birdy bag

Dandy asked me if I wanted to join her in this bag challenge --

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Hmmmm.........let's see -- it involves new fabric, a fun, fun purse pattern, fabulous floss & an excuse to sit & sew with a faraway friend -- believe me, my arm did not need too much twisting!

So she sent me swatches of the bag she made and off to the fabric store I went in search of coordinating fabric and I found these yummy fabrics -- and yes! I-want-my-entire-bedroom-wallpapered-in-this-flower-fabric -- (Sorry, dear. -- insert husband rolling his eyes-->here.)

The front panel of this bag will get this embroidered birdy. I'm stitching this little guy every chance I get because the split stitch and chain stitch is a little bit more time consuming than I thought. Okay -- a lot more time consuming than I thought.

And since this weekend is Labor Day weekend, I am hoping to carry this with me and prop myself in a lawn chair the eeeeeeeeentire weekend -- while my no-flowers-on-my-bedroom-wall husband will be grilling all of our meals on the outdoor grill & the kids will be cleaning up after him..... ahem.

apple blossoms & mushrooms

Remember this block? This block that caused such a stand-still in my little quilting world. Well, all of you were right! ----> I would go back to it...........

......after walking through our yard and spotting this on our apple tree -- along with oodles of them that have already fallen -- I knew that block for The Family Quilt must get done. Sheesh! If real trees are already dropping their gorgeous fruit, why can't I get some simple blossoms done on a simple block?

So the apple blossoms are now hand appliqued with hints of embellished embroidery.

And that got my enthusiasm so peaked! I am now putting together the next block -- and this one has to do with guinea pigs and mushrooms. Our kids have/had the cutest, little pink-nosed guinea pigs --adorable is such an understatement!

Here is the work in progress. But I am SO glad that I got kick-started into working on this quilt once again!

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Psssssst. tHaNk YoU to all of you who were there nudging me along!

kreativ bluebird

I so wish that we had bluebirds. I know of only a few people that do have them in their yard & they say that they are so beautiful . I stitched this bluebird as a tiny gift for my great-aunt whom I love dearly.

I am also dearly flattered to have received this award from Twyla and Lindsey -- you must visit their sumptuous blog! It is such a fun trip through nostalgia & beauty! Thank you Twyla & Lindsey!

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And now I am trying to narrow down my choices to 5 bloggers to receive this award from me......

crocheted wristlet

Using the new Spa yarn from Caron, I crocheted this wristlet. There's just something so old-fashioned about having a lovely purse adorning a wrist.

Using this apron-y looking fabric, I lined the inside to give it more stability. Having 'stolen' one of my teen's make-up bags I decided this wristlet would make a perfect catch-all for make-up, band-aids, nail clippers, pain reliever, measuring tape....let's see, what have I forgotten?

And using this vintage button from the button stash given to me by my great-aunt completes that whole yummy feel to this most delicious yarn. And yes, this yarn is so positively soft and creamy to the touch.

This fabric just makes me smile. In fact~~~I think I'll be using this wristlet the next time my husband and I go out. Maybe grilled shrimp?

anna's apron

Hand-crafted aprons. Aprons to match every hand-crafted dress. Such vivid memories of her and her aprons.

Standing in the crispness of the cold winter, arms protectively 'round my dad. And her apron carefully wrapped simply around her waist. This is my grandma.

Her simple work ethic; her diligence for her extraordinary needle-work; and her quaint beauty still stun me to this day. Finding a book at the thrift store, I came upon a pattern for a muslin doll.

I so wanted to capture her in the simplicity of a hand-crafted doll.

And of course, adorn her in her apron. Anna's apron.

Our tween and teen stood over my shoulder watching me make this doll and they too, wanted one. Only they wanted one that they designed. One that suited their personality.

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Here are those three friends. So different. Yet sharing so much.

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quilter's block

I know writers can experience 'writer's block'...

Writer's block is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to begin or continue writing. ....but can quilters experience the same thing? Only it would be aptly called--'quilter's block'?

Regardless if there is such a phenomena---->I. know. I. have. it.
This is the next block of my Family Quilt and I am stuck. Stuck in not being able to move forward at all with this thing.

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And I love cardinals and we have 'mom & dad' cardinals that live in our pine trees and they just seem to bless the very air with their melodic song. And it was because of that that I wanted this block to depict this feathered beauty. So maybe it's because he almost came out looking like a tough mascot for some thick-shouldered collegiate football team....I'm not sure. And maybe I need to just set it aside for now and come back to it later.

But whatever the case, this quilt is at a complete standstill. Ugh! Please tell me that you all experience this brief (please. let this be brief!) lapse in being able to readily complete some sort of quilting project that you have started. And that you do come back to it.

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So as to not totally be sitting here with nothing to do (and to soothe that worrisome, little sing-song voice inside my head 'oh, no, why this total block in initiative?') I am bidding my time with making some crocheted hairpin lace.

And hoping that I get enlightened once again and can sit with needle & thread in hand to do more hand-applique on my quilt.

ooooh. red is my favorite color!

Actually red is not my favorite color. But it is my sister's---and she has been dropping some pretty broad hints since.....oh...'bout November when it was our other sister's birthday and then again at Christmas about getting a bag from me.

And yay!....she finally had her birthday and guess what she got?

Tada! A bag! And when picking out the fabric I did not intend to incorporate her favorite color but I loved, loved this flowery fabric and then had to walk through the fabric store for about 16 hours searching for that perfect complementary border/detachable flower fabric.

I then sneakily drove to her house. Deposited the wrapped parcel on her front doorstep. And sped away. When the phone rang later it was her calling to gush that she loooooooves that bag.

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Happy birthday, sissie. Finally, huh?