Hearts-A-Flutter.

A  mystery quilt.

Collecting all the clues, instructions. 

Next, making the templates, cereal boxes work well for large templates.  Just trace shapes on freezer paper, using the pull out sheet in the magazine.  Then iron onto cardboard.  Cut out and the shapes are ready for use.

 

The templates make it effective, when the pattern repeat the same shape, many times.  Tracing it on the Heat and Bond, is a quick process.  Once fused to the back of the fabric, one only need to cut once, as all the layers are together, as one layer.  This works well for the larger pieces.  The scalloped hearts and swags.

This quilt was all machine appliqued and pieced.  With all the applique, a layer of Heat and Bond Lite, was fused to the wrong side of the fabric.  Once all the pieces was ready to be fused to the background fabrics, the paper layer at the back of the applique was removed.  Using a hot iron, the pieces was fused in place.

The Heat and Bond Method:

 

1. Place the Heat and Bond on top of the pull out pattern, with the paper side on top.

2. Trace on the paperside of the Heat and Bond.

3. Cut out Heat and Bond, fuse, to the wrong side of the fabric, shiny side on the the wrong side of the fabric.  This is the side that will stick to the fabric, once it is fused.

 4.  Fused leave on background.

5.  Stitching around the edge to anchor the applique piece down.

Amazing how green everything is, just the other day it was all covered in snow.

This quilt was done in a medallion style.  Each round,  different to the last one.

 The first part was all applique.

Then pieced, with swags and hearts to compliment the center applique. Blocked with sashings,
Pieced blocks, more butterflies and sashings.....

The orginal quilt had a lot more colours.

Pattern appeared in McCalls Quilting Magazine, from February to December 2007.  It was designed by Gerri Robinson. 

This one was inspired by a fat quater bundle (French General, Rouenneries Deux), which made for a fun project.  Just getting creative, with the challenge of using only the fat quater bundle.

As for when it will get quilted, time will tell.  As with a few other projects, especially the ones in the garden.
Up until this pattern came along, mystery quilts never quite pulled at my heart strings, until this one happened.

Nickels?

Stars, in his Crown designed by Robert Callaham.

Nothing goes to waste.  The nickel quilt is born.
The Pattern. (McCalls Quilting, October 2004).

All the shapes are different.

Using cardboard templates for this one.

All the funny shapes, making a good dent in my charm stash.  It has arcs, with a New York Beauty feel to it.

Lots of curved pieces.

I still have a bag of scraps left.  These will be used for something else, amazing how far the leftovers can go.

Charm squares, is like an elastic, it can go quite far. It stretch far further, than even I could ever suspect.

The fun in thinking up another way to use the rest.....

PS: Nickel quilts can have a repeat of a fabric in the quilt, this will happen later when the blocks get sewn together. 

April showers, bring May flowers.

Le Jardin.

Red Brolly gave a free pattern, you can find it here.

When the weather warm up, one want to work with things that are lighter to hold, breathe easier.  Stitching is one of those projects.  This is a work in progress. 

Daisies in all shapes and sizes.

The Poppies bloom, with delicate petals, as soon as the heat go up, they go to seed.

Primroses remind us of the English country side, dotted with villages and thatch cottages.

The bees humming about, a reminder of the nectar we received at the end of the summer.

Honey, golden and the best remedy for any paper cut, dab a little raw honey onto it, it heals so fast you will forget, you had a cut, in the first place.  Best ointment, ever.  All Thanks to the Humble Honey Bee.

Bears and Hats.

There once was a bear, named Winnie.....

He came from Winnipeg in Canada.  Thanks to A A Milne, he became an icon to children and adults, the world over.  Winnie the Pooh.

He is the only one that could model this hat, it had to be a bear with lots of Star power.  My NHL playoff hat is finished.  It will be arriving at its new home, in the next week. Have you made one?

Gifts from the Heart.

At retreat, I received an unexpected gift.  My friend made it for me.  It is easy to walk into a shop and buy a gift.  The ones we treasure the most, is the gifts which someone took the time to make.  The best part of all, I needed a bag,

for something, very important,

my knitting, it is a super cute baby hat (you can find the pattern here).  The colours is unlike any baby wool, for a reason.  This is a NHL-PLAYOFF challenge hat, in support of  the SENS, their colours.  The hat will be gifted to a fan to be, who is expected some time in May.

If you are a fan of any team, please knit one or more and gift it to, the  local Childrens Hospital.

.....progress so far, for a non-knitter. The secret is a healthy dose of modern technology.
The wonders of You-Tube, what one can learn from everyday people, showing us how to do something  and teaching us skills we did not know we could master, until we tried!

(Go-SENS-Go, until next year).