Ideas for Applique Tuesday

Things are slowly getting back to normal, but not normal enough that I've had time for applique.  I feel bad about that.  But last Thursday I was thinking about it as I took my cousins to visit the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino.  I found a lot of quilting and applique ideas there.

First was the mansion which is now an internationally known art museum.  Two of the most famous paintings there are of Pinkie and Blue Boy - and yes they are the originals.  Many fabulous paintings there. Here's another one:

Look at these designs I found!  What a fabulous EPP this would make.

How's this for a border? Part of a mantel for a huge fireplace.

Loved this altar piece in the chapel - so art deco.

 Love this William Morris framed fabric.  I can see making this as an applique piece.

Then on to the Chinese Garden:

 There were wonderful motifs everywhere like this hexagon pattern in a walkway.

Here's a window that would make a great pattern for a silhouette quilt.

 Another pattern in a couryard.

 Here's the five of us resting at the end of the day in one of the mansion's beautiful gardens.  I'm on the right. We were exhausted by 4PM - arrived at 10:30.  But our guardian angel (a tram driver who was assisting some of the guests) met us at the exit and drove us to our cars. What was special was the trams weren't even suppose to run that day because it was the free day of the month. Thank you, Lord, for sending Gabriel!

And here is my niece, Erica who was taking the photo above.

She loved the staircase in the art gallery.

I'm setting a goal to have some applique progress next Tuesday!  Did you get some done?  Leave me a comment and I'll come visit.  Blessings!

Stash Report and Design Wall Monday

First the Hexie Weekend linky is still open.  Would love to see any eye candy you have -recent, old post, ideas for a quilt - whatever you'd like to share - closes Monday, midnight and you find it in the previous post.

I bought a new machine for quilting because I realized I was asking too much of my Bernina 130 as far as quilting. Still works like a dream for piece and sewing, but after much thought and asking around I tried out a Handi-Quilter Sweet Sixteen and a Juki 2010Q .  I liked them both but after trying out the HQ SS  I knew I would have a long learning curve of getting use to the machine facing me and dealing with the way the quilt would be oriented.  I decided it would take me too long to reprogram myself after 23 years of sewing the other way. Also, although it has a 16" throat, facing me quilts would pile up in front of me instead of spreading out in the huge space I had before. The Juki is wonderful for quilting.  I know I am still guiding the stitching in FMQ, but the stitches look way better (than from my Bernie and no tension problems) so far! And it's quieter than the HQ.   Here is my first top I quilted with it.

This is my first Christmas quilt for 2014.  Here's the front:

I used some orphan blocks from my stash and a yard of fabric.  I also in my frenzy of making room for the new machine, and its table, donated 15 yards of fabric to a Lutheran Church mission group that makes quilts for Africa.  You'll find those numbers in my right side bar.

Still have a long ways to go in fitting everything in the sewing room - I may have some giveaways in the future as I sort through everything.  Here are the two ladies:

This corner was filled with boxes piled 4 high.  I moved my old Koala cabinet and Bernie to there.

Turning with my back to Bernie, here is Juki in her new Sew Easy Table. Came in two days!  I was impressed with the quality of the table.  She's backed up to my cutting table so I'll have plenty of flat surface for the quilts.  As to the other corner's of the room - you don't want to know - LOL - so much stuff to find a home for!

Finally, coming off my design wall is my Guild Heart challenge which I named Purple Hearts.  We had to make a quilt with hearts in it.  This is 36 by 45" in size - perfect for laps and wheelchairs.

I'm giving this to a Vet in our local VA hospital.

I'm linking to Judy's Patchwork Times and Marelize's Anything Goes Monday.  See you there.

Hexie Weekend and I need

your advise! I've been rearranging my sewing room as I bought a new machine (but that is for another post). In going through boxes I found this:

I had bought the top a few years ago at a quilt show near Carlsbad and forgotten about it.  It's totally done by hand:

Whoever made this made a truly scrappy top and some creative piecing.

 She even used the fabric where it was joined at the mill.

My question is this - do you think this can (or should) be saved.  The white muslin is fraying at seams. Click to enlarge the fourth picture and you'll see what I mean. Someone (not me!) must have washed it in trying to clean it and made the seams fray even more. I'm considering making the missing flower, replacing the few printed fabrics that are shredding with some 40s-50s fabric I have, laying the top on a piece of white fabric and then sandwiching to thin batting and a back.   Then again, I might just salvage the flowers and set them on white Kona and remake the top.  Help!

What are you working on?  Linky below.  Would love to see your eye candy.

An InLinkz Link-up

I"m linking to Sarah's Can I get a Whoop, Whoop and Richard's Link A Finish Friday. See you there.