My mother's 2009 Christmas present

I have been so busy quilting and enjoying retirement that I just haven't taken the time to post on my blog for so long. But reading everyone else's blog gives me incentive to start posting again.

This is the quilt I made for my mother for Christmas last year. Black and red are her favorite colors so I tried to incorporate them in the quilt as much as possible.

This was a fun quilt to make. I love all the bright colors on a black and white background.

I quilted a lattice design trying to keep the quilting simple since the flowers were busy.

There is a small amount of embroidery on the birds and snail.

Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday. I am so anxious to start making some of the recipes I have found on other blogs.

JanDee

Spring has arrived....

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and spring break. I went up north to celebrate my mother-in-law's 84th birthday. Morro Bay, California is so pretty this time of year. This is the quilt I made for her last Christmas. I'm sorry the picture is a bit blurry but it does give you an idea of what the entire quilt looks like.

The picture below is a close up of the applique work in the center. I pulled the colors for the flowers from the border. I found the border fabric at the Cotton Ball in Morro Bay many years ago. When I showed it to my mother-in-law she just loved it so I knew then that someday I would use it in a quilt for her.

I decided to quilt larger flowers on the outer blocks. Each flower is quilted in the same colors as the appliqued center flowers.

Here is the quilt on the bed. Althought you can't tell in the picture the goldish yellow on the quilt is the same color on the walls. It looks like the walls are green but they are actually almost the same color as the lightest shade in the quilt.

If any of you ever go to Morro Bay make sure you eat at the Bay Side Cafe. Any of the locals will tell you how to get there. It's hidden behind trees so if you don't know where it is you could drive right by it. The cafe sits right by the water where the boats are docked. The atmosphere is wonderful. It's a relaxed place and very small but if you have to wait for a table its worth it.

Have a wonderful weekend. I plan on quilting most of the weekend since I wasn't able to sew while I was in Morro Bay.

JanDee

Grandkids are the best....

This is my sweet little grandson John and he is modeling a quilt I made for him. He would much rather be playing Wii Mariokart but he said he would take a few minutes to show the quilt to everyone. This quilt is made with reproductions in the blues, reds and yellows. I quilted it with varigated thread in the same primary colors.

"OK grandma! I stood long enough and I'm hot so can I go back to the Wii?" Thank you John for being grandma's model.

Happy Easter, JanDee

Finally another post....

Has anyone seen Moda's new line Frolic? It's so much fun and I have the perfect quilt pattern to make with it. I've already ordered the fabric but until it gets here I decided to start another quilt. I have so much reproduction fabric that I have been wanting to use so I spent the day yesterday cutting, cutting and cutting.


I have a small sewing room but the dining room table works the best for cutting and organizing my colors.


And my grandson's high chair is the best place for scraps and left-over pieces.

Don't you just love the sweet prints on the reproductions? They all seem to blend so well together. I would love to have some of the old original flour sacks. At the beginning of the book Sugar Sack Quilts by Glenna Hailey she shows lots of photographs of these wonderful original flour sacks.

After 275 cuts I'm finally done. I will let you know how it turns out. Guess I will go applique for awhile before turning in.

Have a great Friday, JanDee

Welcome to my first post on my first blog. I have been reading so many great blogs out there in blogland for so long I decided to see if I could set one up. So here goes.....What I like about blogs is that they are a great place to share my quilts, favorite recipes and bits and pieces of my life. I know I have a lot to learn about blogging but hopefully with time and some learning mistakes it will take shape.

I picked the name Polka Dot Cottage for two reasons. First of all, I just love polka dots and second the word cottage evokes a sound of warmth and homeyness to me. You might think I live in the beautiful countryside of Maine or Connecticut but the reality is I live in the suburbs of Los Angeles. My grandfather once said he never saw so much concrete in one place.

Well here is my first picture and what else would it be but polka dots. These are just a few of what is in my stash. The funny thing is I have never made a polka dot quilt. I have a pattern in mind and it's on my list of things to sew. I know we all have those to-do lists and it will be a miracle if they all get finished before I get to the nursing home.

Please come back and visit my blog again. I hope to post regularly until I run out of things to say, favorite recipes to share or run out of quilts to show.

Happy Day, JanDee