1st Puzzle Piece

I've finished my 1st crazy quilt puzzle piece. Initially I found it challenging to work in such a small scale but, as I worked, funny how BIG that small scale became!
I did find finishing it off a bit troublesome. The presser foot didn't like moving over beads as I finished off with a satin stitch around the edge. In a couple of places I had to take the presser foot off my machine to get the satin stitched edge. Since I couldn't "hoop up" the piece I had to hold the piece very tight as I freeform satin stitched. Not as smooth an edge as I'd like but, it all worked.
I will keep this in mind on my next pieces.


If any of you have been thinking ahead regarding finishing off all your swapped pieces I found this fabric at one of our local quilt shops. This is a batik (I think a Bali batik). The shop only had it in this color but, I'm sure it comes in others. I'm thinking borders. Yea, I know, I have to figure out how borders will work with the "in" tabs and "out" tabs of the puzzle pieces---------------oh, maybe I'll make extra pieces that are straight on the sides, just like a real jigsaw puzzle-----EUREKA what a thought!!!!!!!

Ok, I'm back to stitching--oops, got to go defrost something for dinner if we're going to eat tonight.

Rabbitat

Nellie's Challenge

Nellie has suggested that I challenge myself with the seafoam green and coral color combination that I'm finding so challenging by making one of her birds using those 2 colors.
I think that's a great idea. Thanks Nellie.
I will post my result once it's complete, unless of course I flunk!!

Pat Winter's blog (gatherings100.blogspot.com) enabled me to add my music to my blog. I hope you are enjoying the music I've chosen. Pat, if you read this post thanks. Also, thanks for the tutorial on making the crazy quilt puzzle pieces. It was very helpful. I have my 1st almost finished.
I will post it when I have finished it but, I will not post all my pieces--they should be a surprise, right?

Off to stitch.

Rabbittat: OH MY----blogging!!!!!!!

OH MY----blogging!!!!!!!

This morning I thought it was high time I update my blog and let readers know the result of the Harvest Challenge. I did win the challenge, yipee!!!!!!! My prize was a $75.00 gift certificate to www.eveningstardesigns.citymax.com. Oh, I had a great time spending the certificate-------yes, it's all gone, DRATS!!!!!!!!

Carolyn has not yet announced the viewers' choice winner. I'm anxiously awaiting the result of that.

I have found that participation in challenges is a great way to develop my own creativity and abilities. Because challenges typically involve working with specific combinations of materials of someone else's choosing, rarely do I find them to be simple, mechanical exercises in skills. When contacted by Carolyn regarding my entry I shared with her my initial fristration with the package. Autumn is my favorite time of the year. When Carolyn announced the "Harvest" challenge I couldn't sign up fast enough---thinking of all those beautiful autumn browns, golds, oranges, yellows------and then when the pack arrived--to get maroons, black prints, vivid greens---------oh yea, those ARE harvest colors, just not MY HARVEST colors! My brain was stuck on harvest=autumn! The colors in the challenge pack were NOT colors I was comfortable with trying to work together. And so I was challenged and developed some creative abilities I didn't have previously. Working through that challenge gave me confidence in working with different color combinations. So, in the future, when I'm challenged to put that coral tile and seafoam green carpet together into some appealing decorator's dream color palete, maybe I'll come up with something I actually love. That's my current color challenge.
I will gladly accept any ideas to that challenge that any of you readers may have.

Ok, so I titled today's blog "OH MY--blogging!!!!!" and what does that mean? Well, I have always enjoyed the blogs that have background music. Bill Douglas' "Deep Peace" is one of my favorite songs (as well as one of his CD titles), so much so I wanted to share it with anyone visiting my blog. Well, it is now 3:17 PM and I have been TRYING to add the background music since about 11:00AM with no success. If I had managed to work through the problems I wouldn't feel that I wasted all this time ...but.....
So, if you care, go to one of the music websites and listen to his music (it really is wonderful), until I can figure out what I'm not doing correctly on my blog. I have introduced his music to particiapnts in a yoga class I attend and many of them are now also devout followers.

There was a real "blog" highlight to my day today though. I visited Pat Winter's blog and saw that Pat had won this incredible soft cloth bird. The creator, Nellie Durand has been generous enough to offer the pattern for free for the downloading, hopefully this link will work , but if not her blog is in my "inspirational blogs" list(Pat's is also there. Oh the birds I can see in my future. in fact I think I'll go start on that now----oops, maybe I'll work on Pat's jigsaw puzzle swap pieces (check Pat's blog for information regarding that.

Until next time I'm off to stitch...........you should too!

Harvest Challenge

I haven't blogged for a while now (dah, no kidding, since July)--where does the time go????
But I've been working on some needlework between real work. Carolyn Cibik owner of Evening Star Designs offered a "Harvest Challenge" crazy quilt block competition. Here's a picture of my entry to the competition. Carolyn still hasn't announced the winner. I'm hoping we'll all hear soon.


She did the same thing in last Spring with a "Spring Challenge". I didn't finish my piece in time for the competition, but have now completed it.


Now, I'm on to finishing Christmas presents-----------but I can't give away what I'm working on.

What have the rest of you been doing?

Finally updating

I've been so busy stitching up a storm I haven't had time to tend to my blog as I should. But here are some updates.
Are any of you out there doing Susan Garman's "Ladies of the Sea" block of the month?
When I saw the advertisements for it back in January I knew I had to do it. But I had to wait patiently (well not quite) until the end of April when it started. While the quilt is breath-takingly beautiful, it is a CHALLENGE!I've finished Block one "The Xebec Pirate Ship" so now, I'm only 5 blocks behind. Is there a theme here? Behind on blog updates, behind on Blocks of the Month, Behind on Sharon's "Take it Further Challenge", not to mention housework but I really don't care too much about that as long as no one comes visiting.
Here's a picture of my completed block #1

This week I finally turned a needlework item into a throw pillow--something I've been putting off and off and off (again, the theme). I think I was putting it off because I don't feel confident in making throw pillows. While I think my needlwork is pretty good my utilitarian sewing is below par. So, before i actually started the pillow I when to JoAnn Fabrics to get some of the items I needed for it: backing, zipper, etc. and boy I hope they have a book that will make my pillow perfect. What a treat I found that I have to pass on to all of you----a book by Christopher Nejman PILLOWS---DESIGNER SEWING TECHNIQUES.
This book, while not addressing my lack of basic throw pillow construction was such a stimulation to my creativity. The pillows Christopher designs are Exciting! He uses all kinds of embellishments, needlefelts FABRIC to make fabric ---well worth the price!
Here is my finished throw pillow using the needlework that I finished months ago.
Now I need to start a Christopher Nejman type pillow---------------OH NO, more things for my to do list!
I've joined the Stitchingfingers web group "stitch along". I liked what Sharon Boggon came up with to use to make a stitch along sampler. She was putting together pieces of aida cloth she had to make a piece of fabric to stitch on. I'm oversimplifying what she did but, rather than describe it inaccurately I'm being very general. Anyhow, in my stash I had a piece of 28 count linen (ok, I had way more than A piece). I painted the linen and then basted around a 5"x7" center. I am going to do all my "Stitch along" stitches outside and around this area. I haven't yet decided what i'll do in the center but I'm sure the idea will come to me as I progress with the "stitch along".
Today i did my 1st stitch for the "stitch Along" and here it is--the Pekinese Stitch using perle coton #8 in two different purples.
I'm not sure this picture is really going to show the stitch. I may need to take another one. If so, a good one will be downloaded to the "Stitch along" group at http://stitchinfingers.ning.com
Well, I think that's more than enough for now but, I want to leave you all with this awesome picture from Deep Creek Maryland, not where I live but where a bunch of us spent a weekend celebrating a friend's 50th birthday.
Happy Stitching Everyone