OK, Mom, I'm Updating.....

OK, Mom, I know I haven't updated this site since April...but I have a basket of excuses...the memory chip from my Sony camera does not fit the slot of my computer (I fixed that by switching to a Canon Powershot - wonderful camera!), I've been working a lot, I'm just getting old.....but the camera chip is the major reason. I have been busy, though, quilting. I should say, piecing. I've finished the tops of these quilts and am now ready to actually quilt. The first one is a double wedding ring quilt. I started this at a Country Stitches Saturday class with Carol Forsberg. On all of the images, just click on the picture to enlarge it. This quilt top was made using the QuiltSmart technique for creating the rings.
The quilt below is made out of leftovers from the Vanilla Stars quilt I completed earlier this year. It is a series of nine-patches and squares. This will be my 2010 LAP Ele's Place quilt. LAP members donate quilts to Ele's Place so that each grieving child may choose a quilt. The backing will be flannel--all the better for snuggling.

I finished the tablecloth started at the LAP Edyta Sitar workshop. This used a foundation paper-piecing technique. I tried to hand quilt this piece but since it is a tablecloth, I didn't use batting. The lack of batting and the use of batik fabrics for both the top and backing made hand quilting it a bugger.

Aunt Millie's Flowerbasket pattern was used to create the machine embroidered flower baskets in this quilt. I used the "bluework" concept and all baskets are embroidered in a deep blue.

This quilt was on display at Country Stitches. I loved the idea but wanted to add my own variations in regards to color and layout. It's called Snowmen Through the Year. The blocks are hand appliqued. I had to draw the outlines on the fabric and then do the embroidery. In addition to the embroidery, there are fabric and other embellishments that made this fun to do.

Now if you can't say something nice, you probably shouldn't say it at all, but..... This quilt was made with a block of the month called "A New Twist on Old Favorites," by Daniel Burke. Unfortunately, the blocks did not come with directions for putting them together! Pam Henrys at Everlasting Stitches (my favorite quilt shop--Aurelius Road, Holt, MI) helped me choose the fabrics to put the blocks together. It is very colorful! The blocks were paper-pieced.

Two years ago, I saw this quilt (similar, anyway) on display at the Marshall House Quilt Shop in, well, Marshall, MI. I loved the use of batiks and the fact that it was made using raw-edge machine applique. I'm not sure why it took me so long to finish it!

"Wildflowers" is a machine appliqued quilt made of beautiful batiks. The machine embroidery pattern is outstanding; the blocks were great fun to make. Putting the various blocks together and picking out the coordinating batiks took way more time than creating the blocks.