State Fair Sampler Quilt Top

I finished this quilt top last week but couldn't take pictures of it. The painters had my floors covered with paper or plastic and there was paint everywhere. They're gone for now. They still have a few things to work on while different areas of the house dry. Anyways, I couldn't take a picture of the entire quilt due to it's size. The quilt measures approximately 92" X 97" give or take. This is the middle of the quilt.

This is the left side. I really love how it came out. The black is such a great contrast with that solid fabric. The colors look so vibrant!

This is the right side. Some of these blocks were so difficult but it all worked out in the end! My two halves matched perfectly. I was a bit nervous to sew the final seam but it was much easier than expected. I'm planning on quilting the Carrie Hall Sampler Quilt next. I feel that will be great practice before tackling this one. I'm just not sure when I'll get to it. This time of year is so busy and I'm so behind with all the painting. I'll get to it eventually!

I Like Thursday #214

I almost didn't post for I Like Thursday. This week has been a bit difficult. Painting the house has been a bit trying. Although each room has been painted in my house, the kitchen cabinets are in the process of being painted. Then, we will be done! I can't wait to be back to normal! I have a crew of 3 in my kitchen right now. I keep telling myself that it's almost over! Anyways, we don't have our tree up yet but did manage to put up a few things. This is the wreath on the door. 

We did get a little coating of snow yesterday morning. My front steps still have a little remaining snow this morning. I'm surprised it's still there but it's too cold to melt! 

I bought a little kit for my daughter to make these ornaments years ago. She started them but never finished. Since I'm stuck in the house, I completed them. When we put our tree up, they're ready to go!

I saved this for the last picture. This is my kitchen. I can't access anything in the cabinets. I wish they had told us so we could have taken out a few items. We got take out last night. They say we'll be able to use it tonight. I hope so! I miss my kitchen! I want to go back to normal.

That's my week! It wasn't the best but I'm hoping my house looks better next week. Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up with more blogs! 

 

Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments

I finished my last counted cross stitch Christmas ornament. I made this one for my tree! I love that it's round and looks like a real Christmas ornament. My favorite thing is the polka dot ribbon. It was so fun to see the image blossom!

These are all the ornaments I made. They all have to be washed and trimmed. I'm still debating exactly how to finish them. I should figure it out. I hope!! I'm so happy I rediscovered counted cross stitch. I used to enjoy it years ago but quilting seemed to take everything over. It's nice to have another skill!

I Like Thursday #213

Welcome to I Like Thursday! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more happy posts. It's been a quiet week for me. My house is still being painted so I'm sort of stuck here. I've done a good amount of online shopping so I'm doing fine with my Christmas list. I like staying home but hate that I can't leave when I feel like it. Anyways, my mother received these gorgeous flowers from my brother for her birthday. They're too pretty to not share!

My mother's 84th birthday was one week before Thanksgiving so we had a cake and party for her on the holiday. I don't think she expected it! It was fun to surprise her. She loved all her gifts. I made her a chocolate cake using a recipe from Ina Garten. It was so rich!  

My cats get along okay but they're not the best of friends. I think this is the closest I've ever seen them sleep near each other. It was a Thanksgiving miracle! They did eat some turkey so maybe the tryptophan got to them!

Due to being home, I'm making great progress on my last cross stitch ornament. This pattern is considered intermediate and I'm doing okay with it. Once this one is done, I'll have to make all 5 of them into real ornaments. I've read a few tutorials and think I know what to do.

That's my week! I think the painters will be here another week. We decided to have our kitchen cabinets painted so that will take longer than we expected. We might as well get it done now and get it over with.

Have a great weekend!

Half Done!

 I have half of the State Fair Sampler Quilt all sewn together! It's a little slow so I just do a few pieces at a time. There are so many seams to match up and points to keep intact. I do love how it looks so far. I can't measure how long it is right now. The final measurement should by 96" X 92".

My house is an absolute mess! The painters are making great progress but this is how my kitchen looks right now. I think it will be worth it in the end but it's not easy to get through. I can't reach certain parts of my house if they've been painting. It does dry fast so that's good. I'm just trying to not get into their way, They should be done sometime next week. I can't wait!

Panel and Cross Stitch

I had planned to post on Thanksgiving Day but cooking and company got in the way! I haven't been sewing too much around the holiday so I tried to make some progress today. I did manage to sew together the first section of the State Fair Sampler Quilt. This section measures approximately 69" X 48.5".  It's a bit slow sewing these sections together. There are seams to line up as well as points to try to keep intact! I love the look of this. So far, so good!

I started the last counted cross stitch ornament. This one is for me! It's called Festive Ball and it looks like a round Christmas ornament. I hope to work on it over the weekend. The painters have been here everyday including this morning. I find it difficult to get anything done with work people in the house. I'm trying to go about my own business but it's not easy! I get called away quite often. My family room is done and most of the first floor is finished. We still have a ways to go but the painted rooms look so much nicer. It's definitely worth the discomfort!

 

24 Seams

 I'm so happy to say I have finished making all the blocks for my son's wedding quilt, State Fair Sampler Quilt. Some of these blocks were very difficult. I probably won't forget this one. It's called Cedar County and measures 8.5" square. It was paper pieced. The problem is there are 24 seams that meet in the middle of the block. My block isn't perfect but I felt it was close enough! It looks pretty good to me. I'll start sewing the blocks together after Thanksgiving. 

We found a great painter over the summer to paint the interior of our house. They started this past Monday. This is my family room. They'll probably be here for a few more weeks. I think I'll be doing quite a bit of online shopping for Christmas this year! They just finished our family room and it looks great! I can't wait for them to work on the rest of the house. It's long overdue.