled blue.  I used a buttonhole stitch for this.  

Insight:   Take that detour and feed that creative urge.  

Happy stitching.

Doll quilts from the Phoebe Group

   What a delight to open the latest box of doll quilts!  A little whisper had come my way from Sharon at Vroomans Quilts that Mrs. Claus was busy in New York.   Sharon spread the word about the Get Your Mrs. Claus On project to a group of ladies in Middleburgh, NY.  Their group is called The Phoebe Group (I so love that!) and they wanted to help.  So here is what they sent......

    A precious pair of quilts in a fun character print that is  quilted with big stitch!   These two just say fun.

  Look at this beautiful embroidery.  I love the colorful butterflies.

   They used coordinating colors to create 9 patch designs with narrow borders.  Some of these are machine quilted, some  hand stitched,  and others are tied.

 
  Thank you, Mrs. Clauses of the Phoebe Group.  I so appreciate your help and support.  You gals are just wonderful!


It is almost time for the first deliveries of toys and quilts to go out......I need to check in with those pesky elves and see if they are ready!
And hugs to all the Mrs. Claus and all their efforts.  Happy stitching.

Renewed

  Renewed.........I shared my process for this here.  



  I was slightly stumped when shopping the stash for a border fabric, as nothing seemed to work.  I really wanted to enhance that vibrant blue in the watercolor section on the right.  I finally found this blue-green piece in my "landscape" stash of fabrics.  I like the way the pieced area blends and flows into it.

  A good close up for those of you who asked about the fabric selection.  It takes a large collection/selection for this one.  
  The dragon fly has 3 colors for the body, and 7 colors in the wings.  But that is another story....

 Renewed----reworked, turned, and added to.    I think I will hang this in the sewing room to enjoy for a while.

Happy stitching.

Creative play

    I get questions about how I come up with ideas for the watercolor wall hangings.  Many times it is from a photo, a postcard,  or something I tore out of a magazine that gives me a direction to go.  It might be right out my window, or in the garden.  Inspiration might be seen in the shadows of a tree or from light streaming through branches.   Or lastly, it may just happen!

   Remember this re-discovered UFO from last month?  I was determined to create something with it.....but as it was just too small or odd shaped.  I liked the way the color swatches were clumped, but it was just an odd arrangement.  So I did a little playing around with it....turning it in different directions to see how the view changed.




   I put it up on the design wall, closed my eyes, and then only glanced at it.  Close the eyes again and think about it.  The only position I liked was with the dark on the bottom and at the right hand side.  I had the impression of cascading water.  Impression is the key word for what I saw.
    I began adding squares to blend and enlarge the side I had.  The center light area just developed from there.   I worked in a bountiful blooming area on the left, but did not let it get too dark.   Once it was fused and sewn together, this is the base background I had.  All it needed was a little personality.








    A little thread painting---more creative play time---and a dragonfly emerged.

   I added some stems by couching down some braided cording and adding purple leaves.  The purple leaves balance the cluster of purple squares at the top to my eye.
I've added a border and done the quilting.  Once it is bound I will give you the full view.

  Insight:  Take time to let your creative  vision happen.  

So what does your creative mind's eye see today?   Take time to play and let it happen.
Happy stitching.

Friday things

    Three colorful doll quilts arrived from Mrs. Claus in Arizona, aka Wiley.  She used a cute panel with rainbows and animals, and another featuring the Jetsons.  Just lots of fun in these three.  Thanks so much for being a Mrs. Claus.










 Did you remember to check out the Friday post at CatPatches?   She is doing a wonderful giveaway today.....for a metal barn quilt!  This is the one she put up last week at her home.  So neat!  There's a couple of things you need to do.....so go check it out now!



    I have two more scrappy trip blocks, and a huge pile of HSTs for the baby quilts to press.  Then I think I will move on to a little quilting to relax!  That's my plan....happy stitching.

Finishes for July

The cutting table-----by sir Old Man!  The beautiful top was installed and quickly put to use.
Hiding in the Garden---challenge quilt finished.
Feather quilting on a Christmas Tree skirt.....Made by Ann for her Granddaughter.
French Braid table runner.
Faceted Jewels II---colorful string quilt.
All in Bloom water color wall hanging to be donated for silent auction.

 Yesterday I posted my August plan-----

•   Finish the 2 place mats.....those stringy geese.
•   Add to the watercolor and get a vision for it.
•   Get the baby quilts pieced and make 2 bibs.  An almost finish would be good here!
•   Continue making Scrappy TAW blocks.
• Buzz Saw quilt.....get those borders on!

I think I should add one....survive the heat and humidity of August!  Staying inside  should give me a good reason to get a lot accomplished this month.

   Linking to Never too hot to stitch for the 2013 Year of Finished Projects.   Lynne is recovering from shingles....drop in.  I know she would love the company.