More Dear Jane

I've been slowing down on my Dear Jane blocks while finishing Samantha's gown. Here are three more I just completed:E-4, Buffalo Tree Hopper, C-8 Hani's Crown, and the first triangle in the bottom row (an easy paper piece!)

Off to water the new grass and wander around the yard.

A Happy Mother's Day to all!!!

This, That, and a House Tour

I regularly read the blog "Quilting With Karen." She's been doing a house tour featuring photos of her house. What a great idea! So today is day one of Caron's House Tour, starting with the living room. If I were still in real estate I could give you a virtual tour - a 360 view, but I'm not, so these will have to suffice.

My leather chair was a gift from Dean several years ago. It's my favorite place to curl up and hand quilt with my hoop. I can see the TV from there, the fireplace keeps me warm in winter, I can see the kitchen, and out the back window into the woods. The living room and dining room are open to each other, and to the kitchen. The area has a vaulted ceiling that I love. It makes it seem so open!

I have to share with you a quilter I met via her blog this week. Her name is Wendy Sheppard, and her quilting is out of this world! I am always drawn to quilts that have lots of intricate quilting on them. I think hers are the most impressive I've ever seen. She has a quilt in the “Quilting & Embroidery” Summer Issue presented by Quiltmaker. The quilt is blue and white, and is called Ivory Spring (which is also the name of her blog.) I don't want to put a full photo of her quilt here without asking her, so please click on her blog and scoll down to the May 8, 2008 post. Tell her Caron sent you! If you can find more beautiful quilting than that, I'll eat my stash. Here is a cropped glimpse of her quilt to entice you to check out her blog.

I also want to mention another blog I happened upon yesterday... Annie's Quilting Stash. She has a podcast that is worth downloading to your computer or ipod. I have listened to several of them so far, and they are fantastic. Check it out!

Thank you to everyone who has either commented on my post or emailed me about finishing Samantha's christening gown. Your comments are cherished and much appreciated. I have removed the christening gown from my list of To Do's. On to finish another project. Oh, and start two more. I owe some people some "Pay it Forward" items, and I owe my dear friend Cheryl something special for helping me sell my condo in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. Everyone needs a friend like her. If you need a good Realtor in the West Michigan area, please contact Cheryl Moberly.

Samantha's Christening Gown

I'm so proud to say... Grammy has finished Samantha's christening gown, slip and bonnet! This was so fun to make (though at times I wished my mom was still alive to help with the hard parts). I love how it looks, and am so excited to see Sammy in this.
My favorite part is the lace on the hem of the gown.
The little slip has just a hint of pale pink, and the lace on the bottom is also on the bodice of the gown.

I mentioned above that through the difficult parts of this gown, I wished my mom were here. Mom was a great seamstress and sewed most of my clothes when I was young. I know mom would be very pleased with this; I know she'll be with us on June 8th for the christening. She would be so thrilled to have a baby girl in the family.

Samantha's Bonnet

This was a little tricky to make...

the bonnet to go with Samantha's christening gown. I've never sewn a bonnet before, and this uses the basic design of the pattern I'm following, but I added lace and redesigned as I went along. The circle at the crown is lace from my wedding dress, the lace on the top part of the bonnet is from Samantha's other Grandma Karen's wedding dress. The little lace applique where the ribbon to tie it connects to the bonnet is a part of the lace from the hem of her dress. I couldn't find the right place to photograph this... hard to get a good shot of white on white! Tonight I will be finishing her little slip and then show the whole thing. Stay tuned!