All American

All American ~ 60" X 60"

I didn't quite succeed in getting this patriotic quilt top pieced by Flag Day this year, but almost! I saw this pattern a few months ago online and knew that this was the quilt that I wanted to make as a wallhanging for brick wall out on the new porch, it will hang over the drop-leaf game table that Mr. Goodneedle is building-- the colors are perfect and I believe that the visual impact of this design is reminiscent of a game board. I did something that I hardly ever do: I ordered the kit from Simple Stitches; everything about the fabrics, colors and design appealed to me. The customer service was great, receiving the fabrics and pattern in a matter of only a few days! I modified the pattern for my space by only constructing five rows instead of six and omitting the outer border entirely.

This was an easy pattern, the blocks are all 12" and the piecing was straight forward. I didn't use the cutting instructions as directed: in fact, I never even opened the pattern at all. I used my Studio 180 tools: the Tucker Trimmer for the blocks above and the Wing Clipper for the large star blocks. 

It's easy to be accurate when joining the blocks using these tools, as everything is just a smidgen over-sized and the trim down results in perfectly square units every time. 

Once the blocks were all laid out I "webbed" the entire quilt top together vertically and then stitched the horizontal rows together; this is a time saving technique for me. 

Here's a snapshot of the cutting table with the paper pattern (link is above, under the top photo). If anyone reading this post would like the pattern, please let me know. Its brand new and I'd be more than happy to send it to you (USA). If more than one person would like it, I'll simply draw a number. Now, I just need to get this new top loaded and quilted; as things stand right now I have two quilts in line ahead of this one.

Adapting in an upside-down 🙃world: because we can't visit my Mom and Dad in person right now we've taken to Face Timing. Our normal early morning phone calls are now video experiences. I'm extremely grateful to my brother-in-law who facilitated the I-pad set up so that this could happen. Originally we had planned to set-up this gift for Dad in person, when we went to their home back in March. That trip never happened. Finally, it became apparent that we wouldn't be traveling (and exposing them to heaven-knows-what we might encounter between here and there) for the foreseeable future, but the need to see each other was still great. So, we sent it off in a package!

This is a screen shot of our phone visit this morning; I couldn't be happier, he was willing and eager to learn and use technology. We hope to get up to New England to see them by late summer or early fall. Fingers crossed. 

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be" - Abraham Lincoln

What's making you happy today? 

I have switched off the TV and am listening to my favorite playlist of oldies while I sew.🙂🎵  

Next up on my cutting table: more face masks, assembly-line style. 

Life is Good!

MQX - Observations From A Newbie

I was gone last week, my husband and I drove up to New Hampshire for a post-Easter visit with my parents; we literally stepped back in time, weather-wise! As we went farther north the temperature got cooler and the snowbanks began to appear along the sides of the road; dirty, black, compacted snowbanks that have been there for awhile. New England was still within winter's tight grip. Thursday morning I was up bright and early for a drive to Manchester and two classes at the MQX (Machine Quilters Expo) Quilt Festival.

My brother-in-law volunteered to drive me down; I was more than happy to take him up on his offer as this was the view through the windshield, four inches of snow had fallen overnight and it was still snowing as we traveled!

My first class began at 8 AM; I was there in plenty time to check in and receive my name badge and "swag bag"... nice! I was informed that as a "newbie" I should wear a pin designating me as such, it was incredible how many people noticed that and warmly welcomed me, they were more than generous with all sorts of valuable information! The venue was smaller than I was accustomed to at Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival; there was general atmosphere of congeniality and camraderie, everyone that I met was friendly and more than happy to be there. It reminded me a lot of the Applachian Quilting Parties that I used to attend back in the 1990's in Boone, NC.

The morning class that I took was a hands-on longarm class taught by the uber-talented Judi Madsen. We learned Judi's method for creating fabulous background fill stitches and spent lots of time practicing each one. Judi is a sweetheart; she was gracious about sharing her expertise as well as encouraging and enthusiastic with each student, it was an all-around amazing learning opportunity.

We all left the class happy quilters!

All I can say about this picture is that Judi makes it seem so easy I can do it with my eyes closed! 

This is was my class take-away souvenir, I am eager to put some of these techniques to work!

I can't say enough good things about Judi; if you ever have the chance to study with her, go for it!

After class there was only time for a quick bite of lunch and a run-through of the quilt show and vendors before my afternoon lecture/demo class began. As I expected, the quiting displays on the show-quilts were completely awe-inspiring! I lingered over the "Sew Kind Of Wonderful" row, incredible examples of gorgeous quilts made using the Quick Curve Ruler. I bought one a few months ago and it hasn't been removed yet from the package; okay... now I know, it's time!

Aren't those all drool-worthy? Oh, yes they are! 

I had to skeedaddle to class to get a seat, the room was already packed. My afternoon class choice was... who else... Judi Madsen, again! There were lots of other instructors, just not for me, I chose to have an all Judi day! The afternoon lecture/demo was on ruler work; Judi made it look so effortless!

This quilt of Judi's was on display and representative of what we learned. I can see, now, how using a straight ruler and combining that with the background fills that we learned in the morning can provide some absolutely stunning results. I need to devote myself now to some serious practice time. 

After class I had a little bit of time to run through the vendor's mall and pick up a few items while looking at the remaining quilts on display. I took a photo of this "Be Attitudes" quilt to remind myself to finish the one that I started quite a few years ago! I love the bright colors used in this one. 

The quilting on this wallhanging elevates an already beautiful quilt up to an entirely different level.

And last, but certainly not least... this is the most beautiful Swoon quilt that I've ever laid eyes on. It is made entirely of silk! The quilting is phenomenal and the colors are vibrant against the soft gray background. I'm serious when I tell you that this quilt literally shone from across the display area!

All in all it was a wonderful perfect day; Mr. Goodneedle and my parents picked me up late in the afternoon, we stopped for a delicious dinner on the way back home, meeting my sister and brother-in-law at the restaurant. When I think back on this experience, and I will, nothing but good and happy memories remain; it just doesn't get any better than that... even with the snow.

Life is Good! 

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day

In honor of Mother's Day I wanted to share a photo of my mother today, with her recently completed strip quilt. Is there any happier smile than the one when your own quilt is done? I don't think so. I know she will enjoy the comfort of this beautiful handiwork for years to come.

Wishing mothers everywhere happy smiles 

and beautiful moments today and every day!

Life is Good!

A Happy Life

I heard this on the radio yesterday, it was too good not to share. I am still reflecting on both the simplicity and the power of these three keys, the keys to a happy life:
1.  Something to do...
2.  Someone to love...
3.  Something to hope for...

Life is Good!

Tiny Clothes

The embroidery machine has been busy, stitching itty bitty monograms onto teeny tiny clothes! The velour one-piece playsuit in the back is for Gregory. The two hooded jackets in front are for newborn twin girls born a week ago last Sunday.

My hands haven't been idle either! I've begun smocking again; Lucy Ann's Easter dress is on the left and a little summer play dress for her is on the right; those are strawberries on that one! The smocking plate reflects that same motif, I couldn't help myself. These tiny clothes provide a huge helping of happiness!

Life is Good!

Football? Sewing? No Contest!

How are you spending Super Bowl Sunday?

It looks like Mason is speaking on behalf
of the boys in the family, it's all football.
I, for one, am planning a day long sew-a-thon!
(My husband, a Green Bay fan, will never miss me!)

...and, because my grandchildren get equal blog time,
here's Little Miss Happy expressing her delight upon
learning that Nana can sew all day uninterrupted!

My feelings, exactly!
Life is Good!

Mason: 2 1/2 years ~ Lucy Ann: 4 mos.

Sharing The Good Times

I have a friend who always remembers to take snapshots; and then, she shares them, what could be better? She gave me this print last evening, I am deeply grateful. This picture represents a lot to me; taken at a very happy event this summer, my husband and I were surrounded by good friends in a wonderful and relaxed setting, and now I have a tangible reminder of this great day! I need to take a lesson from my friend and be more mindful of remembering the camera, snapping those photos at outings, gatherings and get-togethers, and sharing the good times with copies printed out. A photo gift is a priceless memory and a treasured memento. Thanks, Salem Stitcher, for sharing the joy and the memories; one precious snapshot at a time!

Life is Good!

Be Happy Tip #2:
Sing! - Singing works just like smiling, causing your body to produce "feeling good" chemicals. Sing in the car, sing in the shower, sing when you prepare dinner and sing when you feel frustrated and notice how the negative feelings melt away.

Happiness Overfloweth

I heard a medical report on the news this morning; I was only listening with one ear but it had something to do with findings that measured one's happiness relative to how busy that person was. Huh? They had my full attention now... WOW!... really? They were talking about active minds and active hands. If that's the case I would like to introduce myself as the happiest person you're going to meet today! I just finished this tote bag as a birthday gift for my sister-in-law who had a birthday last week. She's officially in our family's "sweeps week" for birthdays. (I can post this here with no worry as she doesn't look at blogs.) It's not an original pattern but from a tutorial I found online over at Ginabean Handmade. My embroidery machine has been working overtime this week, turning "Stitchworks Wednesday" into "Stitchworks WEEK". Whew! A boxful of precious burp cloths are in the mail to some very deserving babies as of this morning. Right around the time I was topstitching the edge on the totebag my "workhorse" piecing machine, an almost 17 year old Bernina 1630, went out of whack; in a major way. I suppose it's because I use this machine all the time... but wait, that should mean that the machine is happy... right? Hmmm. My resident engineer worked on it all afternoon; things are better, but not perfect. Looks like we'll be paying a visit to the Bernina repairman. In the meantime, since life is so happy here at Chez Goodneedle I thought I would end this post, (and the next nine) with one of the top ten "How To Be Happy" tips. Hey, I'm all about sharing the wealth; and as busy as I have been lately, I have loads of happiness to spare and share!

Life is Good!

#1. Smile a lot - If smiling is too hard for you, take a pencil and hold it with your teeth. There are enough smiling muscles involved for your brain to think you are smiling and start producing "happy" chemicals.

Heart Songs

What makes your heart sing? There are two things doing just that for me right now, and they both happen to be in my studio. One is a new and perfectly pristine ironing board cover! The second is this freshly washed and pressed future table topper. I have been stitching the hand embroidery on this one for well over a year. It is a vintage piece, it was given to me as a kit by my mother-in-law when I was a newlywed; almost thirty five years ago! I stitched, maybe, eight inches back in 1975 and then promptly put it away. To my great delight I rediscovered it last year and have been stitching on it, here and there, ever since! My plans are to load it onto Sundance soon and quilt it. Since both items mentioned here won't be in this state for long I decided to share them here today. The condition of the table topper will change and improve (through quilting) and the ironing board cover's appearance will only deteriorate with heavy use! But, for today, my heart sings at the sights around me!

Life is Good!

Oh, Happy Day!

I've been a part of a round robin blogging group for the last 15 months. My own completed "baby" (14" X 18.5") returned home on Friday, immediately prompting the name for this quiltlet: Oh, Happy Day! Any of you who've ever participated in a round robin can identify with the feeling: you get so wrapped up in the creative process and the monthly deadlines of receiving and sending that you lose sight of the fact that you're actually going to get one in return! I am deeply appreciative of the hard work and dedication poured into this project. My precious little beauty has traveled across the country and back; and will now rest from her journey on the studio wall, a constant and happy reminder that...

Life is Good!
...oh yes it is...