Where are Your Socks and Shoes??

It's a question I've asked often of my 14-year-old daughter lately, as she walks out the door for school in the morning, thirty degree temps and a hint of snow on the ground -- wearing flip-flops on her feet. It's so hard to let go of summer...

But this is about different socks and shoes. Two-dimensional ones, painstakingly hand-stitched in needle-turned applique on 8-1/2" squares of fabric. These are not my daughter's socks and shoes. Though I guess they might be, someday. ;o)

As is the case with so many of my quilting projects, this one began a few years back and is still a work-in-progress. In 2006, Pat Sloan introduced a block-of-the-month program titled, "Where are Your Socks and Shoes?" and I faithfully downloaded the pattern each month.

I did not so faithfully make the blocks.

In January 2007, my sewing machine was in the shop for minor repairs, and when one is out of a sewing machine, one is often overcome by a sudden, uncanny need to sew. Desperate for handwork, I pulled out my "socks and shoes" patterns, and quickly completed the blocks for January (Moon Boots) and February (Ice Skates):


I was on a roll! For a minute. Then my sewing machine came back from the shop and I was on to other things...

These two blocks sat in a baggie in my sewing room closet, sadly ignored, until just a few weeks ago, when I finally completed four more:

The March Bunny Slippers


The April Wedges


The May Flip-Flops


And the October Halloween Socks -- because, well, I had my Halloween prints out.


So, I'm halfway there. One by one, I'm finding my socks and shoes. Hopefully it won't be another two-years-plus before we see them all!

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You can keep up with the latest from Pat Sloan at her blog, Pat Sloan's Corner, and be sure to check out her free pattern page. I just downloaded a few more, myself, because Lord knows I need more projects! LoL Farmer's Market, oh my gosh, SO cute...