Saturday, December 29, 2018

November post just a tad late


Imagine my surprise when I opened up blogger to do a post Christmas write up only to find I never published my post Thanksgiving write up.  So I think I'll just publish that one and do post Christmas next week

From this point on written 11/25/18:

I have absolutely positively no idea where the month of November went.  I'm eating left over turkey so I'm relatively sure Thanksgiving came and went. I had house guests for the holiday so thankfully the left overs are at a minimum.  I kept a little of the main course and most of the dessert which is all gone now.

Oh well,  I have been busy with quilty projects and a couple of quilty classes. Most of these are Christmas related so I can't post those pictures yet.

In the Pick A Pumpkin Blog Hop post I included a table runner and placemats.  A friend saw them and asked if I could make a couple of sets with a horse theme for a charity event she was involved with.


I think it took longer to find  a piece of fabric with horses on it than it did to make them.



One of the classes I took was a beginner hexie class.  I have tried hexies before on several different occasions but never stick with it.  This one is no exception, this time I think it was the timing of the class running into the holiday sewing and it has already been shelved. I've left it in a spot I can see so maybe I'll pick it up again after Christmas. This is a picture of the goal not my work




Or maybe not since my Christmas / Birthday present to me this year is the Baby Lock Solaris embroidery machine.  It's on order and should be here any day now.  I have never done machine embroidery before, this will be an entirely knew experience totally out of my comfort zone. All positive encouragement will be gladly accepted.



approx 4 in across
3.5 in high 
3/4 in deep

I made a gazillion of these tiny pouches for several different holiday events. Gazillion translates to just over 50 in case you were wondering. They were all made from Christmas Scraps




 The pattern is The Tinkalong Pouch Sewing Pattern the pattern is for the 2 larger pouches, to get to the tiny one she suggests taking the smaller of the two patterns down to 65%, it works like a charm.



I also started making a Mondo bag for my sister for Christmas.  Of course I skipped over parts of the instructions and will have to work on restitching the handles on in the correct way.  They are just enough off center to drive me crazy.  I really hate being the cause of my own problems.



I also managed a sweet pin cushion


and a Hanukkah card both based  on patterns from Minki Kim's new book Diary in Stitches 

Off now to work on Christmas before I get sidetracked with  the arrival of my new toy.

Wish me Luck


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Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Pick A Pumpkin Blog Hop

Lets start with a great big thank you to Carla for staging another terrific blog hop.  Thanks also to all of the hoppers who are participating, sharing their talents and ideas.

Now on to my offering this time around.  I had a tough time coming up with a way to pick my pumpkin.  I love pumpkins but tend to view them as Halloween decor not Fall decor.


Like this recent design by  Elizabeth Coughlin Designs that I fell in love with.

Carla set this hop for the first week of November, definitely not Halloween.

In  one of my  recent posts I showed the receiving blankets I made using this you tube video from Missouri Star Quilts

While I was looking at the blankets all rolled up ready for gifting I had the idea that I could maybe change the sizing/shape and make an easy to do table runner using some of the home dec pumpkin fabric I had stashed away.


Totally fall - perfect for my coffee table


It has no batting, and I did no quilting.  It has a bit of top stitching to hold the layers in place and that's all,  just like the blanket construction.


Well that got me to thinking I could maybe put some batting inside and whip up a set of placemats.

I just stuck the batting in before closing up the turning hole and secured it with the top stitching and an extra round of stitching in the border.  I'm really thinking that the next time I'll skip the batting. I'm really not seeing the need especially if you want to whip up a set for a family holiday meal with lots of attendees.


And then, why not some coasters. I fussy cut the centers and again slipped in the batting and did some additional top stitching of the border to hold it in place.


I am going to list the approximate measurements I used to cut my fabrics as well as the measurements for the finished pieces just in case any of you want to try this and not have to do the math thing.

Table Runner Finished at 14.5 x 32.5

Border/backing fabric cut at 18 x 36
Focus fabric cut at 12 x 30

Placemat Finished at 11.5 x 15.5

Border/backing fabric cut at 15 x 19
Focus fabric cut at 9 x 13

Coaster finished at  6 in square

Border/backing fabric cut at  8.5 in square
Focus fabric cut at  4.5 in square



I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Happy Fall.  

Below is the list of the rest of the participants in this hop.  If you missed any of them it is time to go back and visit them.  So many wonderful ideas are at your finger tips.


Monday, November 5th

Tuesday, November 6th

Wednesday, November 7th

Thursday, November 8th




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Monday, October 29, 2018

pumpkins - a couple of quilts - and more pumpkins

Since my last post I've been rather busy on the sewing front.

I am overloaded on the Halloween quilty stuff but I do love the holiday and it takes very little to push me into making something new.  This year I found a knitting pattern for a snowman mug hugger.



I was showing it to a few quilty buddies and one of them suggested I make a pumpkin version. It was such a small challenge so I went for it. 


I've now made a couple and they are on their way to their new homes.  I am making a couple of the snowmen for the Christmas holidays and I think I will maybe put a Dunkin gift card into an empty cup.

I am a member of   Heart Builders Quilts.  These are quilts made by  teams which are sponsored by Cotton Cuts.  On my team I am one of the top/flimsy makers.  I receive a package of fabric a couple of times a year and get to make a 45 x 60 quilt of my choosing using that fabric and any from my stash that I may want to use.



Once it's done off it goes to my team leader who is also the quilter for our group.

Next on the list of accomplishments for this month would be this adorable baby quilt by Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts . The pattern comes in this small size and a larger size that one has 6 giraffes of different heights





I got this far last weekend (a week ago)  before getting off track.  I really have focus issues.


I needed a card to send with a gift and the cover of this book was flapping at me so I dropped everything and made this card.


Then I needed to send something to my sister in Jersey and thought about how cold it was getting up there.  So I designed a card just for her.


Then I was following the Peek A Who? blog hop and on  Elizabeth Coughlin Designs  posting she offered this wonderful pattern and I fell in love and had to start it immediately.

I did get the stitching done but I really don't know what I want to do with it, too many ideas so it may have to wait til next year for a permanent  purpose, the actual stitching is 6 inches square.

In the mean time I am really happy with them watching me from my design wall.

And then I got my act back together and finished the baby quilt this weekend.


I love the first picture of them on my lawn under a tree giving it great shadows.


And I'm including this one for the clarity of colors.


And of course one needs a photo of the cool backing that matched the colors on the front so perfectly.

There was a bit more sewing done but those shots will show up on November 8, my day to post on the Pick A Pumpkin blog hop  coordinated by Carla at Creatin in the Sticks.
Hope to see you then.





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Monday, October 8, 2018

Small Kennel Quilts - Receiving Blankets - Dish Cloths

Hurricane Florence has done a number on small pets.  Requests having been coming in steadily since the storm for Small Kennel Quilts for all of the animals ending up displaced and in shelters.  I try and do 6 per request.

I find if I do them assembly line fashion I can knock them out at a little under 30 minutes each.  I am now in the habit of cutting left over batting into usable pieces for these quilts.  I also have several quilting friends who donate fabric and batting to me for this project.

These are the most recent finishes


The requests come through Quilt Pattern Magazine and Petfinder Follow the link for details and patterns and how you can join the team.


A few weeks ago a quilting friend mentioned a super simple receiving blanket video she saw on YouTube by   Missouri Star Quilt Co.     

Last week my neighbor mentioned that she had a brandy new, very early, great grand child and that in a couple of weeks she would be going north to a shower for him.  The perfect opportunity to give the self binding receiving blanket a try.


So cute and so simple


The first one took me about an hour and a half.


The second took 61 minutes start to finish.

You need to do a stitch all the way around where the binding is attached to the front to keep the layers from shifting.  On the first one I used a very slow to sew cute stitch  which added about 10 minutes to the project.  On the second one I just used a wiggle stitch.  # 4 on my Bernina.

The finished blanket measures in at about 34 inches square.

At my last quilt meeting one of the ladies was seeking a home for this spool of cotton yarn


One of the ladies at her table told her that I could probably crochet or knit something with it. Apparently I have a reputation.


She handed it to me and apologized that it was boring but that I could probably add some color to it.

The pattern was for a small and large wash cloth.  I started with the large and found it too big.  Posted them on IG and had a friend call and tell me that she really, really liked them.  Will probably use them for packing material for her Christmas gift.


I knew if I held onto all those scraps of color from a previous project  they would come in useful. Not sure who will find this set in their Christmas package. 

Not really sure what I'm up to next.  I do have several projects that should be finished and a hop or 2 on the horizon that I should give some serious thought to.  hmmmmmmmmmmmm

Until next time, stay happy.





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Friday, September 21, 2018

Catching up on Quilty Projects

Searching for something in my photo gallery and just realized that I've been amazingly productive this past month in and around the Welcome to My House hop and should probably get these pics posted before I totally loose track of them.

Starting with my most current and working backward through my my photo gallery would be

#1 Zip Pouch


I had an idea to make a zip pouch as the packaging for my niece's upcoming birthday gift.  Somewhere in the past couple of weeks I saw a pouch with a really long zipper that turns into the strap. Never made note of where I saw this or how it may have been done.  Searched google and pinterest with no luck

So I'm very sorry that I can't give credit and sorrier still that I didn't have a pattern to follow for getting that zipper done.  I'm sure it could have been done faster than how I muscled through it.

It is the result that counts and I am tickled with it.  The raw edge applique pattern is from Minki Kim's new book Diary in Stitches    I also did some quilting using my Quilting foot for some practice.  You can hardly see it because I did it in black but from the back I can see how I'm improving.







#2 Small Animal Kennel Quilts

Requests are now coming in for help at shelters helping with overflow from Florence. These have gone to Tennessee.  The requests come through Quilt Pattern Magazine and Petfinder Follow the link for details and patterns and how you can join the team.


#3 Quilts for Heart Builders

Being retired with a considerable stash does allow me to help several organizations throughout the year.  I am on a Heart Builders team where I make quilt tops, some fabric is sent to me, some from my stash.  I do my top and forward it to my team captain for quilting and distribution to a childrens organization that has been choosen somewhere in the country.  I completed 2 last week, the first with the panel was fabric sent to me by the group. I added the beige border to make it a bit larger.




the second was made with scraps  and a little stash





#4 Disappearing 9 Patch

The scraps from this quilt were used for #3 above. I took a Member to Member class offered by TQGOTV.  Got all of the blocks done at the class and about half of the top. Came home and finished the top. It has joined the pile of tops waiting for inspiration to be quilted.



#5 Pin Cushion

This sweet little pincushion was made for a very supportive friend.  Another pattern by Minki Kim.



#6 House gift for New Home Owners

Good friends of ours moved into a new home here in sunny Florida earlier this month.  They have several sets of my placemats but I felt the new house required new place mats in their favorite colors and my currently favorite, tumbler blocks





and while I was at it a new table runner


and why not use the scraps for tumbler shaped coasters.


Yes, they were a complete success.

I feel much better now.  The reason I originally started to blog was to keep track of what I have done in my crafting (quilting) life.  Blogging has evolved to much more in my life but I still like to keep track.

I need to run a few errands but then back to the sewing space for work on the next postings. Yeah, I have several projects started and scattered around the room fighting for my attention. (don't we all)

Til next time.


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Thursday, September 13, 2018

Welcome To My House Hop

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

Come on in and have a seat, make yourself comfy.  Depending on the time of day that you are visiting would you care for a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate maybe a glass of wine?  Sure, feel free to use the mug rug,  that's why I make them.


Let me give you some back story on this one.  While looking through one of the several boxes of misc stuff for the these


I came across this stray house block.  It looked so sad and forelorn in with all the stray stuff. You know the hardware, rulers, pencils etc. etc. etc This box should not have had a stray block in it. It was also very fortuitous that it was a house block while I was working on items for this particular hop. I took it as a sign that I needed another mug rug.  One to commemorate this wonderful event.



Next up is the reason I was in the box of stuff in the first place.  for the past month and a half I have been working on lots of small pieces of raw edge applique/stitch art / sketch applique/free motion applique (it seems to have many names).  Not  quite an obsession more like taking a night class. Along the way I saw many fun ideas for using these tiny pieces.  One that I loved is decorative key rings.


I drew a house a couple of months ago and thought this would work into a key ring perfectly.  A little trial and error and low and behold key rings.  I don't think they would hold up in my purse but they are cute. Probably should have looked for a you tube version for durability but I'm happy.



yeah, that last one isn't a house but its just so cute and if I put my golf cart key on it, it should last forever since that never goes inside my purse.


A couple of weeks ago   Carla over at Creatin'in the Sticks  posted her Merry and Bright Christmas House Ornament. It drew me in and  I had to do it and I had to do it immediately.  I may have overstuffed my first house but other than that it was a very easy pattern to follow.  Of course it would have been better if I actually followed all of the pattern.



 I was on such a roll that I skipped over the part that clearly explains the attachment of the hangy  part.  So instead of being an ornament mine will now be a very festive pin cushion. 

Once I realized that I made the mistake I decided on a do over.


We retired to Florida so I thought I'd make my house look like it belongs here


This is from the back and the far side of the house


Carla's attention to detail is wonderful.

Last but not least is my quilt of the raw edge applique blocks that I mentioned earlier. It started several months ago with this block , don't know why.  I had been looking at it on the wall and decided it needed to be something. Now its a sweet little pin cushion.


I did one block a day for 30 days, pretty much the month of August.  The quilt wasn't intended for this hop but the rules say that your good so long as there is a house somewhere in the piece.  My quilt has 2.  One is the base for a couple of the key rings


 the other just another misc block  among many misc blocks. Since it fell into the guidelines I figured I'd run with it.




 Several of the blocks I used were from Minki Kims latest book Diary in Stitches and some of her older patterns.  I also used  a pattern from Erin Cox's book Sweet Tweets and that little deer is a Gail Pan design from 2016 that I've loved since the first time I saw it.


Well I am sorry that your visit to My House is over but I wouldn't want you to miss any of the other places to go and people to see that Carol has so graciously invited to participate in this event. Thank you Carol, I kinda feel like I 'm attending one of those parties where you go to one house for appetizers then one for salad, then the next for the entree and another for dessert.  All with excellent cooks  ;-}

So here is the list of excellent cooks.  Have fun visting them one and all.

September 10


September 11


September 12


September 13


September 14

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