Trick or Treat

This was from the cover of American Patchwork about 5 years ago. I just love all the different fabrics in this quilt. The blocks were fun to make!

Can't remember who's pattern this is, I do know it didn't come from a book or magazine.

Again, no idea on this one. The pattern is somewhere in my sewing room.

Happy Hallow'een
Sharon

Cherries, Kiwi's and Swimsuits

Whew! I've finally finished block #1 from Beyond the Cherry Tree. Everyone else is on block #12 or #13, but what the heck. At least I've started the journey. Here is my first block. I'm using freezer paper on the back of the fabric and basted down before I applique. When I'm close to finishing the piece, I remove the basting threads, pull out the freezer paper and needle turn the remaining bit of the piece. I am also using the heat resistant circles, there are a lot of circles in this project. If I can find them pre cut like the hexi templates, I'll be buying them as the border has over 160 cherries. I've already started making a few for the border. If I make 5 per block, I'll have them ready to applique once all the blocks are done. I love the look of these vintage fabrics and I'm already stitching block #2.

When I bought my house, the owners pointed out a kiwi plant in the back yard. Everyone that has visited and toured the back yard has been a Doubting Debbie about my kiwi. They don't really believe it's a kiwi or that it will bear fruit. So I got all excited when I saw the first, and only, kiwi on this plant. I was very careful to not touch it until it turned black on the the outside. Finally, it was time to harvest my bounty. So to all the nay sayers, take this! It was as sweet as any kiwi I've bought in the store, there just wasn't much of it!

And finally, for kicks, here are a few pictures of my mother when she was a young hottie. The good old days in Vancouver BC, she must have been in her late teen's or early 20's. Mom is on the right.

I really miss her. It will be 4 years this December. Time flies.

Sharon

You Gotta See This

No words can describe what you will see over at Linda's site, Quilts in the Barn. Please pour a coffee or cup of tea, sit back and enjoy this beautiful virtual quilt show!
Sharon

This is Why I Quilt!

I quilt because I need to. When my friend Betsy started her journey on walking 60 miles in 3 days, I started putting together this quilt. 600 chances were in the box. I pulled Becky T's name. Betsy delivered the quilt this morning and took a few pictures. We raised $1200 for the Susan G. Koman foundation with this quilt.

Here is Becky T. She has kidney cancer. The doctor gave her 2 years and it’s been 8. She says she has too much to do to leave just yet! Her granddaughter has a rare kidney disease, totally unrelated to Becky’s situation and has required a transplant. Her son-in-law has lymphoma and leukemia. She recently lost her mother as well.

This is Karma at it's best!
Sharon

I Won, I Won!

This will soon arrive in my little mail box and I'm so excited.  Check them out at Pam and Debbie's blogs.  You can personalize the wording or purchase from their stock.  How fun.  I have also recieved goodies in the mail the past month and need to post a big thank you to several bloggers out there.   Stay tuned.

I've been away for a few days and thought I'd get a lot more stitching done.  I guess it was OK that I forgot the background fabric for block #2, and forget the applique pieces for block #2.  Hey, I remembered to pack the pattern!  I'm almost done #1, I have a few more circles to applique and will post later tonight or tomorrow.  I must finish a quilt on my longarm tonight, I'm at the very end, but didn't want to rush the last bit before I left for my trip.
Sharon

It was a Gift............

Well, sort of a gift, OK a partial gift, honest. This was my birthday present from June. I got a gift certificate from Quilters Roost and I've been saving it for something special. This is special! I don't have a project in mind yet, but I LOVE this fabric. Minick & Simpsons Clermont Farms.  Thank you Paula!

And since I was getting a box shipped and paying for the shipping already, what's a few more pieces! How cute is this Salt Box panel.  I got the plaid on the bias for binding.  My front door gets an extreme amount of sun which is fading the pieces I've had hanging outside.  Panels don't require much work, so it's a perfect door decor.

And since I was already paying for the shipping....I thought a few more madder reds couldn't hurt.

The bottom fabric was Gift w/Purchase. I take no responsibility for this piece coming into my sewing room. It's all Jodi's fault!
Sharon

Just a Few More Pieces

Yes, I know I said I was on a fabric diet. I ate brownies this week too! What can I say, it seems when I have doctors appointments in Bellingham I end up at a quilt shop afterwards. This time it was Two Thimbles, and she is having a great one day sale on Tuesday, Oct 19th. Since I've started Beyond the Cherry Tree, I realized that I needed a few more reds to mix things up, there was going to be a need for chrome yellow, which I have none, and just one wouldn't do for a scrappy top, and just a couple of new greens. So here is the final mixture of what I will use for my project. I didn't put in the cheddars, I have lots of those to choose from.

This fabric is Fandango and I picked up 2 charm packs and a yard of Bella by Moda while away in September.  There is nothing "creative" or "challenging" in this project, but the fabric is so fresh and modern I thought I'd just make something simple and let the color and graphics shine on this one. Once I get all the fabric up on the wall, I'll order a stripe for a stop border and then decide on what focus fabric I want for the border.  This will make a very nice gift.

A little bit of decorating! I finally finished this runner, the border was left over from a quilt.  I measured all the strips, then cut the center fabric to fit. That way I used up every bit of this pieced border.  A little raw edge applique, some free motion quilting and a black perl cotton for the border and it's now done.  I don't know if you can see the writing on the center.  With orange perl cotton I stitched Trick or Treat.  The pumkin is hand blown from an amazing shop in The Dalles, OR It ws a gift from my friend Paula.  I love putting out things that friends have given me, it just makes me feel warm and cozy!

I've been keeping my head down on an appliqued customer quilt that I'm longarming right now.  I take 15 minutes at the end of the evening and sew 4 charms together.  I figure I'll have this top done in a few weeks.

Flowers and Beyond the Cherry Tree

It's already a week into October and I'm so amazed at how many flowers are still blooming. This is down the side of my home and it's the view from my sewing room window. I love the big mix of color!

These zinnia's were from seeds I scattered along the back of the flowerbed.  I "planted" a package of marigolds and cone flowers as well.  The marigolds came up big and bright, but I haven't seen one cone flower.

I planted one dahlia bulb in this bed and it's gorgeous.

I've picked my pumpkins and the last of the zucchini. The only thing left in my garden is a small row of green onions, dahlias, and cana lilies that haven't bloomed. Time will tell on these, they were so slow to start and now I'm thinking the frost will come before they bloom. These are Cinderella pumpkins.

Now onto quilting updates. My hexi project is now in one piece. There are a few additions that need to happen along parts of the border and then I'm going to applique it to red borders.

Now that the days are getting shorter and the weather doesn't permit yard work every day, I'm getting back into some quilting. There is a BOM being published at Sentimental Stitches and it's called Beyond the Cherry Tree. So far 12 of the 25 block patterns have been published, so I'm a little behind. But this is by choice. I wanted to finish a few other projects and I hummed and hawed about how I was going to make this. I finally decided on one background for the whole quilt and a variety of civil war reds/cheddars/greens. Several others are making this and you can see their projects here, here, here, here, and here!

There are lots of circles on this quilt and block one calls for reverse applique for the cherry centers. I'm layering, but they are tiny!

Do you test patterns? I never do, until now. I'm prepping several blocks before I start doing the applique. This is block 3. My preferred method is to iron freezer paper to the wrong side of the fabric, baste the 1/4 inch seam allowance to the back, and then applique it to the background. Not a chance on this piece. Those fingers aren't even a 1/4" apart on the pattern. Just by cutting down the center of the lines you only get about an 1/8" seam allowance to turn under. So I went to my back up method. Back basting. Yes, this block will be done using the back basting method.

I have the cutest snowman quilt on my machine right now, I spent a few hours yesterday working on it and need to spend more time today quilting.
I hope you get some sewing in on this Sunday.
Thanks for stopping by,
Sharon

Falling Off the Wagon

No more books, no more fabric. This was my mantra after the weekend of travel and quilt shows. It had something to do with the few solids that I bought.

This is what happens when friends shop a sale for you! I didn't miss out on anything and most of these are 1 yard cuts! These are the first solids I've purchased, and now that I have them I have so many ideas running through my mind.

I also resolved to not start any new projects. That went out the window when I bought 'Tis the Season Even though it's fused, each tree takes about 15 minutes to blanket stitch around. This was the insert in a quilt in the book, but I thought it would make a fun banner.

I've quilted a few quilts, here is Debbies. It was supposed to be a gift, she liked it so much she's keeping it for herself and making another one! I can relate. I donated my "mom's" quilt to the hospice fundraiser on Friday night and I felt like I was giving my mom away. Yes, I cried. We stitch so much of our lives into our work. I wonder if a non-quilter has any inkling of this?

Here is another customer quilt. This is one of her first projects, and we are going back a few years. She sure had her value placement on this one. It turned out so nice.

And since I started a new project, I thought I'd pull out a WIP. I don't have many UFOs, honest. Just projects that have been set aside, not abandoned. This was my swap and the best thing that I did was to put all the blocks up on the design wall and make the placement decisions before packing it away. When the blocks arrived, I was in the middle of a few other projects and just couldn't get to this one. Now it's a piece of cake. I'm pinning one row before I leave my sewing room, and when I go back the next time I sew up this row. 2 sewn, 1 pinned, 5 left to go. I should have this into a top by hallow'een.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. And yes, I bought some more fabric yesterday!
Sharon