Pink and White nine patch

Just back from a very late Mexican dinner with my dear man.  A small scale out on the town for New Year's Eve.  Now, safely back at home, I am posting the last post of the year.  Looking at yesterday's work, you can see the 12 orphan blocks...so lonely and misshapen.  Today they grace the new top.  But a mess I have made.  When will I ever learn that there is no such thing as using up scraps.  Believe me, there are more scraps now than there were before I even started with this little fabric challenge!!

2011 Pledge for the Cuddle Quilts

Last year I made at least 12 cuddle quilts, one per month for our guild.  I am pledging the same for 2011.  Tonight I found some scraps from the bin, blocks left over from other quilts.  So, I am putting a few of them up on the design wall cause guess what?  2011 is in 24 and a half hours!!!!

Thread Catchers

I am so used to thread catchers by now, that I hate to be without them.  This large one is always on my cutting board.  I have filled them with sand from Walmart's craft department and added a bit of batting on top.

Because the table of my Janome 6600 is so slim, I made this one from the fabric Ruth brought back for me from Japan.  I made it to fit onto the table.  I took two kinds of Velcro. I sewed the top "sewing kind" onto the pincushion.  Then I stuck the "sticking kind" to the table.  Now it is both removable and secure.

Now I have purchased the awesome Sew Ezi table  for my Bernina 1230 for quilting trips.  That table also has a very slim edge, so again I made a small thread catcher for that.

This is shown on a bookcase as I didn't want to take out the Sew Ezi  table.  I have hand stitched the velcro already on the pincushion and when I go to the retreat and take out my table, I will stick the other part of the other velcro on the table.  Love the antique button too:)

I just thought that I would throw in my new ironing board cover. Took just 5 or 10 min to wrap this IKEA fabric from the children's department around my ironing board.  I wrapped it over my existing covers and pinned it in place.  There must be 7 or 8 other covers underneath.  I never bother to remove them so my ironing board is very well padded.

I am not showing a tutorial because there are many out there.  For example:   http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=765  or http://www.merrimentdesign.com/pincushion-thread-catcher.php  or  http://www.kquilts-studio.com/Kquilts_Studio/Pincushion_Threadcatcher.html

Kaleidoscope Fun

Since my sewing room is clean...cleanish...I decided to have some fun with my kaleidoscope ruler..a 45 degree wedge.  I found some teal fabric from 25 years ago which had fade marks in the folds.  First I cut all the brown faded fabric away.

.Now I have cut some wedges.  I have taken the "made fabric" from my fabric scraps, and done the same thing with them.

Now the fun begins, maybe I will make a kaleidoscope quilt, or a tree quilt, or....

I had a nice afternoon.  I will put this WIP in a box for now to work on later and practice the lost art of "clean as you go"!

More choices: To do work paperwork or to sew..hmmm

A little more of the IKEA fabric,

 some of the Japanese elephants,(Thank you Emily), last year's birthday present,

 and, some Kaffe Fassett fabric (thank you Fabric.com )

And some snow...brrr!  Ok, I am now going to do three pieces of paperwork before cleaning some of my quilting room.  Penance...

Choice: To eat or to sew...to eat or to sew..to.....

Well, so I made for Christmas, Divinity fudge, Panuche fudge and Chocolate fudge.  Then I made the sugar cookies and a caramel cookie....Tonight all is calm...hmmm some are left...hmmm.  Fine.  I decided to sew instead.  This evening I made this bag.   IKEA fabric and some handles I found in a drawer from long ago, a little iron on interfacing and an unusual bit of will power..Bingo!!  

The two sides of the bag and a close up of the handles attached to the bag with black elastic.  I just happened to have the right size in a basket.

Christmas Disappearing Nine Patch

I have been loving the disappearing nine patch for quite awhile now..as  you can see here:  http://oquilts.blogspot.com/2010/07/camilles-quilt.html

Thanks to Jo at..http://www.joscountryjunction.com/?p=1732 this pattern can be used to make a very easy one patch with a one patch lattice.  Soooo much fun.  Well, since I really enjoyed making the one above for Camille, I thought I would do a Christmas quilt in the same pattern.  I did the stash busting thing and bought absolutely nothing for this quilt..Had such a great time...so much so that I did this lap quilt and with the extra blocks did the baby quilt below and with the last block made a trivet!!  I think I will do a Halloween one next...Oh, dear...out of season, but what the heck:)  Once again, Merry Christmas!! It is snowing on Christmas for the first time since 1947...the year I was born.  I have not even snipped the threads yet because I wanted to post these for Christmas.

I see that Amy here, has made a similar quilt:   http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2010/12/retro-christmas-winner.html  

The more quilts the merrier, all bringing Christmas joy!

Merry Christmas to All!! And to all a Good Night!

A Special Christmas fabric painting by my sister, Charmaine..the family!!

 A present from my friend Irene, probably made 25 some years ago.  She stuffed small rectangles with batting and tied them onto a metal wreath frame.  This is one of my favorite Christmas wreaths!

Snowman collection...

Our heritage...American, Swedish and Irish

Santa and I are feeling the same right about now!!

The old candelabra from Grandma...on the piano...at least 70 years old.

The Santa collection..

Swedish Christmas paper hangings...one French thrown in for the heck of it!!!  From when we lived there.

Then there is the reason for the season....

Christmas cookies

Grandma left me with a legacy of  Christmas love.  She taught me how to make Swedish sugar cookies.  Since they had lighted candles on their trees when she grew up in Sweden, she put the candles on the cookie trees as well.  These became our traditional Christmas cookies.  Grandma is long gone, but she lives on in many ways. 

I do not think that Grandma knew about Tupperware rolling pins and rolling surfaces.  I also think she might have missed the Parchment paper thing.  But, she taught me how to make cornicopias out of typing paper.  Fold the paper in half, swirl it around in the shape of a funnel and put the frosting made of confectioners sugar inside.  She also said that flouring the surface made the cookies tough, so I should put confectioners sugar on the surface instead.  They came out perfectly today!!

Evan's potholder for his mommy or Christmas love

Evan came to visit today.  With his five year old best artistry,  he drew this Santa for a potholder for his mommy for a Christmas surprise.  He then chose the border and backing fabric.  While he played Legos with Granddaddy, I made it into a potholder.  Then, Evan instructed me where to put the hanger and he and Granddaddy snipped the threads.   I think that it is Christmas love.

We used Marvvy fabric markers...I think that I got them from Hobby Lobby.

Sandy, Queen instructor of water aerobics

Just a little potluck bowl cover for Sandy, our wonderful instructor of water aerobics.  See tut here:

http://allysonhill.typepad.com/photos/eco_lid/dsc_0088.html#tp

Some Wonderunder and a bit of freemotion quilting made her the card below.  One present made and delivered!  Merry Christmas, Sandy!

Potholder heaven

These two cotton potholders I got at an antique show for a dollar each and I really love them.  The crochet one was made by Grandma about 70 years ago.  She was from Sweden, blue and yellow are the colors of the Swedish flag.

Vintage potholders on my kitchen wall

The cat in this drawing on the potholder is walking a mouse..with a sign that says...I love mice...My girl has always been creative!!

Trying to be more normal by showing my vintage red potholder collection on my kitchen wall.  Center is the potholder with a drawing of a cat, done by my daughter, Emily at age 5...she is almost 28, choke..now...so guess that one is vintage too:)

Family personality??

Thanksgiving did me in....but I am now myself again...thus my newest post.  I know that you all have family members with personality???  Maybe eccentric??  Highly intelligent??  A bit obsessive??  Anyway, I have just finished below, the Christmas present for my 58 year old brother and his wife.  They have lived in a no-pet apartment for seven years.....with 18 undetected cats...Oh...I can hardly print it....and, the worst thing/ or best thing???-----Is that they just rescued a pregnant mother and now have 4 more...total 22, and I am not good in math!!!...So do I condone it??  Did they ask me??   I have decided that, since  it is all out of my control,  I will just try to make them happy.  One year I made 18 small stockings for all their cats with the names on them.  They just loved that present..and really, if truth be known, it took nothing out of me...So now, I have just made the four newest arrivals their stockings...Sigh.  Now, really, I wonder who is going to comment that they come from a normal family...come on,....let me hear it!  Merry Christmas to my dear brother and his dear wife!!!  xxoo  I love you just the way you are:)

New Casserole Cover tutorial

http://2littlehooligans.blogspot.com/2010/10/casserole-carrier-tutorial.html

Thank you 2 little hooligans...looks good...