Friday, February 20, 2015

The Year of the Sheep

I don't want to get embroiled in the controversy as to whether it is really the year of the sheep or the  goat. I'm just going to roll with the sheep! Here is the latest "Lamb for All Seasons".
 Can you tell that my Leprechaun lamb is step dancing? Makes me laugh. : )
I still may put a gold buckle on the hat.

 The Spring lambie needs something more. I may add some French knots in the feather stitching (which looked like chicken scratches to me).

Eight seasonal/holiday 12" lamb quilts have been created so far from Lisa Bongean's "Old Glory Gatherings" free pattern here.
Winter through Spring are just flimsies. Fourth of July through Christmas are finished.

The second block now joins the first for Buttermilk Basin's Mystery BOM.

More Buttermilk Basin stuff--I finally got up the courage to feather stitch around my mat from the  workshop with Miss Stacy. 
This is the last of the sheep in this post. : )

My heart pillow from the workshop is ready to assemble.
I redid some of the decorative stitching and trims and now I am happier with it. Probably no one else can tell the difference, but I can.

 This is my Mom quilting on what she says is the last quilt she will make.
 She has named it "My Happy Quilt," because the colors and design make her happy.

She hand quilts all of her quilts and her stitches are tiny.
You can barely see some of the piano key border on the left side above.

As always, she gave me the leftover parts and scraps and I used them to make some little quilts for my two daughters. The hexie flowers were made by Mom, as were the HSTs in the corners. The colored borders were made from the trimmings on her piano key border.
The backing, bindings, even the batting are from the leftovers of Mom's quilt. I also tried to replicate the quilting motifs Mom has used in her own quilt--and I hand quilted them. Now my daughters will have a little memory quilt of their grandma's Happy Quilt, and I have enough pieces to make one for myself.

Keeping family and friends that are in the deep freeze in my prayers!
Until next time,
Janet O.

37 comments:

  1. Love the pics of your precious mom working on the quilt. ;) I love all of your wool work, so pretty.
    -Kristie

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  2. appreciate the kind thoughts for our frozen situation....your mother's quilt is beautiful....what a wonderful legacy of quilting in your family! and your seasonal lambs are sooo adorable...i don't work with wool but i do so admire so many cute projects i've seen with wool....

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  3. What a wonderful post!! Thank you for the links, and what a glorious quilt your mom is working on!! You will enjoy that picture for a long time. My mom too was a quilter, and I would love to have her picture.

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  4. What a fabulous picture of your mom a-quilting away. That quilt is gorgeous, and her quilting is spectacular. I love that you and your daughters have little mementos of her Happy Quilt

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  5. What a treasure to have your Mom alive and be a quilting partner. Love the rooster on one of the sheep. All your projects are beautiful and eye candy. Quilt on!

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  6. what a fun filled and inspirational post.
    I loved the photo of your mom at the frame - last one? hopefully you'll change her mind. It is a lovely traditional quilt.
    Your St Pat sheep is so cute with that hat - where's the whiskey jug, lol
    wonderful wooly projects. the pineapple is wonderful - so much to enjoy!
    It was fun to see them all together - you did such a great job with these they are so cute!

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  7. Your feather stitching looks wonderful. It really is a great stitch for your wool projects :)
    what a precious story of your Mom and the Happy Quilt! Using her scraps to cherish and pass on in your minis to the daughters is a priceless idea. That's a good thing.

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  8. That's a lot of sheep! All cute - I was trying to pick a favorite and I think it's the spring one. Love the pic of your mom - what a pretty quilt and fantastic hand quilting. And perfect little memory quilts for the girls - what a great idea! I really like the background fabrics that you chose for your BB SAL. I still haven't made them, but the patterns are printed off and waiting for me!

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  9. A beautiful photo of your Mom and her Happy quilt. Obviously, you both have gifted hands. Love all the sheep - and think a tiny gold buckle of the Shamrock sheep's hat would be so sweet. We have not seen the bare ground since early November and everyone is permanently frozen in place until Spring thaw which may arrive by June at this rate.

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  10. I love all of your little sheep blocks--so clever and cute! Your Mom's quilt is a beauty!

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  11. I love that you made Mini quilts from the scraps fro your Daughters. I'd go with the Sheep too. Goats and Rams aren't as cute on a quilt! Congrats on making all those seasonal Woolies. Even with a Free Pattern, I'm not adding it to my list of projects this year. I am very tempted though since they have lambs on them...singing Mary Mary...

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  12. Love all those sweet lambs.
    You have had a great quilting role model in your mother, no one in my family ever quilted although they were very accomplished seamstresses.

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  13. It is definitely the year of the sheep at your house :)
    I love the leprechaun most of all!!
    What a precious photo of your Mom hand quilting!
    I sure do hope it's not her last quilt.

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  14. So much wool goodness. You are on a wooly roll. What is your favorite sheep seasonal wall piece that you have made. Mine may be the snowflake one. The new St. Patrick's Day one is good too. I have very little to put out in March.

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  15. Everything looks so great. I love the dancing sheep. The pineapple block is drool- worthy, so so pretty. I'm sorry to hear you mom isn't going to be quilting anymore. She's made a truly "happy" quilt and the little quilts made from the scraps are darling.

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  16. I liked everything about this post. But I bet your Mom is wrong!

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  17. I love your flock of sheep and all your ButterMilk Basin stuff. They are all so cute
    Your Mothers quilting is just wonderful. What a great picture of her at the frame.

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  18. Felicidades a tu madre!!!!
    es un trabajo precioso
    la ultima oveja me gusta!!!!
    saludos

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  19. Such a happy sight to see all those sheepy quilts together - you've been very creative with each one of them! Your mom's quilt is such a nice one - very traditional - and it looks like her quilting is spectacular! My mom doesn't really quilt, and my grandma only ever tied quilts, so I don't have the heritage that you do - lucky! All your wooly projects look so nice - glad you caved about the SALs this year - you won't regret it!

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  20. It's the year of the sheep according to my Japanese friend, so I think you're on track. Love the step dancing. Your needle and thread have been busier in your hand than on your machine--beautiful work, as always! Your mom's work is equally gorgeous!

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  21. Love the sheep blocks (of course the green one is my favorite!)

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  22. Your sheep farm is going well. I like seeing all your wool felt makes. You Mum does beautiful work, such pretty quilting.

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  23. What a beautiful photo of your mom and her gorgeous quilt. She could print the photo on fabric for her quilt label. I love your idea for the mini-quilts from her scraps.

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  24. I love your lambs for all seasons and the last sheep that is looking out is so cute! Love how the ears stick out. Your Mom has left a legacy, for sure.

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  25. I love the photo,of your mom hand quilting! What a great idea to make the little quilts,for,your daughters. Wonderful!
    Happy stitching!

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  26. I adore your wooly projects and the sheep are adorable!
    So nice to see your mum quilting on her "last" quilt. It is such a happy quilt.

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  27. Your little lambies just keep getting cuter and cuter! Thanks for the picture of your mom at her quilt frame. It brings back pleasant memories of group quilts that I was a part of and the pleasant chatter as we quilted. That is a great name for her quilt - it looks so Spring-like and with the cold weather that makes us all happy! I hope that it really isn't her last - maybe just the last big quilt, hmmm? It's so nice that you make minis of her big quilts to share with your daughters. I do that sometimes but not often enough. My cousin used to make dolls and when I made baby quilts for her newborn twin grandsons (now teenagers), I made miniature doll-sized versions for her because the boys lived too far away to tuck them in. Your mom's stitching is amazing - so tiny and even. I'm in awe. I used to love to hand quilt but, surely, I was never that good or even close to it. Did she trapunto the hexie flowers or is that just the loft of the batting?

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  28. Okay...I hadn't noticed before that your st. patty's day sheep is dancing! So clever :) I agree that a gold buckle would be cute!
    What a wonderful picture of Grandma. I think I need you to send that and the one from last night to me. I am so excited and grateful for the happy quilt minis that you have made for me and Ang. Such a precious treasure! Thank you Thank you! And also very glad that you have enough to make one for yourself :)
    So fun to see all your lambs together. They are all so cute! Well done!

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  29. Your little lambs are so comical; they are very entertaining! The picture of your Mom and her quilt is very touching, as is the minis for your daughters. I hope that your Mom is able to enjoy good health for many years to come; quilting or not, as she chooses.

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  30. Hi Janet, love all the wool projects you have going on. The idea of using the feather stitch turned out real well. I'll have to consider using it on a future project. The remembrance of your Mom's My Happy Quilt for your daughters is wonderful. If you can do it, using the photo of your Mom working on her's attached as a label on the remembrance blocks would be awesome. Just a thought... Happy week Sandi

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  31. I'm so glad you took the photo of your mom quilting. We don't take action photos very often. Her work is beautiful. I loved seeing all the sheepies together. They make quite a group. The newest St. Pattie sheep is just too cute doing his Irish dancing! You've been busy.

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  32. Wow where do I start?! Your Mum's quilt is gorgeous and very cool that you will all have momentoes from it - a wonderful idea. Your sheep also are gorgeous, I was going to say a bit of Rosemary with the Spring Lamb might be nice but then wondered if you would speak to me again - darn it, said it :-) I love your Buttermilk Basin work as well, I have been following the free bom but haven't started it yet. Beautiful eye candy post!

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  33. So much eye candy and all very, very sweet! Your talent ...WONDERFUL....fun to see those sheep differently. Can I tell you....I'm envious of your mom and you!! Wish mine wanted to quilt!

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  34. These lamb quilts always make me smile! Oh, yes, I like the idea of a gold buckle on the hat.
    Do you really think it is your mom's last quilt? She looks so happy stitching away. It's a beauty!

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  35. I love your Lambs! Your Mom's quilt is truly lovely! Do you really think it will be her last?

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  36. Love those lambs, every one of them! Looks as if your mom is a fantastic quilter; she looks way too young to quit!

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  37. I'm so enjoying all your little lambs! It's fun to see what you've done with them for each month. Your mom's handiwork is exquisite -- truly it is. Is she really not going to make another one?!?!? Nooooo! :)

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