Wayward Girls

"Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly

we are being renewed day by day."

2 Corinthians 4:16

I hope you've read enough of my blog to know that the title "Wayward Girls" is very tongue-in-cheek. It makes me laugh because the 3 of us that get together to sew are Christians and we call ourselves Wayward Girls as a joke!

So, there were only 2 Wayward Girls here sewing on Saturday. Wayward #3 was on a quilt retreat (without us!). We had a good time though, and I know you'll enjoy seeing Pam's project. It's from an old Fons and Porter magazine from 2000...the pattern is called Buzz Saw. You start with 3.25 yards of background fabric and 10 fat quarters. The fabric is cut into 8.5 inch squares, draw the diagonal line, sew on both sides of it, and make half square triangles. Press to the dark side, trim to 8 inches, and the cut the squares into 2 inch strips. You mix them all up, sew them back together, and add another strip that is 2x8 inches, and you wind up with this fun block:

Pam used all fabrics from her stash. The background is a Thimbleberry fabric, the other fabrics are all Jo Morton fabrics. It's going to make a terrific quilt, don't you think!

This quilt (above) is my Bacon and Eggs, from Jo Morton Group 11, obviously not done in Jo Morton fabrics. I used a honey bun of Mary Engelbreit's Basket of Flowers. I was planning to finish it, but instead my Generals Wives was calling to me.

I had previously sewn some of it into rows, but with Pam's help I pressed on and got all the top together, including the last 2 borders. I am so excited to have this top together! I do have to go over the backside and make sure all my seams are going the right direction, and I do have to give it a final press. Then I'll piece the backing and send it off to my quilter.

And that's the best part about sewing with a  friend(s). When you're tired and would pack it in, they encourage you to press on for a little while longer, and get the project to "done!" Thank you, Pam, for encouraging me to "get her finished!"

Till next time, keep stitchin!

Mary

Finish It Up Friday

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Psalm 19:1

I've decided to join the "Finish It Up Friday!" group in the hopes that it will stir me on to finishing up more of my UFOs. This week was extremely unusual in that I actually finished 4 quilts. And yes, they are all small ones. But they're finished! Yeah! The first you've seen before:  "Boo" is 12 inches square. See yesterday's post to see how cute he looks on the fireplace mantel.

The quilt below is called "Glimmers" and is actually composed of little 9-patches. It's about 15 inches square.

The quilt above is has 4 Dear Jane blocks made with Thimblerries fabrics. It's about 14 inches square. The quilt below is Yankee Doodle, a Jo Morton pattern, finishes about 30 inches square.

Hopefully hurricane Sandy will wait until Monday so I can get some sewing in on Saturday and Sunday! Till next time, keep stitchin!

Mary

Fall Decorating

I had to start with this darling pumpkin photo, courtesy of bhg.com. Is this not the cutest pumpkin for someone who loves to sew? I'm on the hunt now for a bunch of black buttons. In the meantime, come see some of my fall decorating!

I love fall! And I love to get in the spirit of the season with a little fall decorating. My front door wreath (above) has a wooden leaf pick that gets swapped out in December for a folk art santa. I also add a few green picks with red berries, and my front door is covered for 2 seasons! The little welcome plaque (above) sports pumpkins in the fall, they'll also get a quick change-out in December.

I have a small island in the kitchen, and my Pat Sloan pumpkin runner sits on it. One of my newest quilts (below) is Glimmers, a Jo Morton pattern. Each little square finishes at .5 inches. The candle is called "sugar cookie", and is more yellow/gold than the photo shows. Don't you love the perky polka-dot bow!

Three shots of my fireplace. The photo above shows the top shelf with my patterned dishes and my 3 Jim Shore angels.

Here's "Boo" on the wire frame finally! I ran into A C Moore this morning and all the fall silk flowers were marked way down...I love that! So I decided to change out the summer spray in my blue crock and add the fall color. I need to find one more ear of Indian corn, though! The other quilt is from "Country Threads Goes to Charm School." Each block has 4 trees in it.

Okay, I'm off to my sewing room to finish up a few more small quilts.

Till next time, keep stitchin'!

Mary