First Public Showing

My embroidery machine is back from it’s week long checkup. It doesn’t take me that long when I go to the doctor – but then again, I am not that complicated either.

Actually last week turned out to be productive on the quilting side of the business. I finished a few projects and started a few more. AND I was with THE DUDE all week. That always adds sunshine to my life. He is full of hugs and fun. The family room looks a little bare without the Legos, game controllers and books everywhere; but he’ll be back soon.

This morning I had my first ‘one person showing’. A friend of a friend called and stopped in to see what kind of things I was doing. It was a ball getting everything out on display and arranging things for the showing. I found I had more things in inventory than I thought I did. I filled up the dining room and the overflow went on the staircase. (I still didn’t put it all out.) She bought the Jacobean Partridge in a Pear Tree. Thank you Sue from California.

I was working on perfecting my ‘log cabin’ quilting last week and THE DUDE had a ball making different patterns by moving the squares around on the floor.
This work-in-progress (WIP) is the final result of his design. We are both very proud of it. This will be a table topper (36” square) or wall-hanging when finished. It will be posted to my store this week at www.hummingbirdtreasures.etsy.com.




Big T and I are off to San Diego for a week this coming weekend. K&A are buying their first home and we want to help them get settled. Actually, I am going to play with the LITTLE MISS for a week – the rest of them can unpack boxes and all that other stuff.

From me to you, lots of hugs and thanks for joining me in my new adventures of learning to be creative and artistic.

Marie

Work in Progress

I am so glad you decided to join me today. Whether you are returning for a second visit or are new to this blog – welcome! It was very exciting to publish my first blog, but not nearly as exciting as finding out someone actually read it. Thank your for the nice comment, Michelle.

A large part of this morning was spent “unsewing” what I sewed by hand last night. I knew I wasn’t happy with it when I went to bed, and when I woke up bothered around 2:30 a.m. I knew I had to redo it. As a result, the end product is a much higher quality. If I have something worrying me, I can usually work to a resolution (or at least a solution) in my sleep. This skill came in very handy in college. I don’t know how many term papers I wrote in my sleep. The true art is remembering when you wake up. Here is the finished product.

I retired two years ago and we moved from New Jersey to North Carolina. I took a beginning quilting class from the local needlecraft club as a way to meet people since we were new to the area. I did not once dream that it would become such an important part of my life. Not only did I meet some wonderful friends, I discovered an entirely new part of me. Before deciding to pursue Hummingbird Treasures, I gave everything I made to family and friends. (I was running out of people to give things.)

I want to show you some of my early work when Hummingbird Treasures was created. This is a picture of the first baby quilt I made to sell. I found these precious Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit prints in a local quilt fabric shop already cut into charm size squares. This was also my first time using prairie points as the border for a quilt. Not bad for the first time. This has become one of my two favorite quilts. Its smaller size is perfect for a wall hanging or small enough for a newborn.

My original plan was to make and sell baby quilts combining quilting and machine embroidery. It was not long, however, before I started venturing into other areas. I enjoy taking something and making something unexpected out of it. (Photo of Jean tote bag) This tote bag was made from a pair of my grandson’s jeans. I like the outside pockets front and back. (The rest of that pair of jeans went into several baby bibs coordinated with the baby quilts.) I showed this bag at a book club meeting and I now have at least 10 pairs of jeans ready to be repurposed.

Since these early items, I have expanded the Hummingbird Treasures line to include tote bags, diaper bags, and home décor items. I’m currently working on holiday and seasonal items, the first of which is posted on www.hummingbirdtreasures.etsy.com.

I started work on this last night and finished it up this morning. It was fun because I was working from a dream and not a pattern. I like the boldness of it. Even Big T commented that he really likes this one. I would never have put these colors together even a few months back. Who knew there was this part of me?

Meanwhile, stick with me while I continue to expand my knowledge of the internet tool set available to me. Please share your comments and feedback. I promise to read every one.

Marie