Christmas in July plus more pouches and a postcard

Yep, Christmas in July is what it says. This month The Quilt Guild of the Villages had a Christmas in July gathering expoing quilted Christmas ideas. They even had Christmas cookies.  There were some great ideas.  I came away with this one.

It is a reversible napkin

Here is my set of 4. 

Once I picked my fabrics and made a half circle template it took just over an hour to make the set of  4.

Sorry about the angle but this is what they open up to be.  It's an 18 inch diameter circle cut in half. I used freezer paper, my roll was 18 inches wide to start.  I would not recommend directional fabric.

Didn't think it through but you  fold these things at funky angles so your design gets a bit twisted..

Here are 2 different links for making them.

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2013/11/03/christmas-tree-napkin-tutorial-by-sew-caroline/

http://www.lynbrown.com/decorative-tree-napkins/

                                       I also made a couple more of the recessed zip pouches.

These were made from another JoAnns bundle.

Actually the same fabric designs as the green ones from last week but in grey.

Used some of the remaining green bundle for the lining.

Then I had a change of pace and took a class for making cards. 

A great evening .  We made 4 cards

in about 2 hours

A nice social outing.  Meeting new people and learning new skills.

OK now on to my fabric post card.  I actually made this card in June for a postcard swap.  I know it has been received so it is safe to post now.

The goal was to make a card that meant summer to you.  Watermelon says it all.

All in all a very productive week.

Recessed Zipper Pouches - Celie has finally arrived

It's been crazy busy here for the past 2 weeks. Two different groups of relatives and friends from Jersey came to the sunshine state for a visit. Three nights and four days at Disney with a couple of the visitors to celebrate a 10th birthday and last but certainly not least Celie has finally arrived.

more photos of Celie below

I was feeling very quilty deprived so yesterday to get my feet back into the game I made a Lola Pouch, made with the pattern by Svetlana/s.o.t.a.k handmade

OK so I actually made 2.  I had a bundle of 5 fat quarters from JoAnns that I have been hoarding for awhile now. I used 4 of them.

I believe that after making these 2 I have enough scraps from the 4 fats to make at least one more.

Looking at these pictures I can see that I was in a real frenzy about making something. I really need to press much better before I start to sew. 

Anyway what I loved about these pouches is the recessed zipper and the bound edges.

The way the zippers are sewn in you get a really wide mouth  to the pouch.

I also finished the top for the quilt I've been procrastinating over. Pulled some fabrics for the backing so I might get it sandwiched this weekend. Where have I heard that before.

For those dog lovers out there here are a few more pictures of the latest member of our family.

It took no time at all for her to find the sofa.

She has a very sad face. We are working on making her smile a bit more. 

They played hard and crashed.  I know they are really tired in this photo because they were on the floor and not on a piece of nicely padded furniture.

That's more like it.

We've had her to the vet for a meet and greet. She came with heavy duty medical issues. Her immune system is a wreck and she is resistant to most antibiotics.  She seems to be doing very well at  the moment and we hope to keep her that way.  She's had a very tough life in her not quite 2 years. We are hoping being in a stable environment with her sister (they are litter mates) will keep her on track. Wish us well.

Catch Up Post

Its been 2 weeks since I last stopped to do a posting. Looking back at the pictures on my phone I can see that I've had a few accomplishments
.

This is the Magnificent Moss Basket.  It is a free pattern on Craftsy. It is done in 2 strands of worsted weight yarn. The pattern comes in 8,10,12 and 14 inch Diameters.

This is my 10 inch basket.  The pattern is diameter specific but height is your choice. As is the option to add different colors in the middle.

I also made it in the 8 inch and then a 6 inch.  Once you do one basket changing the size to one that wasn't included isn't at all difficult.

The largest one took me about 4 hours and the smallest about 3.

Since moving in to the new house in February we still haven't finished with boxes or decorating. My guest room is still sporting a blow up bed and several brown, paper boxes.

This week we ordered up a couple of Murphy beds for the room. The boxes however still were a bit of an eyesore.  My short term answer ( maybe long term ) was to make slip covers for them from Home Dec fabric ( on sale plus a cpn at Joanns ).

I purchase the entire bolt of 9 yards.  I plan on making a couple of bed runners with it for when I have company and some 1 hour baskets for the shelves that come with the beds.  That should hold my guests clothes and I won't need to get drawers for the room. The baskets will also keep me from filling the shelves with my junk.

I also took a class on Modern Hexies sponsored by the Quilt Guild of the Villages and taught by Linda Hungerford

It was a great day.  I picked out solids in the same color as my box slip covers. I plan on finishing it for the quest room just not sure if it will be a pillow or a wall hanging. I'm waiting for it to talk to me before I do anything else. 

I also worked on my Scrap Vortex and got a post card off to Canada for a postcard swap.  Once I know it has been received I can post a picture.  I also did a little work on quilt that I am making for the aunt of a friend who lost all of her quilts and afghans to a fire.  That is now on the top of my to finish list.

To all of my US friends, please have a happy and safe 4th of July