And the beat goes on.....!

Ya know, all these new tools I have blogged about (here and here), they are really helping me finish my hand work. Goodness, are they doing a great job at keeping my fingers from getting sore.

I can hand applique for long stretches at a time! I'm talking until I get tired of it and/or need a change of scenery!

I no longer need to take a break in order to give my fingers time to heal! Yea, I'm on a roll! ;o)

Penelope has also had a tire change, those new M & M wheels I bought at VQF! DH finally set aside some time to change them.

So, I needed a quilt top to take those new wheels for a test drive.  Given that the blocks were all done and that it was just a matter of piecing the top, I was able to quickly finished this little quilt!

The Orange Peel quilt from Kathleen Tracy's book Remembering Adelia!

Yea, those new wheels make such a difference!  Smooth!

You know, I really like that I used scraps for make the center of the quilt.

I'm slowly getting proficient at scrap usage!

It used to be that I could not work with anything smaller than a quarter yard! lol  Now, I'm using up pieces as small as 1 1/2" and it's not in applique projects but actual piecing.  And.... I actually enjoy it! lol

Thanks so much for stopping by my little corner in cyberspace!  Cheers!

A new Flimsy....!

Yeap, I've been a busy bee!  I started this hand applique quilt back in July!

The pattern is called Spring Fling By Jan Patek!

Whenever I start a hand project, whether hand applique or embroidery, I always begin with the block that requires the most work.  I then work my way down to the simplest block.

I really find it easier for me to get motivated to finish the quilt, as the blocks get less and less intense.

I also tend to prepare all of the blocks at the same time.  When one block is completed, I can quickly pick up another.

I'm also a gluer!  I'll have all of my pieces glued down.  It makes my blocks portable, allowing me to work on them whenever and where ever!

I do like the way this quilt turned out.  I think I will call it Summer Days 2011.  We really did have wonderful weather this summer.  The quilt is now awaiting its turn on Penelope.

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Keep Well!

Another Fat One bites the dust....!

I've been plugging away at the Fat Quarter Book by Lori Smith.

I've had this little quilt done for quite some time. It was just a matter of loading it on Penelope and getting it machine quilted.

The pattern is called Square Dance. I actually foundation pieced the center of the quilt.

If you've been following my blog from the beginning, you know that I am not a fan of paper piecing. The technique and I just do not get along.

Way back in 2007 I even wrote an entry on 10 reasons not to paper piece! lol

I've worked around the whole personality conflict thing by using Ricky Tims' Stable Stuff Poly!

I print my blocks and piece accordingly. I do not have to remove the foundation. Once washed, it blends in with your batting.

I don't even have tension issues!

Yea, I'm in love with Stable Stuff! lol Basically, it's machine embroidery stabilizer cut in a convenient size 8.5" x 11" sheets. Works for me!

Thanks for stopping by!  Cheers!

Plugging away ....!

I managed to put on the borders for Hocuspocusville by Meg Hawkey of Crab Apple Hill Studio. I haven't decided if I will be doing the hand embroidering between the blocks. It's now on my design wall awaiting my decision.

However, I have picked the backing. I've waited for this fabric for a whole year and it has arrived at Fibre Junction.

The Ghastlies!



It is so perfect as a backing! Although the Shoppe has a few colour choices, I chose the dark grey! I first saw this fabric on Thimbleanna's blog and immediately fell in love with it! Oh yea, it's a beauty. ;o)

On a different note, I continue to plug away at the Farmer's Wife and have completed the following blocks:

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Guess what's on my design wall......?

It's been a long time coming! Hocuspocusville by Crabapple Hill.

Gotta get more fabric for the borders! I knew I shouldn't have touched that black for a another project!

Oh well, off to Fibre Junction for border fabric! It's rough.... but I gotta do it to get that quilt off the wall! ;o)

Enjoy the day!

Vermont Quilt Festival - Some of my favourites......!

This has got to be one of my all time favourite! Of course, I'm just a push over for a hand applique quilt!  Stunning! The picture does not do it justice!

The Pride of Iowa Revisited made by Miki Peine of Saint Paul, MN

"This quilt was inspired by a picture I saw while visiting Marge Lydecker. Each night as I fell asleep I saw this picture of an antique quilt from Old Sturbridge Village. Hand quilted."

Vitamin C - Marion Perrault and Helena Scheffer (Beaconsfield, Quebec)

"Dozens of oranges were sacrificed in our quest for the perfect model for this quilt. The orange is composed of hundreds of fabrics collaged onto a flannel foundation. The pith is made of cotton batting painted, dyed and quilted. The background fabric was dyed and over dyed, then free motion quilted using 100 weight silk thread. Stationary machine quilted by Helena Scheffer."

Licorice and Lace - Birgit Schueller (Germany)

"After I pieced the top that is an original pattern, I thought the contrast between the licorice candy colored printed fabric in the triangle and dark brown background was too strong. Thus, I used my melon template set by Kim Brummer to design the very geometric quilting design. Contrasting thread and Swarovski crystals softened the contrast and added a filigree feeling like lace. Track machine quilted."

I did not re-size the photograph so that you could enjoy the details! What a gorgeous quilt! The machine quilting is phenomenal!

For those who enjoy looking at the machine quilting detail here are a few of my favourite:

These are just a few of my favourites. As with many quilt shows, there were so many beautiful quilts. 

Thank you for your patience. Keep well! Cheers!

Vermont Quilt Festival - Antique exhibit......!

Okay, it's been a while and I do want to apologize. It has been so insanely busy, I will spare you with the boring details. Today, I finally sat myself down and organized my photographs from the Vermont Quilt Festival, you know, the one I attended back in June! ;o)

The exhibit was entitled Patterns of History: Quilts from the Vermont Historical Society collection sponsored by Yankee Pride Quilt of Essex Junction, Vermont.

It should be noted that all these quilts are documented as being made in Vermont. The captions under each photographs were taken from the Vermont Quilt Festival program. If you want to view the quilts in greater detail, just click on the slide show.

Enjoy!