A Quilter's Christmas

We all know Christmas is the time to exchange gifts. I'm lucky enough to exchange gifts with some of my quilt friends. This picture shows all the lovely items given to me this Christmas by Dawn who blogs at Relaxing Robin. I met Dawn through our blogs. She made me a tree mug rug, which I'm already using! She also made my the nicest zippered pouch that included all these great gifts! I got tissues, needle holder, charm pack, lint remover and a cute sewing kit! How nice is Dawn?! Thank you so much! Quilting friends are the best!!

I met Star years ago on line and we actually met in person. We always keep in touch through Facebook. Star knits, crochets and quilts. This year, she sent me this crocheted hat. It's so warm and fits me perfectly! I hear we're having another storm Monday and of course, I'm working. I'll be wearing this hat for sure! Thank you, Star!

My favorite quilt magazine used to be Quilter's Newsletter Magazine. I was so sad when they stopped publishing. Years ago, they had a Pin Pal section. This was before email, the internet, etc. Well, I started writing to Sarah Cooper from England close to 25 years ago. And we're still writing to each other! We actually met in person back in 2001. We exchange gifts every Christmas. She gifted me tea, hand cream, cookies, chocolates and a lace knitting book. You can tell she knows me well! Thank you for my gifts as well as our ongoing friendship!

Social media has it's negative qualities which we all seem to hear about. But there are so many positive sides as well. I would never have met Dawn or Star without social media. Sarah and I still send actual letters to each other but will message each other on Facebook as well. It's a wonderful way of keeping in touch. 

I Like Thursday #31

Welcome to I Like Thursday! I'm actually a little early this week but since I'm usually late, I feel it all balances out! These were our stockings on Christmas morning. They are packed and so full! My dad made those for us. Of course, he made mine first. When I got married, he made one for Scott. And then, as each child was born, a new stocking was made. He's been gone for 2 1/2 years but he's still with us in many ways. 

We got the cats some catnip toys. They went absolutely crazy! It was so fun to watch. They were rolling all over the place. I think the catnip put them in the Christmas spirit!

My son got me this book. (I may have given him a hint!!) I can't wait to read this. It's a series of interviews and quilts that help answer why someone wants to cut up fabric and then sew it back together. It's not your typical quilt book. Sounds interesting!

My daughter always finds interesting gifts. I've never heard of Tea Drops. I guess it's liquid drops of tea that disperse in water. 

Here are the easy instructions on the side of the box. I can't wait to try!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I'm working at 6 tomorrow morning so I wanted to get this post done. I thought I'd share a few moments of my holiday with you. Please join LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color for more fun and positive posts. One last time, Merry Christmas!

I Like Thursday #30

Welcome to I Like Thursday! I saw this little tree last week at the hospital. I never knew you could buy Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. I love it! It reminds me of all the times my brother and I used to watch the Charlie Brown specials when we were little. 

My husband bought this for me last week. I needed a funnel to fill my pin cushions. He got a 4 piece set for about $1.50! I can't wait to use them. I bought a huge bag of crushed walnut shells at the pet store. It's my favorite fill for pin cushions.

I finally finished my last handmade Christmas gift. These are just 2 ornaments for the children of a co-worker. They measure about 4" square. They weren't too hard to make but the size made them a little difficult. So glad they're done!

Here's my last label of the decade! While making the ornaments yesterday, I realized I needed a label for my last quilt. I just have to sew it on.

And that's it for my I Like Thursday this week. Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color for more positive and fun posts. I hope you all have your Christmas shopping done. I'm in the wrapping phase. I'm always a bit relieved when the actual shopping is done. Have a great week!

Christmas Quilting

I have finally finished my quilt gifts that had to be mailed. I finished them over the weekend. I was off this weekend and made good use of my time. My packages are all ready to be mailed in the morning. Unfortunately, I can't show any pictures. This picture shows the last project of the Christmas season for me. I'm making two ornaments for the daughters of a co-worker.  I have to embroider their names and year. They still have to be quilted and binding applied but they're so small. They measure 3.5 inches square. They'll be quick!

I finished my Christmas shopping today. I just have wrapping left. It's so nice to have the pressure off! I can actually start working on my own projects again! 

Wish me luck. I'll be working in the morning while yet another storm hits the area. I work 3 days a week and always manage to be scheduled during a snowstorm. I hope that doesn't continue all winter!

I Like Thursday #29

Welcome to I Like Thursday! It's so nice to post about things that are happy and positive. I hope you enjoy my post! First of all, our Christmas tree is up! This is our smaller tree so we try to use ornaments that the kids made over the years. We try to put bigger and bulkier ornaments around the bottom so the cats leave them alone! Most of the time, they just sit under the tree and enjoy the lights!

Speaking of under the tree, I made this Christmas tree skirt many years ago! It was one of the first quilt projects I made. I bought all the fabric at Keepsake Quilting. I love using it every year.

I went to my local quilt shop, Bits N Pieces. I bought a few stocking stuffers while I was there! These are ornaments made up of a themed Christmas stocking. I got a cat one for my daughter. I found a barbecue stocking for my husband, I couldn't find one that I thought my son would like. However, I saw a candy themed stocking and felt it should be fine for him.

This is one of my favorite gifts I've received over the years. It's a sewing machine music box. The sewing machine moves up and down to the music! The treadle pedal moves also! I keep it in my sewing room. One of my best friends bought this for me. She knows me well!!

Those are my likes for this week! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to be inspired by more positive posts! Enjoy!

Disco is Done!

Even though I'm busily working on my quilt Christmas gifts, I did manage to finish this quilt top! It's Disco by Jaybird Quilts. It measures about 62" X 80". I really love it! I found it challenging as I was sewing it together, but it all turned out fine!

This is a close up so you can see the fabrics a little bit better. The fabrics are from Carolyn Friedlander. I bought this is a kit from Keepsake Quilting. I'm so sad that they're closing. I've signed up for their catalog a few times but never seem to get it. They will continue catalog sales. I used to love to visit them up in New Hampshire. I read their rent was going up and with sales decreasing, they just couldn't afford to stay open. So sad!

Off to work on my gifts! I'm almost done!

I Like Thursday #28

Welcome to I Like Thursday! We're starting to decorate for the holiday. The first item we bought was this little house for our kitties. As you can see, Lily is already enjoying her  home that comes complete with scratching pads. We packed away the Halloween house and will use it again next year.

I love seeing the deer in my back yard. There's a pack of 5 deer that seem to visit us often. We threw our old pumpkins back there. I hope they're enjoying them!

The big news we had on Monday was the snowstorm. We got 17 inches when it was finally over. I had to work at 6AM on Monday morning and I had a very difficult time getting there. I was half an hour late. It was just miserable being out that early with all that snow still falling. The ride home was much easier but that morning drive in set the tone for the day. I just wanted to be home!

I just got this in the mail yesterday. There are lots of nice patterns again this month! There's also a gallery of winners from AQS Quiltweek in Paducah and Charleston. Such beautiful work!

That's it for me this week. Please go visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color for more positive and fun posts. There are so many nice bloggers out there accentuating the positive!

Missouri Star Quilt Co.

I placed my first order with the Missouri Star Quilt Co. I was so happy with my order! I bought this 108" wide backing for Disco. I wanted something geometric and loved the look of this pattern. It has a nice feel to it. It's soft and a great weight. It will be great to not have to seam the backing. 

I haven't been able to find Quilter's Dream Cotton batting in double size. I was so happy to find it that I bought 2! My longarm behaves very nicely with this batting and it drapes very nicely. It's my favorite!

Look what else I got! Freebies! Wasn't that nice of Jennie?! I really enjoyed using this website. They seem to have everything and the prices are great. I opted for free shipping and got my order earlier than expected. What a fun order!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! I just got out of work and am ready to eat. Enjoy the holiday!!

Disco and Gifts

Here's Disco so far! Twelve rows are put together out of 20. Little by little, I'm getting there! I've been working equally on this quilt top as well as Carolina Chain. I have 40 blocks done on that project.

However, it dawned on me that we're one month away from Christmas! I have a few gifts made but decided to start these 3 cute projects. I can't say what they are but they're a lot of fun to make! I'm hoping to make them quickly. I'm putting Carolina Chain on the back burner and getting Christmas gifts done first. I hope to have everything in the mail early this year. We'll see!

I Like Thursday #27

Welcome to my I Like Thursday. I'm a little early this time. It's so nice to be off on a Thursday! I'll be working Thanksgiving so I'll enjoy my Thursday even more this week! My first like is this floral arrangement. My mother's birthday was last weekend. My brother sent her these beautiful flowers. They're so pretty and so big! Such a wonderful gift! I bought her clothes and a book. She was happy with everything she received.

Here's my pile of blocks for Carolina Chain by Bonnie Hunter. There are 38 blocks in that pile. I need 37 more! So many! I'm not even counting the partial blocks I'll need to make for the edges. It's a great way to use scraps but so time consuming! This is definitely a long term project!

I'm just about done reading this book. It's one of Oprah's Book Club picks. I was a little apprehensive about reading it. I read a lot of historical novels but I want them to be uplifting and positive. I thought this book would be too depressing. I was so wrong! It's a beautifully written book about a slave who has powers you would not expect. The Underground Railroad is involved. If you get the chance, read it. It's wonderful!

I thought I'd leave you with these words. I think it's so true and I believe it!

Those are my likes for this week. Please join LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color for my happy and uplifting posts. Enjoy your week!!

Working on Disco

This is my Disco quilt so far! The first 8 rows are sewn together. There are 20 rows in all. The measurements when finished will be 60" X 80". 

I work on 2 rows at a time. I feel the 2 rows make up one big row since these pairs are sewn together. 

After sewing the next 2 rows, I make sure that everything is oriented properly. (I don't want to make that mistake again!!) Tomorrow, I'll sew these last 2 rows together and then sew them to the quilt top. Sewing this quilt together is more difficult than I expected. There are  no straight seams. You have to be so careful but I'm getting used to it! I'm just about halfway done!

I Like Thursday #26

I can't believe it's Thursday already! This week is flying by! I'm not sure I really like this picture but it's here to stay! It's been cold and windy. The leaves are all gone. It may not be winter on the calendar but it sure feels like it is. We didn't even reach 32 degrees yesterday. We're a balmy 32 degrees right now. Ugh, still too cold!

I went to Joann's earlier this morning. This cute little tree was 60% off! I just couldn't resist. It's the only item I bought. I never seem to buy too much at Joann's. I usually just check out the sale items. I think it's a bit overwhelming in there.

I'm back to working on Caroline Chain.  As I was sewing, it dawned on me how much I love to work with scraps. I had to go digging in my scraps for a few light fabrics and it just felt so fun. That might be a little strange but it's true!

I just had to add a picture of these CeraVe items. With the winter coming, these products are great for dry skin. The dermatologists love this line and they're not too expensive. I've already started using them. I have a friend who swears by these products.

Those are my likes for this time. Please go visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color for more fun likes. Have a great weekend!

Disco Progress

I started putting Disco together. There are 20 long skinny rows. This picture shows the first 4 rows all sewn together. I'm pretty nervous about screwing up the order. I don't always seem to  notice problem right away. 

The first 2 rows were pretty easy.  The pattern was easy to see. However, when I put the 3rd and 4th rows together I sewed the wrong seam. I had to take it out and sew the other side. Ugh!!  I have a feeling this is going to take me awhile! 

I tried to take this picture a little differently! I liked the effect! It's a little more curved.

I Like Thursday #25

Welcome to I Like Thursday! I know it's on the late side but that's what happens after working all day! I had the best of intentions to write this early but my day didn't turn out as planned. Anyways,

this is my yard early in the week. I guess this is a hard frost. I'm not sure I really like this but it's a reminder that the seasons are changing! 

I love that I finished Long Time Gone! I finished up the last border yesterday. I love the braided border on this quilt. I feel it's a great ending to this beauty!

I had my Disco quilt very nicely arranged on my design wall. It was nice until Molly decided to jump on it and watch all the pieces fall off. My daughter saw her rolling around on the carpet with happiness after she made this mess.

I rearranged the quilt on the design wall. I decided to discourage her past behavior by placing a few objects in front of the design wall. No more rolling around for Molly!!

Those are my likes for this week. Please visit Lee Anna at Not Afraid of Color for more happy and positive posts!

New Applique and Border

Since I finished hand sewing the binding on my 1930's quilt, I needed a new hand sewing project. This is my version of Merle's Bouquet by Karla Kiefner found in American Quilter September 2019. The directions are to use fusible web but I'll be doing the applique by hand. I think it's going to be a cute wall hanging. It's something to work on while watching television. I have everything pinned and taped down. I'm going to start with the items that are most behind in the background and work my way up to the front. I hope it comes out good!

I have one border left to sew onto Long Time Gone. I love the framing effect of the braided border. The fourth border is partially sewn together. I can't believe I'm almost done this one. This is definitely one of my favorites!

I Like Thursday #24

Happy Halloween and welcome to I Like Thursday! Our trick or treating got postponed to Saturday night due to bad weather. It's a nice way to extend Halloween! I guess I'll keep my decorations up for a few more days. This wall hanging is the first thing I quilted on my longarm. I just quilted an allover meander. I was scared to use it but sort of made myself quilt this. I think it came out all right for a beginner. Anyways, I hang it up every year.

We had a little celebratory dinner this past Sunday. My son is a banker and he passed all his exams to become a licensed banker. We're so happy and proud! He had to pass 5 exams. It was a lot of work and he passed them all first try. Of course, cake was part of the dinner. It tasted so good!!

Speaking of celebrations, we had a party at work in honor of Pharmacy Week. We had a pot luck day where everyone contributed to breakfast, lunch and dinner. I brought the healthy Veggie Tray. I think the desserts were better received! I tried!!

I went to Barnes & Noble yesterday and bought this magazine. There are some great patterns in it. I guess it's a reprint from 2014. I don't buy as many magazines as I used to but I thought this one was too good to pass up.

That's my week of likes! Go visit Lee Anna at Not Afraid of Color for more fun and positive posts!