Butterfly Quilt

Another of my summer clean-out-my-closet projects.  These quilt blocks I'd made years ago needed to be machine-appliqued. I chose fabric from my stash for the setting then hand-quilted the final product.  It measures 46"x56" and will probably be donated to the Horse Therapy spring auction.

Apple/pinwheel quilt

Many years ago I taught a summer quilting class, making the 6 hand-appliqued apple blocks to give my students instruction and experience in the delicate blind stitch. As part of this summer's finish-up-my-projects project, I used scraps from my stash to make the pinwheel blocks and set them all with 3" sashings, also from my stash.  Even the batting was pieced from scrap batting, making the whole project a real bargain. The blocks are 9" blocks and the finished quilt measures 38" x 50". It is machine pieced, hand appliqued, and hand quilted. Notice the 3-dimensional leaves.

teddy bear quilt

Among my many projects needing to be finished this summer was this quilt top.  Many years ago, when Jesse was in his early teens, he wanted to make a teddy bear quilt in blues. I prepared 12 blocks for him and he embroidered 2 before he got bored with the project.  A few years later I embroidered the rest and put them together in this quilt top to save for when Jesse had his first child.  Now that it is finished, I will let the grandchildren enjoy it when they come to visit, to get wrapped up in the proxy loving arms of our Jesse. 

The quilt blocks are 10" square, the finished quilt measures 44" x 58", is hand-embroidered, machine-pieced, and hand-quilted.

Jesse's Afghan

Jesse enjoyed crocheting and was quite good at following patterns and even creating his own patterns.  He made two baby afghans, lots of flowers (complete with stems and leaves), and stuffed animals (and of course the purple wizard hat). He had started this afghan for himself, when he first learned to crochet, getting about a third finished before getting bored with it and moving on to his other projects. I finished it for him and will send it to his niece, Mia. It measures 44"x58".

doll quilt

This little doll quilt (or wall hanging) is made from scraps leftover from the recent Hearts & Gizzards quilt. It measures 27"x27", is machine pieced and hand-quilted.

hearts & gizzards

This quilt is another of my summer need-to-finally-finish projects.  I made the quilt top several years ago, using the blue and white scraps left from Eli and Kira's wedding quilt.  The design is called "Hearts & Gizzards" or "Dutch Windmills" and measures 42"x55".  The windmills/hearts are hand-appliqued and the quilt is hand-quilted.

baby afghan

My summers are spent cleaning, organizing, and finishing up projects.  This afghan used up yarn leftover from an identical afghan I made for my granddaughter, Kaitlyn a couple of years ago.  Who knows who will get this one...  It is crocheted and measures 31"x39" (excluding fringe). The rocking chair was mine when I was a little girl.

Zentangle

One advantage to working at the library is I get to see all sorts of books on all sorts of subjects.  Recently a book came through called One Zentangle a Day by Beckah Krahula.  Zentangle is a fancy kind of doodling.  Each piece of art is done on a 3 1/2" square of paper called a tile.  It looked so fascinating that I ordered a copy of the book and was immediately addicted. It is relaxing, therapeutic, and very fun. Each tile can be completed in 30 minutes or so and tiles can be tucked anywhere and taken with me for any spare down time.

This is my first attempt, not a traditional tile, but a bookmark.

Parasol Girl quilt

I just finished this quilt which is being donated to a horse therapy group in Montana for their annual dinner and auction fund-raiser next month.  I made the quilt top several years ago, using the pattern from a quilt my mother had made for her wedding, and began the quilting in January. It is hand embroidered, hand appliqued, and hand quilted. The blocks are 12" square and the finished quilt measures 66" x 85".

Churn dash quilt for Barbara Clarke

This quilt design is called "Churn Dash"
and is a signature quilt for a recently released Relief Society president.
It will be signed by all her friends in the Third Ward Relief Society.
I made the quilt top several years ago and in February put it together to hand-quilt.

airplane quilt

I just finished this quilt for my new grandson, due in about 3 weeks. His folks chose the pattern and I chose the fabrics, some from my stash. It worked up really fast!

Christmas Cone

The Legend of the Magic Christmas Cone

Long ago in a land far away there lived a little boy named Granther. Granther was a good boy deep down inside, but on the outside, he was not so good because he loved to hide in the bushes beside the road and throw sticks and stones at the people who passed by on their way into town. Sometimes people got angry and chased after him, but instead of making him afraid to do it anymore, he just learned how to hide better. One day, just two weeks before Christmas, a very angry man pounded on Granther’s cottage door. “This has got to stop!” he yelled at Granther’s mother, showing her a handful of rocks. He shook his fist at Granther as he stormed out the door. Granther’s mother started to cry, she had tried everything to get him to stop, all to no avail. “Give me your rocks,” she said sadly, “I know you are a good boy deep inside; one day you will understand.” Granther emptied out his pockets into his mother’s hands—all but one smooth stone the size of a robin’s egg. He slipped it into the manger of the nativity scene for safe-keeping, thinking he could come back and get it later.

That night Granther had a very unusual dream. He dreamed he was in a stable. It was Christmas night and he saw the baby Jesus in the manger, with his mother and Joseph there. He saw the shepherds and all the animals. It was a beautiful sight. Suddenly a rock fell on baby Jesus, then another and another. The baby started to cry. Mary and Joseph tried to protect the baby, but the rocks kept coming, landing harder and faster. Granther looked around in despair; where were they coming from? Who was doing this? Why, why, why? He noticed someone in the shadows and raced to stop the evil-doer. Granther knocked him down and wrestled him until a stream of moonlight fell across them and he stopped cold, for he saw that he was wrestling himself! Tears began flowing freely, tears of compassion for the baby Jesus, tears of anger at what had been done, and also tears of sorrow to realize who had done it.

He woke with a start to find his heart racing and his pillow wet with his tears. It was before dawn but he raced to the manger to retrieve his rock and throw it one last time, far into the forest. He knelt before the manger and said a prayer, “Please forgive me, I will never throw sticks and stones at people again. I will try to be kind and loving, and treat others as I would wish for the Christ child.” He searched in the tiny manger, but instead of his rock, he found a jewel.

Some say that that the miracle came from Elfin magic. But I believe that it was a miracle of love, the love for a Christ child, born of a sincere desire to replace sticks and stones with kindness.

You may try it for yourself. Two weeks before Christmas, hang a Christmas Cone on your Christmas tree. Each day until Christmas Eve, try to be kind and loving all day long. Then each night before you go to bed, place a stick or stone in the Christmas Cone as a token of your commitment to treat others as you would treat the Christ child. Perhaps your offering will turn into a treasure!

Scrap Afghan

I made several afghans last year and had
enough yarn left over to make another.

Avey's Green Quilt

Avey is turning four next week and moving into a big girl bed.
I made her this sampler quilt in her favorite color, green.
The block in the center of the top row has a secret pocket that is magic!
Special treasures will appear there occasionally.

I used fabrics leftover from the last green quilt, and greens from my stash.

Trip around the world

New quilt for "The Green Room" (our guest room)
Machine pieced and hand quilted
The design is called "trip around the world"

chocolate quilt

Queen-sized quilt designed by and for my daughter-in-law, Kira. Machine appliqued and hand-quilted by me.

Kaitlyn's afghan

Afghan for my new grand-daughter, Kaitlyn.
Crocheted in four shades baby yarn
finished size 32"x40"

Mr. Saturn

Special request for Jacob in Washington

gingham afghan

Isaac's new quilt