Happy New Year and 2015 Finishes

Happy  New Year everyone.

I pray in every way it will be a better year for everyone everywhere.

2015 was not a bad year for us personally. Jack had some health issues but he is doing well.
Two grandson's got married and one became engaged, all happy occasions. Our son and his wife moved 3 hours away, which is not too far and we see them often.
I did some gardening and Jack and I did some yard work this fall, I did the raking of leaves and he drove the tractor to the dumping grounds in the wooded area. We enjoyed all of it. I did have a little setback in the summer after I saw 2 snakes where I was working. However, I never saw them again and I got over being afraid of seeing them.  We'll see how that works in the spring and summer; it is easy to be brave when I don't see the snakes.

I didn't make a lot of quilts in 2015 and I didn't keep track of them very well. I don't even have  a picture of the finished quilt I made as a wedding gift  for my grandson and his wife. It was the biggest project of the year for me.

This photo showing the long arm quilting. is the only I have of the finished quilt.

This collage shows blocks on the design wall, the border on the one corner, and the top and backing ready to go to the long arm quilter.

If anyone is interested in seeing more it is all under Fresh Cut  on the side bar.

If I remember right, after I got it back from the quilter;  due to the size, I wasn't able to get a shot of the whole thing without help. I had to get it wrapped and delivered before anyone to help was available.



These 3 quilts are bed and throw size and were unfinished projects from other years. The flimsy on the right was from a friend; she gave it to me when I admired it.

The two on top here are wall hangings and the two on the bottom are baby quilts. The one on the right is the back;  I can't find a photo of the front.

These below are table runners and toppers, place mats and pot holders.

These are the table runners and mats I finished in December.

So.......... here we are.  It is 2016 and I feel as though I didn't accomplish very much.

I am planning to evaluate the options for making my sewing room more user friendly. When using what worked in a previous space, things don't always work out well. I found I lost interest by the time I moved everything around for each step (like cutting and pressing) of whatever project  on which I was working. I may have to replace some of my storage solutions and maybe even some furniture. If I don't find a satisfactory solution I probably won't be sewing much.

Wish me luck

 I am not ready to quit.

And One More

I finished one more small table topper for a small round "catchall" table by the front door. I still have some fabric left over from what I bought the day I got out to Quilts and Sew forth quilt shop. I decided the little table needed to be dressed for Christmas and I had some time to make
something fast.
The table is about 19 1/2 inches in diameter and the topper is 19 inches point to point and 16 1/2 across side to side. It is a perfect fit.

I cleaned up my sewing room when I finished this and  I am done sewing until after Christmas.
















I hung one more little quilt on the narrow wall at the end of the  bedroom hallway.
Just outside my sewing room door is a little shelf, made by our grandson about 27 years ago  It has 4 pegs where usually we hang sweaters or jackets and I put seasonal things on the shelf. I usually put my snowmen out in January but this year we are kind into the snowman theme so I got them out early

The two tall snow men on the right are wood and I bought them as well as the little guy in front of them (he is holding a little bowl of birdseed). The short guy right next to the tall snow man on the left was also a purchase. I made the rest of them using Warm and Natural batting on the outside.
The guy in the blue hat with the "Think Spring" sign and the snow lady with the red hat and scarf represent Jack and I and they used to be on a wreath on our apartment door. This little vignette cheers up our hallway.






The Christmas dishes are out, all the Christmas quilts are out, and I am  done decorating.  It is a good thing too because I am not finished shopping and and have not even started to wrap.

More Finishes

I finished 3 more mats I probably should count this as one finish as it is really one project.
Using the same fabrics  plus one more (with the red birds)as the one for the coffee table, I made this one for the one for the chest in the living room.
















It goes with this one that I finished last week for the coffee table

These 2 go on hutches in the dining room and to them I added a few strips from years past to the fabrics I used in the other 2.

 In my sewing room I hung Christmas wall hangings and set out decorations from other years, some decorations that I made and some that were gifts. I like to use what I have from the past because I like to remember  where they came from and who gave them to me. I have one or two things from my preteen years. (They are really old.)


For many years we had a small tree that hung on the wall above Jack's dresser.  Over the years I changed the decorations several times; I added lights and decorated it with small ornaments.  Jack loved it and we kept it up after we took the other tree down. He always called me Scrooge when I  retired it for the year.
Last year when we moved I threw it away.  Well............. he wasn't real happy about that. After we got the tree up last week he started talking about "his tree" again. So, I started looking for a small tree that could hang on the wall, I don't think I ever saw another one over the years that was like the one we had; I had been looking. We were at Walmart last week and I looked at the small trees; we ruled out a fiber optic tree and chose a prelit tree that was displayed on a very high shelf. I thought is was 30 inches, which was taller than I wanted, but we had someone get a box down for us and we took it anyway as the box didn't seem too long. There 2  parts that fit together and it turned out to be 48 inches. I thought we would return it as it was too tall for Jacks chest of drawers but he was already attached to it. We set it on my dresser and I decorated it with a few shiny ornaments and some of the ornaments from friends and grandchildren and great grand children and children from the preschool room at church. I got to use a lot of personal things that didn't fit so well  on the slimmer living room tree we bought 2 years ago.

Jack is happy and I'm happy. He can look at it when he is sitting at his desk and we leave it on for a while every night before we go to sleep.

A finish

I may not be making anything very large but I am getting around to making things that I want to use for Christmas.
I needed some color in the living room and I wanted something to cover the top of the coffee table.

This  18 x 36  piece started with a block that I made with the intention of making a whole quilt, each block done in different fabrics. After one block I decided it as going to require more fabric shopping and more time than I wanted to spend on another Christmas quilt. The block  went into my odd block box until this week. I finally got out to the quilt shop and came home with 5 one yard pieces to add to the block for a table runner.It adds some needed color to the living room.

 I am making another runner this size for the top of a bachelor chest for the same room. The second piece will not have a block, just strips of the same 3 fabrics that are on the right and  sides of the block. I have another fabric with red birds of which I am adding  wider random width strips. I hope I can get it finished today.

A Finish

I have finished my Triple 4 Patch, binding and all.  I had long strips of the floral striped fabric from cutting the borders from the length of the fabric. I decided to use the lighter blue stripes for the binding.

 It looks darker here but I think you can get the idea. The lighter stripes were about 2 inches wide so I laid the edge of my ruler at the
edge of the lighter strip and cut 1/2 inch into the darker stripe for 2 1/2 inch strips. So my strips were like this on the left.

I folded it in half and pressed it and laid the strip on the edge on the quilt front with the raw edge of the darker fabric face up on the raw edge of the quilt.


After I stitched the binding all around I pressed it away from the quilt. You can see it in this photo
before I pressed it around to the back with only the lighter fabric showing.  I wrapped the binding to the back and pressed it down and secured it with thin strips of fusible web (for me this works so much better than pins); I stitched with the #4 Bernina stitch from the front.






 This is how it looks on the front. I didn't care to have the entire width of the stitches on the binding because it is already stitched on.





I wanted to have the entire width of the stitching on the binding on the back of the quilt, both for appearance and so the edge would be flat and secure. I used variegated thread  so it may be hard to see unless you enlarge the photo.


I couldn't get a shot of the full quilt today because there is no space to spread it out. I got all the the Christmas  quilts and wall hangings and linens out the they were are still all over my bed.

A Finish

I finished this on Friday. It is Hidden Wells, a Mary Ellen Hopkins pattern. My friend Lynn made the top and gave it to me after I admired it. I am not sure why she didn't keep it; it really is beautiful.
I quilted it in the ditch around the squares and quilted free motion feathers in the border. Of course, they do not show up because I used black thread. I probably should have just quilted straight lines because it was really hard to see where I was stitching. I worked on it in the afternoon when the natural light was good in my sewing room.












This is the backing, a small scale print that I ordered on line. The color does not look as vibrant here as tan is really brighter, more like gold.
I used black Kona solid for the binding and it looks good on both sides.













I have not even started on the diamond 9 patch color wash. I don't want to order fabric on line for it because I need to see the changes in value from one fabric to the next. Getting out to a quilt shop is a big issue for me and I am pretty sure I will have to find what I want in more than one shop. Jack was having some problems with eyes and it took a while to get his eyeglass prescription right after a post cataract laser treatment. Until he got his new glasses he didn't want to drive very far. Since he got his glasses it has been one thing or another to keep me from shopping.

Until I can get out to shop I will have to be content to spend my time raking up prickly chestnut hulls and black walnuts and hauling them out to the woods to dump them (there is an over abundance of both). There is also an over abundance of leaves to rake. I am cleaning up the flower beds around the house as well, preparing for winter and next spring.
I am not complaining, and neither is the dog. We are both enjoying being outside in the crisp fall weather. When he sees me change my shoes he is ecstatic, running in circles and jumping for joy. He doesn't seem to like to venture far from the house by himself but he loves to run all over when I am outside with him. When we walk around the back yard and the woods he goes exploring but comes quickly when I call him. He is not like the cat was but a very good companion nevertheless.

Table topper Finishes

I have had some problems with my computer recently. I had to go and download Windows 10 ( can't deny myself the opportunity for frustration and) that was the beginning. I  like it but... after many updates from Microsoft and from McCaffee and Picasa many things were not working. Then more updates and things were almost back to normal. However, I still cannot create collages and in working with trying to create a collage I deleted a bunch of photos from my memory card. I am not sure how I did that but they are gone and not saved in my computer. I had photos 2 finished baby quilts that are gone to their recipients on that card, OH WELL!! 

 I have been slowly making progress on finishing some things I've had hanging around waiting for the next step.

Both of these Hexagon table toppers were made using leftovers. I quilted this one and added the binding. 

Last year I sewed the left over strings from this tree skirt, you can read about it how I came about those strings here.

This piece on the  left just sat around till last week when  I cut 60 degree triangles from it and made another hexagon table topper.

This one is a little larger so I had to refigure all my measurements because again I wanted the center hex to be all one piece of fabric.

Now I am considering making another tree skirt using Annie's tutorial again. I have made 3 of them and I have another granddaughter who might like one.

We'll see! I have two quilts layered up, all ready to be finished and I am going to do that first.

A Finish and an Almost

I finished the "Take Four" placemats today. I think it is the first finish since the wedding quilt. I used the print with the white background for the backing on all 6 (like the dominant fabric in the top left placemat).

I made these according to the pattern and turned it pillow cover style. I had a little bit of a hard time doing the hand stitching to close the openings, holding a hand sewing needle really hurts my thumbs. Halfway through the 3rd one I took some Advil and took a break for a while and finished up after the Advil kicked in. I know I need to take something before I start any hand work but I don't always remember. Anyway the openings turned out good and would be hard to spot.  I have some extra fabric left and will make some Hex hot pads to go with these. they are a birthday gift for a granddaughter.















I am almost finished with the baby quilt. Yesterday I got the variegated thread for the sashings,  a nice pastel with all of the colors that are in the quilt border. I finished up all the quilting today and have  only the binding to do. I have white binding made and ready to go.

The closeup shows the colors in the quilt well, although the serpentine stitching with the variegated thread shows up better in real life. I think it was a better choice than either of the two threads I had considered..

It is a cheerful little quilt and it makes me happy to look at it. I hope the baby feels the same.

A Small Finish

Small...... but a finish none the less. I am not getting much quilting done these days. I have been busy with gardening and plant shopping and shopping in general.  Since we moved last year any kind of shopping is very time consuming.  This is big change for me as I was 5 to 15 minutes from most of my everyday shopping places.

I had intended to put a border on this and a striped binding but I could find neither fabrics. I am pretty sure I still have them but I may have bundled them up as a giveaway. I found something to piece  for the backing and some solid blue Kona for the binding. It is 24 inches square and as a table topper it is fine without a border. I quilted in the ditch over all the seams and then corner to corner with variegated red, white and blue using my Bernina # 4 stitch. I didn't want to leave the 4 inch square unquilted.                                                            

 I had planned to finish putting away all the leftovers and scraps from the big quilt project but I have not done it yet. When the weather turned nice I abandoned my sewing room and went out to play with the flowers and to take long walks with the dog. The mess is not going anywhere and I will get to it sooner or later.

A Time Out Project

I needed a break from the big quilt I am working (and working, and working etc) on. I wanted something simple, quick and upon the wall.
I used the bird panel that I bought recently and just put borders on it and did some simple quilting to look like window panes. I fused the panel to PFD fabric because didn't want to quilt anything except around the rectangles. I know from experience that is not enough to keep those areas from sagging. I also fused the hanging sleeve and the binding when I turned it to the back. Maybe it is more craft than quilt but it is done and everyone here likes it because all of the birds, except the Rose Breasted Grosbeak, have come to the feeder right outside the window.  I may not like it quite as much because I know how little time I put into it.   I still need to block it to make it hang nice and then maybe I will like it more.

Anyway it was a nice break from  making 4 patches and connector corners. I still have 14 pairs of 10 inch strips to sew together and cut into 2 patches beside 4 trays of 2 patches to sew into 4 patches and 200 connector corner blocks to make, that is 400 CC squares to sew on. There is a lot going here too other than the quilt.

  What was I thinking? 

A Finish

Finally.....a finish! I think it is the first one this year. I decided to just quilt in the ditch over the whole thing. I was going to quilt with the #4 Bernina stitch across the blue/purple squares but decided that in the ditch was enough. About 1/3 of the way through I was not too happy with my decision to turn it instead of quilting first and binding it, Some blocks were not quite the same size as all the others and I had tucks in the quilting. When here are already some issues. turning the quilt pillow case style just exaggerates the problems. After some unsewing some of the quilting and repinning and sewing again, it all worked out.
After I put everything back in place after I finished quilting the tablecloth,  I went through some of the plastic boxes on the shelves. I have 3 boxes of scraps that are in ziplock bags, loosely sorted by color and one box of squares sorted by size. I decided to sew up the squares into HST"s, starting with the 4 inch squares. No photos of that yet and no plans as to what I will do with the HST's. I have a box of HST's in various sizes and a lot are made from 4 inch squares so I will do something with them or give them away.
I am really pinched for space so I need to do something with all the scraps too. Right now that seems overwhelming, tackling the squares seems enough for now.

Here is another photo of Miss Kitty. This is her latest ploy to get my attention. She jumps up on my desk and sits in front of me.

It's a good thing I like her!