Design Wall Monday - April 27, 2026

Good Morning Quilters!

May Day is coming on May 1st,  and it is one of my favorite holidays.  Years ago, as a little girl, I would take flowers to my neighbors and hang a little bunch of flowers in a small basket on their doorknob, ring the doorbell, and run away to make it a surprise.  I cannot run at 83, but I plan on delivering little bouquets of flowers to my neighbors this Friday.

Here is a picture of a May Day basket doll quilt that I made.  I embroidered the blocks and made it as a smaller version of a bed sized May Day Basket quilt.

It measures 20” x 29” and I bought the embroidery patterns on the internet.

The larger quilt is shown here, on the couch:

The larger quilt measures 80” by 94” and is from a very old quilt pattern.  There is a lot more history on this quilt pattern in one of my previous blog posts  (Here)

And here is a closeup of the basket of lilacs block, as lilacs are one of my favorites.

What are you planning on doing to celebrate May’s arrival?  After all the snow and winter weather in Michigan this year, I am welcoming May with open arms…..and welcoming flowers everywhere.  You have my permission to treat yourself to a little bouquet of flowers this Friday.  

Please join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party and show us your quilts and other sewing projects.  Link back to my blog from somewhere within your blog post and I will be happy.  Happy May Day!

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Design Wall Monday - November 13, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

It was a wonderful, peaceful week at the retreat in Shipshewana, Indiana.  So many wonderful ladies gathered in one room, all talking and laughing together.  I loved it.

 While there I finished the binding on the May Day Basket Quilt, and made some more bird blocks for Cousins Walk.  Here are a few pictures from the retreat:

First, a picture of me with my progress on Cousins Walk:

Next, a picture of all the ladies who came with their bird blocks of our uncompleted Cousins Walk Quilts. 

Note:  Several of us wear aprons while we sew in the work room, and I am wearing one of my mother’s aprons.  It looks like a skirt, but is pleated cotton, and was one of her “company coming” aprons, not an everyday one.

For the “Show and Tell” Friday night, I brought my large and small May Day Baskets quilts.  I had showed these two quilts before as just tops, but brought them again to show the quilting, and that they are now finished.  Yeah!

Here are pictures from that night:

At the end of “Show and Tell”, an antique quilt was shown to our group by Rebecca Haarer, an antique shop owner in Shipshewana.  I love old quilts, and she always brings a lovely one for us to see.

The hourglass blocks measure only 2 inches finished size!  Several of us want to make our own version of it.  Even though I vowed to finish all my UFOs before I start any others, I do start new projects.  Last April at this retreat, I started Cousins Walk, so it may happen.

Close-up of the quilt:

What have you started this week……or what have you finished?  Thanks for participating in the Design Wall Monday Linky Party each week.  Even if you don’t have a design wall, link up your blog post and we can read about you and the fun you are havng.  Don’t forget to provide a link back to this post within your blog, and mention Design Wall Mondays to your readers.  Thanks!

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Design Wall Monday - October 30, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

I just got my May Day Baskets quilt back from Sue Daurio, who quilted it for me.  Here are pictures of her beautiful work (pictures copied from Sue’s Instagram account):

Sue’s website is  (Here)   She also quilted my little matching doll quilt, and I’m working on binding this little quilt today:

Both quilts make me so happy.  It makes my quilting mojo return in full force.

The weather is turning colder here in Michigan, and binding these two matching quilts is a perfect way to spend this week while inside.  Most of the beautiful leaves are floating down to the ground and now the ground under the trees show a beautiful display of color.

What are you working on today?  Please join in our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us a picture, and provide a link to your blog so we can read about it.  Thanks for joining in, you are appreciated.

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Design Wall Monday - August 7, 2023

Good Morning Quilters!

Here it is August already and I feel like I can't post another picture of my design wall - because it looks the same as last week!  But I do have a great reason.  I was on vacation all week up north in Michigan.  Our family came from all over and we had a great time.

Now I am home again, refreshed, and ready to quilt up a storm!  At lease I hope so!  I did read your blogs, and one I liked a lot was from Chris from Quilting at the Farm  (Here)   She makes me feel better in that she didn't get some things done on her list either......but she also DID make a list, which is better than the list that's in my head.

So, after reading her blog, I have formed a written list below for the month of August.

1) Get at least five of the small blocks sewn together into a strip every day in August, starting today, the 7th.  Try to sew on this project at least 20 minutes each day.  The goal is to get the top assembled and off the design wall. 

2) Get the cutting board area cleaned off.

3) Shorten the hems on hubby's new pajamas (sleeves and pant legs) to make them fit him better.  I could take them back, but I hate returning things more than I hate altering them.  

It is a short list, but I am trying to stay "Whelmed" and not "Overwhelmed".  

It was a busy week, and I have no vacation pictures to share.  I was having such a good time that I left my phone in my room most of the time.  The house we rented had an extensive book collection, so I enjoyed browsing some cookbooks, and also read "To Kill a Mocking Bird" again.  And a short book "Who Moved My Cheese".  

Before I left, three of my quilts were sent to Sue Daurio  (Here)  to see what she can do to finish them.  Here is an old photo of the two 1930s basket quilts to refresh your memory.  I am waiting to hear what her inspiration will be for quilting them.

She did such a great job on the last two quilts that I sent to her, and these two will get her special treatment too, I am sure.  The third one was the redwork quilt that I've worked on for such a long time.  It felt good to move them to the longarm quilter stage.

What plans do you have for August?  I shall read your blogs and find out what you are working on.  Thanks so much for being so faithful in linking with the Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  I look forward to Mondays.

Let's join again this week so we can read your blogs and look at your beautiful pictures.  Please provide a link back to this post so that we can toggle back and forth to all the blogs.  Also, it would be nice if you mentioned our Design Wall Monday Linky Party in your post.  Happy Monday!

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Design Wall Monday - October 10, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

This week I made lots of square-within-a-square blocks.  All of the smaller ones (2 inch square finished size) are now attached to the doll quilt, as shown below:

The doll quilt is now 20” by 28”.  I don’t know yet how it will be quilted.

The larger border blocks  (4 inch square finished size) are all made for the large quilt, and the top and bottom border blocks have been added to the quilt.  There are 24 blocks made for each side strip that are soon to be added to the two sides.

80” by 96” will be the final size of the big quilt (in theory)….I will measure it when it is finished.

FYI:  The paper-piecing method I used to make the border blocks requires cutting off little triangle corners.  You know I couldn’t throw them away!  Here is a picture of the cut off pieces, which will go into a future small quilt/doll quilt with lots of hsts.

October is really a beautiful month in Michigan.  Here is a picture of the start of the color show from the Maples in our yard.

What is happening on your design wall?  I really enjoy reading your blogs and looking at all the pictures.  Your participation in the Design Wall Mondays Linky Party is really appreciated.  Thank you so much!

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Design Wall Monday - October 3, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

It is now October, and I planted three big mums out in front, and brought out the terracotta clay jack o 'lanterns and put them on the front porch.  Fall here we come!

I got a lot accomplished this week - although I changed plans a bit on the border for the two May Day Baskets quilts.  I made 4 inch square-within-a-square blocks for the small doll quilt, put them around it on the design wall and took a picture:

Something is not right.  I decided the border blocks were too big, and so I took them down and put them around the big May Day Basket quilt.  And I liked the border there much better!  But that means I need to make a lot more of the 4 inch square-within-a-square blocks to go all the way around the big quilt.  I haven't figured out how many yet - but a bunch!

Please excuse my feet in this picture, I didn't notice this until I posted it here, and hope you will excuse my socks.  My design wall was the floor, since the Benjamin Biggs Wedding quilt was on the design wall.

And back to the doll quilt, if the 4 inch blocks were too big, I decided to try 2 inch square-within-a-square blocks.  I made two and put them on the design wall for a picture.  I felt like Goldilocks trying out the three bear's porridge.  The small blocks are just right! 

Which of course means I have to make about twice as many blocks, to go all the way around the doll quilt.   Maybe 44 blocks.  But since I have made 2, I only have 42 to go!  But now I know it is exactly what I want and I am excited to  get these two quilt tops finished.  Yeah!

What have you been doing since October started?  I so enjoy reading your blogs and looking at all of your pictures.  Thanks for joining in our Design Wall Mondays LInky Party.  I appreciate you.

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Design Wall Monday - July 18, 2022

Good Morning Quilters!

Remember last week when I listed three quilting goals?  Ta-Daaaaah!  I completed all three goals.

The May Day Baskets blocks are all sewn together into a top, awaiting the borders.  The small matching doll quilt is almost completely embroidered - only one more basket to go!

Here is a picture of both quilts together, hanging on the clothesline in the screen porch:

And a close up picture of the doll quilt showing just one more basket to embroider:

The Benjamin Biggs Wedding Quilt block I was working on got finished too.  And I finished another similar one.  Here are pictures of both of them.  Block #25

Block #11

Some weeks are like this - quilting projects move along smoothly.  So I am happy dancing that this week was a move along smoothly one.  How about you?

Your posts last week were great - you are making so many beautiful quilts.  I am looking forward to seeing your posts this week.  Thanks for joining in our Design Wall Mondays Linky Party.  Thanks to all of you who mention this blog in yours, and also provide a link back to this post.  You are appreciated!

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Design Wall Monday - May 30, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!  

Many countries celebrate their fallen soldiers on different days.  Today is Memorial Day in America, when we honor those who gave their lives fighting to protect our freedom.  This somber poem, In Flanders Field, reflects the tragedy of all wars:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

"In Flanders Fields" is a war poem written during the First World War by Canadian soldier and  physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae.  McCrae wrote the poem in 1915 as a memorial to those who died in a World War I battle fought in a region of Belgium known as the Ypres Sailent. McCrae himself treated many of the soldiers injured in that battle and was particularly moved by the death of a close friend, Alexis Helmer.

Flag protocol for Memorial Day is that the American flag is to be flown at half-mast from sunrise until noon, and then raised to full height from noon until sunset.  This is to honor those who have died defending our country for the first half of the day, and in the second half of the day to honor those now living who defended our country.  In honor of the children killed in Texas the American flags have been at half-mast this past week.  Such a tragedy.  

Progress on my May Day doll quilt has been made.  One basket embroidered and six to go:

The 30 block May Day Basket quilt is completely on the design wall, with all embroidered blocks trimmed to the same size, and green side triangles and corner triangles up there too.  Whew!  Glad the block trimming is finished.  This week I will sew it together and decide on a border.

What are you planning on working on this coming week?  Did you make some progress last week?  I am looking forward to reading all of your blogs and looking at your pictures.  Thanks so much for joining The Design Wall Monday Linky Party. Please mention the party in your post and provide a link back here, so your readers can see the other posts that are part f Design Wall Monday.

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Design Wall Monday - May 23, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

This past week has not been very productive for me as a quilter, but I did start a small quilt project.  Whenever I make a bed sized quilt, I like to make a similar doll quilt.  While working on my May Day Baskets quilt, I sent away for some small basket embroidery patterns, and they have arrived.

Here is my start on the doll quilt:

 

There are eight baskets, set on point, and I sewed the squares together because I thought the individual little baskets looked pretty small to hold while doing the embroidery.  The individual baskets are about five inches square, and the doll quilt measures about 17” by 26”.

The trimming and sewing together of the squares on the large May Day Baskets quilt will resume today.  It makes me nervous to trim embroidered blocks, and as I said before,  I think of the motto “measure twice, cut once,”  Kathy (Kathy’s blog) told me a friend of hers says “cut once, curse twice”.   She made me laugh.  I will be glad when I have them all trimmed.

The House Finch family has tidied up their empty nest and appear to be about ready to start a second family.  The male House Finch sings often from the peak of our roof above the nest, and yesterday I decided to name him Atticus.  I say Good Morning to him when I am walking Penny Lane. 

What are you working on this week?  It is so beautiful outside this spring and I am reading that some of you are working on your yards and flowers.  I am too, and am enjoying the sunshine.  Thanks for sharing pictures of your flowers and your design walls.

Please provide a link back to this post somewhere within your post, and also encourage others to join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  

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Design Wall Monday - May 16, 2022

Good Morning Quilters!

My design wall looks the same as it did last Monday because I had a very busy week.  No quilting done here.  My sweet hubby turned 80 and we had a big party Saturday to celebrate.  Lots of family and friends came and it was a wonderful day.   

The weather has been great and the yearly brood of House Finches flew from the nest on Friday.  There were three fledglings and here is a picture of two of them, just after the first brave one took flight.  I put the fake pigeons above the nest on a  ledge to discourage birds from building a nest in the area.  But the Finch family was not fooled by them.  I like House Finches, but they do make a mess.

What has your week been like?  I am looking forward to your posts and pictures so I can see your progress.  Thank you so much for joining the Design Wall Mondays Linky Party again.  My happy place is when you mention Design Wall Mondays on your blog and also provide a link back here from within your post.   

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Design Wall Monday - May 9, 2022

 Happy Mothers Day!

The plaid quilt from last week's post is finally sewn together and is ready for the longarm quilter.  

I was excited to see the empty design wall, and have started to put the May Day Baskets embroidered squares on it.  Each square has to be trimmed to 11 x 11 inches, and I am slowly getting them trimmed and up on the wall.  The alternate squares of green are very calming, and I think I will like them.  Here are two new pictures of the blocks that I have trimmed and on the design wall:

There are 30 blocks, and these are the first 10 that are trimmed.  I get very careful when I trim them, as I am always saying....."Measure twice.....cut once". 

Here's a Mother's Day flower for you.  The rabbit has pulled several wagons of flowers for me this spring, and this is his last pot of flowers before the Easter decorations get put away.  The hyacinths smell so sweet. 

Yesterday we celebrated our grandson's graduation from MSU.  Here's a picture of us with our new Mechanical Engineer, Hunter.  Do you have any high school or college graduations in your family this year?

What is on your design wall?  Please join the Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us what you are working on.  I am looking forward to reading your blogs and looking at all the pictures.  Thank you so much for joining in.  My preference is that you mention the Design Wall Monday Linky Party in your post and that you also provide a link back to this page, so people can get back and forth between all the blogs.  Thank you so much, and again, Happy Mother's Day!

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Design Wall Monday - May 2, 2022

Good Morning Quilters! 

It's May 2nd and I am looking forward to putting together the May Day Flower Basket quilt.  It has been such fun embroidering all the baskets, and it is time to make the quilt top.  I selected a solid green to be used for the alternate squares.  I took a picture of the green with one of the baskets:

Did any of you receive a May Day Flower Basket on your door?   It used to be a common gift for a friend.

I was away all last week at the Jane Stickle Quilt Retreat in Shipshewana, IL.  Here is a collage of four of the quilts that were shown in the "Show and Tell" on Friday night:

The top left is the "Oh my Gosh!" pattern

the top right is a replica of a thirties butterfly quilt.

bottom left is part of an uncompleted Mrs. Billings Coverlet pattern,

bottom right is a quilt made with tiny, tiny bow tie blocks.

What amazing talent at this retreat!

Another beauty that I saw was this crib quilt that a friend bought at an antique store.  Pat Jensen's find is made of very small diamonds, hand pieced and hand quilted.  The closeup picture shows how small the diamonds are.  Such a beautiful work of art, and Pat loves small pieces as much as I do.

What amazing things have you seen this week?  Or should I say, what amazing things have you been working on that you can show to the rest of us this week?  Please join the Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us.  Thanks so much! 

Those of you who mention the Design Wall Linky Party in your blog and also provide a link back here are my favorite people.  

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Design Wall Monday - November 15, 2021

Good Morning Quilters!  This week I am going to a quilt retreat and yesterday I made a long list of things to take with me……..everything but the kitchen sink apparently.   My car will hold it all, so it’s all good.

The last block for the May Day Basket Quilt is finished.  I am so happy!

While on retreat, I hope to buy fabric for the alternating blocks for this project.  I have decided on a solid green, and am taking two of my 30s era quilts with me to try to find a similar green to that used in those quilts.  

Here is the final (#30) quilt block of the May Day Flower Basket quilt. 

The two 30s quilts that I own are shown below:

What are you working on/playing with this week?  Please join the linky party below and show us.  Design Wall Mondays is open for you this morning, and will remain open all week.  Those of you who link back to this blog post and also mention Design Wall Mondays in your post are my favorite people.  

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Design Wall Monday - November 8, 2021

Good Morning Quilters!

Lately the Maple leaves and Oak leaves in Michigan have been so pretty that I felt like working on a leaf quilt.  I looked at one of my UFOs that is made with Maple leaf blocks.  Why was it a UFO?  I was trying to decide how big I wanted to make it, and couldn't decide. 

So this week, I decided on the size, calculated how many more blocks I would need to finish it....and cut some fabric.  Here is a Maple leaf block, ready to sew the nine pieces together.  But first I will trim up the hsts and applique the stem to the bottom right corner piece.  I think it finishes at 6 inches square. 

The amount of new blocks I want to finish this UFO is 50.   Since I have 49 blocks made in the UFO now, I am half way.  This week I  made all the hsts and stem pieces to make the remaining 50 blocks.  I am going to a retreat soon, and I thought this would be a good project to take with me.  It would be basically sewing together nine patches, and when I'm at a retreat, I like to take the whole room in, and work on something that I won't have to concentrate on too much.  Nothing too deep thinking for me, as I have the attention span of a gnat, and a room full of ladies quilting is so special to me - I don't want to miss any of it.

The May Day Basket block (the LAST one) is going slowly.  I looked at it yesterday and counted 13 more French knot groups that have to be embroidered on it yet.  I think it must have more French knots than most of the other blocks.  Either that, or I'm getting slower in making French knots.  I wish I knew how many French knots will be in this quilt top!  Trillions?

Here is the current status of block #30.  These flowers are of unknown origin - especially the red ones.  On most of the blocks, I can imagine what flower the maker was thinking about - on this block I can't.  So I am making them very colorful and thinking they are imaginary flowers.

What is on your design wall?  Thank you all for being so faithful in posting your pictures.  I love to look at them, and go to your blogs and read about your beautiful work.  You encourage me so much!

Please include a link back to this post within your blog post, and mention Design Wall Mondays to your readers.  I appreciate the linky party people who do that, you are my kind of people.

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Design Wall Monday - October 25, 2021

 Good Morning Quilters!  My quilting progress has been slow this week. 

Life has been full though, as we attended another wedding.  It was a wonderful time of celebrating our Granddaughter Alexis as she became Mrs. Blake Freed Saturday night.  They are so happy and so are we.  It was a beautiful day filled with love.  Here is a recent picture of them:

Here is a picture of me from Saturday night.  I’m wearing “my wedding guest dress”  that I talked about before the last wedding we attended.

I added a lace shawl because the wedding was outside in Michigan, and the day was sunny, but a little chilly.

So I have very little to show you today, just a little more embroidery on the very last May Day Basket square.  Block #30:

It will get finished this week, as I am taking my sister to the hospital in Muskegon tomorrow and it will be a day of driving her, and waiting for her while she is there.  She is going for a fistulagram, which is an X-ray checkup of her fistula.  A fistula is a connection made between a vein and an artery (in her arm) that is used for her dialysis treatment.  It will be an all afternoon process for her, and I am sure the embroidery will keep me from worrying more than I should about her.  I am thankful I have embroidery to do.

What is your plan for quilting this week?  I saw some nice finishes posted last week.  Good work!  

Please join in the linky party below.  Thank you to those who link back to this post and also mention Design Wall Mondays in your post.  You are my kind of people!

    

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Design Wall Monday - October 18, 2021

 Good Morning Quilters!  The May Day Baskets blocks are almost finished.  There are 32 blocks, but I am only using 30 to set the blocks 5 across and 6 down.  This week I finished my 29th block:

When I get the last block finished, I have to decide how to combine them to make a quilt top.  Here are two examples, one from the Successful Farming Magazine, November, 1932, of the original offering of the patterns, with green setting blocks.  Next to the magazine photo is a copy of the only internet version I could find of a similar quilt, with orange setting blocks.  They both have the same outside border that looks like a ruffle, but is not.  The set of patterns I am using were copies from the ones offered in 1932, and were published in the 1980s in a quilter magazine.   I know I will set the blocks on point, and I do like the peaceful medium green that is seen so often in 1930s quilts.  I’d be interested in hearing what your ideas are for this quilt.

The last basket block I am making had a bird in the basket!  I left the bird out and substituted more flowers in place of the bird.  I don’t think the 1932 version had only one basket with a bird, but I could be wrong.  Anyway, my version will be all flower baskets with no birds.  See 1980s pattern for this block:

My version of my last block that will be this week’s hand work:

It sure will be exciting to get this last block finished!  What are you starting - or finishing this week?  It is so nice to look at all of your blogs and see your beautiful work.  Thanks so much for being part of Design Wall Mondays.  I am looking forward to sitting down with a cup of coffee and reading about your projects.

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