I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Friday, July 24, 2026

Look What the Mail Guy Brought! -Part One

 


Back from the quilter!


Such a thrill always.

These four small to medium quilts represent all my quilting for the second 8 months of 2025, [Silent Night/ Snow Day and Red Baskets,  Old Blue Baskets, and Whatnots were the first 6 months. ] So not a bad showing.

Here the new batch are excitedly displayed on my bed. Imagine me oooo-ing and ah-ing. 

Lori C's  quilting is as always, the final magic touch that brings my ideas to brilliant life. We work together on the quilting plans but in the end I leave final decisions in her hands. She never disappoints.

Keep in mind these are still unfinished. Button eyes and binding, a good wash and scrunch.

Googly-eyed Jacks:



Note the great quilting, a spider web. So cool,


Adorable backing with a pieced-in block from a J Wecker Frisch panel.

The jacks will get tiny button pupils for their eyes and a few get pearly button teeth.


Noah's Ark: a success!


Influenced by the Harriet Powers quilts, 


pattern by Jan Patek, w additions and changes by me.

You may recall I'm always trying something new. This was made w needle turn applique around a Pellon-like ''soluble'' applique base. The inner forms did NOT dissolve. But it quilted beautifully, I'm sure the bulk added a challenge for Lori.




It's quite large, like a crib quilt, even though I reduced the design to 75% of the original (Sadly I can't imagine any mid 21st century child taking an interest in the animals or story, whereas when I was a child  the exotic beasts seems as magical as dragons or unicorns. ''yawn, grandma, where's my iPad?")

Simple Waves and Stars quilting.


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Merry Christmas ~Another new technique, piecing using  a fusible base sheet. 

Fun, fast, and a boon to someone like me who is a horrible pieer. Lookit those sharp corners!

Cute  faux feedsack, saved many years, finally remembered to use it.

I love the whirly quilting, like Christmas Tree ornaments. And how Lori gives as much thought, care, effort to a tiny little ''extra'' quilt as she does to a big project like Ark. I used a TQC shop pack in Christmas colors; I always add them to my annual gift of  Postcard Quilt of the Month series for stocking stuffers for girlfriends.

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And another Old Baskets, mourning grey, from the Basket blocks I collected for so many years.


I found one more unmatching batch still, btw. I could be persuaded to share if anyone wants to try. I'll throw in the necessary fusible that reinforces the very VERY worn old Basket blocks. This is the only quilt of the group that I forget or never planned the binding. I'll figure it out.

I think I'll name this mini:  Grey Winter Skies/ Baskets. "Mourning" is too sad right now for me.


I love sewing binding--the final touch, so lots to look forward to. 


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Sorry, I am stopping now. My hand is still very painful and looks so odd. No Dr appointment yet. But rest helps so I do a bit of everything but a little less. Forgive  slow responses to your comments, dear friends.

Summer and the Scribble Journal still happen. Nature sketchbook on hiatus. I make sketches and notes and will return to them when my head feels calmer and happier. Great new book by my favorite Journaler,  Lara Gastinger HERE 


See you soon w part Two.


love

lizzy

gone to the beach....


The sanderlings have returned, in giant swirling flocks, synchronized, white.



11 comments:

  1. Hello? Anyone out there. LOL Lol.

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  2. Lizzy, your quilts are adorable! I love them! Can you tell me about the spooky pumpkin quilt.
    I do hope your hand improves and you are able to get back to normal. Take care.

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    1. Thanks! The Spooky Pumpkins are a vintage out of print pattern by Cheri Payne, called Trick or Treat. It's not available except maybe on her FB group page, if you belong. About 30" square; I used thrifted plaids from shirts--with wool facial features, prim appliqué. I used a Pinterest picture for color inspiration, the original by Cheri was very toned down rust, brown, black as I recall.

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  3. Your "now quilted" quilts are looking fabulous--:)))
    Those spooky Halloween pumpkin faces with the spiderweb quilting is amazing!! As I am trying my hand at machine quilting I can see how talented your quilt er to have done all these...(me, not so much!!)
    I hope your hand gets better soon so you can sit out and enjoy binding these beauties for your collection.
    Lovely day here, sat out this morning; noisy
    commercial lawnmowers have sent us inside for a while...;(((
    Hugs for you to get better soon...Julierose

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    1. Oh those lawnmowers! And leaf blowers. Too bad. And now it's very humid, you too?

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  4. Such a delight to see all the little quilts quilted. I love the cobwebs around the eye on one of the Jacks. Everything is so sweet. I'm glad your like to bind. It is one of my least favorite things about quilting. It seems like after all that work hand quilting on my tops, I should be done. But no! I still need to bind it. I love the Noah's ark quilt and I think there are still some children out there that would just love to hear the story and pick out the animals. I have a an old pattern by Cheri Payne that reminds me of your Whatnots quilt. (Which I love) It's larger and is more of a sampler quilt on top of nine-patches I believe. Lots of animals if I remember right. There are so many things I'd like to make but the energy isn't there any more. Sorry your hand is so slow to heal. Hope things start perking up so you can work on your sketchbook.

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    1. OI do like to sew the bindings. But stupid hand is keeping me from cutting, cannot hold down the ruler. I never cut binding ahead, choosing is a big deal for me.
      I don't hand quilt except little quilts now and then. Have the notion to do a bigger project soon, maybe Boardwalk?
      The Cheri Payne quilt is called maybe Folk Art Sampler? On my someday list. I keep looking for vintage blocks for the base quilt.
      hope all is well and not too hot!
      love

      lizzy

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  5. So fun to get your quilts back all at once! I'm sure the bindings will have to wait until your hand it better, but still it's fun to see how much you did!
    It's gotten very hot and muggy here, walking outside feels like walking into an oven! I should still be fighting crabgrass in my flowerbed but it will have to wait until it cools off a bit!
    Take it easy and baby your hand as much as possible!

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    1. I'm guessing this is you, Mel? THat crabgrass! It even gets in my deck pots, no idea where it comes from.
      Went to ER , at least wrist/ hand is not broken.

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  6. Oops, yes, it was me! I answered from my computer and didn't sign in, so it didn't put my name. I've been answering from my phone, lol, I think my phone is smarter...

    Do you have any idea what made your hand so painful? Accident, strain?? I've made my wrists pop, pulling stubborn weeds, and sometimes that makes them sore but not that bad! Whatever it is, I hope it gets better soon! Maybe soak in epsom salts? Take care!

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    1. Thanks, Mel, it's a mystery--delayed IV appts this whole year? Pinching the fabric etc when I sew? Life sucks.

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