Valentines Day

With all the beautiful heart appliqué patterns available I was surprised this morning when the only one I could find on one of my quilts was this one. It is on the first hand appliqué quilt I completed and I believe it was called Country Album. It was a block of the month by Robert Callahan several years ago in McCalls quilting magazine.

I have a new Patchwork of the Crosses ready but I am on hold stitching it, I ran out of thread- how can a quilter let that happen? English paper piecing must be very popular in Omaha because I could not find any dark colors of Bottom Line thread in the local shops and had to order it online.

I am almost finished with my next Benjamen Biggs block but I am thinking of taking the corner rose buds out. They give the quilt a 'busy' look to me and do not really form a secondary design. Gay showed a picture on sentimentalstitches.net of the quilt with a simpler petal design on the block intersections. I am also having second thoughts about the block size and even the yellow, just not contrasty enough. So stay tuned, I really like this block of the month but I may just restart the whole thing.

In looking at the photos on my Ipad for this post I saw some recent family pictures that just say LOVE to me,. Here are some of the valentines in my life, starting with me meeting my new grandson Eli last summer.

And big brother and the loving way he handles his new little brother.

My son coming home from a three month work trip and my grandson so happy to see him.

A few weeks ago my daughter had a long lunch break from work and our house is much closer to her work than her own. She still likes to cuddle under one of the quilts and Jasper the dog loves when she comes over.

And finally my best friend, love of my life, husband of almost 42 years, who is willing to stop at any quilt shop, and get involved in anything I try, like making sushi.

Happy Valentines Day to all of you,

 

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Stitching & Snow

Like most if the rest of the country, Omaha is covered in snow and we have had some bitterly cold days. I can you scrub pants and 8 below zero do not go together. But, in the evenings and on my days off from working at the hospital, I have been getting much accomplished on my current projects. I just finished the first wreath of leaves on the center of Auntie Green's Garden.

I finished stitching the 1792 reproduction sampler by 10 year old Freelove Hazard. I love how she added her numbers (some of them, there is no 5) at the end of random lines of the verse or even down by her name. In true Freelove form I omitted the letter "D" on the first line, I just totally skipped it and did not realize it until I was several lines further. The letter "J" is also missing but that letter was not included in the alphabet samplers of that time. Freelove was stitched with DMC flosses on a white 25 count linen that I tea dyed to give an aged look.

I have my next Benjamin Biggs block all prepped and read to start stitching. I am going to save it for a quilt retreat in a couple weekends.

I have also committed to Lucy Boston's Patchwork of the Crosses. This is my 2nd block, again, prepped and ready to start putting together.

I have seen this bit of advise before but it always tickles me when I read it.

Happy Stitching All

Cheri-whose hair is a wreck, is in slippers, no makeup, and letting her husband make dinner...I am stitching : )

 

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