Sunflower wallhanging

I finished something.  It feels good to say that :0)  I started this wall hanging for my oldest daughter just over 2 years ago.  It is supposed to go with the bed quilt I made for her called Cheddar Posies.

I started with handpiecing the head of the sunflower.  I'm not a real confident handpiecer so I was kind of surprised when it turned out.  Then I got stuck - very badly stuck. I didn't know how to make the leaf portion of the wall hanging.  I set it aside until inspiration struck this summer.



 Simple pieced leaves sewed up quickly  and finally last week just before my daughter came home for a mid-semester week off from college I finished quilting it.
The quilting went fast and I was so happy with how easy it was to free motion quilt with my new machine.  I got brave and tried something new - pebbles.  (I thought they might look like seeds)

 I stuck with straight lines for the rest except for the leaves which a friend suggested I feather.

I helped her hang it in her dorm room lastnight (I had to take her back - happily she's only just over an hour away) and I think she was really pleased with it. I can't believe it takes me so long to finish things. 
I have another big finish for my next post - it just needs binding. 

Happy Quilting!!

what I'm working on

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post.  I have a winner for the 2 Jolly Bars of Summerfest from my last post - comment #7 Beth.

 My mom recently gifted me with a small bagful of old spools.  I love wooden spools.  I know my mom would string empty ones together into a chain and tie it to the highchair for a toy when I was a baby.  (Of course I don't remember this but I remember my younger sisters playing with them)  The spools in the picture are still around because they have thread on them.  I will use the thread for basting things and while I baste - wonder what sewing project my mom bought the thread to make :0)

After I typed up this post I had a quick look at my baby book and found this picture of me in the highchair with the spools dangling off the side.  I don't look too fascinated with them in the picture but there they are. 

 I need to finish up this long-set-aside sunflower wallhanging for my oldest daughter.  I wanted to set the flower into a square background.  I basted the background fabric to freezer paper around in a big circle.  Although I thought I had measured carefully - I ended up rebasting it twice before the circle was the right size - wheew!  Now all that's left is to attatch the stem and leaves and get it quilted.

     

 I finished another block for my Radical Rose and Reel quilt.  Block #5 of nine - over halfway if you're not counting borders...  Still loving the pattern by Dawn and her daughter at Collector with a needle.
At guild last time a friend showed us how to make these feather blocks from scraps.  I thought it looked like fun to try. Here is hers - all bright and fun

 But I thought I would make mine for a gift and chose to use fabrics that would go with her décor.  Yeah - I know - not nearly as fun looking.  I'm not sure I have it in me to finish this up.  This always seems to happen when I try to make something to suit someone else's taste.  It just doesn't work!

They were very fun to sew though (I made 2) Maybe I'll make some more feathers but this time in more exciting colors.
So many projects - so little time - Happy Quilting!!