My Heart is Filled with Joy

I'm in Chicago with my hubby and both of my boys. It's rare the four of us are together for 3 whole days. Lots of spirited conversation, time together and all four of us just got back from the gym after working out together. My heart is filled with joy. Back home tonight and we'll all go our separate ways. I will hold this feeling until the next opportunity to be together.
Got a lot of requests to explain how I made this block. So, in the spirit of doing things for others today, here is the 'Be still my heart' block tutorial, just in time for some Valentine's Day crafting. I used this block to make the quilt in the picture above as well as a pink version without the sashing.

Step 1: Pull a set of fabrics. Small scale prints work great for this block. Don't be afraid to throw in a solid or two. For each block you will need ten 1" x 22" strips. Fat quarters work perfectly for these strips.
Step 2: With right sides together sew strips together using a 1/4" seam allowance.
I like to sew my strips in sets of two or three and then join the smaller sets together. I press after each seam. Make sure that you press your seams in the same direction. You may want to alternate sewing strips from the top and then from the bottom. This will prevent your strip set from getting wavy.
Step 3: Continue joining sets until you have a strip set of 10 one inch strips. The width of my strip set measured 4.75". (this measurement may vary depending on whether you are sewing a scant 1/4" seam or not.) This measurement is important because it will determine the size of the background squares. Measure the width of your strip set and remember that number.
Step 4: Use your rotary cutter and ruler and straighten one edge of the strip set.
Step 5: Now cut four 4.75" squares (or use the width measurement of your strip set) from your strip set.

Step 6: Cut two squares from background fabric the same measurement as your strip set squares. Mine are 4.75" squares. You will also need to cut four two inch squares from the background fabric.
Step 7: Use a quilter's pencil or other marking tool and draw diagonal lines on all of the background squares that you cut in step 6.
Step 8: Arrange your strip set squares like the picture below so that the strips alternate between a vertical and horizontal orientation.
Step 9: Lay the two large squares on the bottom strip set squares so that the diagonal lines you drew form the bottom point of the heart. Pin so that you will be able to sew ON the marked lines.
Step 10: Sew ON the drawn lines. Do this for each of the squares.
Step 11: Press so that the squares look like this. Notice at this point that you have two layers of the background fabric.
Step 12: Take each square and flip back one layer of the white fabric. Line up your quarter inch mark on your ruler on your stitching and trim.
The triangles on the right will go into your scrap box.
Flip down the single layer of background fabric and you will have your completed square.
Two of these form the bottom of the heart. They should look like this.
Step 13: The same process is used to complete the top of the heart. Place the four 2" squares like this. Make sure the drawn lines are in the correct position to form the heart shape.
Step 14: Sew ON the drawn lines just like you did for the bottom squares. Flip and press and trim, again just as you did for the bottom squares.
They should look like this...well, not quite like this. I didn't pin my squares and look what happened. Instead of the strips being rotated horizontal/ vertical...mine ended up like this. I did it again, and guess what? I made the same mistake TWICE.
Third time is the charm! They should look like this.
Step 15: Now it's time to put the block together. Put the bottom squares right sides together , pin, lining up the center edges and sew with a quarter inch seam. Press that seam to the left.
Now you have the bottom section of the heart. Repeat this process with the two top pieces and press that seam to the right. You'll want seams opposite to nest the seams when you sew the final two sections together.
See how the center seams lay in opposite directions.
Step 16: Pin the top and bottom sections together and sew with a 1/4" seam.
Then your heart is complete. I added 2" border strips to all sides of the heart to frame it. Now I have to figure out what I'm going to do with this heart. I think a bunch of these would make a spectacular quilt. One or two might be perfect for a table topper or wall hanging for Valentine's Day. If you make one or more, I'd love to see them.

Be Still My Heart

It's Oiyi's turn in the Common Threads Virtual Quilting Bee. She's making a quilt for her totally cute daughter, Melody, and she requested a heart motif somewhere on or in the block. She wanted rich reds...no pink. Though I loved her idea and was excited about it, I had trouble coming up with an idea I liked. I decided to go with a simple heart block and then tried to come up with an idea to make it special. Oiyi sent lots of small scale fabrics, so I went small and started playing with some one inch strips. This is the final product. A big heart for mom.

Since I did so much experimenting before I actually cut into Oiyi's fabrics, I had lots of strip sets left over. I didn't want them to go to waste so I made a small heart for Melody. Both blocks were a challenge for me. Another kind of improvisation. Take a traditional block and make it your own in some way. Cheryl, of Naptime Quilter has done a post about improvisation called 'Breaking Free.' It's a great read for those of you just starting to step out on your own, actually for all of us. Thanks Cheryl!


Lastly, I'll respond to the emails I've been getting about "what do I have against patterns." As you can see, I don't. I use patterns, I adapt patterns, I make my own patterns, and sometimes I don't use patterns at all. I have a free pattern in my sidebar. I made it because folks asked how to make the teacup quilt. I learned to quilt using patterns. Project improv is not about disparaging the use of patterns. It's about the freedom to exercise your creativity...to play and have fun with your own ideas.

Alissa and Tracy, your blocks are in progress....soon.

My Bleeding Heart

There is beauty in a bleeding heart.
Thank you for the thoughts, prayers and kind words for me and for Fudge. I tried to answer your comments to let you know how much I appreciated you taking the time to help me through a hard time, but I couldn't.

Many of you have emailed and asked about her. Fudgie died quietly on Saturday morning.

The challenge now is to focus on the love and joy she added to my days and the special place she has in my heart.

I hope you understand...I closed the comments for this post.

A Thanksgiving Story

I love the Thanksgiving holiday. For me it‘s about remembering and making transparent the blessings in our life, and it is a time for family. Finding all four of us under the same roof for any length of time is becoming more and more rare as the kids get older and develop lives of their own outside the family. We had a lovely day and wonderful dinner with 15 of us around the table.

My story is one of love and devotion, of family, of going the extra mile, and of heart.

I finished the preparations for dinner about 11 and my sister-in-law called and asked if I still wanted to go for a walk around the property. I took off down the hill to my parent’s house to meet Cindi and her good friend Kim. Kim wanted a walking tour of the property, and I was happy to oblige. It was a beautiful day, sunny and unseasonably warm for this time of year.

We took off across the lower pasture and walked toward the far pond. The grass in the fields has that winter amber glow. Delicate, green, fern-like plants are hiding beneath the pasture grasses. We passed between the ponds and headed into the woods onto one of the many trails that we have cut through the deep woods for running and hiking. We wound our way through the woods along the stream that cuts through the property along sections of hand-built stacked limestone fence that marks the edge of my parent’s land. After about 30 minutes of hiking up, we emerged out of the woods to pasture land that we call “top of the world”. Top of the world is a section of open pasture, half brome grass and half native Kansas prairie grasses. It sits above the rest of the property and is ringed by woods. In a few minutes we walked to the highest point and surveyed the land and the surroundings. From top of the world you can see my parent’s house, the barn, and our house up on the opposite hill. It’s a beautiful vista. We continued our walk to the other side of the top of the world pasture and about a ¼ mile away I turned to look and I thought a saw a deer back on the crest. It was definitely an animal, brown. I assumed it was a deer. I walked closer to get a better view and past the woods that partially obstructed my view. Together we figured out that it wasn’t a deer, but a dog. We could clearly see the wagging tail. The 3 of us were walking with my mom’s lab, Rusty. I said, let’s get going so Rusty won’t follow that dog. I assumed it was a stray wandering the property. So we took off back into the woods, down the old, blackberry patch road to the other side of the property. We walked for a few minutes and Kim turned around and said, “what’s that?” She heard something crunching the leaves behind her. And there, right behind her, was the dog we had seen earlier.

It wasn’t a stray at all. It was my lab, Fudge. We were all shocked. You have to understand, Fudge is a 13 ½ year old lab. She has severe arthritis in her hips and she struggles with stairs and a walk around the block is a big day for her. Evidently, right after I took off down the hill, my hubby decided to go for a run. In her youth, Fudge ran with Steve for miles and miles. They were running partners for many years. If she wasn’t running with him, she was walking with me. These days when he takes off for a run he usually runs with her for about 100 feet or so and then she stops and watches him run. She knows her limitations. That morning, Steve did the same thing. He let her out and she ran with him for a bit and stopped. He assumed that she would go back to the house and wait for him to return. He was wrong.

Fudge had other ideas. She had seen me take off from the house for my walk and knew Steve was gone running and she was bound and determined not to be left behind. I don’t know what route she took or how she got to us, but she got there and considering she left some time after we did and caught up with us she didn’t dawdle. She put her nose to the ground and sniffed and located me on the 110 acre property. She approached us with her tail wagging and her head held high. She was where she belonged.

We were on the farthest point of the property away from the house and there was no short way, or for that matter, easy way home. She had no choice but to do the rest of the walk with us in order to get home. At that point I didn’t know if she would make it. I thought for a moment that this would be the way she would want to go. It was a fleeting thought. I really didn’t want to go there.

She plugged along like a trooper, through the woods, up and down ravines, over fields and back home. Her back legs gave out a couple of times and she stumbled, but she never stopped, she never gave up. She even led the way, tail wagging above the tall grass, each of us, cheering her on at the difficult points of the route.

We reached my parent's house and she made a beeline for Rusty’s water bowl, drank a few sips, then found his bed and gingerly and stiffly lay down. I called Steve and asked him to come down with the car so she didn’t have to hike up the 1/8 of a mile hill that is our driveway. He came and we lifted her into the back of the car for the ride up. She was relieved, but a bit insulted at the same time.

She spent the remainder of the day cuddled on her bed strategically located between the living room and kitchen so that she could keep an eye on the festivities. She received lots of attention throughout the day and evening as cousins and aunts and uncles sat by her bed stroking her ears and rubbing her tummy, marveling at the physical feat she had accomplished that morning.

Fudge is a member of our family. She lives to be with us. She had the desire, the need, and the heart to do what she did that morning despite her physical limitations.

She’s still hurting today. She had trouble getting up and down the steps to get outside this morning. She’s limping on one of her front legs. We are doing what we can to make her comfortable. Scooby snacks seem to help. I slept on the couch last night so she wouldn’t have to make the climb up to the bedroom. I’m sure it will take her a long time to recover. I have a feeling if you asked her, she’d say it was all worth it. My baby has heart and loves her family. We love her too.

Settling In...The Bruno Chronicles

I decided to start my day over again, delete the last post, and count my blessings. Thanks for all the kind words. Life is too good to dwell on ugly things.
As you can see, Bruno is making himself at home. He's taken a liking to Fudge's bed. Fudge would be happy about that.

Bruno is quite a dog. He was a trooper at the vet and everyone fell in love with him, no surprise there. He has a few minor medical issues, but nothing that we can't deal with. The vet did feel like he was much older than the shelter had indicated to us. Doesn't matter to us a bit, he may be older, but the vet also said he was in fabulous shape and had fantastic joints and flexibility. That's pretty rare in an old lab. I can tell you that he has the heart of a puppy.

He follows me from room to room just like Fudge did. Does my heart good. He sleeps under the sewing table or under my feet when I'm working. When it's time for a break he comes and puts his head on my knee, I melt. He loves to play...especially fetch...again, and again, and again and again.

He's definitely a city dog. He doesn't understand the country life. Next installment...learning to be a 'country boy'.

Small Steps

Thanks for the well wishes...the spots remain...they've just switched locations. I did manage to sew a bit today. There's nothing like doing something you love to make you feel better. I have three of the zigs sewn together (or are they zags) and the fourth one ready to add once I'm done with this post. Then it's back to making more half square triangles. I can hear you all chanting a reminder "sew a quarter inch from the line". I can learn!

















The mailman helped make my day. You know it never fails, when you're in the dumps, something happens to pick you up. I received this card today. Here's what it says:

"All I can say is WOW! The quilt just blew me away. I honestly don't know how to begin to thank you for this precious keepsake. I love the fabric, the design - it's a work of art! Thank you for the time and heart you put into making it. When I get my act together, I'll send a picture of Sophie making good use of it. It was definitely worth the wait!"

It does a quilter's heart good to know that a quilt you've made is in a good home and the receiver feels about it just as you do. That note simply made my day!
Lastly, here's a preview. I've been thinking hard about a quilt I'm planning for a good friend's daughter's high school graduation present. Hannah is a gem. She's an artist, jewelry designer and maker, an actress as well as a great cook. She works in a coffeehouse and brings her homemade goodies to sell at work. Every time I'm at her house she's cooking or baking something. (Many times she's making it up as she goes along.) I want to make a special quilt for a special girl. Here what I'm thinking about. I love this Alexander Henry fabric. It has all sorts of fun cooking things, baskets of fruit, bottles of wine (or could be olive oil), a hen laying eggs, a teapot, a cake on a cakestand etc. Very graphic and fun. Maybe just a focus square or two of this and then I've chosen a couple of solids and a couple of prints. Can you see that green solid in there? What a lousy picture! I'm still not at the for sure point. Still playing with a design too. I want to keep it simple so I can get it finished in time for graduation. Time is slipping by.

Hope to finish the Zig Zag top tomorrow and then it's back to my quilt-a-long quilt. I want to have it finished before AmandaJean embarks on the next one. Have a great weekend everyone. And to those who stopped by "Sew Bee It" to welcome Jenn, thanks, you all are just great!

Be Still My Heart Times Two

I have been doing some sewing. Thanks to some inspiration from Oiyi's block in my Common Threads virtual quilting bee, I have two more quilt tops waiting to be quilted. I'm not really a heart person, but there was something about this block that made me want to make more. I made a total of 12...6 red and 6 pink. At first I thought they would all be in the same quilt. Didn't work....so, plan B...two quilts. Ah, improvisation...best laid plans get changed!
Here's the first one in the red. I played with how to create a quilt from just 6 blocks. I added more sashing in cream to make the hearts stand out more and then offset them with some rich red kona cotton. This one is a nice lap size. It didn't say baby to me anymore so I made it larger. Sorry about the picture..but for some reason I just couldn't get a good picture of these quilts.
Here's the pink version. Again, I played with how to set the 6 blocks. I like how nothing competes with the hearts. This one definitely has a baby feeling and it's crib sized. I'm in love with this quilt.

I actually saved my notes and measurements and wrote down a few things. Maybe these could become patterns?
I'm so proud...I made something I've never made before. A wallet. I know, seems easy, but I'm intimidated by things like wallets and purses and clutches. The front is a nice linen...I like the choice of button and the loop.
Flip it over and you know what might be inside. It's a tea wallet. Is that not the cutest idea ever? Don't you just love the one little polka dot on the saucer? I wish I could say I planned it that way.
Open it up and there are little pockets to put your tea bags. This one is going to my mother in law. She's a tea freak. I'm not really pleased with the topstitching. My little Singer doesn't do well with bulk. I'm definitely going to make more of these. I used this tutorial and added my own little touch of the appliqued tea cup.

Weekend, Windows, and Wowsers

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. A house full of teen boys and country fun. It's great to have "city" kids out in the country. They went fishing, (caught two) hiked out to the point, soaked their bug bites in the hottub and even took out the legos and built things. (yes, 17 year olds building with legos!) When computers and television (there are only 4 channels) and cell phones aren't available (no signal) they find creative ways to fill their time, that is in addition to eating. We did a few fireworks which of course, they loved. Teen boys and blowing up things are a perfect match! We love that Jon's friends see our house as the place to hang out. It was great to have them all here for the weekend. I'm a lucky mom!

Disappearing Nine Patch Update: I'm pleased to report that the quilt is on its way to a new owner. Alison has started a project to provide quilts to siblings of seriously/critically ill children. Check out her site here. She needs folks to make blocks for other kids. It's only one block. We can help. It's a very good thing.
















I had a few minutes with the sewing machine. This is more estate sale fabric. Not something I would typically choose, but again, it spoke to me so I pulled it from the boxes. I spent some time turning these gray scraps...

















...into these windows. Remember the Vintage Windows quilt. I used the same technique to make these. I think they look like the Kansas sky when we have those massive storms that roll over the prairie. I don't know how they are going to be put together. I have 9 completed. I may have enough fabric to do 12. Then I'll go from there.


























John of Quilt Dad and Stephanie of Scraps have given me the Arte y Pico award. It is given to bloggers who inspire others with their creative energy and talents no matter whether it be in the form of writing, artwork, design, interesting material, or contributions to the blogger community. I was also given the Share the Love award by Tina at Needles and Notions. This award was started by Crystal to honor the donor that gave her son a heart. This award is for blogs that you love, people who make you smile, those that make you laugh, those that make your day, and those that leave uplifting comments on your blog. You will want to read the story of this award here.
I’m honored and humbled that folks like coming to my blog and get a bit of inspiration from the work I post. It’s taken me forever to acknowledge receiving these awards. I simply write what I have to say and post what I make. If I had my druthers (don’t you love that word) I would give them to all of you. I love reading your blogs and I find inspiration everywhere.

I was also tagged for 6 uninteresting things by Amy at 4Patch. So, how about concluding this post with something really dull…more uninteresting things about me!
1. I can’t wait for the next season of Project Runway. (I’ve recorded all the shows on my DVR and watch them often!)
2. I don’t wear a coat in the winter.
3. Red licorice is my favorite candy.
4. Rearranging furniture is something I do for fun.
5. My house in the country has no curtains or shades, nothing but bare windows.
6. Russian sage is my favorite plant.
Have a great week everyone!

Warning...Political Rant

I'm tired of folks writing about and telling me I am un-American because of who I support for President. I participate in the political process, I read, I study, I'm involved, I care enough to investigate the issues, but because I don't agree I'm un-American. What happened to civility? Disagree, fine, but un-American? Enough already.

I try hard to look beyond the ads and the soundbites. Campaigns have been reduced to each side manipulating statistics, words, phrases, associations to their own advantage. I don't agree completely with either political party, and I'm a problem solver at heart. I don't mind politicians changing their minds. For goodness sake, isn't that why we have a brain, to think, to weigh issues, to create solutions, to listen to others?

Is name calling really productive? I refuse to be put in your box, thank you very much. I may disagree, maybe even passionately, but I respect your right as an American to have your opinions and your ideas. Assume what you will, just know that I vote.

Coming Up for Air

I'm finally home after over a month of being on the road teaching and speaking.  While I love what I do, I'm a homebody at heart and I need to come up for air.  I've been swamped and that's never a good feeling.  It's time to take a breath. I sewed for the first time in a long time today.  I was so looking forward to sitting in front of a machine again.

I ended up pitching a fit because my machine is acting up again.  If you see a Bernina in pieces on a street in Chicago, you'll know who it belongs to.  It may be time to give up and get a new machine.  I'm tired of trying to make that one work for me.  

I made this sample block for my Slice/Insert Technique class at Camp Stitchalot that is happening August 9 - 11 and being put on by Brenda of Pink Castle Fabrics.  I'll teach several variations of this technique and share lots of quilty inspiration.  It's one of my favorite techniques and has so many possibilities.  I love possibilities.  I'm thrilled to be teaching with Dan (Piece and Press), Amanda Jean (Crazy Mom Quilts), and Rossie (Fresh Modern Quilts).  It's a more casual teaching atmosphere and a wonderful venue with lots of time built in to sew.  We'll be learning techniques and then there will be time for practice and individual consultation on both technique and composition. I'm so looking forward to it.  If you're in the area, or even if you're not, check it out and come and join us.  It's going to be a blast!

I'll be back tomorrow with the winners of the moving giveaway.  I have to finish unpacking quilts and decide which ones will be going to the winners.  I'll give you a hint, three people guessed the exact number of boxes!

I finally sewed the last two sides of the binding onto this quilt.  The first item checked off the list of things to do!

Nice to be back!