Monthly Archives: August 2012

Sweet Dreams!

Today I stole a couple of hours that I should have spent doing other things and made a set of pillowcases for the Portland White House:

Pretty Pillowcases

 

I just love these fabrics. The green strip is a blender from Kona Bay and the other three fabrics are from the Garden Medley line by Susie Johnson for RJR. Aren’t they dreamy?

Here is another set of pillowcases I made recently:

Another Set of Pillowcases

 

These cases were pictured in my previous post but didn’t show up very well. The two main fabrics are from the Gentle Flowers line by Quilt Gate. As my sister Diane would say, “Elegantly simple . . . and simply elegant!”

 

 

 

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Rollin’ on the River

Just back from a mini-retreat with three of my Quisters, one of whom owns a vacation home just steps from the McKenzie River in the lush Willamette Valley in Oregon. How sweet it is to fall asleep to the sound of the river rushing by! We sewed for two full days out of three; the third day was reserved for an excursion to Sisters, Oregon for lunch, a bit of shopping, and an absolutely essential stop at the Stitchin’ Post.

Each evening we walked to the river, glasses of wine in hand, to spend a few peaceful moments enjoying the beautiful setting and reviewing our accomplishments of the day. Peggy had to leave early so she missed our “show and tell” photo shoot this morning before we left. Here is Deborah with the two sets of pillow shams she made to go with her recently completed king-size bed quilt. She also worked on blocks for a red and green quilt that is going to be simply sensational:

Deborah with pillow shams and quilt blocks

 

Vickie was on a roll! She made umpteen hot pads and coasters as well as these classic terry-cloth towel bibs for her darling 6-month-old twin grandsons:

Vickie with hot pads, coasters, and bibs

 

And here I am with my latest fractured image — subject of a class I will teach at the Pine Needle this fall — and a set of pillowcases for the Portland White House:

Dawn with fractured image and pillowcases

 

I also made the label (not shown) for my 4-Patch Wonder quilt, Framboise, which we had fun staging against the backdrop of the McKenzie River:

Framboise (69″ x 84″), August 2012

 

A great getaway in a gorgeous location with dear friends. . . what could be better than that?!

 

 

 

Posted in 4-Patch Wonder, update | 1 Comment

Progress Report

After returning last month from a week in Sisters, Oregon, home of the largest outdoor quilt show in the world, I posted about the quilt show and the terrific class I took. Before I had a chance to write a third post about what I accomplished that week, my husband and I left on a road trip to California to visit our two youngest granddaughters (9 and 12). We brought them back to Portland to spend a few days with us. My sewing and quilting projects languished but I didn’t mind because I was having such fun with the girls.

They are home in San Francisco now. The house is quiet. Elfie the cat has come out of hiding. And I’m back in my sewing room taking stock of the projects I worked on in Sisters. Remember the sewing machine cover designed by Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts that I posted about here? This is my version so far:

sewing machine cover, in progress

 

When it’s finished, it will look something like this:

Monique Dillard’s design

 

I finished binding my pink and green quilt, Framboise, made from my 4-Patch Wonder pattern:

Framboise, bound but not labeled

 

When the label is on, I’ll declare the quilt finished and post a proper picture in my Gallery. That’s Elfie, by the way, who doesn’t seem the least bit interested in my quilt.

I’m very excited about my newest design, the Monterey Bay Apron. After making eight versions and tweaking each one, I’m finally satisfied with the cut and the fit. Here is a look at Number Nine:

Monterey Bay Apron

 

back of Monterey Bay Apron

 

The belt is secured to the back with buttons. In the photo above, the ends of the belt were temporarily pinned to the back, adjusted for my model, Geri. The ends can be positioned anywhere along the back, making the apron one-size-fits-most. Here is a close-up of the front:

detail, Monterey Bay Apron

 

The pattern should be available in just a few weeks!

 

 

 

Posted in 4-Patch Wonder, aprons, family, sewing machine cover, Sisters OR Outdoor Quilt Show, update | Comments Off on Progress Report

An Update, Starring My Little Neighbor

While my grandkids were visiting from California, My Little Neighbor came over for a playdate with granddaughter Beatrice, who will be 10 in October. The girls are just a few months apart in age.

You may remember that My Little Neighbor is working on her first quilt, a 9-patch, sewing the blocks together by hand. This was a project we planned together to help see her through the weeks her left foot was in a cast following a fall from a tree.

MLN brought her basket of blocks over to show us her progress:

A basketful of blocks

 

Those squares you see on the table are all she has left to sew into strips of three. After that she will start sewing the strips into 9-patch units. She may be ready to take a little break from sewing, though. Tomorrow, August 5, is the day she has been cleared to start climbing trees again!

 

 

 

Posted in My Little Neighbor, update | 2 Comments