Whoa! Do I have my days mixed up? Or was I just slow about posting? Neither. I am in the process of a local move and I'm up to my eyeballs in boxes and packing and all the stuff you have to do to move in America. And I'm totally exhausted. Scotty - beam me up!! Now, what do I have for you today, Cyber Monday? A few quilts that incorporate black - some with a little and some with a lot. First out of the box is one you've seen here before. But it remains one of my favorite quilts and was the start of my Cookie Cutter Bonanza workshops. Hearts on Fire : 46" x 63" Hearts on Fire  is 46" x 63".  The hearts are raw edge appliqué and I used batiks throughout. The background black sets off each of the half-hearts in the border. The 10" x 11" blocks are created in halves (rectangles) and when you trim away the fabric from behind each heart, you get the bonus half-hearts that I used in the border (both big and little). Pretty clever, huh? Absol

I'm in the process of a house move. Local, but still stressful! Emptying my linen closet I came upon a set of counted cross stitch pictures that my sister Janet made a few decades ago! The masking tape on the edges (to keep them from unraveling) were so brittle that I could peel it off easily. I want to share the one that is relevant for today! Just in time for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving counted cross stitch picture by my sister Janet I can envision this as the center of a small quilt. Or maybe I'll take ALL of them and incorporate them into a sampler. What do you think? I used to do counted cross stitch and still have several beloved samples. I framed some and made others into pillows. Whatever I have are in some box and I'll see them in another week when I start unpacking. What's for dinner tonight? Probably some sort of leftovers. My husband Phil and I are so exhausted. We are not hosting a dinner nor going to anyones'. We're fine with that. We

My sister Janet lives in California and has been bitten by the quilting bug. She calls me several times a week (usually FaceTime) with all sorts of questions and conundrums. I convinced her to buy a new Bernina sewing machine so she could get her 1/4" seams right and have the experience of sewing with a decent machine! She loves quilting and spends as much on fabric and patterns monthly as I do in one year! And she loves it. Never seems to get enough. Here is a log cabin quilt center she just finished. The recipient requested a "white" quilt. Using some soft gray makes this very lovely. The blocks are 10". There's a LOT of piecing going on here. She was exhausted after that and is convinced she won't make another log cabin in awhile. Me? I keep making them. Janet's Log Cabin quilt center I found a postcard I made about 10 years ago and decided it was time to send it off. This time to my little grandkids who live in Maryland. This definitely i

This is a post I made about 3 years ago and I think it should run again. Today is a sobering day as we remember what happened so many years ago! Thank you to all the United States veterans and their families for your service. Freedom is NOT free; it always costs someone and we must never take it for granted. I love this country and all it stands for. We just have to overlook the warts and change the things that can be changed. We're human, after all, and even our founders realized that. So, thanks to all of you veterans! Today I want to highlight as many of the Americana posts as I can remember. Stitched and hand quilted about 25 years ago One of those was in the first year I was blogging. I share a quilt I made and then gifted to a family that lost their precious son in Iraq. While I shared it on Memorial Day, the quilt is still appropriate. This is an easy quilt to reproduce. While you may not have that "wavy" red and white stripe, any red and white stripe wil

I was invited to participate in a holiday blog hop using Michael Miller fabrics. I could choose the collection I wanted and when I saw the Festival of Lights , I KNEW I had to work with them. Hanukkah fabrics aren't that often printed and I've just about used up my little bits saved from 10 years ago. While I'm not Jewish, I know that most of us have friends and neighbors who celebrate the Jewish holidays and we want to give them something meaningful. I mean, do they really want Santa and the reindeer? Here is a sneak peek at these gorgeous prints. I am so excited to work with them. I even have a project or two in mind. I also received a few of their Fairy Frost blenders and this will give me lots of possibilities. You know how I get my inspiration from the fabrics themselves. They whisper to me . . . Festival of Lights by Michael Miller We launch the first part of December. Then I will reveal what I have planned. I think you will like it and I may even have a free

A friend is having knee replacement next week and I knew I needed to give her a quilt. I showed her pictures of 6 and she chose my Hexagon Wreath and Stars . Though it's not big enough to snuggle under, she likes it because it is in the colors of her living room! I put a hanging pocket on the back, so Sally has the option of putting it on her wall after she puts it on her lap while convalescing. Hexagon Wreath and Stars : 39" x 43" I patterned this for Creative Grids a few years ago. And, believe it or not, there are NO y-seams. Can I show you a few process shots? One of the six large hexagons As you can see, everything radiates out of the center. Again, no y-seams! 3 each of the units above are stitched into a VERY LARGE half hexagon. Then the two halves are stitched together and the outside pieced setting triangles are added. Six large hexagons with diamonds and triangles I also made this using a novelty Christmas collection by Benartex (very old, but

Here is the block for November, the Candy Dish . As you can see, I haven't decided which fabric I like best. It is not a large appliqué, so you may wish to make two as shown here! November Candy Dish You can find it FREE for the month of November in my Craftsy store: Candy Dish . I have one more block to share and hopefully, I can begin to put all these together. Not sure. I'm already thinking about the 2019 BOM and am almost decided. It will be appliqué again, I think. But the background blocks will be pieced. I've shared the quilt already on these pages, and I hope to share it with you soon. I think you will like it! Until later, enjoy!