(All photographs by Brent Kane for Martingale. Used by permission.) I have been working on Christmas gifts at home and longing for the gatherings, the smell of yummy confections in my kitchen, and the surprised look that family and friends give me as they open the packages with the gifts I made. Handmade gifts are wonderful: they make you feel good as you work on them, they bring joy to the recipients. If you enjoy making gifts as much as I do, you will probably like this book by Pat … [Read more...] about Christmas gifts
Crochet Hat/Scarf
Although I was on vacation in San Diego, CA, last week, I had to work on some type of craft, or I would have gone mad. I did some embroidery (will show it soon) but made a run to the yarn shop after I received the book "Celtic Cable Crochet" by Bonnie Barker for review. Oh... the patterns are sooooooooo beautiful! I am in love with the cardigans, shawls, cowls... All instructions are very straight forward and easy to follow. The last chapter has step-by-step photographs of the foundation … [Read more...] about Crochet Hat/Scarf
Fabric fun
Last Friday I had the pleasure of visiting Hoffman California-International Fabrics in Mission Viejo, California. You know Hoffman: they are famous worldwide for their amazing Bali batiks, as well as Asian-themed, tropical, novelty, holiday, and other fabrics created by their talented designers. These batiks are screaming "Turn me into a modern quilt"! When I get my hands on one of these bundles I will be happy to oblige! Rube P. Hoffman started the company back in 1924 and, … [Read more...] about Fabric fun
Portuguese Cupboard
I love Timeless Treasures new fabric line called True Blue. Above is the quilt I designed for that line which I called "Portuguese Cupboard". It is available as a free download at the Timeless Treasures site - check it out and look for the fabric line! The prints in the True Blue collection (19 in all) are beautiful with tea cups and saucers, delicate flowers, tone-on-tone options... everything to add texture and interest to the quilt. This design is made up of two simple blocks with … [Read more...] about Portuguese Cupboard
Round Robin
As I promised in my previous post, here is Lisa's quilt. Doesn't it look gorgeous? The pattern for her center block is called Flower Patch by Thimble Blossoms. Deb added the large gray border and the HSTs on point. I added the narrow gray border, the 1/4 circles plus the large gray border to wrap up the design. Lisa did a great job quilting it... and the result is a bright, fun round robin wall hanging. Round Robins can stretch us a bit and I love it. Have you ever been part of one? Speaking … [Read more...] about Round Robin
Christmas Table Topper
Last Fall, my friends Deb, Lisa, and I started a small round robin. We each made a quilt block (or a quilt center) and took turns adding borders to it. This is how my quilt turned out - don't you love these prints in the Holly's Tree Farm fabric line by Moda Fabrics? (My favorite quilt holder is not around much now that school started, so a bench will have to do...). This square table topper measures 33-1/2". Lisa added the first few borders: blue print with flying geese, cute … [Read more...] about Christmas Table Topper