Newest Quilt Pattern! Sweetie Pie

Here it is: Sweetie Pie. That sounds better than "Baby's First Pie Chart," right? This is a raw-edge applique quilt, the first one made on my new sewing machine. This quilt has been machine washed and dried (on HOT settings) and it's puckered and soft. This quilt and the pattern will go in my Etsy shop today.

Have some quilting fun this weekend! Tell me what you're working on.

See this baby quilt pattern.

My New Sewing Machine Arrived!

Drumroll, please! 

I like my Juki 98Q but it only does a straight stitch and I've been so fascinated with raw-edge applique lately that I wanted to be able to do a zigzag or blanket stitch. So here's my new Juki HZL-K65, only $299 from SewVacDirect (no tax, no shipping charge). It's not loaded with fancy stitches, but it has more than I need. 

I got it set up in a jiffy. The threading is a little different than my other machine, but the owner's manual is very easy to follow. And I had a project ready for zigzagging! Haha, actually I have a few more too! 

Looks like my DH will be heating up cans of soup for a while! He's a good sport.

White Egret in Dark Water Quilt

This amazing quilt is the work of C. Collier of Portland, Oregon. See her Etsy shop: C. Collier Studio.

My favorite thing about this quilt is how she uses light fabrics for the egret that are actually unexpected prints, like the tall-masted ship on the wing (above, left). And look at the reflection in the water! And the white cranes in the dark background fabric. Lots of good surprises in this quilt! Great job, C!

Easy Quilt Pattern, Raw-Edge Tied

This soft quilt is great for beginners and people who need a quilt finished yesterday!

Raw-edge squares and little wool ties (see below). This makes a lovely gift.

See the pattern here. 11 Pages, lots of how-to photos.

I made this quilt in one day, but writing the pattern took longer. That's okay, I love making the patterns.

My Mom and Dad bought this rocking horse 29 years ago when our first son (their first grand-baby) was born. Eventually Brian, David and 4 cousins rode this little guy. 

I love the texture provided by these little wool ties. 

Please spread my Patterns link around on Pinterest, FB, etc. Thanks so much!

"Hexie Quilts" blog hop starts here on June 1st! Book giveaway too. 

Memorial Day - Honoring Our Heroes - Quilts of Valor

These images are from the Quilts of Valor site. So far, QOV has given 84,975 quilts! 

Best wishes to you and yours.

Patriotic Quilts

This patriotic star quilt with a lovely swag border is from the Quilt Show. 

The flag quilt above was shown at the June meeting of the Utah Valley Quilt Guild.

This eagles quilt was made by Elizabeth Stauf. She came to the US from Switzerland at the age of 18 in 1878. She made this quilt before the start of WWI It belongs to the Kansas Historical Society. 

This stunning flag and rose quilt was exhibited at the Sisters, Oregon quilt show in 2010, and was featured on the Humble Quilts site. The maker's name wasn't provided. It looks like it won a yellow ribbon. The elements in this quilt are so well balanced, and the design is so crisp and clean. The navy stars sparkle, don't they? I love this one.

P.S. This pattern is called Patriotic Rose by the City Stitcher. Thank you to Linda for this info!

Modern Raw-Edge Quilt Tied With Wool

This is my latest project, a raw-edge quilt using 5" Moda Charm Packs. It's tied with wool. The edges didn't fray as much as I'd expected, and I just realized that's because the squares were cut with a tiny pinking shears zigzag. Normally you don't want the edge to fray, but in this case I did! Haha. 

I like how the little balls are nice and round. The pattern is almost finished. Most of you don't need a pattern for this, but I think it would help new quilters. 

Have a nice long weekend! It's raining here today. I hope to exercise, make Irish soda bread, and sew. 

Tentmakers of Cairo

The quilt above was made by the Tentmakers of Cairo, Egypt. They are sold along the "Street of the Tentmakers" shown below. There will be an exhibit of these colorful quilts at the AQS Show in Grand Rapids, MI, August 14-17, 2013. You can see the quilters working, and there will be pieces for sale too.  Read more about this here. Wow! I'd like to see this.

Have you seen these quilts? What did you think?

Whimsical Sailboat

This tiny sailboat is a walnut shell with a crocheted sail. It's listed on Gifts and Stars on Etsy from Turkey. 

It's not built for speed, but it sure is whimsical.

Have a very creative day!

Siddis Quilt and Oleander Girl Book

This quilt was part of an exhibit at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. It was made by Siddis women. Their ancestors came from Africa beginning in the 1500's and settled in western India. Their  traditions are a combination of Indian and African.

See the close-up photo below for a good look at the dense quilting. 

Last night I finished reading "Oleander Girl," a novel by Chitra Divakuruni. It takes place mostly in Kolkata, India around 2002. It is a very engaging story and full of the sights and fragrances of India. I recommend it for all ages.

Stephanie's Raw-Edge Applique

This is Stephanie Hughes' raw-edge applique quilt, shown on A Ditchin' Time. She uses buttons, beads and embroidery too. Good idea! She also sells Green Goose car trash bags on Etsy. Stephanie lives in Maryland.

Seascape Quilt

This is "Natural Wonders" by Kathy McNeil. She used 103 different fabrics to make this quilt. It measures 60" x 63." It's hand appliqued, embroidered, and machine quilted. Nice work, Kathy!

Green Optical Illusion Quilt

"Steppin' Out in the City" by Claire Victor, Northern Star Quilters Guild 2012, from Pinterest.

Oooh, I think it would be pretty tricky to make one of these! Nice job, Claire.

Mom's Birthday Party Pics

Chatelaine Club in Russia

Take a look at the very creative cross-stitch website Chatelaine from Russia. The designs are complex and elegant. I love them! The blog is in Russian, but you can click on "Translate" at the top of the page.

Leave a comment while you're there. I think the main writer ("Miss Eagle") could use a little encouragement.  (She asks why no one comments.) 

The designs are from Chatelaine in Germany. Thank you to Ruth for this link.  :)

Happy Mother's Day! And More Macarons

Yesterday I visited Laduree on Madison Ave (& 71st) before going to my Empire Guild meeting in NYC. It was fairly busy, being the day before Mother's Day, but it was actually fun standing in line as everyone chose their flavors. And what a beautiful store this is.  I was a little disappointed that there were no tables where you could enjoy some tea and macarons but I brought mine to Rockefeller Center and sat outside near the skating rink. 

As you know, I'm learning how to make French macarons. It was good to experience the "ultimate" macaron so I know what I'm aiming for. They have one called Rose. It actually tastes just like a tea rose smells. It was more amazing than delicious. But amazing is good too. One is called Lily of the Valley. I've never seen that offered as a flavor. Same with Lime Basil.

It seems that all the flavor is in the filling. The shells are colored and they have a wonderful light and chewy texture, but they don't contribute to the individual flavors. The Vanilla is light and heavenly. And the Lemon (Citron) is awesome too. They have 30 flavors, but at any one time there are about 12 available. That keeps customers coming back to see what's new.

 

There's a Laduree in Dublin, Ireland too. I plan to visit in June. 

Here's my latest batch: Hazelnut (Nutella filling). The batter was a beautiful bright pink at first, but it turned very pale with baking. Maybe I need a different kind of food coloring.

I hope you have a very sweet Mother's Day.

Improvisational Quilts

1. Any exhibit of improv quilts has to start with a Gees Bend quilt. This one is from the Mattress Factory.

2. Bold quilt from the TINWOOD Media site.

3. Gee's Bend quilt from a postcard image on Zazzle.

4. "Hands" by Sarah Taylor from PC World.

5. Soft colors  from Stitch DC Blog.

6. Another Gee's Bend quilt; this image is from Design Squish.

Which one do you like best? I think my favorite is #6. I like the wandering triangles and the busy 1960's style prints.

Happy quilting!