CQJP Progress & TAST Stitch

This is the Cabled Chain stitch which you can see on right. I'm using it as a basket handle. Or, you can interpret that motif as an ice cream come, whichever you wish. This is block 6 of my CQJP project, dedicated to my Mom's youngest sister, Peggy Ann, for whom I am named (the "Ann" part). Today, Peggy is the last of the eleven children in my Mom's family still living. Sadly, she does not communicate with the family. But she was a fixture on Wednesdays at the quilting bee/sewing circle/coffee klatch, so she has a block in the quilt.

Semi-Daily Detail: CQJP Block 6

Chain, detached chain and bullion

using some of the variegated perle cotton . LOVE the colors!

 Ready for my close up, Mr. Demille...

Tennessee Waltz

Years ago I made this quilt with the intention of having my aunts quilt it for me. However, before they could get around to it, or before I could get it finished, they moved out of the old neighborhood and no longer quilted. So it sat in a closet for years, until finally Debra got her long arm quilter and whipped it out for me one afternoon. :-)

Now it's hanging in my new office, and I think it looks super.

One UFO down, many more to go....

Daily Detail: CQJP Block 6

Perhaps I should retitle these posts "Every Other Daily Detail" ;-)

My tried and true, go-to vine & rosebuds - feather plus French knots. I love the texture.

Buttonhole wheels and laisy daisy.  Plus cretan stitch on the right. More embellishments needed. I'm doing the basic layer at this point.

Couldn't resist: on sale at Hobby Lobby:

Variegated perle cotton floss...

CQJP: June Block

Only a couple of weeks behind schedule, I'm just beginning my June CQJP block:

I'm off topic a little here but I've been doing some garment sewing recently. I saw this fabric at Fabric.com 

where I often shop. However, I think they've sold out.

I love this skirt pattern: New Look 6053. It takes me a couple of hours to stitch it up. I even lined this one with some wonderfully soft rayon I bought a few years ago when I thought I was going to hand dye fabric. That didn't last long, and I was stuck with about 4 yards of beautiful 100% rayon. I thought about making several white blouses or tanks but it worked beautifully as a lining.

I prefer skirts and tops to dresses. I'm so long-waisted that dresses are (1) hard to fit and (2) uncomfortable.

Here's the top I made (New Look 6735). This fabric is a very soft rayon knit blend, which I bought in white and pink. I never had much luck with knits so I practiced on a piece of knit fabric that I wasn't crazy about. I like the way this turned out although  the neckline is a little wider and lower than I normally like but it will work. Having a serger has made a big difference. Now I just need a coverstitch machine.

New Look patterns offer a lot of  easy, basic, versatile pieces. 

CQJP - May Reveal

It still isn't complete but I'll leave it here for now and revisit it later. I still see more and more possibilities every time I look at it.

I'm particularly pleased with the border around Mom's later photo. It's one of my favorites of her, actually both of them are.

Happy Father's Day to all Dads! We had a nice traditional Sunday breakfast with home made blueberry muffins. Now we're all just enjoying a beautiful sunny day. I plan to work on more garment sewing today and  hand work tonight in front of the telly.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Daily Detail: CQJP Block 3

Since I have a number of photos in my blocks, it's been challenging to come up with unique and appropriate ways to attach them to the quilt. I relied on lace and trims initially. Here I've used ricrac couched with a zig-zag chain, then added a fly stitch and laisy daisy on the outer edges. 

I love this photo of my Aunt Mae. She must have been very young here - in her 20's - because her hair turned gray at a very young age. She's quite attractive and was very intelligent. She never married and had a deep sense of duty to her family.