Mid-June to Mid-July Sewing ~ Quilting Deck Time

Good evening , friends! We're having a tropical storm here today---as night has fallen now the winds are really blowing hard from the SSE. My umbrella table is chittering and chattering and walking itself across the deck. I hope it survives.

The French General textile collage was finished a week or two ago and turned into a little pillow. 

I enjoyed doing this kit, the handwork was fun and new to me; new prodecuts too, like Clover fusible and Valdani embroidery thread. I'd use the thread again but it runs about 8.oo a tiny ball so is usually out of my budget.

These are the spiderweb stitch rosettes, using the Valdani thread.

I ended up using the wonderful buttons, celluloid? as decoration because my initial plan to use them on a buttoning flange didn't work out due to the fabric shortages in the kit.

The buttons are really unusual and beautiful and were an unexpected treat included in the kit. [I may reposition them to show more though.]

I used my own blue birds-and-butterflies toile for the backing, because, again, there was not enough of the intended backing included. [and no response from FG.]

I felt like my 4th of July decor was very over done this year of quiet sadness and no celebration, so the very next day I put everything away, put put my big market basket of carpet bowls instead and set the blue baskets pillow in the corner.

The kit served its purpose of being a fun treat. Positive feelings about the new products. The antique Basket block is beautiful but rather fragile and was in danger of tearing when sewed with anything more than a thin needle, making the embroidery with the coarse Valdani thread rather fraught with worry. But fun. I love the result and would have ordered another kit if FG had responded in any way to my dilemma of fabric shortages.

This is a pillow I made years ago, photo for friend Sue who asked to see it. It's my basic blue seashell toile but embellished with beads and tiny seashells and seashell fringe. The back is tan linen recycled from, I think, a man''s shirt , with linen tape ties to close it.

My next project is a sewalong from one of my FB quilt groups. Tiny Baskets of Blessings, by Julie Porter.

The embroideries are so tiny, I need special magnifier glasses or gadget, if anyone can recommend?  Each little basket is supposed to hold a good wish or a blessing, to remember and share; it will be my only  needlework that references the pandemic and unrest of this year. The one Basket is sideways on purpose as it it dumping out its message of love to all.

I often think of my friends, including blog friends and internet friends, as one of the greatest blessings in my life. I feel so fortunate to live in a technological time where I can share so easily, for example this sewalong with friend Penny in South Africa. [with permission from designer Julie].

Here is Penny's work in progress, obviously she is a far better embroiderer than I am.

More of my blocks--they finish 3" square.

In honor of friendships I used almost all fabrics that were given to me by friends, tiny favorites that I cherish.

This project has been stored in my special hope and dream box, only the most wonderful tiny quilt blocks go there.

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Below is a small treat from Temecula Quilt Company. 

You can see I am doing a bit of online retail therapy to overcome the grief of  the world we've lost, the freedoms given up.

A new group of tiny BROWN calico fabrics, quite authentic. I love getting these small bits at a reasonable price! They're about 4" x 9", I think, plenty for a doll quilt. And a gift enclosed of a dear little book of doll quilt patterns. "Rosie" is, I think my fave.

More hand sewing---this week I ran out of handwork and was very glad to pick up last Fall's project of Almost Amish, for hand quilting. I like to hand quilt, chose a medium sized even stitch. It is NOT ''big stitch"! and I didn't feel the quilt, an Amish doll quilt, was suitable for fine tiny stitches, going for a utility stitch instead to be authentic.

Today during the storm I prepped Tiny Baskets' applique, the adorable finishing touch. More on that, soon. And I finished sewing Baby Pineapples top. I'll show it to you next week when it gets a good pressing before heading out to the quilter. I'm excited that it is almost done!

Flowers for the weekend. The market was quiet, 2 PM, everyone masked. The cashiers wear full clear face shields and are behind Plexiglas barriers. One must bag one's own groceries; I usually did anyway, but I don't mind some help either. I could not afford flowers, they were $18.99 a bunch.

love

lizzy 

gone to the beach...

beach photo from Nicky in SA. The flowering plants are indigenous aloes, aren't they gorgeous. I never knew aloes would bloom, even.