Saturday, August 29, 2015

Stitching progress.

While I am puttering along in slow motion with regards to any quilt projects, I have made headway with some cross stitch.

I took a break from A Year In Chalk and started a pattern that I've wanted to stitch from the minute I got it.

American Frontier by Tumbleweeds. Tumbleweeds is a division of Little House Needleworks.


This pattern has the Americana look I like.


Aside from a mistake in the bottom row, it was a pretty enjoyable piece to stitch.

I have two spots I spend time stitching.  A chair in my bedroom and a chair in the family room.  When the kids were in school I would stitch in my bedroom chair when they were getting home because I wanted to be nearby.  (Single storey cape cod style house.)  Now that the kids aren't around so much, I rarely stitch in there.  The end result is that whatever piece I keep by that chair can take forever.

Case and point....Sweet Land of Liberty by Sue Hillis.


I only have two children left but it took me all summer to do the other four.


I may have to move this to my other stitching chair in hopes of finishing it up asap. 

I am packing up American Frontier and a couple other finishes from earlier this year and heading to the frame shop.  I would love to have Sweet Land of Liberty finished by the time I go pick up this batch.  I think that means I need to move it to the family room stitching chair.

Pam

Saturday, August 22, 2015

A quilt I just can't forget.

At the end of July I went to the AQS Quilt Show in Syracuse and spent the day mostly shopping but, of course, also browsing the lovely quilts entered in the show.

As a side note:  I went to another national show and was so disappointed in the quilts.  I don't think there was a single quilt I wanted to get closer to.

Anyhow, when browsing online for the pattern of a quilt I greatly admired at the Syracuse show this is what I found:



Let Them Eat Cake by Nancy Hieronymus Barrett of With Needle and Thread

A cute enough pattern.

However, it looks absolutely nothing like this:


This quilt was called One Cake, Two Cakes, Red Cake Blue Cake.


The detail just blew me away.


I had never seen this binding before but it is called a Loop Binding.




The quilt was made by Linda Neal and quilted by Jackie Brown.


Just amazing.

For another detailed post about this quilt check out this one.  It even includes a picture of the maker with her quilt.

I hope some of you quilt fans get to see this beauty in person as it's traveling with the AQS show. 

I think I'm a pretty good quilter but I will never ever be able to create this!

Pam






Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Summer winds down.

I have one measly photo of what I finished while on vacation.  Although, as you know from all my carping, these are not easy finishes for me.


I managed a few other things but, alas, you'll have to take my word for it.  Some days the challenge of finding the camera, preparing the work for photographing, then posting them takes more time than I'm interested in investing.  Sooner or later the time will be right.

We are in the final phase of summer here in Western NY.  I am working on all the charitable projects I'd hoped to leisurely complete over the summer along with squeezing in the last outdoor activities we'd hoped to take part in.  This last weekend alone we finally had dinner at a restaurant we'd been wanting to try, went to an outdoor music and wine event, and took part in a golf 'game' and picnic. 

This coming weekend I have quilts in another show so that involves trips to the store to drop off/pick up plus a trip to the show. 

Now that Buttercup is home from her summer camp job we need to focus our efforts on preparing her for her semester in Spain.  We will be making our own way to Europe for a big vacation, too.  So much planning ahead.

In the mean time...I am off to help distribute school supplies at a local elementary school.  More good deeds....and another convenient excuse for why I don't have pictures of my latest projects. 

Pam

Saturday, August 15, 2015

A new sewing machine?

Who me?

No.  There currently ISN'T a new sewing machine in my house but this just cracked me up.


I need to work on the proper facial expressions and hand gestures in the event one does find its way into my sewing room.

Pam