I finished my Woodland Whimsy quilt top! Yeah! Some of you know that I debated on whether to outline the blocks with some kind of stitch. I polled several friends and most thought the blocks should be outlined. A few, myself included, thought not. The quilt I was looking at, to compare, had the blocks outlined with the fly stitch. I really didn't like the look of that so much, so I decided to try a more subtle outline stitch (I used the Portuguese Knotted Stem Stitch - my new favorite stitch :) to see if I liked the look of it OK. I did, so I kept going and did end up outlining all of the hexagon blocks. It gives the borders a little definition, hopefully without being too distracting. I think it will be easier to stitch in the ditch around versus the fly stitch. We'll see, because now ..... onto the quilting! Yikes!

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I finished my Woodland Whimsy quilt a couple of weeks ago and it's now hanging up in my house! I tried to get some good pictures but it gets weird shadows on it depending on what time of day I take them, but here are a few anyway. I loved making this quilt and I enjoyed quilting it, even though I was a little worried about the quilting part. I did a lot of stitch in the ditch and quilting around the appliqué and then just simple meandering to fill in where needed. There is so much going on in the quilt that it really didn't need fancy quilting (not that I'm a fancy quilter anyway - ha!) Oh! I pinned the binding on before stitching and it does make my quilt lay flatter! Good tip - thanks to Helen Butler!! Fun, fun, fun! On to the next project! I still have three quilts that need quilting - I better get on the ball :)

Bleached pinecones have a weathered, soft patina that's perfect for holiday crafting. Follow this easy guide on how to bleach pinecones for decor.

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Bleached pinecones have a weathered, soft patina that's perfect for holiday crafting. Follow this easy guide on how to bleach pinecones for decor.

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Here's everything you need to know to create a beautiful backyard this spring.

Here is a sneak peak at Millefiori block number three! I've been doing the prep work this week. I like having some stitching to do in the evenings while I watch TV (or Tee Va Vee as my granddaughter says :) This part of the process is more time consuming than actually sewing the pieces together, but it's also fun choosing the fabrics, doing some fussy cutting and placing them to see what kind of design you're going to end up with. I really can't tell how it's going to look until I get it all laid out! And then I either love it, think it's OK enough to leave, or I've actually taken the pieces out and tried something different. Either way it's a FUN and exciting project to work on. My sewing room is a mess as I'm pulling fabric fro everywhere, but that is a fun part of the process too. Notice the little fussy cut diamonds above and I really love how the chevron fabric made a cool design in this block. Sometimes laying the fabrics together in big chunks make me think that "these two particular fabrics will not work together" but then I find that a very small piece of the fabric may work just fine! Go play and have fun! I'm going to clean up my sewing room and prepare my Woodland Whimsy block.

Camping is not at the top of my vacation destination list, but the Kolarbyn eco-logde in Sweden looks pretty amazing. Located in a dense f...

The Kona Cotton Solids 2018 Color of the Year is right up my alley!! Doesn’t this just make you happy?? I thought I would share some pictures of the quilty gifts I received for Christmas this year! My friend Michelle gave me the beautiful crystal sewing machine above! Some fun things in my stocking. How did Santa know I like Sue Spargo? And Hi Fashion? Look at that delicious thread! The little fat quarter bundle is from Africa and it smells funny - Probably the batik process they use. The fabrics are beautiful and it says I can Machine wash on cold. Any tips on getting that chemical smell out? Here is part of the crew wishing you a Happy New Year! I have lots of projects Planned for the New Year! How about you??

Sweet little Acorn Button Box. A special little turned box to squirrel away your treasures, coins or maybe your keys. Such a sweet rustic accent for a little table, shelf or nightstand. These are loved by all who visit my studio here, men women and children. Acorns are said to bring good luck and good health to a home. This would be a lovely gift for someone special or as a housewarming gift especially for someone who loves nature and the outdoors. The base is turned from tiger maple, flame birch or cherry, the lid is turned and carved from walnut. 5.5 in high x 5 in dia.