Sewing, Gardening and a Quilt Show

 Good evening, friends. It's been a while. How are you? We are doing well here in the northern most part of Ohio. I have gardening and quilting on the brain, and so that's what I've been doing a lot of.

I am still working, but a little closer to home these days. Not that this has given me much more free time, I do have teenagers and small children after all. But it has made the drive home shorter and allowed me to sleep in just a little bit longer in the mornings. 

I have decided to be intentional about making time to sew. Last month I returned to the local quilt guild after nearly a decade away. There are new faces, and some more familiar, but the overall feeling was very different. The same joy and love for sewing, and a new excitement for gathering in the name of quilts. But it was just different. I enjoyed it tremendously. I made new friends, and they have inspired me to sew more. Having a monthly "quilting commitment" has worked its magic. I sewed a quilt top! I must, after all, sew a little bit, if I'm going to participate in a sewing group. Tonight I hope to add borders to this.

Hopefully this image doesn't give you vertigo. I cannot seem to rotate it. (I might be too tired to try.) Memorial Day is on the way and the Fourth of July too. So red, white, and blue are my current colors. This top is very simple, made from scraps in my stash, but if you know me, you know it's all about the quilting anyhow. I'll be quilting this on my Juki TL2010q. Eventually.

And I said that I have been gardening. Oh, have I! Situated prominently in our back yard is a garden bed. The back yard feels more like our front yard because it faces the main road, where just beyond that is an expansive view of Lake Erie. When we purchased this home three years ago, the garden bed was unruly. It housed a beautiful purple iris, an overwhelming amount of ivy, a holly bush, two unknown trees, and was filled thick with lily of the valley. Each summer I thinned the lily of the valley, removed a few things more, and put in plants. This year, it feels for the first time, like a garden.

I planted another iris, this one pink, and I have one more to plant waiting patiently in the driveway. I planted lilies, creeping phlox, delphinium, daisies, echinacea, mums, and foxglove. Oh, I cannot wait to see how these plants fair!

I'm also going to try a few dahlias this year. I planted six in pots. This one I picked up on Mother's Day at a plant sale. So beautiful! I hear these get very tall. I can't wait to see!

Oh yes, and I've taken up a new hobby. Cross stitch. I had no idea how much I would love it. There are so many new patterns these days! And wonderful designers! I am loving these.

There are a few errors, and maybe you'll find them. I don't really mind though. These are for the fun of stitching. I love to have a hand project now just about everwhere I go.

I went to Lake Farm Park's annual quilt show a few weeks ago too. See how sewing intentional I am? It was wonderful! I took many pictures. I think I will save them for my next blog post, though. I am being intentional about my blogging too, see? So sorry if you visited to see the photos! You will just have to come back...

If you are out there and still quilt blogging, I would love to hear from you. The online quilting community has changed so much in recent years. I really enjoyed these small little private spaces where people share their day-to-day quilting life. Is anyone still out there?

Until next time!

Slow Stitching Hexies and Garden Musings

 Well, friends, it seems that I am saying hello once again after a long absence. For the few who still visit, all these years later, you know that much has happened in the past ten years. I spent time recently scrolling through old posts, and I cannot believe that this blog began in 2008. That's getting dangerously close to twenty years ago! What a different world it is today. Not only for me, but the blogging community. It is very different from when I began blogging, as a way to stay connected and talk about quilts and gardening while staying home with my children-to now. I don't come across nearly as many personal blogs anymore. I miss those! I did eventually grow into long arm quilting as a business, but this blog primarily was a diary of those days and remained a way to document my quilting and gardening life over the years. Even the quilting community online has changed dramatically. Facebook and Instagram seem to be where everyone connects now. You can find me on both of those platforms, but I think I still have a place in my heart for the personal connection only found in silly little personal blogs. 

I have been sewing. Can you believe that? And not just a little bit of sewing. I've been my regular obsessed self with sewing. Right now, my obsession is English paper pieced (EPP) hexies.

    

I started these primarily because it was difficult to get myself in front of a sewing machine with a toddler in the house. It's still difficult, but as small children grow, things become easier. I paused on my blue and cream quilt mostly because I wasn't sure how I was going to piece those diamonds. Now I think I will EPP them. What accuracy! I used cotton thread because I had a dwindling spool of it for piecing, but then later read how wonderful bottom line works for hand piecing. While it was basically invisible from the front, I also couldn't see it very well for stitching! I resumed using the cotton, and though I can see the stitches from the front, I think they will disappear if I stitch in the ditch. I also tried some Glide thread that I have an abundance of laying around from my long arming days. It also stitched up nicely and the best part was-I could see it! I am undecided if I will hand quilt or machine quilt this though. It feels like it should be hand quilted, doesn't it? If for nothing else because it is hand pieced. I did buy some pink Perle cotton and wide-eyed needles to stitch it with if I go the hand quilting route.

And if you've visited my blog before, then you know I love gardening almost as much as I love quilting. I'm a plant collector. Some of you who collect fabric can probably relate.

There is no rhyme or reason to my plant collecting other than I focus on perennials and just a few annuals. I just love that you can throw a small baby little perennial in the ground, and it will grow back twice as big the next year and the year after that it will have given you more baby plants of that same perennial. So, what I'm saying is it's a thrifty way to grow a garden, if you care to be thrifty.

This beautiful iris was already living in this wild and sprawling garden bed when we purchased the property. It is blooming and absolutely beautiful! I love irises and have had many over the years in all the different homes I've lived in. I think I need a few more, don't you?

I went back through posts, and it looks like it was ten years ago that I planted pumpkins in my back yard! Initially that was why I named this blog "pumpkin patch quilter." Because I love to quilt, and I think I had the most fun growing pumpkins of all the things I have grown. There is something special about growing pumpkins with small children too. They don't care nearly as much about the flowers, but the pumpkins! Those are special and a symbol of fall fun! So, this year I'm trying my hand at it again. I planted Jack Be Little's, mini pumpkin gourds, and lemon-yellow sunflowers in this patch below. I'm going to plant some container zinnias in those pots, but I just haven't gotten out to do it yet. At this rate I won't have blooms until October. I better get planting. Today I spent most of my garden time pulling lily of the valley from the aforementioned sprawling garden bed. Boy does that stuff spread!

I think that is all I have to share for now, but rest assured, if you are still blogging out there and talking about your quilts and gardens-I'll be reading! I have really been enjoying playing in the garden and hand sewing. I won't bore you with pictures, but I've been organizing dozens of bins of fabric too. I'll share more on that later. There's a very long way to go on that front!

A Special Gift

I know I have been posty mcposterson lately - and now that I'm working on customer quilts again I may slow back down to a post a week - but I just had to share.

Yesterday I received a gift in the mail that just about brought me to tears.  My Husband, a.k.a. the sweetest man on the face of the planet, bought me two very special books for Christmas.  One was by Sharon Schamber, and another by Karen McTavish.  Because he is a collector of baseball cards and sports memorabillia, his immediate thought to make it even more special was to ask if he might get an autograph to go with the book.  Well Karen's book was out of print, so he didn't get to order it directly from her - so he couldn't get an autographed copy.  Instead he asked if maybe she could send a Christmas card...and she did!  He once before had asked her for an autographed photo which she obliged and I have saved with all of my quilting books - I was a little afraid she was going to think I was "one of those" fans what with all the photos and autograph requests!!!  But I have to say, I was tickled and honored that someone of her talent and level would take a moment to do somthing special for me - twice! -  and that meant so much.

Now my Husband had also emailed Sharon Schamber and from what I understand her son runs her website.  Christmas day had come and gone and he told me that he had tried to get ahold of Sharon but never heard back.  I told my Husband not to be offended, she is really top of the crop and really, I don't think I know a quilter who's been quilting long who isn't lusting after her quilts!!  :)  So I really didn't expect to hear anything, and I was content with that.  Well low and behold about a week after Christmas my husband recieved an email from Sharon's son.  He apologized for the delayed response and said that Sharon wanted to send more than an autograph, but something "special".  My Husband shared the email with me and I about lept out of my chair in excitement wondering what it could be!  He had sent a small photo attachment along with the email and I looked at it carefully - like any good obsessed quilter fan I had remembered a similar photo from Sharon's Instagram feed...and I immediately recognized that it was a snippet of one of her embroidery designs!!!

Needless to say I have been virtually stalking the mail man for my little surprise...and yesterday was the day! 

This is what I received from Sharon...

I mean, is that unbelieveable or what?!  I know lesser known artists who sell PRINTS of their works with an autograph for a pretty penny...so I can only imagine the monetary value a signed piece of work directly from Sharon would go for...not that I would ever part with it.  Truly, it just meant so very much to me, I can't even express it.  Just now I want to cry!!  LOL! 

Here is the reverse side...it is autographed!  :)  My Husband said to me, "WOW!  That is the equivalent of Derek Jeter sending me a signed cleat!"  It is very exciting and so beautiful...



I love Sharon's immaculate detail in everything that she does.  Even the embroidered binding is magnificent!  I learned even just by looking at this small piece.  I hope that I get to see one of her masterpiece quilts in person one day...

...and that shiny gold thread is to die for!  Something that surprised me was the stiffness and flatness of the little piece.  I think much of that is from the thin batting and the heavy stitching, but I kind of think Sharon is known for her heavy use of starch.  You could definitely tell a bit of starch and pressing happened here!  LOL!  :)  So fascinating to have this real life little quilt in my hands and to be able to study Sharon's design up close and how she attached her binding and all the little details that can be missed in a photograph.

Even the packaging was special - I mean I think the package was about as exciting to recieve as the little quilt!  I won't show the whole envelope as it has addresses on it, but this was the little message written on the back...you can not tell me you wouldn't squeel a little with excitment and anticipation if you found this in your mail box!!  :)

I may sound a little dramatic, but those of you who are absolutely crazy passionate about quilting will understand where I come from.  These two women really changed my life.  I don't think I really found my niche in quilting until I started machine quilting.  From the start I tried to emulate Sharon Schamber's work even way back when I was quilting on my little Simplicity Quilter's Classic!!!  When I saw the amazing creations by both Sharon and Karen, I knew this was for me.  I knew that I wanted to spend my life creating quilted works of art.  I had known I loved quilting right from the get go, but it took me a while to find my true place and passion.  These two ladies really lead me there.

When you share and create you just don't know who you will influence, who you will inspire, how you change people.  I'm a real believer in that things are "meant to be" and people who are supposed to touch your life.  I am so honored and touched and thrilled to have received such special gifts from both Sharon and Karen...and more than anything to be given their TIME.  Because time is so very precious!!!

So last night was just sweet, I went to bed feeling very lucky and very blessed.  I don't know if I deserve to be so lucky, to have such a wonderful Husband and beautiful family and the ability to spend my days doing what I love...but somehow I am.  Life is so very good!  :)

Stockings Finished!!!

I hope all of you in the States had a wonderful Thanksgiving Thursday!  I know I certainly did!  Thanksgiving day we usually spend with my Husbands family and then we get together usually the following Sunday with mine.  While waiting for the family to get ready for dinner I was able to get the last of the stockings finished, and I have to say, I'm thrilled with how they turned out!!

Now, are you ready for lots and lots of photos???  LOL

Here is a shot of the backs - remember how I chose to go with an all over feather on the back?  The only thing I might do differently if I did this again would be to choose a similar pattern for all of the feathers rather than just randomly stitching them.  I like order!!!

To finish the edge of the stocking I used vintage lace for a binding.  It is a wide lace that I think may have originally be intended for lingerie...but we won't tell!!!  I hand stitched it to the front first, then fold it over and under to the reverse side.

The ruffles were made from some leftover French General jellyroll strips I had laying around.  I wanted something that added a little interest but didn't take away from the quilting...because the star is definitely the quilting!  I stitched it down on the inside, then flipped it up so that the seam would be enclosed and the ruffle would be peaking out of the stocking.  Now just imagine some pretty sparkly wrapped presents peaking out of there too!  I can't wait!

An up close shot of the back...I decided to bead only the pumpkin seed quilting.  I contemplated crystals...I love the look of crystals on all those fancy show quilts you see, and these will never be washed...but there is just something to be said about simple beading.  I love the very Victorian flavor of these stockings.

My dahlia quilt is at a standstill...mainly because I've become sick of looking at blue and black!!  All the quilting on muslin has put me back in the mood to work on this quilt...yesterday I made another twenty or so feet of bias tape to add some more fun details to this.

I ended up not using the vintage crochet'ed bits on the stockings but found a PERFECT place to incorporate them into this quilt!!!  I appliqued all the birds on last night and started adding flowers.  After that I'm going to put the crocheted lace on and I'll share with you all...I REALLY can't wait to start quilting this!!!  :)

Heirloom Stockings

Eeep!  I broke down and decided to play this evening.  I have been wanting to make these fancy quilted heirloom style stockings for my daughters for a while.  My favorite way to quilt is just goofing around...winging it and playing as I go along.  So that's what I did.

I really like how they are coming out!  Of course after I posted pictures on Facebook I discovered I missed a spot.  Whoops!  LOL

This is two layers of batting - something I'm really really liking.  I love poofyness.  I bought a roll earlier in the year of Quilters Dream Poly Request...it is their lowest loft polyester batting.  I bought it because it is inexpensive but gives the look of cotton.  I have since learned that if I want the look of cotton...I'll just use cotton...however...polyester has some great benefits!  This batting doesn't wrinkle like cotton when folded...and layered up...it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!  Two layers of poly request is seriously my new favorite batting!!!  :)

I pulled all these bits of lace and tatting - is it tatting??  Anyhow I pulled it out with a few linens and had originally planned to put them on the stockings...but now that I've finished quilting one...I like it so much I don't know if I want to cover it up with lace!!  LOL  So we'll see if I can figure out a way to incorporate these or not.  I am kind of thinking maybe the fancy quilting side will be the front...and I'll do a pretty floral quilted backing with bits of lace incorporated.  I definitely want beads...these are completely Cindy Needham inspired stockings!!!  :)

What are you up to?

Quilting Design with a Tablet and Quilt Progress

My Husband and I recently celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary, and as a gift he bought me a Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet to help me create my quilting plans.  If you are a machine quilter you may have heard of this neat gizmo.  I believe it was originally intended as a graphic design tool, but quilters are incredibly good and finding new and creative ways to do things.I first learned about using one of these tablets from Carla Barrett from Feathered Fibers, but recently the idea has really seemed to catch on.

Using a graphic design tool like the tablet really appealed to me as I do have some experience using Paint Shop Pro and other graphic design software.  Paint Shop Pro is almost like a paint program but with very advanced features - it would allow you to create layers with different elements that can be added or deleted as you go - or merged into one solid graphic.  I used to use this for amateur website design just for fun, but it has been years since I had the program and I had been really looking for something inexpensive that would aid me in my quilting design.  The Bamboo tablet came with a Corel drawing program that works specifically with the tablet - it is wonderful!

The tablet itself is really a drawing space - it comes with a pen that is used with the tablet and you can draw on a blank canvas or directly onto pictures.  This is amazing for someone like me so that I can actually draw a quilting design out onto a photo of your quilt to get an idea of what the quilting will look like.  Before, I was using paint with my computer mouse.  Having the tablet and pen cuts the drawing time down immensely, and also the software that came with it allows me the layers I had wanted so I can add and delete elements as I choose without starting a whole new session.

Loads of fun!  I love this little gadget for thinking up new designs and testing out quilting plans.  I used it recently to work up a plan for my "show" quilt.  Oh I cannot wait to share!!  This is the most intense quilting I will have done to date and I cannot wait to get started.

I have made a significant dent in the applique for my quilt - though the real kicker is the paper piecing that I haven't even touched yet.  I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  Still contemplating whether I will hand applique these or machine applique these down.  I like hand applique - but I have a LOT of work left to do.

So that's my show and share for today!  Hope everyone is doing well out there in blogland!  :)

Contrary Wife and Long Arm Update!!!

I have exciting long arm news to share...but...I'm gonna make you scroll through show and tell first 'cause I'm just rotten silly like that!!!  LOL*  :)

Here is what I've been working on.  I was going to offer the written pattern for this on Etsy for you as I've already begun writing it - and I still may, but my poor little Etsy shop is likely going to be neglected for a bit...

...here is the full quilt drawn up in EQ.  Don't you think it will be great fun to...quilt??!!!  :)

My news is - I've found my long arm!!!  My "new to me" APQS will be coming home on Sunday and I absolutely cannot wait!!!  I'm sure my blog will not be neglected much as I will be itching to share all of my learning and play with all of my quilting pals.  Until it arrives I think the only way I will maintain my sanity and keep my excitement in check is by cleaning, rearranging, making room, and piecing like there's no tomorrow!!!  YAY!!!