Charming Tails

Yesterday some  friends and I visited a few quilt shops near Saginaw. On a lark, on the way home we stopped at the Bethesda Thrift Shop. I collect Charming Tails so I was excited to see they had about 100, new in the box, Charming Tails for sale. Of course, I had to purchase a few to join the gang at home.

Not only were the prices low but it was Senior Day, so I saved another 25%! My final cost for 5 cuties was less than the regular price for one.

AQS Quilt Show

I attended the AQS Quilt Show in Grand Rapids this past week. This is a photo of some members of my quilt club.  We joined a group from The Front Porch Quilt Shop, in Frankenmuth, on the two day trip.

There were over 900 quilts on display. I have lots of photos but the information in the show booklet said I could not post them on a blog :(   The quilts were stunning. There was an exhibit of Egyptian quilts and another of Japanese quilts. There were demos and speakers. Classes were also offered but I hadn't preregistered for any. Of course, I had fun shopping at the 250 booths in the Merchant Mall section :)

Pumpkin Wall Hanging

My best friend, Linda, just celebrated her birthday.  I had planned to make her a pumpkin wall hanging using this kit.



However, I find I can't follow directions.  I also kept changing fabrics and ended up only using one piece of fabric in the kit.  This is my finished project.

I pieced the background using assorted beige scraps  from my stash.  I padded the pumpkins.  The leaves nearest the pumpkins were also padded and they are only tacked down so they are 3-dimensional.

Instead of sewing the tiny vines, I found some lime green ric rac leftover from another project.  I dyed it with tea and then used glitter markers and glitter glue to add some sparkle.

Aunt Romaine's 100th Birthday

Today, we went to a 100th Birthday Party for my Aunt Romaine. She is amazing, she still lives in her own home and is very sharp mentally.

I made her a lap quilt to keep warm while she watches TV and knits or crochets.  I got the idea for the pattern at Loft Creations.

I used scraps from my stash and some fat quarters I received on our bus trip to Shipshewana.

The backing fabric is an apple and pear tree print.

Recycled Birdcage

I purchased this bird cage at our church's Mission Store
for $2, thinking it could be  a fun project.

I spray painted the cage with gold paint and added some silk greenery, a bird nest and a couple of birds. I'm pleased with the result.

Audrey's Birthday

This is my cute great-niece, Audrey.

Audrey celebrated her first birthday today.

For her birthday, I made Audrey a smock.

Because Audrey's parents call her "Peanut",

I added a pocket with an appliqued peanut on the front of the smock.

The smock ties in the back and is reversible.

This is the inside.