faulker094

Hopefully the light isn't a train at the end of the tunnel, LOL!  The two side borders are stitched, embroidered, soaked, pressed and ready to apply.  Only the top border stands between me and getting this quilt assembled and ready for quilting. I am waiting until all four borders are stitched before attaching to the body of the quilt. I spent some time over the weekend picking out the fabric bits for that final top border.  My "little bits" boxes make this process a little easier. I have two bits boxes for each color, one 4 x 6 inch size and a larger one that is 5 x 7 (boxes are photo boxes by Iris, available at JoAnn's).   When I first set up the bits boxes, I cut a rectangle, sloppily by hand with scissors, from favorite fabrics roughly 5 x 7.  Then every time I cut out a piece, the rectangle in the larger box gets smaller and little scraps start filling the smaller box. This works well for me and saves time.  Larger applique pieces like apples, pears, w...

The second border for "Contentment" is done!  This is the left border...it just needs to be dunked into water to soak out the glues.   And I am very close to being done with the third border, the right border.  It is a mirror image in design to the left border, but with different fabrics.  My husband was off yesterday and volunteered to be my third and fourth hands to snap a couple of "wild animal pics" of me actually taking stitches. Just a few more vines and leaves, a little embroidery and then this border with take a bath with the other one. The bottom border has been finished, lonely and waiting for a few weeks for some company. Once I soak the glue out of the side borders, I will trim all to size and attach them to the body of the quilt.  I am so excited! The top border contains wedding rings and more flowers and fruit. We put almost 5000 miles on the car in December and early January...I hauled these borders around with me, but did not have the time or en...

As most of you now know, the quilting world lost a bright star on Sunday, January 8.  Sue Garman was a brilliant quilter, designer and teacher.  Her boundless enthusiasm about quilting was infectious and contagious, and she touched thousands through her blog here and her pattern website here .  She was very kind, generous and helpful to me, even though I never met her in person. I first "met her" through obtaining permission to enter this quilt based on her quilt wall hanging pattern, "All Around the Town," in an AQS show several years ago. I seem to always twist and turn other people's patterns to make them my own, and she encouraged that behavior! She was most gracious and thrilled about my little changes and additions.  She even asked if she could post my quilt on her blog...I was so honored and excited! She was tickled about my addition of a "red neck" house, complete with outhouse and a truck up on blocks in the yard, and other little touches in...

Christmas is upon us!  This post is a poor attempt at me keeping a promise to share a tutorial on how I made this fuzzy little Christmas lamb ornament...oh, so long ago in the late 1980's. Peg Margo, this one is for you...sorry it took so long! The original idea came from a craft leaflet that I hoped I had hung onto, but my search through the last of the packed moving boxes last week was futile.  Doh! I tried to wing it and re-create what I did 30 years ago.  I learned from making this one, but had no time to make another one that would reflect those lessons learned.    So I will be constantly telling you what I have told my daughter through the years..."do as I say, not as I do." I will list all materials that are needed concisely at the end of the post.  I still had the larger of the two template circles that I made all those years ago, funny enough.  I guessed on the smaller one...and I guessed wrong (it should have been a little smaller...). Yep, i...