Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Last finish for February!

I am so pleased to have one more quilt UFO finish before February's end. It is a doll's quilt. My mother had bought this flannel toile fabric for me and I made this little quilt from it. The entire quilt is made with flannel fabrics and it so cuddly-soft.

Here is a view of the hand quilting on the back of the quilt.

And, last but not least, the quilt label to really finish it off!

More PS stash


My two Prairie Schooler charts arrived today! The newest season charts are 'Spring Has Come' and 'Summer Breeze' which complete the set. I will make these into wallhangings to match 'Winter Winds' and 'Autumn Leaves'.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Chocolate Shoppe SAL progress


I am leading a new SAL on my stitching list. It is Little House Needlework's 'Chocolate Shoppe'. This is an adorable little design. It is being set up as a 4~part SAL with small assignments as many of those participating are busy doing other SALs as well.
I am stitching mine on 28~count evenweave (Khaki) one over one as I want it to be very small. More will be revealed about its finish in the coming two weeks.....

More about Beatrix Potter


I have been reading the biography of Beatrix Potter and wanted to share another passage from the book. One of my favorite characters from her books is Mrs. Tiggy~Winkle. For this reason, this quote was particularly humerous:


"Sometimes, on visits to relations, her companions travel unseen. 'Hunca Munca is very discontented in the small old box; I am also accompanied by Mrs. Tiggy ~ carefully concealed; my aunt cannot endure animals.'
'I have got my hedgehog here with me too; she enjoys going by train, she is always very hungry when she is on a journey. I carry her in a little basket.' "

Sunday, February 25, 2007


"Oh, dear, oh, dear, Maggie, what are you thinkin'of, to throw your bonnet down there? Take it upstairs, there's a good gell, an' let your hair be brushed, an' put your other pinafore on, an' change your shoes, do, for shame; an' come an' go on with your patchwork, like a little lady."


"Oh, mother," said Maggie, in a vehemently cross tone, "I don't want to do my patchwork."


"What! not your pretty patchwork, to make a counterpane for your aunt Glegg?"


"It's foolish work," said Maggie, with a toss of her mane,--"tearing things to pieces to sew 'em together again. And I don't want to do anything for my aunt Glegg. I don't like her."


This quote from "The Mill on the Floss (Chapter 2)" by George Eliot has always amused me as a quilter. I suppose to some people our handwork may seem 'foolish' but it is something I do daily. For me, a day is incomplete without having held a needle in my hand. It cheers me to sit with needle and thread whether quilting or cross stitching. My inspiration for decorating my home comes from my handwork. My feeling 'connected' to the past comes from knowing that many woman before me also created daily to cloth their families or keep them warm by making quilts. I find comfort in making quilts from old, traditional patterns that have stood the test of time. They are no less beautiful today as back in the 1800s. I put my own mark on them and pause to think that one day, generations from now, they will wonder about my life and handwork as I wonder about those passed before me.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

I love Susan Branch!







I love Susan Branch! I collect her cookbooks and have quite a few of them. A number of years ago, she brought out a quilt fabric collection and I never was able to find any of the fabrics. I just saw that she has once again designed a new collection while is coming out late spring. I also discovered that Fat Quarter Shop.com is already previewing this entire collection along with two adorable patterns. I pasted the 'What's New' page from Susan's website for you to see. Click on each picture to view it in a larger format which makes it easy to read. If you are not familiar with her site, I would highly recommend going there to see how beautiful it is!

This is the link to see the preview at Fat Quarter Shop:
Finding this new collection has really made my Thursday!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Beatrix Potter

My stitching list started this sampler as a SAL at the beginning of February. I am only just starting on mine and will have to work hard to try to catch up with them in the coming couple of weeks. Roberta is leading this one and is giving us easy assignments so I think I can be on track with them fairly quickly. I decided on off white farmer's linen and DMC 919.


Whenever I do a historical sampler, I like to read a book that pertains to it, if possible. This is easy with such a sampler and I am reading "The Tale of Beatrix Potter" by Margaret Lane. This book was published three years after Beatrix Potter's death in 1943 and has been rereleased. Here is a wonderful excerpt from the introduction which the author wrote in her diary after visiting the widowed William Heelis in Sawrey:

" 'The imprint of her personality,' I wrote in my own diary that evening after my long hours with Mr. Heelis, 'was on every chair and table. Her clothes still hung behind the door, her geraniums trailed and bloomed along the window-sill, her muddles lay unsorted at one end of the table while he took his meals at the other, even a half-eaten bar of chocolate with her teeth-marks in it lay among the litter of letters on her writing-table.' "

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

First day after the visit.....

This morning, my mother and step~father left for home again. They will actually arrive back in the States in the next hour. This day has flown by despite it being the first one I have had with some hours alone this month.

I am getting my next quilt UFO ready. I am pin-basting it so I can start the hand quilting. It is based on a pattern from Judy-Ann's Womenfolk site: http://www.womenfolk.com/baby_quilts/medallionchild.htm . I am making a series of small doll sized quilts. They are great fun to make and wonderful decorating items.

This photo of our cat, Dagi, was taken yesterday. My husband put down his laptop for a minute and when he came back, the cat had curled up for a catnap on it. He is such a cutie!

Friday, February 16, 2007

A completed quilt UFO

It seems I have not had many finishes this month. Having visitors has meant not sitting and either stitching or quilting as much as normal. I did sit and talk to my mother while quilting this UFO though and can now happily say it is finished today.

This pattern is called 'Pioneer Braids' and it was really a fun piece to sew together. I titled it 'Homespun Braids' because of the beautiful homespun fabrics I used for this piece. I accented the braids with the hand quilting which you cannot see so much in the photos so I took a photo of the back also.

For me, a quilt is not finished until it has a quilt label. I love making labels and do them with calligraphy which I learned to do when I was quite young and draw accents freehand. They really do finish off any project as well as serve to remind you when and where you made a quilt.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Penny rug turned into a scissor fob

I was teaching my mother how to make penny rugs and she choose to make a series of snowmen ornaments.
She decided that she wanted to use two of the ornaments sewn together to create a scissor fob. She collects snowmen. Here is the results.....

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Thank you to my 'cyber' friends



I wanted to thank all my 'cyber' friends from my FTLOS group. You are all really wonderful and like sisters to me! Your kind thoughts and concerns about Jos' accident have really been appreciated. He is doing fine and only has a slightly sore left shoulder. We are very lucky that he was not hurt. Replacing a car is easy enough but he can never be replaced for me. Thank you for being there for me not only now but always over since I joined the group. You are all very special ladies with hearts of gold!

Friday, February 09, 2007

OH NO!!!


The morning after.....

Melted Snowman
Last night I heard a knock
It was a snowman outside my door,
Asking if he could come inside
And play on the floor. . .
"Oh", he cried, "what I wouldn't do,to sleep in a big warm bed!"
"But I'm forced to stand outside,
In the freezing cold instead....
"Next thing we knew, a cold wind blew
Mr. Snowman right through my door,
And now there's nothing left of him,
But a puddle on the floor.
~~ Author unknown

Thursday, February 08, 2007

My snow midget


I have been teasing a friend about making 'snow midgets' since she has had so little snow in Pennsylvania. Well, dear Joni..... here is my 'snow midget'. Is he cute or what?!
It is finally winter here in Holland. I am enjoying this one afternoon of snow as they say tomorrow will start to warm up considerably again.

Friday, February 02, 2007

Checking in


I will be taking a Blogger break for the weekend. My mother and her friend are here visiting and we are going to go to my cottage for a couple of days. I am teaching them to make a penny rug.

The step~by~step instructions and link to the free pattern are on my other blog:
http://stitchingtogether.blogspot.com/ . Have a wondeful weekend!