It's Been A Long Hiatus

I know it's been a terribly long time since I've posted.  We lost my father-in-law to a massive stroke this summer and then my mother passed this autumn.  The two losses have left me rather depressed and unable to sew or participate in many sewing activities.  I still peeked in on my favorite blogs and on Pattern Review but rarely left comments.  But now I've begun to dabble once again and have begun to feel energized and creative once more.

Just a few days ago Renee at Hand Stitched Treasure  posted about Kathy Shaw's Crazy Quilt Classes.  I took the very beginner's class earlier this year.  It was so much fun!  It covers a lot basic of stitches and techniques at your own pace using materials you download as you complete each task of the sampler.   You don't have to do it exactly like hers, as shown in mine.  You choose the colors of fabric and threads/silk ribbon, and emblishments. She has several classes available throughout the year.  Link to Kathy's site is here.  Here's a photo of my sampler:

I've gone on to sew another block on my own .

The flower in the center is hand embroidered using a pattern from a source I no longer remember.  Oh those gray hairs!  I realize now after reading some books, that the doily in the corner is probably a mistake as it will make that seam very lumpy when/if I get it sewn together with other blocks.

In other sewing news, my mother was an award-winning quiltmaker.  She left 2 quilts unfinished.  One just needs the quilting and the binding.  The other is still in the piecing stage.  My sisters, one of who is a beginning sewer, decided that since I've done a couple of small wallhangings, I'm  am an expert too. They elected me to finish these two quilts.  I'm completely self-taught and my work is passable at  best.  I'm so intimidated by this project!  I don't want to mess it up.  I'm taking a beginner quilt class on Craftsy hoping to fill in the gaps in my education.  So far I've cut out the fat quarters and need to cut the background fabric now.  Just need a chunk of time to do it.

So, I'm quite invigorated by all the new things I'm learning and that the sewing mojo is back again. A big thank you to all those wonderful sewists I follow for your inspiration and the lessons I've learned  just by following your work.