New Year’s Hopes

31 Dec 2013 10 Comments

1. To finish more unfinished projects (I managed 7 quilts, and several needleworks this year….Hooray)

2. To take most materials for those unfinished projects from my STASH (Heavens, I have enough stuff)

3. To be happy while working on all those unfinished projects…enjoy the journey  (No grumbling allowed…well maybe just a little)

4. To share what I am accomplishing with reports on my BLOG (yes…I hope to post more than a couple times next year)

5. To make more gifts (I really appreciate handmade things…hope others do too)

These are just a few thoughts for the new year and my needlearts addiction!   Last year I made a list of ten things and worked on them in rotation.   To my surprise I really accomplished a LOT.   Perhaps it was not as much as I would have liked, but nevertheless, the quilts I have here and there in my home speak volumes!   Oh, to be even more prolific…don’t I wish.   The rotation really worked for me because  I get bored after several hours on one project.    Then again, a couple of the projects consumed me and I worked on them until they were done.

Besides the quilts you have seen previously on my blog, I made two flannel junior size bed quilts…this blue/green/white monkey quilt and a pink/green/white one with a girl print.   They were done with a “big stitch” quilting that everyone seems to like.

IMAG0160 Monkey Quilt

I also made a “music” quilt for a hostess gift. We went to Colorado for Christmas to spend the holiday with my son, Mike, Michelle and Maya. Because they were hosting my daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren already, we stayed with Michelle’s Mom, Carol. She is an expert piano teacher and so I chose to make her a music quilt as a thank you for having us there for the holiday.  This one was also done quilted with big stitch quilting.

IMAG0276

IMAG0278

Alas, I broke my lovely little camera and am now taking photos with my cell phone. I actually received a beautiful Nikon SLR camera as a gift from my dear husband, but I don’t know how to work it yet and have been taking photos with my phone. They are not very good and I am REALLY going to try to get the knack of the good camera this year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!! May you all be blessed with good health, prosperity, laughter, zillions of friends, and a plethora of needleart!

Amities, Averyclaire

Aside by averyclaire

Busy Days

08 Jul 2013 9 Comments

by averyclaire in Embroidery, Family, Needlework, Ornaments, Quilts, Sewing, Wool Tags: , , , , ,

What have I been doing for the last four months?   Well, a lot actually!   Thanks for being patient with me and thank you for always coming back to see what’s new!

I finally had my star quilt quilted by Jamie Wallen in Michigan City, IN.    Didn’t realize I wouldn’t get it back for four months, but I do love how it is quilted!   He did a beautiful job.   And it is now one of my favorites!

Star Quilt 1

You can see the lovely feather quilting done around each star!

Star Quilt 2 closeup

While that was out being quilted, I made 20 more baby blankets with teddy bears for our Quilters’ Plus Holiday Boutique the first weekend in November.   I have them all lined up and waiting to put double ribbons around each teddy bear.   I have made these for many years.   The proceeds of these blankets help support my quilt guild (and I get some money back as well).   It’s a lot of work to make so many, but voila!  C’est fini!

2013 baby blankets

I also made some wool Christmas ornaments to sell at the same Holiday Boutique, but 100% of the proceeds from these ornaments will go to my NeedleArtisans of NW Indiana group and the quilt guild.    The same goes for the cotton kitchen washcloths I made.   I would like to make more items, but my own projects seem to be suffering with all the things I made for the Boutique.   So I will have to call it quits for the boutique items I think.

Wool Ornaments 1

Wool Felt Ornaments 2

Wool Felt Ornaments 3

Cotton Washcloths

And last but not least of my projects, I have my “Over the River and Through the Woods” quilt prepared for quilting.  The three picturesque center panels are all hand embroidered.   I plan to machine quilt this one myself.   I don’t consider myself a good home machine quilter, but it’s too pricey to have one’s quilts quilted professionally.   I like to say “I DID IT MYSELF” anyway.   And some quilts just don’t warrant the weeks and weeks of hand quilting.   Besides, I still have my yellow whole cloth one on my quilt frame.   It’s almost done!

Over the River 1

In between all the sewing, life things happened….a couple of wakes and funerals….a shower and a wedding….a week’s getaway for DH and myself…. several lunches with friends….a trip to the International Quilt Show in Chicago….quite a bit of gardening upkeep….an unexpected reunion with my three siblings (some who live quite far away)…and the usual everyday things.   I very much enjoy my retirement….and love to sit and “veg” occasionally with a good book or my trusty computer seeing what’s new in the needlework and quilting world.

Thanks for visiting my blog again!     Amities, Averyclaire

Whole Cloth Quilt In Progress

12 May 2013 36 Comments

by averyclaire in Hand Quilting, Quilting Tags: , ,

On my quilt frame now is a whole cloth quilt that I began more than ten years ago. I had a tiny pattern and enlarged it to a lap size quilt. The pattern is lovely and I love hand-quilting, but back then, I quickly tired of it and put it away for years. After finishing my applique quilt I was inspired to work on this one again. I put the quilt frame in the living room and work on it each evening as I sit “listening” to the TV. (I love Hallmark movies.) It was only about 1/3 done before….and I already have at least 2/3 done now. At this rate it will soon be considered another winter project finished!!

Yellow Whole Cloth 1

Does anyone out there know what causes the puckering during hand quilting? or if there is a way to prevent this?    It is not everywhere in the quilt…only in certain places.   It won’t matter after I am finished and soak the quilt, as I imagine it will all be “puckery.” 

Have fun stitching whatever it is you are working on!     Amities, Averyclaire

Hand Appliqued and Hand Quilted

07 May 2013 16 Comments

by averyclaire in Applique, Hand Quilting, Quilts

Here is my hand-appliqued quilt top. It is an Editar Sitar pattern (Sweet Sixteen – there are 16 blocks – 76 x 76) done in colors of my choosing (love that stash). It took me about a year to do the 16 appliqued blocks and then it was about 3 months to be hand-quilted. My two hand-quilting friends, Carol and Jessica,  came faithfully each Friday to help me finish the quilt top.  Lots of lovely days spent together over the quilt frame and lunch. We worked from 9:30 to 3:30 every Friday. I couldn’t be happier with it and it is now one of my favorite quilts.

Sweet Sixteen HQ1

Sweet Sixteen HQ2

Sweet Sixteen HQ3

Some years ago I won some blocks from my guild. “Bento Box” they were called. I won 16 blocks–not enough for a quilt. So a friend donated to me a small bag of oriental scraps and I made 32 more blocks for a total of 48 and made a twin size quilt using wide indigo sashing. Then I spent a very, very long time hand quilting it with a clam shell design. It now hangs over the back of my sofa. It feels SO GOOD to have this one finished.   Love the light blue sashiko quilting…looks lovely on the indigo.

big stitch quilting sashiko 1

Bento Box HQ1

Bento Box HQ3

I have two more quilts I am actively working on now.   I will show those in the next post or two.   Oh, and another one coming back from the long-arm quilter soon.   Can’t wait to see it finished!

Hope all of you out there are having fun working on using up stash, finishing UFOs, and diligently working on your WIPs.   My family tells me that people could do their quilt shopping here.   I don’t think so, because I couldn’t part with my fabrics or patterns or books.    But perhaps I do have enough stuff that I could quilt and do needlework for at least another 20 years and not have to buy anything!   Of course that’s ridiculous….because I never seem to have just the right pattern, or just the right fabric and have to go shopping myself!

Amities, Averyclaire

Nana’s Garden, Kitchen, and Les Muguets Day

05 May 2013 11 Comments

by averyclaire in Gifts, Les Muguets Day, Quilts, Sewing

After completing a couple of needlework projects, I turned to my quilting again.   I made this twin-size Pinwheel quilt top some time ago (perhaps a year or two) and finally layered it and machine quilted it.   It was a free pattern that came in the mail from McCall’s Quilting entitled Summer At Mom’s…I call it Nana’s Garden. I used up a LOT of my floral scraps in the blocks and a LOT more on the scrappy back.  There were many hours spent quilting special “fleur de lis” designs in each block and lots of vines, leaves, and flowers in the border.   But once it was washed the specialty quilting is now barely visible.   But I adore the crinkled look of this quilt.   So for all of you who think you don’t machine quilt very well….just do it and wash it right away…Voila! an antique looking quilt!

Pinwheel 1

If you look hard you can see the vines, leaves and flowers quilted in the border above and the fleur-de-lis quilting in the block below.

Pinwheel 2

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Don’t you just love that crinkled look of the quilt after washing…..and even better yet….with the scrappy back you get two quilts in one!

Pinwheel 4

As I mentioned on my last post, here is a photo of the Les Muguets Day gift I made for my friend Maggy.   And I have one just like it.   It makes my kitchen look all “Spring-like” and sunny!

Spring table runner

And Maggy sent to me this lovely “sac a boutons” which she handmade for me.   I love it!   Thank you Maggy!

Button Bag

Well, two more projects completed in the winter months. One unfinished quilt now complete, and a new project for fun.

Come back again in a day or two to see my completed hand appliqued, hand quilted finish!

Amities, Averyclaire

Spring is finally here!

03 May 2013 6 Comments

by averyclaire in Cross-Stitch, Needlework, Sewing

Yes, it’s been 6 months since I last posted.   The warmth of the sun is pouring in my windows, teasing us for a couple of days with 80 degree temperatures.   Now it is raining again, but everything is very green and the trees leafed out with the balmy days.   I LOVE the warm weather.   It feels so good.

My winter was spent in completing unfinished projects.   I was inspired by something I read last Fall about making a list of one’s unfinished projects and working a little on them each day.   So I did.   I am notorious for beginning things and not finishing them.  But I want to be able to empty my drawers and closets of all of my UFOs or should I say WIPs. Here is just one.

This is Berry Patch Rabbit by Cedar Hill done on 32 ct. Lambs Wool linen. I think I worked on him on and off for a couple of years. I love this little rabbit and he hangs proudly in my living room.

Berry Patch Rabbit

Then I did a cross-stitch for my daughter who loves “Life” quotes.  This was not a UFO, but a work of love for Kathleen for Valentine Day.   It is “Life” cross-stitch by Lizzy Kate done on 32 ct. natural linen.  The linen is NOT checkered.  For some reason the shadows of the linen weave shows up as checkers.  She loves it and it hangs in her foyer.

Life

And because I was SO READY for spring, I made a new spring table runner for my island in the kitchen and made 8 coordinating napkins. I also made a second set for my dear friend Maggy. I sent it to her as a “Les Muguets” gift. On the first of May every year, we make something for May 1st. “Les Muguets” Day (Lily of the Valley Day) is a day of friendship and one is supposed to give their friend a small bouquet of lilies of the valley…or so the story goes. I received a lovely hand made bag from Maggy. Sorry, no photos, today, but next post.

I have LOTS more completed UFOS to show, so come back soon and check again.  The posts are ready, just waiting for me to take some photos. I have accomplished much in just a few cold winter months.

So, friends, while I have been silent for a long time…I have been very busy.   Oft times I was lurking in the shadows of your blogs and admiring your work.   I really enjoy everyone’s blogs and love seeing all of their work, so I am going to try to be better at posting again.

Amities….. Averyclaire

Boutis

18 Nov 2012 9 Comments

by averyclaire in Boutis, French, Needlearts Tags: , ,

I have loved this beautiful type of hand quilting for a long time. This is my first project.

Boutis is a french type of quilting.   Two layers of thin batiste fabric are layered together and the design is quilted with a small quilting (or running) stitch.   A #22 or #24 tapestry needle is threaded with a quilting thread.  This loop then carries a cotton yarn.   The cotton yarn is drawn through all of the channels and the design areas “stuffing” them.   The boutis is transparent when held up to the light. Beautiful quilts and clothing were made long ago by talented french women using this technique.

A couple of my friends living in France (Maggy and Nicole) sent me several books and patterns.   Nicole sent me a lovely boutis piece she made as a gift.   She also wrote to me and explained the process.   I didn’t read the instructions properly and didn’t know about the needle looped with thread. Unfortunately I threaded a needle which was TOO long directly with the yarn.    This made my holes much too large and some are still visible.    And I really didn’t know what to do when I finished.   Luckily I found a lovely blog and Elizabeth was kind enough to help me out and answer my many questions regarding boutis.

I also made the mistake of beginning to pull the yarn through on the right side of the project rather than on the wrong side…hence you can see the holes I left by using a skewer to assist in the “stuffing”… my needle was actually all I needed.   Hopefully next time my piece will look a LOT better.  Trial and Error!!!

Sending you BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Amities, Averyclaire

Remake

06 Nov 2012 5 Comments

by averyclaire in Christmas, Needlearts, Wool Tags: , ,

A few years ago I designed an “au naturel” wool Christmas stocking for my DIL who loves nature and the great outdoors (specifically sunflowers). Here is the first one I made:

She asked for a little more “bling” and perhaps something red…so I took off the top sunflower and added a cardinal, a few snowflakes, an aspen tree (they live in Colorado), and a pretty little gift under the tree and some “glittzy” sequins sprinkled all around.

I think she’s going to like this one:

And now I am working on one for one year old Maya….shhh.

Amities, Averyclaire

Happy Halloween

31 Oct 2012 6 Comments

by averyclaire in Uncategorized

Here are just a few Halloween/Autumn pieces that I completed in past month or so. Wishing all of you a Happy Halloween today.

Amities, Averyclaire

Updating

30 Oct 2012 2 Comments

by averyclaire in Uncategorized

Thank you to all of you who continually visit my blog even though I have been so lax in posting. Please be patient a little while longer while I do some updating. Thank you.

Amities, Averyclaire

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