Life and a Quilt for Delta Joy

Life ...

I love to hear the singing of children playing church.

This is one reason among many that I don't enjoy gardening! But I am going to look forward to some pretty dragon-wing begonias in a few weeks.

Whenever the rain stops and the land dries up, the men are kept busy in the fields.

... as a Quilter

I finally finished a quilt for Delta Joy. I had this "rail fence" top finished for a couple years and it was only just recently that I decided it would make a nice grandchild's quilt.

So I pieced her name in big letters and framed it with borders and strips to make a back for her quilt. Now it's reversible.

Delta's momma hung it across the balcony railing and Delta couldn't get up there fast enough to get it down. She was claiming the quilt for her own!

I am thankful for a handyman of a husband. My little featherweight quit sewing and I couldn't figure out why. When I packed it up I found a tiny little screw on the table so I picked it up for safe keeping. When Paul had time, he looked at the machine and found the problem and sure enough he needed that little screw to make it sew again.

Ablaze

I'm working on a new piece for my "Ablaze" series.

More inspiration can be found at these Linky Parties.

Magnolia Sewing Circle

It's so much fun getting together to sew with friends.

Someone donated these blocks that remind me of the Cathedral Window pattern. Rosetta is finding a way to put them together for a comfort top.

Thelma, Elmina, Norma, and Carol are hand quilting a baby quilt for a layette.

It was a cold and windy day so the children mostly played indoors.

Kendall watches his mom, Sherilyn sew blocks together.

Chrystal finds a backer for this top.

Friends, Addison and Lia.

Little Kenny watches his Mom Laura sew that one seam.

Kenny peeps through the machine's throat and gives his mom a smile.

We each were to bring a can of soup for lunch. They were all mixed together ...

... and served with homemade bread, honeybutter, and a broccoli salad. It was delicious.

Projects -- Daisies, Sailboat V, and Teryn's Quilt

I'm still working on my "Daisies" from the workshop that I took with Susan Cleveland.

Sailboat V is now complete.

This piece developed from a picture I had taken of my nephew, Scott. I tweaked it on the computer to make a sketch and then printed it on fabric. Using black, I thread painted the sketch and then quilted it.

Sailboat V -- $50 SOLD
8.5" X 11.0 "

Detail

See Sailboat II and Sailboat IV here.

I have finally finisihed quilting this crib size quilt for our grandson, Teryn. Now ... on to binding it.

Check the linky party at "Off the Wall Friday."

Maple Street Quilting and Heatwole Campout II

I’m glad to have corn in the freezer even though it was hard work getting it there.

It was good to see Jo Anne again (center), a Possum Town Quilter now living in Texas. She is hand quilting this blue “tumbler” quilt  in 'Baptist Fan' fashion.

 Bessie and Zella tie this ‘star’ quilt.

Carol is piecing this top for Red Cross. She used all striped fabric for the blocks.

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And now, more on our Heatwole Family Campout  in North Carolina.

The rhododendron were out and in full bloom.

Pathway to the cabins.

Paul showed the little ones how Jake, John, and Joe go rabbit hunting. They just couldn't figure out how those 'rabbits' got up through the table. You can watch him here.

These little girls are trying to decide which design they want painted onto their cheeks.

Hannah and Tina can pump by themselves on this swing.

The children loved painting rocks in charge of Claire Bleu.

My brother Oren Jr., Gabriel, and Quinten enjoy a good laugh. Actually they were in deep discussion and I encouraged them to have a nice expression on their faces as I snapped the picture.

Yes, you can burn the twigs, but not the mulch bark!

Holiday Pines ... Continued

I have now added a gray border to "Holiday Pines," bringing elements from the center of the quilt out into the border. You can see where I started this quilt HERE.

My goal for this quilt is to merge or integrate fiber art with traditional utility type quilts. It measures around 60"X60" and is big enough for a throw for the back of a couch or small enough for a wall in your mountain cabin.

Now, my question is how should I quilt it? Is it complete with the gray borders? With what color should it be bound?

Holiday Pines Quilt

... as a Quilter

It's tempting to just slap a gray border on this improvisational quilt and call it ready to quilt.  But wait ... I think it's better to take elements from the center of the quilt and place them in the borders. So, it will take a little more time now to complete.

I started out by making pine tree blocks ...

... in holiday colors. 

Then I laid the blocks out in a pleasing arrangement and added sashing with smaller pine trees inserted randomly.

I trimmed here and there as I went so I could sew a straight line.

Life ...

Boys will be boys.

Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times

Fiber Tuesday with Mel

Lily Workshop in Corinth

What a marvelous job these ladies did in my “Lily” workshop in Corinth, MS.

Grandmother and Granddaughter worked well together.