Cottage Chic Christmas: Sneak Peeks

Hello Friends, I hope you are having a lovely day.  I finished quilting Cottage Chic Christmas last week.  Due to my tight schedule this month, for the first time, I had someone else piece my quilt top.  My Cottage Chic Christmas quilt top was pieced by Sherry McConnell (vice-president of Quilter’s Hall of Fame).  I quilted it with free-handed floral motif to add to the fabrics that just scream Cottage Chic!

The quilt is made with RJR‘s Lansdowne Road fabrics, another winning collection by Robyn Pandolph.  So, tell me…. Robyn Pandolph, or no Robyn Pandolph for you?

Hannah Wallis Miller Mosaic Quilt, DAR

Hello Friends,

Life has been full and absolutely exciting these last couple of days.  One of the highlights was being able to physically see and touch some of the quilts that are not displayed to the public at the Daughters of American Revolution Museum (DAR).  I will tell you more about it in later post(s).  But for now, I shall leave you with a picture of the Hannah Wallis Miller Mosaic Quilt, with sweet sweet thoughts for my “Hexies” quilting friends!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!  I have got to run – bank, grocery store, post office etc — you know how that goes, don’t you?

A most amazing button art!

I came across this perusing news sites a few days ago.  I thought to myself, “WOW – the embroidery!”

But on closer inspection as shown in the following image, the glistening “embroidery” is actually lots and lots of buttons.  Simply amazing, isn’t it? It has taken a team of talented seamstresses four months to sew on half a million golden buttons using 31 miles of thread.  What an absolutely smart idea to use buttons instead of embroidery when the banner will be exposed to water environment when it’s going to hang from the stern of Gloriana.  Click here to read the article in full.

In an age where simplicity is often encouraged, my heart sings when I see works of art that exude intricacy and the WOW factor!   Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderful day.

[Photo Credits: Daily Mail, UK]

Braided Blessings: Final Sneak Peeks

Hello Friends, I finished my Braided Blessings quilt!  I actually really enjoyed making the nine-patches this time around.  Perhaps it’s because I have matured in my quilting outlook on things – I tend to enjoy each process better.  Now, do you see the braids starting to “form”?

A quick sneak peek on the quilted quilt for you.  You will notice that the Jester’s Hat motif is used again – this time it’s all over the quilt center, and not just the border.  I found that I had to do quite a bit of start-and-stop to decide where to go next when I was quilting the quilt — I think that’s because I was using a domestic machine where visibility is always an issue.  But over all, the effect is great after quilting was completed.

That’s all for now, dear Friends!  We have a full day today — it’s library day for us in addition to a mother/daughter party with other moms/kids!  Have a blessed day now.

Solace in QUILT TRENDS (Spring 2012)

Happy Monday, Friends!  I hope you had a good weekend.   Mine was full as usual.  In addition to work and church, we took Miss Baby out to watch a dragon boat race in the area.

Keeping with the Oriental theme, I am happy to be able to finally show you my Oriental-themed quilt, “Solace”,  featured in the latest issue (Spring 2012) of Quilt Trends.

This quilt uses fabrics from Blank Quilting‘s Asian Mist collection.

The Drunkard’s Path blocks are meant to imitate Oriental Fans.  The quarter circles are actually appliqued onto the background fabric instead of curve-pieced.

The center block is a customized embroidered/applique block that shows a crane flying over Oriental rendition of waves. The wave embroidery is inspired by the wave design on one of the fabric prints.

A side note on cranes: Cranes (including the red-crowned cranes) are quite the celebrity birds in Japan, making their appearances in many aspects of Japanese culture.  Their mating habit of only having one partner for life is the reason for the cranes being symbolic of unity in marriage.   Artistic renditions of cranes are often seen on a bride’s obi or kimono patterns.  The legend that cranes live for a thousand years also makes the cranes to symbolize health and longevity in the Oriental culture.  How interesting!

Quilting was done with Aurifil Mako 50 Cotton thread over Hobbs Tuscany Silk batting.

Here is a shot of the back.  All feathers you see are unmarked, and free-handed.

I hope you have enjoyed my Solace quilt.  Thanks for stopping by, and I wish you all a blessed week!

FREE PATTERN: Holiday Cheer

Hello Friends,

I know it’s a bit early, but it’s never too early to start on Christmas (as they say), right?  My Holiday Cheer pattern is offered as a free downloadable pattern by Quilting Treasures.  It is a prezzie sort of quilt!  Sorry for the tiny image – that’s the only one available to me.

The fabrics are light-hearted, and informal, with the prints really bringing out the cheer of Christmas.  The Holiday Cheer fabrics, released by Quilting Treasures, are due at quilt shops shortly.  Click here to download the pattern instructions.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  I am still under intense deadline pressure, but I am beginning to see the light at the end of  my “deadline” tunnel.  I will catch up with you next week!

My favorite time of year…

… is right about now!  I love that the weather is warmer but not blazing hot, and that everything is still fresh with the sense of renewal.  I took this photo when Miss Baby and I were out and about at the playground yesterday.  Those fresh shades of greens make my heart sing!

A “soon to start” quilt with LOTS of green is on the horizon — stay tuned for details!  I have GOT to fly as I need to get a quilt top pieced and ready to quilt by tonight.  I am a bit behind schedule this week as Miss Baby and I have been out a lot this week.  So now, I need to play catch up.  Tootles!  Have a great day!