newsworthy

Is it just my imagination...or is there a color trend happening before my eyes? Is anyone else noticing a lot of white and black and red? Both in the quilting world and the fashion world?

Or perhaps...white and black and red are simply a combination of classics. Classics...in that the colors are not so much about being trendy...but that they stand the test of time.



This lovely, sophisticated table runner was made by my mother-in-law, Marlene G. She pieced it...and I machine quilted my Freehand Fancy Flowers.

Marlene and my father-in-law gave it to their grandson and his beautiful bride as a wedding present. A pretty terrific way to begin a union of marriage, isn't it!



I love those fabrics! But then you know, don't you? I love anything with swirls and circles and texture.

leave it to me

Have you ever forgotten about a quilt? I mean truly and totally forgot that you ever made it...ever finished it...ever had it? Anybody?

Well I have! This quilt is proof of it!



Here's the story: I received a package in the mail just a few weeks ago...and inside was this quilt and a beautiful hand written message: "Darcie, thank you for the use of your quilt! Love, Rose W."

See...I created this quilt with my October's Child hand dyed fabrics. And Rose was a quilt store owner who purchased a generous selection of my hand dyeds to be sold in her store.

I was so appreciative of Rose's support of my hand dyeing venture...that I allowed her to use this quilt in her store as a display. It was the least that I could do.

Time and circumstances passed...and Rose recently sold her store. How fortunate for me that she did not sell my quilt along with the rest of her inventory! (Although...would I have really even known?)

Now...what's a girl do with a quilt that makes a surprising reappearance? She gives it away to a dear best friend!

Well...at least that's what this girl did.

something old...something new...

...something borrowed...something blue.

You've heard that saying, haven't you?

And what could be more beautiful -- and new -- for a bride and groom's wedding day than a handmade quilt!



A new client of mine, Shirley G, pieced this beauty for a special newlywed couple. What a generous gift!

And from what Shirley shared with me via e-mail...the bride was joyously brought to tears when she and her husband opened their present. Who wouldn't be!



As you can see...with a light colored thread, I longarm quilted a variety of flowers. I call them my Fancy Flowers Echo. This was per Shirley's request. But I must say...if this would have been my own quilt, I would have chosen the Fancy Flowers Echo myself.



I do have some, you know. Quilts, I mean. Of my own. Honest. You certainly do not see them very often though, do you! I know.

I will admit...I'm not a fine finisher of my own quilts. But I do a great job of starting things anew!

a sticky situation

A finish! Can you believe it? Me neither. Celebrate with me, please!

I know. It really is not that big of a deal. It's a small deal, in fact. But it is MINE!

And regardless of its finished size, this little paper pieced quilt can now go into the finished pile of quilts. How about you? Do you have different piles of various stages of your quilts?



I must confess. This little quilt's binding? Applied very quickly and quite easily with the aid of a fusible webbing product. You know...the paper-backed sticky stuff. There are all kinds out there in the marketplace.

Here's pretty much the jist of the process:

I first tore 1" strips from the portion of fat quarter that was left over from the project.

Then, I used my rotary cutter to slice very narrow strips -- a very scant 1/4" -- of fusible webbing and heat pressed (ironed, actually...but we quilters DO NOT IRON, do we!) the webbing to the quilt edges. I peeled off the paper backing of the fusible.

Next, I lined up the on-grain torn binding strips to cover the exposed fusible webbing.

Using my iron, I pressed the binding onto the fusible for a long-lasting bond. Ta-da! I had a bound quilt...no hand- or machine-stitching required!



I have doubts that this little number will ever be laundered...so it is a perfect venue for the fusible binding. And even if the quilt does see the washing machine...I'm quite sure that the binding will stay intact.

Yes indeed. Stuck for life. And that's a good thing.

doe, a deer, a female deer...

I spotted this young mother south of our farm...in a ravine.



I was pretty sure she was acting extra cautious...which might mean one thing....



Hmmm...am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?



Ah-ha! Just moments old! The baby fawn blends into the earth so well...but can you see it?!



There's nothing like it in the world, is there!

reading between the...

...loads of laundry.

Do you see what I saw?



That doesn't happen everyday...does it?

*~* Addendum *~*

I'm thinking that I'd better give you a little story on the above picture. You see that it's a heart...right? Well...not a perfect symetrical heart...but a heart, no less.

I was just about to load my washer up with laundry...when I spotted this little area in the wash tub that -- for whatever reason -- did not have any sudsy bubbles. Of course...I thought quickly to myself "...do I dare take a picture? Would that be pretty out-of-the-ordinary?"

Well...as you can see...I did snap a quick photo. And I just kept it in my camera.... Finally I found reason to use it here on a blog post.

Now...if you haven't already guessed...I'll let you in on a little tidbit: Many of my blog posts have a little hidden message or meaning. Sometimes I mean for you to catch on...sometimes it's totally for my own satisfaction. All in all...it's self-entertaining. For me.

OK. I will spell this hidden meaning out for you. We all go through our day...second by second...hour after hour. Sometimes we are so very busy, that we overlook some very important signs. Some things that happen once in a lifetime. Like...a heart in the laundry suds.

My point? Let's not forget the small stuff. Let's recognize the little things in our day that make us say "wow" if only for a second. Let's make each second count.

pointed in my direction

They are just triangles. But because of the concentration on color and value...they are really much more, don't you agree?

(Go ahead and click on any of the photos that you see. They'll magically enlarge so that you can view them in detail!)



The girls at my favorite little quilt store -- the Comforts of Home -- pieced this sweet little number. And I had the opportunity of adding the machine quilting stitches.

Oh...and did you notice the prairie points around four of the quilt's edges? Aren't they a sweet touch!



Say...do you think that it's possible that prairie points were actually born on the prairies? By an innovative and thoughtful pioneer woman? Hmm....

summertime blues

Indigos, rather.

Aren't they lovely! My good friend and client -- Julie of JulieK Quilts -- is responsible for the creation of this beauty.

The blue fabrics are true indigo fabrics. I think it all makes for a striking quilt with Julie's addition of the pinks and light background fabrics.

Even though the pink gives a spark of brightness...this quilt brings a calm over me.



And speaking of calm...take a look at these words that are printed on Julie's backing fabric.

Harmony. Peace. Unity. Wish. Family. Dwell. Celebrate. Retreat. Love.



Who could have any summertime blues with those words in mind?!

actions speak louder than words

Or, so they say.

I recently received a very kind letter from a new client of mine, Bonnie N. And dare I say...I cannot think of any actions that would have spoken any louder than her thoughtful and generous words of encouragement and recognition. Bonnie truly made my day! Perhaps even my week...my month! I was truly touched.

"Thank you, Bonnie!"



Bonnie was overjoyed with the outcome of her quilt. You are seeing it pictured here. (Go ahead...click on the photos to get up close and personal with Bonnie's quilt.)

A lovely quilt indeed! And her superb workmanship made my job so very easy and enjoyable. All that I had to do was guide my longarm machine...and stitch my little dance: My Freehand Fancy Feathers. What could be better, I ask you?!



They say that folks can hear your smile while conversing over the telephone. Does the same go for blog posts, do you think?

let freedom ring!

Happy you. Happy me.



Happy Saturday!



Happy weekend!



Happy Independence Day, America!

i'll bet you...

...I'm behind.

I recall it being May just a moment ago. And then for an instant it was June. Now? July is in full swing! Time flies seems to be my middle name.



Just awhile ago...in May...my friend and fellow blogger -- Cassie...of JunkFest (blog) fame -- tagged me with Six Things About Me. Like any friend would...I promised that I would oblige. What I didn't tell her though, is that I'm a well-practiced procrastinator. I'm a pro.

Hmm. I'm at a loss. I tend to think of myself as quite ordinary. Almost to the point of being rather boring and very average. So what Six Things shall I share? The boring...the quirky...the no-that-can't-be-true?

I guess I will just let you decide which title they fall under. Here goes:

1). The very first time that I ate a bowl of hot oatmeal cereal, I was 39 years old. I always thought that it looked gross. Now I love it!

2). I bite my fingernails.

3). I love watching MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fights...and have lots of favorite fighters.

4). I wear shoes of some sort nearly every waking minute of any given day.

5). I do not like the food on my plate to touch each other.

6). I love mornings!

So...there you have it. Six Things About Me. Now...if you've never done one of these on yourself...please be my guest and post one to your blog. Pretty please?

I will bet that you won't stop thinking about it until you just do it!