Summer Already!

It seems I have settled in to this pattern of only occasionally checking in to the blog. Last time I told you about the Chicago Quilt Show. If you want to see more quilt photos, check out my flickr photoset HERE. Gosh, I love a good quilt show..

It took me a long time, but I finally finished an African embroidery pattern for my mom. She picked it out several years ago when we were shopping the vendors at the Chicago Quilt Show.



At the time, I thought, "I've always wanted to try that kind of embroidery, I bet I could do it." This is the project where I first learned my most favorite chain stitch.

Thus began a long and satisfying love affair with embroidery.

As it happened, I got about halfway through this project and then I started doing Hillary Lang's Stitchettes. I never did finish all of those either... You can see the Stitchettes I did stitch at the bottom of THIS BLOG POST.



It was a rainy afternoon just before Mothers Day this year and I was watching some of the PBS craft shows, and the host was stitching this very African Folklore Embroidery project. I got my act together, and stitched the rest of this during several of my guilty pleasure DVR shows. (Aren't the Real Housewives crazy this season? And Eep! Hoarders!)

Mom finally has her African Girls pillow! I even managed to sew in a zipper. When she picked out the project, she figured that she never would go to Africa, even though she is fascinated by world travel and native cultures, folk art, and artifacts. Fortunately, the opportunity came and she went on a trip there with a good friend.



This pillow really looked cute on my sofa too, but I don't want to start another identical project that takes five years to finish.

In other news, look how cute the crochet bunny hat looks on the recipient. She is such a sweet little girl: