Quilting and Cooking with Moki!

I guess there is no escaping the cold that is going around, do not need to be sick right now. I got some more of my quilt done, though not as much as I would like, but it will get done.

I made this sunflower block, since my sister likes sunflowers and added a saying. I think it needs something in the upper part, but not sure what, maybe a few words like hope, strength?

Not a great color shot, bad light tonight and I am too miserable to try too hard;) This block was from a book by Jan Patek, called Say it with Flowers.

And I decided to make spaghetti for dinner, a good cold killer. I add hot pepper and a red pepper to my sauce, both great antioxidants. Before I knew it, Moki appeared and eager to help. Good thing I was done cutting and that was a piece I was throwing away;)

 Yesterday, the hawk was visiting. He perches on the tall tree in the back of my yard and watches the field below. Lots of field mice to keep him satisfied.

Newest Blocks for my Angel Quilt!

First, for those who didn't see it, the angel pattern that I base this on was Emily's quilt, by Jan Patek.  You can find the pattern in her Angel book. I have added my own touches and will be using some of the blocks and some from her other designs. I am just making blocks, then putting them together with some filler blocks, so we won't know how it will look, till I am done;)

As far as my first block goes, I did use a Chlorox bleach pen on it. I went near the hearts and rubbed it in with a paper towel. It did work, the stain was gone, but once I rinsed it out, it came back, lol. This time is was lighter, so I might leave it and stitch around the hearts.

The next block I used was from Emily's quilt, I wanted another large block and this one was fun to do since I used wool, which makes it easier and faster to sew.

This block is from the quilt on the back of the Angels book. It is a larger quilt with all types of designs on it, but this one was a saying, I just had to add to my sister's quilt. The sunflower, I took from a small drawing on another book of Jan's.

My last block today, I made from a pattern in the book, Say it with Flowers. I also used this book for the sunflower shown above and the next block I am working on, which is a large sunflower. I think I need some green scroll leaves beneath the heart. Once I finish the sunflower tonight, I will add sashing, then decide where and what types of blocks I can add to finish the size I want.

Messed up Angel Block:(

I should know better than to rush or think too much with my brain, lol.
I came up with an idea, use Jan pateks Emily angel quilt for the base of my quilt, just using some of the blocks and some filler blocks.

I made the first block and had room to add more and I figure, a bigger block, the faster I can make the quilt for my sister. But, I forgot what happened the last time I used red wool on tea stained fabric. Soooo.... now I have red shadows around the hearts. One idea is to use spot remover or something that takes out stains or add stitching around the heart area to mask the pink. Or I can make something else that covers those spots and take the hearts off, or cut really close to the words and chop it off there, so if any red is left, it will be in the border with the sashing.

 For now it is set aside while I think on it and I got another block done and working on the next. It will get done, maybe a bit messed up, maybe a bit whonky, but that means it will be a piece of me, to comfort her during the tough times;)

Moki and a Mini Quilt!

I took this shot of moki, doing what Moki loves best, hanging out in his cat tree.
I put it next to the window and he sleeps there now and a perfect place to look out the back door and watch the world.

Our primitive quilt group is doing a BOM for 9 months and along with the moderator, we are redesigning some of Tiffany's free patterns. I started the first one as an appliqué piece, but changed my mind. I have wanted to do a mini stitchery piece and thought this would be perfect for it. I made my blocks 3 1/2" and the sashing will be an inch wide. It will be a fun piece to hang for next year. I also got some sad news about one of my sisters, there are 6 girls and 2 boys in my family. She found out that she has late stage breast cancer and because she has had bypass surgery, they have to be careful with her treatment. So, I have started a lap quilt to comfort her while she goes through treatment. I am using Jan pateks Emily quilt as a base, and will add a few of my own touches. I am hoping I can get it down by next week and mail it off to her as a surprise when she starts treatment. Hopefully I can work on it without messing up, since I will be rushing;) 

Giveaway Winner!

I have had a slow weekend, but I finally finished two more angels.
Someone said they would like to see the wings in neutrals, so I used some tan prints for these.
They are fun to do and will make great gifts and thin enough to fit in a card.
The pattern is from Bird Brain Designs. Be sure to visit, she is hosting a giveaway.

And now to the winner of the giveaway...... The random generator picked # 1, so yes, being first can be a  good thing sometimes;) The winner is Patty of Pieces of My Life! Patty, email me with your choice of a pattern from my ecrater site, Congratulations!

Love is in the Air Giveaway!

I received my last two prizes today and so thrilled with how wonderful they are. I haven't had any time to decorate and it is so nice to have the new items to bring some love to my house. These gifts were all part of a giveaway hosted by Primitive Handmades Mercantile.

Robin of Bird in the Hand Primitives sent me the most wonderful prim doll. Of course prim does not show well in photos, but hopefully you can see how wonderful she is. The fabrics are all aged, and she is placed on a rusty spindle. I placed her on my apothecary next to my chair, so I can admire her. Robin really puts a lot of detail into her primes. It is those details, a worn spot, vintage fabrics and the hand stitching on the face that make a true prim so wonderful. She even has a hand hooked heart necklace. I just love her, I think she will stay out all year;) Be sure to visit Robin's blog, she has wonderful free doodles and a new one today.

The last gift I received was from Margie of Hungry Hook Primitives. It is a beautiful hand hooked heart, made with a variety of beautiful wools. Of course I can never get the true look on hooked pieces, I think the camera gets confused with all of the dyed wools, but I think I got it pretty close with a little photoshop magic. It is just so beautifully hooked and gorgeous wool shades.

I feel truly  blessed to have been the winner of so many wonderful gifts and with the bad month I have had it really brightens up my day to see them in my home. I have been working on some more angels, trying tan prints, this time. I am starting to feel better again, so hopefully I can get back to finishing my projects and maybe do up some new freebies.

I have also been practicing with my good camera, just automatic for now,  just to get the feel of the camera, it is heavier than my old one. I also got a zoom, but not sure if I got the right one, my photos seem to come out too fuzzy, but it takes really nice macro shots of items that are in a certain range. So, here are a few shots that I took, and had to enhance in photoshop. I really wanted to get a nice crisp shot of the bird, and wondering if all those focus points are messing me up, maybe I need to adjust them.

What kind of bird is this? A type of Bluejay? We have a bluejay that visits and he is a lot bigger than this little guy.

And here is an edited photo. I was taking a shot of the pond, from the falls and the cropped shots of the falls, had some interesting details. I used a filter on this one, it is the water falling off of the rocks, do you see something in this picture? Leave a comment about anything from this blog and you will be entered to win a free epattern from my ecrater site. The giveaway is open until Sunday at midnight and I will announce the winner on Monday night. 

Lucky Me!

Last week, I found out I was the winner of the giveaway hosted by Primitive Handmades Mercantile. They are a new group of primitive artists who sell on a monthly basis. I hope you visit their site and check out the talented artists, maybe find a gift for yourself or a a friend.

I received three prizes so far, two more are on their way. I haven't had much time to make myself too much for valentines, so it was wonderful to win this giveaway and have such treasures to display.

I received these three hearts from Susan of Olde Threads. They came in a  beautiful package, and have a wonderful prim smell to them. A picture just doesn't do these justice, they are filled with sawdust and the fabrics are wonderfully aged to perfection. I love the way she bundled them and added a key, makes a wonderful grouping.

The second prize I received was two hand hooked pillows, made by Kathy of Woolfind's Keepsakes. They are in a hit or miss style, but she blended the colors so beautifully, a perfect match to go with any grouping I have, so something I can use all year round, just love them.

And third, but not least is a set of three primitive hearts. These were made by Teresa of Teresa's Prim Treasures. They are a deep red and with the added rusty bell and pin, they are perfect for a prim valentine. I love the way she uses the wire to hang them, they are perfect for hanging on my racks.