Friendship Quilt Block

This is the trial block for my contribution to our guild's friendship quilt that we're making this year.  I have made a few design changes, but, essentially, this is how my block looks.  It tells a story about the things I like to do.  I am sitting at the computer, have books to read, a small quilt on the side of the desk,  a picture on the wall (like to paint or sew pictures), and a genealogy pedigree chart.  Here I am - stick figure and all.  Now, I just have to finish embroidering another 14 blocks.  Oh, yes, and all of the other blocks will have me wearing my favorite color, yellow.  When you enlarge this, you will see all of my mistakes, but that makes this qualify for "folk art".  When we exchange our blocks in September, It will be fun to make a quilt of all of my friends interpretations of themselves and their favorite things.

Sunbonnet Sue Gone With the Wind

This is supposed to be the year for finishing.  So many unfinished quilts just tucked away here and there, and they need to be completed, and this quilt was at the top of the list.   The keystone effect on the top picture makes the finished quilt look crooked - it quilt is actually straight on the sides.
I began appliquéing Sue in 1994 while we were still living in Tumwater.  It took me six years to get the blocks finished, and the quilt constructed.  Originally, the pattern showed blocks sticking out from the side of the quilt, making a "dramatic" edge  - hills and valleys, or Vs.  I began hand quilting this quilt in 2000, taking it with me to Mesa in the winter, and quilting on it rather sporadically during the next five years, and coming back home each year to sit on the shelf.  When we sold our little place in AZ, the
quilt was truly shelved.  However, since this is the year to finish things, I retrieved it, and, with the help of niece Cheryl's recommendation about a "beanbag" bottom lap hoop from Barnett's (internet), I have actually completed it.  However, one sad thing - or not - When I would finish quilting in the evening, I would just lay the quilt, hoop and all, on the floor by my chair, not realizing that part of an edge piece was over the floor vent for the furnace.  The result was a pretty ugly scorch, which would not come out.  The result - the quilt got squared off - no jutting-out Vs, and a simple binding to finish it.  I am not really a wonderful hand quilter - just too impatient to get on to the next project, I guess.  Nevertheless, it is finished!

Snap-top bags

 It's always difficult to know what to give neighborhood children when they have birthdays - and we have such cute neighborhood children.  These bags aren't very big - just enough to hold a few treasures.

 A little girl's bag has to have a ruffle or two -

I love the internet. Just by searching, you can find so many wonderful things to make.   One of the ladies in our Preston Piecers quilt guild found this pattern last fall.   The most unique part of the bag is that the casings at the top contain pieces of a carpenter's tape measure, cut to measure the length of the casing, and then trimmed and taped several times with either masking tape or duct tape to keep them from cutting through the fabric.  When the pieces of tape measure are inserted correctly, the top is sealed with a satisfying snap, so that nothing can tumble out.  Now, a few treasures, and these are ready for gifting.  The neat thing about this bag is that it can be made much larger, or smaller (coin purse), and I can think of a multitude of uses, from a coin purse to a wallet. - or even larger for who knows what?