Sneak Peak of the components of a new project that's almost done...

Look at these luscious charm fabrics (5" pre-cuts) assembled: 

What will they be?? Stay tuned for the big reveal!

It's "Works in Progress" Wednesday!

I've been working on my Red & White Picket Fence Table Runner for a couple of months, along with other projects I've posted previously (and many that haven't been finished or shared yet!). 

I love the spark, the zap, the zing of this design:

Here's the top...

...and here's the back.

There's only the hand-sewing of the binding left, and maybe a little more machine quilting around the borders. I bought a charm pack of reds and whites assembled and sold at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show this past summer. I think it was a wise investment, don't you? I added a few more fabrics on my own for the back and the binding.

Have you ever made a "picket fence" block? Want to learn how? 
Leave a comment so that when I finish editing my pattern, and perhaps actually publish/pdf it, I can notify you.
Happy Quilting, or Sewing, or Cutting, or Planning!
Most of all, dream, dream, dream!

Quilt Labels

A friend needed a label for her quilt of valor, and my sister needed 2 labels for quilts she's completed. Their suggestions, my designs. I think they turned out lovely:

The left label is a combination of machine embroidery and applique.
The center label features a nice saying for the quilt of valor,
don't you think?

Nature's inspiration

My husband and I walked along paths in some marshlands nearby yesterday. We heard the beautiful song of these red-wing blackbirds and I wanted to share it with you. You can see one in the tree in the movie. Click on the movie so you can hear them, too.

My life in Japan...

...continues to leave its mark on me and my extended family. I lived and worked in Yokohama for 2 years in the 1980s, and Tokyo for 6 months in 2001. Before our marriage, my husband worked in Tokyo for 2.5 years in the 1970s. He became our cultural ambassador, and the rest is history!

When my friend (now husband) returned to the States in the 1970s, he prepared an authentic Japanese meal for me. How sweet! He made 2 mistakes: he served white rice and raw egg. I didn't like white rice, and I've always disliked eggs. Thus began my education into good cuisine (how to cook rice correctly and the importance of using the right variety!) and the expansion of my cultural horizons. Now I eat quality white rice on a regular basis, love most Japanese foods and often prefer them over Western meals, enjoy cooking their foods, and even found ways in which eating an egg is acceptable (fried and chopped to little bits, sukiyaki, etc.). (Baking with eggs has never been a problem--let's hear it for cookies!) Japan continues to influence our personal lives in a number of ways: our behavior and cultural sensitivity, foods, customs, literature, drama, and the decor of our home! Our children attended bilingual Japanese/English public schools in our city. My husband and I each led cultural excursions to Japan for 25 fifth-grade students and chaperons from these schools. Our daughter lived in Japan for 9 months during her second year of high school as the guest of four different Japanese families while attending a private Japanese high school.

Now Japan influences my art and stitching. I couldn't pass this book up at a fabric store and have fantasies of making some of these luscious blocks--has anyone else used this book or a similar one? (Warning: Most of these blocks are not simple!)

Japanese motifs adorn my home. I love Asian fabrics, and the simplicity of sashiko. I haven't dabbled in sashiko yet, but I probably will someday. Hand-stitching is calming and I usually enjoy this part of the process. My mother taught me hand embroidery long ago. Several years ago I did a quilt block swap with others around the country who enjoy hand embroidery. I haven't committed these blocks to anything yet, shame on me! Their personal designs are lovely!  

Have you been influenced by another culture in your creative stitching endeavors? What have you done or are you pursuing as a result? Do you do sashiko? I'd love to see!

I would love to hear from others who enjoy Japan, Asia, and other cultures. I know that we now have access to translators on our computers. If you can't write in English, write a little about yourself and interests in your native language, tell me what language it is (if it's not Japanese or Spanish), and I'll try the translator, too. I know these programs have their limitations and get the nuances wrong sometimes, but we can try :)

May your day be full of creative expression!

"Works in Progress Wednesday"

Forest of Trees!

I find paper-piecing of quilt blocks intriguing. The detail in following the patterns can be aggravating since it's so easy to make a mistake: mis-positioning the piece of fabric, using a piece of fabric that ends up too small for the section, flipping the fabric to the wrong side, or....each error necessitating ripping it out or finding another piece of fabric. So why do I like doing it?, you may ask. I like a challenge, even if it gets me into trouble sometimes. I also appreciate the results.

I made these trees last year and have as yet to commit them to something. I'm thinking along the lines of placemats. With winter coming, and the holidays, trees seem appropriate for something.

Have you tried paper piecing? Do you like it? Share some of your "successes" with me (and all of us!). Thanks!

I'm getting some great suggestion on how to trim these trees. Thanks so much!

Top view of runner & quilting

Close up of quilting

   Holiday Twirl: Almost Done!

I thought "Holiday Twirl" table runner should have an encore, now that I've finished quilting it. I still need to do the binding, but I think it's cheerful, don't you?

Back view of runner & quilting

Gardening & Harvesting, the other interest

How about this morning's harvest as well? I planted the carrots in September so we'd have those sweet darlings to enjoy in the Fall.

Now it's time to check out fabric at the store since the local newspaper had a coupon for a shop I haven't been to yet. Maybe those paper-pieced trees will find some fabric to play with!

Making Quilt Labels

This is how it looks on-screen.

I love my new sewing machine (from last Christmas)! The Pfaff Creative Performance allows me to dabble in another stitching art: machine embroidery. It's come in very handy for quilt labels! I made this label for my sister yesterday:

This is how it looks in reality.

Need a label for your quilt? I have many designs to choose from! Let's see what we can do together--your ideas, my software :)