All blocks are ready to applique

I have all my Aunt Millie's blocks prep'd and ready to applique I have 4 appliqued already but just really got in the mood to pick fabrics and get the rest done.. there may be changes on 2 of the blocks.. (the one with the little dots I am thinking of changing the little dots to strips material or a gingham type) but we will see. I have posted a little slide show on the side so that you can take a look.. I am missing one...can't find the pic of the tulips but I know I had posted it earlier.

There are many AMG (aunt millie's garden) being done out there.. one blog you may want to take a look at is Carrie's. She is an applique teacher and some of her students are doing this block their colors and workmanship are awesome. Carrie also has a great tutorial on Prairie Points. Megan also has a great twist on her AMG blocks as well.. a wonderful assortment of chocolates for her backgrounds and her colors are exquisite!!

Thank you for all your encouragement I think it helps having a blog this way you get a good cheer now and then and it keeps you going so that you can show the next one... now to start with those Dear Jane blocks I got my next 10 in soo..

Just a Hurray for Blogger and Picasa.. they let you do amazing things for your pics.. I can crop and then also have a slide show and there are other things that I am investigating.. there is so much..

Don't forget to check the Yorkshire Rose blog on my side bar that is the Quilt guild we belong to and we really want to see some of your mini quilts so that we can have some great ideas on what quilts to make.

Sewing piecefully

what's on your bed

Lynette Anderson Designs asked a very good question and I found great blogs on her site in doing so.. to visit her site you can click on the title and find what everyone else has on their bed all over the world.
this one is currently on my bed .. it is great considering we are still in winter with the cold and the snow..but when I read other blogs and they are talking about spring starting in their part of the world so I know that we are not that far away.
The prairie points were being sewn on when it went to the store to be displayed. I finally was able to bring it home and the first place it went was on my bed.

AMG-Aunt Millie's Garden

this Cat tree is in my bedroom..you can see why there is a window there to peer outta...Molly is usually the one on top.. the next one is my only handsome dude Joey..isn't he the "cat's meow" I love those dark grey strips upon his silver fur.. and that long skinny tail. And he is a charmer.


Molly thinks the best thing to do is jump from that pedestal to the bed while I am sleeping..
I am not impressed... she should be wearing a little "kitty kape"-screeching "geronimo"!!!



















well I thought I would post a pic of what they all look like together so far..
I still have to play around with the blocks alittle and still have another 4 to do.. I have the one on the top right done now too.. next time.. but you can see that the pieced background will work.. I think I will put some sashing to go with the blocks.. I know I know can't make up my mind!!


since I took this pic.. I have rearranged the blocks with the new one and it blends in better. It is best to audition your blocks together to try to get a variety of color and see what you are using to much of.. I can see.. that I am favoring the orange/rust colors.. time to touch it up a notch..
well get back to sewing Blogger friends so you can post what you have been doing and so that I can take a peek.
piecefully quilting..

the ties that bind

This is a bear that my cousin made. My mother commissioned her to make one for my 40th birthday.. I just love her to pieces. Her adoption papers says Rose which is appropriate for Valentines.. but I call her Ruby after my grandmother.. I think Ruby suites her better.

Ruby is sitting beside a Koala bear.. this bear was given to me by a lady I met in a conference last year and I was lucky toget one of these bears. She was a representitive of a fraternal organization I belong to. I thought that it was appropriate to send a little heart warming her way with all that is going on in Australia. The Koala is holding on to a heart pin. I stripped pieced these babies for my mother and then found these jewelled hearts that we stuck on. I made many and mother would help sew the other end up after I turned them right side in they are very very easy to make.. one day I will do a tutorial..

The 2 miniatures that are displayed are what I received when I visited other quilt guilds quilt shows. The red and white was not labelled (sad) and so I have learned from now on I will mark where and when I rec'd it. I bought 5 bucks worth of tickets and put them all in one basket. The bench Ruby is on is from a yard sale for 2bucks I have a minute collection of bears and that is their party place.

I hope that everyone has a lovely Valentine's and also thinks of our less fortunate. I hope that Ruby puts a little cheer on your face as she does mine.

Some people have a long weekend this weekend (not me) drive safe and enjoy our spring like weather...there is barely any snow here!! just a few ice mountains..

Sew piecefully

Romantics everywhere

My goodness you would think that Valentines day was around the corner or something!! all the blogs are celebrating this romantic occasion with little tidbits of Valentines projects. Well I don't have a new one but will post a Redwork quilt I had been working on (yes a UFO from 2000 Dec American Patwork and Quilting ... sad)


the one below is a mini quilt pattern.


The pattern is from the Miniature Quilts Magazine..anyone remember?? I was so disappointed when then discontinued. I have most of them just missing a few of the beginning ones.. they are keepsakes. I hand appliqued and hand quilted this one..yes there are projects that do get finished..LOL. I have to pull out the mags and look for a couple of Mini's for our Auction on May 13th. keep an eye on the side I will updating a special blog about the Mini's that are going to be in our auction. If anyone knows of any sites that you can get free mini patterns I can let the guild know of please pass them my way.

Well I hope you have a great day.. what is funny is I haven't seen to many chocolate pics.. are we all still counting??

Off to do a couple of stitches and thanks again for the comments and notes of encouragment. I am going to work on block #8 of AMG only 4 more to do and then the boarder!! yippee..

Country Sunshine

I think I promised earlier that I would post my progress on my Country Sunshine quilt. I have a few more leaves to do and the berries then the other four blocks of flowers in the basket. I was testing out the backgrounds to see if they would be okay. I think they will once I get the other flowers on them. (btw these blocks are huge they are 21 1/2in !!) The main desicion will be the boarder fabric..and there is just a bit of applique on that..LOL

I have started up with my Sally post blocks again and am using this new (old) method called back basting if you click on the word it will bring you to an excellent tutorial by Gayle at Sentimental stitches you will see her tutorials on the left of her site. It is the perfect technique for the Sally Post quilt.
I am currently tracing the patterns on the back of the fabric and then reselecting my fabrics I was not happy with the fabric choices I had to go with the background. It will be more of a "prim" color. I am very excited about this method which is new to me and will hope to post some pics soon!!

Sew piecefully my friends..

cyber friends meet..

I was fortunate to meet a wonderful cyber friend that actually doesn't live to far from me her name is Marg and I met her on a Yahoo group for applique. What a wonderful lady we went to a "Celebrate You" with Quilters Cupboard in Uxbridge. They have this once a year where the students can show what they have done at the workshops and also bring the "other items" not workshop related. I have posted the link to all the quilts that were shown just click on the title above.
I did want to post the 2 happy quilters that met though Marg is on the left and the double chins are me!! diet time I swear it!! after I have another frosty or 2...LOL

From Celebrate You with Quilters Cupboard Feb 09

I also would like to point out and I asked permission from Marg if I was able to post her first applique quilt!! she done a fantastic job I couldn't believe it was her first one!! it is the Jacobean in the middle

From Celebrate You with Quilters Cupboard Feb 09

just awesome I would say for her first one.. imagine what her second one is going to look like.. I know she is working on Vintage Valintine. Marg has no blog but I may have to convince her otherwise!!
I would also like to post the 2 signature quilts that are now done it was a great opportunity to get the pics for both. They will be going to their rightful owners soon.

From Celebrate You with Quilters Cupboard Feb 09

The one on the left is from Fons and Porter summer mag and the one on the right is from a Quilters Newletter Summer mag. I will have to find out the exact volumes for you.
Well get back to stitching I know I have taken up so much of your time but again your visiting and comments are always appreciated.

Getting closer to seeing some work done

I have been working on some quilting items I have 8 of my Dear Jane blocks done and 2 of my Triangles. The fabrics that I am getting on line from a Texas store is absolutely gorgeous.. wait till you see the blocks..I find the more that I do the better the hand stitching is getting. These are all going to be hand pieced and it is really relaxing!!

From Dear Jane

I wanted to post what my favorite tools are for making my DJ.. for one thing I could not survive without my desktop needle threader!! this thing works everytime on "between" needles and we all now how small they are!! so you now you know I use a between needle.. it helps me keep a small stitch and then I have my desktop ott light (got it for 1/2 price!!) that was a bonus. and then the Aurofil thread (cotton) plus everything is on top of my board that I draw my patterns on the material with, it has some fine grain sand paper ...it holds your fabric well while you trace on it so it doesn't stretch on those pesky points..
Here are my blocks

From Dear Jane

From Dear Jane

From Dear Jane

this one is the oops one I made it with the wrong fabric it will become my digital case..

From Dear Jane

From Dear Jane

From Dear Jane

From Dear Jane

From Dear Jane

From Dear Jane

From Dear Jane

The first block was earlier.. If you want to look closer you can click on the pics and they will bring you to the picasa web albums or click on the header and you will get the webshot version.. and then see the slide show
I found that when I did the first 2 blocks they were not as well done but now my stitching is getting better. I used to make my quilts by hand quite a bit when I first started. Then with classes you end up doing machine to keep up. My purpose is to slow down and enjoy Quilting. That is why I wanted to quilt in the first place it is perfect to "unwind".
Thanks for your wonderful words of encouragment and your link to your blog I love to follow all your WIP's (work in progress). Keep posting your lovely blocks
You will see that there are a few BOM for Feb out take a look at the side bar. What would we do without these wonderful generous quilters!! I thank them so much for their creativity and their sharing of their patterns.

Cyber Row Robin to Norway

I finished my round on this Robin that has been going around all over the world. It is called our International one cause it has travelled from Ireland to Canada and now to Norway. The middle is gorgeous with special thread art and wonderful piecing..and then it carried with those wonderful paper pieced sail boats on until the last row which I had to create.
I wanted to keep with the oceanic theme so had to find a pattern that was suitable. I found this pattern in the book by Judy Hopkins 501 blocks it is called "Sail Boats" When I was young we lived on Lake St Clair and on Sat mornings there was a gondola of Sail boats that used to sail while we cleaned house and I used to watch all the different sails. So I thought I would have my Sat mornings depicted as the last row. Also you will see there is a bar between each of the sails one N, S, E and West. That way the person that receives this will never loss their way.
The fabric was perfect with the many flags that are flying "international row robin" and the waves that the sail boats are coasting on. I picked up the fabric on Sat at Cock a Doodle Quilts during their "Super Bolt Sale" (the place was packed) and remembered Jo Anne still had those fun summer fabrics on one of her displays..(thank goodness)
I hope the lady that receives this round robin likes it..These Cyber row robins and round robins are the best... we may post pics but it never truly shows how the quilt looks until you get to look at it in real life. I have been in a couple of these and I must say if you ever get the chance do join one or 2 and challenge yourself.. you can do it.. if I can you surely can..

Trial and error

really the pic doesn't do it justice. This poor quilt sat there and sat there..I don't like purple (my mother neither) so we have called it the "ugly quilt" we all have one...or maybe 2 it depends on how many quilts we get done.

The only reason I made this quilt was to try a technique that Fons and Porter had posted a long time ago.. about 3 years ago (due to past experience with them now I don't buy or promote them any longer that is why there is no link but I have to say where I got the pattern from).

This is a quilt that is supposed to look like you are looking through the window to see a garden... well I should have picked better fabrics. I wanted to post it though to prove that we are not all perfect that there is trial and error...as long as we learn and conquer or journey of quilting is worth travelling.

As I am typing this I get to look at this.... she has the look of disdain!! as you can see the cat in the hat is laughing at her. The quilt she is on is a strippy I made with some scraps in my barrel I thought I would be able to put a dent in it.. didn't touch it!! in fact the scraps have only multiplied!!