Giddy Up! More finished 6-inch blocks!


The block finishing frenzy continues!  Here are four more little 6-inch hand appliqued blocks for my Repro Madness swap quilt...and the "LITTLE TREASURES" patterns I will be offering soon on my web store.  The horse delivering love is called "Special Delivery" and was inspired by my daughter and her love of horses.

I am continuing to struggle along with my fabric choices from the repro fabric tubs for this swap project. The short range of brighter fabrics available in these muted tones makes shading and perspective really difficult. This block is called "Twining Tulips."
  

I made the frog block ("Ola's Bog Buddy") from my last post thinking about my BFF friend Ola and buddy Mary is crazy for cows and inspired "Mary's Moo Moo."  Now I want to do a block with two pink flamingos, as I remember going to my friend Judy's home to stitch and visit...and maybe a cute little white dog as I remember Julie and the good times we shared.  This quilt will be full of memory and happy thoughts!


This next block was inspired by my current efforts to eat healthier and it is called "Five a Day."  (or maybe the block title is inspired by how many blocks I want to finish each day right now...AT LEAST five a day, LOL!)  It features broccoli, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, yellow peppers, peas and tomatoes.


Now I won't feel guilty when I design a block featuring chocolate, LOL!  Balance, right?

A few weeks ago I posted my block with an antique bike, and I received so many suggestions about the bike needing some sort of spokes on the wheels.  I went back and added a hint of spokes, and it makes the block better...thanks for the feedback!


There is no denying that I am struggling with trying to settle in our family home in NW Alabama.  We are basically neighborless, isolated on a little mountain, seven miles from the small, lovely town of Tuscumbia.  That, in itself, if not bad...it is absolutely beautiful here and I do not miss the noise from the Detroit Metro Airport (which was only 15 miles from my Michigan home), or the sounds from the neighborhood, etc. (of course, the airplane noise has been replaced by gun/ammo noise, LOL!)

Everywhere I look I see something built and/or planted by my Dad and stepmother, which is comforting but can make me feel even more lonely sometimes.

I am still unpacking (does that ever end?!?) and sorting through my parents' stuff, trying to find balance between honoring what they built here and enjoying the things we moved from Michigan. This week I found places to put the fabric that did not fit in the new quilt cave and our books.

I am also learning more about computer quilt pattern making and PDF's than I ever wanted to learn...BORING!

But Thursday night, I put all the unpacking and pattern making out of my mind and went to Athens, Alabama to give a program to the guild there.  I have not taught a class or given a quilt program in two years so I felt very rusty.  I think I began to feel more like my old self toward the end of it.

The members there were so friendly and kind...I wish they weren't almost 90 minutes away!  Thanks to Carolyn for being my shepherd and getting me where I needed to go!  It was fun to talk about hand applique and block/quilt design.  I found out about some quilting groups a little closer to me, as well.  I don't know what is harder...finding fellow quilters in this state or fellow Democrats, LOL!  I am suffering withdrawal from both!

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)

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