It Only Took Me A Month To Finish It


You might remember the block in the center of the pillow. I made the star block for my stop on  the Traveling Pic-Stitch Blog Hop and after doing the machine quilting the quilted block sat at the bottom of my WIP's basket sad and forgotten for almost a month. I didn't want it to be sad anymore, so this weekend I decided to finally finish my pillow. I really like the way it turned out and how in such as small project I was able to practice different techniques:
-I made the Star block using the English Paper Piecing method:
-The Star block is both machine and hand applique to the background fabric
-I machine quilted the background fabric following the star pattern of the center block and hand quilted  it using DMC embroidery thread  to add more interest to the design.

I love my new pillow and it only took me a month to finish it:)

Martha.

Rain Drops


It has been raining for the past four days and finally yesterday we had a break from the rain and the sun shined for a little bit. I went out to the garden and took some pictures of the trees still covered with rain drops. Everything looked so fresh and full of life. Our lemon trees are thriving and laden with fruit. We also have a small mandarin tree and this year is finally yielding some fruit. I'm so excited, I love mandarins. They remind me of Christmas and every time I eat one it brings back so many childhood memories...
Today is supposed to rain all day. so we planning a lazy Sunday at home. How is the weather like right now where you live?

Martha. 

A New Table Runner


My table was in need for a new table runner. So last week I got to work and finished this one. And finally today I had time to take some pictures of it to share with you. I love its simplicity. The quilting is just straight line quilting spaced about 1/2 inch apart (I have been wanting to do that for quite some time). I'm going to enjoy it for a few more days and then I'm going to switch it for a Christmas runner I started to work on today. I can't not believe it is December already and I have not started to decorate for Christmas. How about you, have you started decorating for the Holidays?


Martha

Blue Patchwork Quilt: Finished


The patchwork quilt for my dad is finally finished. Yay! I took advantage of the long weekend and instead going shopping I stayed home and played with some fabrics and my sewing machine. I had finished the quilt last week. But I still needed to do the binding. So on Friday I cuddled up in front of the TV, did some hand stitching and watched a few old movies. 
The quilt measures approximately 72X54 inches; perfect for a lap quilt. The quilt is now washed, wrapped and waiting for Christmas to arrive so it can go to its new home.

Martha.

Sunday Sewing


Today I made a lot of progress on my blue patchwork quilt. It was a bit chilly (typical fall weather), which made it perfect to stay inside and and have some fun sewing. 
All week I had been thinking about the backing for this quilt. I wanted to pull some of the colors from the top into the backing, but I was undecided about the design. I finally decided and made four Rail Fence blocks using leftover scraps from the quilt top. I placed the blocks on a vertical line running through the middle of the quilt. The quilt is basted and even started to do the quilting. It finally feels like it is almost finished. So close...

Have a wonderful week!

Martha

Giveaway Results :: Winner Announced



Thank you everyone who participated on this my second giveaway. I truly appreciate all of your lovely comments; they really brighten my day. 

The winner is #21 - Jocelyn!

*Jocelyn I just sent you an e-mail to let you know, I hope to hear from you soon*

Thank you again for your support. Have a wonderful day!

xx Martha

Giveaway!


*GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*
Time for another giveaway! I made this travel sewing kit for one lucky winner using the pattern from the book Zakka Style. The giveaway will be open through Thursday, November 8 until 9:00 pm PST. Then a winner will be chosen at random and announced on Friday November 9. I will be happy to ship internationally so anyone can participate.

If you would like to participate:

1. Leave a comment on this post. If you are a non-reply blogger or you are not sure, please leave me an e-mail address where I can reach you.
2. If you are a follower of my blog (old or new) you have a second chance to enter, just leave a comment that says "following."

Good Luck!

Martha