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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Highlights of 2013

January.
Slow quilting.
I'm happy to say this one is now finished and given away!

February.

March.
Orphan block quilts.

April.
Wedding quilts.

May.
Baby quilts.

June.
Gardens and weaving.

July.
Jelly making.
(The jelly was given away with potholders for christmas)
;)

August.
Scrappy quilting.

September.
Meeting blog friends!

October.
Making little things.

November.
Art quilts!

December.
Stars for gifts!
 
What a GREAT year!
Looking forward to more
SEWING adventures in 2014!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas!

The sewing machine is quiet...
but the cutting mat is busy
as I finish up final preparations for Christmas!
 
 

There are carols playing and singing in the background
as I cut and wrap
and cook and bake!
 
I'm sending you ALL a big THANK YOU
for stopping by this little corner of blogland.
Thank you for reading
and leaving such sweet comments.
 
It will be quiet here for a few days
as I FOCUS on the important stuff.
:)
 
 
Here's a link to ONE of my favorite Christmas songs:

 Enjoy.
 
 
*pattern for Christmas carolers
was found HERE.
I made them a couple of years ago.
 

Monday, December 23, 2013

Friendly houses

Houses are still arriving for our neighborhood party.

You can see here...
someone likes kitty cats!
:)

This little coffee house is wonderful....
don't you think?

So is this garden!

What kind of house do YOU live in?
Does snoopy surf in YOUR neighborhood?
 

Or do you live in a HIGH rise?
 
These house blocks will find a new home soon!
The winners will recieve 9 or so blocks
to put together for a blogland QUILT!
Quilters from ALL over the world are participating!
 
The neighborhood party is just a FUN way to celebrate
this GREAT nieghborhood I call BLOGLAND.
Where there's always a KIND word
and
a GENEROUS spirit.
JUST the kind of place I like to BE!!!!
 

Wish I could walk over to EACH and every
blogland house delivering some goodies!
 
Maybe you'd invite me in for a cup of COFFEE!
;)
 
 
******
More information about neighborhood party
is on the sidebar.
I think you have JUST enough time to still come!

Friday, December 20, 2013

Half Hexagons (a new beginning)

I'm pulling fabric out today.
I'm getting ready to BEGIN something NEW!
Let's hear it for new beginnings!!!
It is SO fun to start a brand new project!
Kind of like a Christmas present to myself!
;)

Here's my practice hexagon
and a few half hexagons READY to go!
 
Let me say...
It was a bit tricky trying to figure out how to cut the shape
WITHOUT the aid of a template.
When I get something in my mind to DO...
I don't like waiting to buy a tool.
Plus....
I LIKE figuring it out!
Gets those old brain cells MOVING!
Hah!

I cut a strip 2 3/4" wide.

Then I began cutting through two layers of fabric
using my 60degree angle on my ruler
and a piece of tape as my guide.

This 3" side is important too!!!
Each cut is 3" away from the next on the shorter side.
(in the bottom of this photo)
 

Hopefully when the rows are sewn together...
ALL the hexagon sides will be 3"!!!!
 
That's the HOPE!
;)
it's o.k. if they're not all perfectly the same
since I'm sewing them in rows.
 
IF I had cut WHOLE hexagons....
I would have WAY TOO MANY "Y" seams..
for MY liking!!!
Can you imagine how many Y seams that would be????
Ugh!
 

Here are the two pieces I need for each hexagon.....
but they have to WAIT!
 
I need to sew the half hexagons in rows
and THEN put the rows together.
 
THAT'S when you'll see the hexagon!
You also might see my hair has been ALL torn out
from trying to line up matching rows of half hexagons
on my living room FLOOR!!!
The goal is a QUEEN sized quilt!
 
Here's hoping that MOST of the prints I choose
will be busy enough
 to disguise that center seam I'll have in each block.
What if I want some solids in here too....
Will the seam show too much???
Hmmm....
Another bunch of decisions to ponder!!!!
 
 
 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Helpful HINT

When the rotary blade doesn't feel like turning.....
Add a little oil.
It's MAGIC!

I'll be doing lots of trimming soon.
I like to work in stages.
Adding the binding with machine is NEXT.

As you can see....
I'm using some old towels (clean of course) for the potholder stars.
 
I THINK this is my last batch.
Do you like Christmas sewing...
or...
Christmas BAKING???
 
Guess which one I like?
Hah!

Monday, December 16, 2013

Monday monday

I liked the potholders when they were just pieced together.
I like them a LOT MORE all quilted up!!!!
Don't you?

Maybe the fact that they're DONE is part of it.
:)
I love the center of this star.
Mmmm....yummy fabric.

I had a nice piece of this green/brown dotty fabric.
It was PERFECT for the back of ALL of my stars and bars.
Don't you LOVE when you don't have to make ANY MORE decisions??
 
People don't realize how many decisions we have to make as quilters!!!
It's exhausting.
;/

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Stars, bars and houses

I'm sewing up some scraps
to be turned INTO potholders for gifts.
I love these festive STARS!
The bars in the upper right are o.k. too.
;)
The bars were ALL together in my scrap bag...
Just needed two seams sewn.
I couldn't RESIST the simple design!
 
In other news....

Houses for the neighborhood party are arriving daily.
Sharon sent a house and barn.
One for the party and ONE for a charity quilt!

I LOVE the way she added this little pre-printed quilt block
into the barn!
It's PERFECTO!

Maria sent these two houses.
One looks like a daytime scene
and the other NIGHT!!
Fun! FUN!!!
 
The party is on.
There's still time to join in the FUN!
Leave a comment and I'll send YOU my address.
Details here.
 
 
 
 

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Thrifty Thursday

Another pillow.
Hope you're not too tired of my trash to treasure pieces!
:)
Seems I've been on a ROLL with this kind of thing!

This pillow began with an ALREADY cut up embroidered UFO.
I have NO idea why it was already cut into!!
 
I cut a big piece out and surrounded it with green fabric.
I still have a small area to be used!
Wonder what I'll make with it??

Before stitching up the opening I stuffed it.
 
With what???

Batting scraps....

and little bits of fabric from my TRASH bin!!!
 
I got the idea here.
 
Just.....Another FRUGAL day around here!
LOL!

This pillow is for ME!
 
I'm keeping it.
 

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Caps for Christmas!

Every year I tell myself I'm not going to make gifts for everyone.
 
I think it takes the pressure OFF to say I'm NOT going to do it.
I'm really o.k. with not making something for everyone.
And THEN...
I get an idea in my head...
and It won't go AWAY until I DO SOMETHING about it.
Until I MAKE something for EVERYONE!!!
Last year it was little zipper bags.
One year it was holiday hexagon table mats.
Another year it was casserole carriers!
 
This year....

It's HATS!
Some with little braids attached.....

Some without.
 
I found a simple pattern here.

This one is super WARM.
It's going to my son who will be leaving in January.
He's heading off to the cold, cold state of Iowa!!!
 
For this hat I used an old sweatshirt
and a THICK fleece.

The pattern calls for fleece...
but of course I have to DO MY OWN thing
and I've been experimenting with ALL kinds of fabric.
 
This one is lined with some leftover Stretch KNIT.
See the litte kitties peeking out?

This is the pattern.

I've learned I can use old fleece jackets.
This one had a broken zipper and I KNEW I'd find a use for it someday!

I bought these VERY inexpensive fleece throws at walmart
to help me out with this project.
The fleece WAS inexpensive...($2)
but definitely not QUALITY material.
You get what you pay for!
It's going to be fine for lining some of my caps...
but I wouldn't use it for much else.
:(

I had an old wool sweater I'd been saving.
After felting it.....
I cut it UP!
AND did some creative piecing!
;)
If look closely at the hats above...
you'll see the seam I had to add in front.

This fleece IS quality!
I LOVE the thick fluffyness of it!
Using up old clothing works GREAT for this project!
I also used an old fleece throw
made for a baby.
There are LOTS of fabric SOURCES
when you start thinking OUT of the box!
;)

I now have a nice BIG stack of hats.

Ready to GIFT in a couple of weeks!!!