I See Dragonflies~

I've always have a thing about dragonfly patterns, so when I saw this one, I just couldn't resist. Dragonflies always remind me of summer, which makes this a perfect summer project. I'm glad I finished it just before summer ends~ 

Pattern: Olympus Sashiko patterns

Thread: Olympus Sashiko variegated cotton floss 

Fabric: Natural Linen 
Size: 12" x 12" 
Beginning Date: 06-15-2020 
Completion Date: 08-24-2020

I used a variegated thread on this pattern, and I love how it turned out~ It just give this pattern a bit more playful feeling, bringing it alive.

Since I have a little break from work, I finally can start on my airplane quilt for my nephew. This quilt have been in my head for a while. I have some idea of what I want it to look like, and now I can finally put it into action. Here is the color scheme I am thinking, may not use all of the fabrics but I like to keep my options open.

Then I made templates for my airplane block, and even made a test block. The colors are great, but for some reason, the edges doesn't all line up..... plus the block is half an inch bigger, which in this case, is a good thing, so I can trim down the uneven edges.

So I guess more cutting and sewing and experimenting for me!!!  How fun!!!

Made with Love~

I finally put in the last needle of my Whirl quilt last night. I am soooooo excited!!!! This quilt is officially done!!!! And it turned out so much better than I expected!!!

Pattern: "Whirl" by Mary McGuire

Size: 75" x 88"

Beginning Date: 08-31-2017

Completion Date: 07-12-2019

This quilt is made for my first niece. Some of the fabrics used were bought 7 years ago before she was born! But between my big move back to Taiwan and work, this project kept been pushed back. And then suddenly the little baby is entering elementary school!!! I thought to myself better get it started or the next time when I realized she is off to college!!! It still took me almost 2 years to complete it, but at last it is done~

When I started out buying fabrics for this quilt 7 years ago, I had in mind a baby quilt. But since my niece is a little girl now I wanted to make this quilt larger, so I added on wide borders on each side. Coincidentally, the blocks I made for this quilt is just the right sizes for the corners, and there is just enough leftover pieces to make for blocks, so I guess it is just meant to be.

I have to admit when I first finished the center piecing I was a little bit concerned because there seems to bit too much going on and the colors seems a bit muddled. So when I went shopping for the border fabrics, I got a little help from my quilt instructor Sophia and I love how it turned out. The narrow pink border defined the center piece and the white border calm the whole piece down. How amazing what borders can do!!!!  

I also learned how to machine quilt on this project. Although it is just straight lines, using a curved pattern makes it more interesting. As much as I like hand quilting, this really saved me a lot of time, allowing me to finish it before work starts to kick in again. 

I was very lucky to find this beautiful backing fabric as well. It almost can be a show piece itself.

So this is what I have been working on these past few weeks!!! This quilt may not be what I have anticipated in the beginning, but it sure gave me many unexpected surprises along the way. I hope my niece will like it, too.

Until next time. Thanks for visiting.

Back Again!!

This Joyful World series is truly joyful!! April is no exception. I couldn't stop stitching it once I started!! Although it is still cold out, this spring scene put a smile on my face~   

One row down, two more to go!!!!

As I have some extra free time on my hand, I pulled my Whirl quilt out again. All the piecing parts are now one quilt top!!

Since I plan on using this as a blanket, I am thinking adding on a wider border to make it larger. I know I want a red border, but am also exploring more options! I think a trip to the fabric shop is in order!! 

Thanks for visiting~~ Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Back with More!!

Since I have my sewing machine out, I have made a lot of progress on my quilt this past week. I have finished piecing all the individual blocks!! Yay~ I find that it is kind of difficult to make the center point meet perfectly. I had to redo some of the blocks cause they were wayyyy off. Any tips on how to make perfect centers??

I laid out all the blocks to have a peek on how it will look in the end. It does kind of feel like looking through a kaleidoscope, doesn't it?

Sadly I will have to put this aside for this moment. Big work due date ahead meaning no time to quilt, plus I have to give my dining table back for dinning~ Hopefully I will be able to get back on this soon. Thanks for visiting~~

More Quilting~

Lately, I have taken over our dining table and been working on some quilting. There is so much piecing to do on this pattern!! Finally, I got one block pattern done!!

Still have another pile of pieces to work on, but I am happy to see some progress on this quilt. Maybe I can have it done by Christmas? Wishful thinking~

Finally, A Bit of Progress!!

Hello my friends,it has been a while since my last post. Sorry for the long absence. I am still here, just got caught up with work and holidays and not a lot of progress on my projects. I finally got my sewing machine out again and made some progress on my quilt, and then there is the dilemma. I can't quite decide which pattern to go with. What do you think? Should I go with A:

Or B?

Decisions, decisions.....

And then it is September....

I'm back!! Sorry for disappearing for so long, it has been a busy summer. I haven't been doing much stitching these past few month, but finally picked up my needle again last week and started Joyful World by the Snowflower Diaries. I knew I had to stitch this when I first saw all these adorable animals, but was debating about the finish size. Finally I picked up my courage to do it over one! I hope I will have the momentum to finish it!!!!!

I've also started a new quilt. My goal is to do at least one quilt per year, and I am already at a late start!! I have made all the cuts, now on to piecing them together!! 

Thank you for visiting, see you soon!! (I hope!!!!)

The Rose

Remember I talked about participating in a quilt for a charity event? Well, the event took place a couple weeks ago and I went to see how the finial piece turned out. I was so amazed by the final product, everyone's rose is so different and yet they look perfectly together~ Here is the quilt that I participated in, did you spot mine?

It is at the bottom row~~

This event is for supporting young mothers, hence the figures on top of the quilt. Twenty-four quilters participated in this event making the different quilt blocks, then each block was put together by some of the young mothers, making these quilts even more meaningful. At the end two quilts were made, and together, they raised over $1500 USD!! I am so glad I got to be a part of this, and I would do it again in a heartbeat~ 

As for my stitching, it is getting close. I am on to the borders, the end is in sight!!!! 

Thanks for visiting~~

Spring~

Happy Easter everyone!!! I have been busy - stitching and quilting this time!!! When the quilting studio I go to called for doing a quilt for a charity event, I signed up right away! After seeing the pattern, I thought, I could do this. It looks very similar to the sewing machine cover I did last year. Then I read the instructions......It requires paper foundation piecing...... Um... ok, I have never done it before. So I turned to the place where people goes for help - Google!!  Thanks for YouTube,  I learned how to paper piecing, and it is so much fun~~~

So here is my piece in its full glory!! It will be one of 12 pieces that will make up one quilt~ I can't wait to see it all put together!!!

 Pattern: Designed by Sophia Yu

Size: 12" x 12"

Beginning Date: 04-03-2017

Completion Date: 04-14-2017

On the stitching front, I have made quite some progress. Almost done with the main part, then on to the borders!!! I can see the finish line on this piece now! So exciting!!

Hope you are having a wonderful Easter weekend! Thanks for visiting~~

Another Finish~

I think 2016 is the year of finishing to me!!  After dragging on for more than a year, I finally finished my Hawaiian Quilt!!! I am very proud to say, this quilt is 99% hand quilted, everything except when attaching the binding to the quilt. Here it is on all its glory~

Pattern: From book "Meg's Hawaiian Quilts-Lehua" 

by Meg Maeda

Size: 21" x 21"

Beginning Date: 06-04-2015

Completion Date: 09-13-2016

This quilt was my very first attempt on applique, I have to say it requires a lot of patience!!! After this process, I think I have overcome my applique phobia, and will definitely try it again - even if it will take me forever to complete!!! 

I have also tried a double layer binding, which I think is very cool and makes the design stands out even more~ 

Believe it or not, it was the backing that gave me the most trouble. See all the red flowers? After washing, they kind of bled through all the layers and showed from the front in some areas!!! I almost faint when I saw it, luckily it wasn't too obvious... Note to self: BEWARE OF RED FABRICS!!!! I also made a tube for hanging, it was a last minute decision so I kind of have to improvise, but it all worked out in the end~ Right now I am working on finishing another old project, hopefully I will be able to cross out another project on my list soon!!! 

It is the Mid-Autumn Festival here in Taiwan today, which celebrates the mid-autumn harvest and traditionally is when family members will come home to help out. In the evening, the entire family would sit under the full moon and enjoy each other's company, telling stories about the bunnies that live in the moon. So I would like to take this chance to wish all my crafty families out there, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!!!

Hello March!!

It has been a harsh winter!! I know we are in the sub-tropics, and should not be complaining about winter since we do not have snow storms or anything like that, but it seems like this winter has been unusually cold, and on the coldest day, we even had snow, even at the southern part of Taiwan!! I don't remember this has ever happened before. While people were amazed by this rare encounter of snow, I couldn't help but worry, there is definitely something wrong with our weather system, and we really should be more aware of protecting our planet.

Source: Flickr/Chi-Hung Lin

This is why I was so happy to see spring arriving!!! Finally, the sun is out, temperature raising, and flowers blooming!! Only after a long winter can we truly appreciate the beauty of spring~

On the quilting front, I am still working on my Hawaii quilt, it is coming along slowly but surely!!!

Hope you are enjoying this spring weather as well!!!!

Autumn...

Long time no see, my daring friends, summer has been very busy for me, and when I look up, fall has sneaked in!!! It took me a while, but I finally finished the applique of my Hawaiian quilt~~ It has been a struggle, I had to take apart some portions of it cause I just didn't like how it looks, still not 100% satisfied with it, but I am going to set it aside for now, and come back to it with a fresh eye later.

And then there is my crazy quilt sewing machine cover. I am working on hand quilting it right now. It is quite a challenge to hand quilt through so many layers, but with the help of a pair of trusty pliers, it is coming along just fine. 

Some other things I did during summer, a little gardening fun~ While I was eating dragon fruit one day, I looked at those millions of little seeds and just thought it might be fun to germinate them so I did, and to my amazement, they really did germinate!!! Their little leaves are so fresh and cute, and with time they start showing their cactus characters~ 

And then I thought, a little bit dressing up is needed!!! So a few leftover fabrics and cute mushrooms later, this is what I ended up with~~ Aren't they just adorable?! I will have to make more of these, they make perfect gifts, won't you say?

Speaking of fall weathers, in sub-tropical Taiwan, it means it's time for blooms again!! Because our summer is too hot for flowers to survive, winter is the best time for them to thrive. Now that the weather is cooling down again, I filled my balcony with lavenders and daisy. It is such a joy to see them greeting me every morning, while I enjoy my breakfast on the balcony~~

So that is my story lately. What have you been busying? By the way, if you haven't already noticed, Nancy over at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe has been hosting some awesome giveaways, be sure to join the fun if you haven't already!!!

A New Attempt!!!

I have to say I wasn't a big fan of Hawaiian quilts - that was before I started this one. Something traditional can totally transform into something different just by changing the fabric choice, and I am totally in love with it now~

This is a great way to learn applique, something I have not tried before. I was intimidated by it, and  looks so difficult!!! I have to say it still is a bit challenge to me, especially keeping it looking nice. My first few turns and points are not exactly pretty.....

It is a slow process, patience is required!!!!! But this is a start, hopefully when I am done with the whole thing, I would be better with it!!