MERMAID SWAP, OLD RED BARN CO, LIGHTS AHOY

I have decided to join in Genevieve's mermaid swap at Bella-Enchanted. I love mermaids, and collecting images, and am thinking of making a doll.

Also several weeks ago, Dana at Old Red Barn Co had a quilt giveaway. While I did not win the quilt, because I was #1 commenter, I won a $25 gift certificate from which I ordered some fantastic sugar scrubs and soaps which arrived yesterday.


I ordered Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrub and Bulgarian Lavender Goat Milk Soap set, and Blackberry Sage Sugar Scrub, and Dana also included samples of Citrus Goat Milk Soap, Lemongrass Sage Goat Milk Soap, and Man Soap.
Thanks so much Dana, these smell heavenly!









I also wanted to share a quilt I made a number of years ago, that hangs in our living room. At one time, we went to visit some friends in McKinleyville, CA for several days. They took us to brunch at a place in Trinidad, and as we were leaving, I noticed a small house that was a quilt shop. I asked DH and our friends if we could stop there, and they kindly let me stop and look around. I noticed these lighthouse blocks that were printed onto muslin fabric, and also the whales in each corner. So that was my purchase. I also picked picked up the borders. DH asked me if I wanted anything else, and being afraid I was not going to be able to have any meals on the long drive home if I spent all his money I said no. But they this fabulous row boat fabric I thought would be great for the backing. When I got home I called up and ordered it. The owner, remembered who I was and pointed out my DH had asked if I wanted anything else.

When I got home, I made the center section, which was from a booklet I had by the Picket Fence, High Tide Series called All Hands on Deck. The original quilt did not have the sailboat, I incorporated that in from somewhere else. Susan Nixon of Desertsky Quilting at that time had a quilting business and quilted it for me. I won a prize that year at the California State Fair for this one when I entered it.

TAKE IT FURTHER CHALLENGE, MARCH FINISHED

Sharon B.'s theme for March is: "Do you ever notice the little things, the small moments, the details in life? This months challenge is to do just that, pay attention to the tiny details. Sometimes the small things become emblematic for something larger."

I did a lot of thinking about this month's theme. I would have loved to notice the little things in my garden, but my garden is still in a winter mess, and needs to be sorted out.

The thing that I see on a day to day basis, is this starfish, that occupies a place in a shadow box filled with shells in my home office where I work each day.

Throughout the past couple of weeks, I thought about what I was going to do. I decided to make a paper collage incorporating this starfish.

I have to explain that I have always loved the ocean, lighthouses, sea life, and my husband and I have a mutual love of sailing and old sailing ships.
Almost every room in our house reflects this.



This shows my completed collage. The piece at the time is a copy of the border that is in my bathroom that I just had to have several years ago when we remodeled our bathroom, with the sailing ships, lighthouse and whale.

I also stamped a row of starfish, and added a metallic placard (I collect a lot of scrapbooking items and stamps too). I cut out the picture of my starfish after I had enlarged it.

I also came across a quote of William Shakespeare that
I loved, "my bounty is as boundless as the sea.
my love as deep; the more to give to thee
the more I have, for both are infinite". It is from Romeo and Juliet, act II, scene 2 in Capulet's garden.




This is the back of the piece, I included some images of the many starfish I found online. I did not realize they came in so many shapes and colors.












I also thought I would show one of our nautical quilts. I did bluework squares of nautical motifs, or quotes and set them in a crazy setting.















I even incorporated in this 27' sailboat DH built.













And this 25' houseboat he built, that was our last boat.

TEES FOR BOYS

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday!













I generally make my grandchildren a special T-shirt or sweat shirt around various holidays. This year I had already bought Kyleigh a special outfit, but I still wanted to do something for Jaeger and Keaton.




I found this cute little embroidery for Jaeger, who lives pirates, Captain Jack, and anything sailboats. I think he will be thrilled with this.











Keaton loves dinosaurs, and walks around roaring if you ask what sounds an animal makes. I think he will like this one.

Sandi's CQ RR BLOCK

The past week or so, I have been working on a round robin block. This is in the Crazy Quilting International New 2 Group round robin, and I am the first person to be working on Sandi's cream on cream block. She sent along the silky of the lady which I added. I made a fan of some lace I had. I also added some antique lace with the pearl drops along one seam, and some antique beads on the ruched ribbon flowers along the side. I will be sending this out tomorrow in the mail.

NATIONAL QUILTING DAY

How Will You Spend... I plan to sew...

QUILT GIVE AWAY

This morning in reading Nadine's post, she directed everyone to Old Red Barn Co where they are having a quilt give away.

QUILTER'S BLESSINGS, MARCH

I finished my Quilter's Blessings block of the month designed by Bea at Capricorn Quilts.

I took DH to have his first eye operated on for cataract yesterday, and took this project along with me. They told us it would be 1-1/2 hours.
It was almost 2 hours. I had just finished this
and thinking what I was going to do next, as I did not bring a book with me. I had browsed about 5 minutes of People magazine when they brought him out. I think next month when he has his second eye done, I will have to bring more.

I even gave a stitch lesson to patient waiting to be called in and came and inquired about how to
do the stem stitch. She said she had gotten a huge stitchery kit somewhere and it didn't even come with directions!

NOAH'S ARK BOM, STICHERY

Lynette Anderson is celebrating her first year blogging with a free BOM stitchery project called "Noah's Ark". I finished my first block last night.
















Coincidentally before, I even heard about Lynette's BOM, I was going through my projects and
came across this stitchery project I had bought years ago, and thought it would be a good Easter
gift for my granddaughter. I stated it, and almost have the hollyhocks finished. I don't think it will be done for Easter, but maybe her August birthday. This was also by Lynnette Anderson called Bees Stitchery Garden. The cat reminds me of Kyleigh's cat and she will love it when I finish.

PLAY IT FORWARD

I will send a little creative gift to the first 5 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward gift exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet but you'll be getting a little ray of sunshine coming to your post box soon, that's my promise!

The only thing you have to do in return is to pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. Once you leave your comment, copy and paste the above paragraph on your blog and 5 lucky people will be recipients of your creative work.

While you are doing this small exchange, think of how you can do more to pay it forward and help someone in your community or someone across the world who could definitely use a bit of kindness or your help in standing tall once again.

Let's all Pay it Forward!

GAIL'S CQ RR

As mentioned before, I am in an ongoing RR with a group of friends: Susan, Gail, Moira, Candi and this month I worked on Gail's block. Gail's piece is eventually going to be a bed jacket, so she requested we put no silk ribbon embroidery, beads or anything that was going to make it 3D.


These are all three of the treatments I did on this block, the swirly fly stitch, the vine/flowers going up the green, and the purple string of pearls.














This is the whole block. Will be passing this on to Candi next.

PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND

I had a pretty productive weekend this week. My daughter and grandchildren were not able to come over as they usually do, as they were all coming down with either allergies or colds. So I got more done than I usually do.

First, is something I cannot show, on my RR Bloggers group, I got this month's installment of our 15-month RR done. This is month 5, and I had Nancy NP's block and had a great time working on it.


Secondly, I have joined the Four Season's Swap again for the Spring Quilt Swap, and I finished piecing my top.

Tonight after work, I have a CQ RR to work on, and hopefully will be able to mail that tomorrow, and I have started a new BOM. Lynette Anderson has a new BOM stitchery that is Noah's Ark that just started. Hopefully I will be able to get to that tonight also, some cute little bunnies is the first block.

SPRING QUILT SWAP, TIF

Today's mail brought a big surprise. I got a package from Betsy from Florida. On the way inside, I was wondering what I had ordered, and I couldn't remember ordering anything. On opening the package I discovered she was my partner in the Spring Quilt Swap, and I received this lovely quilt. It is gorgeous Betsy, thank you so much! I really love it!













On the Take it Further Challenge for March, I have already changed my mind. I decided Kaboul is going to have to wait a little further for her outfit. Ever since Sharon gave us the challenge for this month, I have been looking for small details. On walking out of my office, on the wall by the doorway, I glanced at this trinket box on the wall that I have filled with shells, and the starfish caught my eye.


So for the March concept, I am going to do something with the intricacies of starfish.

TAKE IT FURTHER CHALLENGE, MARCH

Sharon B's March Take it Further Challenge is "Do you ever notice the little things, the small moments, the details in life? This months challenge is to do just that, pay attention to the tiny details. Sometimes the small things become emblematic for something larger."

This is the color scheme for this month:


When I first read about the challenge, I had ideas of incorporating one of my UFO's, which is a small detail in my life, and finishing it up grandly. For probably more than 14 years, I have passed by this unfinished small detail in my life, and kept thinking I needed to finish it up.


Way before I made quilts, but after I was into my machine
knitting phase, I made porcelain dolls. This is one of the last ones I made. Her name is Kaboul, I don't know the maker off the top of my head. She is a fairy, although that is hard to see because she is wearing a knit dress of my youngest daughter's, that was hers when she was a baby. Kaboul has been moved from place in my house, sadly restricted to the spare bedroom, sometimes my sewing room because she is not dressed properly for a fairy. Her wig isn't even glued on.

For awhile this problem was due to the fact that I lost the bag with the pattern for her clothes, and her wings (for several years). I have know where they are for the past several years, but still haven't gotten around to it. All my other dolls have proper clothes on, but not poor Kaboul.



This morning noticing one of the fine details on this picture, I notice Kaboul is missing one of her fingers. I wonder where it could be? Maybe in my sewing room her last residence before the spare bedroom again. I will have to look for it.

So this month, unless I can think of a better idea for this month's subject, Kaboul is going to be outfitted right down to her fairy wings, have her wig glued on, and maybe find her missing finger.

Don't think I am going to use the color scheme this month though, as I already have fabrics set aside for her outfit.

BLOCK DONE, MORE UFOs

I am in a small group of ladies that do a Lotto block each month. It used to be a drawing each month. One person would provide the fabric, and send it to all the participants, and we would make a block. There would be a drawing at the end of the month, and the winner would win all the blocks, that was why it was called Lotto.

It is different the past 2 years. Now we each choose a month. On your month you send fabrics to everyone. You can specify a block if you want, you specify the size, and then you get the blocks back. I made this for Susan with her fabrics. She asked that WOW be used from our stash but she sent the rest.


The following is another one of my UFOs. We have a talented quilter, artist in our area named Gretchen Jennings. I first met her years ago at the LQS. She used to be 1 of 2 ladies doing primitive quilts that they designed, and the club was called "Red Wagon". Every year was a different theme. Pretty soon, it was just Gretchen doing the Red Wagon club. I also took her carving classes, and she is a master carver and we did cute little pins we could wear. I also made an Uncle Sam necklace which I will have to reassemble as my granddaughter disassembled it when she was a toddler.

The last time I took one of Gretchen's classes, she had designed a Mary Engelbreit Quilt which I think lasted about 8 months, 1 block a month. These are my blocks from that class, and I still have about 5 blocks to do. I got the BRILLIANT idea to make 2 at the same time, 1 for me, and 1 for my daughter Kristen who loves Mary Engelbreit also. So 2 blocks I got 2 sets done. These are not available anywhere to purchase the pattern. You had to attend the class. But with the Mary Engelbreit new fabric line out I thought I would share this UFO. I think I need to embroider the faces so they show up better though.


My granddaughter called this Mean Girl.



































































The blocks I have to do are a little girl sweeping the floor with an apron on, two brothers, two sisters, a little girl mixing batter, sitting on the floor, and a little boy in a big armchair.