WIP While I'm Waiting...

Awesome, free downloadable pattern: Check!

 Pattern printed and cut up for paper piecing: Check!

 One feather paper-pieced: Check!

Mailman delivers background fabric from Australia: Waiting. Waiting. Waiting....wait..wa.. 
Fingers drumming on sewing machine table: Check!!
I guess that I'm going to have to substitute another grey for the background . I've been waiting a month now! Hopefully, it will blend in okay. Oh, how I love being a part of the Mid-Century Modern Bee! You can see all the projects we've been working on here.

Suz, your block will get finished and sent back to you even if I have to take it myself and forget the middle mailman. I wish! 

May 365 Photo Challenge: Week 4

Oh, I'm loving this spring weather and have lots of outdoor photos to prove it this week!

Fresh Cut Grass I drive by this country "yard' almost every day. This is about one fourth of it... always perfectly cut with never a dry spot or weed to be seen. I guess they like to mow!

Black I wonder what Mrs. Blackbird is gossiping about this time!

Clouds An evening storm approaches.

Fresh Vegetables Every year I think about it, but so far I've avoided planting a vegetable garden.  Farmer's Market, here I come!

Walk The path through the Arboretum is a favorite place to walk with friends.

Peaceful Moments The sound of running water is always so soothing.

Her Course, I didn't spend every moment outside this week! Sweet little Pearl came to visit. I like to just watch her sleep.

Thanks again for your encouragement for my photo challenge to take a picture every day this year. You should try it...it's fun!

Thank You

Today, my husband and I carried on a tradition held by our parents and grand parents to place fresh flowers on the graves of our family members gone before us. We do this to honor their memories. We wondered if the tradition will die out with our generation. For some reason, it's a tradition I have always enjoyed.

A sweet commenter alerted me to the facebook page of Quiltmaker Magazine who had posted a picture of my patriotic rendition of a Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. I shared it with you a couple of years ago, and do so again today.

"The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children."

William Havard

P.S. I'd love to have your vote in the Baby Quilt category of the Blogger Quilt Festival going on now. You can see the entries here. My quilt is #23.

Sunday Morning

"Pour out your hearts to Him,

for God is our refuge."

Psalm 62:8b

May 365 Photo Challenge: Week 3

Another week has scurried by. There have been lots of photo challenge opportunities!

 May Flowers Solomon Seal in my shade garden is always a favorite.

Celebrate Milestones KIndergarten graduations make Lolly's eyes grow misty.

Be Active Exercising with friends is motivation to keep going!

Sunglasses Eye protection should be fashionable, by all means!

In the Kitchen A rainbow birthday cake in progress.

Where I Live Having all of my grandchildren together at once is a big treat for me. There's lots of room to run, play, explore....and even camp!

The Perfect Gift In my world, glimpsing an especially beautiful bird is a special gift from God.

Thanks for taking the time to look through my photographs. I hope that you are being challenged to slow down and notice the details of life like I am.

Sunday Morning

"The Lord upholds all those who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down."

Psalm 145:14

Spring Blogger's Quilt Festival: Pearlz

I'm excited to finally be revealing my latest finished quilt: PEARLZ, a baby size quilt for my newest granddaughter, Pearl Violet!

 The name is a play on words, of course; I thought that the 3 Z-shaped chains across the width of the quilt looked a bit like strands of pearls. Thus, Pearlz for baby Pearl! 

The baby's nursery features the colors pink, yellow, and grey. The backing, by Bee in My Bonnet, is the perfect combination of all three.

Another Bee in My Bonnet print with little chandeliers made a great binding and frame for the negative space.

 I scattered more zig-zags across the surface of all that white with chunky hand stitches of pink, grey and yellow #8 pearl cotton.This was my first try at utility quilting and I found that I really enjoyed it and want to use it again soon.

Combining hand stitching with machine quilting made for an interesting texture, especially after washing. It also made the actual quilting part go quickly!

 The baby size quilt finished up at 40" x 50" and was quickly pieced using mostly scraps and Kona white. 

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing my entry into the Baby Quilt category of the  Blogger's Quilt Festival and, if you are new to Lollyquiltz, you will come back for another visit sometime soon! 
Now, I'm going to grab a cup of coffee and check out the rest of the Festival! Join me here!

Bella Tunics

Just in time for summer, I made three little tunics using an Oliver + S pattern called Ice Cream Dress. Lula and Jane agreed to model theirs for you. (I used the same blue tree print for their one year old cousin, Lois.) The adorable fabric is called Bella, by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics. 

I find that the pattern goes together quickly, so making three wasn't that big of an undertaking, really. I made a few adjustments to the pattern; the biggest being adding a placket in the back. If you are interested, you can read more of a review of the pattern here.

 The pattern uses a cute little loop for the button closing...

...and I found the perfect pearl buttons among my collection of antique ones. Notice the cost?!

The tops will look cute with shorts, too, when the weather heats up. Lula and Jane get so excited when I sew for them that it makes me want to do nothing else but make pretty little dresses!

Next to making quilts, sewing for children is my favorite past time!

May 365 Photo Challenge: Week 2

Another week of random prompts and photos during Healthy Vision Month that remind us of how precious our eyesight is:  

Eye Love: The shape of this beautiful, dew-covered cobweb reminds me of a God's Eye craft.

Crayons: Can't you just smell them! Mmmmm.....

Framed: My grand babies....Pearl's picture will soon take the place of the sweet baby mouth.

Snacks: If Lolly doesn't have fruit snacks in the cupboard, little children are sad.

Orange: Mrs. Baltimore Oriole and Mrs. Rose-Breasted Grosbeak enjoy lunch in my yard. It was so good to see them again!

A Grandmother's Gift: A peek at a new quilt. Come back Friday for the reveal!

A New Focus on Me: Just hanging out with the Kansas City Swat team!
(The real story: The area William's Syndrome Fun Walk took place at the Police Academy.) 

whoopsie!

That's the endearing comment that my granddaughter, Lula, makes when something goes awry! That's probably what I said when this happened...

...while I was making a quilt label using my trusty Micron pen and beloved starch, Best Press. 

Most likely,  everyone but me knows that you shouldn't spray the starch alternative directly onto the ink seconds after writing!

Like any excellent investigator, I wrote again on my, now ruined, label and waited 5 minutes before spraying. Here's the result...still smeary, but not quite as bad. So...if you didn't know...now you do!

I made a new label, didn't starch it, and sewed it on the baby quilt for Pearl.

 No whoopsie.

Friday, I'll post pictures of the little quilt as my entry in the Blogger's Quilt Festival. Hope you'll come by for another visit and links to other pretty quilts during the festival. Maybe you have a quilt you would like to enter, too!