Now that the base for the wall hanging was done, I turned my attention to the appliques. Initially, my thought was to make them the same way as the vase. But when I did the vase, I found that the interfacing was fusible after all, and it fused to the underside of the applique. I knew I didn’t want to use that as I wanted to be able to press the edges well prior to sewing. So, there was now a choice, use the same fabric front and back or deal with the dreaded needle turn technique. Same fabric ...

My project for National Quilting Day is a still life wall hanging. I completed the piecing of the top, and loaded it on the longarm to quilt. The idea is for the white quarter-square triangles to look like patterned wallpaper. I did the stand-and-stare for a bit, then dove in with the same quilting design I have used before.

I began with the QSTs, doing continuous curves in the blocks. I was going to stop at this point, but the seam lines puffed out with the quilting, so I decided to stitch in the ditch, too.

Using my little straight-edge ...

National Quilting Day is coming on March 16, and our local guild does a small show to celebrate every year. Each year we have a theme or a challenge. This year, the challenge is a really creative idea. We got a fat eighth of the challenge fabric and a non-quilting magazine. It is our guild’s 42nd year, so the challenge is to make a small wall hanging inspired by what is on page 42. I got a Southern Living magazine from a few years ago. Page 42 had a photo of an amaryllis in a bowl with a framed ...

Very, very interesting!

The second one is also interesting, but not as much as the first.

I put the finishing touches on a quilt I’d been working on — or on and off! — for a couple of months. Of course, the holidays were in there, so I’ll blame the slow progress on that.

A finished set of leaves

• trace 38 leaves onto fusible web and cut them out (10 sets of 3 + 4 pairs)
• fuse 38 leaves onto the fabric and cut them out
• machine applique all 38 leaves in place on the edges of the quilt top

I like all the designs in this project file, and the one above is certainly no exception.

The second design looks very busy, but if it was a real quilt I would not use contrast quilting thread so the effect would be much more restful.

On my second cup of coffee this morning and a big one at that. Yes, I use a straw to help keep my front teeth white. Weird I know.  Anyone else do that?

 Tony went to bed for a nap when we finally made it home and I tried to calm myself with ...

 The weather outside is just a little bit frightful...

Seriously?? What did I say the other day about my sewing projects? I said - there is NO applique or paper piecing. And then I spotted this. 

My clam shell APPLIQUE block

Yes, that is a block for the Green Tea and Sweet Beans by Jen Kingwell, which is supposed to be done (the center - no borders) by FRIDAY. I was going to start piecing it and realized that while the clam shells are glued to the block, they are NOT stitched in place. Sigh....................

So - let's get an audiobook going, dig out the thread, and guess what I'll ...

When I was at our local guild’s retreat last summer a cute little pattern, Mini Moons, caught my eye. It reminded me of a class I’d taken years ago from Sharon Schamber, who is the most amazing quilter and who came up with a technique called Pieceliqué — kind of a cross between piecing and […]

Sewing in community is an important part of quilting history. Family and friends gathered together at quilting parties to finish a quilt. Today, quilt guilds, quilt shows, retreats, and other organized events create opportunities for community. I prefer getting together with my sisters, so today we gathered at my local church and stitched on quilts […]

Swirling Leaves 3

Final (?) leaf placement

In the heart of my quilting haven, where threads and fabrics entwine to create stories stitched in color, a new patchwork adventure unfolds. Join me, in a new project that started in 2022, and is about to end. The marriage of english paper piecing and applique has always been a successfull one, and if you add some scrapiness than it is a match made in heaven!

At the heart of this project are the 6-point stars, each handcrafted using the English paper piecing technique and a favorite scrap fabric. As the stars are pieced together, they are applied onto a ...

It would be fun to be able to arrange a garden bed following some of the designs in this project file!

I love the layout above, but have no hope of reproducing it in the garden.

Love the second design too, especially the centre block.

For the gardeners out there, Brunsvigias are a South African bulb, love hot and dry conditions, and once established the flower comes before the foliage … but it takes about ten years for the first flower to make an appearance.

Thank goodness the foliage appears each year to remind us that the bulbs are there, and ...

It won't be long before a new

Cackling Stitches 

Bona Lisa's Sweater Emporium

50" x 74"

This is my version of Bona Lisa's Sweater Emporium.

I used solid and Halloween fabrics from my stash

with ...