Penny Sanford Designs

The Dreamy Aqua/Turquoise Quilt

Silly Typepad would not let me add to my post, so here is another one.

I forgot to add a picture of what the finished quilt would look like if I finished it like the kit indicates.

Some suggestions from my Facebook friends:
a) add borders to increase this to a king size quilt
b) add six more blocks and a border to make this a king size quilt.

I could find a coordinating aqua batik to make the additional six blocks, and another aqua batik for the border. Maybe a black batik to make a small border between the blocks and the aqua border?  Would you add any more of the tan batik?

Then I need to find 10 yards of an aqua batik for the backing, or I could make the backing in different strips of aqua.

OH HAPPY FABRIC SEARCHING AHEAD!!!!

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Dreamy Aquas and Turquoise

Yesterday was a rough day. So was today. Prayers and rest and turning to some creativity helped last night. Do you recognize the yellow fabric? Hint: It was not curtain fabric, but that is a close guess!

Sitting across the room from me last night was a box I was too distracted to notice. If I had opened it last night, I would have been completely distracted from those pesky distractions! I opened it this afternoon and was dreamily distracted from the aforementioned distractions!

Just look at all the delicious aquas and turquoise batiks in this kit. It is the BQ Turquoise Quilt Kit, using a pattern from Maple Quilts. The pattern is titled just "BQ", and I have not figured out what "BQ" stands for.

The concept for the pattern is using six blocks in multiples to create a quilt of varying sizes.  "Build the Big Quilt in sets of six blocks....", so maybe "BQ" stands for Big Quilt?

At any rate, Stitchin' Heaven put this kit together using dreamy aquas and turquoise.

I like pretty packages. Look at the pretty basket and pretty arrangement of the fabric under the shrink wrap.

Then they planned for distracted people like me...with an inventory of what is in the package!  LOL

Hey, that is a real concern for me. By the time the daily distractions distract me from happy distractions like this, I forget what was included in the kit! Even though this looks fast and easy to sew together, those distractions can be dastardly distracting, ya know?

This kit is for a queen sized quilt (Yes, I knew that when I ordered the kit).

Now I get to decide whether to hunt for beautiful fabrics to enlarge this to a king size quilt with borders. I still get to look for fabric to make the backing of this quilt. You know me...the hunt for fabric gets my juices going!

I might make another set of six blocks to add width to the quilt. What would you suggest?

Then to top it all off, there was a free fat quarter and a nice little thank you note. Purr.

So to recap: pretty packaging, escape from dastardly distractions, refreshing kits and block of the month quilts, dreamy fabrics, checklist for my overloaded memory, free fat quarter and a thank you note. I'll be back, Stitchin' Heaven!

My Valentine Gift to You!

I am deeply moved and grateful to so many of you who have emailed (well over 100 people) or posted a comment...  sympathy and emotional support and encouragement following the death of my beloved Daddles, a rescued Westie.

Today I looked for her everywhere... by habit... from the door being pushed open with a little black nose when I was in the bathroom...to that soft breath against my neck as she snoozed on the back of the recliner as I worked.  We called it her balcony. She kept her nose or a paw in my hair.  This loss has hit especially hard.

For your generous heart expressed toward Gordon, the rest of the dogs and to me, I'd like to give you a special heart that I designed.  Actually, I whipped this up many, many months before Clover came out with their little gadget to make heart yo-yo's. 

Here is a free pattern to make as many sizes of heart yo-yo's as you want.  Just increase or decrease the size on a photocopier!

I've heard from so many interesting people in the last year... because of this free pattern.  My blog was almost brand new at that time, so there are many, many people who read this blog now who have not seen this free pattern.

When folks from France, Denmark and Germany started sharing this link on their discussion boards, I went back and wrote in blog text the directions I had previously written on the photos.  The reason I did this was because people were translating the instructions with one of those online translators, and that did not include the text on photos.

So this is the most thorough post about my little free Heart Yo-Yo pattern.  Other posts about the fun little critters can be found here and here and here.

My First Quilt-Related Swap!

My first ever quilt-related swap. I received an email today confirming that my blocks had reached the hands of the Swap Organizer lady.

This is a No Sew Block Swap organized by Quilt Talk, an online group of quilters. An e-bee, if you will. (Get it? A quilting bee online is an E-bee?  Cute, huh?)

In this block swap for which I signed up, we sent a designated number of 6.5 inch blocks to the swap organizer. In this case, there were 38 or 39 swappers, so I sent 40 blocks plus a few extra in case there are some late signers.

The swap organizer will send back a package of 38 (or 39) different 6.5 inch blocks of all the different fabrics sent to her, and the challenge is to make a quilt from the blocks. 

The fabric we chose is supposed to represent the state in which we live.

Mississippi is easy.  The magnolia.  I found a nine yard piece of beautiful magnolia fabric from Blank Textiles on eBay. (I'm not showing you a full image of the fabric on purpose. We are only supposed to "tease" about our fabric contributions until everyone has received their set of swapped blocks.)

My blocks took about two yards to allow for fussy cutting so that each block would have a pretty configuration of magnolia blossoms. That leaves me seven yards to use as a backing of the quilt.

I also plan to use the scrap strips, resulting from the fussy cutting, to sew with some white-on-white fabrics in an alternating pattern. I'm "seeing" a border around the quilt that looks like a dark green and white awning.

I've never done a swap or made a quilt out of random colored blocks. When my swap blocks arrive, I'll be turning to you for ideas on how to turn those blocks into an interesting quilt.

There are many fun email discussion groups for quilting. Many of them conduct fun swaps. Maybe next year I will have a bit more time to play in other swaps.

With all the deadlines between January and August of this year, I knew better than to commit to anything more demanding than cutting out 40 blocks of fabric! *laugh*

If it takes a few years before my Swap Block quilt is finished, then that will be just fine. The fun is in the journey!

Finished Botanika Block Two and Three

Actually, I finished block two and block three of Robyn Pandolph's Botanika Block of the Month Quilt a few days back. (Block two has been finished for longer than that.) But for some strange reason, I just have not gotten around to photographing them.

I did that this afternoon while photographing the first finished block of Baltimore Blue designed by Sindy Rodenmeyer of Fat Cat Patterns.

A couple of weeks ago, I did all the prep work to start sewing on the next block of Botanika. I'm waiting to start it after I have finished the Red and Green applique block on which I am working.

As soon as each month's block comes in, the fabric is washed and pressed.  When the background fabric arrived with the first block, it was first washed and pressed, and then I immediately cut it into the appropriate sized squares, pinked around the edges and have them all waiting patiently in a zippered plastic bag.

It has proved to be a nice little luxury to just reach for a prepared background block for any given quilt on which I am working.

Lots more pictures and recent happenings to share with you on this blog.

Would you believe I "enjoyed" a second round of that stomach stuff Friday and Saturday?! The second round was much shorter, thankfully, allowing me to keep some soup broth down last night.

So, once again, applique and quilting have been tangible therapy!

Finished Baltimore Blue Block One

Sunday night.  Three Westies washed , brushed and trimmed a little.

Also this afternoon I finished the last three little centers of block one of my Baltimore Blue Block of the Month applique quilt.  (The free pattern is available at www.fatcatpatterns.com. Each month's block pattern is free for that month only. The whole set of patterns is just $10.)

Gordon, Unc and Mama watched the AFC Championship while I sewed and photographed several finished blocks.

Now, on this cold early evening, two Mississippi men are quarterbacking the two teams vying for the NFC Championship, the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers.

I am proud as can be of both Brett Farve of Kiln, MS, and Eli Manning from good Mississippi bloodlines.  In fact, I understand Mr. and Mrs. Archie Manning have moved back to Mississippi, to Oxford, as their primary residence. 

I MUST soon blog about my mother being the chaperon for Archie when he dated a young woman from Mississippi University for Women.  He was the star quarterback for Ole Miss at the time.  I promise, I will get to that interesting little story.

But for this game, currently in the second quarter, I have to cheer for the younger brother, Eli.  (Little brother to Peyton Manning.)

Gordon and my uncle Charles are both younger brothers.   I've personally observed on a number of occasions what can happen to Little Brothers. *Hurmmphh!*  Yep, I'll always be an advocate for Little Brothers!

Sunny Baltimore Blue Quilt BOM

Yes, I remember that I promised to blog next about the six quilts that were found at a dump in North Mississippi, and I do promise to blog about them next.

Right now, I need to blog about something happy.

Daisy, our 11 year old English Shepherd with severe hip dysplasia since birth, had a violent seizure last night, Monday night, and died. Her death was unexpected, and it still has not soaked in. I will give Daisy a post all her own as soon as I can write about her. Right now, I just can't think about it.

Can't sleep either. Raging migraine, so I've just made a new dog bed cover in these wee hours. That helped some. Worked on a pillowcase. It is ready for the hand-hemming part.

So now, I'll show you this sunny, happy new quilt I've started... I decided to do this Baltimore Blue Block of the Month Quilt from Fat Cat Patterns.  It started in January, 2008.

It has taken a few weeks to find, order and receive the bluebonnet fabric I wanted to use, and I'm still waiting on some yellow rose fabric to use in the quilt.

Using the bluebonnet fabrics and the yellow rose fabrics in this quilt kinda makes it a tribute to my father and my  husband, both of whom grew up in and lived much of their lives in Texas.

There are still some fabrics to be chosen, but that search is part of the fun. My mother Alice, has been helping me try out the various fabric options, and that has been a good activity for the two of us to share.

I've not been able to work on this quilt more than 30 minutes a day. Porcelain and other deadlines are again filling each day.

But you know, that is ok. This quilting is pure therapy. Even sharing it with you right now is much needed therapy.

I've not even felt guilty about the number of block of the month quilts I am currently working on. The different projects fit different moods.

The sunny yellows and vivid blues in this quilt are just what I am in the mood to work on right now. Probably I am subconsciously longing for the arrival of the beautiful yellow daffodils that will start blooming as early as next month.

This Baltimore Blue BOM pattern was designed by Sindy Rodenmeyer of Garland, TX. Each month, the pattern for the block for that month is free to download, or the entire set of patterns is a mere $10.

She has many other patterns that are equally delightful. Her story-telling under the Family Dirt category is just wonderful!

Sindy even has a Yahoo email discussion group called Scratching Post for folks working on her patterns. It has been a fun community of fellow quilters!

In photo 5, I share a trick Mary Sorensen showed us in a class she taught in 2006 in Mississsippi. She trims excess fabric from underneath several layers of applique before sewing the piece to the background fabric. It make the quilt have a more consistent thickness and makes it much easier to quilt.

This weekend, I finally decided on the background fabric for this Baltimore Blue BOM quilt. It is in the last photo.

I only buy one-yard lengths when building my fabric stash, but fortunately, the eBay seller from whom I originally bought the subtle gingham pattern, still had pleny of yardage left.
The darkest blue fabric is from her also.

Story Time Treasures is originally from Meridian, Mississippi. She now lives in Texas, but once a Mississippian, always a Mississippian!  *grin* 

This Mississippi expatriat always has more fabric that I am able to buy, so each month, she managed to get the bulk of my fabric budget! *grin*

If you run across any of the yellow fabric, "Home Tweet Home" by Sue Penn for RJR Fabrics, please let me know. I adore this fabric, and sadly, I only bought a yard at the time.

You know, if you don't grab a fabric you love when you see it, it will be gone within six months. The production life of any fabric design is very, very short!

Now, at 4:40 a.m., I think I feel calm enough to get some sleep. The happy yellow and blue fabrics, thinking about this quilt, and sharing all of this with you has been effective therapy!

Thanks for reading, and especially for your comments! I look forward to reading what you have to say!!

Dressing a Flower Pot for a Centerpiece

You have probably done this oodles of times... dressed up a flower pot to make it a snazzier centerpiece.

Well, I needed a fast centerpiece for a DAR luncheon this holiday season, and did not have time to re-pot anything into a pretty cache pot, did not have enough cache pots that would handle six identical centerpieces of potted miniature poinsettias, and I did not need to run out and spend a lot of money for something.

I especially did not want to use the cheesy plastic foil that came on the potted miniature white poinsettias!

I was sweating out this dilemma when the mail delivered some fabric in a pink basket-weave print. It was perfect for the subtle pink, white and green Victorian Christmas theme of the rest of the decorations!

By trial and error, I made the one yard of pink basketweave quilt fabric stretch to cover all six pots, and I figured out how to make the fabric usable for a quilt once it was finished decorating the Christmas luncheon.

I don't claim that any of this is original.  While I've not seen anyone use fabric on a flower pot in such a way that allowed it to be re-usable, I'm sure people more creative than I have done this before and in a more artistic manner.

I could have sprayed the fabric with an adhesive to make it stick to the flower pot, but that would have destroyed any further use for the fabric. Hey, pretty fabric is considered a form of art in this household! *grin*

At any rate, I'd like to share this little easy decorating idea with you.  Obviously, you can use any potted plant, not just the poinsettias pictured here.

Step 1: In the photo labeled #1, you will see that I used the largest plate we had to draw a circle. Then I added a two inch border to that circle.

Sorry, I did not measure the exact circle for these five inch pots, and we ended up giving away the centerpieces to to the ladies in attendance who were past 70 years of age.

The photos labeled #1 and #2 show how I squeezed in six flower pot covers from one yard of fabric. This was the last circle I cut, and it was not possible to allow the full two inches beyond the diameter of the plate.

By the time the fabric was gathered around the little flower pot, no one would have noticed if there were little dips in the circle.

I just chose the pot with low-growing foilage to cover with this circle that was not the full diameter of the other fabric circles.

You will also notice that I used pinking shears to cutt eh fabric, keep it from raveling, and provide a little sass to the centerpiece.

One other tip:  I did not wash this fabric before cutting it.  Normally new quilt fabric is washed and pressed before ever reaching my stash.  This little project needed the original sizing in the new fabric.

Step 2:  Continuing to protect my coveted quilt fabric, I covered the flower pot with two layers of plastic wrap before placing the pot on the fabric circle.  Note the photo labeled #3.

No soil stains for my coveted quilt fabric! *laugh*

Don't worry about the plastic wrap sticking up above the fabric. We'll take care of that later.

Step 3:  Pull up the fabric in one place and stick a straight pin through the plastic wrap and into the soil. Do this on the opposite side of the pot and then at equal distances on the side.

Think of a clock, and you are putting straight pins in at noon and six o'clock...then three and nine o'clock.

Then go in between these anchor pins and place more pins where needed, roughly two inches apart.  I was not going for perfectly measured scallops in the fabric.

The photos labeled #4 and #5 demonstrate this step.

Step 4: Now you are ready for the "bow".

Using pinking shears, I cut two inch bias strips out of another fabric that arrived that day from one of my favorite eBay fabric sellers.

I just purchased her last three yards of this pretty pink basket weave fabric. It is Antique Rose Basket by Northcott, but she may have more not listed yet. I don't know the name and manufacturer of the pretty green paisley fabric used to make the ribbons for these flower pots. 
I tried tying the ribbon, but it looked messy, so I just pinned the ribbon in place.  There is no knot, just two strategic pins, one for each end of the ribbon. See the photo labeled #6.

You can also see how I exaggerated the points on the ribbon.

Continuing with the ribbon, I used a couple more pins around the pot to make little gathers or tucks in the ribbon fabric. It provided a sense of movement... kept the ribbon from looking dull. The little pins also kept the ribbon from slipping down! See the photo labeled #7.

For a slightly different look, you can tuck in the ends of the ribbon and anchor it with a couple of pins. See the photo labeled #8.

Notice that I used some old inexpensive pins that I would not use on my quilting projects today. If left these old straight pins in fabric for an extended period of time, they would rust. It made me feel nicely GREEN to be re-purposing those old pins.

These old straight pins would not have been in my quilt fabric long enough to prevent me from using this fabric in a future quilt... planning on being GREEN in reusing this beautiful fabric.

Step 5: To remove some of the leaf damage or petal damage that invariably comes with these mass-produced and mass-shipped potted plants or flowers, just trim away the damaged part.

Refer to photos labeled #9 and #10 for before and after views.

Granted, trimming away some of the damage does not a perfect leaf or petal make, but it does improve the overall look of the plant.

Step 6:  You might be able to see in the picture of the table set for the Christmas Luncheon the little pale gold iridescent angel hair "stuff" that I put around the base of each plant to cover the dirt and the plastic wrap.

I found a little box of it at Walmart, but I failed to save the box to be able to share with you what the stuff is called. It was very pretty, and I bought the last box at the Grenada Super Walmart store just for these poinsettias.

You can use sphagnum moss, Spanish moss, or many other naturals.  I was even thinking that a layer of lavender buds would probably not have too much scent to be used at a table where a meal was being served.

A layer of little flax seed would weight that plastic wrap down well and hide it.

I'd love to hear your ideas for this step!

Now, I can't wait for the next event for which I need to decorate tables with fresh flowers!

Please share your photos with me as you use this method to decorate little pots of flowers with fabric!

Sure, I Can Make a Hand-carved Dough Bowl!

I've never claimed to be smart or prudent, have I? 

Nope. Not me! And today I proved it all over again.

I finally talked my uncle Charles K. Hamer, "Unc", into teaching me how to make a hand- carved dough bowl.

He cut out two slabs of beautiful aged cherry from a tree felled by Hurricane Katrina. Wood grown on our family farm.

So, today, armed with a hammer and a chisel, I played like I was a pioneer, carving out a dough bowl with my own two hands so that I could bake bread for my frontier family.

You should be laughing very hard here, especially those of you who know what a pampered princess I like to be!

I managed to last four hours, steadily tpat, tpat, tpat, tpat, tpat, my little wimpy hammer strikes against the chisel, carving out the cherry hardwood.

Unc's decisive, confident TAP, TAP, TAP was a stark contrast to my timid beginner strikes.

Let me tell you, carving with a chisel is NOT for wimps! Tonight, my hands are aching, my pectorals and deltoids and biceps are aching. There are muscles I cannot name that are aching.

Folks, I have strong hands and forearms because of my years of sculpting.  I thought I would be OK with using wood as a sculpting medium.  NOT!

It smells like a post-game locker room here. Not the sweaty body odor stuff, but a topical analgesic mushroom cloud from the three or four topical creams I have tried on these hands.  Imagine a bad toothache in every joint of your hands. 

The smell has even driven two Westies off of the bed.  All five of them were stretched out against me just a little while ago, administering their special brand of therapy.

Gordon thankfully has sinus tonight, so the pungent smell is not driving him away. *grin* He is rubbing and massaging my hands and arms and bringing me hot salt water to soak my left hand. (How did I ever deserve him?)

Here is the really NOT smart part.

Yesterday, I injured my pointer finger of my left hand. I'm not going to tell you how I injured my hand because it will just reinforce that "I am not smart" thing even more!

My pointer finger on my left hand is swollen about twice as large as it should be. I can't bend it at all, and the angry hot redness extends well past my knuckle. It hurts to even look at it. *laugh at myself*

So today, while jumping feet first into this new artform, I managed to hit the swollen knuckle of my left hand with the hammer not once... not twice... not three, four, or five times... but SIX TIMES!

Please go back and re-read the first sentence of this post.

IMPORTANT: A chisel is sharp and dangerous, especially when propelled by the force of a hammer. Do not attempt this project without the sage advice and oversight of an experienced wood-worker. A chisel can cut deep into human tissue, cutting vital blood vessels and important muscles, etc.

Once, while I was in college, I rode horses all morning with some friends, having not been on a horse in years and years. That afternoon, another couple of friends convinced me to go roller skating with them.  I remember getting out of bed the next morning and hitting the floor because my legs refused to transport me anywhere. 

It has been more than 25 years since that little folly. I can smile about it now.  For some reason I've been thinking about my college-era thirst for trying something new. *laugh*  There seems to be a pattern de-cloaking here.

So, why a dough bowl? Weeelllll, I cut my teeth on family stories of my Great-great-great Grandfather James Cochran Hamer leaving the Carolinas with his four motherless boys and wagons filled with everything he would need to carve a farm out of the Mississippi wilderness.

It was 1837. James' wife, Ann Flowers Hamer, had died from complications following the birth of their fourth son. The infant was just a couple of months old when, according to family history, James showed up at the relative's house and said, "I want my boys. I'm going to Mississippi."

Growing up on this farm that my great-great- great- grandfather James established in 1837, I would daydream about carving a cave out of the red Mississippi clay.

I did not know then that the embankment I chose for the cave was actually the levee of the pond that Lillibeth dramatized recently.  A cave dug in a man-made levee would not have been a good idea. *crooked grin*

But back to my childhood fantasy.  I wanted to catch beaver and make my own beaver fur coat. I would have preferred mink, but if there are any little feral mink on the farm, we have not seen them. 

Mentally, I designed my pioneer cave interior and what I would need to survive like my forefather. I was really into the Daniel Boone television show at that time as well!

I think I even dragged a shovel all the way to the pond to start the dig.  LOL  Yep, I was too small to carry the shovel. After moving a few spoonfuls of the baked Mississippi mud, I decided to go play in my playhouse. 

You know, I don't think I have ever shared this childhood fantasy.  LOL  Please go back and read the first sentence.  he he he

Sunday (tomorrow) afternoon, I will continue my quest to create that primitive dough bowl. You will certainly be seeing more of this Regeneration Therapy.

The last two pictures are of the Williamsburg-like apple trees that Unc made for Christmas gifts this year. Look here and here to see Unc's woodworking last year, 2006.

You can pick out the three red cedar apple trees and cedar rolling pin that Unc made from a branch of a cedar tree that had, for decades, shaded the old farmhouse on a neighboring farm. They were gifts to the descendants of that family-owned farm.

Somehow it touches something deep, deep inside to hold an object  made from a piece of wood that was alive and growing on the very land your ancestors were struggling to tame from the dense, rich Mississippi wilderness.

Free Fat Quarter Tag and Poem

Everywhere I have been reading of sewing or quilting news, the buzz is about people finishing Christmas gift projects and preparing to start new swaps, block of month patterns, challenges, round robins... you name it!

For the December meeting of my quilt guild that I could not attend at the last minute, I had made this little tag to go with the fat quarter I was bringing for a swap.

I wrote a little rhyme about fat quarters to go on the tag. (I've never written a poem, so I'm afraid to call it a poem! *grin*)

You are welcome to reprint this tag in another publication if you give me the proper credit. I would also appreciate you printing the link to this blog with the poem. Just let me know.

You can print it out on card stock or heavier paper.  Punch a hole in the end through which to place a ribbon. 

Glue the tag to a blank card to make a little note card or thank-you card.  Give them to your Guild members to enjoy. The possibilities are endless.

This free download is for personal, non-commercial uses only, please.

So, here it is for you to download, print, cut and enjoy: Download fat_quarter_tag.pdf

This is my little gift to you for making this such a fun and interesting year of blogging!