Take 5.....for Beethoven's 5th

I watched this short video this morning.  One amazing child and Beethoven's 5th Symphony.  Just click below and enjoy!

Which hand should I hold the baton in?

Australia bound

By last night I had sewn together 12 blocks and pretty well used up the strips.  But this morning when I checked the pile of strips I could have sworn that they had multiplied overnight!  I began again and put together another 4 for a total of 16 blocks which I hope to mail to Australia  this afternoon.  

16 blocks laid side by side.  Check out Jan's blog to see how she puts them together

Jan, the lady who will receive them (her blog is "Sew little time - too many quilts")  is putting donated blocks together and arranging for them to be handed out to flood victims. 

My undoing.....

Oh dear, I wasn't able to keep the one New Year's Resolution that I made for 2011!   This pile of cotton strips was just too much of a temptation, together with a story on "Sew many quilts - too little time" to not begin a new project.   

These strips were part of the fabric stash of a friend who passed away in 2009, and whose fabric we have been using for the star quilt at our Seniors' Club which I posted about.  This bag of strips I knew I wouldn't use, but just couldn't dispose of.  And now after reading the heartening story of a drive for blocks to put together into quilts for folks who have lost much in the Australian floods, I just knew that this was the purpose that I had hung on to this bag of fabric. 

It's such a simple method and they call it QAYG - Quilt As You Go, and as you can see from the photo below, I began with an 11" square of backing fabric and the same size square of batting.  Across the batting lay a strip of fabric from corner to corner.  Then pin another strip right sides together, and sew 1/4" seam joining the two strips together while sewing through the batting and backing paper, thus joining it all together in one go. This step is repeated on both sides of the middle strip of fabric until the batting is covered.

This next photo is one block finished and trimmed to 10 1/2" , the size they want.  "Sew Many Quilts Too Little Time" is the blog with the information.  I've tried to make a link, but it doesn't work.  I'm going to make blocks until I finish the strips and then post them to Australia.  If any of my local friends would like to participate, I will happily mail your blocks along with mine.

Brazilian Embroidery Traditional RR



This is the latest CQI RR that I have joined.  There are lots of bullions and cast on stitches in  Brazilian style embroidery.  Here are my contributions to Dee's block. 

Lots of pistil stitches and french knots make up this flower  I used Edmar Lola thread.



The outer row on each of these bullion petals have around 40 wraps, the inner ones 30. For these I used Edmar Frost. 

The blue braid was on the block to begin with.  I added cast on stitch flowers in a variegated silk thread, and bullion leaves in a Sassa Lynne variegated forest green perle.  On the other side of the blue braid I added a small fly stitch with pink beads.

This is Dee's block after my work.  Next it goes to California.

More baby blocks....




Here are two more of the baby announcement blocks that I have finished recently.  I was going to make them only for my grandchildren, but decided that my lovely neices and nephews babies are going to receive one too.

     

This is Elijah (brother to Joshua, see previous post)

 

Lucas is my New York great nephew

The lure of a new project.......

.......usually means that I will leave some other project unfinished.  And this happens a lot.  So for me, the only New Year's Resolution will be NOT TO BEGIN A NEW PROJECT without a lot of thought. 

Jack's block

Joshua's block

I love beginning something new, getting excited about planning it, then settling down to sew with all my threads and beads around me.  It's a big temptation.   So I've been putting aside thoughts of new ideas and dealing with several projects that were just needing a few hours of work to finish them off.   This applied to three of my grandson's baby blocks that I still had to bind and correct a couple of errors in the birth information.  So, I settled down to this and have completed these.  Above are Jack's and Josh's.  I have posted already about Elijah's.  While I was printing out the photos and birth information for the front, I made a label for the back too.

Tea Time II Block is home!

The finished Tea Time II block

I'm so pleased with this Round Robin block, that I have to share every little detail added by this group of talented ladies.  Nicki Lee, Carolyn, Cathy L. and Thearica's work is outstanding and fills every little space on the block.

Nicki Lee added tiny lace and beads, velvet flowers and ribbon to decorate this delicious looking cake.

Nicki's crochet flower and teacup sit above Cathy's blue SR flowers and "Tea Party".  Thearica's pretty pink hearts seam is so delicate.

Thearica's embroidery and birds on a branch fills the top corner perfectly.  Cathy's dyed lace is just the right piece on the white fabric. 

Nicki added the cabochon, Carolyn embroidered the dark pink seam.

The cake is decorated with Cathy's SRE.  The vine, delicate beaded trim and hummingbird were added by Thearica.

Cathy"s mug of tea and tiny bullion flowers.

Cathy's silk ribbon and bullion seam above Carolyn's teapot, teacup and cake patch and seam below.

Cathy added this unusual tea cup ribbon and worked the seams on the top and bottom of the ribbon.  The ric rac and such pretty embroidery is Nicki Lee's.

This elegant teapot arrangement and the flower beads are Cathy's lovely work.  The blue seam to the left is Carolyn's. 

Thearica added a "lace tablecloth" and these pretty charms.  

I think everyone will agree that this is a superb block and one that I will treasure.