Don't Peek Michelle!

I'm getting ready for Christmas! We need a little snow, or at least some cool weather to get me hopping, but I'll do my best to get things done even though it feels like spring!

The first gift I am making this year is for my new niece, McKenna Lyll. Isn't she a sweetheart!! We are so blessed to have her in our family now. She was adopted in June as a newborn. Her parents waited for her for 3 long years. I have not met her yet, but will have the chance to hold this little bundle at Christmas. I can't wait! Above is her birth announcement and below is a pic at about 4 months old. I hope her mom, Michelle, turns off the computer now as I do a little show and tell.

I used to make and sell English Smocked clothing for children. It has been about 15 years since I have smocked anything. I was so excited to find out this baby was a girl so I could smock a little dress or two for her! Here is a sneak peek at the first dress I am making her. It is a basic bishop with angel sleeves and will have a little ivory shirt I will make to go under it. It is bringing back memories to work on this little dress! My girls wore smocked outfits daily. I bet I have a tub full of about 60 downstairs.

(Can you say obsessive?)

 

The color is showing up deep purple in this pic, but it is really more of a plumb color in person. The thread colors are pinkish plumb and tanish silver. If you don't know about smocking, you can see the horizontal threads showing underneath the stitches. These are the basting threads which pleat the fabric. I use a pleater to do this.

 

This shows how the fabric rolls through the pleater, running the basting stitches through the fabric. This used to be done by hand, so I am spoiled to always have a pleater to use.

As the smocking is stitched, each pleat is grabbed with the thread, thus holding the pleats in place after the basting threads are removed. It is very simple and I compare it to cross stitch the way you follow the design patterns. I will post again when it's done so you can see the whole outfit. Now I just hope it fits Miss McKenna!

 

In a few days I will be joining the Holday Lane blog hop! See the button on the top right of my blog...come back soon to see how I made the pillow! Thanksgiving day is my day to show my pillow. I hope you will have time to come back to see!

And last, a little update in Ginger. She is mending slowly. She had the go ahead to do the garage steps but slipped the first time she tried it and sort of reinjured her leg. No damage, just made it sore. She gets excited when someone comes to visit and then starts to hobble again. My folks and other family members are coming tomorrow so we hope we can keep her calm when she greets them all. It may just postpone her total healing a bit, but there is nothing we can do to keep her calm. She is a happy girl no matter what!

Take care everyone, and enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday!

Missie

 

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Little Quilts!

Good Afternoon!

I saw a post today about little quilts and at first I didn't think I had any...but as my mind got going, I remembered a few from the past. Here's a little show and tell for a dreary day! When you are finished looking at mine hop on over to Taryn's at Reproduction Quilt Lover to see more!

 

This one is from a dear friend Susie K. She gave it to me when I moved away from Ohio a few years ago. It stays out in my sewing room all the time!

 

These two are some I made probably 12-15 years ago. The blue one is from leftovers from a larger quilt. You might think this is The Twister which is popular now, but what was once new, then old gets redone by another designer over and over. This is from the book Square Dance from the mid nineties. I made a larger quilt and then made this 12" quilt from the scraps. It's a pretty cool book!

The tulip quilt is one I made after looking at a book with antique quilts. It was a fun quilt to make and won first place in the Ohio State Fair in the year 2000. I bring this one out in the springtime when things start to warm up!

 

This little Cake Stand Quilt was made in a class from Sally Collins. It was the first quilt I quilted with my new quilting machine. It is a tiny little thing about 8.5”x11”. I am very proud I finished it! All those little pieces!

These last two little quilts will be showing off pretty soon as the Christmas holiday approaches! The Cathedral Window quilt has little 1” squares that were framed by the red fabric. I loved making this quilt. I was amazed how the Cathedral Window block was made! I wish I had green in the under fabric to peak out and show off the frames in red. I don't think I could do this block today without finding a tutorial for it. I also made a Christmas ornament from Cathedral Windows. It's one of my faves!

The little wool felt quilt (although it is not actually a quilt) was a fun little project too! It was my first wool project and was very quick to make. I remember I finished it in one evening!

That's it for my little quilts for now...you've seen my little punched quilts I make now from previous posts! I've got another one in the works now! Do you have little tiny quilts too??

Have a great evening,

Missie

 

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Creativity...

All of us quilters are creative weather we design or follow a pattern. It is so interesting how the same quilt pattern can produce such different and creative interpretations. The fabric choices, the way we sew it together and the quilting style all feed our creative needs.

This week I decided to get creative with the starch from the laundry closet. Usually when I use starch I am ironing my hubs' shirts...but this week I have kidnapped the starch from the closet and will never return it there!! I think I'll keep it for quilting from now on.

I've been doggysitting Ginger this week, (Thankfully she is healing well so far!) doing some sketching and prepping while staying in one room with her as she is to walk as little as possible. My hexies are done for the next quilt and now I need to finalize what it will look like. I started these hexies last night and worked on them a few hours more tonight. I am really liking this starch method of prep for English Paper Piecing. Over 100 hexies ready to stitch in a small amount of time. I'll start stitching tomorrow!

 

I am going to keep these little hexies organized in my new sandwich box which was sent to my by Taryn of Reproduction and Antique Lover blog. She posted about how she keeps organized when taking her projects along with her. I commented on how my sharp scissors cut through my purse once when I tried to take my quilting along with me. She was sweet enough to send me this extra plastic sandwich box of hers and these tiny little glassine envelopes! Thank you Taryn! What a creative way to store our stitching. I'm excited to give it a try. Every 4 days I go get three allergy shots and must wait for 30 minutes afterwards in the waiting room. This will be the perfect take along to put in my purse and keep me busy while waiting! My scissors will be safe and sound and won't be able to get into any trouble in this little box!

 

Official preparation has begun for my Dear Jane Quilt! Jane Stickle really had an imagination to come up with all these intricate block and triangle designs! I can just imagine her sitting in her beautiful antique clothes with perfect posture at a fancy ladies desk drawing these blocks, while overlooking the farm where she lived, then stitching in the evenings by the fireplace...just like in a novel set the past. I have no idea if that is what Jane Stickle's life was like, but that's how I imagine it being. I admire her creativity to make this beautiful quilt. We all know what a commitment it is to reproduce it! Just imagine what it took to create the original!

Take care and thanks for checking in on Miss Ginger so often,

Missie

 

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Happy Halloween!

 

This is Katie's double sided pumpkin!

And these are her buddies shoes! Wednesday is Young Life night! The crew is all here tonight! They are downstairs singing and jumping around with a real band and big screen for the lyrics of the words. They all chime in and sing and have a ball, play games and get a small message at the end of the night. She never misses a week and I am thrilled she has such a great activity to participate in!

 

This is my one and only Halloween Quilt if you can believe that! I made it in the mid '90s I think. It is made with heavy Heat and Bond and has hardly any quilting and no stitching around the shapes, but I love it cause the little witches remind me so much of my three girls. It will always be a favorite even though I am embarrassed of the quality now a days! I still hang it every year..fold it very carefully so I don't crack the pieces off and save it till the next year!

Have a Boo-tiful evening!

Missie

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Quick Little Finish!

Punched, embroidered, quilted and bound! Quick little Mini Punchneedle Quilt! Now it's off to the darling store in Omaha, More Sew For You. They will be carrying the pattern for this little quilt, Primitive Pineapple Welcome. If you are ever in the area it is well worth stopping to shop this store. They had a great selection of beautiful fabrics and cool notions, lovely displays and very nice employees!

It is punched and embroidered with Valdani 3 strand and size 12 pearl cotton. The border has wool appliqué and it was so fun to make another one. I will need to get busy on more quilts in this series!

But first, I will prepare some Dear Jane so I can take them with me to sewing groups! Yeah!

Take care,

Missie

 

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Houston Quilt Market

Valdani Threads has set up a display of some of my punched items at market this weekend. You have seen these before, but I'm excited they liked them enough to offer to display them in the booth. The owner of Valdani, Dana, is so kind to help my designs get seen at market so that stores might offer them to customers.

The ladies at Blackberry Primitives, Cindi and Tania, also have a booth at market and they are offering my design, Charmed Beginnings, that I did for them. Sure wish I could be there to be a fly on the wall! Ah well, maybe another year...

 

Take care,

Missie

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Restin' and Workin'

Ginger is resting well today. Her eyes are brighter and wider today. Her leg is much less red and bruised. I am working on a store sample for my mini punched quilt, Primitive Pineapple Welcome. It is done in a bit brighter tones; ecru, gold, reds and greens for a Holiday feel. The wool appliqué in the border is so quick and easy. If any of you have not tried wool yet, give it a try! It's wonderful!

I went to the other side of the cubby we have made of couches, a wooden blanket box and my recliner to take a picture of the whole little quilt, all 12” of it! Of course I had to get little Ginger in there too! The brightness of this little quilt is growing on me, and it might be cheering me up a little bit too! Isn't it nice how quilting, stitching or doing something we love, even when we don't think we want to, helps to lift our spirits?

Thanks again for your kind words about Ginger,

Take care,

Missie

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