Thursday, December 31, 2015

Happy New Year!!


Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2016! Hope you all have a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve!
I'm working tomorrow morning at 7am but will have a nice dinner tonight. Looks like it's just me and my husband. The kids have their own plans and my parents eat too early! I'm sure I'll still have a nice night!

Have a wonderful holiday! See you next year!!!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

End of Year Projects


It's the end of the year and I'm trying to get a few forgotten projects on track again. The Farmer's Wife 1930's Sew Along is on holiday break. That gives me so much more free time to pursue my own projects. I started this project awhile ago to gain some control over my fabric scraps left over from other projects. I've made a few more blocks this past week.


I decided just working on one or two blocks at a time takes too long. I've started to cut the fabric for a bunch of blocks for awhile and then speed sewing them at the machine! As you can see, I have 4 blocks ready to be sewn. I think I'm going to cut out more before I piece them together. It's easy to do after work as well. I need 49 blocks to complete this quilt.


My Christmas knitting has been over for weeks. I had nothing to do with my hands while watching television. I just started making a shawlette from the book, Free-Spirit Shawls by Lisa Shroyer. I'm using Cascade Yarns Heritage Silk Paints which is a purple/grey combination. It's so soft to touch! I really love it.


Here's the picture of the shawlette I'm working on. I love the feminine look of it.

There you have my end of year projects. I'll be working the next few days including New Year's Day. Not sure how my project I'll be making. I'll let you know!!

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Merry Christmas!


Just a short post to say Merry Christmas! This is a quilt I made years ago using a Quilter's Newsletter pattern. It's the first quilt I machine quilted. You don't want a close up of that!!


Lily and Molly are all decked out in their holiday finery. (Not too happy about that!)

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Enjoy your loved ones! Eat a lot!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Knit Brooch


I finished knitting socks last week. They're all wrapped and under the tree. I have felt very idle when sitting down to watch television. I thought a quick knit project would be exactly what I needed. I received a kit last Christmas that I never made. I decided it would be perfect for a quick knitting fix!


This is the front of the directions. It came with the yarn, button, pin and directions. I started it last night and ended up finishing it just a short time later. It was quick and fun!


After a series of purl stitches, the rows are constantly decreased until you're left with just 3 stitches. So fast! I felt quite content having made this little project. So glad that Sarah sent me this cute little kit last year. Came in quite handy!

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Finished Socks



I finally finished my Christmas socks! I just have to wrap them up and put them under the tree. I always wash them first and put them in the dryer for about 5 minutes.


As soon as I take them out of the dryer, I insert one sock blocker into each sock.


It gives the socks great form. I bought these blockers years ago and have used them with every pair of socks I've knit. They're not too expensive but a great tool to use.


Speaking of under the tree, my two kitties love sitting there! They stare at the lights and hit the ornaments every once in awhile! I think they're waiting for Santa.

Monday, December 14, 2015

My Quilted Christmas


I'm posting pictures of the various Christmas items I've made over the years. I take them out year after year. It reminds me of all the Christmas projects I've made in the past. I'm posting them in no particular order.

This is a table runner I found as a free project online. I used hand applique and machine quilting to finish it off.


This is a Lil Twister holiday wreath. I'm using it on a table but you could put a bow on it and use it as a wall hanging.


This is my Christmas tree skirt. This is one of my first quilted projects I ever made. It's actually hand quilted. (Sort of big stitches!)


I received this as a gift from my friend, Star. It's on the coffee table in my formal living room. Beautiful machine quilting!


This is a Debbie Mumm pattern. I used scraps to make this one. This is machine pieced and machine quilted.


This is a cute little wall hanging I made in the last few years. It's 3-D! 


This is one of my favorites! I think the pattern was in Quiltmaker magazine. It's paper pieced and machine quilted.

This is my bargello table runner. I love making this. Another favorite of mine. I want to make more bargello items one of these days. I love the effect!

There you have it! That's the tour of my quilted Christmas! Hope you enjoyed it!

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Quilt Guild Christmas Party



We had our guild Christmas party last night. We had quite a list of things to bring to our party. We received raffle tickets for each item we brought in.  We had to wear our name tag and attend so that's 2 raffle tickets. We also had to bring in a treat to share with everyone. Men's white socks, cereal and a Christmas fat quarter were also items on our list. We all had to bring in a tea cup or tea pot so we could enjoy our tea party. We were all supposed to wear an ugly Christmas fashion. I had an old sweater. (It still had shoulder pads in it!) Last, we were all asked to piece a friendship star block in Christmas colors. I ended up with 10 raffle tickets. (Some people were quite generous handing out those tickets!!)
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Here's an idea of how much we collected last night. There's also a table behind the cereal with even more cereal boxes. They're being donated to a food pantry.


We also had  a guest speaker, Valarie Poitier. She was a wonderful speaker that had many quilts, as well as dyed fabrics, to show us. Her dyed fabric was beautiful. She actually frames some of her dyed fabric and sells it. It's true art work.


Here's one of her quilts. Lovely colors!


Look what I won! I have a new iron and Best Press as well! So glad I got my raffle tickets! Such a fun Christmas party!

Friday, December 4, 2015

Christmas Socks


I'm almost finished my Christmas socks! They're not for me! They're for a friend.  I have one sock complete. I had a cold this past week and it felt so nice to relax on the couch and just keep on knitting!


Here's the second sock. I have the pattern memorized so I'm knitting a little faster. I wish I could have gone shopping this past week but I ended up shopping from the comforts of home. I have to get out next week and really put a dent in my holiday list. I'm feeling better so I should be able to get out there. Hope you're all surviving the holiday season. It's such a busy time of year. Going back to my knitting!! Enjoy the weekend!

Baby Binding

Here's the baby quilt complete with binding. I used the same fabric as the border. I usually use a 2.25" binding. I'm not sure ...