A Crazy Quilt and Notice of the Heartprint Winners

 

So, here we are.  

Once again...it's all about the hearts!

I made this little quilt (15" sq.) in 1997 and would have shown it on Valentines Day...but, just like me to do, it was hanging on the wall in my hallway and I just failed to SEE it.   I swear I can't see the forest for the trees.

Anyway, I decided I would show it tonight, as it goes with all my posts in February.

 

 I made this quilt for one of our quilt events in my guild.

 So, just look it over.  It was lots of fun to make.

I love doing the embroidery along the seams...and then hearts everywhere else.

The little gold hearts are done in metallic thread.

I don't care for sewing with that type of thread, it's hard to get the stitches to lie smooth.

But, I did it anyway.

 

 I loved making the little stuffed hearts hanging from a chain of DMC floss.  Another really fun piece of work.  And, I know you will ask...that gold scallop is actually three dimensional paint squeezed from a bottle.  I hesitated to use it, but did anyway.  Funny...it hasn't changed a bit in all these years!

 

  

 I used a permanent pen to write the quotes on the borders. 

  

Here are the quotes:

"When friends meet....hearts warm."

proverb

"When you want an accounting of your worth, count your friends."

Merry Browne 

"The greatest gift we can give to one another is rapt attention to one anothers' existence."

Sue Atchley Ebaugh

"No life is so strong, so complete, but it yearns for the smile of a friend."

Wallace Bruce

 

  

 Some of my favorite heart embroidery on this little piece.

  

  

Most crazy quilters prefer not to use many print fabrics on their crazy quilts. Also most use 'fancy" fabrics.  I've nearly always used cotton as that is what I could get my hands on and it has always been fine with me.  At least, when I was 'into' making them in years past, that was the case.  But, being me...well, I always wanted to use mostly ALL printed fabric.  I still believe it's up the quiltmaker to decide those things.

 

 Hope you enjoyed seeing this quilt!

And, now.......here are the names of the two Heartprint Winners for February.

 I will need a mailing address from each of you:

Mandy Currie

and

Kathleen Santos

I hope to mail the Heartprints

 on Monday....all depending on when I receive the addresses and I'll show them on a blog post thereafter.

Next week, I will  also immediately begin working on the March versions... 

I appreciate each of you who commented and you never know, you might win one sometime this year yourself!

 

 until next time

BE WELL

from

 Bird Nest Cottage

❤️❤️❤️ 

Heart Month #4

 

More hearts for Heart Month.!

 This is a doll I made in 2001.  It's made from a square of Crazy Quilting.  I don't remember where the doll pattern came from....but it all began with a small pillow.  She's very 'boxy" but I made her anyway.  And, you have to look for the hearts.

  

I loved this assortment of fabrics and even though I thought she was a bit "homely" she thanked me for making her anyway.  Imagine!

 

She also has a pet lamb....and a favorite heart I chose to include in the photo, even though

None of them were made in the doll's time period.

 That red and black heart was made from felt and silk ribbon.  One of my favorite things...it's about 7" tall and has aged well.

I did not make the little lamb but I did add the heart.

 

I know you will ask about the Redwork embroidery.  It's a pillow I made...I LOVE redwork!

It has nothing to do with this little 'story' about the hearts and doll, but it is RED. ❤️

 

She has simple little face....and, Oh, My!  That hair! 

It's made from many 'ravelings' taken from different fabrics.  I always knew that stuff would come in handy if I thought about it long enough.

  

Funny and cool, all at the same time.

 

This is my favorite Crazy Quilt book from back in the day, 1986.

 I'm showing it to you because I took a quote from that book and wrote it on the back of this doll.

I was amused by it.  It's about the concern early Crazy Quilters had for losing their vision while doing tedious embroidery and quilting.  It seems the lack of lighting back then, and the very long hours they spent stitching, caused worrisone eye strain.

I understood that, as I have never had decent vision, worried about it then, and still do.  But with lots of lighting, much determination and a great love of stitching...I managed to do a fairly decent job of stitching all these years.  You really have to WANT to do it and you will overcome.  My idea has always been when I get to where I can't stitch....I will just talk about it!!! 

You can read the quote below.

 

And, to read it more easily:

  

So, there you are...another heart post.

I have decided that since my next Sunday post will be MARCH 1,  (where did that month go!!),

I will be announcing the winners of the February Heartprints on Wednesday night, the 26th.

until next time

BE WELL

from

Bird Nest Cottage

 ❤️❤️❤️

HEART MONTH, POST #3, Pincushions Needlecase and a Basket

 

Well, here I am with the third post concerning Hearts.

And, in this post, you will see why my favorite colors are green, red and pink.

My first grade teacher told me you should never put red and pink together.  I've spent a good bit of my life doing just that.

 So here are a few too many photos showing another of my total passions....pincushions!

I can't help myself!

 

 This little brass pincushion, was also in a post not long ago.  It's sweet. I hope you can see the little pink clear heart, the tiny brass one...it is made up of many TINY little hearts. Then the usual straight pins with a heart at the top.  I LOVE those things.  Not to mention that the bird is dear.  This was a gift from my friend, Jim, very long ago.

  

Here are the crazy quilted treasures I made also long ago.  You may be sick of seeing some of these little pieces as I've shown them so many times, but I never tire of them and will probably show them from time to time until I quit blogging.

 Here are the sizes:

The needlebook is approx. 5 1/4" x 7 1/2" opened flat and 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" closed

The tiny pincushion is 2 1/4" square

The larger pincushion is 4 1/4" square

and

the brass bird pincushion is 2 1/2" wide and 2 1/2" tall

 

 Again....so cute.  That little round clip holds a tiny portion of one of my business cards...its part of an embroidered tree.  I just thought adding it to the mix was FUN.

 

Here are the three crazy quilted sewing items.  They are on top of a very old length of fabric.

Of course, I loved the colors in it!

 

 Closer photos!

 

 The Needlebook.

 

So, are you noticing the tiny Satin Stitched Hearts? They are on each piece of the larger two and then there are some Back-stitched hearts on the needlebook and the tiniest square one.

They are all such fun to stitch.  There may be some showing up on the Heartprint Giveaways.  Time will tell.

 

The back of the crazy-quilted square pincushion.  I love the fabric I used here.

 

And, here you can see when I made these things!

 

The back of the Needlebook.  I really like that quote and had to add it to the back of the book.

LOVED making this.

That quote:

"Until the World be quite dissolved and past,

so long at least

the needles' art shall last."

 Unknown

 

 Inside. 

 Look at those top two needles.  They are so bent....after many hours of beading!

 

Here is the basket I used in the first photo with the sewn items.  I have a selection of wire baskets.  I'll post them sometime soon.  I just lately found this one.  The little hearts are so cute dangling there and well, it IS Heart Month, so I had to use it.

 

 Adorable!!!

So, there you are....more hearts...evidence of Heartprints I am quite sure.  I hope you enjoy seeing them. 

REMINDER:

February's Two Monthly Giveaways will be announced in a post on Saturday, February 29, 2020. 

until next time

BE WELL

from

Bird Nest Cottage

❤️❤️❤️ 

 

"Heartprint" Giveaway 2020

 

While working on my last blog post, I had the bright idea of having a Giveaway every month in this new year.  I would call it a "heartprint" giveaway because I so loved the quote I used in that last post. 

As a reminder, I'm also showing it here:

"The fact is that when you do something from your heart, you leave a Heart print."

Alice Walker

I love that quote so much. Your comments were just dear and I appreciate each and every one!

Giving away something I made always appeals to me, so I decided right then and there that sharing something with you all would be a good thing to do all year.  I figure life is tense these days, so

we could each use a little ray of sunshine now and again....I can't send everyone something...so I've chosen to give away two "Heartprints" per month.  I'm not sure what they will be,  but they will involve a bit of vintage quilt, a tiny bit of embroidery and whatever else I manage to think up.  No two will be exactly alike.

So, if you are interested, kindly leave a comment on this post.  If you left a comment on the last  post...it will count. You only have to comment on one post per month.

I will choose the  two monthly winners and announce them on the last post of each month.

"Heartprints" will be mailed to the winners by USPS.  I will need your mailing address.

For my email address, go to my blog profile and click on the word "email."

 

Just to have a couple of visuals on this post, I've included these photos of the 'nook' in my small kitchen.  There are hearts there...as they exist in just about every room in my house. 

 That red heart in my ivy...has lived in many plants over the years.

 

And, there in the corner are more hearts.  My friend, Patsy, made that for me.  Hearts and beads that catch the light.  I call her creations "Heart Strings."  Sorry this so dark...my kitchen is small and this is the only window in it...plus it was a 'dark and rainy day.'

So...two heartprint winners per month.  You will need to comment each month if you remain interested all year long!  It's a kind of commitment...designed to do two things:

1.  Give twenty-four of you a small gift.

2.  Make me more disciplined and "in touch" with you, my readers.

until next time,

BE WELL

from

Bird Nest Cottage

❤️❤️❤️

Heart Month - Post #2 (also with Giveaway #2)

 

"THE FACT IS THAT WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING

FROM YOUR HEART, YOU LEAVE A HEART PRINT."

Alice Walker

 

 I love that quote. 

 And, it applies to just about everything you do, doesn't it?

WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING FROM YOUR HEART!

For years and years now, I have added hearts to my work. Either stitched or in the form of buttons, pieces of jewelry, lace, and ephemera of all kinds. Notice there are heart shaped pins in the pincushion.  Also in this display is a heart shaped dish with a lid and an embroidered heart.

 

  

  

There are Heart Prints you SEE, such as the

   kind I'm showing you here.  And, then, the most important kind...those that you feel.

You know....like when you remember someone with a nice note in the mail, or share a treasured portion of a faded and worn quilt with a dear friend, perhaps gift someone something special for absolutely no reason at all other than the fact you thought of them...like a favored book or flowers. 

Seems to me that Heart Prints would be a good thing to spread around this year.  So...I'm going to choose two of my blog readers every month and remember them with a Heartprint from me. I've no idea at the moment what the Heartprint will be...as I just now thought of it....but, something simple and old-fashioned and probably to do with quilting or embroidery or both.

And,  I'll do it the old-fashioned way sending it by USPS.

 

If you are interested, kindly comment on this post.

 

 

 

  

 I'll be showing you more hearts as the days go by....most much more colorful than these....Heart month, you know.  

❤️

Remember, comment if you'd like to be remembered with one of my Heartprints! 

 (I'll be choosing two readers a month in 2020.)

until next time

BE WELL

from

Bird Nest Cottage

❤️❤️❤️