Small Group Show and Tell!

Table Talk Stitchers got together this week at my house. We meet once a month and have really gotten to know each other well in the year we have been stitching together. This week we had some fun projects at the table!

Mary has been diligently working on Yoko Saoto's mystery quilt from Quilt Mania Magazine! It is all quilted and ready to sew the binding down. Isn't it stunning! Here are a few detailed shots. I know she will be a ribbon winner again with this one! She is one of the finest quilters I know! It has been so great to get to know her better while stitching together in various groups.

The quilter she had work on it did some wonderfully creative stitching!

Such cute detail in this quilt...see the bluebird and pup?

And two little kitties...

Faux leather for some of the roof tops,

Cute little peacock couple...sittin' in the tree, K I S S I N G, first comes love, then comes marriage, then come the peacocks with a baby carriage!

We had a great time oooohing and aaahing over this quilt!

Char and Marcia bring wool appliqué to stitch on when they come! They both choose such darling projects to work on! It has been so fun to get to know these two ladies as well. Such sweethearts and so inspirational!

Char brought her cute chartruse purse used as a tote to carry her goodies. She also wore a chartruce colored sweater and happened to coordinate with her lovely stitching and supplies. Her Easter Matt is coming along nicely and will be ready to display in her home soon. See her cute little green box over on the right side that she carries her scissors and such in? Darling! And of course the little tote she stitched for her threads is Oh So Cute too!

 

And Marcia had a cute tote she made also. Her little mat is telling us spring will be here very soon. Such a cute little bumble bees! I am always impress with quilters who work ahead of the season! I am one who works on the past season...after Christmas, I make Christmas quilts, after Easter, I start an Easter project! Then I have to wait the whole year to enjoy it! LOL. Marcia will have this one done by the next time I see her! These girls are organized and I need it to rub off on me! :-D

 

I stitched on another pincushion. I need a few extras in different color ways. This one is poison green and lavender, with brown and creamy yellow accents. It's looking nice, I think, and will be a good addition to my collection! I love to make these...seems I never get tired of them! (You can see the rest of the designs available in my web store HERE). These are made using my English Paper Piecing technique with starch. So simple!

Next time we get together for some table Talk, I'll take a few more pictures to share from the other girls' projects to share with you. All of them are so talented.

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Take care,

Missie

 

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One Last Post About Texas

I just have a few more inspirational pictures to show you from my trip to San Antonio. You know how I love STARS! It wouldn't be a good showing of pictures without a few more stars! I think this one is one of my favorites...it is on a railing in the airport...sure wish it was on my back porch!

The others were in a few shops I found during the trip. Isn't this a nice star clamped onto that pole for fancy jeans? I like those jeans too, but I like the star better!

Here's that Texas Star again on this rack of cowboy hats. Can you just imagine that square unit as a quilt block? I do have a Texas Star Quilt started...only a few block are in the makings when I have a few moments.

I'm sewing it the old fashioned way using the Ardco metal templates, a pencil and sandpaper for easy marking of the lines. It's very peaceful sewing. Can you see those lines drawn on the back of that fabric on the left? I love these templates because they are so easy to trace around. One side is rough so it grabs the fabric a bit. You will only need one because they don't wrinkle or fall apart!

I've shown examples of the metal templates above for several blocks, but I think a friend has the templates for this block. I have plenty drawn to keep me busy for a long while!

 

All of those 10" squares of fabric have the backs filled with shapes ready to be cut and sewn by hand. If you look close, you can see the faint pencil line drawn on the back of the top fabric. This makes me excited to get this bundle out and start sewing on it again! Maybe this will be my next no brainer stitching project! I wish I had some extra time so I could work on it, that's for sure!

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by today!

Take care,

Missie

 

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San Antonio Inspiration!

I made it home with no great event today!  No delay, no cancellation, and nice people sitting beside me.

I will try my first Mobile upload of a picture to my blog from my new smartphone. I just joined the land of smartphones a few weeks ago. Now I can walk around everywhere I go with my nose in my phone like so many other people I see walking around blind to what is around them! Lol!

Back to the picture. My nose was not stuck in my phone when I saw these beautiful tile right on the posts on the sidewalk. These beautiful tile we're on the street corner right next to our hotel. I took pictures of all of them they were so beautiful. What quilty inspiration! I wondered how old the tiles were. Don't they look like they are right out of a Kaffe book?

These beautiful stars were all over buildings and signs in San Antonio. Architecture is very inspirational. I imagine many of these were carved by hand as the buildings are very old. That's TALENT!

And I couldn't resist taking a picture of this cute little Pomeranian enjoying a meal with his owners. He was hand fed...sat there like a perfect child waiting for the next bite. I couldn't imagine my sweet dog being so perfect with delicious food in front of her! This dog was well trained. I'm not sure I would seat my dog at a table, but you never know what you will see when out and about! (I probably should blur the man's face, but can't quite figure that out!).

Thanks for stopping by today!

Take care,

Missie

 

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I Am Stranded!

Sweet Hubs asked me to tag along with him on business to the beautiful city of San Antonio, TX.  We had a great time enjoying the balmy Texas weather! But then...another ARCTIC BLAST decided to make its way south!  Hubs flew out to a different city than I had scheduled, so he arrived home right on time.  I however, have been stranded alone for 2.5 extra days! Luckily I did manage to have my stitching with me, but everything else of value to a person who is stranded for a few days was with my husband!  We didn't have time to get anything out of the checked bag or his carry on bag...but hey, what else does a quilter need but needle and thread and a few pieces of fabric?!  Turned out the hotel had a shuttle to shopping areas so I was able to get the basics easily. 

I must say, I am anxious to get back home today! I am so thankful for my family!  It's lonely out on the road when you get all of your stitching completed, can't shop because you have to carry everything you want to buy, and of course, when you hear your grown up, busy kid tell you she misses you!  It didn't help when hubs sent a pic of Miss Ginger laying on the laundry, telling me she won't come out to join him! 

Wish me luck everyone!!  I need it to help me get home today!

Take care,
Missie

Making Progress!

I've done a bit more stitching tonight! This little striped quilt is coming right along.

I've sewn the stripes together first and now I will sew the rows together. Much less concentration is required about which seam to sew next when I do it this way. Sometimes with hexies, you jump around a bit with having to hit all of the seams and sometimes they are not right next to each other! It's easy to miss one. This way, I keep control and sewing the seams is nice and thoughtless!

My needle is bent really well now! It's almost bent too much! I grabbed a smaller sized miliner to stitch these pieces together. This one is a size 11. My fingers have not held an 11 for a long while because I have not been able to thread the size 11 with the Aurafil thread I do appliqué with. And the 11 is too hard for me to thread with Bottom Line. Of course, my eyes are not what they used to be! I suppose my fingers are used to firmly grabbing that thicker size 9 or 10 needle that I use most of the time, thus bending this one fast! Who all likes a bent needle? Makes it easy to hold onto. I have met many people who think a bent needle needs to go in the trash, but that means it's just getting warmed up if you ask me!

 

I am trying some new thread on this quilt. Shown above is a red Invisifil from Wonderfil Threads. It is so nice as you can see above. The stitches are nearly invisible! This is a 100 weight thread.

Wonderfil has also sent me some heavier weight thread called Deco Bob. This is an 80 weight. It also sews very nicely. You can see a close up of the stitches below. The ivory pieces are sewn together with this one. You can see a few stitches on the left, but the others are pretty invisible also! I think I like this thread for sewing these seams. These were all sewn without the papers inside. For those of you who may be new to the blog, I prepare my EPP with starch most of the time. It makes for perfect shapes! At times I do use the papers still, so I will test this thread WITH the papers also.

Just wanted to say Hey and show you these threads! Have a great rest of the week!

Take care,

Missie

 

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Found Some Time For Stitching!

I have been overwhelmed with office work recently and finally, I found some time for Stitching! It has been too long since I have held a needle! Before the Super Bowl I decided to prepare a small stack of little projects that have needed finishing for a long time.

This little Bethlehem Star Pincushion has been dragged all over the Midwest, then packed away until the next trip. Along the way I lost a few pieces, so I've prepared them using my starch method for English Paper Piecing. Finally I have finished putting it together and I hope to make it onto a pincushion today!

Next, in the pile was this little EPP strip which needed 3 more pieces to make it whole. It has been shown in progress many times...now I can move on to the next step!

These hexies below are EPP pieces I've made while doing the demo in the booth. I have just as many left over as you see here! I thought this size would make good mug rugs. I have stabilized them on fusible interfacing scraps. No pins to keep track of and very portable. Just a touch with the tip of the iron to the center and it holds them right in place until I am ready to grab that piece and sew! A little tug and it comes right off. Works really great. These interfacing pieces are reusable a few times. I will do this for the next pincushion so I don't loose any pieces! If you sew appliqué pieces down one at a time, this might be a good method to keep track of those pieces.

So far I have two little mug rugs stitched together. Yippee! It takes hardly any time to stitch them together once the pieces are prepared quickly with the starch. Next, I will add a bit of batting and a back and they will be ready to go! Seeing them in the picture makes me think this would make a cute pin cushion as well!

The next block in the pile was this heart made of hexies. These pieces were also made while doing my demo. I made most of these red and white hexies while in Lee's Summit, MO and Oklahoma City. I wonder if I have any new visitors from those shows checking in today? You can see I need a few more pieces, but you get the idea of the heart I hope!

After sewing a few pieces together, I decided I am not the hexie heart kind of gal, so I did some shifting and decided to go with red and white stripes. I think this will be a cute little display to show while vending in Independence, MO next weekend over Valentine's Day. Then I can use it in my home on my wall of quilts or even during the Christmas season next year. One can never have too many mini quilts! Haha! If you are headed to the Calico Cut Ups Show in Independence, MO, please come say hello to me!

I see the lower left corner that I have stitched together is a bit cockeyed, but you get the idea! See that little candy cane I layed out on the right with a few extra pieces? This will be a cute ornament for my tree next year!

The Olympics have officially begun. Enjoy the games for the next few weeks and keep your stitching handy! We are still having super cold temps and will get a few more inches of snow today! Stay warm and stitch as much as you can!

Take care,

Missie

 

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For The Ones I Love...<3

We've had a busy week in this household with flu's and such! Even Ginger seems to be a little blue...I couldn't get her to wake up to smile for you! She is so relaxed in her bed. Earlier she jumped up on the couch to help Katie feel better...snuggled right up next to her to give her some love! She knows she isn't allowed on the couches, but since she was on a quilt, I let her be next to the one she was lovin' on at the moment.

So glad the weekend is here and we can look forward to brighter days this coming week! Last night, while playing nurse to my hubs and daughter, I made this little pin cushion. It was super fast and super easy...ready for the one(s) I love to see this morning and know I hope they feel better soon!

 

You can make this pin cushion if you'd like...just jot down these instructions or come back when you are ready to sew. Draw a 4" square onto freezer paper. Draw and X from corner to corner on the paper. Cut it apart and also cut on the diagonal lines. Iron 2 freezer paper triangles to purple wool and 2 freezer paper triangles to blue wool. Cut them out nice and neat.

Then draw a heart on freezer paper about 1 1/2" long (or email me and I will send it to you!) on freezer paper and then iron it onto red wool and cut out on the line. Cut a red wool square 4 3/4" and set aside. Cut a tan wool square 5" and set aside.

Hold one blue and one purple square wrong sides together and whip stitch one of the short sides together. Pull them slightly taught so they hold the fabric together well.

Repeat for the other two triangles. Lay them out first to make sure you will be sewing the correct seams together. Then sew the two pieces together the same way, making an hour glass block with the whip stitch seams facing the right side. Lay this pieced square on top of the red wool square and whip stitch the edges being careful to keep it square as you sew. Trim the red wool square a scant 1/4" away from the hour glass block.

 

Next, place the red heart in the center and whip stitch it in place leaving a straight side open to stuff with a cotton ball. It only takes one! Tuck all the cotton in nice and neat and finish stitching the heart in place.

Finally lay the pin cushion top onto the tan square. Again, whip stitch the edge onto the tan wool, keeping it nice and straight as you stitch. Leave part of one side open, stuff slightly and finish sewing the pin cushion closed. Trim the tan wool about 1/4" away from the red square. Now you can think of the One You Love as you display this pincushion this Valentine season.

I hope you are staying warm! We're supposed to get some snow today! Then maybe 8”+ next week! It's definitely winter around here!

Take care,

Missie

 

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