Don't let the difficulties of the present moments overshadow the reality of God's promises. God's promises still stand. And God's promises are stronger than our failures.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Hearts And A Flower

I wanted to make a Valentine table topper and when I saw this one designed by Barb at Bejeweledquilts by Barb I thought it would be perfect.
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Isn't it the cutest thing?  I love her choice of fabrics and the way the hearts are interwoven.  She very kindly sent me the pattern so I promptly started on the hunt for fabrics similar to hers.

I couldn't make anything go together.  I must have auditioned 20 fabrics but nothing struck a chord.  Finally, I dug to the bottom of the pile and found several I thought would work.  I started tracing the pattern on my fusible only to realize that I didn't have enough fusible to make this and another project I'm working on both, so I had to make a decision.  When I was in education we used to chant..."monitor and adjust"... over and over.  So that's what I did and this is what I came up with.

I used Barb's heart pattern and made the 28" circle she suggested and this is what happened.  Pretty cute I think!  I stippled the center, did 2 outline stitches inside the hearts, and free motion quilted hearts and vines in the white outside.

My speed is getting better...I've slowed down a lot...but I'm still not consistent.  And I often forget to leave my hands in place until I actually stop stitching so I end up with some jump stitches.  Progress though, I'm making progress.

27 comments:

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I love both of them- haven't even begun to think Valentines yet! But better soon as I have a swap - oh my what to do. And I have yet to master those leaves in FMQ.

Marie Rayner said...

It looks really nice to me Marlene!! You have a real eye for colours etc. I think it will be beautiful on your table! xxoo

Julie Fukuda said...

Oh my goodness, I'm only a little over half way through January! Those table toppers are both so cute. Great plan "B"!

Anonymous said...

OMG! DARLING!!!!! This would have to be one of my favorites for Valentines decor! I truly think a pretty!

Carol said...

Very nice "adjustment" Marlene. Guess you have to keep an eye out for red/pink fabric to build up your stash, eh? ;-)

Carol (NJ)

Ray and Jeanne said...

Ohhh, I love both of them. You did a great job of improvising! I am finding that FMQ is all about practice - glad you are progressing. ~Jeanne

Osage Bluff Quilter said...

Are you hand appliqueing??

Denise :) said...

Marlene, I love this! So very sweet...I may have to do one now, too!! :)

Gail said...

Sewing must be in the air...it's a wonderful winter sport!

This is beautiful.

Barb said...

Your version turned out soooooooooooooooooooo stinking cute, thanks for the shout out. I truly do love yours and may just have to make one of those.

sunny said...

I think you adjusted quite nicely!!

Snoodles said...

Make do with what you have - you're a meister at it....just look at how lovely your finished project is. Wow! I think all that fabric auditioning worked out fine...your choices turned out so nicely.

Calamity Jane's Cottage, Bonnie said...

I love what you have done with your hearts. It really turned out cute.
When I quilt my husband says "You are to see your head when your quilting". It moves with the fabric.

Jane's Fabrics and Quilts said...

That is sooooo cute!! I just love it!

Lea and her Mustangs said...

I love yours Marlene, the other is cute but kind of busy for me.

Gmama Jane said...

Oh don't I know ALL about monitor and adjust...we said things like "take a temperature check" Your table topper is perfect and you saved yourself a trip to the store, gas, and an hour or more away from sewing. Good for you! You have been on a roll since Jan. 1st. I'm quite impressed. I've been working on a few swaps I'm in as well as re-organizing, cleaning, and spiffing up my sewing cave. I needed a new light and I was so upset because Hancock's had their OTT lites on sale 40% off however, my budget is shot for Jan. so I had to be a good girl and hope for another sale to coincide at a better time with my bank account.
Blessings
Jane

Rhonda M said...

Love it! You did a wonderful job improvising. What a sweet little topper for February!

FlourishingPalms said...

Good for you to keep FMQing, and it's great to know you're seeing some improvement. Well done!

Vivian said...

I would love to work on some Valentine things. But I have allowed myself to get behind on two baby quilts. But maybe I can pick an easy, peasy pattern and still have time to make at least one easy valentine topper.

nanny said...

So pretty..I love them both.
You do stay busy, uh?

Sewn With Grace said...

I love your table topper! What a cute pattern. I need to be brave like you and do some machine quilting. It scares me and I end up just stitching in the ditch. I haven't even taken the walking foot out of the box it came in yet, which I got over a year ago. Sheesh! Thanks for being so inspiring!

Sewn With Grace said...
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Sewn With Grace said...
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Sewn With Grace said...

Sorry for all the deleted comments. I hit publish and it posted my comment 3 times!

JudyCinNC said...

I "collected" the pattern also, just haven't jumped in yet - Love how yours turned out 'your way,' so I am a lot closer to making one... Thanks for the inspiration. Judy C

Patty C. said...

Wonderful work ;)

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Your dotty heart (in the best possible way !) is lovely . You're all so brave with your machine quilting . I've never even tried .