Warm Winter Blessings

I finished my first project in 2014!  I am going to keep count and see how many projects I can finish this year.  Warm Winter Blessing is a block of the month that I began with Hi Fashion last June.  I made the pattern 3/4 of the original size so that it would fit on my quilt rack here. The snowman blocks were shrunk to 75% using a copy machine and I then did the math for the block sizes, sashing, borders etc.  I also decided to do a scalloped edge instead of a straight edge as the pattern showed.  The blocks are all stitched by hand with wool appliqué on a cotton background fabric.  The background fabric has Presto Shear ironed on the back of it for more stability.  I did the hand stitching using Valdani cotton threads and some Valdani silk threads.  It is machine pieced together and machine quilted, with cotton batting.  I love it!  And I got it done in time to hang in our entryway for most of January :)

I think the snowman blocks are really cute and were very fun to make.

It was a bit tricky to quilt around the appliqué.  Sometimes I would snag some threads (like the stars in the background of this block) with my darning foot and I would have to stop and untangle them.

I had a lot of fun with the quilting!  After quilting that BIG murphy bed quilt, this seemed like a piece of cake!















Here is a poem by Bee Neeley Kuckelman that appeared in Quilter's Newsletter magazine in March of 1984:

Many Starts, Mini Finishes

There once was a quilter named Min.
Whatever she'd see, she'd begin.
A large quilt, a small quilt,
A doll quilt, a wall quilt.
I'll finish these later, said Min.

Now what shall I start on today?
I guess it will be appliqué.
Some birds in a group.
I'll frame with a hoop.
Today, though, I'll put them away.

I think I will make a new vest,
In silk, or would cotton be best?
Trapunto I'll do.
Then Sunbonnet Sue,
But now I will give them a rest.

A tote bag I've wanted to sew.
And then I'll try quilt-as-you-go.
A radiant star,
For next year's bazaar.
Just when they'll be done, I don't know.

For Christmas I've projects galore.
A tree skirt, a wreath for the door.
I'll make a soft box
And red quilted socks
And what's not completed, I'll store

Is anything finished asked Son?
Her answer could only be "none".
So Min made a vow,
She would not allow
More new projects - well, maybe just one...