Wip Fall needle turn Applique with embroidery

This, as you can see, is a partially-done quilt.

This is also not the final lay out for one -- that yellow leaf at the bottom is facing the wrong way. A few more blocks need to be made as well. The muslin squares are 9 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches and make a finished 9 x 9 inch square. Please use a 1/4 inch seam allowance now and through out. You can actually use any leaf that is native to your area for this or use random leaves to give lots of variety to this quilt.

The three smaller leaves are for a vine boarder that will go around the entire quilt on a 7 1/2 inch wide, unfinished size, muslin boarder. But once again you can use any leaves you want, holly leaves would be good for a Christmas theme and maybe a few pine cones in the boarders.

This is my WIP for today. You can always make it yours, too; it's not a hard pattern. Pin pattern on pieces of fabric you wish to cut, yes you can cut more than one at once they won't be exactly the same and that is better -- more like real leaves. I recommend using scissors to cut, not a rotary cutter, but either would work. Then pin to muslin squares and use a needle to turn applique to attach them. It's a little random that way and each has its own personality, too.

Next, use a chain stitch to make the stem and veins. You can either make the embroidery blend or have a real high contrast. Sew blocks together, add a boarder, add a vine using handmade bias tape, pin small leaves in place. Finish them the same as big leaves. Then set up on quilt frame; quilt with echo quilting and bind. This makes a very lovely fall project. Blow up pictures to your desired size and make templates. Have fun.

Button, button who's got the button?

So this morning I was looking to put a button in my mother of pearl button boxes.

I sort my buttons by what they are made of like plastic, metal, glass, MOP, shank and holes. It was a big mistake to try and put this one button away. I should have just left it alone all by itself in a random box. In the process of figuring out which box it went in I dumped both. Nothing like 4,000-5,000 buttons that need to be sorted into categories like : shank, four hole, two hole, one hole, colors, and vintage glass and metal. This made it so almost nothing got done for the day. But now I have nice little plastic round containers, grocery store find (actually medicine bottles), to separate the shanks and I am stringing the ones with holes that have a pair the ones that are one of a kind are just sorted by color and amount of holes or shank style. So at least next time it won't be such a mess. I guess it is good that this happened, in a way. I am about two-thirds the way through with straightening them. Almost done. Yeah!!!!!!!

She won two awards

If you remember, a little while back my middle daughter learned Russian Needle punch.

She entered it and two other of her works into an art contest. Today we found out that it and her chalk drawing won awards and will go on to the next level. I think it is a pretty good piece considering it is her first attempt and she is only in first grade.

yo-yo time again

I received sixteen yo-yos in the mail today from suzyhomemaker at MJF.

So I got out all the ones that I and the kids had been making and getting as gifts. We sat right down to start adding them onto the table topper. I had a few that there are less than four of and they don't work into four patches, so I got thinking what I could do with the odds and ends. Thus I started to experiment with crochet and yo-yo's. I think it might look real neat in the end and have a very different drape than normal; softer.

We ended up adding one row to three sides and two and one half rows to the other side. I think it will take about four more rows to cover the table when the leaves are open. It is getting a lot closer. Thank you to all who have helped with my kids and me with my project.