TREASURES FROM DOWN UNDER: HI MERRILL!

HERE IS THE" MINI FRIENDSHIP QUILT SWAP"   QUILT THAT MERRILL SENT ME--- all the way from Australia--(she is my secret partner).  The stitching is stunning and the fabrics are just lovely. She added a birdbath and decorated hearts in the four corners--I am so thrilled with it!!  It is so sentimental and sweet.

AND HERE IS THE BACK:

SHOWCASING A LOVELY bird fabric and a sweet label...AND, that's not all......

LOOK AT all these extra goodies:  A needlecase she made and embroidered (how did she get those stitches so even???) at a Lynette Anderson sew-in, a notebook for ideas, 2 of the cutest little sticky notepads and 2 pieces of Australian fabric:  one with Koala Bears saying Merry Christmas and one with Kangaroos jumping Merry Christmas, too.  On this rainy grey day here in the S. Eastern USA, a bit of sunny Down Under to brighten my day.  

I have to decide how to showcase that fabric--perhaps for an ABC or I SPY quilt for Fiona--where else  could you find Koalas and Roos singing "Merry Christmas"???  I am a lucky girl...Thank you so much Merrill for your generosity....Julierose, La Blageuse

OOPS! WEDNESDAY WOES.....

Ya know what I did this afternoon ? WHAT WONDERS AWAITED ME?????

 I FUSED my little red baskets to my ironing board cover!! 

 Oooh noooo!  What a doofus!!  I haven't fused in so long, that I FORGOT about the UNDERneath part!!  

Ya know, you are rolling along and doing fun stuff and then...BOOM you do something so stupid that you cannot believe it. Huh? ( Not to mention the mess on my iron...). Perhaps too many things going on at the same time??? I'd like to believe that:

BUT ---Even Henri Le Chat fell over when he heard about it--all the way up on Cape Cod...(HE LOOKS PRETTY DISGUSTED WITH MOI).

AND here is Fiona's reaction.....even she could not believe it!!  

"Oh Grand'mere--where was your brain???"

I certainly came back to earth in a big hurry...With a THUMP, BUMP...PHOOEY!! For heaven's sake-- I just GOT that new cover!!  So tomorrow after my flu shots--(perhaps that will wake my brain up?)  I will go searching for a new cover.....and I remain

 Julierose La Blageuse ridicu-leuse!!!! 

A-TISKET-A-TASKET

Last night, I was gazing at one of my all-time favorite applique pattern books (and drooling as usual):  
"When the Cold Wind Blows" by Barb Adams and Alma Allen from Blackbird Designs--and remembered that I had prepped their basket block called "Trick or Treat" to try out a new applique method.  After unearthing the tin I had them stored in, I looked at the 1st block I did and saw just how LOUSY the applique was!  But, I really, really love this little basket block--Whaaaa!! I just love that little diamond in the middle...aaaargh....

Well, allright then:  So, right then and there, I decided to try out my old standby favorite "blanket stitch" applique with No. 8 perle cotton...and...

Here they are: I don't know if the stitching shows, but the perle No 8 cotton thread is a warm honey golden color:

I had made a dresden plate quilt (called "Chez Nous"--which means "at home" in French) yrs ago for my cousin, Jeannette, as a housewarming gift; and used that stitch then....and loved doing it! 

 Soooo, why not try that--since it seems that I am absolutely, congenitally unable to do a good blind stitch--even with prepped pieces ---and just forget needleturn--I just make a 
H U G E mess of that!! And. It makes me very nervous....

Phew! I am really enjoying this and I like the old fashioned look it gives--just a teeny bit primitive.  The background blocks are a "white on white" muslin that I coffee dyed...(Maybe I shouldn't have had that second cup of coffee this morning LOL)

I guess I have a lot in the works--YA THINK?  But, right now, the plans and ideas keep on popping into my head.....so here I sit in the rain and wind working my little baskets--I took out the first one and am now BS-ing it also uh-oh--now THAT didn't look right BS= blanket stitching :--))))  Julierose, La Blageuse on coffee...

SUNDAY (AE) SPECIALS

HERE--what's hanging on my living room wall right now:

I made this using Anita Gross Solomon's Book: (which is really fabulous)

And:  Don't you have to love that Geisha fabric?  

Well, it's been up for a while now and my colorways have changed (new sofa, chairs etc):  SOoooooo:

HERE is the new panel pin-basted and ready to hand quilt:

I just love the dancing cranes from Kona Bay and the irridescent moons over the waves:

No fuss, no muss, just find a backing (I will show you that later after quilting is done--A lovely Jason Yenter Christmas print so I can reverse it for the Holidays:  A TWO-FER!)

And here are the indispensable items used so far:

The Sulky re-positionable spray, my favorite "Kwik Klip", pins and an old sweater blocking board I had bought when I was doing so much knitting.   It is just perfect to put on my dining room table (the back is felt--yes!!) and the measurement lines really help to get everything straight.  

So, this has been my Sunday Special--now for a sundae (ahem--the ice cream one--certainment) special --YUUUM!!

Avec Amities  Julierose, La Blageuse

A SMALL FINISH1

I have completed the Mini Friendship Swap piece (front and back) and mailed it out  to my "Secret" Swap partner this morning--you can see that I fell prey to my love for "Toile" fabric yet again on the sides.....

Here is the back I chose--a cute Christmas print --the binding is a soft blue with tiny white dots resembling snowflakes....I can't show the entire label for that would be giving away the recipient  --but you can see the edge of it above.....I printed it on my printer and then inked in the details.

AND NOW, MOVING ON TO A WIP :

Here is my CQ block so far:

It is resting on a lovely crochet piece my Grand'mere did...

and, a little closer....

I will go back to work on my "Woven Wall" this week, too.  Am trying to figure out what kind of backing I want....thinking of "Taza" fabric I sent for and an old yellowey/goldish stripey fabric alternating....

Julierose, La Blageuse

ROSES FOR JULIEROSE

Today is our 47th Wedding Anniversary:  Tommy presented me with these:

And, tonight we are dining out at a special restaurant: Lo Monacos--where we hosted our son's Wedding Rehearsal dinner--we thought that would be a nice memory trip...

Cheers, Julierose, La Blageuse

I AM GOING CRAZEE

Here are my fledgling attempts to embroider and embellish my first Crazee block:
"Sea Flower Girl":

I am trying out some new stitches and also nettings...

It is such fun work; very improvisational....I do keep worrying about "over-do-ing"--but I guess crazy quilters keep on adding and adding (from pix I've seen) --beads and buttons, dangling things....so VERY different from the flat surfaces I've done. I just take a deep breath, gaze (for a VERY long time) and add something else....hopefully it'll all pull together.  I am thinking about --dreaming about, starfish, octopi, blue crabs, seaweed, mermaids...even craving salty snacks...oh my....LOL)...

Your "undersea" Julierose, La Blageuse  

FLOWERING:{ For Pauline}

Pauline, this is for you:

Evidently this kind of Canna (if that is what it is) blooms a few bits at a time--I always thought they had HUGE big blooms--this was a gift from a neighbor and I don't really know exactly what it is.  BUT--I do like that hot coloring!

And:
 my iris decided to re-bloom just underneath the smaller Canna(?) ....the bushy bit to the left is one huge mum all budded-out.  Can't wait to see it all in bloom.

I've finished the embroidery on my "Friendship Mini Swap....and actually I have the borders on, but will wait to show it completed until I send it off to my secret partner.  

I am now ready to pin it and quilt it (also have a surprise backing on it--love doing this !!)

Today is nice and cool, with a nice Canadian breeze blowing around--just love it!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend, all....Julierose, La Blageuse