Beginnings...

Spring keeps me busy and not necessarily in terms of stitching.  First, there is strawberry season which has been particularly good this year.  The flavor of the berries is exceptional this year and I've made repeat trips to the fruit truck for boxes of berries.  Then I make jam. Here's a batch just out of the water bath.

A more artistic view of my handiwork:

The garden also keeps me quite busy.  Here it is just after I finished planting a couple of weeks ago.  At this moment, it is perfect: no weeds, no bugs, no fungus.

I also spend quite a bit of time in the Spring cleaning out flower beds, but it pays off with lots of inspiration.

Now it's time for me to focus on stitching!!  I'm planning to begin a block for my Baltimore Album quilt shortly.  The design is ready to go and I'm looking forward to getting started.  The first step in the process is to prepare a background square and this is how I do it.  My blocks will finish 17 - 18 inches, so I use a large 20 1/2" square ruler to cut a perfect square.  Move the ruler to the center line of your block and place a strip of painter's tape along the edge of the ruler.

Move the ruler out of your way and stitch along the edge of the tape in a nice straight line.

Do the same thing on the opposite half of the block.  When finished, you will have perfectly straight registration lines to guide the placement of your appliqué pieces when using an overlay.

This is one of those things in appliqué that may take you a few more minutes but save you time and headaches later on in the process.

While I'm working on my next Baltimore block, I've decided I need something easy to do when I need a break or when I'm watching Wimbledon or the NBA playoffs (GO HEAT!!!).  Here's is "Ring of Roses" in Quiltmania Magazine, issue no. 101.  

I just love it and I'm collecting pink, red, and beige fabrics to get this going ASAP!  I'm going to use some red Daiwabos too.  It should keep me out of trouble.

Don't forget that registration is open for The Kathy Dunigan Academy of Appliqué where I will be teaching, along with many other wonderful teachers, in February 2015.

Hopefully, my next post will be full of photos of work in progress!  Stella is quite tired from all that jam making.

All together now...

I’ve FINALLY finished the little red basket quilt top!  Color me happy because all those French knots on the border made me delirious!  It took an entire 20 yard skein of Thread Gatherer size 10 pearl silk in "Old Lace" to do the job.  That's a whole bunch of French knots!  The effort was worth it and I'm looking forward to quilting this piece.

My blogging absence can be explained in two words:  deadline and spring.  I had a sewing deadline which I have met.  Can't show you what I was working on just yet.

And Spring!  Nothing is lovelier than Spring in the mountains.  We have had a cool season and lots of rain.  The flowers have been particularly spectacular, especially the hybrid rhododendrons.  The native rhododendron in our neighborhood will be blooming soon.  Here are a few flower photos from my garden.  Can't you just see them in appliqué blocks?

Rhododendron

Poppies by the mailbox

A bank of rhododendron near the front porch

Columbine

Columbine

In addition to gardening, I've been doing quite a bit of hiking.  Here are a couple of photos from last week's hike to Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This spot is a wildflower paradise.  The galax were blooming profusely on the forest floor.  Galax is in high demand by florists for their long-lasting leaves and they are becoming scarce because of illegal poaching.

Galax

Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway

So I have been busy with the other parts of my life, but sewing is always at the top of the list.  I'll get back to blogging regularly now that my flower and vegetable gardens are under control.  I have just started a new block and in future posts I'll show my progress and offer tips for complex appliqué.  Until then, happy stitching!

A Sweet Detour...

A funny thing happened on my way to the next Baltimore Album block!  And it’s all the fault of my dear friend, Patsy!  She tempted me with a picture of a darling quilt by Japanese designer, Yoko Saito.  You can see a picture of it on her web site,  Quilt Party

Anyway, Patsy and I both love this little quilt.  Plus, she’s in Miami and I’m in Boone and we miss each other.  So we both ordered the book that contains the patterns, “Floral Bouquet Quilt” from One World Fabrics.   Then, we started planning and swapping fabrics and totally got into trouble.  In short order, we were both stitching away and here are my first two blocks.

The first one took about 3 days to complete.  The second one was more like five days because the embroidered Queen Anne’s lace isn’t hard but it takes longer than you might expect.  We’re not trying to break speed records!  It’s just that Patsy and I are both more than a little gratified to finish something in days, not weeks or months.  I've had to reacquaint myself with operating a sewing machine!  These little blocks give me a sense of accomplishment even if they’re not as complex as Baltimore Album blocks.

I have taken a few liberties with the patterns and added lace – the beads will come later.  I love the Japanese taupe fabrics and the scrappiness of the blocks.  I have some of the Yoko Saito fabrics but am digging in to my stash of  Daiwabo fabrics, also from Japan.  They are like "buttah" to stitch!  You will find links to quilt shops that carry Japanese taupe fabrics by clicking on "Places to Visit" on the right.  

Coincidentally, the Queen Anne’s lace is blooming here in the mountains and it’s especially lovely this year.  Here are some pictures from my morning walk.

I’ll soon return to my first love, Baltimore Album appliqué.  But for now, my little trip to Japan has been a sweet detour.