A Little Holiday-Inspired Quilt...

"Tribute To Betsy" Quilt Pattern

 

I have a number of quilt kits that I'm sorting through. Some I will keep, and some I will make available in my shop. This is a quilt I'm going to keep and make...perhaps this weekend. This was a kit I purchase a few summers ago when Kathy and I went on one of our annual shopping days (in the Sun Prairie, WI area).

 

It's called "Tribute To Betsy" (from Em and Me Designs), and I have everything I need to complete the top, except backing, which I'll choose from my fabric room. When complete, it will measure 52" x 57", with 24 flag blocks in the design.

I can imagine this quilt placed across the back of my chair on the porch, or resting in the hammock we'll be hanging from the trees in our northern tree line. I love the simplicity of this design, and look forward to using it.

A Little Monkey Business...

Brynwood Needleworks - Monkey Business Quilt In Process

I'm working on a new child-size quilt for a special kidlet I know. I've chosen a fabric that's really appropriate for the little one, and I'm having fun putting it together.

I cut my yardage into 10" squares and then into half square triangles. Once I'd sewn them together, I played around with placement to decide the pattern I wanted for the finished blocks.

Brynwood Needleworks - Monkey Business Quilt In Process

 

I settled on pinwheels. It's one of my favorite designs, and because of the size of my finished blocks, they'll create big pinwheels, which will finish quickly. 

 

I'll work on it over the rest of this week and send it off as soon as it's done. I'll be calling this one "Monkey Business".

Today is Nifty 50s with the girls in Harbour Heights, so I'm taking a portable project. (Mainly because I'm too lazy to schlep my sewing machine and supplies with me.) I'll be working on my Plum Sweet hexies project again. Good times!

Keeper Of The Keys...

Brynwood Needleworks - Floral Key Fobs

I made more useful products today for my Etsy shop. This time I chose to put together nearly a dozen key fobs.

I created three different floral-themed key fobs, choosing twill roses; twill flowers with bees; and a woven boho-feel floral. All were sewn to cotton webbing before installing into the hardware.

Brynwood Needleworks - Quilty Key Fobs

 

I also made three different quilt-themed fobs. All three are woven ribbons sewn to cotton webbing. One has sewing tools; another with patchwork and cross stitch; and finally a square block.

I made more key fobs in other themes. You can find them in my newest Etsy listing HERE. Another fun day, "making" in the studio.

Tag will be back tomorrow to visit. He's been having fun this week!

Life Is Art...

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  I'm still quilting my Birds In The Pineapples quilt. Hoop, stitch, unhoop...repeat...a lot. I'm making art - and loving my joyful and creative life.

Racing Toward Another Deadline...

Brynwood Needleworks - Pineapple Blocks

I set this aside for too long as I tackled other projects. Now, it's time to get back to them. When I have the number of blocks I need - forty eight, or when I run out of block fabrics - I'll assemble  them into a quilt.

Brynwood Needleworks - Pineapple Blocks

I'm shooting for a finished size of 60" x 80", including borders. For these 10" finished blocks, that means I need six across by eight down...forty eight blocks. I already have nineteen finished. I have a few to go. (winking - or is that nervous twitching?)

Brynwood Needleworks - Pineapple Blocks

 

I really don't think the fabric will last long enough to make forty eight blocks, but I'll keep making them and see where I end up.  I can always beef it up with a coordinating border or two to get to my target size.

Did I tell you that this will be an entry in our February quilt show? Are you laughing? It's okay. I am, too. I have one or two other projects to finish by then. Well, pull up a chair and hang on. It's going to be an exciting ride to see if I can get these finished in time.

PS. Today Mom would have been 88 years old. I miss you more than words can say. Happy Birthday in Heaven, Mom. xo

On My Short List...

I saw this quilt last week on FaceBook. It was created by Diane Miller Hedrick as a Birthday gift for her husband. I saw it posted on a page called "24 Blocks". You know about me and patriotic quilts by now. I was immediately smitten.

I don't need a pattern, per se, for this one. I can see that the stripes and stars were created with the fabric. I went on a hunt.

It didn't take me long to find what I was looking for. This fabric line is called "Stars and Stripes" (Stonehenge), and was produced by Northcott. Within the hour, I'd found a supplier and had ordered the basic fabrics I'd need to make the quilt. I still need a solid navy for the star blocks, but that won't be hard to find. The fabrics I ordered arrived yesterday. How's that for quick?

I'll draw this out on my EQ7 program (on my Mac), and I'll be able to start sewing on it next week. (Another open house on the weekend, so I'll stick to smaller projects for now. They're easier to put away quickly.)

It's always fun to dream about a new quilt even if I don't immediately have the time to work on it. But I wasn't kidding. This one is on my short list!

Whoops, I Did It Again...

My plan was to work on this quilt for a sweet, little Corgi girl yesterday.

Instead, when I went to pick up a wriggling, seventeen pound, black Labrador puppy, I threw out my bloody back again. I don't know why it's so hard for me to remember that I need to be cautious about my back, even when I'm feeling good.

It's that first second - right after I do something that causes me to hurt again - that I remember that I shouldn't have done "that". Now I know that I can no longer pick up Bella...at least not if I don't want to spend the rest of the day drugged and useless!

I'm hoping that I can complete this project today. Otherwise, I'll finish it over the weekend and put it in the mail first thing Tuesday. One thing is for sure, I don't want to spend a whole holiday weekend feeling like this, so I'll definitely be taking it easy. 

 

I'm purposely not saying "who" and "where" about the quilt at this point. I'll save that for later.

Campers...

I stopped to visit with my friend, Rhonda, at Crazy Quilters shop today.
Look what she ordered with me in mind!!! Amy Bradley Designs' "Campers".

You do know that one of these will be silver when I make it, right? It's going
to be the one with the palm tree and flamingo...and a Corgi...and a black Lab.
Definitely added to my "To Do" list!

Another showing today. We'll be heading out for a while with Tag and Bella,
but when we get back, I'm definitely going to spend the rest of the day playing.

Princess And The Diva Quilt...

Another clutch wallet finished yesterday. 

I've called this clutch "The Princess".

It has a turnlock closure and a happy red, polka dot interior.

There's a Brynwood label inside and a "handcrafted" charm on the 

zipper pull. This is the fifth wallet I've completed, and I have three

more already cut out and waiting for me to work on them. But first...

This quilt is a Christmas gift, and I have to bind it now that

it's back from the long-arm. I'll be doing this first thing today.

I like the quilting design she chose. A simple, all-over flower.

I think the finished quilt is going to be a big hit for the recipient.

Of course, I can't tell you who will receive it.  That's a surprise!

Just A Peek...

 In the upcoming days, I'll share some of the purchases I made when Kathy

and I went shopping in Sun Prairie and Spring Green, Wisconsin on Tuesday.

I can't tell you how many times I walked past one of Yoko Saito's books while

shopping in Country Sampler. I finally decided to pick it up (I'll show that one

another time), only to walk past this one and "have" to purchase it, too!

 This scrumptious applique' quilt immediately caught my eye. 

Being an outdoor Wisconsin girl and my affinity for all things "nature",

I was immediately taken with the stitched and appliqued' plants in this quilt.

I know a shop that carries Japanese fabrics, so I may have to do a few online

orders to get the fabrics just right to be able to create this one, but I'm in no

hurry. Doing it right is always more important to me than doing it quickly.

 There are also patterns for the most gorgeous handbags and accessories.

I'm going to have a difficult time deciding just what to tackle first!

Here is another closeup of some of the botanical appliques'.

The price for the two books I purchased was not inconsequential - each one was 

over thirty dollars - however, I can see myself creating multiple projects from them. 

I take excellent care of my books, too, so when I'm finished gleaning all the yummy 

goodness out of each of them, perhaps I'll decide to recoup some of my costs by 

sharing them with someone else. They really are too wonderful to keep all to myself!

I know it won't be anytime soon, though. I think I'll spend a lot of time dreaming on 

them before I ever take a single stitch. When I do, you'll all be the first to know. I can't 

tell you how much I enjoy sharing this creative journey with all of you. I hope that I can 

inspire you to try something new and enjoy your own creative processes along the way.

 

One more thing before I close today...

I'm really loving my new laptop (using the latest Mac operating system), but I haven't

been able to receive or send any of the emails coming to my Brynwood email address.

I'm reading each of your notes to me every day since we left Florida on my iPhone,

but I'm sure you understand when I tell you what a pain it is to type replies on a phone

 keyboard. I want you to know that I'll answer all your notes to me when I get home,

and ask that you bear with me while I continue to train my new laptop to behave.

Thanks. 

xo

A New Quilter In Heaven...

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 Yesterday, our Coffee Club and our entire quilt guild received sad news.

Our dear friend and my mentor, Flo Shannon died.

Coffee Club (l-r) Flo, Joni, Nora, Fay, Kathy, me and Brenda

Flo passed on Wednesday evening at her home.

I saw her Tuesday night at our guild meeting and thankfully, I had a chance

to speak with her that night. We've all be concerned for her for some time, as

she seemed to be getting more and more frail, but we never expected this.

Always a good listener/

Flo was one of the charter members of our guild, and she made it her goal to 

welcome all new members, get to know them and help teach them more about 

quilting. I wrote about her in August 2010 when I made my first, sad attempt

 at hand applique'. She told me I needed to redo my work because it wasn't good 

enough. I railed and carped here, but I redid my work and eventually finished 

the block into a lap quilt that received honorable mention at our last quilt show.

Photo courtesy of Linda Spencer

You have seen the applique' projects I've completed since that first try, and I

attribute my enthusiasm to the encouragement and knowledge I received from Flo.

She often told me how proud she was to be my teacher and see the progress I made.

Then, she'd lower her head and smile at me with her twinkling Irish eyes.
I'll never forget this look.

She was a good listener, a great friend, an adventurous and talented woman with a 

colorful  past, and a true educator in the art of quilting. She was never stingy with 

her lessons and couldn't wait to share everything she had every learned or done.

Today will be a sad day at Coffee Club...our first day without our dear Flo.

We will all remember her, share our memories and raise our coffee cups in her honor.

She will be sorely missed.

We love you, Flo.

Session Three Class Today...

I'll be teaching Session Three of my four session Over The River quilt class at Crazy 

Quilters in Venice, Florida today. I'm actually much further along now than when this 

photograph was taken. In fact, I'm nearly ready to assemble the entire quilt!

Here's a peek at the divider bands arranged with the first completed needlework panel

and the flying geese border. I'll start sewing the applique' panel by the weekend. 

I drew the square-in-square block, star block and flying geese as paper foundations for 

my class, and as soon as I get home from the class today, I'll be uploading them to my 

Box.net account so that anyone who wants to can download them for their own use.

I'll share the link with you as soon as I've completed the file sharing.

(I'll update by adding the link to this post, too, so be sure to check back here tomorrow.)

I sure hope you have something creative planned for today.

You know it makes you feel better, don't you?

Make time. Even if it's only for one hour. One hour to less stress and more happiness.

You deserve it.

Catching My Breath...

 I delivered the quilt top to Susan yesterday afternoon. I guess I hadn't realized 

just how physically and mentally invested I am in the project. All of a sudden,

I was exhausted. It actually took me by surprise. I had to rest. You know. The

"put your feet up and relax" kind of rest. After I got home, I decided to do

 absolutely nothing. It was blissful. Later, I was so refreshed that I tidied up 

the studio a bit! Now, I'll be ready to get right to it when I go back in there.

I'm looking forward to spending the day with dear old friends visiting from 

Wisconsin today. They've been in Florida for a week, but have made time

 to be with us before they head back home. I'm sure there will be pictures.

Wishing all of you a great day today. It's almost the weekend!!

Bye, Bye Birdies...

 They're finished and on their way to new homes!

This is the tote that Cheryl will be receiving from the Sweetheart Valentine

Giveaway I held last month. I used the Moda Martinique fabric line, sweet

baby birds from Michelle Palmer and I even added ribbon from Moda to the strap.

It's fully quilted, and I designed it myself. I'm very happy with the result, 

and I hope that Cheryl is equally happy to have and use it.

 I made two table runners. One was for Amy (the one on the left),

and the other is for Joyce. The table runners measure approximately

14" wide and 51" long. I hope they have tables or buffets long enough 

to accommodate them. Of course, they could lie across the end of a

bed if one chose, too. The binding on these table runners was applied

by machine and then finished in the traditional method - hand sewn.

 So, I can cross another UFO project off my list! I hope that Amy,

Joyce and Cheryl love their giveaway gifts. I'm really happy with

the way they turned out, and I'm looking forward to their reactions.

I have a commission to finish next, and I won't be able to debut them

for you. That will be the privilege of the recipient. That means that, 

even though I'll be a busy needleworker today, I won't be able to share

pictures tomorrow. I have another subject in mind, though, so I hope 

you'll come back again. I'm also going to start thinking about my next

giveaway. My Fourth Blog Anniversary is just around the corner!

(Actually it's a week from Friday! I can hardly believe it myself.)

Have a great day! I'm off to the studio...