I just found these two pieces I appliqued a few years ago. There were two others, in green, but I turned them into a tote for my mother. These might become another tote, or wall hangings, or pillows. The pattern was enlarged by 200% and, compared to the one I am working on right now, they were easier to needle turn as there weren't many tricky spots. I am almost done with the first (out of nine) block on the new project. As you can see from the pictures below, since I did not enlarge the … [Read more...] about Hawaii on my mind
Denise’s Survival Kit
We had a Name Tag contest last month in our Quilt Guild. At left is my name tag, which won second place. Yes, I wore it on my shirt... and I am sure none of the newcomers will forget who I am any time soon! I could not fit books into this survival kit. Otherwise, it has all the things I cannot live without: sewing machine, notions, soft drinks, cake, candy, love... How we change with time! Ten years ago this kit would still have books, along with yarn, crochet hooks, knitting needles. In any … [Read more...] about Denise’s Survival Kit
Hawaiian applique set-up – Tutorial
Wow! One week without internet is so strange... In the meantime, I am working on Hawaiian appliques and thought you might enjoy the tutorial. My first projects with Hawaiian themes were made back in 2005. It has been a while so I decided to revisit the book I bought in a quilt shop in Maryland, from which I got the patterns for the first projects. Usually, Hawaiian applique patterns are provided as 1/8 of the design, so you must fold the fabric properly before placing the pattern onto it. … [Read more...] about Hawaiian applique set-up – Tutorial
Catch me if you can – Tutorial
"Catch me if you can" is the name for this quilt I made using Riley Blake Design's fabric from their On the Go line. It is super colorful, I know, but that is how little kids (read 'me') like it! The fabrics are filled with airplanes, trucks, locomotives, scooters, cars... So, I came up with this irregular grid pattern to showcase all the fun prints, with the flying geese to add more motion to the design. Click here to go to the step-by-step tutorial, which is posted on Riley Blake's site, … [Read more...] about Catch me if you can – Tutorial
Carrying case for notions
My friend Diana strikes again! She made this soft and pretty carrying case for notions. Her choice of colors and attention to details are impeccable. It measures 12" x 8" when closed, and it opens to 20 1/2". Notice that all pockets are see-through, making it easy for us to find where we put what... There is even a special place for pens and pencils. I don't know where she finds these great patterns and, in fact, I don't want to know, so long as I keep getting samples of them (hint … [Read more...] about Carrying case for notions
Embroidery for babies
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I am not doing any projects which involve hearts, but since my grandson, who will be coming to this world in April, is already in my heart, I have been working on a quilt for his crib. The blocks are pre-stamped for embroidery, made by JDNA in St. Louis, USA. The pattern name is Noah's Ark. These are the two blocks I completed: Since the embroidery stamping is very simple, I will add details where I think is needed. For example, on the snakes block I … [Read more...] about Embroidery for babies