I love to begin a new project to celebrate the holiday after the rush of the season is over. All is quiet, no more gifts to buy or make, and there are enough leftovers to keep us going for a while.    
     An antique sampler by J. Mair’s was the inspiration for my newest Christmas design, Feliz Navidad.  This is the second in our Christmas Sampler Series. The first one was published in 2012.


      Each of Barb’s grandnieces and nephews initials are stitched into this sampler. Now she has a permanent record of the next generation of her family. An alphabet chart is included so you may replace her family’s initials with yours. Also included in this chart is a pattern for a heart pincushion. This sampler is based on an antique piece too. I love how the frame comes up right to the last stitch....very much as it would have been framed long ago.


Lady Liberty was a club piece done for Dyeing to Stitch. We have released it for all now. I love how Barb designed her holding a threaded needle.


The Sewing Bird- scissor pocket was also a club piece done for Dyeing to Stitch. We have released it for all now.


Hats off to Uncle Sam was a class piece we had taught last year. The drum pincushion fits inside the hat box. Instructions for the had and pincushion are included inside the pattern. The pincushion is stitched on Murky linen by Picture This Plus. I love everything about this small pincushion. I'm going to have to stitch one for myself!

This Winter is Past  was my favorite stitch of the year. It was stitched on Picture This Plus - Oaken linen. (A new color released at market.) I decided to use Weeks Dye Works blue and brown/gray shades. I guess it was my favorite because everything just seemed to come together just right. A lot of times, I have to take floss out and replace it with another to get it right. Feels like I'm stitching each piece twice. The linen looks lighter here than it really is, because I use a white mat board backing. The splotchy color of the linen gives dimension to the sampler. 

     This is the first pattern of our new Loose Feather Series for 2017. We are framing all of them in the same frame as pictured above. We plan to hang all of them together on the wall. Each of the nine in the series, celebrates our fine feathered friends. We will release one each month until the series is completed. Each will be the same square size. The floss colors are from Weeks Dye Works and will all be in a similar colorway. The next linen used will be Picture This Plus - Ale, and the third one will use Oaken.

     I've just finished getting our newest quilt book to the printer and it will be ready to ship out Friday and Monday.
Here's a sneak peak at the cover.


Will show you the latest addition to our family soon. Hope you are enjoying spring!

Until later,
Alma

 The cross stitch sampler above was originally adapted from a quilt block pattern from our quilt book Home Sweet Home. Barb changed 6 of the blocks from the 9 block quilt into cross stitch patterns. It's a little different from the block in the book....but still basically the same design.


 "Merry Christmas Ella Vaughn" was adapted from the far right block in the middle row.

 Our newest quilt booklet is finished and is available now. The booklet is inspired by the colors and shades of late summer/early autumn, and these two quilts are our favorites. Although one is pieced and the other is appliquéd, they look smashing together. 


 Barb and I made this quilt this summer for our local homeless organization, Community Link. It was quilted by Lori Kukuk from Lawrence, KS. Didn't she do a fabulous job? It is going to be auctioned off this October 1 to benefit homeless families. Everyone needs a home and I thought this quilt from our book Home Sweet Home was the perfect one to make for this benefit. Please e-mail Leah at llampkins@communitylinc.org if you are interested in making a bid. We would love for it to go to a good home!!!

Until later,
Alma

Thank you Eddie Landreth for taking me down memory land and giving me a morning's pleasure! Eddie sent these pictures of his latest quilt to me and gave permission to share them. 






 Eddie used the featured pattern from our book Garden Club to make his quilt. I went back through my files and took a look at our pattern again to compare his to mine. His use of the dark background really makes his applique elements shine. Makes me want to do this pattern again using his color way. His fabric choice is so appealing. Take a look at his quilting too, as he has a long arm machine and does his own quilting.

The theme of the book featured a group of women who had formed a garden club in Polk, Nebraska. My grandmother was one of them. Each block was named for a woman in the club. Above is a picture of some of the women and their meeting notes. I had forgotten I had so many of these pictures in my file. After finishing a book, I'm on to the next project. So it was nice to revisit the theme of this book and the patterns. 
Many thanks Eddie!

My quilt from the book pictured above.


Until later!
Alma

     These are grocery store chrysanthemums purchased about 3 years ago. I planted them in an outside urn and now they return every spring and bloom each fall. Upon first glance you wouldn't think they would arise any panic, but they remind me my nose better be to the grindstone. There's work to be done!!! Fall quilt market is just around the corner.


     These are from my pecan tree out back. If I can keep the squirrels away I might get to harvest some of these for myself. I have seen them scamper across the yard carrying a full cluster. That's when I tell my husband to call Cynthia, my neighbor, and beg her to get over here with her gun. (We have nicknamed her Annie Oakley because she's a sure shot.)

     But, I digress. After attending fall quilt market for 14 years, Barb and I are changing how we look at market. We do what we can and finish up the rest of the list when we are able. The thought of market now makes me reflect just how lucky Barb and I have been. We have been able to create a business doing the crafts we love. We are very grateful.


     This is one of the quilts I've been sewing for market.  I'm using two backgrounds from our Nature's Basket line of fabric. This print was a coverlet converted to a cross stitch pattern. (Moda # 2720-24) I love the business of the print and the low contrast so it doesn't compete with the applique motifs.



     This is the alternating background print in the quilt. It's also from Nature's Basket. The print is Moda
# 2722-24. The repeating motifs are formally organized and offer less movement which creates a space for the eye to rest.


     Invisible machine applique is the method used on these blocks. Although, I must confess you can see the stitches in these close-up shots...so it's not as invisible as hand applique. After the blocks are quilted and the binding sewn in place, the quilt is thrown into the washer and drier. The cotton batting makes everything shrink up a bit. The results are wonderful. You can see the wonderful texture of the quilting and you really don't notice the applique stitch very much at all. I'm able to applique 1 -2 blocks a day using this method.



  The coverlet print (Moda # 2720-24) was also used as the background in this table runner. If you want to make your own, pick your favorite 6 blocks from the Moda Blog hop. Sew them together using the 6" block templates.  The first part of the instructions follow below. The rest will be in the next posting.

Instructions
1.  Piece the 6 - 6" blocks.  
2.  Cut 2 - 10” squares from the background print. Cut each in half twice on the diagonal for the setting triangles. Use one of the triangles as a template and cut two more setting triangles.
3.  Cut 2 - 5 1/2” squares from the background print. Cut each in half once on the diagonal for the corner triangles. 
4.  Sew the blocks together in diagonal rows to make the table runner. Trim if needed, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance along all of the edges. 

Until later!

Alma