Witches in Stitches

This is one of the patterns that I purchased while in Spokane visiting my sister, Jeanie. We both fell in love with the sweet faced witches. I came home and found that I had 8 different black fabrics that would work for their dresses and hats and even some wild fabrics for their stockings. I used buttons from my Mom's button box for their dresses and string beads for their shoes. After finding the perfect background fabric I sat down to make this table runner. The witches are fused onto the background and machine blanket stitched around. I only quilted around the outside border so that part wasn't too hard either. I think it turned out really cute.

I used embroidery floss for the hair by unraveling purple, green and orange floss then sewing it down at the hat brim.

Keep it a secret.....this is part of the Christmas present I am making for my sister. I sure hope she likes it.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I didn't have to work (and since the TV was being held hostage by sports-sports-sports) I got a lot done in my sewing room. I tried my hand at machine quilting....not so successfully; worked on Seasonal Skinnies by Crazy Old Lady patterns from the Strip Club; and even (are you sitting down?) cleaned the sewing room! I know....there are counter tops in there...who would have guessed? I think I am almost done with Christmas gift sewing now. I really need to take my machine in for a checkup...its sounding kind of clunky.

Hope you are all happily getting ready for Christmas. Lynda

Its Hip to be Square

This is the last of the quilts I took to retreat to put on bindings. This is a queen sized quilt made from scraps except for the white fabric. I started making the squares and couldn't stop so the quilt kept getting bigger and bigger. This is the quilt on the bed in our purple bedroom. Each of the 4 borders are from a different fabric; pink, green, lavendar and yellow. Such an easy quilt to make but it really has a big impact in the small bedroom. I'm starting to cut strips now of Fall fabrics so I can make another, smaller quilt maybe using a cream instead of white fabric.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate today! I have so many things to be thankful for today. Too many to list here. I decided a long time ago that holiday celebrations weren't about the food or the gifts but about family....and I have a great one. Hope you all have a great day with your loved ones. Lynda

I've joined a Strip Club

A quilting strip club that is! My friend, Dixie, invited me to join a quilting class that she is taking at Quilts Etc. in Sandy, Utah and I decided to give it a try. Everything made has to start with a strip of fabric. You can see the wonderful patterns called Seasonal Skinnies and several of the kits that I purchased on the first night. ( I was several months behind the other women in the group so I just had to buy several and try to catch up). On my Mad Saturday Sewing day I made the tops of the ghost, pumpkin and Christmas stocking. They are so easy and fun. The strips are sewn together, fused to the background and machine stitched around. Very easy and so cute when finished. I may even try to machine quilt these myself since they are only about 12 inches by 24 inches. A manageable beginner size.

Thanks for stopping by. Lynda

Santa Cats

A few weeks ago I admired this pattern by Mrs. Moen (see her blog on the right side of my blog). She unselfishly sent me the pattern along with a few others that she has created. It was quite fun to make. I really love the expressions on the cats faces. I tried to machine quilt with just straight lines but I think maybe my walking foot is not working right since it seemed to push the fabric causing little pinched areas. But it was very easy to make and I think it turned out quite cute. I added tiny pom poms to the ends of the hat. Thank you Nina for the cute pattern. I think I may make another one using brighter Christmas fabrics.

The Mad Sewer

Is English the only language that takes one word, spells it the same, gives it 2 or more pronunciations and meanings and expects us all to know which one is being used at any given moment??? I labeled this the "Mad Sewer.....as in someone who sews and sews and sews all day. Not "sewer" like something you see when you look down a manhole.

Anyway......
I was quite unhappy that I didn't make it to my grandson's 12th birthday in Illinois so I spent many hours on Saturday huddled over my sewing machine trying to finish, and start, some projects to make myself feel better. These pictures are of a Noahs Arc quilt I started over 8 years ago when my daughter, Denise, was pregnant with her 2nd son, Spencer. It was really a lot of work. I taped up the pattern on a window, traced around every single little piece onto fusible web, ironed every single little piece onto fabric, cut out every single little piece....well you get the picture. After I machine blanket stitched around it all I really wasn't happy with the end result. Therefore, I never finished it, stuffed it into a closet with the binding half on and made him a chenille quilt, which I think he still loves.

Now that I pulled this out of a closet and relooked at it...I find I like it quite a bit now. The binding is now completely on and it is ready to be given away. (Denise, are you ready for another baby?)

I love the colorful birds in each corner and the way the monkeys are just hanging out.

This is the fabric I used on the back. Really bright and cheerful. I'm glad I found it and especially that I like it now.

Give Thanks

This is a small wallhanging from the Art to Heart books for Fall. It is fused and machine quilted. Very easy and fun to make and hang. I even embroidered the hair. My daughter, Nicky, and I made the "give Thanks" blocks last year. I leave it up all year tho because I like the message. I really need to remember to give thanks for other things since I was supposed to be in Illinois visiting my grandchildren this weekend but due to some glitch in the computer system yesterday, all the flights were way overbooked so I couldn't get on a flight today. (I fly standby since my daughter, Krista, works for an airline). There were no tickets left to buy either.

I made a couple of these a few years ago. The shoes are painted on but most everything else was tiny sewing. I love the turkey.

Thanks for stopping by. Lynda

What? I forgot my camera!!!

My daughter, Nicky and her husband Patrick, came for the weekend and we finished making this cute Santa face. We saw the pattern in Branson, MO and had to have it. We started it last time she came for a visit and now it is finished. As we were working on it we weren't sure it was going to be so cute. The beard is a trim and went on so easy. The hat was supposed to be old red ties but we just used fabrics. She used machine stitches to fancy up the seams. The button eyes were sewn on and the glasses, nose, beard and hat trim were just glued on. It was fun to finish it so she could have it ready to hang for Christmas this year.

Yes, I forgot to take my new camera to the Quilt show I went to yesterday with some of my quilting friends. I'm just not used to having one I guess. Anyway, the quilt show at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City was great. The quilts are beautiful and all have to be hand quilted. They don't just hang the quilts....they stage them. Each quilt has cute things all around them that relate to the theme of the quilt. There was even an old vintage quilt that was made by a man, all by hand.

After the show and lunch we stopped at Quilts Etc. for a few "much needed" items. It is always fun to wander that store that has every fabric imaginable. I purchased a blue snowy background for a snowman wallhanging I plan to make soon. And a black background for a Spook wallhanging in the makings. I also got a darling baby quilt fun flower pattern that I know I need to make. Can you see the cute little faces on the flowers and butterflies? I also borrowed a couple of patterns from friends that I have wanted to make for some time now. That should keep me busy for a few weeks.

I wonder what I did with my spare time before I started quilting? Thanks for stopping by. Lynda

St. Patrick's Day table runner

I took this table runner to the retreat but didn't get around to binding it. However, I did come home and finish it the next evening. I am a little disappointed in it because it doesn't lay flat on the table. I used an iron on interfacing thinking it would be easier to quilt through. However, it retains the folds and has to be ironed before using. I actually machine quilted this one myself. Just straight lines, nothing fancy.

Hotpads galore

Last week I helped teach a Thanksgiving 101 class at our Church. It was meant to help younger women learn how to make a whole Thanksgiving meal. However, the 3 of us who were teaching also work full time so it made it quite hard to get everything ready. I was in charge of side dishes so I made mashed potatoes that are cooked and put in a casserole ahead of time and then just baked. Also a crockpot potatoe that I put in that morning. I also made 2 different recipes for sweet potatoes that I could make the night before. I also made 2 cranberry recipes: one was a jellied cranberry and the other whole berry sauce made with orange juice, brown sugar, cinnamon stick and orange marmalade that was so delicious. The other women were in charge of the brining and cooking a turkey and lumpless gravy. It all went very well and everyone ate and ate and got a few new recipes and pointers on the meal.

I really enjoy making these hotpads/potholders so decided to make one for each woman that came. I just used fabric scraps from my stash again. (Why is it that the more you use scraps..the more they mulitply?) This pattern is so easy. It uses 5 8inch squares of fabric and a square of insulbrite. 4 of the squares are folded diagonally to form triangles. Then they are stacked: insulbrite on the bottom, 1 square of fabric right side up, then the 4 folded pieces with raw edges on the outside edges tucking the 4th piece under the 1st. After they are all stacked you just sew around the edge, turn right side out and it is finished. I usually tack the center also because when they are washed they tend to crinkle up and have to be ironed. Don't know about you but I don't iron much of anything (except fabric) anymore. Everyone was happy to go home with new recipes and a new hotpad.

Paper Dolls

Would you believe....this is actually a new quilt....not made years ago! I got the binding done at our retreat. When I saw this quilt in a Fons and Porter magazine I knew I had to make it for a future grandchild. I ordered the quilt and it made up quite quickly. However, if I were to make it again I wouldn't order the kit, I would buy the fabric so I would have more dolls to choose from. The dolls are placed close enough together that it is very difficult to get enough dolls for the quilt without getting parts of other dolls in the block. Of course, if I would have been thinking, I could have adjusted the blocks smaller and avoided that problem. Since I made this top I have seen corners added to the doll unit which framed them better. Anyway, I do love the quilt.

This is a pocket that needs to be sewn onto the back to hold all the doll clothes. I ironed the clothes onto fuzzy pellon so that they will just stick to each doll while my future granddaughter plays with them. (I'm sure there is a way to turn that picture right side up, but I sure can't remember what I was taught to do)

This quilt was also quilted by Laura Erickson. She quilted a cute vine of leaves around the inner border and then outline quilted each doll. She always does a really nice quilting job on each quilt I take her.

With a Little Help from my Friends

This was the first project I finished at our retreat. The blocks were made by friends in the KNOTT Bee a few years ago (seems to be a common phrase I use...a few years ago). Each block was made by a quilting friend, however, most of them put their names on the back and when I put them together I forgot to transfer the names to the front of the quilt so consequently I can't remember who made which block now. I decided a star block would look great in the sashing. It makes the quilt rather "busy" looking but I love it. The quilt top was put together a loooonnnggg time ago and then added to my ever increasing pile of quilts ready for the quilter. I finally gave it to Laura Erickson (who always does a great job) about a month ago to quilt and I put the binding on at the retreat. Yippee! Another completed UFO.

Quilt Retreat

Here are some pictures of quilting friends and projects at our quilt retreat last week. I only got to spend 1 day so my 'lets-get-this-project-done" list was small. This quilt was made by Nancy from a kit she purchased at Broadbents in Lehi. Isn't it beautiful! Four friends each bought the kit, took about a year to start and I think she said about 3 years to finish. Sorry Nancy, I cut off your head.


As you can see, we were all busy with our own projects. But we still made time to walk around to see what everyone else was working on. Suzanne has this wonderful bonus room in her home that she opens up for retreats a couple of times a year and we spend a couple of days laughing, talking, sewing and eating. Here are Dixie, Judy, Marie , Nancy and Suzanne working hard.

Mabelle made this darling primary colored Nine Patch baby quilt. She was adding the border in this picture and making sure she had plenty of binding using all the scraps from the quilt. It turned out so cute.

This is my small stack of bindings to do. I did get 2 small quilts bound and 1 side of the large one finished before it was time to leave. I really enjoy retreats where we can just go and spend the whole day working on quilts and talking quilts, visiting with old friends and making new friends. Thank you Suzanne for opening up your home to all of us.

I warn my non-quilting friends that quilting is quite addictive so be careful. If they start, they may not be able to stop! Thanks for stopping by. Lynda

I think I'm seeing Stars!

Yep, another Buggy Barn quilt. I really do love making them once I get going. This was one of the easier ones....not so many pieces to shuffle. Lavendar/purple is my favorite color and my daughter, Nicky, painted her bedroom deep purple a few years ago. This quilt with its softer colors looks so nice folded across the foot of the bed.

My 3 daughters should be quite proud of me that I can actually figure out how to use my new camera...taking pictures, downloading them onto the computer and then retrieving them to put on my blog. I really love my new camera!

A friend, Melory, once said a quilt needs an interesting back. So many times I try to use up the front fabrics on the back.

Today I am off to a quilt retreat with my Lazy Bee. None of us could be labeled lazy if you could see all the projects that are brought up those stairs at each retreat. They all met yesterday but I had to work....boy working sure gets in the way of my fun sometimes. Of course, it does pay for the addiction. Thanks for stopping by. Lynda

Raw Edges Rub Him Wrong

I made a Bulls Eye quilt using mostly Civil War fabrics as an exchange with a quilt bee that I belonged to a few years ago. It isn't my favorite quilt but it was a fun experience in the process of leaving unfinished edges on a quilt. The idea was to take a square and sew 3 different sized circles onto it leaving raw edges. Then cut the block into 4 squares and sew 4 different ones back together. We weren't supposed to worry about matching anything....which I found very difficult to do at first. However, the more blocks I put together, the easier it became to not worry about how they matched colorwise or seamwise. I continued a few half circles onto the border just for fun.

The idea is that as it is washed and dryed the edges will fray. However, this quilt hangs on a banister so doesn't get used much so the edges haven't frayed significantly yet.

We had an elderly gentleman (80+ years) stay with us a few weeks ago. He is a machine quilter in St. George, Utah. He pointed out to me that I "forgot" to finish the edges.....and....did I really "like" that look? It was quite funny.