Spring Angel details added

I added blush to the angel cheeks and a crystal halo. I think a block of the month might be an interesting project using this block since there are so many wonderful fabrics out there to choose from! She could be done seasonally or for each holiday. I can see her with shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day or fall leaves for Autumn, seashells for Summer. So many possibilies! Thank goodness for my stash. I can hardly wait to get started. Now I have to decide whether to make one quilt or a seperate banner for each angel. What would you do?

Spring Angel

I just finished my first attempt at a Spring Angel except for blushing her cheeks. I like the fabrics but I'm not sure if there is enough contrast so I'm sure I'll make some more. In case anyone is wondering, this pattern is my original design and is available for sale if you want to make some of your own angels. The pattern sells for $10 and can be sent by email or regular mail. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or email me at larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Just finished another Christmas Angel!

I just finished this Christmas Angel block but I'm not sure how I want to use it yet. My next angel block will be a Spring themed one so I may save them and put them all together in one big quilt. Any thoughts?

This design is available as a pattern. The cost of the pattern is $10 and is available via email or regular mail. If you're interested in purchasing a copy of this pattern, send me an email at larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

My First Christmas Gift!

..This Christmas ornament came in the mail a couple of days ago from an amazing woodcarver who carves antique wooden spools into Santas! I met Richard Kent about 5 or 6 years ago at a maple sugar festival and fell in love with his little carvings. I bought a couple for myself that day and several more as gifts for my sewing friends over the years. This one arrived out of the blue with a little note that said "Thank you! Happy Holidays!". I haven't a clue what I did to deserve this wonderful surprise but I'm happy to add it to my collection and will treasure it just like the rest. I sent Richard an email to see what he was thanking me for but haven't had an answer yet. Richard also carves deer antlers that he "harvests" from the woods. He doesn't hunt the animals but finds the antlers on the ground. They are amazing, too, but I don't have one, yet, myself. Richard has a website where you can see his artwork and get in touch with him if you'd like to add one or more of these handmade treasures to your collection, too. http://www.kentcarver.com Make sure you tell him "Sue sent you"! Maybe I'll get one of those anters, after all!

Etsy store now open!

 I have just opened an Etsy store with my first item! I will custom make you an Angel quilt with your choice of colors and embellishments. Prices start at $100. Delivery time is listed as 2 to 3 weeks but if you would like one for Christmas, I will do my best to meet that deadline. I will be adding items over time so check back often as my pieces will be one of a kind!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CustomAngels?ref=search_shop_redirect

Update on Sara's Angel

I have just added the borders on Sara's Angel and I am so pleased with the progress I wanted to share! I don't know if I'll get her finished for Christmas but I'm going to try.

An Angel for Sara

 

There is a young girl here in Pittsburgh who is now home after numerous chemo treatments. I don't know her personally, but one of my friends wanted to use my angel design to make a gift for her. Due to some personal things going on in my friend's life, she had to put the project on hold, and since I had a little bit of time open, I decided to take the project over myself. Sara's Angel is almost finished! I found the perfect border fabric at Quilter's Corner in Finleyville, PA, yesterday, so I did my part shopping at a small, local business on Small Business Saturday. I still need to cut the borders and sew them on. After that, I'll do some quilting, add the binding and a sleeve. I've also decided to add some crystals for a halo and some BLING. I love being able to use my time and talents to make a difference in someone else's life, unfortunately, I won't get to see her reaction when she receives this quilt but I hope she likes it!

Final Day for Buy One Get One Free!

You can get the pattern for my Peppermints Ornament/Mug Rug, normally $6, for free with the purchase of my Lexa's Angel Pattern! Both patterns are available on Craftsy but if you purchase Lexa's Angel before midnight tonight, you get the Peppermints pattern directly from me via email. Go to http://craftsy.com to order Lexa's Angel. I will get an email telling me you made a purchase and will email the Peppermints Pattern to you. If you'd rather have a printed copy, send me an email so payment can be arranged. Postage will be added to the cost of the patterns if you want printed copies and I can only send them in the USA. My email address is larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Isn't this cute?

This is Sandie's version of my Jingle Bell block! Isn't it cute? Sandie was one of the people that took a shot at my riddle and received the Jingle Bell block foundation for the correct answer. She also found a mistake in my foundation, which she graciously let me know about so I could fix it! Thanks Sandie! Sandie blogs at http://crazyboutquilts.blogspot.com/

Head on over and check out her wonderful blog!

Ready or not, here it comes!

 Its time to get those Christmas gifts done! My projects, Lexa's Angel and Peppermints Ornament/Mug Rug, are quick, easy projects that you'll be able to make for Christmas. Lexa's Angel can be used to make a small wallhanging or a pillow and goes together quickly. The ornament has a pocket in the back where you can hide a small gift, such as a gift card or some cash. It would also look great tied onto a bigger gift box. The Peppermints Mug Rug would make a great teachers' gift! Just pair it with a Holiday Mug and a chocolate spoon.

I am offering both of these patterns for only $10. The regular price of Lexa's Angel is $10 so you'd be getting the Peppermints pattern for free. This offer is only available until Monday, November 12th until midnight. Lexa's Angel is available on Craftsy by download at http://craftsy.com or you can order a printed copy directly from me for the same price plus postage. After you purchase Lexa's Angel on Craftsy, send me an email so I can email the Peppermints pattern directly to you. If you have any questions, please email me at larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Buy one get one free--Now through Monday

This is my design, Lexa's Angel, done in Christmas fabric. If you purchase this pattern ($10) from Craftsy today through Monday you also get my Peppermints Ornament/Mug Rug pattern for free ($6 value). http://www.craftsy.com  After you make your purchase, send me an email so I can email the Peppermints pattern directly to you. larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Those that "got" it got it!

A couple of days ago, I posted a picture riddle and asked for answers to the riddle. I got several comments on my blog and a few emails, and because they were the right answer I didn't post them, but today I sent everyone that had the right answer a copy of my Jingle Bell block. The answer, in case your still wondering, is Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Rock.

 I told each of my winners I can't wait to see what they do with it! If you're interested in this block and you didn't win a copy, its available on Craftsy for only $3. http://www.craftsy.com

I also have a sale going on with 2 of my other designs--Lexa's Angel and Peppermints Ornament/Mug Rug. If you purchase Lexa's Angel you get the Peppermints Ornament pattern for free.You must email at larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com and let me know you saw this offer and provide an email address for me to send the free pattern.

I can also send printed copies via the Post Office but you will be charged shipping in that case.

Buy one get one free!

 If you're anything like me, you've already started making some Christmas gifts. Um, let me rephrase that, if you're anything like me you've already started to think about making some Christmas gifts. I like small projects this time of year, so I can get more of them done and not have to work on them up to the last minute. My design, Lexa's Angel is one of those projects. She can be made in any color combination, including Christmas colors, and look beautiful! She is paper pieced and can be made in a few hours. She's small enough that she doesn't need to be quilted if you choose not to. You can make 2 blocks and use them at either end of a table runner or make one and adjust the borders to make it into a 14" square pillow. This pattern is available on Craftsy and can be immediately downloaded.  http://craftsy.com

If you purchase Lexa's Angel for $10, I will send you the Peppermints Ornament/Mug Rug pattern, normally $6, for free. The ornament has a pocket in the back in which you can insert a gift card, or other small gift. I will email the Peppermints pattern to you after purchasing Lexa's Angel on Craftsy.

 

If you have any questions or don't have a paypal account and would prefer to send a check and receive a printed copy of the patterns, feel free to contact me via email at larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

This offer is only available until Monday, November 11th., so don't wait!

Before you judge...

We had a terrible tragedy occur at the Pittsburgh Zoo yesterday. A two year old boy fell into the African painted dogs exhibit and was mauled to death. I have been to that zoo many times in my life and I can tell you it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. The exhibit is fenced but there is a raised area where you can walk out "into" the exhibit and view probably 240 degrees around you. A mom made a very poor choice by lifting her son up and placing him on the railing where he lost his balance and fell. The dogs attacked the boy and he was killed. Its not the dogs fault, its what they do. The blame lies with the poor choice the mom made and the way the exhibit was planned. Let's be honest--how many of us have made a bad choice that could have turned out much worse for our children and if it weren't for the grace of God, or luck, depending on your views, could have caused a situation that ended in tragedy. The goal of the zoo is to show animals in as close to their natural habitat as possible but being able to place a child on top of the railing is bad design and poor planning. I, myself, have seen many parents do or start to do the exact same thing at that exhibit.

My heart is breaking for the family but I am sickened by the posts on Facebook in which people are saying all of the blame lies with the mom. Its simply not true and instead of judging her for her tragic mistake, we should all be praying for her and her family. I don't know if I would survive something like this personally.

I am asking for prayers for this mom and her family instead of judgement. It isn't our job to judge, please leave that up to God.

If you "get" it you might get it!

 Just for fun, I am posting a riddle. If you can tell me what my pictures symbolize, you will have a chance to win a copy of my newest block, Jingle Bell. The block measures 6" x 10" and would be perfect for a mug rug or make several and you'll have a tablerunner. This block is also available on Craftsy for $3.00, but if you have a chance to get it for free, why not! Please post a comment with your answer to my riddle and I'll pick a 3 names from the correct answers to receive a pdf copy of the Jingle Bell foundation. Please don't answer anonymously because I won't be able to find you if you've won. You can also send me an email if you'd prefer to answer that way. larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

What would you do?

This is a new block I designed and sewed out yesterday. I posted a picture on Facebook to make sure everyone could tell what it was and also to see what people would do with it if they made one. I got a lot of great suggestions like mug rug, wall hanging, one block in a Christmas sampler quilt. This block measures 6" x 10" and I may add borders to it to make it a little larger. So, what would YOU do with it?

Just Listed on Craftsy!

Happy Jack

 I just listed these 2 paper pieced blocks on Craftsy! There is still time to make a couple before Halloween. Add some borders to make a quick decoration or make 2 and turn them into a treat bag. Here is a link to Craftsy: http://craftsy.com

Search under Halloween to find these patterns or Susan Cook to find my other designs.

Skull

Lexa's Angel pattern now available on Craftsy

I have just made the pattern for Lexa's Angel available on Craftsy! Check her out as well as all of the other wonderful angel patterns available for immediate download. http://craftsy.com

Still lots of time to make a few angels for Christmas!

 

I love a good pun!

The real question is "is THIS a good pun?" This is a picture of my newest design. Its called DEAR SANTA, I'VE BEEN NAUTICAL. The signal flags spell out Merry Christmas and I've got little wreath charms on the sails. I may add little plastic Christmas lights to the sailboats, too. I can't help but giggle a little when I tell someone the name of this design, but is that because I have a weird sense of humor or does it make others smile, too? I think this design would work for anyone who lives near a lake or wishes they lived near a lake. Do you have a sailor in the family? Most of this quilt is paper pieced with the exception of the moon and the black circle on the "I" flag. They were done with fusible web applique. I was able to put this top together in a weekend so there is still lots of time to make one for yourself or as a really unique gift by Christmas! 

Here goes nothing! Well, I hope not.

I have decided to try Craftsy! I have uploaded my Peppermints Mug Rug and Ornament pattern and it is now available by pdf download at http://craftsy.com

I hope you'll check it out since there are so many wonderful patterns available without having to wait for the mailman! There are also lots of classes to choose from. I will be adding other designs as often as I am able so check back often.

Upcoming Classes

I have 2 classes scheduled at one of my favorite local quilt shops--Quilter's Corner in Finleyville, PA. Here is a link to their class list: http://www.quilterscorner-pa.com/newsletters/print_news/print_news.php

 

There are so many wonderful projects in their newsletter I'm sure you'll find something you're interested in learning how to do!

 

Both of my classes are my original designs and are paper pieced.

 

COUNTRY CLAUS
 

This project is a wall hanging but could also be used to make pillows. One of the things I teach in my paper piecing class is how to use directional fabrics in a paper pieced project. Its not as difficult as you might think!

 

WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!

This table runner is also paper pieced but the center of the block is added using a Y seam. Lots of fun!!!

 

In Memory of Tracy A. (Thomas) Angelo

One year ago, today, I held the hand of one of my best friends as she took her last breaths. I was 2 when she was born and although I don't remember the first time I met her, she was such a big part of my whole life that it seemed she had always been there. I am so lucky she chose me to be part of her life. I have 3 sisters that she could have chosen to be close to just as easily She taught me so much, (not always good things) and we had a lot of fun together. We also had our fights but we got over them quickly.

We were already family, but if my grandparents hadn't adopted her I probably wouldn't have even known her. We grew up together, literally. She had 2 natural brothers and 2 natural sisters but I only know one of the sisters. Sadly, the others chose not to be part of her life. They missed out.

Describing her is almost impossible. I have to be careful when I tell some of my stories because if you didn't know her you would think she was an awful person, especially since my best stories are ones in which we were misbehaving. She was very outspoken and said what she meant, even if it meant hurting someone. Personally, I would rather know exactly what someone thought about me than to learn later that everything you believed was a lie. Been there, done that.

I can hardly believe its been a year. I think of her every day, hell, I talk to her every day. She shows up in my dreams occasionally. One dream, in particular, stands out because I truly believe she was there. It was the night before her funeral and the dream was very vivid. I assumed I was in a quilt shop because of all the bright colors but realize now I have no idea where I was. Tracy was in her wheelchair and I needed to pick her up for some reason. I had done this countless times before but towards the end of her life, her left shoulder had become stiff and very painful if moved. Twice, I made her cry because of the pain when I moved her. After I picked her up, she looked at me, smiled, and said "You didn't hurt me." At the end of the dream, I was standing beside her wheelchair looking down at her. She got this grin on her face that, if you knew her, told you she was up to something. I asked her, "What are you doing?" She put her hands on the armrests of her wheelchair, pushed herself up and took a step away from it.

If you've made it all the way to the end of this post, thank you for reading it. I wrote it more for myself than anyone else  because I couldn't let this day go by without making note of the important role Tracy played in my life. My message is to appreciate the people in your life--the ones that make it better just by being there, the ones who believe in you and support you. Don't worry about the ones who tear you down, forgive them and walk away.



 

Life Lessons

I've learned a couple of things that I would like to pass on:

1.There is always something good that comes out of even the worst situation. You just need to keep
    your eyes open.

2. Never hate someone just because someone else thinks you should.

3. Karma is a b*tch and she doesn't need your help. Just sit back and watch the show.

4. Do good works and it will come back to you.

5. NEVER accept less than you deserve.

I may add to this list later but these are a couple of my most recent lessons.

Made with love

This is a picture of a quilt I have been helping my friend make. It was a birthday gift for her mom that she presented at a surprise party this past weekend. There are a lot of special details in this quilt like the christening gown that was worn by all of the children and all of the grandchildren in the family--23 people in total. My friend thought it was time to "retire" the gown before it was damaged or lost so we designed the quilt with a special place for it to be featured. Under the hem of the dress, there is a fabric book with the names of all of the people who wore the gown as well as a family picture. Lots of family photos were included on the shelves and the books were embroidered with the names of the streets that the quilt recipient lived on. Buttons will be added on the "drawers" at the bottom of the quilt as drawer pulls. This quilt was a lot of fun to work on and has inspired me to make one of my own...eventually!

Whew! I need a break!

What a crazy couple of weeks I've had! One of the highlights has been the opportunity to teach a workshop for a wonderful group of ladies from Erie, PA. The Hands All Around Erie Quilt Guild invited me to teach a 6 hour workshop in paper piecing. I showed them my tricks for using directional fabrics as well as how easy it is to paper piece a Y seam. I had SO much fun with the group that I decided to join their guild! Since Erie is 2 hours from my home in Pittsburgh, I won't be able to make it to every meeting but I hope to make it to the summer meetings. The picture above is the view I enjoyed while eating lunch. The following evening, I was the featured speaker at their meeting where I got the chance to show all of my quilts and tell some of the stories behind them.

Before I headed up to Erie, I had to drop off the center panel for the Whitehall Library quilt I've been working on so it could be displayed at the Whitehall Community Day. We didn't want to give away too much of the final design but we wanted to make sure people could get an idea of what the finished quilt will look like.

CHRISTMAS BELLS ARE RINGING

CARTWHEELING CLAUS

CHRISTMAS ANGEL

CHRISTMAS ANGEL

LEXA'S ANGEL-love the wings!

NIGHT JEWELS

NOVA

PRESSED FLOWERS

Some of my quilts

The last 4 days, I've been helping a friend with a quilt that is a gift for her mom. She is presenting it today and I can't wait to hear about her reaction! I'm so excited to post a couple of pictures but I promised I would wait until the party is over.
 

Update on Whitehall Library Quilt

Here is another picture of the quilt I am helping to make as a fundraiser for The Whitehall Public Library. This is the library I grew up going to and it holds a special place in my heart. This section of the quilt will be on display at The Whitehall Community Day on Saturday, August 25th. We are waiting until we have a full list of the books that will be featured on the quilt before we start to assemble the shelves. There is still time to have your favorite book included!

We All Scream For Ice Cream!

This is my newest design called "We All Scream for Ice Cream". Its a table runner that measures 46 1/2" x 20 1/2". It is paper pieced and the pattern includes the buttons for the "cherries". I'd love to know what you think of it!

Upcoming Class!

This is one of my newest designs called CHRISTMAS ANGEL. I will be teaching an all day workshop at Sew Special in Uniontown, PA on August 11th. My sample angel is paper pieced and done in Christmas colors but she looks beautiful in other colors, too! Her hair color can be changed to signify or honor someone special in your life. Now is a good time to start on your holiday projects! There are a couple of spaces still available so if you're interested call the shop to reserve your spot. 724-438-1765