Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.  Later today we will be gathering with family to enjoy a feast and give thanks for all our many blessings.  I’m thankful that we’re guests, and don’t have to do all the cooking and cleaning.

I’ll be delivering the Four Seasons quilt that I was asked to make last Thanksgiving.   I had fun with it, and I hope the new owners will like it.

I’ve finished two small quilts this week.  One is for our Guild’s Service project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pink fabrics that make up the star and the scrappy binding were ‘scraps’ from previous projects.  The backing is fabric that a former coworker gave me.  I thought there were about two or three yards, but there were actually six yards!  I’m sure I’ll be able to put it all to good use.

The other quilt is a secret, so I won’t be able to show it until after Christmas.  I did most of the quilting on my Sweet 16 – we’re becoming friends at last!  I did some meandering in the outer border, and I had to rip it all out because the tension was bad.  I had checked and adjusted it before I started, but I guess I still didn’t have it right.  I think the problem was the thread I wanted to use, so I ended up using the thread on my DSM, and it turned out great. 

We had our first snow yesterday, and while the forecast was for 3-6 inches, we probably got about an inch and a half.  And because it was 70 degrees on Monday and in the 50’s on Tuesday, the roads were warm enough that the snow melted on contact.  There certainly wasn't enough snow for this.

And the only snowmen around are on the quilt that I’m going to start quilting on Friday.

wish me luck!              Sunny

Counting my Blessings

I hate November.  I was trying to think of a clever title to convey that, when I thought of the poor people in Buffalo, NY and the surrounding areas.  It is cold and dreary and bleak here, but I am not buried under five or more feet of snow.

Our leaves, which were so pretty and colorful a week ago, have suffered from the first hard frost, and are now brown and dried up.  This is now just a memory.

But I would rather look at dry brown leaves than several feet of this.

We have had several days of very cold temperatures, but we are warm and cozy in our house.  I just saw a news story that in some areas of New York state, they are running out of food and fuel because of all the snow.

I have my sewing machine and many crafts to work on.  I am not out shoveling all that snow! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tiny little Scrap Star quilt is quilted!  And I actually used my Sweet 16 for the quilting.  I WILL master that thing while I’m not working.  We’re going to have another session today, in fact.

The sun refuses to cooperate, so you’re not seeing these trees in their best light.  The cardinals and one border are actually red.  This quilt will rely heavily on quilting to bring it to life.  I don’t have a clue how I’ll quilt it, so any suggestions are welcome.  I started this at a previous retreat, and finished most of it at the  recent retreat.  I’m always surprised at the finished size of my quilts.  I think this is intended as a wall hanging, but I don’t know many people with a blank wall this big!  I need to learn to read the sizes and try to visualize them before I get started. 

Shhh…  this is secret sewing for Christmas.  I’ve been doing a lot of hand applique, and the end is in sight.  I like it so much I don’t really want to part with it, but it is intended as a special Christmas gift.

I also started a new cross stitch pattern that has been in my basket for a couple of years. 

And just yesterday I started a new stitchery project.  I went to our guild’s Hands On sewing day, and took my new light pad to try out.  The light pad is awesome, and I’m already in love with this little stitchery.

So, I have plenty of hand work to keep me busy on these cold not-yet-winter nights.  And I have a stack of flimsies just waiting to be quilted.  And I have enough fabric and patterns to keep me busy for several years.  And I have my new friends from Hands On.  And I have my many blog friends.  And…And….And….

Many blessings, indeed.      Sunny

FNWF and Retreat results

I know I’m a little late posting for FNWF, but I was just too tired yesterday to function.  I sewed all day Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and part of Sunday.  Saturday night I couldn’t fall asleep (too much quilty stuff in my brain?), so I was miserable on Sunday.

Why does everything take so much longer than planned?  Does it have anything with being surrounded by about 80 quilty women and their projects?  Thursday’s goal was to finally make this quilt.

This very small quilt has been to at least three retreats, and because of various problems, was always put back in the box.  The pieces were cut out, and one star had been made previously.  I hope to get it quilted today.  The binding is made and ready to be applied.  I purchased this as a kit about three years ago, and I gave away the pattern when I was finished on Thursday, so I can’t give you any information other than the name, which was Scrap Stars.

Friday’s project involved snowmen.  Our Guild is having a UFO challenge, and this is the quilt that I said I would quilt and bind before the December meeting.  The only problem was, I forgot that I hadn’t put it together yet!

I spent the entire day on Friday cutting and sewing the sashing and borders.  This was done as a BOM last year, and I had kept up with the individual blocks, which are made from beautiful wools on cotton.  I’ve seen several others out in blog land.  This is a Primitive Gatherings pattern.

Birch trees were the theme for most of the day Saturday, and on Sunday morning.  I don’t have a picture yet, because I still have to finish the final border.  I’d like to have the borders completed before our Guild meeting tomorrow night. 

I didn’t take many pictures of others’ projects, but I do have to share this.  The strips for this had been cut, but this was entirely strip pieced and put together in two days!!!!  No, that is not a typo.  TWO DAYS.  I’m sure it would have taken me at least two months.

Retreats encourage me.  Inspire me.  Feed my soul as well as my body.  My dh doesn’t really understand why I want to pack up all my stuff and go away to sit and sew all day.  Can’t I just do that at home?  NO.  It’s all about being in a room with like-minded women who speak my language.  Other quilters are always quick to lend a hand, offer some advice, share a scrap, and inspire.  If you’ve never been to a quilt retreat, I urge you to try one.  I’m planning a Girls’ Day out next week with three new friends.

And speaking of friends, here are two who pretend not to like each other.  What do you think?

Happy stitching!      Sunny

 

Loving the sashing!

Not much time tonight, because I should be packing for my retreat.  But I got my Charming Stars put together, and I’m really happy with them.  They definitely needed the sashing.

I was really on a roll on Sunday, so after finishing this, I put together a baby quilt with some of my pink scraps.

I’ll use a scrappy binding for this, and that will finish off many of my pink scraps.  It’s hard to tell in this picture, but all the pinks are different. 

I have enough blue charms left from the Charming Stars to make another quilt, and I plan to make it child sized.  Then it and the pink quilt will be donated to our local Sheriff’s Department for our Guild’s service project.  They keep small quilts in their cruisers to be sued when a child needs comforting.

Must go pack now.  Much sewing to be done over the weekend.      Sunny

Charming Stars

Charming Stars are a lot like potato chips.  You can’t have just one.  Or four.  Or eight.  Remember this lovely stack of fabric squares cut from shirts?

As you may recall, I’m combining the Shirt Challenge with the Charming Stars Sew-a-Long.  The shirt challenge calls for a quilt made of only six shirts, plus one other fabric to tie everything together.  We can also add fabric for binding and backing.  I’ve had a pile of shirts that I’d been wanting to use, and when I saw that Sheila was combining the two projects, I immediately knew that that was what I wanted to do, too.  The plan for the Charming Stars is to make 4 stars per month, beginning in September.  Well, September didn’t quite go as planned for me, but I did manage to get the shirts deconstructed.  Last week, with October drawing to a close, I decided that I need to get busy and make stars.  But I couldn’t stop once I started!

I made all 16 of the stars!  I don’t have a design wall, and these stars even pushed my ‘design floor’ to the max.  In my next life, I’ll have a huge sewing studio with an enormous design wall.  A girl can dream, can’t she?  Anyway, I’ve seen a couple of people planning to put their stars together like this, without the neutral sashing.  Hmmmm…shat do you think?  I agree – the sashing is needed.  Back soon with the completed top! 

Happy Stitching…..Sunny