Dresden Flowers

I took a dresden block and thought I'd try it in a potholder.  This was the result.

I liked it so much.  It looked like a nice flower.  So I decided to try more.  I wanted a vintage kitchen look.

And then I got to thinking - what other colors could I do.  Brown seems popular these days.

Oh, I really want to do one more.  How about black?

These are some of the gifts for my future trip?  Will they like them?

Our family did take a mini vacation.  Everyone came except the newlyweds. Their time will come. We're in no hurry.

Eloise is with Uncle Isaac.

 Juliet in relaxation mode.

This is linked to Linky Party Tuesdays  and 

Fabric Tuesday.

Take a Block - and Make a Potholder

That's what I did with these potholders.  The designs are simple blocks that I liked.  It's nice to take blocks you like and not make a whole quilt.

 I made these big.  Somehow I thought bigger is better.  After having done these and then making my mini hotpads, I'm thinking bigger isn't necessarily better.

 This potholder is leftover fabric from some French fabric I had.  I love lavender.

My lavender.

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

TGIFF

My First Smocked Bishop Dress

It took a while for me to like bishop dresses, but as I kept seeing them on other blogs, I grew to really like them.  Some things take time to like.  So now I've made one for Juliet.  I started back in June.

It was a learning process.  I followed Sewnsew's  tutorial and checked out other websites also for detail and instructions.  I used the Children's Corner bishop pattern and bought a lawn fabric.  It is a very lightweight fabric and went through the pleater easily with the serged seams.

I still have things to practice in my smocking.  The neck edge is not good.  I ripped it out my piping and did it three times.  But the smocking up there also needs improvement.

The sleeves don't come together as tightly as the yoke.  I guess that's the way it's supposed to be. I do have someone in my quild who smocks and helps me, but she's never done a bishop dress.

Juliet loves to smile and laugh, but when I'm holding a camera in front of my face, that's just not the same thing as me making faces at her.  So she just looks.  She is a precious child of God.

Check out Link It Up Thursday  for more crafty ideas.

Mini Hot Pads

I've been making hot pads lately for small gifts for a trip I'll be making soon.  You'll get to see those soon.  While doing those I got side tracked seeing these mini-potholders on pinterest and decided to make a few of them.  They're too small of an item for the gift giving I'm doing unless I add them as a bonus.  But I think I want some for myself and they always will be good as that unusual gift.

 There is a tutorial for these that you can find here.

They are such a good way to use up scraps and also it's fun to find good combinations of fabrics that go together well.

 Sew have fun with this pattern.

Eloise gets another trip fabric shopping.  This time with her aunts to Joann's.  We are all properly training her .  This time she gets to sit on the cutting counter as she fondles fabrics.

Here's a link to Linky Party Tuesday.
and
Fabric Tuesday

A Visit to the Fabric Store

Yesterday I took a little trip with Eloise to Bayside Quilting, my local quilt shop.  Once in a while, they'll take coupons from other stores, like Joann's, so you can get a good deal.  And Bonnie and Pat did want to meet Eloise.

And a found a panel that I really liked.  It has children helping with the chores at home.

I asked Eloise to hold up the packet so I could take a picture.  She did.  But where's her face?

I wonder what I should make with this panel? Something for Eloise?

She also found a little shopping cart that had items for sale in it.  She thought it was meant for her and pushed it around the store.  She was also ready to take it out the door when it was time to go.

We've sewn and quilted together.  Now I'm teaching her fabric shopping.  It's all part of the process.

This is linked to Linky Party Tuesday

Ronen's Quilt

Do you like owls?  They seem to be a popular subject these days for toys and quilts.  And they are so cute.  So here's my owl quilt for Ronen.

 I forgot to take pictures during the process, but it was a pretty fast put together.  

 I sewed the grass to the sky and fused the tree, leaves and owls without sewing.

 I was thinking that I didn't need to sew twice, but just once in the quilting.  I have to  think about whether I like this method.

 In the quilting process I thought I'd try these circles.  I've seen them on other quilts that I pinned.

This is a pretty cute quilt for a boy.

This is linked to Made by You Monday
and Design Wall Monday

Before and After

 This is a quilt that my daughters and I are making for a customer.  She brought in a damask tablecloth and 8 napkins that she wanted put together for 2 quilts - one twin and one queen size.

Veronica put silky fabric and lace in between  6 of the napkins to make the  twin sized quilt and then I quilted it.

 Before quilting

 After quilting

The quilting surely enhances the design on the napkins.

Juliet gave me a smile this morning.

 

This is linked to Esther's WOW and Freshly Pieced.

Hawaiian Hibiscus

After sitting in my "to be quilted" pile for quite a while, this wall hanging is now done.  My last post on this project was in Hawaii.  I did get the handwork done quickly, but then it set a while.  Once it was quilted , the binding was fast since I wanted to sit outside because summer finally came. Bindings are great for outside work

This wallhanging is hand appliqued and machine quilted using a traditional echoing.

 

 The pattern was one given to me that a mother of someone in my quilt guild had.  I was given about 50 patterns from her, all hawaiian, and make on paper sacks.  They are all labeled  and sized.  Makes it nice for me.

My daughter was out photographing yesterday.  That's her hobby.   So here's a nice pic of Eloise.

This post is linked to Linky Party Tuesday.

Doily #8 for Naomi

I continue making doilies very slowly for Naomi.  Was it 23 that I'm going for?  I'll have to watch Anne of Green Gables again to find out.

This is a very pretty lacy doily.  I used a #20 cotton which is thinner than the normal crochet cotton.  I love the sheen this doily has.

This is linked to Whoop-Whoop Friday and TGIFF

Eloise's New Dumpling Doll

I have loads of fun making the little Dumpling Dolls, but I always make them for show, not to play with.  They have so many little parts.

Whenever Eloise comes over and sees one I'm making sitting on my table she picks it up.  It doesn't have to have eyes, arms, hair, etc.  She knows it's a doll.

In this picture, she's picked up her new doll.  I think she's wondering where it's eyes are.

I got hers finished and put it in the stroller with the dog that always sits in it.

When she came over, she found the doll and gave it a kiss.

She doesn't stand still for a picture, so Mom was helping her.

She even shared the doll and doggie with Juliet.  Juliet was more into sleeping than noticing the toys around her.

This post is linked to Linky Party Tuesday.