OPAM finish/Design Wall

This is my design wall for this week, my outdoor mannequin and the purse I finished Saturday.

This purse was created using the fabrics from City of Roses so I call it City of Roses 2.

I should explain that not only is the fabric covered with roses but I was born in the city of roses, Portland, Oregon, and have a very soft spot for it.

Anyway, again there was no pattern so I am not sure how I wound up with this but it is a little bigger than the purse I made earlier, more square.

Even the handle was made using some canvas strapping that I found somewhere and covered with the yellow rose fabric.

I probably won’t start carrying it until June but, if I can find the right outfit, will carry it to the end of the year dinner at guild.

This weekend I have been on the road for three straight days. Thursday DD and I went shoe shopping in Pensacola, FL (180 miles round trip) and bought her some Sketchers to wear to work: nursing in a nursing home. I got mine a couple of weeks ago and really have enjoyed walking in them. While we were in town I just happened to stop in at Joann’s and bought one piece of fabric (R). It is a printed canvas that I am going to use to recover some outdoor pillows that have seen better days.

Friday DH and I drove down to Mobile, AL (240 miles round trip) to see if we could purchase something. He had called and found they had the item in stock but when we got there they were sold out. Not only that but we found that the Mobile Barnes & Noble is closing, not relocating but closing. We don’t frequent there often, note the miles, but when we are there it is one of our “must” stops. So sad!

Saturday DH and I returned to Pensacola. I picked up a pair of Sketchers sandals and he got a new computer. Not being the brightest computer bulb in the pack, he is now having to learn Windows 7: really funny. Oh, and I stopped at a favorite fabric shop and got this beautiful black and white piece (and little shades of green) (M). I have no idea what I will do with it but it was so very different from everything else I have.

And to finish off the weekend, on Sunday we drove to Crestview, FL (110 miles round trip) to have dinner, and visit another fabric shop that is celebrating her 39^th business anniversary. My fabric purchase was this hydrangea print (L) that will be used as the backing for this as yet unnamed quilt.

Despite all that driving, I did get one more string block done and even have done most of the appliqué of the stems for the appliquéd borders I am making. Tomorrow I should have the stems done and will start appliquéing the flowers. And, oh, by the way, I don’t plan to go anywhere for quite a while!!

One last thing. Please pray for the Gulf coast. The oil slick is going to cause another devastation to the area, this one covering four states. It seems our area has more than it’s share of this sort of thing.

Great Outdoors

Disign wall Monday, again. And this week I have something new.

I was picking up "stuff" and came across the leftovers of The City of Roses. When I looked at the pices of strata I began to see the makings of a new purse.

And this is how far I have gotten. On the left is the body of the purse including a front pocket. The next picture is the lining. The front, lining, and batting are all put together and quilted.

Check

Judy's blog for other projects.

This is a close up of the quilting. And now I really want a computerized quilting system. This was done by machine embroidery, four hoopings. This are the best feathers I will ever do. ;-)

I once again tried quilting Purple Rail and this is the panto I am using.

I really like how it looks but I am having problems with tension, thread breaking and so this is all I have gotten done, so far. I have cleaned the bobbin case, under the throat plate, changed the needle, and tried everything I can think of. It has gotten a little better but for some reason it is not working as well as usual.

So Sunday afternoon DH and I put this gazebo together and spent the rest of the day reading in the shade.