Weekend Trip

This past weekend my husband and I took a trip to the Eastern side of the state to be with our son and future DIL. We were invited to a Bar-b-Que on Friday night and to a wedding shower on Saturday. It was a lot of fun and her family is a joy to be with. Here is my son and his fiance checking out the quilt I made for them. They were blessed with so many gifts that we had to load up our car with some of them to bring back home.
On Saturday morning my husband and I went to a small town named Washington. It is located on the Pamlico River. There is a really nice board walk which we walked the length of (1,500 ft. long) and along the way we saw some really neat sights I thought I would share with you.
Around the town there are decorated crabs. I thought this one was really pretty.
This is a photo of the largest group of lily pads I have ever seen.
Here some photos of the flowers in their different stages of growing.
Here are some of the creatures that live among the lily pads.
Last week Happy Cottage Quilter had a week long giveaway. I did not win one of the official giveaway gifts but I did win a surprise gift of this sunny summery fabric. Thank so very much for the lovely fabric.
We have another new blogger in our midst. She came to visit my blog and her blog looks like it will be fun to read as she progresses. Check out Nifty Fifty Quilters.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. Henri Nouwen

Hand or Machine Applique?

How about both! I am in a Christmas block exchange that Jane is hosting and these tree blocks were made for two of the ladies in the group.
I received their starter block and other blocks that have been added to them.
That is how I get my inspiration. Two very different Christmas trees.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... James Pierpont

Wedding Quilt

All done! I have sewn the binding to the back of my son's wedding quilt. There is a shower this coming Saturday so I got it done just in time.
The polka dot fabric is flannel. A request from my son for something soft on the back.

If you look close you can see a seashell in the quilt design. There are different shells, starfish, and sand dollars designs too. Perfect quilt design done by a local long arm quilter. So now it is all washed and cuddly ready for the couple to use this winter.

Here is a photo of it that I had posted earlier just in case you missed it. The binding wasn't finished in this photo.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

One of the greatest things about the sport of surfing is that you only need three things: your body, a surf-board, and a wave. Naima Green

Giveaway, Applique, and Embroidery

Can you believe July is almost here? Mary at Quilt Hollow wants to help you celebrate with a very cute quilt that she is giving away. So go check out her blog and please tell her you saw it first on my blog.
Since my blog is called A Passion for Applique I thought I would show you some, just not mine, unfortunately.
These two photos are from both of the groups I attend each month. They are great, aren't they?
I have had these little hearts done for a while and just kept forgetting to show them. These are the free BOM at Crabapple Hill. They are embroidered on a very pale green fabric. I just can't get the color to show up very well when I take the photos.

While sitting here typing I just heard the first cicada. Now summer is officially here.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. Russel Baker

One Flower Wednesday

One more flower to add to my garden. This one needed 2 petals sewn on. That was easy! Go to Karen's blog and click on the links to see a lot more pretty flowers.

I picked up a Better Homes and Garden magazine called 100 ideas--Flea Market Style. Inside the magazine was a picture of this quilt. I like it a lot because it is so different and unique.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

I perhaps owe becoming a painter to flowers. Claude Monet

Acts of Kindness and More

You know when you are having a bad day because some people can just be so inconsiderate? Well, it is nice to know that the world still has so many nice people. Two of these very nice people just made my day when I opened up some packages I received in the mail.
Look at these most beautiful note cards that Karen sent to me. I will eventually use these cards so others can admire her work but for now I am just going to leave them sitting around so I can admire them. Karen combines nature and quilting on her blog. She takes some really beautiful nature photos as you can see from the cards. What I like about her blog is that she add facts about the nature posts she put up. I have learned a lot about different animals and plants. Check out her blog because she is work on a dragon fly quilt that is going to be so pretty. Thank you so much Karen for sharing your talent with me.
Yvette has been working on this red work BOM. I have really enjoyed seeing her progress on these blocks and told her I would love to get the pattern and where could I get it. You know where I am going with this. She said I could have hers! Well how nice is that?! so I have half of them and she is going to send the other half as she gets done. Yvette is very prolific in her quilting. She made a red and white Nearly Insane-ish quilt that is to die for. Check out her blog, BOM Quilter, and see her beautiful works. Thanks so much, Yvette for your generosity.
As for sewing, I have gotten the binding on my red and aqua quilt. I was determined not to let it sit with those other UFO's. As soon I get my son's quilt done I will start on this one.
I made the last block from a BOM from several years ago. I am adding applique to all the blocks so this one will sit in the UFO pile a little longer with the other blocks.
I have slowly but surely cutting pieces out for my son's wedding signature quilt. I have a bunch more to cut. They came over and picked out the fabrics from my stash. Lots of blues, greens, and yellows. It will be a scrappy controlled quilt for sure.
These will be the signature blocks. The yellow is much brighter than the photo shows. If you look close you can see the blue lines where the signatures will be written.
This photo of the Dresden bag is not mine. I got permission from Brandie to share it with you. I just thought it was so cute. I had mentioned that she might want to make a tutorial of her progress. Well, she did. There are three parts and this link will take you to the first part. If you make one she would love to see it. I think it is a pretty smart design. Thanks for letting me share your design, Brandie.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

" And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."(Eph 4:32)

As you have seen from my previous posts there are a lot of great giveaways going on this month. I know some of you are playing the Spring Fever Bingo. I am and I won the first day. I still can't believe I won with so many people playing. I won these lovely little sparkly charms. Thanks! Quilt Shoppe!
I made another block for the Quilt Around the World Christmas swap.
Look at these lovely fat quarters Stephanie sent to me for testing a bag pattern. Love them! Thanks Stephanie!
I have been busy going through my charms and matching up fabrics to make some more hexagon flowers.
Slowly but surely I sewed one more pink flower.
I am still sewing binding to the wedding quilt. I picked up my red and aqua quilt from the quilter so I will try to get the binding sewn on tomorrow.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance. Bern Williams

Giveaways!

Check out this great giveway at Cluck, Cluck, Sew. A bundle of Whimsy by Fig Tree Quilts. Hurry you only have until the 11th to enter.
Just wanted to share another giveaway with you. Cathi has some great gifts to share with someone. Hurry last day to enter is June 14. She has started a new on line business too so check out Shakerwood Woolens.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Applique Addicts Show and Tell, part 2

Can you believe a week long giveaway! Check it out this week on Jane's blog. A week long! wow!

Two of the ladies in the group are working on the quilt pattern from a vintage quilt called Beyond the Cherry Trees. Each is working in different fabrics and working on different blocks.





You can go here to see the original quilt. Each block is only available for a month and then it retires to the online store for purchase.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance. Jane Austen

Applique Addicts Show and Tell

I have a very busy weekend but just in case you don't and have time to read blogs I thought I would share some applique with you from my bee. Enjoy!


This is from Pat Sloan's BOM that is going on now.
With Passion,

Carrie P.

It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about? Henry David Thoreau

I Am Back! Warning! Long Post!

I sure have missed you all and I really think you all are the best. Thank you so much for all your kind words of encouragement and the cards that some of you sent. The bad news is that my arm is still the same, it hurts when I use it but the good news is that I still have things to share with you that I have been doing the last three weeks. For now I will only be posting once or twice a week just because I love to share with you all but I won't be replying to your comments. Instead I will visit your blog and comment on it. To do both is just to much typing for my arm. I know that is probably not proper blog etiquette but I know you all understand.

Before I show you what I have been doing I have to show you this so sweet pillow that Candace made for me to rest my arm on. Isn't it the cutest thing? It is done with some coloring and embroidery. Thank you so much Candace, I will treasure it always.

Since it is Wednesday I want to show you one flower. This one needed one petal to be added to complete it.
Some of you might have seen this article in the June/July issue of Quilters Newsletter. It was about embroidery creations by Australian designers. Well I did the Verandah Views BOM that Cheryl designed. I was asked by Linda if I might want to submit my quilt for the article she was writing and I said sure. Mine is the bigger quilt on the left hand page. You can see a close up here.
A couple days I went antiquing and found some great pillow cases and check out the table cloth. Both ends of the table cloth have the same design. Don't you just love that blue cow. It was labeled as a picnic table cloth. It just about fits my old farm table.

Check out this bag I made. I did a pattern test for the very creative Stephanie. This is her newest bag. It is called the Haliee bag. Stephanie said I could leave the rick rack off but I think it looks really cute with it on. If you like it you can go over to her etsy site and get the pattern there. Thanks Stephanie for sharing the Picnik.com site on your blog. Since I have so many photos to share it sure did make the post much shorter.
My husband and I attended our beautiful and smart daughter's college graduation. She now has a degree in graphic arts and we are so proud of her.
I got my son's wedding quilt back from the quilter. I did sew the binding on and am slowly hand sewing the binding onto the back. If you click on the picture to make it bigger you will see that the fabric has surf boards on it. My son is a surfer so this fabric is perfect for him and his future wife who is learning to surf. There is a shower on the June 25th so I really want to have it done by then.
I just have to share a little about our birds. We have a new pair of bluebirds building a new nest. The first brood left the nest a little early and one of the babys got caught by a black snake. I know a lot of people don't like snakes so I won't show that picture. lol I think three of the five made it to be adults. Unfortunately I think the black snake got the baby cardinals after they hatched too. Bad snakes.
I watched the irises and the Astilbe bloom. I also planted a few more plants. Guess what that little purple flower is called? It is a "Pincushion" flower. Really! I did not realize it until I put it in the ground and read the little tag. It brought a smile to my face when I realized that even my flowers are related to quilting.
I prepped two blocks from Linen Closet BOM. I have traced and colored the BOM that Dorothy is doing. I am so disappointed to be so behind on those blocks. I put my red and aqua blocks together from an exchange that Jane had a while back. The fall colored quilt which I made a couple years ago will be going to a person with Lou Gehrig's disease.
I have caught up on my magazine reading and worked on some puzzles to strengthen my brain. Before I signed off for a while I won two giveaways. I won the sweet little embroidery pattern from Robyn at Daisy Quilts. It is her own design. She has designed a new table runner that is really cute. Thanks Robyn. Marie at Hummingbird Treasures was having her first giveaway and I won it too. She had this machine embroidery picture being done on her machine and you had to be the first person to guess the name of the design and who had done the picture. I guessed right. It was irises done by Van Gogh. Those embroidery machines sure are neat. The prize was some very very soft napkins with my initial on them. And look at all the other goodies she sent along with the napkins. Love it all Marie, thanks a lot. Nonnie who does not have a blog sent me some fat quarters just for helping her with a pattern. Very nice and generous of you Nonnie. Thank you.
I made two blocks for the Quilt Around the World Exchange that Jane is hosting. My husband and I went Cherry picking for the first time. Picking cherries sure is a lot faster than picking blueberries. I also made some bibs and burp clothes. The blue ones went to Robin of Crafty Musings who just had her second cutie-pie boy and is a fabulous appliquer. The pink ones went to my niece who just had her second girl.

Thanks for stopping by.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Above all, try something! Franklin D. Roosevelt