One Piece at a Time

My Day Today

As many of you are reading this I am undergoing one of THOSE procedures that people need to do after 50. Granted, I am now 51, but in my defense I scheduled it when I was 50. It involves drinking this stuff….

and, thankfully, anesthesia

Birthday Presents

I had a wonderful Birthday last weekend and I just wanted to share a couple of really neat gifts with you guys. One of my friends found this really cool pin cushion box for me.

It even has this on the side….

Another friend thought I needed a little help with my dusting (true…so so true) so she gave me this to help me out…

Design Wall Monday

Thank you everyone for the kind birthday wishes. I had a lovely relaxing weekend working on my Dresden plate quilt. This will be a pattern just as soon as I can sew everything down….

Here are a few shots of my worktable this weekend…

working on the plates

making the flowers

listening to Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park read by Juliette Stevenson…bliss…

Head on over to Judy's blog for your weekly dose of quilting inspiration!

For the Weekend

Today I am following the inspiration of fellow blogger Susannah Conway and doing a “for the weekend” inspiration list. …(just click on the highlighted word for the link)

I’m loving the photography on this blog

The ideas on this website look really helpful

I want to live in this house

I’m trying this ASAP

I could waste a LOT of time on this website

I’m trying this for dinner this week

I want these for my dessert on Sunday since it’s my birthday

I have that summery picture at the top because I really need to remember that WARM weather is coming soon....

I’m Wondering…

just how exactly I could turn these…

 

into patterns. I’m kinda thinking something with wool and beads and embroidery. Or maybe something with appliqué and beads and cool machine quilting…

thoughts?

Here’s what I’m Thinking….

So I did a little Photoshopping with my plates the other day and this is what I came up with for my appliqué + Dresden Plate quilt. None of this is actually sewn down yet...better get snapping with that appliqué!

My New Dresden Addiction

I have been noticing Dresden Plates a lot lately. First, there was this issue of McCall’s (September/October 2011) with a gorgeous Dreden quilt from Planted Seed Designs.

This magazine has a wonderful photo tutorial on using Darlene Zimmerman’s Easy Dresden Quilt tool. I have to admit I am pretty much a sucker for quilting tools and when I saw this I just had to give it a try.

Later I saw that Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs has a really fun Scrappy Plate Club going on over on her blog. She’s doing a quilt with all polka dot fabrics and it is totally adorable.

Then I saw this fabric (Terrain by Kate Spain) when I was out shopping on a dreary winter day and it was all over.

If the Dresden Bug has bitten you as well, Fat Quarter Shop is having a special on the ruler. It’s the “Notion of the Month” so order quick because it’s almost March!

Design Wall Monday

Here is a shot of my design wall this fine Monday morning. As you can tell I have been bitten by the Dresden Plate bug (more on that later)….it’s my new kinda sorta obsession….just add that to the hundreds of others I already have. As you can also tell (see appliquéd flower) I am not able to make a quilt that doesn’t have flowers and leaves appliquéd all over it. THAT was an already existing obsession.

Head on over to Judy’s blog and check out all the lovely inspiration. I’m a little nervous about going there in case I pick up even more obsessions…sigh

Mimi’s Bloomers Block 1

Here is the first of the non-corner blocks for Mimi’s Bloomers. Have fun!!!

Download Block 1

In search of Periwinkle

I do not know why I do this to myself, I really don’t. I almost always choose some really difficult to find color when I am starting a new project. For Mimi’s Bloomers it’s that periwinkle blue that’s in the center of Miss Mimi. How was I supposed to know that periwinkle is not the “in” color this year. Argh!!!!

When I was working on the Sri Yantra quilt I needed something like 10 different red violets to make it work. Needless to say, red violet was not in that year. I’m sure all the Colorado quilt shop owners knew me as that crazed lady digging through their fabrics looking for red violet.

Luckily I have been able to dig up a few fabrics that will work. Shop owners…don’t worry.