Magnolia Mystery Quilt top picture

Magnolia Mystery Quilt top

Here's my Mystery Quilt Top ready to layer and machine quilt.  The fun part of this is that this is a wedding present for one of our grandson's and his "to be" who are getting married next March, 2014.  They are marrying at a Magnolia Plantation, so this is a must to have finished for them.
      I am keeping the background of the top very pale, so that the beautiful Magnolia blossoms will show up nicely on the top with their dark green leaves and white blossoms.  They will be appliqued on top of this quilt top, AFTER I have quilted it!
     This is a new techinique that works well for some quilts.
    The binding (gold fabric) is just laid on top of the raw edges right now.  More to come later....................
    Patterns for the top are forth coming..............:)Happy Days

Lacy Pastiche with designer B. Talley

Wow, thought you'd enjoy seeing a "crazy quilt" wall hanging this month, that I had made a couple of years ago for an exhibit at our Cultural Center In Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.  It is made out of hand made handkerchiefs, buttons, lace etc. that were some of my mom's treasures.  She had saved so many of these things that I thought that I had to save them, further.  It is not quilted, as I just didn't have time to do so.  It is all hand stitched.   I loved doing the silk ribbon embroidery, etc. that is on it.  I would love to do another one, as I still have so many things that were in her "treasure box" in her sewing room. Many of the buttons were given to me by a dear friend in NC named Helen M.  She had kept many of them for years, as well.  Another dear friend, Mary G. bought a box of antique buttons for me at a Hendersonville Antique Day in NC as well.  What a treasure it is to have things from relatives and friends, all preserved in one "crazy piece!"  Enjoy looking at all the little details in this, this month.  

Magnolia Mystery Quilt Block Pattern #2 Ladder block

Hope you are having fun piecing the blocks for the Magnolia Mystery Quilt.  I have all my blocks pieced and sewn together.  It makes a pretty background for an applique project.
The applique project will be to applique beautiful Magnolia blossoms and bud onto the background.  First, you have to finish piecing the blocks.  Make 8 identical blocks if making a square quilt.  To make a twin bed size quilt or larger, make 4 more identical blocks of #2 block.

The pattern is here for Pattern Block #2.

MAGNOLIA MYSTERY QUILT Block #1

Here we go with another Mystery Quilt.  Seems like folks like these fun projects.  There are only two block patterns that are pieced blocks.  I am using hand-dyed fabric that starts at a pale blue and ends with a pale green with lime green accents here and there.  The main thing is to use very pale fabrics.  You may choose any colors you wish, but just be sure that one of the colors is much much lighter than the other two so that the design will show up nicely.
You should make 8 blocks using this Block #1 pattern.
The only requirement is that all of the blocks for Block #1 must be made exactly alike.   The size of your quilt will be determined by the size of your blocks.  I am making a small wall-hanging so I am making 6" finished blocks.  For a twin bed size, you would want to make 12" finished blocks.
Remember that you must use very very light colored fabrics that will help your applique of beautiful magnolia blossoms show up well.  They will be appliqued to your pieced background.  For 6" block cut squares 2 1/2" and for half-square triangles, cut squares 2 7/8" and cut apart diagonally.

 

HAPPY ST.PATRICK'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU!

We Irish love the month of March.  It makes me feel good  to see the shamrocks here and there on signs, etc.

Here's the pattern for your shamrock to use on placemats, etc.  The placemats are easy to make.....I use a "Pizza" cardboard circle for the circle pattern...Fuse a green felt shamrock to one of the circles.Stitch around the shamrock 1/8" from the outside edge......make a 'sandwich' of one lining circle of fabric right side up,  a top fabric wrong side up, and a layer of batting.  Pin together.
Stitch together all the way around leaving a 6" opening to flip and turn. Sew up the side.  Stitch in the ditch around the shamrock to hold the 3 layers together nicely.  That's all folks!
Napkins are 16" squares hemmed with a 1/4" hem.

QUILT OF VALOR MYSTERY QUILT

This is the quilt I designed for a Quilt of Valor quilt as a Mystery Quilt Block of the Month for several newspapers.  It was auctioned off to raise money for the purchase of more fabrics to make more QOV's.  The pattern is my original design and must not be used unless given permission from me.  If this quilt pattern is used for any other purpose, you must get my written permission.  You may email me at Thimblena14@gmail.com
Thank you for your doing this for me.  Quilt Lady!