"Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says...."Oh crap! She's up!" Unknown

Monday, September 29, 2014

Wedding Gift Almost Finished

I don't remember when it started,
but I have been giving
Christmas tree skirts as 
Wedding Gifts
for a while.

Last night I finished up the latest tree skirt.
The wedding is this coming Sunday,
so it was finished just in time.
(I do need to sew the button and label on yet.)


I used the pattern found here.
The pattern was well written and
went together quickly.


This will be nice and bright under the tree.

I quilted the poinsettias and helped them
stand out a bit.

Today this will be finished and wrapped
and ready to deliver.
Please visit Patchwork Times to see what others are creating.


Happy Quilting!

Friday, September 26, 2014

Knitting Friday

The "Crayon Box" socks are getting closer
to being a completed pair this week.
This pattern has been fun to knit...
if I remember where I am, row-wise!

:)

There are a few mistakes in this pair,
but with this yarn they are difficult to see.





Once again, I turned the heels instead of using
the Afterthought Heel.
It is a challenge for me to pick up the stitches along the edge
of the heel, but it's done.



This pattern is K1P3 for two rows,
then K across for four rows.

Please visit Patchwork Times to see what others are knitting.


Happy Friday!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Another Quilter in the House?

As I have mentioned before, 
I have two daughters,
neither of whom have had any desire to
follow in my quilting footsteps.. at all.

Until this week.

My oldest daughter has Down Syndrome
and fine motor activities are difficult for her.
A dear friend is getting married in October
and my daughter decided she wanted to make
this friend a table runner for a wedding gift.

Off to the quilt shop we went
and found some gorgeous fall fabric.

I cut the runner out and we layered and basted.

Then DD began to quilt it.
(My sewing machine has a speed button...
perfect for this situation!)


SLOWLY stitching the lines across the runner...
stopping to smooth and straighten.

The runner is finished and DD could not be more excited!
 (I sewed the binding onto this first runner.)


The quilted lines...
She LOVES the squiggly lines on it!
"It's perfect!"

Now she is making a list of people for whom 
she will be making runners for Christmas.
This is how the obsession begins, right??
It's exciting.



I did finish the second little heart quilt.
(Story found here.)


I'll put this one away until I need another happy gift.


Happy Quilting everyone!



Wednesday, September 24, 2014

A Holiday Gift Quilt

My one SIL and I have very different tastes,
so when she went to a quilt shop with me
on vacation this summer
and mentioned that she loved a bundle of fabric and
really liked a pattern,
I jumped on it!

I cut all of the pieces for this quilt one afternoon
and began putting the blocks together.

While the fabric is beautiful,
it is too neutral for my taste.

I am pleased with how the quilt turned out, though.


My Design Wall was occupied,
so the Design Floor was put into use.

 

One thing I came to realize making this quilt....
I used a jelly roll for a lot of the blocks
and did not enjoy sewing along those pinked edges at all.
I had the hardest time getting an accurate 1/4" seam.


This one was sent off to my Long Arm Quilter
and will be ready to give at holiday time.

Happy Quilting!

Monday, September 22, 2014

Share the Love...

Last week Lea Anne at Podunk Pretties
posted a challenge being given by
using this free pattern offered by


free heart pat (2) 

The Share the Love Challenge challenges us
 to make one of these quilts and give it to
someone in need.
Lea Anne Double Dog Dared me to participate.


Well,
It just so happens that a dear friend of mine is having
surgery tomorrow after a long medical ordeal. 
He is one of the kindest, most generous,
loving people I know and this little quilt will go to him.

I started piecing the heart yesterday
and finished the first one last night.

My little heart is being made with
2 1/2" squares instead of the 5" squares
used in the Fat Quarter Shop pattern.


Chain stitching the HST's
 


Cutting the HST's to size.
 

Top all pieced and ready for quilting.
 

My finished Heart Quilt will be delivered this week.
 
 

This whole process took about 3 hours.
My second one is on the wall,
waiting to be sewn together.
 

This little heart will be put away
until another person needs a little love.

Join in on this challenge!
I Double Dog Dare you.
:)

Please visit Patchwork Times to see what others
are creating.

Happy Quilting!


Friday, September 19, 2014

Knitting Friday

During the past two weeks I had pockets of knitting time
since I traveled to Washington state and back.
It baffles me how people can just sit and not do anything,
whether it's in a doctor's office, waiting for a car repair
or on a plane.
Thankfully I always have something to keep me busy!
:)



This pair was finished on the trip back.
I actually turned the heels on these instead of using the
Afterthought Heel.
I think this way takes longer,
but when the toe is knitted,
the sock is finished.

:)

This yarn is so soft and squishy!



I started this pair for an art teacher friend of mine.
The yarn is called "Crayon Box."
:)



We spent a day in Vancouver, BC
and found a shop that had this beautiful "yarn."

It's recycled Sari silk.
I had never seen it before.
The colors are just gorgeous and I'm looking
forward to working with it.
Has anyone else used this in a project?



Please visit Patchwork Times to see what 
others are knitting.


Happy Friday!

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Ready for Quilting

The latest Christmas Tree Skirt is
ready to be quilted.


I was rolling along with the set-in seams....
even getting a little cocky about how well they were turning out...
And then the last one came.

I had to rip it out twice!

 

Hopefully this will be basted today or tomorrow 
and quilted over the weekend.

Happy Quilting!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

What a Difference....

... a day and a new group of fabrics makes!

This Christmas Tree Skirt is MUCH
calmer on the eyes!
(Compared to this disaster!)



Festive and "Christmassy."


Hopefully it will be a completed top by tonight.

Happy Quilting!

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Oh No!!

Today was NOT a good day in my
Hidey Hole!

I haven't had a quilting disaster in a while,
but....
today it happened.

I need to make a
Christmas Tree Skirt for a wedding gift
for the beginning of October
and today I was able to work on it.

The fabrics looked nice together...
I cut the pieces....
and sewed them into a tree skirt.



YUCK!!
There is WAAAYYY too much of the orangy/red...


And the fabrics fight with each other in this design.
I love all of the fabrics, but not together in this pattern!
 

At some point I'll take it apart and change one of the fabrics,
but for now...
I need to start a new one!

Let's hope this doesn't happen again for a long time!

Happy Quilting!

Monday, September 15, 2014

Design Wall Monday

Since I was gone all of last week,
my Design Wall is a little 
light this morning.
.

While I was away,
I did get six of my flower blocks stitched.


I have six more to stitch and will then they will become the centers
in blocks for another red and green quilt.


 

We have another wedding next month,
which means another Christmas tree skirt needs to be made.
I cut the pieces for this and hope to get it together this week.
It will be a bright one!


This past week found me here...
In Northwest Washington.


Mt. Baker from Picture Lake.


Sunset on Birch Bay, WA
With scenery like this...
who wants to stitch?


Please visit Patchwork Times to see what others
are working on this week.

Happy Quilting!

Sunday, September 14, 2014

I have been incommunicado because.....

....I was on an adventure!
To the Great State of Washington.

We were there for a week and saw some
absolutely gorgeous scenery!


Sunset on Birch Bay, WA.
This picture has not been altered at all.
The sky was on FIRE!

 

Going up to Mt. Baker
We have mountains here in Virginia,
but
They have MOUNTAINS in Washington!
 

Driving over Deception Pass looking at Puget Sound.

I did find a few quilt shops and yarn shops to visit
and came home with some treasures.

What a beautiful part of the country!

Back to normal operations tomorrow.
:)

Happy Sunday!

Monday, September 8, 2014

A New Handwork Project

These little squares are hanging on my
Design Wall,
even though they are only 5" square.

I am really enjoying working with wool
and have these blocks prepped for stitching.


There will be a 12th block,
but I ran our of Heat-n-bond!
It will be prepped once I buy more.
:)

I am definitely into the red and green quilts this year!
The colors aren't really this dark....
Bad photo day.

The stems will be stitched and the pieces need to be
appliqued.

Then they will be sewn into the block design.

Please visit Patchwork Times to see what others
are creating.

Happy Quilting!

Friday, September 5, 2014

Friday Knitting

On Wednesday I spent waaaayyy too much time
waiting for my car to be serviced.

The good thing was that I was able to finish my bright socks!




I LOVE the colors in this yarn!
It's Schoppel Wool and was great to knit.


My next pair of socks is being knit with
This yarn is so soft and squishy
and WONDERFUL to knit!


This is a sport yarn and feels so good in my hands.
I really like these colors, too!

Please visit Patchwork Times to see what 
others are knitting this week.

Happy Friday!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

One done, one to go.....

One of the tops I am making from the 
blocks I had cut for a bed-size quilt is done.
I decided I didn't need another bed quilt now,
but could use these two smaller quilts as gifts.


This is still a good sized top.
It will make a nice tablecloth
or lap quilt.
 

I have gotten so I do enjoy sewing with the
reproduction fabrics.
They are softer and more soothing to the eye, for the most part.
 

I am in the process of sewing the rest of the blocks now,
and will make a square quilt with these.
(I had cut the blocks out about a year ago on one of my
cutting days, so they are ready to sew.)

It's hot and humid this week in Virginia.
Summer had to make a short appearance, I guess.
:)

Happy Quilting!