Cottage Garden Finish

I started this project, Cottage Garden, back in June. I bought the kit with some of my birthday money and worked slowly on it--gradually putting together the fabric base, then appliquéing the wool felt blocks on, and I spent the last couple of months hand quilting it with perle cotton #8. I finished binding it on Friday night. 

Here are some up close pictures. The cross hatch quilting is perfect with the primitive wool felt.

I love how it turned out! My house is very country, so this will look perfect on display in the spring and summer. It is a small quilt measuring 30 x 40 inches.

I went over to my mom's and used her long arm before they headed to California for the rest of the winter.  I quilted this UFO Pineapple Quilt. I made the top before I started blogging and after I took a Buggy Barn quilting class at my LQS, I think it was the summer of 2012. I added the machine appliquéd "welcome" to the top and plan on hanging this in my entry hall. I will be binding this for Slow Sunday Stitching as I watch football--Go Broncos! See everyone else's inspirational handwork here:

http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com

With my Cottage Garden Quilt done, it was time to dig out another hand quilting project--my Love Blooms Here UFO. This was featured in Quiltmaker magazine all of 2013. I fell in love at first sight and thought it would look good hanging up in my house for the spring. I was also  pretty sure I could get it made completely from my stash--with the exception of buying some yellow wool felt, I did make it from my stash!

The backing is a striped brush cotton that is warm and cozy to have on my lap as I stitch.  This is larger, but I am only outlining the wool felt appliqué and the blocks with perle cotton.

I am not sure what to do with the border, but I will have plenty of time to figure it out as I work on the inside.

I finished my Cocoa Door Banner and washed it to get the crinkly effect which it did nicely, but the chocolate handle bled. I have never had a brown bleed before! Some Spray and Wash got most of the brown out, but I am really shocked with a brown bleeding.

These are the latest two mystery blocks my sister sent me. There should be two more on the way this week.

I hope to quilt up my Snowball Fight Table Runner this week.

Well, there are lots of projects underway here. It is a good thing tomorrow is a holiday, so I can make a dent on some of these projects. Have a great week!