legacy quilt

I think this is when I fell in love with quilts, I used to visit my grandparents for a whole weekend, just me!! this was such a treat, I am a middle child , I got to be an only child at Mimi's! She had this wonderful set of 60 butterfly blocks that were made by her mother in the late 30's, the blocks/quilt were never completed, but she would work on the buttonhole stitch and I would line them up on her bed, early learning block placement, this was always the first thing I wanted to do, and then we'd take a walk down the street stop and feed the ducks at the pond, and have an ice cream cone and a bag of penny candy on the way home. After Mimi passed away and I found the blocks, all the buttonhole stitching complete, but not put together, my mother was not a quilter but a wonderful seamstress, so she decided to put the top together, she used weavers cloth and ticking!! OH MY I can't imagine what it must have been like to hand quilt that ticking!! well she sent it to my dad's cousin, I heard she broke 50 needles. I now have this wonderful quilt, and love it dearly, I made the label to document the history and added photo transfers of all the women who are bound together with this quilt. Butterfly signify rebirth and this quilt helped these women work thru the passing of their mothers.

sew till later keep stitching

First quilt

This is my first quilt, the 2 blocks are North Carolina patterns published in Quilter's Newsletter in the late 1970's, the brown fabric is polyester! boy does that stuff beard, I have to give it a shave now and then, back then you didn't have the choices of quilt fabrics, remember poly was the miracle fabric!! HA wonder how many leisure suits are not decaying in our landfills? I love that quilts are never out of fashion to those of that love them.

No one told me not to start with curves! I hand pieced and hand quilted using a trailing dogwood pattern (state flower for NC) I sure did learn alot when I did this! I have sewn for years but dressmaking 5/8" SA was the standard, so going to 1/4" was very scary, where was my fudge factor?? oh that's right no fudging LOL

Sew till later .... keep stitching

update on "signs of Spring"

I want to thank you all for the positive comments on my work, I really appreciate them all.

Patti asked me to share a bit more about the pattern it's by Joan Jones I have loved her work for a long time, she used to have a shop in Clinton, NJ close to where I lived, I love that she's at most of the major shows I attend and I can stop in and say Hi!
This was the first attempt at free motion embrodiery, I will keep trying it was scary but fun. It really makes the bunny more realistic!
I finished all the applique on "walk in the moonlight" YEAH for me, now to finish the stitching, I got a bit lazy and combined fusible with needleturn, but what the heck my quilt and it will be done!!
I noticed on Dawn's blog she shared her story of her 1st quilt. I think we all need to share those stories. I will try and do that this week.
Sew till later ......

welcome spring (2)

welcome spring (2),
originally uploaded by Firefly18.

I have been working on this for a while, I hope to get it finished this weekend, boy I have my fingers in so many pots!!

Flickr

work on

Vintage Valentine is progressing

I love to sit on the porch on a pretty day and do something with needles and thread or yarns.

I have been doing these as a do it yourself BOM I will now grab my basket and head outside, can't waste a lovely day inside!!

Art quilts

Today I attended a convocation at Berea College, Hollis Chatelaine gave a lecture and slide presentation, it was totally amazing! Her newest piece was unveiled "Hope For Our World"

her quilts are painted in one color family using about 8 shades and then she uses hundreds of colors of thread with the most incrediable quilting.

The piece here is Titled "Precious Water" Hollis's works express her feelings on Worldwide social and environmental issues.

walk in the moonlight is progressing

I started this blog last night, my first adventure into this wild world. I have a friend that is going to hold my hand, so I don't get lost in cyberspace!
I reorganized my quilt studio this winter and found so many things that need to be finished, today I am working on "Walk in th Moonlight" pattern by Pat Sloan, from her book "Learn to Applique" I started this several years ago and don't know why it has been left untouched for so long, but I'm working hard to get it done.
I have lots more that I am working on, so here goes

I thought I would show how lovely my lilacs were several weeks ago, before the cruel frost turned them brown, at least I cut a lovely bouquet to have in the house and enjoy