Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm having trouble finding time to write posts for my blog!!

In honor of Valentine's Day - I submit some pictures.

Chocolate, of course.

33rd Traditional Valentine's Meatloaf Dinner

Heart Quilts and Quilt blocks

And some happy people blocks, too!

AND... I am currently working on creating a veil 

from the wedding dress of a Bride's Grandmother.

It is going to be LOVELY.

Happy Valentine's Day.

CathyH 

Work In Progress

This year I want to try to link up with Work In Progress Wednesdays at Freshly Pieced.

So, I guess, that is one goal for 2013.

Right now I am working on my Sampler Quilt from the Girls' Club (circa 1999 or so).

I have the blocks on my design wall and I just have to figure out how to put them together into a quilt top.  My initial goal was to use only that pink fabric and the blue-and-flowers striped fabric that you see predominantly in the squares.  I then allowed myself to add white I had in my stash and other pinks and blues from my stash as needed.

I bought the pink fabric when our MJDesigns here in town went out of business.  They were selling the fabric for $2 a yard - which was a great deal.  I figured there was about 10 yards on the bolt.  I told the little girl I wanted it all - and she started measuring it.  Well, she lost count of the yards and she was wrestling with the bolt.  After about 5 yards she let out this big sigh of frustration and said something like: "You can have it all for $10".

SOLD!!

And 13+ years later I still have this project going.

Every time I look at it I just smile - because I really like those colors together.. and because I had a handful of Junior High and High School Girls who were sewing along with me at the time.  One of the girls just sent me this picture of HER sampler quilt that she says she uses on her bed.  She did such a great job!!

Just to add a few pictures:

Here is the advent calendar I sent to my youngest at college.  

And here are some tiny Gingerbread houses I made:

They sit on the edge of your mug.

My sister-in-law and I are making more tomorrow.  They were so fun!

If you are visiting from Freshly Pieced (or somewhere else!)  Check out some of my previous posts or tabs to see more fun projects!

Happy New Year!

CathyH

2013 Goals

I went to find my Notebook of Projects.  The one where I listed
all the past projects I've completed,
all the projects I have cut out,
all the projects my Mom started and left me, and
all the fabrics that have projects calling my name.

I cannot find The Notebook.

Goal #1 for 2013

FIND MY LIST OF GOALS!

CathyH

I've Waited SO Long to Show This!

In January I received a brown bag with a yard of fabric in it.

Batik fabric.

Beautiful Batik fabric.

My job - to make a quilt top using this fabric and have it completed by December.  Then I would give away the quilt top to whoever put it in the brown bag.

This is the fabric I was given.

Didn't know whose fabric it is.
Didn't know what they like
or what they don't like.

So I made something
that I would like.
And finished it in the summer.

Kept it quiet all of August.
September.
October.
November.


And then the trees were such a pretty color that I knew it was the time to take pictures of the quilt top.

I had two charm packs of batiks - they were the perfect combination of colors and textures.  

And, somehow, they were the perfect number of charms to use this pattern.

The pattern is called "Smitten" by Rachel Griffith.  

You can see it here.
(Her colors were for a baby quilt)
(I also saw an awesome rainbow rendition of the quilt here)

But the obvious color scheme for mine focused on the lovely Autumn Batik.

Here are some of my favorite blocks in this quilt:

  

I had so much fun making this quilt - and was so excited to give it away.
Two of my children could not believe I would give it away. . . they really liked it.



Merry Christmas to my dear friend.  I'm so glad you like your quilt top!

CathyH

Christmas Exchange - The 2012 "Reveal"

Our "Seams Like Sisters" Quilting Bee holds a special event each year - which we unveil in December.

For 2012 our special event involved a yard of fabric placed in a brown sack.  We shuffled the sacks around and took one home.  Using that yard of fabric we were supposed to make a quilt top.  At the 2012 Christmas party the yard of fabric (and it's companion quilt top) would be returned to the proper owner.

Some of us had trouble remember what fabric was put in the sack last January!!

But, in the end, each of the Sewing Sisters ended up with a quilt top.  Here is a quick glance of the quilt tops  - those with pictures!

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

I think there may have been more quilt tops - but these are the pictures I have. 

What  an amazing story of creativity!!  Great job, my Sisters!

I will show the quilt top I made in a post tomorrow.  The leaves on my crape myrtle turned the most amazing color one day (and dropped all the leaves the next day!) and provided the best opportunity to photograph the quilt I made.  Check back tomorrow!

CathyH

Christmas Exchange

For the last two years, our "Seams Like Sisters" Quilting Bee holds a special event each year - which we unveil in December.  You may remember that, for Christmas 2011, we each made blocks for our Sisters in the color(s) they desired. This resulted in a number of quilts that were unveiled THIS Christmas.

You can see last year's reveal on this blogpost.

Here are a few samples of the blocks put into quilts, as some of our Sisters brought these to the 2012 Christmas party.

Christmas Colors:

Specific Block in Specific Colors:

Green Blocks - made into Houses around the Church!

Snowmen:

And, you will probably remember my Red and White Quilt.

I love my Sisters.

CathyH