Sunbonnet Sue Christmas

I have been working on this hand embroidered quilt for so long I can't remember when I started. It all began with these sweet Sunbonnet Sue Christmas Iron on patterns many, many moons ago. I took my time embroidering these as I tend to get sloppy if I work on the same project for very long. I need to change it up to keep it fun.

 Once I had finished the embroidered blocks it was time to delve into the fabric stashes and I just happened to have everything I needed. Stash Buster!

 This block above is my favorite. I just love it so much.

That is why I placed it in the middle of the quilt.

 Did you notice that dirt ring around the wreath? I had that one in my hoop for so long it got scuzzy.

 This incredible 12 Days of Christmas fabric has been hanging around waiting for just the right project.

 Swoon. I love this one below. The bonnet, the nightgown, the candle. Love it!

 Whee!

 Here is the back. A soft flannel. So cozy.

I think I will add a bit more quilting on the tan sashing and I need to find the perfect binding fabric. Then I can wash it up and hang it on a wall.

Hope you have a Happy December 1st.

Sunbonnet Sue September

Hello old friends! I can't believe I didn't post even once during the month of September and now October is half gone. This seems to be a growing problem.I will have to do some catching up. 

I have finished the last of the embroidery on 8 Sunbonnet Sue quilt squares that I have been working on a little at a time, during the summer months, over the last few years.

 Sue and I go way back...

 I have loved her since I was a little girl. It has something to do with my Laura Ingalls, Holly Hobbie, Anne of Green Gables obsession.

 These blocks and I go way back.I bit off pieces to stitch and completed all of the like colored items before moving on to another color thread.

 For instance, I decided I wanted the girl with the sporadic dots on her dress to be red right away so I embroidered her dress with french knots on every block before starting the green dress on the other girl. 

Then I stitched all the purple flowers or all the yellow flowers before moving on.

Now the big dilemma is what type of design do I want to use to make this quilt top? Any suggestions?I am pretty sure I want to use the three fabrics in the top photo but I still need to find a blue calico print to connect them.

Green is Beautiful

Green is beautiful isn't it?
I wish we had some green showing around here...but that won't be happening for awhile so I will be immersing myself in lush, damp, verdant Irish films today (thanks to TCM and Netflix) while I cook the annual corned beef and cabbage, potatoes and soda bread.

This little leprechaun is dancing a jig across my latest pillow creation...

and it is now for sale in the shop.
The sashing and backing is a wonderful rainbow background with green shamrocks scattered all over and there is a metallic speckle to it. LOVE!

I wanna jump right in!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone...

I wish you Love and Luck and lots of Green! J

Recently I have been...

Recently I've been embroidering this wee lad... sewing this incredible sparkly shamrock fabric around him...

learning about using natural light to photograph my habaneros...
.

and the icicles on my neighbors house...

but I always come back to her! ;0)

Oh how I love my little Rugby.

Quicky for me!

Once I laid my eyes on the stylish lady adorning a pillow given to Amber over at A Little Bit Biased ,I had to make her. I Had to copy her and make one for myself. So I did. I love the tweedy texture on the wing-back chair, it was so much fun to stitch.
I printed the image and traced it onto white fabric and then I embroidered it in colors similar to Amber's pillow.

I didn't have a printed fabric that would complement the little lady and her pup but I soon found this wonderful Japanese fabric at this ETSY shop and I received it in just a few days. I think I have a tiny bit of turquoise gingham I can add to the mix.

Now comes the hard part...I always have trouble at this point in my projects. Should I add green ric-rac?

Should I pull out more of the Turquoise by adding these solids?

Maybe I should add pink? I am not sure but I do know that this will become a tote bag for me.

Notice how I made the pup look like Rugby? She is sitting at my feet right now. ;0)

Pillowy Paisley Mushrooms

I am on a roll with the embroidery projects. I am determined not to start a new project until I finish something, so I have been concentrating on the many finished blocks of embroidery I have to make into...something.

Such as this Mushroom/Bug block.

which I think I will surround with orange...

and surround the orange with this Good Earth Paisley print.

Ohhhh yeah! Groovy

Now it needs something to class it up a bit...

Olive fringe left over from this beauty...that's the ticket! ;0)

Shiny New Cousin!

I have a shiny new baby cousin! His name is Nolan and he is SO very preciously perfect. I just want to snuggle him and smell his wittle head.

Oh man he is too cute...I might bite my lip off if I keep looking at this pic. I think he is made of the finest velvet, warm velvet. ;0)

I posted awhile back about an UnRuly "word" quilt I was working on but I needed to keep it a secret. Now that the tiny recipient has met the world I won't hide it any longer, plus his Mommy will be away from the computer for weeks as she will be very busy playing with his toes. I am calling it "Golden Slumbers". It all started with these three fabrics.I cut them into strips and made words and stitched the words together.I used a few lines from a poem by Thomas Dekker but I remember it as a part of the song "Carry That Weight" by the Beatles.

I thought the Chocolate Brown fabric, which is called "Grass Menagerie", would make great sashing and I used solid squares for the corners. After I had pieced it all together I decided it needed some embroidery. Just to make it more...me. No prob. I just used my handy light box to trace the cute little critters from the chocolate fabric onto the seafoam fabric...and start stitchin'.

Ribbit...

I plan to do a bit more embroidery on the top and I still need a backing fabric. I am going to use the Turquoise dot fabric for the binding and with luck and diligence Golden Slumbers will be wrapped around my new little cousin soon .

Here's to new baby skin! ;0)

Edit- Here is the Poem...
Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,
Smiles awake you when you rise.
Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby;
Rock them, rock them, lullaby.

Care is heavy, therefore sleep you;
You are care, and care must keep you.
Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby:
Rock them, rock them, lullaby.

Thomas Dekker

;0)