Baby girl quilt - yo yo - applique & Superbowl

Well, well, well, that was quite a game yesterday.  I don't even follow football or pretend to understand more than that each team tries to get to the opposite end of the field and score points, but thought it was an exciting game to watch anyway.  I got pulled in because my husband was watching, usually that football time finds me in my sewing room.  Congrats to the winning team and fans.  Both teams played hard.  
I have a flimsy to show.  It is intended for a cousin's daughter who is expecting her first baby in April Z(I think).  I was told it is a girl, so I went for pinks and purples because the momma to be is favoring lavender for the baby's room.  It will have a lavender flannel backing.

The fabrics are an assortment of the 1930's reproductions and then I fused some freeform flowers, hand embroidered the edges and added yo-yo's to them (the yo-yos are attached with the sewing machine zig-zag stitch through the centers and tacked on some of the edges.   I used SoftFuse for the flowers.  The winding stem is a bias tube I stitched on by machine.  It was difficult to hand embroider the edges through the fabric layers and the fusible.  The edges of flowers and leaves are embroidered with perle cotton #8 and #12.  I won't put a border on this and am not sure if I will try to machine quilt around it or use the birthing method and tie it.  It came out okay - I would like to try the flowers and vine again as a border, but don't think I will use the Soft Fuse, I will try the freezer paper turn under method.  I saw a similar wall hanging of the flowers on Pinterest and lots of pics of these "strip" type baby quilts, so I just put the two together.  That's it for this week !
Bernie

The most beautiful things . . .

Just a little something pretty I found when I cleaned and reorganized my sewing room back in July.  I love to pick these samplers up when I can find them at yard sales, flea markets, auctions.  This particular sampler is so pretty and so neatly done.  I need to press it and have it framed.  It is difficult to capture in a picture because it is stitched in a very pale pink (whisper pink) on off white.  I love the sentiment.  
This past weekend was productive in that I also managed to finish quilting and binding the Halloween quilt I started last August (2010).  I FMQ it myself - mostly just meandering, a few spiderwebs, stars, swirls.  Even though I do find myself getting lost in and enjoying the FMQ, I can't honestly say that I really enjoy it as much as other parts of quilting. I will post a picture of the completed quilt when I get home early enough to catch some good light in the sunroom.  Adios. Bernie    

Thimble Thursdays, Yo-Yo Along, and Blue Tote in Progress

I have added two new buttons on my sidebar - one of them links you to Penny's blog, Sewtakeahike and her Yo-Yo along with counter! Neat idea and fun blog.  I had to grab it just to start counting my yo-yo's.  I started making them just because - they are kind of addictive - now I feel like everytime a put together a few and tuck them in their little tin, its like saving pennies! Ha! The little "yo-yo counter" is cool.  I think you could also use it to count blocks for a quilt, etc.  Thank you Penny.  
If you check out Kathy at Shawkl, she has put out some really neat thimbles for embroidery.  She also has lots and lots of other neat stuff and a very pretty blog.  I have been wanting to attempt embroidery and these little thimbles got me motivated.  Not so much detail I will get lost, a manageble size.  I am four months behind what she has posted, but think I can make progress with these. If put together for a miniature quilt top I think I could showcase a collection of souvineer lapel pins I currently have stuck in an old sunhat. You know, I don't do handsewing or handwork, but ever since I started those yo-yo's I have realized how soothing it is, we will see if branching out to embroidery catches on with me. :)

Last weekend I spent some time in my sewing room putting together a tote (modifying a pattern I had previously used) Remember this

Nice enough, but I wanted something smaller, with pockets inside and ties on the side so it wasn't saggy, baggy when empty. So I cut back on the number of 5" squares (actually used 4 1/2" squares because that is what I had in scraps) and added some pockets and a zipper.  This is what I have done so far - hope to finish up Friday night.  I put the zipper in the lining on one side and pockets on the other.  I used a light weight interfacing on the lining and stacked up the exterior on a very thin poly batting.  I will quilt it and then put together the exterior and lining. 

Adios.  Bernie