Happy Valentine's Day

Pat Sloan is having a Valentine Link Party (and a giveaway!) at her blog today, so I thought I'd see how many heart quilts I could find in my pictures for a little Valentine quilt show. Starting with the most recent, my current WIP, which I blogged about yesterday. The borders are on now, and it's pinned and ready to quilt.

Nora's quilt, 2011

Orphan Block Sampler, 2011

Grandma's Hankies, 2008

A Work of Heart, 2007

Gathered Hearts, 2006

Mackenzie's Quilt, 2005

Scrappy Valentine, 2005

Haley's Quilt, 2004

Brooke's Quilt, 2003

The photo quality gets worse and worse, the further back you go. Wish I'd had a better camera back then! But I guess a bad picture is better than no picture at all. They still bring back lots of fond memories. :o)

Happy Valentine's Day, all!

Where are Your Shoes and Socks?

I had my doubts about finishing my UFO Challenge project for November. What with it being an applique project, with Thanksgiving and my daughter's birthday imminent, and all the while experiencing that panicky feeling of "Only XX shopping (and sewing) days until Christmas!" BUT... I did it. Whew!

The project was Pat Sloan's 2006 BOM, "Where are Your Shoes and Socks?" I had seven of my 12 blocks finished, and an assortment of shoe prints collected for borders, etc.

My first new blocks finished were the July "Sneakers" and August "Summer Wedding" blocks:

Which got me motivated enough to quickly finish September's "Saddle Shoes,"

November's "Slippers,"

and December's "Mrs. Santa's Fancy Shoes."

(I was auditioning embellishments here, but ended up going with just the lace bows.)

Once the blocks were done, I couldn't wait to get the top together. It took some digging to come up with the best sashing print, but I ended up with this green polka dot, which I just love, and a tiny green floral for the cornerstones.

And for the borders, I went with two of my shoe prints that pulled all the blue, white and green together really well!

I used the leftovers and my remaining shoe prints for the crazy-pieced back. I'm not thrilled with how this looks. I wish I'd spent a little more time arranging, maybe cut the pieces a bit smaller, and had the good sense to save a piece of shoe print for the hanging sleeve (duh). I was in a rush, and it shows. Fortunately, it's the back and it's a wall hanging, so it won't be seen much. LoL

And here it is, all ready to hang... somewhere. Finished size, approximately 36"x46"

Such a fun little quilt, I don't know why I didn't get it done sooner! I still haven't decided for sure where it will live, but I'm thrilled to have it finished after all these years!

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Update 12/1/11 -- Still playing catch up on the Challenge, and just yesterday I finished my May project #9, a new bag For the Birthday Girl!

Design Wall Monday: Shoes, Shoes, and More Shoes

Well, it's Design Wall Monday over at Patchwork Times, and here's what I have on my design wall* for this week, my November UFO challenge, "Where are Your Shoes and Socks?" (Pat Sloan 2006 BOM)

These are the blocks I had finished before the challenge:

Over the past two weeks, I've picked out fabrics, cut, basted and pinned the remaining five blocks, and yesterday I got started stitching and finished the July "Sneakers" block,

and August's "Summer Wedding."

Three more to go. And I'd really like to finish them this week. (They look nearly done, but they're only pinned. Lots of stitching yet to do...)

These were designed for fusible applique, but for some reason I chose to make mine with needle-turned hand applique. What was I thinking???

Other quilty "to-do's" for this week:
Add borders, layer and pin my mom's birthday quilt
Get started on my November "Get 'er Done" pillow project
Plan two baby quilts that I need to start on soon!

I'm really going to have to pick up the pace if I want to accomplish close to what I did last month. If I could just get rid of this rotten cold/flu/whatever I have... :oP

Wish me luck! (I'm gonna need it!)

*Design Wall = whatever is currently spread out on my sewing room floor -- wouldn't it be great to have an actual design wall???

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...

Pat's Christmas Rumble

Pat Sloan is starting a "Christmas Rumble" over at her blog. Just click the logo above, then leave a comment about what gets YOU in the Holiday Spirit! You have until December 15, and you could win a quilty, Christmas-y gift from Pat. Fun!