Monday, July 31, 2017

A Winter Finish in Summer

How quickly, it seems,
we can go from this...

to this...


With a few flips of the calendar pages
the seasons change.

I've continued to work on and 
even finish some of my 17 in 2017.

My most recent finish,
"Let It Snow" will be ready and 
waiting when winter decides to return.

 Let It Snow
37" x 30"

This was a delightful free BOM wool applique
pattern designed by Stacy of 

The reason it was on my 17 in 2017 list
was because it was last year's free pattern!

 It's still available on her website for purchase,
if you're interested.

I found the black flannels for the backgrounds in my stash,
and the wool as well.

Years  ago I bought this wool skirt at the Goodwill,
 felted it,
and who knew years later it would become snow.

The blocks were fun and easy.

By simply changing the cardinal to a blue jay
it personalized the block for my neck of the woods.
(No, cardinals here)

Adding some buttons or
 beads is another way

 to make a pattern your own.

I had planned to add a more extensive border,
but it just wasn't in me to keep going.
I simply quilted in the ditch and

 
 added some snowflakes in the borders.
I'm simply going to let the blocks
speak winter.

Another finish from my list.

It's a great way to enjoy the summer.

Check out what others have finished on their lists
by visiting Meredithe's blog,
 
Until Next Time-
Kyle

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars

Having the opportunity
to look up into a nighttime sky
away from city lights
is a beautiful experience.
Seeing all the stars in the Milky Way
puts things into perspective.
( photo from the internet)

You get lost in the beauty.
Stars have a univer-sal appeal,
even fabric stars.
 Pieced star blocks come in lots of
different styles and sizes.
There's a galaxy to choose from.

****
Twinkle, twinkle, little stars.
 I wonder how many I've made so far.


One a day had been the goal.
But that has taken quite the toll.


A few stars here,
a few stars there,


the pile is small
but I don't care.

60 stars are twinkling bright
double that number

will make it just right.

 My star goal now has been reset,
the night time sky won't twinkle less.

 So rather than filling a big black hole
I've set some boundaries to keep control.

Twinkle, Twinkle little star
The end is really not so far.



Until Next Time-
Kyle



Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Summer Time

 Summer days have a way of quickly slipping away and
I remind myself that


it's a time to relax and enjoy the simple things.

The last couple of weeks have been filled
with small pleasures.

Like spending time with these two little guys

while tent camping last weekend in the mountains outside of Denver,
 something I hadn't done in decades,
but despite my aging body, ended up being great fun.

Then there are these two
little pleasures.
 
 Being a Nana is the best job I've ever had.
I know many of you totally agree.

The sewing has taken a backseat,
but I did manage to make a few hst's


for the my BOM designed by Sue Garman
for the Quilt show.
I used the magic 8 method and trimmed
up the pieces using the Bloc-Loc tool.
I had 160 identical hst's to make and this
combination of sewing and trimming
made the whole process very easy and accurate.

The other day I
discovered the robins were enjoying
all of the cherries from our little tree.
They're the sour kind.
I got them pitted and frozen.
There's a few recipes I'm hoping to try.
One being a sour cherry berry crisp.
 It sounds good.

Maybe in the next couple weeks
I'll have more sewing to share,
but until then
I think I'll just be sharing time


with those I love.
 
Until Next Time-
Kyle