{Post #857} Catch Up Post

Here are some pictures from the past week.  I left out any from the accident in which I totalled someone else's car. 

I machine quilted two tops for a customer.  No pictures of those either.

Had our Christmas cantata at church.  Two of my kids were in it.  No pictures.

Made 5 crocheted angels...pic from year ago...

My sixth child got his braces off.  Before (being angelic)

After:

A couple decorating pics.  New front door look with little forest trees with lights and small balls.

My new (antique) foyer table, where we put our lit-up village houses.  Our sideboard now is our fruit station.  I found that altering the height of some of the items in a collection like this gives it more pizzazz...probably the oldest trick in the book, but I'm a slow learner!  I just tucked some paperback books under some of the houses. 

Praying for a special friend, Julie, today.  My thoughts and prayers are with you, my friend.

~Joan

{Post #856} eBay

Just a note to let you know I have some finished quilts and some quilt tops on eBay right now.  There is a button on the left sidebar that you can click.  It says "whistlersmother10 auctions".  Check them out.

The non-I-Spy quilts and tops are made with all Thimbleberries fabrics.

See ya!

~Joan

{Post #855} Past and Present ~ Piecing Finished

This is 58" x 70".  It might get quilted this year...it might not!  Pattern is called Past and Present.

My heart goes out to my e-friend, Marcie, in the loss of her son.  May God's grace be sufficient, my friend!

~Joan

{Post #854} Catching Up

Susie, Rachel, and I have been in Florida since Friday.  Whew--trying to see 58 people in 4 days (slight exaggeration, but only slight!).  I will save you from the boredom of logging each day.  Since this is a mostly quilty blog, here's the news...I am only 9 quilting motifs away from finishing the hand quilting on my Hearts and Gizzards/A Mother's Heart/Highway Hearts quilt!  I must decide on a final name.  Most of this quilt was made while traveling, hence the Highway Hearts name.

Here is the shape I am hand quilting (I have quilted around and between each heart half on these parts)...

Here is an example of one quilted into my quilt--not easy to see it on a picture...

I copied the heart shape and quilted around it and between all 8 sections for a little extra quiltiness.  Love it!

Here is the whole quilt, just 9 shy of the above motifs from being finished!!

Went to a fantastic antique emporium in FL.  Saw 3 quilt racks that I wanted to get...the most expensive one was $12.50!!  Two problems...1.  no room in the vehicle  2.  no room in the house!  Have plenty of quilts to display!!

~Joan

{Post #853} Photo Shoot of Seeds of Kindness

Well, here it is.  The final pictures of my Seeds of Kindness quilt.  The sun/shadows made it difficult to get a fantastic picture, but these are acceptable.  The second one shows the quiltiness after washing and drying.  It's a keeper!!  There are 525 apple core shapes with only a few repeats.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday.  Remember to Whom one owes gratitude.  So thankful for my heavenly Father and the many blessings He has bestowed on me.

~Joan

{Post #852} Homemade Tic Tac Toe Bag

I love to make gifts, especially for children to use.  I don't know why I don't do it more.  This is the second set of Tic Tac Toe bags and storage bag I've made out of three $1 pairs of jeans and a remnant of red ticking.  I have at least enough fabric for two more sets.  Oh, and brown rice.  How could I forget the brown rice?

Here is how it's done.  Cut out nine 4-1/2" square pieces of denim.  I used 5 dark and 4 light for this one.  Sew them wrong sides together, press the seams open.  Layer with batting and backing.  I used some decorative stitches to hold the inner seams open and for the outermost seam.

Here are the bags in process.  Four inch squares, applique a circle on 5 and an X on 5.  Sew a bag front to a ticking back, leaving an opening to put in the rice later.

A close-up of the board corner, before de-stringing.  You can see some of the stitches.

Board and bags finished (but empty), ready for a run thru the washer and dryer.

Each bag is de-stringed after drying, filled with 1/4 cup rice, sewn closed by machine, then tossed into my finished bag.

Ready for a game or a hundred.

~Joan

{Post #851} Potholder Top

I wanted to bind this little potholder for my daughter, Emily.  Some of us are driving down to see her on Friday.  This is my only selvage project that has "Superman" fabric in it.  See the emblem just above the center of the potholder?  Her husband was nicknamed Superman when a little kid saw him on a cherry-picker truck or up on scaffolding or something like that.  I used the insulated fabric shown (made for potholders/oven mitts, etc.) to make it heat-proof and backed it with fabric that will match her kitchen.  Won't show it all because it's supposed to be a surprise.  I doubt she reads this.

Finished hand-quilting my Seeds of Kindness quilt today.  What I thought would be a "Big Deal" moment is more of a "Big Whoop" moment.  Very anticlimatic.  It's in the washer now.  It is a special quilt, but probably only to me. 

~Joan