In Process

Flower Bed Pin Cushion with Numbered Flower Q-Pins

I'd been wanting some of those Numbered Q-Pins, but couldn't swallow the price, so I got the bright idea to make my own version!

My first attempt was take some polymer clay and form heads on glass pins for marking the numbers.

But, they were clunky, and I just didn't like the look of them - they certainly didn't enhance the beauty of my  special pin cushion!

Then, I realized I could simply take a fine-tip Sharpie marker and write the numbers on  Flat Flower Head Pins.  (Wish I had thought of that simple solution first!)  The surface has just enough texture that the marker doesn't rub off.  Hooray!  So, now I needed the perfect pin cushion for holding the pins in numerical order.

I stitched this cushion of out my teeniest 30's scraps.  (Stitching this hexie pin cushion gave me the courage to create a version perfectly suited for my pins.)  The blocks finish at 1" square, so the cushion measures 2 x 7" and is 1" high.  The 14 blocks easily hold 2 pins each, so I marked numbers on 28 pins.  I can't imagine doing a quilt with more than 28 columns or rows, so these should be more than adequate.

Here's a view of the back.

Don't the pins look happy in their very own flower bed?  :)

The buttons help the cushion keep its shape and makes it nice and firm.  I used walnut shells for the filling again - love using them in pin cushions; they add the perfect weight!

And, I love that both sets of buttons came from my vintage button collection.

:)

PS - Those Numbered Q-Pins would have been a bargain compared to everything I invested in this cushion and pins, but I think the final results are worth it!  

Believe me, there were a number of other attempts before I arrived at this version, including purchases of glue, beads, etc., etc.  My original intent was to recreate these pins (aren't they great!), but I couldn't find any numbered beads at A.C. Moore or Michaels or even on line (really?!!).  So, I tried making my own number beads, but the numbers kept rubbing off the beads I was using.  And, it was a mess trying to glue the bead on the pin without getting glue all over the pin.  

So, can you understand why my very own Flower Bed Pin Cushion and Numbered Flower Q-Pins make me quite happy?!

Thrift Shop Quilt Purchase

I picked up this cheery quilt at the thrift shop today for next to nothing.

I'm rarely drawn to quilts made in China, but my recent interest in the Big Stitch quilting method using perle cotton drew me to this quilt.

I love all the different colors of perle cotton that were used.

 And, with the price of perle cotton these days, this quilt was indeed a bargain!  

I figure it will be the perfect summer outdoor napping quilt, with no worries if something happens to it!

:)

Photo Shoot at Blossom Hollow Farm

My cousin John was kind enough to help me mount some family quilts on their barn for a photo shoot during our family reunion this weekend!

I wanted to take a picture of this quilt at the family farm since it had been pieced by my Grandma Learn.

Before she died, my grandmother gave the unquilted top to my sister Alison, then I machine quilted it for her for Christmas last year.

I have no idea what the name of the quilt pattern might be,

but I love its scrappy look!

I also wanted to take a picture of this quilt on the farm since my mother, my two sisters, my aunt, and my two cousins all stitched identical quilts together over the course of  three years back in the 90's.

We each included a signature block.

I grow more and more attached to this quilt each year!

I had originally hand quilted it with minimal stitching, but just wasn't pleased with it.

So, this year I stippled it, over top of the hand quilting.

Since I used Warm & Natural batting, it shrunk beautifully when I washed and dried it, giving it the vintage feel I love.

I'm so grateful for the quilting heritage from my mom's side of the family!

Sunday Morning Quilts LOVE

I was tickled to find these little zip bags at the Quilt Odyssey quilt show today in Hershey, PA.  

These two quilts were featured in the book Sunday Morning Quilts, the book that forever changed my approach to quilting exactly two years ago when I purchased it at the same show.

As a result of reading the book, I fell in love with the fresh, modern approach to quilting and fabric stewardship embraced by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison, I started using clearer, brighter colors in my quilting, and I was introduced to the amazing online community of quilters.

THANK YOU Amanda Jean and Cheryl for impacting my quilting world!!

Where Has All My Quilt Blogging Gone??

Where has all my quilt blogging gone?  I'm not sure I know!!  This summer has been a bit crazy, from keeping up with the outside work and sewing/alteration work, trying to cook and use all the produce that is exploding out of my vegetable garden, traveling to to CO for my nephew's spectacular Rocky Mountain wedding, preparing to host a Norwex party (have you heard about this company - amazing stuff!), dealing with plaguing health issues, attempting to get to the gym on a semi-regular basis, trying to figure out what in the world I am doing with my life, a really, really cool quilting project/job that won't be revealed until the Houston Quilt Market, and on and on it goes!  I think one of the snags has been my perpetual frustration with not being able to capture what I see and experience with my camera.  (I had upgraded from a Canon Powershot ELPH to Canon Powershot G15 recently.  It has much greater capabilities, but the kind of photography I long to do still eludes me, and I need to do figure out how to improve my photography skills....)  It's so frustrating to take a picture that doesn't begin to reflect what I just saw or experienced; that tends to shut down any blogging inspiration.  I think another snag is the fact that I have so many quilts floating around in my head and so many quilts in process that I feel a bit paralyzed some most days.  I'm usually working on a variety of quilts, so it feels a bit schizophrenic to post what I'm up to each day - there's no way you'd be able to keep my projects straight!  And, then there are the days when my brain doesn't function well enough to articulate what I'm thinking (can you relate?!)  To be honest, the only way I've ever been able to blog is to wait until the inspiration hits, but that isn't always very consistent....  And, I'm really, really slow when it comes to writing blog posts (too much reflection, I guess).  But, I do have tons of posts swirling in my head and a number of quilts finishes I want to show you.

In the meantime, I am still slowly working at photographing and documenting this stack of quilts.  I got the bright idea of photographing every one of my quilts against a barn, but that's easier said than done.  This stack may be slow to disappear!  

So, to be continued!!  

:)

Another Vintage Quilt Repair

I had the privilege of repairing another vintage quilt!

This is actually a coverlet, and was purchased at an estate sale by a woman who loves butterflies.

Even though it was terribly worn, she still was drawn to it.  It wasn't cost efficient to replace all the worn binding that covered the seams, so I simply repaired any holes or seams that had opened.

It's always fun to see another vintage quilt, and it was very heart warming to know that it will be treasured by another generation!