Snow play day and a little freaking out here

Snow day equals sew day in my house!
YA!
It's bitterly cold here and the snow is blowing, but beautiful.
The snow plow trucks are scraping and salting outside
and here inside, the needle is flying.

But it's not the cold/snow that's freaking me out.
I just did an inventory on the blocks remaining to do
in my Flags of the American Revolution quilt project. 
There are just three blocks left!
The last block is a little scary when I think about it.
It's the 'signature' block,
where I'll applique my first initial/last name
onto a 10x20 inch block of fabric in 1 1/2 inch tall letters.

OK, I'm not really FREAKING out,
but freaking out.
My last name is 11 letters.
Yes, ELEVEN!!!!!
And, to top off the 11 letters issue?
The block's length is in the quilt vertically.
Yep.
So.
If I had had ANY forethought,
I would have stitched one of my other, already done blocks in the other layout configuration and switched their placement.

Well, I didn't have the forethought & 
I'm not redoing any of my finished blocks,
so I've laid out A.L.L. 
my (so far) freezer paper letters in three different ways.
I have a preference, but  
which configuration do you like the best? 

 option A - last name all down the side,
with or without the second, bigger star 

 

option B - last name across and down

option C - last name curved

There is some embroidery in some of the other quilt blocks, so
hand-embroidery would be another option.
Anyway, I'd appreciate your opinion
and look forward to hearing your wisdom.

So I'm putting aside the freaking out, and
back to snow play time for me!

Happy Tuesday!

Flags, part 4

Flags of the American Revolution (a sew-along with Lori  of Humble Quilts fame),
 and it's time to share!

In the nick of time to share along with the participating group, 
I've taken a picture of my hand-appliqued block
that was part of this month's 'assignment':

I REALLY like it!  It was a whole lot o' little points to turn under.  And if I cared just a little more, I'd un-stitch and re-do that white point up near the eagle's beak.  But, I don't, so I'm not.  I think it adds just a little more character.

Here's a picture that tells the real, more complete story:

I still have five more stars to stitch down on this flag!!  
And, I didn't make a single one of the 
pieced star blocks that were also assigned.

Instead of being home and doing the usual 
getting ready for the holidays and cleaning 
and decorating and baking and then stitching in the evenings, 
I've run off with Sweetie and the Sonny-boy 
and his family and made some 
MAGIC memorial moments in the Florida Disney parks.
Oh, and I've walked my feet off !!  
(It's been a whole lot of fun, though much more tiring.)
We're driving home today and tomorrow, 
so maybe, sort of back to the usual schedule this coming week!

Happy weekend and Happy Stitching!

Four flags and an Oops

Month three in the sew-along
(with Lori of Humble Quilts)
of Flags of the American Revolution has ended.
And I got my flags all sewn! 
(I say that with an exclamation mark because I thought 
I wouldn't have time to do these October blocks, 
so I'm excited that I did get them done.)
Here are my finished blocks:

flags, #'s 5, 6, and 9

Well, finished except for the addition of star buttons in the empty fields of the top flag above and below.  I'm still searching for star buttons.  If not available, I'll applique woolen stars.

flags, #'s 9 and NOT 13 (but 7)

We were given five, STRIPED flags to sew for October.
Note my last flag?
The all blue one with appliqued stars...the one that has no stripes?

Yeah, that's an Oops!
But I'm counting it as one of my five, stripes or not.  :) 

A few close-up pics to show my fabric choices:

I embroidered the tongue and eye of the Rattlesnake 
on the Union Jack flag, using size 12 Valdani Pearl cotton, 
a dark, charcoal grey #8123.

It was another fun month of flags and American Revolution history!

I'll just have to remember to make the #13 flag when Lori has us do the #7.  I've placed a marker in my book so I don't repeat.  We'll see if that works.  :)

Happy Stitching!,
and Happy November!

a nice surprise and friends that surprise

Are you the same as me, 
in that you have a good friend that you've never, ever met in person?

Remember (waaaay) back in school when we had pen pals.
Write a letter in your best handwriting, seal it into an airmail envelope, stick an airmail stamp on it, and mail it off.  And then wait for WEEKS and WEEKS to get a response back.  We did grow a friendship that way. Continents apart and correspondence only a handful of times a year, and a good friendship was born.

Today, in this century, electronic mail is the norm, 
and I'm still making friends by correspondence.
Albeit with a handful of correspondences an hour, not just during a year.

I met a new friend when I joined an online Prim Quilts group, as she became the group moderator.  We've shared pics of our quilts, projects, our homes and our lives.  Being hundreds of miles apart, we've never met in person, but through this correspondence we've become friends.  
I mentioned on this friends' quilt-in-works picture that she shared that I had the same project on my list of "someday quilts", and that I had once had the pattern, but had lent it out or given it away, but I still really liked it.  She offered me the pattern after she was finished.  Of course I said yes, that would be great.

A few months later,  
she asked if I'd like the whole, unfinished project...
that she was just over it.  Done. 
My question was, are you sure?  
Too many hours invested, fabric invested, 
cutting blisters and needle-pricks were involved.  
She said YES - she was sure - just finished.

Well, fast forward a few weeks, 
and this Humongous envelope arrives in my mail box!!!
(: My Sweetie, of course, thinks I've ordered another whole fabric line. :)
I excitedly open the package and, OH, what a surprise!!
I had forgotten the size of the blocks and quilt itself from my long-ago wish list.

Look at these blocks!!! and there is border fabric AND extra fabric!!

The remaining applique pieces are cut out, ready to needle-turn!!

Gorgeous fabric choices and excellent needlework!

I LOVE IT!!!  I love it all!!!
I am so blessed to have such a wonderful friend.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for being in my life!
And thank you for such a generous gift, Karen!

I don't promise it will be finished any faster here than it would have been there, but I do and will treasure it! 
(And another smile for the day:
you should have seen my Sweetie's face when he saw me open a package of another unfinished quilt - hilarious!)

Happy Stitching to you!  

PS. I have been told before that I collect UFOs.  
True.  So true. :)

Flags, times 4

For September, and the second installment 
of Flags of the American Revolution sew-along,
(hosted by Lori of Humble quilts)
we were to do the 
four flags with tree appliques.

This sew-along is from the book: Flags of the American Revolution by Jan Patek.
With each block/flag there is a brief history written by the editor - Edie McGinnis.
I'm really enjoying the history lesson as I do each block!!

Anyway, these were 
FOUR good sized applique blocks,
but, I got them done on time - whew!

Specifics:
Each block finishes at 20 inches by 10 inches.  
I'm using cotton on cotton, 
with YLI silk thread to hand-applique.  
And, I still need to press my blocks (because I don't like my hand-applique smashed flatter than flat and not look like applique, I won't press these until they are together as a quilt-top, ready to quilt).

Appeal to Heaven, Block #2, and Bunker Hill, Block #3:

And Pine Tree Flag, Block #4 and Pine Tree, Block #8:

I did take a few close-up pictures so you can see my fabrics:

For the lettering on the Appeal to Heaven block, 
I used a Valdani pearl cotton, size 12, color O540, a variegated dark green to black.  
I used it single thread, and did a whipped, running-back-stitch
which is my favorite hand-embroidery stitch, 
that my Great-Grandma B taught me long ago.

October's 'assignment' is five flags with pieced stripes! 
Sounds like a lot of blocks for one month, 
but they do look pretty easy (and fun).
Can't wait to get started!

nose job... err, beak-ectomy

Flags of the American Revolution...
The stitch-along (with Lori of Humble Quilts blog) has started.
BUT...
I don't think I can leave it!!!

I thought after I had the entire center eagle medallion stitched in place,
that it wouldn't bother me. 
That is a goose head!

 But I just can't.
I had to get out the scissors.


Off with the beak!!

On with an eagle beak!

OK, I'm feeling better now. :)

new project excitement

I''m always excited to start another project.
Almost too much so.
Are you also eager to get going on a project?

To start my hand-applique stitching on my
Flags of the American Revolution quilt sew-along,
I had to dig out my applique threads bag...
a bag that I passed up the first dig-through
because this is what I saw:

The the jumbled mess of embroidery floss, pearl cotton and bit of wool inside the bag came from an old project... I guess the last time I used it was when I was working on my Snowy Days quilt, in which I hand-appliqued wool on cottons, and then big-stitch quilted with blue hand-quilting thread and snow-like pearl cotton.  The blue hand-quilting thread is what gave me the clue to the project I'd done last with this little bag of threads.

So, my silks, the blue hand-quilting thread, and thimble were on other side of the jumbled mess:

That's what I was looking for!
Excitement is reason that I don't put away stuff before I start the next project, right??
:)

Happy Stitching!