Quilt made by my sister using five blocks I fabric painted, 34 x 34 inches

During my trip home to Minnesota, my sister and I collaborated on a presentation to her Thimbleberries Quilt Club — I showed photos of my quilts, and she showed actual quilts she had made using the same fabrics and/or patterns.  One of the quilts she showed incorporated five blocks that I had painted for her when my sisters had a handmade gift exchange for Christmas 1991.  I had painted four scenes from our childhood on the farm, plus a block showing a woman quilting.

This panel brings back memories of butchering chickens.

Before my dad got his combine, we gathered the oats into shocks and threshed the grain.

A fun winter past time was ice skating on the ponds

We picked wild raspberries in the woods, hot and scratchy work.

Hand-quilting

Descriptive label

Baby quilt for Minh Hai, my co-worker

Baby quilt on fall leaves

The colors in the quilt reflect the hues of falling leaves

I needed a small project to work on during my recent visit to Minnesota.  I spent two days with my sister at the Common Threads quilt shop, and while she was working, I wanted to work on my own project.  When I mentioned that I wanted to make a baby quilt for one of my co-workers, my sister whipped out a small quilt top she pieced from scraps.  The yellow and salmon-colored fabrics were perfect for a little girl’s baby quilt.  All I had to do was assemble the backing and batting, and then hand-quilt it.

I am happy to report that I finished the quilt a few days before my return to Seattle.  I love how the finished quilt reflected the colors I saw in the autumn landscapes in Minnesota.

Hand-quilting, a meditative craft

Harvesting lavender from my garden, July 2009

Freshly cut lavender

I have one lavender bush in my garden, and it just thrives through benign neglect in the poor soil.  This one bush provides more than enough lavender for my needs.  I keep one vintage jar of lavender buds in the guest bedroom.  And this year I made some lavender sachets out of simple muslin.

Choosing embroidery thread for my sachets

Embroidering on muslin

Sewing columns for the lavender pockets

Filling each pocket with one Tablespoon of lavender buds

Finished lavender sachet, July 2009, 9 x 9 inches

Sewing buttons on a second sachet

Finished sachets

Sweet Dreams Picnic Quilt, April 2009, 31 x 36 inches

Embroidered bunny center block

Dreaming bunny

I found the embroidered bunny pattern in a book called Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray.  I thought it would be sweet to use this embroidered block in a baby quilt.  Once again, I used a reduced-version of the Picnic Quilt.  I drew freehand carrots on the border fabric to use as a guide for my hand-quilting.

Blue Zipper Quilt, April 2008

Dried hydrangeas

Guest bedroom with wall quilt

Quilt and hydrangeas

I found this quilt pattern in the book, The Modern Quilt Workshop by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr.  I used an assortment of blue fabric scraps for this quilt.  It’s one of my favorites.

Green Zipper Quilt, June 2008

Baby quilt for Sean

I made a second Zipper Quilt for the birth of my niece’s son Sean.