Summer is Almost Over

By on 8-13-2010 in Embroidery, Vintage Patterns

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With autumn just around the corner I thought it was time for one last ‘sweet treat’ with these desserts from the Family Circle 1979 magazine. Family Circle created a mobile and I thought these desserts would make a ‘sweet’ little wall quilt or a summer table runner. A child’s bib could be adorned with the ice cream cone or sundae and the banana split would look great on a placemat. What ‘cool’ Christmas gifts they would make. These patterns would also look great as redwork embroidery, placed on cafe curtains for the summer months.

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A Wedding Quilt…….”Turn Around”……for my young niece

By on 8-11-2010 in Original Pattern, Original Quilts

“Turn around and you’re a young wife with a babe of your own”. {lyrics by Malvena Reynolds, 1900-1978}……When the design of this quilt became a reality on paper, the name was clear. On the back label I placed two photos, one of my niece in her wedding gown and another of her when she was about 3. How do our children grow so big so fast? A year after the event, she is carrying her first child. The lyrics have pulled at my heart as my children grew to adulthood and my grand girls are now doing the same. Time never ceases.
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Each block of the quilt has a meaning and a message along with it. Inside the label pocket on the back are two pages. One with the lyrics of the song and another with a block map and the messages that go with each of the blocks. I also had extra photos so created the two little hanging pillows using the left over patchwork pieces from the quilt.

Summer Always Means Berries

By on 7-29-2010 in Embroidery, Vintage Patterns

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Strawberries…….shortcake, jam, ice cream……… This strawberry pattern was published in the McCall’s Needlework Magazine, Summer, 1977. Wouldn’t these strawberries make a great summer table runner? Or maybe an embroidered border on a cafe curtain in the kitchen or on a cover for your home made strawberry jam.

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July is Day Lily Month

By on 7-23-2010 in art quilts, Fabric Postcards, Original Pattern, Original photos

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Day Lilies are my favourite wild flower. They grow everywhere, lending their bright orange colour to even the dullest days. I don’t have to water or feed or weed them. These two photos are from the plants growing beside the driveway. They make my heart sing every time I look out the window during the month of July.

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I couldn’t leave this astounding image alone. Here is a pattern for the day lily. This flower would look great on a postcard. I created it in the Quilt Assistant software which can be found by clicking the link: www.cosman.nl/software_en in my “sites I love” column on the right side. I use Quilt Assistant software often, setting up a library of images that I can use when I feel the creative urge. It works well, is easy to use and best of all it is free.

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Kit Nicol’s “Painting with Thread…..Embroidered Pictures to Make and Cherish”

By on 6-21-2010 in art quilts, Artists and Authors that I love

nullPainting with thread……Embroidered pictures to make and cherish by Kit Nicol.  This book was published in 2000 by Collins & Brown of Great Britain.  Kit Nicol brings her paintings to life through paint and embroidery.  Her tutorials begin with designing your own sketches using colours and paint.  She covers materials required and different techniques using several kinds of thread and stitches including 3-D effects. The stitch tutorials are very clear with lots of photos and illustrations. The book includes 14 sketches from landscapes to human expression including the fountain on the front cover.