Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Bitty Mouse Pincushion

















































































































I am going to my first ever quilt guild meeting tonight.  The guild is having a pincushion swap so I sat down today to make the Bitty Mouse pattern from Bunny Hill Designs.  It was really a lot of fun.  I use a hemostat to turn the small pieces and it's no problem at all.  Now all I have to do is package sweet Bitty up and I'm ready!

Hugs,

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Antiquing

















































































































Next to fabric shopping, nothings pleases me more than a good day at the antique mall.  It was a beautiful sunny day yesterday and I took a long drive on a route new to me.  The road was dotted with lakes and farms, sheep grazing and daffodils nodding as I went by.  I listened to a great sermon on "The God of the Impossible" on my Iphone using the Idisciple app.  By the time I got to the antique mall, I felt as if I was filled up with a tall glass of water on a hot day.

The mall did not disappoint.  I came away with a few treasures, some of which are going to my booth at our local antique mall.  I was so thrilled to find vintage feedsacks at $3.00 each.  They washed up nicely as did the doll quilt in the first photo and the apron in the third.  I will be keeping these.  The colors are so vibrant and pretty.  I've got quite a bit of yardage for each feed sack so my mind is spinning on what to make.

I hope you are having a blessed Thursday, friends!

Hugs,

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Make a Wish Quilt












































































A very dear friend of mine began her journey with breast cancer a couple months ago.  She had a successful surgery and is in the midst of chemo.  She is a brave warrior with Jesus by her side as she walks this path.  What does a quilter do to comfort, we make quilts, don't we?  I desired for her to be wrapped in the loving arms of not only our Lord, but the special people near and far who love her so. With the help of her daughters I sent out fabric to be signed and the quilt is made up of 62 names of people who are dear to her heart.  The pattern is "Make a Wish" by Sweetwater.  It comes together quickly and was a joy to make.  In one of the spaces I included this verse from Isaiah 43:2, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." I am traveling today to give it to her.  I hope it blesses her as much as it has blessed me!

Joyfully,

Monday, April 21, 2014

Bathroom Remodel



























































































































































































When we moved into our house last June we tackled painting and replacing floors but left the half bath off the kitchen to do later.  For almost a year now I've looked at an empty box with linoleum flooring and a builders grade basic sink.  The walls had not even been painted.  Using the cross stitch of the mermaid that my Mom had given me as inspiration, I set out to remodel.  We replaced the sink, added a vintage mirror, put up beadboard and replaced the linoleum with sandy colored ceramic tile.  I filled the shelves with beach glass from growing up on Lake Michigan and a favorite set of mermaid salt and pepper shakers.  The finishing touch was the Lefton mermaids I was able to score on Etsy.  I think they complete the bath perfectly.  I clearly have the beach and water on my mind because I've cast on another "Age of Brass and Steam" shawl with the prettiest shade of blue yarn.  Have a blessed start to your week!

xoxo,

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Happy Easter!


























Wishing you and your family a most blessed Easter!

With Joy,

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Japanese Happy Fabric






















































































































































A trip to the fabric shop to check on an order turned into a bit of fabric buying, isn't that always the case?  I often get asked why I like Japanese fabrics so much.  The number one factor is cuteness!  All the little characters on these novelty prints make me happy and the colors are amazing.  These novelty prints from the top down are "Nico Nico Land" designed by Koko Seki and printed by Lecien - look at that darling church!  The second is "Pop'n Kids" also by Koko Seki and Lecien.  The third is "Forest" cheater by Kokka. They are a heavier weight cotton and would make great accessory fabric.  I also picked up some solid and patterned blenders.  Besides an Aunt Gracie quilt I made a few years ago, I haven't worked much with solids but after seeing so many wonderful quilts at Pink Castle Fabrics made with them, I'm going to give it a try.  All the fabric was purchased at Pink Castle.  Have a wonderful day friends, it's sunny and a high of 66 degrees today!

xoxo,

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Friday, April 4, 2014

A Wedding Quilt












































































Thank you for your encouraging words on my last post.  I found your comments very helpful.  In response to the crochet chicken inquiries, I made them years ago.  I found a free pattern on Ravelry for you so you can make your own here.  They are quick to make and are a fun gift to give with some candy and scripture inside.

I'm excited to bring you the latest quilt finish.  It is a wedding present for a dear couple and since they just received it I can share it with you now.  The pattern is from Cluck Cluck Sew, called Pow Wow.  I made a queen size.  It was a labor of love and I'm asking the Lord with each stitch to draw them closer to Him and to bless their marriage.

Aren't they just the cutest?


Blessings,

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

For Tuesday





































































































































































































































































I've been experiencing writers block on this blog for awhile now.  I noticed I've been posting less and less, you may have noticed it too.  I have had a great deal of change in the past few months which forced me to really evaluate some things in my life.  This time of introspection has been good for me but not too good for my blog.  With spring right around the corner (hopefully!) I will get a burst of fresh energy and get back into blogging again.  Is there anything you'd like to see more of?

I made a little zipper pouch yesterday from a tutorial on the Pink Stitches blog.  It was really fun sewing.  I got over my fear of zipper sewing with this pouch and I can see lots more pouches in my future.  It would make a great gift.  This one is for my swap pattern, to hold some little gifts I have for her.  I'm also sewing the binding on a big queen size quilt.  Since it's a gift I can't show you the whole thing yet.  I am really enjoying the Romi Mystery Knit Along shawl.  There is something about getting one clue a week that makes this so much more doable for me, and who can resist Madeline Tosh yarn?

It managed to stay in the 50's for the past couple of days which inspired me to start decorating for Easter.  Still no signs of flowers pushing through the earth but I'm hopeful they will show themselves soon.  I hope you are enjoying your day and getting sunshine in your corner of the world!

Xoxo,