Merry Christmas

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas! 

I finished my Christmas sewing - I had one more stocking left to sew.  I've been working on these making one per year for a long time.  DH's was the last one - it is blue with the reindeer on it (he wanted a deer) 

 Here are all 6.  My red and white one stands out a bit - oh well  :0)  Tonight they all get filled!!

 I opened this little gift from a quilting friend yesterday. I think it's just beautiful!  She knows I love red. It has wool applique in the center.  I will have to find a good spot to hang it up.

I'm expecting a lot of company in the days ahead but, I will find a moment or 2 to pick up some stitching.  I hope you do too  :0)

Happy Quilting!!

a finish and a mistake

 The binding is on and I can start using my new tablerunner  :0)   I like how long and skinny it is and how it dresses up the table. 

 I have one more Christmas project to sew - I better get at it!!

 The basket block reminded me of a quilt my Grandmother made - probably mid 1970's.  (my sister would have been a toddler at the time)  It has the date embroidered on the binding along with my sister's name but I don't have a picture of that.  It was intended as her wedding quilt.  My sister was married in 2002.  I'm glad Grandma made these quilts for us long in advance as she didn't live to attend any of our weddings. 

  I love how scrappy it is  :0)  

 I celebrated my birthday on 12/12/12.  A date like that won't come around again for awhile.  My DH spoiled me with this absolutely lovely book. SO MANY beautiful old quilts with lots of ideas for how to display them.

Now for the mistake...  This quilt has sat around in the ufo pile for a long time.  I didn't want to hand quilt the center but I also didn't want to machine quilt the appliqued border.  I decided finally to handquilt it.  There are WAY too many seams to make handquilting very pleasant.  I knew this but I went ahead anyway.  I'm quilting these big circles - I'll be at this for awhile...

Happy Quilting!!

Christmas sewing

 I finally got into the mood for some Christmas sewing.  I wanted a table runner for my dining room.  Last Sunday I started flipping through magazines and by this Sunday I had top made.  Here it is all pinned and ready for machine quilting.  I hope to be binding it by the weekend!

 I didn't have a pattern but the idea came from a picture in the Dec 2009 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting.  It's in an article about Renee Plains's Christmas decorating.  I love my stash of magazines. So many ideas - so little time...

 My DH brought home from work this enormous Christmas basket. I don't exactly know where it came from but we've been enjoying the treats.  Usually these gourmet items come in an actual basket which I save thinking I will fill it with something and decorate some little corner of the house. (somehow I never get around to it)  This year I was astounded at the size and sturdiness of this sleigh!  It was begging to be used.  I piled in my favorite Christmas quilt and the kids supplied the Teddy.

The quilt is a pattern of Marcie's of Patchalot Patterns.  It's her free Christmas pattern from 2008 and is still free on her website.  I may have to make another because now I have nothing for the coffee table.
I have no idea where I will store this huge sleigh after Christmas but I really like it!  :0)

Happy Quilting!!

vine panel #5



 I was excited to attach vine panel #5 to the others.  Slowly this quilt is growing.  It makes me wonder how long it took Susan McCord to complete her quilt.

It is so hard to photograph.  I don't have a design wall so for once I thought I would pin it to the drapes and get a straight on picture.   I've printed off panel #6 but I really should applique a block or 2 for my Bird of Paradise quilt before I start another panel.  Thanks so much Janet for making this marvelous pattern available!!  If I try to stay disciplined maybe I can finish both quilts  :0)

I haven't done any handquilting since May.  Now that it's so cold here I am wanting a quilt to snuggle under and work on through the winter months.  I found this neglected top when I moved my sewing room to the basement.  It's basted now and I'll get started on it tonight. 

Happy Quilting!!

couple new things

I haven't posted for awhile.  We went on a family vacation to Hawaii.  It was so very wonderful...  Last night it was cold enough for DH to start making the skating rink in the backyard.  It's really feels like winter now.
I started a couple of new things.

 This little applique I prepped to bring along on our trip.  I always panic thinking I don't have enough handwork to last for the whole trip.  I did work on my Susan McCord vine quilt panel #5 but I brought this along for "just in case".  Well - I didn't finish my vine panel but I did finish this  :0)  It's 7 1/2 inches square.  It's called Whig Rose from Lori Smith's book Fat Quarter Quilting.  Rather than making 5 more blocks like the pattern I plan to use it as a center for a small medallion quilt. 

 This project I started on my sew day with friends last month.  Fall is long gone here where I live but these warm colors continue to make me happy  :0)  I have no idea what the finished project will be - I will continue making blocks until I figure it out.

Thank you to those who helped me in my search for more of the red and white polka dot fabric I'm using in my zigzag quilt.  Thanks especially to Beatrice from France who told me the name of the fabric line and the designer.  With this information I was better able to look for more.   After much searching, I found a store in Lethbridge that still had some and it is on it's way here in the mail.  Yahoo!!  Now I can make my zigzag quilt as big as I want  :0)

Happy Quilting!!

Quiltalong link up

 I sewed my Mountain Trail blocks into a top this afternoon.  I decided on the Zigzag setting for them. I am still making more blocks but I didn't want to miss out on Lori's linkup with all the quilts from this quiltalong.  I will add borders when I've sewed all the blocks I can make onto it.  What a great project this has been - thanks so much Lori!!

 I cut all the scraps my friend gave me of the red polka dot fabric.  There is just enough for one more row of blocks.  I'm so glad.  I'd love to make this quilt bigger.  This is the only piece of selvage with info on it.  I suspect it was from a line that came out last Christmas.  I sure wish I'd bought more...

I enjoyed so very much the sew day with friends I had last Saturday.  I managed to finish the rest of the blocks for Cheddar Posies - the quilt I am making for DD#1.  The pattern is from Quiltmaker May/June 2011. My friends helped me decide on navy blue for the inner and outer borders.

Happy Quilting!!

mountain trails get longer

 It's been a busy week!  The kids have had stomach flu and I have had to move my sewing room from an upstairs bedroom to a corner of the basement family room.  I did manage to get more Mountain Trail blocks made.  I used every little scrap of of the red polka dot fabric that I had.  I have a friend who has a little bit of it left over from one of her projects and she's going to give it to me tomorrow  :0)   I'll make as many blocks as I can!

 It's hard to say if I've had more fun sewing these scrappy little blocks or arranging them in many setting possibilities.

 How will I ever decide???

I'm very partial to this zigzag setting.  Which one do you like?
On Monday Lori wants to link up all the mini quilts made from this quilt along. I suspect I will still be making blocks  :0)
Tomorrow I am taking a whole day off to go to a sew day with friends.  I can't wait! 
Happy Quilting!!

Mountain Trails

 I have had so much fun making these blocks from Lori's latest Quiltalong.   They are so scrappy  :0)  I used a few uglies thinking they couldn't look too bad when the strips finish at 3/4 inch.

 I haven't sewn them together yet.  They are fun to play with as they have so many possibilities. 

 These big pinwheels.

 Set straight.

 I really like this one.  I'll decide on the setting when I'm finished making blocks.

 

 I'm going to make blocks until I run out of the red and white polka dot.  Then I might raid a friend's stash to get some more of it  (you know who you are ;0)  I might get 50 - 60 blocks altogether if I'm lucky.
Thanks so much Lori for another great quiltalong!
Happy Quilting!

 

 

Bird of Paradise blocks

Barb asked to see the finished blocks all together. I thought that was a great idea as I hadn't done it for awhile.
So, now I can see that I don't need anymore big pink things and maybe it could use a little bit more black. This is not the final layout - I will decide that when I have all the blocks appliqued.
I ordered a few pieces of Moda Primitive Muslin to see if one of those would work for my borders. They came today and none were a very good match. I think I could live with this darker one laid out on the left. I would put an hst or dogtooth border between as a first border I think.
I've been busy sketching the next 2 blocks this afternoon :0)
Happy Quilting!!

finally some embroidery

 

Finally I have some Bird of Paradise blocks to post.  I have had this block appliqued for a few weeks.  I wanted to embroider the skipping rope before I posted it because the space looked so empty without it.  A friend came over Friday afternoon and provided the encouragement needed to get started.  Nearly all of these Bird of Paradise blocks need a bit of embroidery so it was good to make a start.  This block portrays DD#2 and DD#3.  I found enough pinks in my stash so they could both have pink dresses without matching  :0)  



This is my church block.  I was married in a church and every Sunday our family goes to church.  My faith is very important to me and I wanted to include a church on my quilt as a symbol of that. 

So now I have only 3 blocks left to complete and then on to the border.  If you can believe it - I don't have enough background fabric for the borders so the hunt is on to find something similar.  I have only myself to blame.  I was so eager to get started on this project and I thought I had a big enough piece.  I didn't measure it to be sure.  I won't be making that mistake again! 

Happy Quilting!!

a new little bag

 I seem to be having trouble getting back to the machine projects I was working on before summer came along.  I started something new again and made a new little bag.  I cut and used charm squares from Howard Marcus's line Friendship. It is just the right size to hold my Bible and a notebook to go to my weekly BSF Bible study.

I quilted it with free motion feathers.  I found it challenging to evenly fill the rectangular shape.  It was a good exercise - I need to practice more!
Maybe this week I can back to those machine projects before they become ufos...  :0)
Happy Quilting!!

split 9 patch

This is another quilt to go to northern India. It's to go to a school set up for children who live at the dump. After seeing a picture of the last quilt I made with it's recipient, I knew I wanted to make another. When I heard they were collecting quilts for the rest of the children I got started.

I had some fabric I wanted to use up. I made some 9 patches - split them and sewed them back together again. It was fun arranging them as there were so many options. It is machine quilted very simply.

I hope this quilt will bring a smile to a child's face and keep them warm on cold nights this winter.

Happy Quilting!!

finished panel 4

I was excited to finish panel #4 of my Susan McCord vine quilt this week and add it to the others. This quilt is slowly growing and so far I haven't lost momentum on it.
It's still difficult to photograph. I like the closer photos because I can see the colors of the leaves. However, when I see the whole thing I can enjoy the wavy lines created by the main stems.

I printed off panel 5 and will start on it soon. I'm working on a Bird of Paradise block for a few days. I really want to complete that project too!

I quilted my Temecula Summer Stars quilt this week. I am terribly out of practice with machine quilting! I did very simple in-the-ditch quilting.

DD#2 sewed herself a skirt to wear for the first day of school :0) I was proud of her! We went shopping yesterday for flannel to make fall/winter pajamas for her, DS and DD#3 and she asked if I would make them for her because she would rather make quilts than sew clothes. LOL! I can relate to that!

Happy Quilting!!

Summer Stars

I got my stars together for the Temecula Quilt Co's Summer Star sew-a-long. They posted their layout yesterday and somehow I had it in my mind that there would be 9 stars. Theirs has only 8 so I made up my own 2"center and made an extra block.

I had trouble deciding on border fabric. This navy is what I went with but I came very close to using this taupe/grey/brown.

I hope I can get it quilted this week. It's only 16" square so it shouldn't take too long :0) What a fun little project for summer.

Happy Quilting!!

confessions

Back in May I bought my very first fat quarter bundle. I fell in love with this California Girl line by Fig Tree and I couldn't resist.
I haven't even opened it yet.
However the door was opened to buy more Fig Tree fabric - oh dear!

I've always admired it but bought little thinking it didn't really go with the rest of my stash. I need to begin making something soon or I'll start feeling guilty about buying so much. At first I was thinking about a Farmer's Wife quilt or some similar 6 inch block sampler. I just can't decide... so

I keep working on my Susan McCord vine quilt. I have only 2 more branches left to do for panel #4 and the fun of sewing on hundreds of little leaves hasn't worn off yet :0) I just love working on this project!

On a personal note - My youngest daughter is starting Kindergarten this fall - next week. She's only 4 1/2 and I thought I'd have her home with me for another year. However, she is SO ready to go - practicing all her numbers and letters and trying so hard to read by herself. She is confident and fun loving and will have a marvelous time. I am so NOT ready for her to go. I've had little ones home with me for over 13 years. I like having little people around - they are such good company. I know I should be embracing this - all the freedom and maybe even more time to sew. But instead, I feel like this wonderful chapter in my life is slipping away...

Thanks for listening :0)

catching up

I've been making some progress with my quilt patis diamond stars. I keep running out of the patis templates so I decided to tackle the edge to get some back into circulation. (I should have ordered more but now it's a bit of a personal challenge to see how far I can go with just the one pack)
I want this quilt to become a regular rectangle shape so I made cardboard templates to fill in the top and turn the corner. (I know I could just make some diamond shaped cardboard templates - I just like how easy it is to pop out the plastic ones) I guess I'll need some half stars to fill in the side. It's been so great to have this take along stitching for at the beach and while camping this summer. It's about 1/4 of the size I want to finish at.

I caught up my Summer Star Sew-along blocks from http://temeculaquiltco.blogspot.ca/ Can the summer really be almost over!?! Here I've put the blocks next to a lamp my Dad made for me out of oak when I was in high school. Any guesses about what it is supposed to be :0)

Happy Quilting!!

I finished my Crowfoot quilt top yesterday. It is inspired by a quilt in Betsy Chutchian's book "Gone to Texas" I thought I'd have finished this weeks ago but... summer is very busy!
I had some trouble with my pieced border. I thought I'd done the math right but when they were sewn up the corners were not going to work. I could have just chopped them off - liberated style -but I wasn't going to be happy with them that way. You can see my solution and I am happy with it.

I had to take pictures outside because it's too large to lay out on the floor in my house without moving heavy furniture. Since it was outside, I thought I'd snap a picture of it with my mostly recovered vegetable garden :0)

Here it is draped over the bed. I wonder how long it will be before it's ready to be slept under? I intend to quilt it by hand. Has anyone thread basted a quilt on a hardwood floor before? I'm worried about scratching it up with the needle. Not that I have a scratch-free floor with 4 kids in the house, but I try not to intentionally scratch it.

So now do I get to start something new?? :0)

Happy Quilting!!