October 2017 Happenings

In the Category of,

YOU DO KNOW IT IS MARCH OF 2018, RIGHT?

Yes, I do, but I have been busy....

I will be catching you up and then you will understand why I have been absent!

And, in between all of this has been commission quilting, new designs, and lots of applique and embroidery!

 

My lovely man was invited to Chicago by our eldest to go to a Cubs game!  You may (or may not) remember that this time last year Jim's brother was fighting cancer and Jim sat here alone, worrying about his brother and watching the Cubs win the series while I was away.  This time, he flew into Indy where he and his brother drove to Chicago to go to the game together with our eldest.  They did lots of reminiscing and Imagine his joy to see his childhood team win in person:)

HAPPY 49TH BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I am not excited that I hear this little voice telling me it is my

last year to do something big before I turn 50!!

 Great night at the game with the Lightning

celebrating 25 years as a team:)

 

Just because I love them, I thought you would too. 

Jim planted these lovely red vine flowers for me!

 

ONLY IN FLORIDA!.....??

Can you believe that the Princess Bride is 30 years old??!!  This was a favorite of Jim and I as we dated and then we introduced it to our girls when they were young.  Jim is my Wesley!  He didn't say, "as you wish" but damn near close:)

Jim was getting a bit bored in retirement (I think, but he won't admit it) so he tried his hand at some woodworking.  He found an old treadle sewing machine to use the wrought iron sides as table legs.  Then he found some wood quilts that were being made / framed as art and thought that would make a great table. 

Why would I disagree:)

I picked the stains I wanted....

Voila!  A lovely table perfect for a quilter!  I now have somewhere to display photos since I hadn't fully moved in and now I will:)

Heritage Stories: Kay's Applique

Today I FINALLY get to show you
what I worked on this summer:) 
Kay and I have been FB friends for years and
as I posted some of my commission work,
it must have peaked her interest. 

Kay's Country Applique

I am pretty sure that by now you all know my passion for applique. Imagine my excitement when I had the honor of quilting these lovelies designed by Marion Vernon and Carlene Buck!!

 

I am so glad that Kay recognizes what an amazing job she did stitching these!!  This is another fun part of Heritage Quilting for me...I get to wonder in awe at the work and time taken to add each little perfect stitch into a piece of art. 

BEAUTIFUL DETAILS!

 

 

Here is a back shot of the quilting because

sometimes it is lovely from the back too:)

 

 

You don't always need to mark out a design either. 

Let the fabric talk to you and tell you how to quilt it.

The plaid like print was perfect for double row cross-hatch

and added loads of texture to the final look.

 

 Hanging Diamonds were the perfect background fill

so that the applique was the star of the block and worked as a

different texture to the plaid print. 

Read all of Kay's story on the making of this delightful quilt HERE

When you are ready to start your own Heritage Journey, find me HERE

Until next time,
Keep Quilting

Heritage Stories: Helen's quilt!

Helen found me via 2 women in my guild: 1 an appraiser and 1 a long-arm quilter.  Neither of them found this something they would do but they knew someone who would:)  I had let it be known that I wanted to expand my commission clientele and so this delicate piece arrived on my doorstep!

The quilt was started and in 2 sections of 2 rows each.  The applique was complete and what was needed was the final assembly, the hand quilting, borders/quilting, and the binding.  What made it even better was that she knew exactly how she wanted it finished AND the hearts came with their own marking!

Here you can see the quilting in the hearts and the small hearts in the corners of each block.

This photo shows a heart design I drew out for the borders by combining a few other designs.

 A sweet label and finished!
This is a quilt that was started in the 90s and due to life and some health reasons she just wasn't able to finish it.
This is why I quilt.  It was fabulous to help another quilter fulfill this wish!

When LIFE happens....

It has been one crazy summer!  I started out after market looking for a bit of a mix up to refresh my mind and spirit so I took a part time, summer job at a local quilt shop.  Boy did that mix things up!!  First day on the job, I meet a Checker Distributor rep. who encourages me to resubmit.  For those of you who don't know, that is the biggest distributor in our industry.  So I do..... 
In the meantime I took on a hand quilting commission.  As a reminder, this is another job of mine that you can find on my SERVICES page. Tell your quilting friends:)
At this point, I am working 3 part time jobs. No big deal, right?
 
Well Checker picks up my whole line of designs mid July and there are a couple of steps to accomplish that I slowly work through  (between other jobs) until I have a surgery in August.  Then I spend recovery SLOWLY putting together 46 sets of 36 covers for their sales reps. Now the first order has come and will ship out today.  WOOT!! :))))))

The hand quilting commission is almost done with only 3 borders to quilt.
I have a workshop coming up in October that has a few more steps to accomplish.
The part-time summer job will be over in a few more weeks and then I will be back to F/T designer:)) Which means getting new designs out to all of you! 
It was an exhausting but amazing and exciting summer!!  Autumn is just around the corner and is my favorite season so I can't wait to see what it brings:))

Now onto shoes....



AUGUST

I live in Florida where it stays hot longer but August is HOT everywhere usually and so we all like to where a strappy sandal occasionally:)  August shows off a half flower that could also be interpreted as that hot sun some just love! 

SEPTEMBER
 

September is Back to School month and who doesn't love a comfy sneaker?  I went with a denim look and added a bit of graffiti for those of us that used to draw on our jeans and then get yelled at for not appreciating the cost of said jeans:)

As always, the pump is 12" square to fit on the originally designed (by me) Ackfeld metal hanger.

Hopefully you have already signed up for the Starter Kit.  If not, this BOM is open enrollment so still plenty of time. 

The templates for every month are available for purchase on my website BOM 2015 page.

 

**NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR:)

Originally this project was set up so that you would pay for the templates and they would be an immediate download.  Due to a VAT (Value Added Tax) put into place overseas on digital products, I had very limited options as to how I could keep the digital aspect but not be subjected to a very disorganized new law.

 

When you pay for the templates on my website, a payment notification will be sent to me.  Once I have received this notification, I will then email you the PDFs of the templates.  Please be sure that your email address associated with Paypal is correct so that you can receive these files.  I will email within 24 hours of payment.  Thank you so much for your understanding.

**End of message**

 

I am very excited about watching this BOM progress and seeing how all of you use different fabrics to achieve a new shoe each month.  Please share your progress on my FB page.  This is also where you will find additional tips about how I went about making these sweet shoes.

Happy Quilting:)