i'm reading a book by Ann Voskamp called "one thousand gifts".

it has been an interesting look at the power of gratitude. i'm not finished with it but i am far enough along to know that it has come into my life at just the right time with just the right message. and i am listening.

today's gifts included:

• homemade brownies
• April showers (both rain and snow)
• the mind numbing awe that i feel while observing those vigorous pumpkin sprouts

do you feel it too?

i've been so busy that i forgot to post a finished photo of the baby quilt that my daughter and i made.
the blocks were put together while she was in Honduras and sewn by hand as she had no electricity. she used thrifted fabrics: the large middle squares were salvaged from a cotton man's shirt and the strips were salvaged from a set of flannel receiving blankets. upon returning from a Christmas visit i was able to bring them home and set about finishing the quilt. i squared up the blocks, set them together and added borders. then quilted using a heavier thread and a utility stitch.
i used the same fabric on the back as i did for the borders.
the binding is a double fold chambray.
i have forgotten the measurements of this one.

i happened to find a small bear that fit nicely into the pocket from the man's shirt that she used. it looks pretty cosy in there~!

the patch that she sewed onto the pocket was salvaged off of a thrifted baby garment.

this is the quilt top that i recently finished for an upcoming community fundraiser/auction. it measures approximately 40" square and i used only scrap fabrics to complete it.
i've pieced a flannel back for it and it's going to the machine quilter very soon.

just a quick share today of the results from my "feathers and fins" inspiration:

it's a mixed media birthday postcard for someone that i love.
:-) 



Amish Inspirations Fragment Quilt

i'm happy to announce that my Amish Inspirations Fragment Quilt is finished~!!~

(except for the label). i WILL get that done within the next few days.

i made this one as part of a collaborative experiment with Lori from Humble Quilts. She discovered a beautiful antique Amish quilt that happened to whisper sweet nothings into both of our ears. she shared a pattern for the center (medallion part) inspired by the blocks within that quilt. i hand dyed some fabrics that were similar and we were off.

be sure to take a look at the photos of  Lori's beautiful piece too. she has hand quilted hers beautifully using a black thread which was a traditional choice for many Amish women.

i also used inspiration directly from the book called Amish - Inspired Quilts by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins of Piece O' Cake fame. i've been wanting to make one of the fragment style quilts discussed within that book for quite some time and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

it's final measurements are 22.25 x 26.75 inches. i happened to have a piece of fabric that was a red on orange toile print that i thought worked well for the backing and had just enough of the orange hand dyed to make a binding. this small quilt has taken me a while to finish but i am very happy with it.

i hand quilted mine as well using a variegated thread in rich copper to gold colors. one of my loves is hand quilting. i love to do it. i love to see it. i love the way i feel after i've spent the quiet time it takes putting in the stitches. it's all good~!

if you enjoy hand quilting as much as i do you should visit Janet at Mrs. Sew n' Sew. she has recently posted a white on white piece that is wonderful~!
Barbara from The Sanguine Stitcher has many wonderful skills and hand quilting is definitely among them. see this cute prim heart place mat full of her wonderful stitches.

btw, if you know of some beautiful blogs that feature a love for hand quilting please feel free to share with me.
:-)

my wonderful daughter has been home for almost two weeks now and it's so good to see her safe and sound and happily re-nesting in the U.S.

the sprouts that i planted a few weeks back are coming up like gangbusters!

i have to show off the pumpkin because it's the biggest by far. i planted four of them and they are supposed to grow into a plant that bears GINOURMOUS 200+ lb monster pumpkins. the thing is we generally don't have the season for a great pumpkin crop so i probably won't have that sort of result but i couldn't resist trying. i have to say that at the sprout stage they certainly haven't been disapointing and bring a smile to my face every time i see them so maybe i can count it as some sort of success already. 

i've been able to get back to the string quilted donation quilt that i started quite some time ago. i'm going to tease you with this macro shot for now but hope to show something much more complete soon . . . 
remember "soon" is reletive . . .

i've also been able to make progress on my Amish/Fragment piece. the applique addition is done (you can just see it up in the left hand corner there) and has been sewn on and the quilting has commenced. once again i've only shown it in part but it's coming along nicely and i'll continue to tease you with it's progress before i show the whole piece.

this last goodie is a postcard that i made for a friend way back in the late fall. i just realized the other day that i hadn't ever posted it. and guess what? believe it or not, no tease here, it's actually finished.

i am still working on the feathers and fins card so stay tuned for that one soon.

i've created a banner/bunting in celebration of my wonderful daughter's homecoming. we knew she was coming soon but not the exact dates . . .

we'll be picking up our grand-pup from the airport tomorrow evening and then WD on friday. the poor girls are both going to have need of some winter wear as we're getting our typical mountain spring snowstorms and they're coming from a two year acclimation  to a tropical climate.

anyway, i've managed to complete this welcome home gift just in the nick of time. i'll share a few details with you.

 i began with a very tattered antique cutter crazy quilt piece that i purchased off of e-bay several years ago. i have managed to create some Christmas stockings with this piece and still had some bits left. enough to cut out some triangles as the base parts for my bunting.

do you recognize the bird? it's one of those fabulous dictionary images that i posted a while back. i did some cropping and printed it out on vellum. then stitched it into place.
both plain and fancy embroidery as well as other mixed media embellishments have been used.
i attempted to stick to a "home" theme while also trying to make it something that she could use decoratively later on if she chose. not too celebration specific but definitely festive and suitable for this occasion.

 i may share more photo's of it at a later time. these were all taken in a hurry and, as you can imagine, i'm in fits of excitment so they aren't the best.
but all in all i'm quite pleased with the outcome and can only hope that she will be as well.

if you notice me absent from the blogging world for a few days it's because i'm happily gathering them up and enjoying my little family's reunion~!!~

: D

"All the art of living

lies in a fine mingling

of letting go and holding on."

HAVELOCK ELLIS

last week i planted some seeds. they have to be kept in the house for now until we have warmer temps but this morning i noticed one of the edible chrysanthemum's is coming up. actually there are two but the one next to it is just barely peeking out of the ground.

outside my windows there has been a mix of cold winds and light snow flurries but inside it's spring~!!

oh me of little faith . . .
i'm such a doubter when it comes to planting seeds. i much prefer to go to the nursery in the later spring and buy those plants which are sprouting up and already showing promise . . . but this year my daughter encouraged me to start more from seed . . .

btw: if you click on the photo you will be able to actually see it
: D