Another Month, Another Mini

It's the end of another month,

not sure which one it is,

but never the less,

I knew it was time to share.

Anyone else feel like that?

Anyway, without further delay...

Springtime, 2020

32" x 32"

My creative juices have been 

feeling rather sluggish lately,

but fortunately,

 Stacy West

of Buttermilk Basin was sharing 

her creativity with a fun free

spring time sew-a-long. 

It gave me a chance to

pull out little bits and pieces of 

sweet spring time pastel fabrics.

It was an exercise in 

making do and using what I had,

but that was an okay good feeling.

The blocks finished at 4 inches

and were easy to do.

I plan on donating it to a

group at a local church.

So I kept the quilting simple, but I

had a tulip and heart stencil that fit the 

borders perfectly. 

My time saver for donated quilts is to do

a faux flange binding.  

 There are lots of tutorials available online.

Check them out.

I like the color accent it adds to the edge

and is the only way I can machine stitch

the binding in place and have it look good!

Note: If you are interested in the pattern

look on Stacy's website immediately.  I don't think

it will be available for free much longer, 

but then you could purchase it from her later on.

Thanks, Stacy!

****

The other simple project

I finished was machine quilting a 

delightful panel I had ordered 

from Fat Quarter Shop a couple of

months ago.

The message seems so appropriate. 

It was fun to quilt by simply

outlining the cute characters.

Simple quilting was the way to go.

I got it in the mail today

for my grandkiddos in Denver.

Hopefully, it will be a perfect reminder for

them and,

actually, one for all of us.

Until Next Time-

Kyle

Thank you, Sue Spargo. It's Just What I Needed!

I found I've been needing

a little change of pace.

I had been thinking about

finding an interesting wool project 

to work on.

A couple weeks ago

Sue Spargo started a free

project called the Tone - Down Sampler

on Instagram.

Sounded lovely.

I found the perfect soft pastel wools

in my wool bins, cut out 30- 1 3/4" circles

and whipped them onto a piece of neutral colored linen.

Sue's project has smaller circles placed 

on a wool background and she is

sharing 90 circle designs!

I knew my attention span and my skill level

would be challenged by that.

So I took the idea and made it fit me.

I ordered a few more of Sue's wonderful

Eleganza Perle Cotton thread from her shop.

Yes, they are shipping and 

I needed a treat in the mail.

Before we had more snow last week,

I sat outside and got organized.

Don't you love theses old lunch boxes!

Some of Sue's Eleganza Perle Cotton

in the #8, #5, and #3 weight

and some DMC Perle Cotton

in #8, and #5 weight

Who could resist

 a couple spools of Razzle and Dazzle 

threads to add just a bit

of sparkle and bling.

I could have ordered a lot more

and maybe, as I'm working on my circles 

I might just do that!

Because I'm working with fewer circles

in my sampler, I've been picking and choosing

which designs to do.

Sue' has daily videos that accompany

each new design and stitches.

They're wonderful,

 showing you exactly

how to do the new stitches for the day.

I've never been able to take a class from Sue,

but I can tell she has lots of patience.

She repeats and explains things clearly

in her soft soothing voice.

Some embroidery stitches are fairly easy

while others are more challenging.

Yet each gives me an opportunity

to be creative and

an opportunity to

 practice all those awesome stitches,

as well as to play with color and texture.

This project is

just what I needed to spice life up.

26 more circles to go.

****

Just a photo from the weekend.

Anyone else found this to be a very unusual Easter holiday?

Until Next Time-

Kyle

A Little Love Story

This is a short story of 

love affair that I have had 

with this book and, especially, with

the Burgoyne Surrounded quilt on the cover.

This wonderful book was published 

in 1991 and I'm sure I bought my indigo fabric 

close to that time.

You might remember my story.

 I had bought this.

 Documentaries from Benartex.

When I decided last June to finally begin

this quilt, I quickly discovered I was now

2 yards short!

Some how and some where

I had used some of my dedicated fabric!

I was fortunate to find a Betsy Chutchian

indigo print that would make a great

addition.

Now I'm happy to say that my 

Burgoyne Surrounded quilt

is finally finished.

"The Blue Winds of Autumn" 

Burgoyne Surrounded

2020

(Photo taken in the lodge of
The YMCA camp in Estes Park, Colorado)

The two different fabrics

worked out well.

80" x 98"

I guess, 

I'm just a traditionalist

at heart.  I love the simplicity

yet the graphic element,

of a two color quilt.

My long arm quilter,

Kathy, at Hearth & Home,

did a fantastic job.

 I love those feathers.

They show up so well

when the sunlight creates those 

lovely tiny shadows.

I used one of Christopher Wilson-Tate's

fabrics for the backing.

The photo doesn't show it,

but I was able to match the strip perfectly

down the center.  You wouldn't even know it was there.

You might even recall my

humble piecing.

That really is totally me.

As the days click by,

I need to consider what other

quilts are on my "need to make" list.

If I'm like you,

that list is long and continues to grow.

Take care, everyone.

Until Next Time,

Kyle