Sewing and Sunflowers

Sewing/quilting time in my studio has been almost completely absent in the last month...and I have been itching to fire up my machine! The great news is, I am feeling much better...the problem is, the puppy has taken over most, if not all, of my sewing time (right now she is Puppy 2.0). When my husband is home, I try to sneak away and get in a little studio time...and over the last several weeks, I managed to create several handmade birthday gifts. Thank goodness I was thinking ahead while I was in California and picked up a bag full of stitching gifts from Elegant Stitch...so my handmade gifts didn't need to be nearly as labor-intensive.

For my fabulous friend Robin, I made a small table topper/candle mat...it is the "Crossing Ohio" block...I had fun working with some patriotic cotton quilting fabrics (Quilts of Valor by Minick & Simpson for Moda Fabrics)...and this interesting traditional block is always fun! It measures 12" square...and although this is not the best photo, it did turn out as I envisioned!

I also worked on a couple fun pieces for my dear friend Terri's birthday. I had no idea she was a sunflower fan, I was just in a sunflower mood when I started working on her project...turns out she adores sunflowers, so it worked out wonderfully. The first piece I made was a small applique wall hanging/runner...I had a kit from Country Traditions in Fremont, NE (they have a whole collection of Skinny Mini Wall Hanging Quilt Kits)....but in true Belinda fashion, I had to make it my own and change it up a bit. I wanted the appliqued sunflower to match the sunflowers in the border fabric, so I cut out a completely different flower and leaves...and I was thrilled with the result! I also played around with the quilting - I had seen a video where you adjust the tension when you "quilt as you go" (when the applique stitching is also the quilting), so you can see your top color thread/applique stitches on the back of your quilt, giving it an artistic look...this was my first time trying this technique and it turned out rather well!

While I was putting together the wall hanging, I thought about a machine embroidered sunflower pincushion I made a couple years ago...I knew it would match perfectly. I was so pleased when I pulled out the machine embroidery pattern (Pin Cushions by Smith Street Designs) to find I had kitted fabric with it from when I made my first one, so I had everything I needed already gathered...that was a happy moment, as time is so limited right now!

I can't wait until life gets back to normal and I can get back in my studio...I have so many projects in the works and on my to-do list. The next project is to finally finish something very special for my California friend...she has been very patient, as I have been working on it for quite some time...hopefully it will be worth the wait...

I'll be back tomorrow with details and photos of my class project design for the New England Stitcher's Retreat...I am very excited to share it with you!

From The Studio...

Today's post will be a short one...just a few photos to show you what I have been creating for Christmas...these gifts have all been delivered, so I thought I would share them with you. Although my sewing machine is still waiting to be fixed, I managed to get quite a few pieces quilted and sewn before it broke down (or I used my old machine). Each year, I try to make the majority of my gifts - and this year was no exception...

Pincushion Tuffet and Needlebook Scissor Case
My own patterns.
Fabrics: Polka Dot Stitches by Lori Holt of Bee In My Bonnet for Riley Blake
Wee Play by American Jane Patterns Sandy Klop for Moda

Strippy Table Runner
Pattern: "Strippy Table Set" by Patterns by Jean Boyd
Fabric: Sent With Love by Deb Strain for Moda

Machine Embroidered Flour Sack Kitchen Towels
Machine Embroidery:  Vintage Kitchen Set, digitized by Splinters and Threads

Quartered Nines Table Topper
Pattern: Quartered Nines - my own variation...
Fabric: Wiscasset by Minick & Simpson for Moda

Willow Tree Candle Mat
Pieceful Gathering Quilt Shop pattern by Debbie Lazarski
Fabrics: Unknown - Kitted Scraps

Of course I made a few other presents...and purchased some special things too - this is just a sampling of the personalized gifts I have been creating in the studio....

I hope your holidays have been filled with handmade and heartfelt gifts!

Saturday Sewing - Willow Tree Candle Mat

This morning I decided to take a little Saturday sewing break...it was a much needed stress reliever and I am positive it lowered my blood pressure. I decided to work on a small project I picked up at Pieceful Gathering Quilt Shop during my visit this week. It is called "Willow Tree Candle Mat" and can be used as a tiny table runner or candle mat...it is a Pieceful Gathering Quilt Shop pattern by Debbie Lazarski. This little project immediately caught my eye and was very fun to put together. It is a "quilt as you go" style pattern and was quick and easy! It is about 6.5" h x 17" w...and will make a nice little runner on a small end table in my living room...

















Now that I have had a little time to clear my head, I will get back to work on my pile of Blue Ribbon Designs commitments...it keeps growing...today, I will be stitching on a sampler model for Just CrossStitch magazine...and working on charting for a special class early next year...I also have designs for the St. Charles Needlework Market in September in the works...I definitely need more hours in the day...