Getting my head back in the game!

 

 

Hello!  How do I come back from such a long absence?  I'm just going to jump back in with both feet and hope for the best.  Hopefully someone out there will be somewhat inspired by the progress I've made the past several months.  I finished my Shores of Hawk Run Hollow, by Carriage House samplings!  (Hallelujah chorus singing!) It was stitched with Vicki Clayton Silks, and a few NPI silks.  The fabric is 36 count cream, that I hand dyed with tan Rit dye.  Wow, did it ever feel good to put  the final stitches in this sampler.  This sampler took me just over 5 years to complete, and I dedicated it to my husbands 7th grandfather back.

William Mayne Duncanson was a Captain for the East India Trading Company.  He amassed a fortune during his trading days, and moved to Washington D.C. in 1794.

With that fortune he built a beautiful historic home near the nations capital, which is one of the few houses still standing today.  It was named, The Friendship House or The Maples.  The house was finished in 1796.  William entertained guests such as George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson and was influential in politics and government.  Sadly not long after finishing the home, his business partner swindled him out of his fortune, and he lost his home.  He passed away in much more modest circumstances.  The house was later owned by Francis Scott Key. 

It was fascinating to read his story and to learn more about this relative.  In 2012 a development company bought the home, and they are now building upscale condos around the property.  The home will serve as a gathering place for the residents.  I can't wait to go and see it someday.  It has such a rich history.  I stitched a bit of this history on the bottom of the sampler, and will include a more detailed history with the frame. 

I got a few quilts back from the quilters and I have been busy putting on bindings.  This is a quilt top that my mom made for my 40th birthday.  This quilt is called The Journal Quilt and it's by Wednesday's Best Quilts. 

This is The Garden Fence by Fig Tree Quilts.

This quilt is called "Home is Where the Haunt Is".  It's by Kimberbell Designs, and was a mystery quilt that I signed up for a few years ago. 

This is called "A Vintage Christmas" and it's by Bunny Hill Designs. 

I got this framed a while ago, but never showed it on my blog.  This is called "The Village Alphabet" by Cross My Heart.  This one took a whopping 18 years to complete. 

I absolutely love the way this sampler turned out.  This is a Quaker friendship round robin that many friends stitch on.  It is one of my favorite samplers of all time!  I think the frame goes perfectly with it. 

This is Hillside Traveler, by Little House Needleworks.  This is another favorite sampler.  Do you ever have a sampler that  you wish you could hang in several places in your house at once?  I feel that way about this sampler.

Sorry about the flash showing on the glass in this sampler.  This is The Weeping Tree Sampler by The City Stitcher.  I have this hanging in my kitchen.

This little quilt was easy to do.  I just had to add the boarder and binding.  I quilted it myself, because I need the practice.  The doll clothes were ironed onto fusible fleece, and then cut out.  I made a little bag to put all of the clothes in, and I think I'll keep this out were it can be played with during the Christmas season.  I took this to my guild for show and tell, and after the meeting about 5 ladies ran up to the local quilt shop, and bought the rest of their panels.  It's so cute in person. 

In January, I took a class from Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings.  She is a fabulous teacher, and if you get the chance to take a class from her, do not hesitate!  I didn't think I would learn that much, as I have been doing embroidery for 30 years, but I found her techniques improved my stitching by leaps and bounds.  We made this wall hanging on the first day.  Wool, is my new obsession.  I have a lot of wool projects in the works right not. 

In February, my daughter talked me into remodeling her room.  It was quite an undertaking!  I guess after 10 years of being in our home, it was time to make the bedrooms more appealing to teenagers.  So this is what my daughters room looked like before...

..and this is after.  I had to do about 15 coats of paint to get it to this point.  I don't look forward to painting over that black someday.  She absolutely loves her room now!  It's so girly, with lots of black Eiffel tower accents.  The best part is, she keeps it really clean!

Unlike my son, who's room was such a disaster, we opted to take things out of it, rather than clean it up for a before photo opp.  It looks like his comforter needs some readjusting in this picture, but at least he made his bed, right?  We added a queen bed to his room, and painted the dresser to match.  I am going to paint his room this summer.  I'm thinking gray and white.  I am a little tired of the tan and red, although it's not bad. 

My in laws moved last summer, and wanted to clear out some of their things, so we inherited this antique type set case.  It's kind of a fun way to display little treasured knick-knacks that you don't know what to do with.  Many of the things in here came from my husbands grandparents, and then we added little special things that have been given to us over the years too.

I made more Abbey Bags.  One for my sewing room, and one for a gift.  They are so much fun to make.

I got some wonderful treasures for my birthday.  I have sweet friends!

One of the wool projects I started is this wool lamb by Buttermilk Basin.  I am working on getting blankets cut out to take on vacation.  It's easy to get them cut out and ironed down, the sewing is the part that takes me forever. 

This little project was intended for Valentines day, but I just got it sewn into a pillow last week.  This comes from the Valentine Need'l Love book.  I still need to make some buttons flowers to tuck into the heart pocket, but once summer hits, I should have time to work on it.

I'll leave you with another fun antique we inherited.  Another summer project on my list is to make a Gail Wilson doll to put on this chair.  I love the way it sits in my stairway.  

I hope this post finds you all well dear blog friends.  May you enjoy each moment with your sewing and do as much of it as you can.  Talk to you all soon!

Summertime catch up!

Hi to all my blog friends!  I have to share an update on what's going on in my life.  As I was taking pictures, it became apparent to me why I am so busy!  I've been making up for lost time this year, and really cranking through the projects.   First up,my favorite obsession at the moment!  This is the beautiful Mary Allen Sampler that I am stitching with my dear friend, Deb.  We e-mail back and forth and she has become my kindred spirit.  We met through blogging, and going to the Shepherd's Bush retreat.  When Deb told me she wanted to start working on this, I jumped at the chance to do a SAL with her.  My other SB, blogging friend, Terri ,gifted the pattern to me and I have been dreaming about it ever since! (Thanks sweet Terri!)   I just finished my first page today.  (I know I like to push deadlines).  We are stitching a page a month, and I am happy that I can start stitching page two tomorrow.  I am stitching on 35 count French Vanilla by R&R Reproductions, with one strand of NPI silks.  I debated on doing 2 strands, but with 35 count, I opted to do one.  Also, knowing me, I'll have to unpick a lot, so I don't want to worry about buying more silk.  :)

Just in time for the 4th of July, this is a quilt guild block exchange that we did last year.  I decided to make it my picnic blanket, so I added one more row to make it bigger.  It's an expensive little picnic blanket.  When it comes back from the quilters, I may change my mind about putting it on the ground!

So sorry for the blurry photo.  I took this picture a while ago, and the quilt is now at the quilters, so I couldn't shoot it again.  This is another block exchange we did in my quilt guild.  This one was a couple of years ago, and it's called, Cracker Crumb.  When we were exchanging blocks, I thought it was going to be a homely looking quilt, but I really like it now that it's put together.  I appliqued big stars on the corners.  This quilt is for my son's room. 

I was so happy to finally get this finished.  I put it away for a few months, because I wasn't happy with the orange colors I had going on.  I bought some different fabrics for the filler blocks, and I am really happy with the way it turned out.  This is Fig Tree's Garden Fence.  This one was tricky with the checker board border.  I spent several hours getting that to fit just right.  I think it was worth the effort.  Love this quilt!

This one was simple, just add the boarder.  What I didn't show you, is the bag of clothes that go on the dolls!  I loved the idea of a quilt you could actually play with.  I think my daughter and I will have fun dressing the paper dolls up during the Christmas holidays.

Since I finished my big Alphabet Village, I decide to start about 5 new projects.   Seriously, isn't that the way it goes?  I have so many things I want to do.  This is Weeping Tree by the City Stitcher.  I started this in May and haven't looked at it since.  I do hope to get back to it soon, as I loved working on it!

My SIL Melanie and I are doing a SAL with Random Thoughts by The Drawn Thread.  A nice easy piece to work on when I'm tired.   

Sweet Jolene was my partner in crime at Shop Hop.  She surprised me with this paper doll quilt!  How I love it!!!  I dream about working on it.  She is such a wonderful enabler!

Another Start, LHN Hillside Traveler.  This is a SAL with my Mom and SIL, Melanie.  We are doing so much together this year, and it's really fun.  I have until July 26th to stitch the brown house and the 2 trees.  I better get crossing my x's!

If stitching wasn't enough, My mom and SIL and I are also working on Farm Fresh by Buggy Barn.    My mom has spent hours on end cutting kits for us, and I have spent hours on end tracing and ironing.  Can you see my enormous pile that I have to prep?  I like to use the spray starch method for my appliques.  It goes fairly quick, if my kids help me paint the spray starch on.  This will be on the agenda after sewing for my DD's birthday is done.  Yikes!  I have a lot to do, it's only 2 weeks away. 

I got the urge to cut out this project a few weeks ago.  It's from the book "Simple Graces" by Kim Diehl.  I thought I would make this a "car project" this summer.  My last car project got left in there for 4 years.  I guess that means that I drive most of the time.   I don't plan on waiting that long for this one to be finished.  At least I hope not!

Another project from the Simple Graces book.   This is a yo yo quilt.  I have been cutting little circles to do this one day. After seeing Deb's last post about her wonderful Go machine, I think I may get one, just to cut my circles!  This quilt is a lot smaller in person than it looks in the book, and it was the first yo yo quilt project that inspired me to make one.  It was stunning in person!

Last but not least, I have to share my sweet little daughter's photo from her ballet recital.  It was a play based on the story of Madeline, and she played a "Petit Sailor" in the park.  She was so cute!  It was a wonderful performance.  Since then DD has tried out for the ballet company which is a small group of 30 girls, out of 150 that will perform more during the year.   We were so proud of her that she made it, and now our lives are going to be centered on ballet, because she starts taking lessons 3 times a week in August.  I may need more car projects!  

   

Thank you for stopping by to see me!  I appreciate every single comment. They make my day.  Have a wonderful 4h of July holiday.  Until next time, Happy Sewing.