Liberty Suitcase

Knowing my love for Liberty fabrics, my daughter brought me this cute suitcase from Paris, although I believe the origin is English... My precious fabrics found their place inside. 

Talking about suitcase, it's time for me to prepare my suitcases and get ready for my moving to France for the summer. Because of too much work in the house, since I finished those two quilts that you can see with the suitcase, I did not sew a lot, just slowly progressing my hexagon cushion that I would like to finish to take it with me. 

There is so much to do before leaving that sometimes I feel it's insurmountable! 

This week I tried to do some gardening. I wish I would be good in this, but unfortunately I am rather a plant killer although tremendous efforts! That's why I find those succulents miraculous, they are the only ones to resist to my inability! They seem very strong and reproduce themselves easily. I have found in my daughter's garden a different kind of succulent than the ones I have and I try to have them grow roots in water before planting them. I wonder if I could put those cuttings straight in the earth without any root... would they grow?? 

Progressing in the garden I took some pictures that I will post next time.

Crazy Quilting Bag

This is the bag I use every Monday, since more than ten years, when going to our quilting meetings.

When a friend of the quilting group brought one day such a bag, we all fell in love with it and decided that we must absolutely have one similar. The same day I did the pattern and next day I started cutting and sewing with the greatest enthusiasm! 

One week later,  when I brought my bag, all the members of the group ordered one, and then a second one!

The success was such that the orders for this bag extended to other friends, relationships, groups... 

As I love using scraps and mixing all sorts of fabrics, I really enjoyed creating each time a new bag.

You can see on the pictures two inside pockets and a matching needle book.

In the bag is my Log Cabin quilt.

Hexies and Strawberries

Last Monday, our quilting meeting took place at my home. Slowly but steadily I progress with my hexagon pillow. 

I tried a new recipe :  midway between tiramisu and triffle, with a chocolate sauce... at the end of the meeting nothing was left... it was well appreciated!

Here is my own "interpretation" of this no-bake cake :

2 pounds strawberries

9 oz fresh cream

9 oz mascarpone or Philadelphia cheese cream

1 sleeve or more, I am not sure, Graham Crackers (we don't have this here, so I used one pack Digestive biscuits)

Cognac or rum

3 tablespoons sugar

Wash the strawberries. Cut them in slices.

Whisk the cream until it becomes "Chantilly".

Mix well the cream cheese (that should be at room temperature) with the sugar.

Add to the Chantilly and mix again for 1 mn.

Lay a small part of this cream in your dish, add a layer of biscuits quickly dipped in the cognac, then half your strawberries, and go on this way until you finish. (For my dish, I had two layers). Put in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving. (I put it overnight).

For the chocolate sauce, warm abt 3.5oz fresh cream, add abt  4.4oz bitter chocolate and turn with a spoon until the sauce becomes smooth. Don't refrigerate, it would become hard.

Amish Doll and Amish Doll Quilt

When I entered a quilting group in Athens twenty years ago, together with finding a passion for quilting, another passion was revealed to me : the Amish art and way of life. I was absolutely fascinated by this community and its history. Needless to talk about their quilting art... I discovered the incomparable beauty of their quilts. Their patterns and colors reminded me of modern art such as Vasarely's paintings. I learnt later that this painter was probably inspired by the Amish quilts.

A dream of mine was to visit an Amish community, but I thought this would happen in another life... when six years ago my eldest son moved to Chicago for his job. I went then to visit him and he had prepared a surprise for me : a road trip to Indiana where an Amish village called Shipshewana is located. We spent few days there and I thought I was in paradise, but my son was feeling rather  like being in purgatory! Anyway, we both enjoyed this wonderful area. I enjoyed the extraordinary quilt shops. I will remember this trip as one of the most beautiful I ever did and will always be grateful to my adorable son for this gift!

Before this, when I discovered the Amish art, I bought from an American book shop in Paris (there was not internet and Amazon at that time) all sorts of books, patterns... relative to the Amish way of life and quilting art.

This doll I did about twenty years ago is adapted from a 19th century pattern by a doll maker called
 Lizzie Lap.
The lack of facial features is due to Old Testament commandment against graven images.

After I finished my doll, I thought of sewing her a little quilt, and I chose the Rail Fence pattern, and
fabrics matching her clothes. It is machine pieced an hand quilted. The size is 18.50"x14". The finished blocks measure 2.125"x2.125".

Liberty Log Cabin Baby Girl Crib Quilt Finished

For this baby quilt you will find all the measurements here.

Instead of hand quilting, I thought of tying this quilt with knots for a change, as I already did twice in the past : here and here. This way of binding, plus the very light poly batting, gives as a result a very fluffy, light and comfy baby quilt. I am really very pleased with it! And I think that the knots bring a funny touch for a baby.

As I told you before, there are three babys to be born in my circle. This quilt is for the first one, expected next July : a little girl. I am pleased I finished it, so that I can bring it with me to France next month. The two other babys, one boy and one we don't know yet boy or girl, will appear in autumn, so I will  prepare their quilts when I come back from France, end of August.

Knots

My Scrappy Log Cabin top is finished, basted as shown here and tied with knots.

The border is machine sewn as shown here. 

Folded and put in my quilting bag, ready to be taken with me tomorrow to our Monday's meeting, where I will sew the border by hand as shown here.

I add this pictures for the ones interested in the knot method I used for tying this quilt.

I found it in a French book, but I suppose you can find it in English on the web. Although it is understandable just by looking at the pictures.

It is called the Pompom Stitch because, once the quilt washed, it will look like a pompom.

Floral Hexagons New Project

Still inspired by spring flowers and floral fabrics! Using some scraps from my Liberty stash I started to cut and prepare hexagons with the purpose of making a pillow.

In the garden the iris are wonderful and the wisteria fabulous this year. This is the view I have from my bedroom window in the morning opening the shutters, and the truth is that it influences my mood positively for the rest of the day! The wisteria flowerheads can reach one yard long! They look like a lace curtain, and moving with the wind they exhale a delicate perfume.

On the left of my window is the fig tree and every morning new little figs appear! 

Nature is really miraculous and so inspiring for quilting or painting!

Liberty Four Patch Quilt Finished

Last month you could follow step by step the progress of my Liberty Four Patch quilt.

The very last step is hand sewing the border on the back of the quilt. This is now done, and the quilt is completed. For this project, I was happy to go back to hand quilting, and I must say that I am very satisfied with the result. After enjoying sewing in the garden, I enjoyed taking some pictures,  and again could not resist to sending you photos of some pretty flowers.

I wish the weather would  remain so mild. Spring in Greece is the best season of the year... before the summer's heat!