Old Glory, 1st block done

Last night I finished my first block of Old Glory - The Eagles.... I did find these challenging to say the least, especially their beaks and wing points, but I like how they turned out, now to the next block....

Here is a close up of each eagle so you can see what I mean,

Also took a picture of one of the fabrics I used - my favorite so far...

Well, that is it for today, Hugs, Mary

Auditioning....do you do this?????

I have been 2 days auditioning fabrics for this "other project" I am doing....and finally decided on this green - however, as is always my case I purchased this particular green fabric in 2007? So, now I need 3 3/4 yards of it and I have about 3/4 of one yard - typical right? So will start to try and duplicate the color at my quilt store. For some odd reason, I have a ton of reds and blues and creams but green, I don't have a lot of.

This is a really old pattern that has been on my to do list, so am going to give it a try., Also, have been working on my Eagle Quilt...oh the lessons I am relearning here - Eagles are not easy to Hand Applique!!! Those beaks and wings - OH MY!! Got better with the second eagle, the third is a still a work in progress..I think the second one looks like an "Angry Bird" but it's an Eagle??? I also gave them each an eye... they needed some personality right??

Then the Cold Wind Blows Block 2 is slowly coming around, have this much appliqued down, however have to fix that flower - see...

See these blocks are HUGH, and am used to Bigger pieces to applique - a Lot Easier (in my humble opinion). If you look at the flower - There is not supposed to be a space there but there is, so some ripping tonight on that one...How was your weekend sewing projects coming along??? Hugs, Mary

Annie Downs Bag

I picked this up at the Quilt Festival yesterday, it's a shopping bag but I thought it was really cute and I forgot to share yesterday on my post:

Isn't it the cutest??? Hugs and Happy Friday, Mary

Sometimes you just have to have a fun day!

Hi....today I attended the International Quilt Festival in Chicago. WOW is all I can say, Beautiful Quilts in Red and White. I brought my camera so you can see what I saw, now I am not a photographer so bear with me here....

This last one was my favorite - love the chedder! Primitive Gatherings Quilt Shop and Pieceful Gathering Quilt Shop were there, just to name a few...so I did spend a couple of pennies...LOL :) Anyway, it was a Beautiful Show they put on and enjoyed a day out with my Sister! Hope you enjoy all the eye candy, Hugs, Mary

Summer Weekend by Blackbird

Hi everyone, Happy Sunday!! Well, I started my Quilt Like An Eagle today, and I thought those eagles at the bottom were going to be sooo easy, I was wrong. I just know that the wing span on the left of the eagle and those little legs are going to give me problems! I am going to try one eagle and if I have problems, I am going to have to redraft those eagles as to fit better with the branch and flower and leaves. But I still love this quilt, hope all is well, with you :)

This just is really so beautiful...

Hi, We were in Miami Florida last weekend and so I brought 2 books: 1st one was "Three Wishes" by Liane Moriarty, very very good, 2nd one was "Dandelion Summer" by Lisa Wingate - which I did not finish, but am still reading, but what a Book - Great Read! While reading Dandelion Summer on the plane came across something Lisa Wingate wrote and it is just so beautiful I have to share: It's a letter from an absent father to his now grown daughter: Dear ..... "Words do not come easily for so many men. We are taught to be strong, to provide, to put away our emotions. A father can work his way through his days and never see that his years are going by. If I could g back in time, I would say some things to that young father as he holds, somewhat uncertainly, his daughter for the very first time. These are the things I would say: When you hear the first whimper in the night, go to the nursery and leave your wife sleeping. Rock in a chair, walk the floor, sing a lullaby so that she will know a man can be gentle. When Mother is away for the evening, come home from work, do the babysitting. Learn to cook a hotdog or a pot of spaghetti, so that your daughter will know a man can serve another's needs. When she performs in school plays or dances in recitals, arrive early, sit in the front seat, devote your full attention. Clap the loudest, so that she will know a man can have eyes only for her. When she asks for a tree house, don't just build it, but build with her. Sit high among the branches and talk about clouds, and caterpillars, and leaves. Ask her about her dreams and wait for her answers, so that she will know a man can listen. When you pass by her door as she dresses for a date, tell her she is Beautiful. Take her on a date yourself, Open doors, buy flowers, look her in the eye, so that she will know a man can respect her. When she moves away from home, send a card, write a note, call on the phone. If something reminds you of her, take a minute to tell her, so that she will know a man can think of her even when she is away. Tell her you love her, so that she will know a man can say the words. If you hurt her, apologize, so that she will know a man can admit that he's wrong. These seem like such small things, such a fraction of time in the course of two lives. But a thread does not require much space. It can be too fine for the eye to see, yet, it is the very thing that binds, that takes pieces and laces them into a whole. Without it, there are tatters. It is never too late for a man to learn to stitch, to begin mending. These are the things I would tell that young father, if I could. A daughter grows up quickly, There isn't time to waste, I Love You, Dad ......isn't that beautiful???? I am one of the fortunate ones, I had a Dad who did all of the above, he died 11 years ago and I still miss him to this day. I also married a Man that does or has done all of the above for his 2 daughters, I AM BLESSED :) Have a great day, Mary

Summer Weekend...

I just love blogland!! Honestly, Karen from Log Cabin Quilter Blog has send me her Summer Weekend book by Blackbird Designs, so I can start on my eagle quilt!! Thank you soooooooo much Karen, I love all the projects in that book but specifically Old Glory!! What would I do without you ladies, Honestly??? Hugs, Mary

(THIS IS NOT ME, BUT A GIRL CAN DREAM!!!!)

Pattern Obsession

Happy Monday everyone, This is the current pattern I am Obsessing About...I have dragged literally, my sewing room and can not find this pattern! UGG!

It is by Blackbird Design, called Summer Garden, can not find anywhere, have googled, ebayed, yahood, contacted publishing co., with no avail. If anyone knows how to purchase this pattern, please email me, Thank you so much, Mary Or leave a comment on this page, Thank you....

Summer Weekend by Blackbird Designs

Can anyone help me find the Book, "Summer Weekend" by Blackbird Designs? I have searched everywhere on line and can not find a copy of that book? I even tried Amazon. Any ideas where I can order that book I believe it is from 2001? Thanks Mary

Quilt Like an Eagle

Here is my first attempt at my Eagle Quilt...see my sidebar "Quilt Like An Eagle"...anyway, I had my Eagle cut out and flying no where, just under stars until I put him on a sunflower branch - I don't know if that is patriotic, but I love sunflowers, so...this is what I came up with. It has to be centered on 16" block still and not basted down yet, but what do you think? He is a little quirky on sunflowers, I know, but I think it looks good , what do you think?

The sunflower branch was taken from a book called "Serendipity" by Ginger Cookie Company...Hope all are keeping warm and dry, Freezin here in ILlinois, Hugs, Mary

Thinking...

Dangerous, right, Thinking??? In two weeks my middle child, well 25 yr old Son, is moving out. Bought a condo about maybe 45 min drive from us, but he is making the big move and well, I am a big blob of emotions. I am happy for Him, Proud of Him, but my heart is breaking that he is moving out. I won't have those funny crazy moments with him, where he is always darting behind doors trying to scare the living daylight out of me, I will miss those, I will probably even miss his laundry - yes, I did say that, Crazy right?? So crazy...I am just a big ball of emotions over here. Hope everyone is having a nice Sunday...very cold here in Illinois, more below 0 temps., wish my ancestors kept on going south instead of stopping here in Illinois! Well, here is a picture of my other boy, Cooper, he is 8 now! Remember when he was a puppy? He is a big boy now -

He is saying "Hey to all of you that follow my blog" ....no one comments but a few, so I hope there are people reading my blog posts?? Can't believe I have been on since 2008 - time flies as they say... Mary

Another topic

Hi, I am posting this because it is very very cold here in Chgo...and there are nuns in a very old church in Chicago, IL., whose 2 boilers have broken in their church...the current temperature they are enduring in their church is 29 degrees, therefore I am posting a link if you can help out to help. This church is a food pantry for many of the poor in Chicago, so any help would be great. They give so much of themselves, and now they need help. Have a Great Friday everyone, Hugs, Mary :) http://www.gofundme.com/NotreDameChicago

Some Good Reads...

Hi, in between quilting I love to read: here are some great books! Natchez Burning by Greg Iles The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd The Pieces we Keep by Kristina McMorris and The Time Between by Karen White - they were all great!

Going to work on this today! Yeah!! Snowy Hugs to all, Mary

Wednesday....

Hey everyone! It's Wednesday and have been working tirelessly on my block 2 of the When the Winter Blows....also am trying to enlarge a pattern for my eagle quilt - pic on sidebar. While working on my blocks, monday night I watched "The Bachelor"...I couldn't find anything else on, so I put it on. Wow, I was actually screaming at the TV, thank God no one else was home. What is our Society coming too? That show in my opinion is soooo demeaning to women, and yet I watched it! :( What happened to meeting people the natural way? I don't have any answers I just think ABC or NBC could find some other programs to fill that time slot. What do you watch while hand sewing??? I would love to know.... Mary

Tuesday perspective....

Hi, I am laughing at myself, I couldn't think of a title, Tuesday perspective??? oh well, it's Tuesday, over the weekend we were dumped with 21 inches of snow....a blizzard....another one.....oh, it was so pretty coming down on Super Bowl Sunday, but ofcourse, then you have to start digging out on Monday! Not fun! And, I have a herniated disc in my back, sooo not much help for the hubby and son, but Thank God, I have them... I worked on the 2nd block of the Blackbird Design, When the Cold Wind Blows, well, the name fit - funny how that works, right? Now, the weather is below zero and the wind is blowing ;)! Hope where ever you live, you have better weather conditions! I keep thinking of the summer and the ocean, it makes me smile, what can I say. Getting back to the Super Bowl, What a Game! I don't really care for football, but that was a really great game! And, the commercials, of course, I loved the yellow lab puppy and horse commercial The Best! They were all pretty good actually, except one re a little child and insurance - I really in my opinion thought that was a questionable and then Kim K - her commercial, well, it's Kim K, I guess - whatever that means?? Did you have any favorite ones? Well, Happy Tuesday everyone, Lots of Warm Hugs, Mary

Well, I changed some of the petals

Ok, after thinking about what Karen said, I just changed some of the petals to subdue some of the reds...I don't know, can you see a difference?

Stay Warm, Hugs, Mary