Heart of Hearts

So.  Ahem.  I was cruising Pinterest the other day...and over at

the red thread, you will find my newest inspirational motivation!

 

 

Lisa's blog is full of eye-bursting, heart-popping projects and colors! 

 

 

Oh, be still my heart!

Don't those fabrics just shout "Spring!"

 

Needed a more modern block to work on this week, so out came the aqua and pink/red scraps.

 

 

Very neat.  Very tidy.  Very unusual for me!

 

 

Halfway there!

 

 

Here is one finished up.  Needed thirty-one 2 1/2" sq. blue, twenty 2 1/2" sq. pink and red and ten aqua/pink and red half triangles.

 

Quick and easy to put together.  This block finishes out at 16 1/2" sq.  It wouldn't take too many to make a lap quilt.

 

 

But is that too much of a good thing? 

Do I make another one in other colors like Lisa did and go from there?

Pillow?

Ack!

Help! 

What to do, what to do!

 

i have to say

quilt story

freshly pieced

my quilt infatuation

crazy mom quilts

and

sew many ways

 

Come visit some amazing blogs where lots of fun, creative and inspiring things are happening!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Always In Style

Thank you for all the kind compliments on the mini!  My heart just sings at being able to bring something from the "throw away" pile into being used and loved today.

I haven't forgotten the Linens Quilt...

 

(see the twin basket in the top, right hand corner?  every little bit that can be used...is!)

 

...it's just waiting until I'm ready to work on a larger project again.

Soon.

 

 

Vintage lines lovingly stitched.  This table runner was stained and discolored and at the bottom of a basket of "cutter" embroidery pieces at an antique store.

 

 

Two of the end baskets were able to be saved.  One is, as shown, in the Linens Quilt, and the other is surrounded with peaceful blue scraps.

 

Some more hand quilting, turning corners ala Cathedral Windows style and a bit of creative binding with this gorgeous blue gingham, and now I have this:

 

 

You can't see it very well, but the word "peace" is stitched in the bottom, right corner.

 

Ahhhh.  How fun to finish another one!

 

A trip to Hobby Lobby also yielded a 1/2 price shadow box score and some plain, white scrapbooking paper to mount the "Joy" mini onto.  The frame of the shadow box is black and as soon as warmer temps come along, I'll spray paint it white to match our family room.

 

 

 

Hubs and I had a chance to do some shopping-hopping last weekend and I stopped in at an LQS, The Quilt Shoppe in Anderson, IN.  The wonderful shop owner, Dawn, is ordering the Quick Curve Ruler and Double Wedding Ring Pattern for me from

Sew Kind of Wonderful's Jenny Pedigo.

(yes, I know I can order it from Jenny, but we need to support our local brick and mortars too!)

 

 

Jon and Becker (my nickname for her!) have asked for a Double Wedding Ring quilt as a wedding gift and I love Jenny's pattern, Metro Rings...I had asked for the QCR for Christmas and kept forgetting to forward a link to hubs...

 

 

So, the ruler and pattern are ordered and Dawn has graciously offered to help if needed.

Thanks Dawn!

 

(love, love, love these kids!)

 

Also while at The Quilt Shoppe, I came across this little trinket in a Charity Donations basket

 

 

A little help from needle-nosed pliers, happy yellow scraps and ribbon and...

 

 

Come link up with and share what you've been working on this week and see what other bloggers have been keeping busy creating!

 

i have to say

quilt story

freshly pieced

and

crazy mom quilts

 

you can find me here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Stop and Start

Huge shout out to our son, Chris!  Not only was he accepted to the university of his choice for his under-grad studies, but he was awarded the Presidential Scholarship!
When we brought him home because of school bullying five and a half years ago...he was a very different kid.

Never wanted to step foot in a classroom again, hated school, hated learning, and hated reading.
God's grace and the love-support-encouragement of friends and family have helped guide and change him into a friendly, outgoing, Ph.D. bound young man who loves to learn new things, has read over a thousand books in the last five years, and has a circle of amazing friends!

Just so happy for him!
Proud of the positive things he has allowed to happen in his life
(thanks for the proud parent moment!)

It was very gratifying to start something and get it finished so quickly!

My Pinspired "mini" went from this:

 

 

to this:

 

 

in under two days!

I added hand quilting on the diagonal in the center and then bordered the basket using matching embroidery floss.

Outlined the scrappy squares and added a stripey binding.

It finished out at 10 1/2" square.

Oh, it makes me happy!

I want to stitch the word "joy" into the corner before I take it to Hobby Lobby for framing.

 

 

This was my inspiration piece (ahem).

 

Really enjoyed the creative process of this lil' sweetie and another dig into the vintage linens tote brought this piece to my attention.

 

 

The idea for a series was born.

This one makes me think "peace".

Perhaps because of the soft, calming colors or the symmetry of it all.

 

 

Look at how beautiful and perfect these stitches are!

 

 

"Peace" is bordered with this elegant fabric scrap that echoes the gentle curves of the basket.

 

 

Soothing blues to compliment the flowers.

Some of the fabrics are turned wrong side out to soften the color and help them blend better.

A block with the name of beaches on it.  A sweet blue bird of happiness in another.  Favorite fabric scraps from other projects that make me smile.

The third block down on the left has the word "wish" in it.

I'm wishing for "peace" in some relationships this year.

Not a New Year's resolution, but a life-wish for these relationships.

 

And like relationships, this piece needs a little work before I'm finished.

 

Come take a look at what other bloggers from all over the world are working on this week!

 

i have to say

quilt story

freshly pieced

and

crazy mom quilts

 

you can find me here 

 

Please remember Heather and Megan, the ladies from Quilt Story, in your thoughts and prayers.

They lost their dad before Christmas.

Sincere sympathies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



here

Quilter's Block to Sewing Happy!

Well, I won't bore you with the snowy-cold news here!

It's been a blistering -13 today.

Which means shovelling out the driveway multiple times, sidewalks, trips to help others, no Ball State and no work fur the hubs or Jon!

Lost of hot chocolate being consumed here in between times outside!

 

 

This is my dream cup of hot chocolate!  Served at a sewing retreat where all my quiltey and bloggy friends are!

Sigh!

 

Last week I finished up my Winter table topper

 

 

Very happy!  Very pleased!

 

Inspired by this picture on Pinterest

 

 

This week while surfing, I came across this

 

 

and fell in love!  Sort of.  Kind of.  How about another spasm of inspiration?

 

I really like the color...but not much orange happening here.

I love the heart centered with the bow...no heart locket, tons of snow, no travelling and the prototype fabric heart I tried, well, didn't work out in the long haul I'm a-frayed.

 

 

Twiddle thumbs.  Take a drink.  Walk around.  Look out the windows.  Surf Pinterest again.  Come back to the same, original picture that caught my eye.

 

Ok.

 

Into my tote of vintage linens.  Maybe something will connect with me there.

 

 

I find this basket of posies.  Very Springy, happy, colorful and smallish.  I cut it to a square 6 1/2".

The Pinterest picture has a scrappy border that makes me smile.  Now off to the scraps totes and buckets.  I decide on only one border of scraps all the way around (instead of two at the top and bottom...but maybe I'll change my mind when I go back to it later today).

 

And now I have this

 

 

I'm beaming!  What a bright, cheerful, pick me up on a cold winter's day!

 

In the original inspiration, there is quilting on the paper behind the locket.  I took out my ruler and my Pilot Frixion pen and mark quilting lines 1" apart on both diagonals.

 

 

And here is where I am starting the day off.  I'm not much of a hand quilter, so I marked 1/4" dashes and tried to sew straight.  LOL  Do you think it looks like paper toweling too?  (shaking my head...I need caffeine!)

 

Not sure where it will end up.  But I'm pretty happy.  It looks nothing like my inspiration piece, but that's the fun of it!  Taking something, adjusting here and there, changing this, replacing that and making it truly YOUR own!

 

Hope you're staying warm and safe wherever you are today!

Come be inspired!

 

i have to say

freshly pieced

and

crazy mom quilts

 

you can follow me here