Quilt Projects Update

I finished my Edgar Allan Poe quilt, complete with a feather pen and his manuscript of Annabell Lee. I made this as the second in my series of poet quilts featuring love poems. 

As I did on William Shakespeare, I hand drew the quilt pattern and made the sections as separate quilts using fusible applique, machine, embroidery and quilting. The purple curtain is pleated and partially loose.

Next I want to do Emily Dickenson! 

 I have all the Bee-autiful Quilt blocks completed and I ordered some fabric for setting it together.

The bunny needs a pom pom tail still.

The bicycle block has been hugely popular. I found bicycle fabric at Hawthrone Threads that had to be in this quilt:

Also from Hawthorne is this honeycomb fabric:

The scale is larger on this honeycomb fabric also from Hawthrone Threads but it will be a great backing fabric.

I am still hand quilting my Austen Album quilt from Barbara Brackman and working on the 1857 Album from Sentimental Stiches. This will take all winter!

I am thrilled to have received a sweet box of review books from Schiffer Publishing!

Sue Reich's World War II Quilts, Don Beld's American Heroes Quilts, and Anne Hermes' Patchwork Pillows.

PLUS Mary Kerr's newest book Twisted and her previous book A Quilted Memory, which already has been inspired to tear into my stash of vintage textiles.

I have also been sorting and organizing my embroidery floss, for some crazy reason, which is taking much longer than I had ever expected!

Quilts and Gardens

Children's time at the Blair Memorial Library

This month our Clawson library quilt display includes two that I made quite a while back.

 Children of the World is a vintage pattern which I crayon tinted and embroidered and hand quilted.

Saucey Senoritas is a commercial pattern that uses handkerchiefs for the skirts of lovely Spanish ladies.

Quilts by my Tuesday quilt group include:

The library is next door to the Clawson Historical Museum which has lovely gardens courtesy of the Garden Club.

Blair Memorial Library

Garden Path at Historical Musem

 

I am progressing on the MODA Bee-autiful Quilt-A-Long blocks. They are a great summer project!

Bee-autiful Blocks and Books

I have been working on quilting my Austen Family Album and embroidering the MODA Quilt-A-Long Bee-autiful blocks. These are such cute patterns and great fun.

A lovely lady in my weekly quilt group is downsizing and brought in ALL of her fabric and books to share. There were close to 30 out on Tuesday, but we all brought home armfuls.

When I saw that black repro print fabric I pounced on it as I have used every last inch of what I bought when it came out!

 I wrote several writing family history posts, and plan to do more, based on the huge interest in Tonawanda, NY history on the Growing Up In the Town of Tonawanda Facebook page. The post about the Sheridan Park Volunteer Firemen brought me photos of my grandfather's memorials
at the fire station.

But his name was ALGER, not Alfred! They called him Al.

I had a real shock when these flowers were delivered to my door. I was sure they came to the wrong house. The company who installed our new furnace and A.C. sent me flowers in thanks! That is class.

I have been drowning in books-- and helping our son pack and move into his first house. I have ebooks books from NetGalley, Edelweiss, and First to Read.

I won a book from First to Read! And I won the Siracusa audiobook by Delia Ephron through First Look Book Club!

Ohio U Press sent me Suzi Parron's Barn Quilts and Following the Barn Quilt Trail to review.

And from Blogging for Books I chose The Gap of Time, a retelling of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale.

1857 Album Update & More

This month's blocks of the 1857 Album quilt from Sentimental Stitches are done, except for the embroidery.

I have done a little more on the Edgar Allan Poe quilt. I fused with the purple curtain fabric, pleating and getting it just right.

Our son is moving into his first house! The family room furniture all belonged to him so we ordered two chairs:

My friend Theresa has been working on the MODA Bee-autiful quilt. I just loved it and downloaded the patterns. I have one block done. You can find the patterns at the MODA Bake Shop here.

fresh from the hoop, my block one of  Bee-autiful Quilt-a-long

It seems with getting our son packed up, the July 4 holiday, and just life I am slow at getting anything completed. I suppose that is just summer.