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When our family
lived in beautiful New Hampshire for almost 3 years, my 2 daughters and I were beginning
to think we'd never see a moose. The day Caitlin decided she would rather go antiquing
with me than on another school field trip, we saw one. Just 2 weeks later, Marissa decided
she'd rather go shopping than on a field trip, so off we went. You guessed it, we saw a
moose! I made "Field Trip Moose" to commemorate those events. "The
Mountain Cabin" quilt is a perfect companion in a framed display. |
My daughter
Caitlin made "Caitie's Cats" simply because she loves cats! We
have 2 adopted strays but Caitie still begs for more. Very often while I'm driving, I hear
"Mom, STOP, there's a kitty!" "Can we keep him?" and "Oh, can we
feed him?" are two other often used phrases around our house. If you love cats as
much as we do, you'll want to make at least one little cat quilt.
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| One of my favorite tales, The
Bremen Town Musicians, inspired "Animal Stack". I've
always enjoyed this story of downtrodden animals hoisting each other up to a window to
scare the robbers away. My daughter Marissa drew some of these animals and lent her
"expert" advice with color. I chose to fuse and stitch the border triangles
because I liked the look of the background fabric extending beyond the triangles. |
Basket designs appeal to me. After
I made a full-size needleturn appliqué block for Traditional Quiltworks
magazine, I thought "this would be so cute in a miniature quilt." "Mini
Baskets" was fun from shopping for the fabrics to stitching the binding on. |
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| I call this quilt "Miss
Kitty's Favorite" because every time I wanted to work on the quilting, she
was on it! Miss Kitty is a very full-figured cat and she sleeps wherever she wants. This
quilt took me longer to finish than it should have because I couldn't disturb the cat. |
Black-eyed Susans were my
grandmother's favorite flower. She lived near a dirt road in the country with wild flowers
growing everywhere, or so it seemed to me as a 5 year-old child. I picked lots and lots of
them for her. "Summer Days" celebrates those hot days of
playing in the country, picking flowers, and being thrilled to see a rabbit now and then. |
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| I had to name this quilt "Wild
Things" because, in terms of quilts, it's the wildest thing I've ever done!
I tend to be conservative in my color choices but when I drew these flowers, I knew they
had to be made with bright fabrics. It was such fun making this quilt and it has turned
out to be one of my favorites. |
Do you need a quick gift or just
want a holiday quilt that you can finish in a short period of time? "Trio of
Angels" might be just what you're looking for. These three little angels in
their simple setting will add quaint charm to your home. Another quick little project are "Christmas
Pillows". Tuck them in a basket, on a bench, or almost anywhere. They're
great gifts, especially for a hostess or teacher. |
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| Besides being a fun game, "Checkers
Anyone?" makes a great table runner. Place it in the middle of your dining
table or on an end table with the pieces close by, and watch how often your family will
play. It's one game you won't have to make them put away! |
My dear friend Andrea bought this
grumpy-looking gentleman on one of our antique expeditions in Connecticut. Knowing that I
like "Old Cat" so much, Andrea gave him to me when I moved to
Pennsylvania 12 years ago. He continues to be a treasured gift. |
Use ticking stripes for a
country look. |
Use a simple setting for on-point blocks. |
| Making samplers in fun
because you get to make a variety of blocks. I can hardly wait to finish one so I can
start the next. "Folk Art Sampler" (left, 17" x 23")
and "Folk Art in Plaid" (right, 21 3/4" x 14 1/2")
began as a block series for Miniature Quilts magazine. I enjoyed making them so
much that I just had to design more. |
