Saturday 12 March 2011

Flying By

Wow, this week has just flown by. I don't know where it went. I know I spent a lot of time in front of my sewing machine and a few short hours on the sofa stitching.
This is what I've been up to this week.

The first picture comes with a bit of a story.
My parents will be married 60 years Sept 12th and so I wanted to do something special for them. I designed them a quilt. This is the top finished and now it has gone to the quilters.
The top row - a little hard  to see - has their dates Sept 12, 1951-2011 embroidered by a good friend of mine.
The rest are the family handprints. My young niece in Texas got my parents handprints "for a school project". Clever girl. My parents are at the top, myself, my sisters and their families fill the rest of the quilt. I can easily recognize my father's hands. They are short but very thick. My mother's hands are starting to cripple with arthritis and you can see the twist in her fingers. My youngest sister cut the tendon in one finger when she was young and you can see the finger has healed crooked. Myself and two of my nieces are lefties and so you can see our left hands. My little grandson's hands are easy to recognize. Already this quilt has a story. The quilt should be back from the quilters by mid April. Then I will sew on the binding and make some shams when I get back to Canada. I hope they like their surprise gift.


I received two wonderful gifts this week. I won a giveaway on Karin's blog - she creates her own glass beads. The lovely scissor fob has her incredible beads too. Isn't this a stunning collection! I'm trying to think what I will make with this.


Last night I went to a welcome home party for some friends of ours who had spent 3 months touring and visiting family in Australia. Look what she brought me. Now, she nows nothing about cross stitch. I think she made some wonderful choices don't you. I will have to stitch her a little something from one of these.


This week has been focused on my lighthouse. This is Point Loma in California.

For those of you who have not seen this before this is my lighthouse RR. It was started many years ago and I am finally hoping to finish it up and have it framed. Isn't it beautiful!

My friend Dani arrives tonight from Ottawa. I am very excited to see her. She and I are off to Phoenix for a couple of days. We should have stories and photos when we return. I hope to settle my CC thread issues while there.

Till then - keep those stitches crossed.

33 comments:

Ranae said...

What an amazing anniversary quilt, that is so cool and they will love it.
Karin sure has a glass bead talent, don't she??!!
Beautiful RR!
Have lots of fun with Dani!

Rowyn said...

What a fantastic present for your parents. I can't wait to hear later in the year their reaction to it.

What great gifts your friend brought back from Aussie for you.

Have fun with Dani.

Carol said...

Oh, your parents will be thrilled with their quilt, Kathy! What a unique and special heirloom.

Your lighthouse stitching is wonderful--I'm so glad it's finally nearly finished.

Have a great time with Dani--I know she is really looking forward to some sunny, relaxing days :)

Karen said...

Your quilt is a wonderfully original idea that I'm sure your parents will love.

It looks like your RR will be finished soon! You're making some nice progress.

Enjoy your time in Phoenex with Dani!

Judy S. said...

What an absolutely fabulous quilt, Kathy. I am sure your folks will love it. I also love your lighthouses! Have fun in Phoenix, and soak up a little sun for me, IK?

Marion said...

Oh my!!! What a wonderful, fabulous gift for your parents!! I have never seen anything like it!!! What an absolute treasure! You will have to take lots and lots of photos of the entire family and them, when they receive it!!
Take care
Marion

Myra said...

That quilt is awesome Kathy! Your parents are going to be thrilled. I just love your lighthouse RR, such a treasure of beautiful work. Lovely beads and things from Karin - will be watching to see what you make with them.

Christina said...

Wow, what a beautiful blanket - such a thoughtful and personal present - I'm sure your parents will be thrilled with it.
Love your new scissors fob - I must buy/make myself one, I'm forever searching for my scissors when stitching!

marylin said...

oh my god it's really beautiful! you have gold in your fingers!
marylin France

Rachel said...

That quilt is amazing Kathy! Definitely something to be treasured :)

Linen Stitcher said...

Wonderful project pictures as always, but my favorite is definitely the quilt. What a lovely and thoughtful gift! Your parents are sure to treasure it!!

Enjoy your time with Dani. Hope you find the thread you need!

Daffycat said...

*falls over* That quilt will be such a special gift, Kathy. You are so clever!

Have fun with Dani. I wish you both a bad case of stitch-butt & hope you lose your voices from laughing too much!

Cathy said...

Your parents will love the quilt! Your lighthouse RR is beautiful. Can't wait to see it finished.

Carolien said...

Hi Kathy!

What a GREAT quilt this is! What a splendid idea for the anniversary of your parents. They are lucky with a daughter as creative as that!!! Love the hands ...
Nice gifts too :)

have a nice week & hugs, Carolien

Blu said...

What a great quilt! A true family treasure.

Great new stash! And the Lighthouses look amazing.

Siobhán said...

What a wonderful gift for your parents. It is beautiful!

Nice new stash and win! Your Lighthouses looks great.

Enjoy the time with Dani!

Lynn said...

Oh Kathy, it's stunning!! There's a whole lot of love in that quilt and I know your parents will be thrilled when they receive it.
Your Lighthouse RR is so close to finally being finished. It will be wonderful!
Enjoy your visit with Dani. I'll be watching for those pics.

barbara said...

This is just the most amazing, thoughtful gift for your parents' anniversary!!!

Unknown said...

What a terrific quilt you have made for your parents. It is so cool that your whole family participated in it - great idea and beautiful results!

And, I really like your lighthouse RR - we seem to be building a lighthouse collection ourselves.

Scully said...

What an amazing quilt! You need to break up your posts a bit more so we can all comment properly. What a wonderful gift!

Katrina said...

Have fun with Dani!!!

Gorgeous quilt and gifts and stitching pictures too.

Carolyn NC said...

What a wonderful gift for your parents - great idea! Lighthouse RR is looking good! And the Australian book looks fantastic!

Andrea said...

Great quilt! Your Lighthose RR looks fantastic.

sandra said...

Gorgeous quilt! Your parents will love it! The light houses are growing beatifuly!

Meari said...

What a really cool gift for your parents' anniversary!!

Nice stitchy mail, and your lighthouse piece is just gorgeous.

Aussie Stitcher said...

The quilt is amazing and will certainly be cherished by your parents. Such a great idea.

Mary said...

Kathy, you've made an amazing quilt for your parents! They will love it!

Very nice gifts received to add to your stash.

Hope you have a great time with your friend and have a great trip to Phoenix!

Michele said...

Kathy, what a lovely quilt and great stories already! You'll have to write them down so they can be passed down with the quilt.

I just love your Lighthouse RR!

Enjoy your time with Dani :)

Stitching Noni said...

Kathy, the quilt is fantastic! What a great idea for your parent's special occasion. They will absolutely love it.

The lighthouse RR is great, it is going to be a lovely piece once it is all finished off.

I was also admiring the Mirabilia RR that you are taking part in... such beautiful designs - they will all look fantastic when they are finished.

Look forward to reading more of your stitching updates.

http://firefliescatsinthegarden.blogspot.com/

Jennifer said...

That quilt is fantastic!!! Make sure you pack a whole box of tissues - there are sure to be tears shed when it's opened. It's an incredible gift.

Berit said...

What wonderful things you've been gettign up to lately--love that anniversary quilt for your parents. :)

Cheryl said...

Wow Kathy! That quilt is amazing! What a lovely special present that'll be! Im going to show my mum this post, she's a quilter and will love your quilt for sure

SheilasEmbroidery said...

Fantastic quilt, what a lovely idea. Welcome to NH.