Baby Kisses and a Special Gift

Finally, Baby Kisses is finished, along with a pillowcase to store it, a burp rag, and a matching tightly stuffed pillow for Mom or Granddaddy (the fireman) to prop their head on while rocking the baby boy, due the week of August 20.  I'll get it delivered later this week.  The backing is the "Car" movie fabric.  I decided to quilt crosshatching in the border with turquois thread.  (Scary!)

You may remember a comment by Liri on July 2 on my quilt with the white stars, "Red, white, and blue.  Something good is in store for you."  In a few days, I received this book, and a beautiful little beaded stitchery, with a little note that says, "....but I loved the roses."  She took those words from the name of my first quilt, with pink roses.    The book is wonderful, and every page has a color picture of incredible patriotic quilts!  Some are really old, and others are from as recent as the 1980's; it was published in 1986. 

You would know I love the book, but that embroidered rose, encircled with crystal beads, is very special to me!  I took my time deciding just what to do with it, and finally found the perfect frame for it!  It was exactly the right size, with a mat offset with a little black recessed molding that gives room for the stitches and beads without them being pressed against the glass.  I got it framed today, and it will have a place of honor in my home.  I'm keeping the note and card with an explanation in the back of the frame! 

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, LIRI!  I LOVE IT!

After making three large patriotic quilts, The Big IF, and the Baby Kisses, without once stopping to dust, you can imagine the mess the sunroom was in.  I said WAS, because I've spent most of today cleaning every chicken and bird on the shelves, about 50 little shoes in that collection, and everything setting or hanging in the sunroom!  I had to change dust rags four times, and dust mop the floor three times in the process!  Where does all that lint and dust come from???!  It looks a lot better tonight!  Now maybe I'll just sit down and enjoy the Olympics tonight. 

I'm still undecided what to start on next, but Christmas is whirling in my brain!  In fact, I ordered two wall hanging kits from Keepsake today, and a bunch of thread and fabric from Connecting Threads!  I need to make another Baby Kisses in pink for a Christmas gift too!  Got to get it done, because all sewing stops at my home Thanksgiving week, until after New Year's!  Also I want to make myself another Big IF before I forget how I made it!  Still have to find the background fabric for that! 

Hey, I'm tired!  I'm going to go chill out ------ not a bad idea in the Texas heat!  It's awful!

Have fun and stay safe, whatever you are doing!  Hope you all are getting some quilting done!

---"Love"