Christmas Party

Yes, I know it has been a while since my last post. Two reasons, first I have gone to work at Hobby Lobby in the fabric department. I just happened to ask the lady in fabrics if they were hiring and she said she was retiring in Jan. 2013 so yes they really needed someone with fabric experience. But let me tell you it is WAY different from working at the quilt shop. Hiring right here at the Holiday season was not a good idea either, very long hours, but I guess since I needed a job I needed to jump at the first opportunity. The second reason I haven't posted in a while is that when I did get time to sew I was working on Christmas presents that couldn't be shown. Now I can share a few with you, just not all yet.

 

These are all miniature quilt blocks. I gave these plus a table  stand to my stitch group. I couldn't decide who to give each one to so I just tossed them out and let the grabbing begin. I really enjoyed making these and each one I loved better than the last or at least I thought so at the time. In the end I would have had a hard time picking my favorite. I do hope to make more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope everyone is happy with their gift. More later about all the other goodies. I should have gotten a picture of the food it was wonderful and Pam's home was decorated so nice, thanks for hosting the party Pam.

Design Basket

Not much has changed this week on the design wall. Before Thanksgiving I worked really hard finishing some Christmas items, still need labels, and I made some Christmas pillowcases for nursing home (see yesterdays post) . I was trying to get everything done so that I could start the Easy Street mystery with Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville.com. Above is all 192 4-patch units from step one. Now I have to wait another week for next clue. I  have 3 other Christmas gifts I have decided to make and one is a pretty large project. Since I had a good bit left over from the plaid quilt I made for Donna I thought I would make another for a guy on my list. I just have to make it bigger. I have all the blocks made and am putting it together now
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I also got inspired looking at a slide show on Bonnie's blog and tried this block. It will use the same yellow in all blocks. What do you think? I hope to make a few more this week after I get the plaid done to see if I really want to go with this blue and yellow theme.

I am also compiling a UFO list for 2013. If you want to see what others are working on go to Judy's Design Wall Monday at Patchworktimes.com .

stash report

Morning all, I don't  usually do a stash report because I usually work with scraps or pre-cuts so it would be hard to figure yardage. However this past week I decided some of my old Christmas fabric needed to go and in a big way. I had been making quilt as you go place mats but using 2 inch strips takes a while to use up yardage so I made pillow cases. Donna's mother is in a nursing home and they play Bingo on Fridays so a sent these 7 pillow cases there to be used as prizes. I hear they were a big success so I will make more.

Each pillow case uses 1 yard and 2 inches of fabric so for this week fabric used is 7 3/8 yard.

I do have to admit to 1 yard in, purchased to make a pillow case for my niece. Needed fabric to match
quilt she got at graduation.

Black Friday

I gave up the big shopping day a long time ago so I count my blessings not having to get out in that mad crowd. However I have been looking forward to this day because the next Bonnie Hunter mystery begins. This is the 4th mystery I have done with Bonnie and this year it is called Easy Street.
Anticipation had me waking up at 2:45 but good sense prevailed and I went back to sleep but only until 4:57 and I had to get on up then. I was very disappointed that it was not on line at that time. So I checked on my Farmville 2 because there won't be much farming done once I can get started on Easy Street. The first step was finely available a little after 6 am and the first step was making 4-patch units from background and gray.

 

My backgrounds are like Bonnie used, black on white. I think I will have enough variety.

 

I cut my strip sets.

 

I need 192 4-patch units so that is 384 of these 2-patch units.

 I thought I had the 384 pieces here but wait, my math brain apparently does not work before 9 am.

 

I am piecing the 4-patches and putting them in stacks of 25. The problem is I am running out and not half way there. It seems when cutting the gray I was thinking I could bet 20 out of each WOF and since I was using mostly fat quarters for the black on whites I would cut the strips in half, so I cut 10 strips and 20 of the background. WRONG this only gave me the 192 plus a few extra 2-patch not the 384 I needed for the 192 4-patch. Back to the cutting mat. I am awake now, have had coffee, breakfast and a shower so maybe my math will be right this time.

I am sure there are some that will complain about the lack of constrast in these 4-patches but the other colors to be used in the quilt are lime or  apple green, turquoise and purple. I am sure these will make those colors pop.

Here is my tub of those fabrics, still need to pull a few more purples. If you would like to do the mystery too, go the Quiltville.com and check it out.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all. We had an early Thanksgiving dinner Sunday before last with Michelle. She is a flight attendant for Delta and is usually flying on the holiday so we celebrate with her whenever she is going to be home. I made these fall quilt as you go place mats to set the table in the holiday mood. I had made the table runner a while back while teaching a Thimbleberry class, add a couple of Jim Shore collectibles and we had a very festive table.

 

Desert was this delicous apple cake that Dianna Smith had shared the recipe with the stitch group earlier. It was featured on the cover of the Pampered Chef fall catalog.                 

 

I wish everyone a wonderful day, don't eat too much. yeah right!                       

Gloomy Monday

 

Not much has changed on the design wall. I have been working on a few quilts for my friend Donna.

 

I quilted this one for her.

 

This one I quilted and bound.

It is kind of overcast today and we need to cut some wood. Would much rather be outside when the sun is shinning than on a day like today. I guess I am just spoiled with the last few beautiful days. I am about to wrap up my Christmas projects, hope to do that today or tomorrow. I finish repairing an old quilt for my Dentist. It as a signature quilt and one smart lady dated her block, 1941. The quilt was in pretty good shape for 71 years old. I made him a pillow case to store it in when not displayed but didn't take a picture of it.

Johnny just came in and suggested we wait until tomorrow to fool with the wood cutting. YEA!

Saturday update

 

Got a little more done on this before had to call a halt. Have some other time sensitive things to do.

 

Donna needed a small quilt for a boy and was just going to sew some plaid squares together. I remembered I had these blocks started so I put them together for her. That makes both of us happy, done for her and one UFO gone for me. Truthfully I probably have enough units made of this pattern to do another quilt. I will keep this pattern in mind for other baby quilts. I am thinking use a light juvenile print or dot then pull brighter coordinating prints. 12 blocks plus a 5 inch border made the quilt 52 x 66. The pattern is Checker Board Plaids in the book 40 Fabulous Quick Cut Quilts by Evelyn Sloppy.

Veterans Day

This is not just another Monday, it is Veterans Day and I hope we all remember to thank those that serve and have served our country. My father served in the Korean war and then stayed on in the guard for more than 30 years. I have a lot of fond memories of seeing him off to summer camp or going to visit if the camp was not to far away that year. As children we thought it was exciting but then we always knew he would be home at the end of two weeks. I can not imagine how children of soldiers today face the fact that parents will be gone for more than a year and might not come back. That takes special courage.

I just can't wait to show what I took off the design wall this morning, but that will have to wait until closer to the holidays. I am looking forward to Bonnie Hunter's next mystery, Easy Street. but I need something on the DW until then. It is just too boring and depressing if it is blank. I was reading Jo's blog at Jo's Country Junction and she was talking about working on Perkimen Daydreams so I thought I would pull mine out and work on it a little until time to start the mystery. I probably started this project about three years ago right after the book came out. I made several strip sets of each unit. I have made 5 more blocks this morning and am surprised how well they are fitting together. I have some blocks put together as you can see in the above photo and several more blocks made in the photo below. It is raining here today so maybe I will make more blocks or maybe do some hand work on some other projects either way should be a good sew day.

Some finished projects

Can't beleive retreat is almost over . We will leave after lunch so we have begun clean up and packing.

Cathy finished the one paper pieced soccer ball. I think she is saying she will shoot herself before doing another.

 

Dianna just needs to bind her Christmas place mats.  

 

 

 

 She finished this purse with a little help from Cathy who had made one before.

 

Can you tell she is proud of it and I don't blame her. It is just georgous.

She also made this little table topper from a charm pack.

She also made this little hot pad.

We came down this morning and Dianna had finished this machine cover. Can we spell over achiever.

And she is still not finished, she pulled out this UFO which surprised me, didn't think she had any of those.

 

Gail has worked diligently on this photo quilt.

 

Have you ever done a disappearing 4 patch? Gina is working on this Alabama disappearing 4 patch for a gift.

Cathy got all these block appliqued except the moon and star one, but it won't take her long to finish that one.

 

I got these place mats done.

And these.

 

Buts best of all I finished Holy Toledo. I don't think I will put a border on it unless I find something different at home. We decided we didn't like what I had brought for borders and really liked it better without borders.

Retreat Update

Ada got this one put together. The pattern is from Judy's Patchwork Times.

 

I have all 80 block done, hopefully the next time you see these blocks they will be in a completed top.

 

Terrie is working on a Blooming 9 patch. She has it laid out on the floor upstairs and is getting her exercise going up and down the stairs.

Cathy as spent all afternoon paper piecing a soccer ball. There were going to be 3 in the T-shirt quilt she is doing for her youngest but now there will only be one.

 

Dianna is making Christmas quilt as you go place mats.

 

 

Faye joined us just for the day and worked on her Road to Dublin blocks from one of the Nichol Quilts book.

Gail is working on her 3 year double wedding ring.

Ada is putting Loddie's Mill together.

 

Here is the finish top, isn't it gorgeous?

 

 

Gina is working on the the border of a baby quilt  and the finish product is hanging on the far right.

 Barbara looks like she is cutting out paper dolls but she is actually working on some wool applique projects.

 

Sharon is working on a T-shirt among other things.

 

Donna is working on some beautiful blocks. The pattern is from the book Scrap Basket Surprise.

 

 

And not to leave myself out I have been sewing on some fall quilt as you go place mats. I will get pictures again after trimming and binding.


Below are a few photos of the decoration around the Red Rooster.