Hankies

Look at all these lovely little hankies I found in an antique store several weeks ago. They were all pinned together for a lovely little price.
Last week I went to one of our local quilt shops to pick up this pattern I had ordered. It is a cover for a ten inch bucket that you can use for you quilt stuff. 

While I was in the store I decided to look at their other patterns and look what I found. Another pattern that uses handkerchiefs. I had been thinking it would be really neat to use the handkerchiefs in a quilt, but how? 

Here's how. The blocks have different tea pots that are embroidered and the tea pot sits on the table where the handkerchief would be used.

On Memorial Day my husband and I discovered an antique store in our town. While I was looking around I discovered this slightly soft package. I untied the little ribbon and...

opened the four flaps and ...
inside were all these handkerchiefs. Sixteen, in fact. I took it to the applique bee and was told that they might be from Moda. They didn't seem to be very old so I was wondering if you recognize these as being a Moda product, let me know. I like them even if they aren't vintage.

I found a couple free applique designs you can check out when you have time.

The Rabbit Factory has a free BOM which just started in May.

Here is a free Hibiscus flower pattern.

Go here and here and you can get some applique patterns from Robyn Pandolph.

With Passion, Carrie P.

The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time. Abraham Lincoln

Applique Bee

Yesterday was my applique bee and I thought I would show a few of their projects. A lot of ladies did not come for various reasons so this time there is not as much show and tell. But it

is  all good.
Check out this little sewing book made by Ellen F. Inside it stores your floss and tools for embroidery projects. Cute.
She is also caught up on her Tisket, A Tasket blocks. Notice all the different backgrounds fabrics. Hers are turning out so cute.
Two more Aunt Millie's Garden blocks done by Patti. I am so jealous because she has nine finished. You go girl!
I have show and tell too.  I just had to do something. So I will stitch about 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening and I finally finished my basket block.

Therapy went okay. I wanted quick healing but it did not happen. I go back next Wednesday. So I am doing some stretches at home and trying not to work to long at one time to stress the elbow more. I know it will happen. I just need to be patient. Thanks again for your encouraging words.

With Passion, Carrie P.

Find contentment in less than perfection.

Siggie Swap

Since my elbow has been causing me so much pain I have not been doing much quilting. I will try to do about 15 minutes of hand work and that is about all I can do. Today is my first day with the physical therapist. So let the healing begin.

Today I thought I would share some more signature blocks I have received in the last two weeks. I really look forward to getting my mail each day. Some days there are just bills or junk mail but some days I will have 3 or 4 envelopes from around the world.  Enclosed in each envelope is a siggie and either a typed letter or a hand written letter. I love the way one lady wrote about her love of quilting. "I am infected with the virus of quilting and working with fabric is my passion." We are all infected and I don't think any of us want to take antibiotics to make it go away either. 

Several months ago Stephanie sent me this journal that she made as a thank you. So I have decided to put all the letters I receive from the ladies in this journal.
If there is a really neat stamp from their country I keep it too and add it to their letter.
And check out this picture I got this morning. I was upstairs in my sewing room taking a picture of the siggies. I heard my dog barking from inside the house so I looked out the window and saw a mother and baby deer. The mother jumped over the fence but the baby could not. We don't have the fence around the whole yard so I went out there to try to herd the baby out.  The mother was making a hissing noise and she was huge and scary but she was in the woods.  The baby was crying and going back and forth trying to jump the fence but she just could not jump high enough. I was finally able to get her to a clearing and they were reunited.
With Passion, Carrie P.

There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness.  Han Suyin

Happy Memorial Day

First of all let me wish you all a Happy Memorial Day! and say a great big thanks to all who have served and fought for our country.

Now for an update on my elbow. The doctor did confirm that I do have tendinitis in my elbow. I will be seeing a physical therapist next week. I believe he will be doing some cortisone patches and of course some therapy. My doctor wants me to wear some wrist braces that keep my wrists from bending which in turn helps the tendons up my arm. I have to wear them day and night. I look forward to seeing the physical therapist because every time I have had to visit him he has really helped with the healing of the body parts that are in pain and not functioning right.

The doctor did take X rays to check for arthritis or calcium deposits and that all looks good. So here I come physical therapist and will be on way to having proper mobility.

Thanks again for all your care and concern. I really do appreciate it. 

Here is a picture of part of a small table cloth I found at an antique store the other day. This pattern is embroidered on all four corners. You know I had to have it with the bluebirds on it.

This flower is embroidered on the four straight sections of the table cloth.
Check out this photo. Three new bluebird eggs in the tidy nest.
This past Wednesday the quilting bee that I belong to had our annual spring picnic. This year we met at one of the ladies beautiful home. It was the most beautiful day ever. This is the entrance to her home. Part of her home is an old log cabin built in the eighties. The other part of her home is a new addition which is just beautiful.
This is the quilt on the front porch.
Stacks of quilts on a small loft.
Here is a wall of her sewing room which is on the second level. I tried to take a picture where she sits to sew because the view out the window was so great but it did not turn out but take my word for it, it is a great place to sew.
More of her beautiful quilts.


Have a very enjoyable holiday weekend.

With Passion, Carrie P.

Every garden has its weeds; they are merely a sign of life and growth. There's no need to resent the weeds in your life... they help you to truly appreciate the flowers.

Fabulous Friday

No I have not lost my mind. I know it is Monday. I just have to tell you about my Fabulous Friday! So many sweet simple things happened last Friday.
My daughter and I went to our first button show. Nothing like a quilt show but it was fun going through all the cards with so many amazing buttons to choose from. As you can see from my pile I found some very colorful buttons. Most of them are glass which I find fascinating.
There was an antique mall next door to the button show so we stopped in for a look see.  It is so much nostalgic checking out all the booths. I found this feed sack table cloth. It doesn't really go with the decor of my kitchen but I just had to have it.
When my husband arrived home from work he had a pile of mail for me and it was not all bills.

Yippee!!  Danielle over at Want to"Bee" Quilting, was having a giveaway and I won! Go over and say hi to her sometime. She just started her blog this year and guess what? She is doing Aunt Millie's Garden too. She does some great applique work. Take a look through her blog. The bag came from America Samoa and Danielle made the pincushion from wool. There was more chocolate in the little bag, but you know how that goes. Love it all Danielle, Thank so much.
Also, in the mail was a get well card and an article about Bluebirds.  These came from a guild friend, Cathy B., who follows my blog. Thanks Cathy, you are a sweetie.

And speaking of Bluebirds, the first four eggs have all hatched and fledged. Now Mr. Bluebird is outside singing for his next mate to come check out the house.
More signature blocks came in the mail too. It is so much fun to see what is on each center. The top right block is of a house that the quilter has lived in for more than 40 years. I think that is so amazing. The longest I have ever lived in one house is 13 years and that is the one I am in now. 
And to top it off, I won a one year magazine subscription from Quilt Hollow a while ago and the first magazine came. Thank you so much Mary. I am enjoying my new reading material.

My elbow is still the same. Hopefully the doctor can help when I see him Thursday. I will let you know how it goes.

With Passion, Carrie P.

Happiness is like jam--you can't spread even a little without getting some on yourself.