Soft and Sweet

These are 3 receiving blankets that I have crocheted around for my future little granddaughter. Of course, I don't know if it is a girl yet but like the Boy Scouts I believe in being prepared. For this blanket and burp cloth I used baby yarn and just did a single crochet around once. It is a very soft yarn and was very quick to do.

This one I chose a brighter thread and crocheted a simple scallop around the edge. I have noticed that the more crochet around the edge the more crinkled it becomes with every washing. That is why I usually just do a simple single crochet once around.

This is a varigated silky thread. Once again, just a simple single crochet around one time. I love making these because they are quite fast and simple to do. My "if its a girl" container is full so I may have to start another one soon.

Happy quilting! Lynda

If its a GIRL

I made these 2 little dresses from a simple pattern on the internet. They are made to be reversible. The blue one is to pattern size but will probably fit a very tiny baby under 3 months. I made the yellow one a bit bigger but is still very small. I love the fabrics. I added white rik rak to the blue one and just made the lining part a little bigger so that it would leave a cute bottom border. The yellow one has red piping at the waist on both sides.

This is the reverse side of the yellow dress. It is hard to tell how very tiny these little dresses are in the pictures. The skirt part of the dress is only about 8 inches long. Now I can't wait to have a summer granddaughter!

Never one to turn down a challenge......

A few weeks ago I made a comment to a blogging friend that it was amazing because she sat down at her sewing machine and 3 hours later she had a quilt top finished. She said it was a fairly easy pattern and then challenged me to try it. Well. . . .never one to turn down a challenge. . .I went to work on my day off and what do you know? 3 hours later I had 2 40 inch square baby quilts put together using scraps of blues and pinks and whites.

About a year ago I started two plastic bins. One for a boy and one for a girl. I've been trying to make a few things to have ready for when I become a grandmother again. That is why I chose to make baby quilts for the challenge. There are 41 pink/blue squares per quilt and I made sure that I used 41 different fabrics per quilt. Once again, it didn't seem to make a dent in my stash (and my stash isn't that big!)

I saw a cute quilt made with just squares and then a few big bright flowers were appliqued onto it. I may have to do that with the pink one. Maybe a couple of cars around the border on the blue one.

Thank you Sue for the challenge. It was fun to see what could be accomplished in 3 hours.

Keep on quilting. Lynda

Heart to Heart

One last tablerunner to share. I have now finished all the tablerunners that I'm going to for now. The package has been mailed off and hopefully will arrive at my sisters home in a few days. This has been a fun and learning experience for me. I have enjoyed the challenges of trying to machine quilt and know that I sure need a lot of work and practice at it before I will feel comfortable with the process. Right now I am trying to machine quilt a baby sized quilt and so far not so bad. Of course, when I make the wavy lines running across the other way and I start getting those little pleats....I may start feeling the frustration again. My walking foot is definately not working. It doesn't "walk" anymore. So I may just wait until I go in and get my machine serviced and check it out before I finish the quilt. Thanks for all the help and encouragement from those who make comments.

Keep on quilting. Lynda

In The Good Ole Summertime

Here is another tablerunner. This one is for summer and right now in 20 degree weather with snow on the ground I'm already thinking of summer. I actually machine quilted this one myself. Don't look too closely tho because I am a beginner.

This saying, " Summer time...start slow then taper off!" my feelings exactly. Although at work we are busier than ever during the summer and work long days. It's a good thing that it stays light so late so we can still enjoy it.

I loved the ants with the watermelon too. Speaks to me of summer. I do like the changes in the seasons but the older I get the less I like to drive on slick and icy roads. I really do love the frost covered trees and the soft blanket of snow on the ground tho. Now if we could just figure out how to have that and warm weather at the same time. . . . .

Lying down on the job!

Here's another small wallhanging I made this past week. Of course, I'm sure there is a way to turn it right side up but that is beyond my skill level with a camera or a computer! This is another fast and easy "wonder under iron down and machine quilt around each piece" project. It was from a pattern that my sister and I found while fabric shop hopping in Spokane in October. The buttons once again were from my Mom's button box. As you can see, I used black thread on top but forgot for awhile and used white thread in the bobbin (see hat). I took the picture before I got out my trusty black fabric marker and colored the white threads so they wouldn't show. That's a trick a quilting friend showed me a few years ago that she uses if the piece isn't going to be washed. Of course I could have just unpicked it and started over.........

Seasonal Skinnies by Crazy Old Ladies

You can add me to the list of Crazy Old Ladies now. I have made the fronts of 7 of the skinnies this past couple of weeks (along with a couple other projects for Christmas gifts). These are fun and easy to make and come as a kit from the Quilts Etc. shop. The beehive needs some cute little bee buttons added after quilting.

The Sunflower may need a ladybug or 2.

The pumpkin could use a couple of windy tendrils by the leaves.

The carrot ... maybe an ant brigade marching across the carrot.

How about a little bird in the door.

Can't think of anything for the stocking or the ghost. Although my sister and I saw a cute ghost that said "I only SPOOK when SPOOKEN to". That might be cute embroidered across the front.

These were so quick and easy because strips were just sewn together, then wonder under was added and they were ironed down to the background and sewn by machine with a blanket stitch. 4 quick borders strips and they were done and ready for quilting.