One of my favorite crochet stitches is the shell pattern, its easy and fast,
change the hook size, change the count, add a ruffle, a ribbon, a stuffed
animal and you have the perfect baby gift ~ I was busy this winter
The popcorn stitch is lots of fun for baby blankets, a tighter weaver, a warmer blanket
Babies and Crochet Baby Blankets
Happily I can report that I am making progress on ‘Wishing You Good Will’ nothing dramatic in the way of an update but progress no less.
And while I am not in a race, I do at times feel the need to move a little faster and get the job done.
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This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.
Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Susan, Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon and Bella.
Friendship
Back in 2006 I participated in a ‘friendship quilt’ organized by a woman I worked with. This was and still is the only quilting project I have ever done with a group of quilters. Six of us participated. We were given instructions for creating a heart block, we could use the material of our choice but needed to create six identical blocks to swap. A deadline was given and the creating began. At the end of the time period, we exchanged our heart blocks, receiving a block from each person. The next task, to piece together, again with our choice of fabric and pattern and then complete the quilt. This could be done by machine or hand worked, there was no restriction. (mine was hand worked)
I have been following a blogger on a Hand Quilt Along that I am participating in. Her name is Nanette. Take a moment and visit her page @ doitrightquilter.wordpress.com
She has been posting photo’s of the beautiful delicate hearts she has been working on for a quilt. I was suddenly reminded of the heart quilt I had done so many years ago and long since forgotten about. Finding my quilt journal I was delighted to see I had documented and taken a picture of the finished project. (I did give it as a gift, to who I do not remember and I did not write it down; shame on me)
Below is the finished lap size friendship quilt. With only six blocks I created a row of 3 solid batik fabric blocks in the middle; my batik heart block in the left bottom corner. I squared off each block, adding some width on each side.
When I was looking for the ‘one’ picture I took of this quilt I noticed the picture of the quilt below. I had absolutely forgotten that I had made this one using the same heart pattern. This was specifically for my cousin Karen after the devastating loss of her husband in 2007 at the age of 40.
Friendship ~ a true gift to cherish and nurture. Take time to tell a friend how much you appreciate her/him today
My goal was to finish hand quilting ‘Wishing You Good Will’ before summer set in. I am far from that happening. With the warmer weather here, the sun high and glorious I am finding it harder and harder to sit myself down and work on ‘Wishing You Good Will’
First of all, Good Will, you are massive and bulky and heavy and warm, so warm. You and the Sun are in a battle for my attention “Come wrap your self in my love and quilt me” Good Will calls. “Come and play in the garden with me under my spring time rays” Sun taunts me.
I have found so much to distract me from staying on course. You must forgive me if I decide to stop and take in the beauty around me (on my morning walk)
But I am making progress – slow but sure and the lure of your beauty brings me back to you.
You are the colors of this beautiful spring in the northwest ~ but
You must forgive me if I decide to curl up with a good book instead of quilting
Or if I decide to take a walk along the stream bank instead of quilting
Or if I mow the lawn instead of quilting
Or if I water the gardens instead of quilting
Or if I swap veggie starts with a friend
Or if I chat with a grandchild instead of quilting
Or if I visit with a neighbor instead of quilting
Or if I decide to bbq instead of quilting
Or if I put out peanuts for the stellar jays
Or if ……I simply do absolutely nothing but take time to be thankful
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This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.
Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Susan, Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon and Bella.
Hidden away, folded and stashed underneath a few other quilts draped on the quilt rack in the corner – by chance, by fate, by accident , something whispered – I am here – find me.
I had totally forgotten about this Tulip quilt top, another Goodwill find, entirely hand pieced beauty. I have no idea how long ago I found her. How could I forget you?
I have shared before I am not a purple fan….shame on me!
Everything about this quilt, now named “Her Royal Purple Majesty” is gorgeous and I am excited to have this quilting project to look forward too.
Home of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival at my back door, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite festival posters too
1995 Poster Image by Jesus Guillien
2017 Official Tulip Poster by Trish Harding
2009 Official Tulip Festival Poster by Andy Sewell
Since last I posted, I finally feel like progress has taken hold and my ‘Wishing You Good Will’ quilt could possibly be finished by years end. But I am not racing to finish but drinking in the beauty of this spring reflected in its shadow. From my garden I photographed the amazing flowers below – they reminded me of Wishing You Good Will.
I tried to photograph the massive size of this beauty for you. It covers a queen size bed, draping over the foot, cascading to the floor. The sides hang over about a foot on each side. I am thinking of finishing it with a scalloped edge – but I am not there yet – what do you think?
On being asked, whence is the flower?
In May, when sea winds pierced our solitudes,
I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,
Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook,
To please the desert and the sluggish brook.
The purple petals, fallen in the pool,
Made the black water with their beauty gay;
Here might the redbird come, his plumes to cool,
And court the flower that cheapens his array.
Rhodora! If the sages ask thee why
This charm is wasted on the earth and sky,
Tell them, dear, that if eyes were made for seeing,
Then beauty is its own excuse for Being:
Why thou wert there, O rival of the rose!
I never thought to ask, I never knew:
But, in my simple ignorance, suppose
The self-same Power that brought me there,
brought you.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Please take time to smell the flowers along your quilting path
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This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.
Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Susan, Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon and Bella.
Is it just me or has time sped up?
Since joining the Hand Quilt Along, 3 week posting intervals feels more like I am moving backwards in time and then again, time seems like it is set to fast forward. Time has never moved more quickly for me….can this be possible, moving backwards as well as forward at the same time?
So here we are again and not much progress has been accomplished on my Goodwill $3.99 wedding ring quilt top find. Spring has sprung and this winter project sits sadly begging to be finished. I am feeling a little guilty. Progress is slow. I had hoped for completion of this beauty by the end of winter. Had I set an unrealistic goal? Time told the tale and the answer, whether I like it our not, is yes.
In this 3 week interval from my last posting I have decided to call this quilt
‘Wishing You Good Will’
Goodwill
Goodwill – Buena Voluntad – Spanish * Goodwill – φήμη και πελατεία – Greek
Goodwill – Buona Volontà – Italian * Goodwill – רצון טוב – Hebrew
Goodwill – Bonne volonté – French * Goodwill – 善意 – Chinese
Goodwill – Welwillendheid – Dutch * Goodwill – साख – Hindu * Goodwill – のれん – Japanese
Goodwill – доброжелательность – Russian * Goodwill – Boa Vontade – Portuguese
Goodwill – نية حسنة – Arabic * Goodwill – aloha – Hawaiian * Goodwill – Dea-Thoil – Irish
Goodwill – Ugled – Croation * Goodwill – Borondate Oneko – Basque
Goodwill – Thiện chí – Vietnamese * Goodwill – Bunăvoință – Romanian
Wishing you Goodwill this Easter and Passover holiday season
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This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.
Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Deborah, Susan, Jessica, Sherry, Nanette, Sassy, Edith, Sharon and Bella.
3 weeks has flown by but I have made some progress and the pattern is beginning to take shape on the back side of this Goodwill find. I have totally abandoned the quilt stand for hoop and lap.
Because this quilt project is so large and massive I am almost embarassed to write that I have the corners wound up and bound with pony tail hair bands…
I have never been a fan of purple but this ‘winter quilt project’ is taking me into spring and I am falling in love with the purple square centers of of the wedding ring blooms.
3 weeks for each update posting and in 3 weeks and I will be retiring from 20 years working at one of our local high schools as a para educator in special education coupled with an additional 10 years as a special needs para at the elementary level.
My how 30 years feels like 3 weeks
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This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.
Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Deborah, Susan, Jessica, Sherry, Nanette, Sassy, Edith, Sharon and Bella.
March 8th was International World Women’s Day and the month of March is Women’s History Month. I was reminded of these important days by a blog post at the beginning of March by Amy Cohen @ https://brotmanblog.com
So many strong, inspiring, beautiful, creative, empowering, courageous women in my life came to my mind; that I found it impossible to focus on just one or come up with something I wanted to post to celebrate this important day. If I listed their names and the affect on my life I would not be able to stop writing for every woman I have met along my paths journey has shaped and formed me. From the tiniest negative to most empowering positive. We are truly the sum of who, what, when and where on our path, from everything we have read, to every conversation, or visual impression we have seen.
But today on FB, a very dear friend, Mindy Coppersmith, of close to 55 years of friendship, shared a post that said “share me”
A Legacy of Quilts
“Margaret Hubl passed away last July in Nebraska at the age of 89, but it’s safe to say her legacy will continue to live on.
You see, Hubl was a quilter. While some people make quilts as an afternoon pastime, she made them to communicate her love for her family.”
by Brittany Loggins / / Source: TODAY
The entire article can be read here https://www.today.com/news/family-honors-grandma-s-memory-displaying-all-her-quilts-her-t108586
It’s all about the love we share along our path……
This morning we woke to a light dusting of snow. I was so sure we would escape the rest of this winter without any. We had a little heavier snow fall back in November but the following weeks and months had me in only a heavy sweater, scarf and gloves. I never really needed to bundle up and brave the elements.
Snow: the perfect time to bundle up under a comfy hand stitched quilt; so I decided to take my quilt along project out into the backyard to capture my progress. It’s been slow going, perhaps because the weather has been so mild and has called me outside to tend and ready the gardens. I did get one full wedding ring stitched and have moved on to capture and stitch the joining ring.
I have abandoned the quilting stand and prefer to quilt with the hoop on my lap.
This close up actually alerted me to stitches pulling out. I need to go back and fix this.
Look who was across the stream watching me
In light of this weeks senseless tragedy, I would like to repost something that I read on Bella’s page. It spoke volumes to me in so many ways. Not only do quilts connect us to nature as in photo’s above but they have a profound affect in connecting us to the human story. Thank you Bella for permission to repost from your page.
“Our quilts have the potential to connect us with others. We can add a message to them as Mary did, then share the message with all who will listen. We can donate them to a charity and help someone else in need. We can make quilts and give them to a homeless person who might have nothing but what is on their backs. As quilters, we are creators and all creators have the potential to change lives. Mary has inspired me to do this and I hope she has inspired you too.”
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This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.
Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Deborah, Susan, Jessica, Sherry, Nanette, Sassy, Edith, Sharon and Bella.
