Tis the season!

 Kids are off work, cards are sent, and 

the holidays have begun!  I got a bit 

excited about a free pattern and ended 

up printing it off on decorative holiday paper!

So pretty and I do need to start another project!

Just wanted to show this gorgeous quilted card I got 

from a friend. 

She got started and couldn't stop

at just one!  

Wrapping everything up is always fun time 

Just a little finishing tomorrow. 

Still a great time to do a little stitching and plan for next

years projects, link parties and sew-a-longs!

Finished a few more of these little scrap blocks. 

Also got a few of these stop and go blocks done up. 

I always want to just sew up the whole quilt!

Ongoing projects that are calling me:

1) many strings from the APAQ needs a border

2) softer yellow granny squares needs another 

row

3) 2 tops need layering but first need backs

(the red postage stamp and the

family block quilt)

4) 2 RSC color strings need borders

and backs

Lots to do!  

Enjoy the holidays and get in some stitching.

Get the new year started off right!

Linking up with :

Finished or Not Friday

Oh Scrap

Off the Wall Friday

To do Tuesday

Wait Loss Wednesday 

Midweek Makers

Dirty Dozen update

 Wow, what happened to 2022?  

Remember back in July when I said I was doing 

the Dirty Dozen Challenge over at Country Threads?

Well here is an update of my progress.  Seems like 

I don't play well with others because I went off the 

grid and quilted what I wanted done and didn't 

exactly follow the list!

So let's see how I am doing at halfway thru!

July was #10 

Coin Some Pink is completed and shipped off. 

August was #3 

Sadly this red postage stamp is still a flimsy. 

September pulled an #11

Twinkle Blue and Yellow are both quilted. The Blue

Twinkle I will keep in reserve for family babies

 and the Yellow Twinkle is donated. 

October is #5

Two more, Twinkle Pink and Orange

are done up. Pink will stay in reserve and 

Orange has been donated. 

November is #11. 

Yay, today at a guild sew day, 

I actually got the last of the big 

strings for the kids Christmas gifts bound!

Now just to de-thread and label and they 

are ready for gifting!

To bring me current, December is #12. 

Today, after the big strings were bound, 

I had enough scrappy binding leftover

to bind Postage Sixteen. 

So, wow!  When I lay it all out, it looks like a lot. 

My quilt vault is looking a little empty, but 

always more to do!

Stay safe and sew on !

Linking up with :

RSC 2022

Oh Scrap!

Peacock Party

To Do Tuesday!

Midweek Makers

Wait Loss Wednesday

 

 

Focus , focus!

 Good morning! Still chilly here with -19 C but 

we are getting very used to it since it is December!!

I had a great time in the sewing room last night 

after I finally got some focus!  I may have a bit of the 

winter blues but I staggered over to my wonky stars 

and had a fun and productive evening. 

Some lovely gifts arrived in my sewing room this 

week,  yes , more scraps!!

    Two different friends gifted me scraps.

I even get to keep the box!! It fits in 

with my existing project boxes so win win there. 

The wonky stars and I had a great time and 

my pile is on its way to generous. 

Using up some odd triangles and

incomplete squares is very rewarding. 

Even these little cut offs have a place.

The square with  the missing corner

gets  a new life as  a star section! 

 

My evening of stitching netted eighteen 

new stars to add to the block bank!

Here is a link to MSQC video so 

you, too can become a star maker!

Today will be spent making more stars, ( they are already laid out, ) 

and trying to get the pile of  "to bind" nearer to the machine.

 

The three big string quilts are still waiting!

They fold up so nice when trimmed and ready. 

A busy week ahead, getting ready for the holidays

and enjoying winter.  Stay safe and sew on !

Linking up with : 

Oh Scrap!

RSC 2022

Design Wall Monday

To Do Tuesday!

Melva's Sew and Tell

 

Patchwork and Quilts

Wednesday Wait Loss

Off the Wall Friday

Finished or Not Friday

Thank Goodness its Finished Friday!

December OMG

 Well I didn't get everything done. 

Even my finish up post is late so 

it will be rolled into the December goal!!

I did accomplish a bit. 

We had a lovely time in the far 

south, soaking up sunshine, family

love and good food. 

Fought off some brutal head colds, 

and held some alligators too!

    We returned home to blowing 

snow, sub zero temperature and 

a neighborhood with dazzling lights!

Here is what I accomplished!

I made a lovely stack of 10" half hexies.

Then I pulled out all the black solids I could find.

Cut as much as possible into 1 1/2" strips,

suddenly, I had a bunch of braids together!

I had to adjust for a slight waffle but they came 

together very nicely. 

I even sent the future recipient a little teaser! 

I do love the excitement of the season!

All the fabrics used have some lovely 

shiny elements, so it does dazzle!

Here is  the end result, binding was 

completed December 1st . 

This black, plaid edge really makes 

the sashing pop. 

This quilt is off to live with its new admirer in Michigan!

It sports a double 80/20 batting so my SIL should

be toasty warm all winter long!

The three big string stars came 

back from the shop so those will 

get stitched up just in time for 

St. Nic to deliver them!

Enjoy the fun of December 

Look what happens when an engineer

takes charge of the Christmas cookies!

Linking up with:

OMG

Finished or Not Friday

TGIFF

Off the Wall Friday

Peacock Party

Oh Scrap!

Wednesday Wait Loss

Midweek Makers 

Needle and Thread Thursday

Old Mother Hubbard-Almost!

 Almost!!! My cupboard is getting bare!!

A self imposed delivery deadline had me

sewing up a storm. Yes I apologize Florida, 

but that was me! 

I had a few smaller quilts that needed finishing 

to go off to a local charity.  Thinking I had plenty of 

lead time I had a relaxing evening choosing backings,

cutting some batting and laying out for pinning. 

All pinned and ready for quilting!

Next day, the quilting begins, and I spend a great 

afternoon and evening listening to only happy tv shows

and putting my machine thru its paces with some grid 

quilting and in the ditch work.  

A wonderful morning walk and the notice that,   

the pickup is early afternoon!! Not one day more day,

but in 6 hours!!! Argh!

So complete the walk and head to the sewing room!

Three quilts to make and sew on binding, one to rinse, 

(don't eat cookies while you fold) and all four to label!

First pick the binding fabric. No time for a scrappy today

and certainly no creative brain when I'm in get it done mode. 

Yardage here we come. 

Well maybe a large scrap or two since the 

quilts are smaller. 

First some nice pink for a sparkly star!  

Then a pop of blue for a crib sized coin quilt.  The RSC  really

got a few scraps in play in my sewing mecca over the past year!

Then back to pink for another crib sized pink and beige beauty. 

Quicky cutting of 2 1/2" strips and I was in business.

 Have I told you lately that I love my 60mm cutter! 

 I really zips thru the fabric and seems faster somehow!  

Next up, join, join, join and make some nice piles of bindings strips.

Trimming off all the overlaps makes a 

nice pile of scraps for some more wonky star points!  

Definitely some crib and twin sparkly star

quilts coming next year!

All the binding got a lovely press on the board using the 

corsage pin method and a nice burst of steam. 

I was so glad I had trimmed everything the night before. It 

certainly felt good to get right to adding the binding to the back.

Then flip it over and using the clips to hold it, 

top stitched it all down with my foot to the floor!

Those clips were flying around the room !

Even changing thread colors didn't slow me down!

I used some cute labels from the overflowing box and 

put a, "Hugs from my home town" on each one and done!

Here they are! It was certainly a great year 

for my Rainbow Scraps! 

Blue crib sized with a double batting

to give it extra cuddle since I ran out of flannel. 

I just noticed one block says "Love".

Pink crib sized coin with a cute lavender flannel backing. 

The last of the wonky stars and postage stamps

quilts with the palest of 

yellow squares on flannel for the backing.

A bit of a marathon stitch but I  was done in

 time for 1 o'clock drop off!

The  quilting group had a great time looking

 thru the donations in our

own mini quilt show!

All counted, 20 quilts will go to comfort  someone. 

They are off to the Zebra child and youth advocacy center. 

This organization gifts about 400 quilts a year.

Busy days!  

Stay safe and sew on!

Linking up with:

Design Wall Monday

To Do Tuesday

Sew and Tell

Stitching Stuff

Wednesday Wait Loss

Midweek Makers

 

Oh My Marie!

 It has been awhile since I did more sorting 

but I did go down that rabbit hole this week! 

Have you heard of the book, "If you give a Moose a Muffin"?

Well that is what happened.

It was time for my morning egg on toast soo..

I opened the cupboard with the oil and knocked over the 

tooth pick cup. 

I replaced the toothpicks and reached for the vegetable

oil but a really old olive oil jar was in the way. 

Then I noticed a container of poultry seasoning that 

I remember fell onto the floor during the holidays and 

spilled so I reached to the middle shelf to get the extra spices

and that was it. Onion powder needed refilling, 

as did Italian seasoning.

All the labels on the spice carousel were almost illegible sooo...

I got out the blue tape and a marker and went at them. 

Of course I found some mystery spices on the second shelf, 

as well as a bag of cinnamon bark that looked questionable, 

so out it went onto a plate to go to the compost.

  I think one unlabelled jar held ground cloves 

but I didn't want to end up with a Christmas 

of cumin cookies instead of ginger bread so off it went. 

Then there was a mistake of grinding up the rosemary leaves with

 some coriander that wasn't right so that went in the heap too.  

There was some pink salt, it joined its mates on the back of the stove,

a mysterious packet of some red stuff that might have been from 

an old BBQ spice gift set, 

but that was salvaged to go off to compost and the foil recycled,

and finally the ancient bottle of olive oil that 

will go on to live as callous softener. 

Look how empty this is!

All the extras are here.

( Do I really need that large box of cream of tarter!?)

Even the odd door spices got a rework with the likes combined.

(2 jars of Chinese 5 spice!)

I did discover 2 more packets of Italian seasoning mix, 

an extra Mrs. Dash and more black pepper and black pepper corns 

than we can use in a century.  I think I will try it as dog and 

cat repellant for some of my more delicate plants out back. 

Maybe I could even mix up mosquito deterrent with it!

I found a one liter container of dried parsley, (what were we

thinking!) but that will recycle well so no problem there. 

So  I will take the win on this sort and enjoy my newly 

labels spices and some nice oniony scrambled eggs. 

Stay Spicy!!