Susan's Spin

This is my friend, Susan and this is her spin on the wildlife applique patterns created by Toni Whitney. Susan paints the design onto fabric and then uses many different embroidery stitches to embellish the image. She surrounded this one with log cabins made from batiks. She says she plans to do all the animals, but will definitely make the next quilt smaller!

What a great example of thinking outside the box!

Where In Texas Are We?

HD, Valentine and headed out this morning to officially break in our new Jeep. Although it was pretty overcast, it turned out to be perfect! I was wondering if any of you Texans could guess where we went. Here's a hint, it is less than an hour from our house, on a river that actually has water in it and we picked up burgers at place a "Kingpin" would hang out. This is purely for fun, sorry there are no fabulous prizes!

Check this out!

I just got this link from Super Quilter. Don't let the title deceive you, it is super cute. Here's the link, http://thequiltedfish.typepad.com/. I have been a little light on motivation lately, but this blog may just be the cure! Be sure to click on "Tutorials" on the right sidebar, there are some really good ones.

What I Learned on Retreat...

I had heard of the "Magic Pillowcase" since I started quilting, but had never seen one made. My friend, Linda, gave me a tutorial while on retreat and I am hooked. Here's a link to a tutorial so you can see for yourself, http://with-heart-and-hands.blogspot.com/2009/05/burrito-or-magic-pillowcase-tutorial.html.

These make great gifts for children and adults alike. Think of one for each holiday or a special one for birthday or a favorite sport or animal. You need 3/4 yard for the body (unless it's directional, then you need 1 1/4 yard), 1/4 yard for the cuff and 3" for the accent strip.