Happy February!

Wow! Can you believe it's February already? Is it just me or did January FLY by? Maybe that's because I was gone for a while. Anyway - I'm gearing up for Valentine's Day and fear it'll be here before I know it. Hearts are on the brain and I just finished my needle-turn applique heart pillow for a little friend's fourth birthday.

I ended up making my own piping. Did you know you can use yarn as the "guts" for piping? It works in a pinch and I just couldn't get to the fabric store this week.

I like the way it turned out and have already started a pillow for another little friend... this time using his first initial. I could really get hooked on this applique stuff.

But enough about that. Have you heard about the weather? We're bracing ourselves for the storm of the century here in Chicago. It's snowing lightly right now but is supposed to get pretty heavy this evening with blizzard-like conditions all night and all day tomorrow. You know it's bad when Al Roker and Sam Champion are in town to follow the storm and report live. Forecasters are suggesting this may be the third worst snowstorm in Chicago history! Crazy!

I sent my husband to the grocery store to stock up on cookie-making supplies as I imagine I'll be trying to keep a toddler busy tomorrow while he's home from school for his first snow day. Thankfully his grandmother bought him a karaoke machine for Christmas so tomorrow's festivities will also include Dance Party 2011 in our basement. We rock out to sweet tunes such as The Hokey Pokey, Old MacDonald Had a Farm and my son's personal favorite The Macarena.

I'm really hoping for a little sewing and quilting time tomorrow (please my dear little kiddos - take long naps!) I can't imagine anything better than some quiet time with my machine while I watch the snow fall outside my window. Pure heaven.

Stay warm and cozy and have a wonderful day.

Slightly Obsessed With Needle Turn

So I'm loving needle-turn applique. No surprise, right? It's really fun! I love the repetitive motion and the preciseness of the stitches. It's a perfect "feel productive while watching trashy television" thing to do.

I decided to start with something small and settled on a pillow cover. I chose heart shapes as Valentine's Day is coming up and I figured it would be a relatively easy shape to start with.

I found this great little tutorial on needle-turn. If you've never done it before, I highly encourage you to give it a go. It just takes a little practice.

The handwork takes me back to my youth. I tried everything from candlewicking to cross-stitch and I loved it! Do you remember those fads? You gotta love the 80's.

I have my heart set (pun intended!) on adding some pink piping to this pillow and I really like using the store-bought stuff. I don't have any at the moment, so this project is on hold until I can get myself to Joann. I try to avoid that store like the plague because going in for one item means I'll come out with 30 things I don't really need and a list of new projects to try (not to mention a hefty Visa bill).

I have a special recipient in mind for this pillow. One of our little friends is turning four just before Valentine's Day and this pillow is for her.

I'll be back soon with pics of the finished product.

I'm already plotting my next needle-turn project. I really want to try a quilt and have been scouring flickr for inspiration. There are so many great ideas out there!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Heirloom Needle-Turn Applique Quilt

Hi there!

I'm really excited to show you the second heirloom quilt I brought home from California. This beauty is in tough shape. Torn bindings and frayed edges. And the colors are so faded which made it very difficult to get good pictures (that and the fact that I can't seem to get any good natural light in Chicago this time of year). But I LOVE this quilt and the history it represents. My great-grandmother made this quilt (probably in the 30's or 40's) using needle-turn applique to make the sweet tulips found in each block.

Check out the detail on this sweet little tulip plant.

And look at the gorgeous hand quilting. I love studying the tiny stitches. A lot of work and love went into the making of this quilt.

I think the leaves were originally a much more vibrant green. They have turned to a soft gray and the quilt is lovely even with it's aged, muted tones. 

So I've been bitten by the applique bug and I won't quit until I've mastered the technique (that's kind of how I operate). I've been browsing blogs looking for inspiration and I think I know what I'm going to make for my first project. If I can make a little progress this evening, I'll share it with you tomorrow.

What projects are you working on (obsessing over)?

Hope you're having a great day!