Pin Cushion Collection

I read somewhere that if you have three or more of something then it's officially a collection. If that's true, then I have a great collection of pincushions! My friends know that I love them and they have made and given me some fabulous ones! I should have blogged about them before now, but I had them spread around here and there in my quilt room, and I didn't really realize what a nice collection of them I have!! I decided last week to gather them all in one spot and was surprised at how many I have. 

I got three new pincushions for my birthday this year! (Insert big smile here)

Anne made me this adorable one.  She felted the green wool into the cute aluminum mold, then painted the bunny chocolate and added the flowers with pin centers! How cute and seasonally appropriate! I love it so much that it will be out year round-not just at Easter.

I got this cute wool strawberry from my friend Karen. She didn't say whether or not she made it herself, but she's such a great crafter that I'm betting she did.

My daughter, Melissa, made this precious red polka dot chicken pincushion/thread catcher for me. I have already positioned her right next to my machine and put her to use. I love her! 

Anne also felted these two pincushions for me about 2 years ago. That's a real acorn "hat" the tiny one is made into. The flower is made on the top of an old wooden spool. That girl is so clever!

Years ago, my friend, Melissa, made this pincushion in a tea cup-it was officially the first pincushion in my collection.

Pam found this old egg cup at an antique shop and made a fun pincushion using feedsack fabric on the top! I love that she topped it with a button-it's so "Pam".

To keep with a chicken theme, I love this chicken pincushion with the beaded waddle and comb! He's weighted and stuffed with polyfil.

Anne also felted this adorable mouse. I think she is my favorite of all. Anne named her Thimblelina, and I think the name is just perfect for her.

Just look at this sweet face! What's not to love about her?

I hope you enjoyed a little peek at a few of my pincushions. I was inspired last week to try my hand at making a pincushion. I made this little one for a friend and had a great time doing it. I think I'll be making more in the future!

Happy "Pinning"

Grammy

Chicken Pincushion and Thread Catcher

My youngest daughter, Melissa, made me an adorable pincushion/thread catcher for my birthday. I LOVE chickens and my favorite color is red-so this is absolutely perfect! Melissa is a great seamstress, pattern designer and blogger so I wasn't too surprised to get a gift from her that is hand made. What does amaze me is the fact that she has four kids, ages 2-6, and she finds time to make me something for my birthday! She's a sweetie. 

Isn't it just too cute? I love using it!! It makes me smile every time I look at it. 

Happy Stitching!

Grammy

Melissa's Quilt

Christmas is over and I actually finished my last project with about 36 hours to spare! I had so much fun making this surprise for my youngest daughter, Melissa. Years ago she picked out a pattern by Thimble Blossoms called Sassafras. She told me she wanted me to make it for her someday when she had her own home. Well, last year she and her husband bought a house and this year she reminded me that she was due a quilt. 

This is the quilt pattern Melissa selected. 

I remembered Melissa's pattern of choice and so it was just a matter of fabric selection. The walls in her living room are painted grey, she has a black and white rug on her hardwood floor, the sofa is medium grey and her curtains are navy with blue and yellow flowers. Black and white prints were a no-brainer for the background and I decided to carry the blue and yellow from the drapes into the quilt. 

I wanted the quilt to be bigger than the pattern called for, so I made it 60X72. The blocks were elongated nine patches, each measuring 6X8". Since I needed 90 blocks, that meant cutting 810 pieces. It took a lot longer than I thought it would to cut all those pieces! But it was fun to see the progress as the hours ticked by.

Then I started sewing. I chain pieced several blocks at a time and made it go rather quickly. It still took a really long time to get all of those pieces sewn together.

Finally the blocks were made and I could put them up on the design wall. I was thrilled with the way it all came out. Now, it was on to the applique..........

I thought the quilt really came alive with the applique on it. I used Steam A Seam lite fusible interfacing and used the "doughnut method" to adhere the applique pieces. I then used a machine blanket stitch to applique them down. This quilt is going to get a lot of use and I wanted the applique to stay "fresh". 

I was actually completely finished with the quilt on Dec 23rd-a Christmas record for me. I am usually still stitching binding up to the very last minute. I used the same yellow fabric that I used in the cone flower for the binding and I love the way it looks.

Melissa was SO happy and very surprised on Christmas morning. She had no idea I was making her anything at all for Christmas, much less a quilt. It was a fun surprise. :)

Happy Quilting-I hope your Christmas was merry too. 

BlogHer

Melissa is at it again! In response to her being published in Sew Magazine, BlogHer featured her in their network member news. Her picture is definitely getting out there-and so is her blog! Way to go, girl-I'm proud of you. 

Sew Magazine

There are just some times in your life when everything is perfect and all your news is good news......and that feels so wonderful. Our first grandson just arrived 4 days ago and he is healthy and precious. Our youngest son's wedding is Feb 23 and we are so excited to have a new daughter in law. Our oldest daughter has designed a really cute fabric for Spoonflower's "Love is in the Air" contest. And our youngest daughter is featured in a magazine! Yes, life certainly is good. 

Sew Magazine is a monthly British publication featuring a wide variety of sewing projects. There is something for every style and taste in each issue. And each month the magazine also highlights a "blog of the month". This month that blogger is my daughter and her blog! 

Melissa started blogging in June 2010. Her blog is called Sew Like My Mom (which, of course, tickled the devil out of me.) She blogs about cooking, savvy shopping, and, of course, sewing. She makes clothing for both women and children and has tons of cute craft ideas. She has patterns for sale in her Etsy store and does awesome free tutorials on her blog. 

This picture is the page from the magazine where her blog is featured.

We have yet to find the magazine on any newsstand in the Atlanta area, but Melissa did download an issue. My friend, Tisha, who lives in England has sourced six magazines for us. We can't wait to see her in paper print! 

Yes, life is sweet and you have to take the time to savor the each and every moment. Blessings are everywhere if you take the time to look for them.