May Pincushion for CQJP 2014

2014.05.11CQJP2014MayPC04
The May pincushion for the CQJP (Crazy Quilt Journal Project) 2014 is complete!

2014.03.14HelenGibbKit01
This one started off with this little box of inspiration from Helen Gibb.

2014.03.14HelenGibbKit02
I fell in love with the lily of the valley ribbon and knew I had to make a pincushion using elements from this little inspiration box! 

2014.04.28CQJP2014MayPC02
When I first pieced the block, one of the long edges of the lily of the valley ribbon was tucked underneath the other fabrics.  It just wasn't right, so I unstitched the seam and basted the ribbon on top.

2014.05.11CQJP2014mayPC09
I used feather stitching to catch the edges of the heavy ribbon down.  Some of the ultra-suede leaves and a lavender ribbon flower from the box trimmed the bottom edge of the ribbon.

2014.05.11CQJP2014MayPC08
A small bit of the lovely net lace was added along one corner.

2014.05.11CQJP2014MayPC07
At the other end of the ribbon, I added a seam using some flower sequins in forget-me-not blue!

2014.05.11CQJP2014MayPC06
On the other side, I added a silk ribbon embroidered stalk of lily of the valley and another seam with flower sequins.  

2014.05.11CQJP2014MayPC10
The back received my usual signature ~ plus a little cat hair!

2014.05.11CQJP2014MayPC11
That's because, I cannot work on any project without both kitties having to look and see what I'm doing!  The lint brush is in constant use here!  

2014.05.11CQJP2014MayPC12

Mollie Kitty had to see what was happening too.  Here she is giving me her "winky" eyes happy look.  She's always winking both eyes at me and I can rarely catch her in a photo without her eyes half closed as a result!

2014.05.11CQJP2014MayPC16

I finished the pincushion the same day that the lilies of the valley were in full bloom in my garden!  With snow predicted for the following day, I picked them all and brought them inside to enjoy!  The little aqua blue glass vase is from the Roman Bath at Bath, England! 

2014.05.10SpringFlowers01
Love having beautiful spring flowers on the windowsill over the kitchen sink!  So cheery!

2014.05.10LiliesoftheValley02

Loved having so many of these sweet little flowers blooming!  Last year, there were just a couple, but this year, there were so many!  Such a heavenly scent!  

2014.05.10Lilacs

I also brought in a few lilacs from the neighbor's bushes that edge my yard.  They have filled the dining room with my favorite floral scent!

2014.05.10PlumBlossoms01
When the tree guys were here last week, I kept a few blooming branches of the wild plum to enjoy.  They are still blooming beautifully!

2014.05.11SnowyAspen
After a week of lovely warm weather, winter returned on Mother's day with cold rain that turned to snow.  The quaking aspen leaves just shrug off the snow and look as beautiful as ever! 

2014.05.11SnowyLeaves
The burning bush gathers the snow though and all the branches were leaning hard to the side under the weight of the wet snow by the end of the day.  Thankfully, we didn't have a huge accumulation as most of it melted off as it fell.  We did receive over an inch of moisture though, which is lovely for our arid high desert region at this time of year! 

2014.05.11DonutSpiceMuffins
With the snow and cold, it was a good day to stay inside!  I made a batch of donut spice muffins in the morning.  Perfect with a pot of tea! 

2014.05.06Workshirt

In addition to working on the pincushion, I've been playing around with ideas for this denim shirt.  Way back... w a y  b a c k . . .   I used to have a denim work shirt that I'd embroidered to go with my embroidered jeans.  I think I started it when I was in 8th or 9th grade.  I wore it everywhere for a long time ~ until my kids were small!  I'm sure it wore out long ago.  I also had embroidered shirts for my Mom and Dad that were covered with birds.  My Dad often wore his when he went bird watching and hiking!  Well, I've been hunting for a shirt for myself, that I could wear as a lightweight jacket.  I found this one in the Men's section at a local thrift shop.  It's roomy enough to wear over another shirt and possibly a lightweight sweater if I like!  The cloth is in great shape, yet soft and comfy feeling!  

2014.05.06WorkShirtSketch
So, I've been sketching up ideas for how to embroider it.  We'll see how it evolves!  I'll keep you posted! 

Comments

Leslie said…
Donut spice muffins?? Will you share the recipe? Sounds right up my alley.

Another lovely pincushion. I'm impressed that you're keeping up with this so well and that each one is so pretty. Makes me ache to get back into crazy quilting. Your little lilies of the valley are gorgeous, so tiny and cute.

Love your kitchen window sill. Don't have one any more but always had flowers on mine over the years too. So nice that you're enjoying your house and yard so much.
Anonymous said…
Mollie has the most beautiful eyes!
What a lovely pincushion!

Mollie is sweet. My Miss Tork is sitting in my lap as I type.

Your flowers are all wonderful and I can only imagine the scent of them all.

Hope you get no more snow.

Have a great week ~ FlowerLady
welltraveled said…
Love the embroidered shirt idea..Might steal it,as I live in jeans and jean shirts when in Michigan
welltraveled said…
PS.. The pincushion is FAB
Anonymous said…
Your pincushion is just beautiful! I just love the lily of the valley and have been trying to figure out how you did them. Is there more than one white stitch to form the flowers? I can't tell from the pictures. After you put in the white stitches, do you gently gather the bottom. I think they look so real and I just love lily of the valley. I think I can almost smell their wonderful fragrance!!

Amanda

Popular Posts