I Like Thursday #259

Welcome to I Like Thursday! Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more bloggers. I'm happy to report that my cross stitch gingerbread house is finished and hanging on our tree! I literally finished just a few days ago after the tree was already up. I just had the roof to work on. This was a kit included in a cross stitch magazine that I received last year at Christmas. I worked on it over the summer. So glad I started early!

I added borders to my little possum witch cross stitch piece. I had made the same item for my daughter-in-law. I liked it so much that I had to make one for myself! I just have to add a few quilting lines as well as the binding. I'll be all set for next Halloween!

I'm making progress on quilting Alaska but it's not a quick process. There's lots of custom quilting going on. This is a 4 pointed start made into an 8 pointed star with a few ghost diamonds added in there! This block didn't take too long since I didn't have to mark ahead. However, I'm echoing each diamond 1/4" apart but the background has 1/2" lines. So easy to mix those two up! Ask me how I know!! 

The prompt this week asks about our childhood Christmas. We had a silver tree with red balls with the spinning color wheel. I'm surprised I could find a picture online of a similar tree! My parents learned about American customs from friends and neighbors. There was no Christmas tree in Italy when my parents lived there. My brother was always up very early but my mother would get up right after him. We would wait for my father who liked to sleep late. I think my mother would try to get him up since we were so excited! We always had a huge dinner. We would always have lasagna or stuffed shells with some kind of meat. My grandparents would come some years. Some years, it was just us four. My brother and I didn't care since we just wanted to play with our new toys!!

Have a great weekend! Stay warm!

Feathers Everywhere!

 I've been quilting feathers on my Alaska quilt. I've been online searching Alaska quilts that have been custom quilted. I've taken the different ideas and made my own quilting path using a hodge podge of motifs from these finished quilts. I wanted to accentuate the circles that are made by the placement of the fabric so I liked the idea of outlining the circles and filling them with feathers! This picture is in the middle of the row.

This set of feathers is the first in the row. It's a little smaller since the border blocks sort of cut into this row. These feathers aren't very large and very easy to plan. I just have to make a few lines to keep the size in check. They look much harder to make but they're not bad at all.

This picture gives you a better idea of how the row looks. The quilting isn't straight as the rows are but rather dip down into the lower rows as well. It's a lot to keep straight sometimes but I'm loving how it's coming out!

I Like Thursday #258

It's Thursday so it's time for a fun and happy post. Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to hook up to more fun blogs. I finished my last Christmas ornaments yesterday. I plan on giving these ornaments as gifts this year. We had a bad rainstorm so I stayed in and finished my ornaments. I really love how they came out. I hope my friends will love them as much as I do! I wasn't sure how to add that thin trim but I figured it out.

Here's a bird's eye view of my Christmas bargello table runner. This is probably my favorite of all the things I've made for the holiday. I loved learning bargello and being able to applique the ornaments. I just hope my cats don't "discover" this table runner and start pulling off all those ribbons.

Everyone hears how crazy cats can get once the Christmas tree is up. I wanted to show you a picture of Molly just chilling under the tree. Neither one of our cats tried to climb the tree. They enjoy sleeping on the tree skirt. That's fine with me!!

I've been reading so much lately that I was afraid of getting burnt out. I decided to read a book of short stories. I can take my time and the stories aren't very long. I usually pledge to read a certain amount of books every year but I'm not going to do that this year. I'll be taking my time! I'm tired of rushing. Life's too short.

I hope you all have a great weekend. Stay warm!!

 

Quilting and Decorating

 I've been trying to quilt Alaska in between shopping and getting the house ready for the holidays.  I'm making progress although a bit slowly. I finished the top border and about half of the next row. I ended up breaking the thread guide on my longarm yesterday morning. I drove to the quilt store where I bought it and bought a replacement. Then, I came home and had to figure out how to place it on the machine. I did it! I'm not sure how, but it's working fine.

This is the thread guide I broke. It's the last place the thread goes through before it passes through the needle. So little but so much trouble!

                      

    

I've been decorating the house for Christmas and found these two wall hangings. I had completely forgotten that I made them! I have them hanging in my family room. They're a little wrinkled but they're looking better every day! Only two more weeks until Christmas?! I need more time!!!

I Like Thursday #257

 It's time for I Like Thursday. I've been out and about this morning and am finally getting to my blog. I finally started quilting the ghost blocks in the border of Alaska. So far, so good! I'm so used to outlining all the seams so that's a little different for me. My markings are working out well. I hope it continues to be this way. We'll see!

Here's a picture of my immediate family at my son's wedding. I'm still going through the photographer's website. There are too many nice pictures to choose!

We started putting up a few Christmas decorations. The cats were happy to see the Christmas bus. I wonder who's really driving???

My daughter received an advent calendar from her boyfriend's mother. Each day has a new toy for the cats! Yesterday, they received a little Christmas bowtie. We got pictures of them wearing it but they didn't enjoy it for one minute! I'm surprised they let us take these pictures!!

I'm linking up with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color. Please give her blog a visit! Have a great weekend!

Quilting Alaska

 I can't believe it's already December! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had great food and even greater company! I'm finally getting back to my quilting. Alaska has to be quilted and I've been doing all sorts of searches to see how other people quilted theirs. I'm taking ideas from a few different quilts I saw. I was going to quilt feathers in the border but I liked the idea of these ghost blocks. It's nice to finish the pieced blocks into the border. I marked every line and point just to make it easier for me to quilt. I have some ideas as to what to do in the space left in the border. I haven't decided yet for sure.

I'm using a different batting for Alaska. I thought I'd give this Dream Wool a try. It seemed to get great reviews online. It feels nice and soft to touch it. I hope my quilting looks good with this batting! We shall see!

Two Projects

 I'm so glad to be back to my blog. We had our family room carpeted yesterday. I cannot explain the hours it took to get that room ready. We have a bookcase in that room that took forever to pack up. I didn't realize we had that many books! Anyways, the carpeting is done and the room looks great. My poor mom felt bad for me so she came over this morning and helped me put everything back in order. It's so nice to have that all done. Let's hope we don't need any other room carpeted for awhile. I don't think I'd be able to get through it again. I did manage to finish this ornament. I have to mail this person's gifts so I wanted to get it done early to get in the mail. I didn't think it needed any trim since that red and white border does such a great job.

I'm almost done this cute little bootie. There are no seams to sew up when finished. I thought it would be done already but that carpeting kept me busy. Anyways, it's a light blue yarn. My daughter's friend had a sweet little boy so I thought I'd make them for her. 

I'm hoping I can rest a little today before the cooking starts tomorrow. This time of year is so busy!!

I Like Thursday #256

 I'm feeling better so I'm back to I Like Thursday! Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to link up with more bloggers who post positive content every Thursday. Before all the Christmas madness begins, I thought I'd share a picture of Apple Cider Sangria. I ordered this drink a few weeks ago when we went out to eat. There was cinnamon sugar along the rim. So tasty!!

I read this book recently. I think I read it years ago but I had forgotten the story. It was also a mini-series back in the late 70's. It's a story about a family who leaves New York City for a safer and calmer life. They get exactly the opposite! Stephen King based his Children of the Corn on this book. I really enjoyed it.

We're finally replacing the carpeting in our family room. I have the bookshelf about half emptied. This is the largest room in the house. We kept putting it off because of what a pain it will be to empty the entire room. We're getting there! I am looking forward to the new carpeting. The old carpeting has had it!! Sorry that the picture is a little crooked. Lily is sleeping on my lap and I'm trying not to disturb her!

The prompt this week asks what dish we usually take to family dinners. I usually bring dessert this time of year. Pumpkin pie is one of favorites to make for gatherings. I have an awful sweet tooth!

That's it for me! Have a wonderful weekend. It's actually raining today which is great. We've been in a drought for quite a while!

Possum Witch Cross Stitch

 I've been sick for the last couple of days. I had a low grade temperature as well as some chest congestion but I never really got a cold. I also got sciatica so I wasn't in the best of shape. However, my fever seems to be gone and my sciatica seems to be improving. Ugh! I hate being sick. I mostly stayed home and stitched what I could from the couch. I finished this Halloween cross stitch. I've already stitched this once before. I used this to make a little quilted wall hanging for my daughter-in-law. I liked it so much that I made one for me! The background is actually a pale blue but looks darker in the photo. This pattern is from the Just Cross Stitch Halloween 2024 issue. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I'm going to try and sew down the bindings on my Christmas table runners. I think I'll be good as long as I'm on the couch!

A Couple of Finishes

The Christmas table runners have their binding! I started sewing the binding on the runner on the left. They're not very large so it's going fast! I should be done by the end of the week. I really love how they came out. It's so nice that I started early and they'll be finished well before the Christmas holiday.

 

I finished the cross stitch ornament last week. I changed up the colors but left the snowflakes white. I like how it came out!

It's so windy out right now. I brought both cats to the vet and almost fell! The window was whipping around the cat carriers and I almost went down! I'm glad to be home and in one piece!

I Like Thursday #255

 I can't believe it's already Thursday! I got both my Covid and Flu vaccines a few days ago. I had a fever and just felt awful for a few days. I'm finally feeling better. I did manage to get a little shopping done. I saw this calendar and thought it would be a great addition to my sewing room. Each month has a quilt project and the directions are included! Not bad for $7.99!!

My daughter-in-law loves Halloween fabrics. When I saw these fat quarters, I just couldn't resist! I think these are fun and so unique. They're from Rifle Paper Co.

I bought myself this very fun fat quarter bundle. This is the Curio line also from Rifle Paper Co. I just love the colors. They're not really muted but definitely not as bright as I'm used to working with.

I'm purposely trying not to think about the election. I hope things aren't as bad as I heard they will become. I'm going to keep on quilting and sewing and trying to remain positive. I'm grateful to be living in the blue state of Massachusetts.

I'm linking up with LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color for I  Like Thursday. Have a great weekend!!

Different Shapes, Different Quilting

 I forgot to mention I voted this past Thursday. I'm glad I got it done and don't have to worry about lines. I'll be watching the returns later today. I'm trying not to get too nervous but it's definitely too close for me!

The blocks meet in the runner and create a different shape. I decided to quilt those areas a little differently. I tried to use wishbone with arcs and straight lines. Those purple spots are already gone. I use a purple marker to mark my lines. I'm just about half done quilting these table runners. It's so nice to work on quick projects!

I'm also trying to enjoy the great weather. It's almost 70!!

Quilting Table Runners

I have one backing but wanted to quilt 2 table runners at the same time. It took a few attempts to get everything set up properly. I left 4 inches in the middle between the runners. There's plenty of space on the backing on the outer sides of the runners. I loaded the same as I would any quilt. I pinned the bottom edge to the leaders but each table runner was pinned as a separate quilt.

I'm quilting each runner exactly the same. I thought ribbon candy would look good in the borders. Each of the triangles has arcs quilted on each side. The flying geese has 3 echoed arcs per short side. The longer piece made by the flying geese and triangle just has lines following the shape of the that piece. I was hoping it would convey some movement. Anyways, now that all the quilting has been decided, I just have to repeat these motifs until the runners are done. I like it and will work on it a little bit at a time. It shouldn't take too long since these table runners aren't too big. I'm using a very light grey Aurifil thread. 

After Wedding

 My son got married this past weekend in Keene, NH at Stonewall Farm. I haven't received many pictures yet but I did steal this picture off of Instagram. They had some professional photos taken with the quilt I made them for their wedding. It was a beautiful area although a bit cold for an outdoor ceremony. The ceremony didn't take too long and we all went inside and warmed up. I can't believe he's married and I now have a daughter-in-law! I'm so glad he's happy.

Here's a picture of me and one of my close friends. She's my son's godmother. We met in 7th grade and remained friends over the years. I had my hair and makeup done that day. I feel I look different! I didn't want to go overboard and not look like myself. I guess it worked out okay! I put my FitBit back on after pictures. My husband and I danced all night! I had over 6 miles logged in for the day!!

I received my kit for the Laurel Ridge BOM from The Quilt Show. The fabric is beautiful! Last time I looked, the kits were sold out. So glad I bought it!

Here's the BOM pattern for those of you who missed my last post about it. It will be 90" X 90".

I'm still recuperating from the whirlwind weekend. I'm hoping to have a quiet day.

I Like Thursday #254

 I'm having a quiet week with no appointments! This week is so much more pleasant than last week. I'm linking up with LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color for I Like Thursday. This is my latest cross stitch Christmas ornament. I completely changed this one around. I didn't have a navy blue aida fabric so I opted for light blue and changed the color of the houses to navy. I just have 3 big snowflakes to stitch over each house. I love watching TV and stitching. I think it's good for my blood pressure!

My oven stopped working about 2 weeks ago. We ordered a new stove and it was installed this morning. The burners and broiler worked but not the oven. So weird! Our old stove only lasted about 7 years. I'm hoping this one lasts a bit longer than that. Our older stove was a Samsung and not many people will work on Samsung. We decided to get a new stove and not waste time. 

I took this picture about 2 weeks ago. We had a few days where the sunsets were just so colorful. October sunsets are so pretty. It must be that nice dry air.

I read a lot but usually I stick to novels. I decided to give short stories a try. This book got great reviews. There was a time that I loved short stores and preferred them to longer books. We'll see how much I like them now.

It's been warm here all week but it's definitely getting cooler now. Have a great weekend!

2 Small Finishes and a BOM

I just finished this little snowman cross stitch ornament top. It's in the new Christmas issue from Just Cross Stitch. They have a ton of cute projects. It's hard to pick which one to make. I haven't been able to buy it in stores yet. I borrowed it from the library on my Libby app. I'm glad I got to start working on these new patterns even though I don't have the magazine. It works out really well!

 

I used up leftover scraps from the Pumpkin Trio Table Runner to make this cute little pin cushion! These pinnies are fun to make and use up some of scraps that accumulate from our projects. Each half square triangle was trimmed to 1.5" square. It's easy to use larger pieces and then cut down to size. These make great gifts too!

I joined The Quilt Show last month hoping I would like the upcoming BOM. There are two versions, Autumn and Spring. This picture is the Autumn version which I just love! I think I'm going to buy the kit. In previous years, amounts of the fabrics were told to us ahead of time so we could use scraps and maybe similar backgrounds. I'm not sure that's going to happen this year. I really love the traditional look of this quilt. I think I'll enjoy working on it next year. I can't wait!!