Saturday, September 8, 2018

Scenes of Summer


Hello everyone! How was your summer? Mine was filled with extraordinary moments shared with extraordinary friends, like
Wanda Hanson of Exuberant Color who surprised me with one of her signature batik colorwash quilts. Read more about it HERE. 


Quilting friends brought "show and tell" with their visits. Here's Sheila with her Sunflower quilt and me with Wanda's Zig-Zag.


Jenny shared fresh-picked cherry tomatoes and basil from her garden, and Jean baked a delicious peach cobbler and the best blueberry pie I've ever tasted!


Local troubadour, Bill Glaysher, serenaded me one afternoon. Swoon!


Who helped me make this online purchase? I couldn't resist a few new American Jane fabrics.


I asked my friend, Bev, if she'd read aloud to me. We spent many blissful hours together over books. 



We were invited to a lovely bridal shower hosted by friends for their daughter and son-in-law-to-be. What lured us out on a 97-degree day was the promise of mango mimosas and eight different kinds of cake. It did not disappoint!



Thanks for all the love, my friends. You certainly helped make it a memorable summer! 


Saturday, May 5, 2018

Spring At Last


What a welcome sight! Crocuses are blanketing the landscape like a colorful patchwork quilt. From the moment they emerge, often while there's still snow on the ground, their hardy blossoms dance with abandon like they're grateful to be leaving winter behind... and aren't we all?



My friend, Debbie, shared this photo from Flowers on Fargo, a private garden in Geneva, Illinois. Each spring, it bursts into color  with crocuses, tulips, and other flowering perennials. Check out the link above!  


Perhaps it's the colors that drew me to this vintage Dutchman's Puzzle quilt. Do you suppose the maker had crocuses in mind when she pieced those purple triangles or was this just a popular color scheme in the 1940s?



All those triangles



poking through a bed of white



to dance their way across a quilt



sure look like crocuses to me!



Wishing you all a happy spring & summer!

Friday, March 16, 2018

Midwinter Blues


Hello everyone. I had another birthday recently and with it came this beautiful quilt from BarbYou may recognize the pattern as "Midwinter Blues", designed by Lori DeJarnatt for her 2014 Humble Quilts sew-along. 

Aren't Barb's fabrics exquisite? I've never seen such deep, saturated blues or "sharp" cheddars. Double-click photos for more detail.




All those patchwork points and angles could make for a busy quilt, but gentle curves of quilting help balance the visual energy.


So does the silk thread used for machine quilting. Look how the stitches practically melt into the background. 


Here's another great backing fabric--"E pluribus unum" or "Out of many, one." 


Thank you, Barb. I'm humbled by this gift and promise to be a worthy custodian of your work! XO

 


If you'd like to make your own "Midwinter Blues" quilt, Lori DeJarnatt provides free instructions on her "Humble Quilts" blog

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Finale.