Five Shadows

Grand daughter loved her little bunny family with the babies in the pockets of Mama bunny’s skirt.

I tell you, turning those skinny arms & legs on Mama and Papa was a real chore. And then the bow tie beat me, so I improvised and made a bandana for Papa instead of the bow tie.

We celebrated Christmas with our adult children on Christmas Eve by attending church with my son’s family. In the evening we all gathered at my daughter’s home and exchanged gifts. We spent Christmas day at my son’s home. When hubs and I arrived our grand daughter had all her dollies lined up in her bed room on the new quilt I had made for her and the bunny family was included among the dollies. It was so nice to see her playing with them.

The quilt for grand baby number 2 was all pieced before hubs and I left on our trip. We came home after Christmas to a house at 32ºF/0ºC! The furnace was not working! I just could not sew in a house that cold, so once the furnace was repaired, grocery shopping done, laundry from our trip caught up, I had just 3 days to sandwich, quilt, & bind the Forest Fellows quilt top to reach the second part of my OMG for December.

Quilt top pieced.

And quilted and bound. I’m so pleased that I will have this quilt ready to present to my grand baby when we get that call that he has arrived!

I’m linking to One Monthly Goal. Be sure to go visit and see what all the other quilters have completed this busy month of December!

Hubs and I are on a little trip to celebrate our 40th anniversary!

My, but those 40 years have flown by!

In a few days, we will head to our daughter’s home for Christmas.

She and her husband have decided to be vegan after a year or so of being vegetarian, so food will be a bit different than what was our ‘family tradition’ while my kiddos were growing up. My daughter told me she would not be serving my traditional meal of potato cheese soup with sausage biscuits for Christmas Eve. I told her that was fine with me, they need to come up with their own traditions! That meal was what I came up with when the kiddos were young and I wanted a quick meal to prepare and get us all ready to head out to our Christmas Eve service at church.

We have entered a new stage in our lives, having our adult children host our family Christmas gathering! Last year our son and his wife hosted our Christmas gathering. It was lovely, so much fun having a little grand daughter in the picture. I’m looking forward to seeing what traditions each of our adult children add to their lives in their own homes and those married with their own young families.

Do you have any particular-to-you Holiday Traditions? Are any changing with the passage of years?

May you have a Blessed Christmas!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!

Our trees are all but bare here in the Midwest. So maybe this table topper will add some Autumn color for Thanksgiving Day. This is not a new quilt, but one of my favorites.

Looking over my to-do quilting list from last week, I think I obviously made up the wrong list! But, thankfully, I did get a few new things moving along!

First, a dear friend’s birthday is Wednesday. I saw a cute little quilt on Marie’s Quilts that included quilt piecing around a cross stitched design. I started with the butterfly scene stitched by my Mom.

Last year, sadly, my mother became a permanent resident of the dementia unit at the retirement home where my parents have lived for the past 10+ years. We are thankful for the good care she is receiving and that Dad can visit her everyday. Sis and I helped Dad with some cleaning out and downsizing. I brought home some of my mother’s cross stitching & needle work. When I saw Maria’s post of how she put together her needle work and quilting, I knew that was what I wanted to do with some of my mother’s pieces. Please follow the link above to see Maria’s gorgeous Home Sweet Home quilt!

I’ll be gifting this to my friend who loves pinks, purples, and butterflies. Since the butterfly needle work did not have pink or purple, I added appliqué flowers in a range of pinks. I made and added a 3-D butterfly, and appliquéd some orange butterflies in keeping with the needle work. I hope it all works together. Quilted, but still needs a binding.

Close up of 3-D butterfly.

Next, not on my to-do list, is a table runner for my Daughter-in-law. She & fam will be visiting for Thanksgiving and staying through the weekend. Friday is her birthday. Making a table runner as a birthday gift was added to the list! She had asked if I would make a runner for to protect her cedar chest that is placed at the end of their bed. Grand daughter, 2 years old, climbs up on the chest to then climb up on the bed.

Leftover blocks came in handy for this runner. Pieced and basted, and quilting started today. I’m thankful I have one more day to work on it before they arrive from out of town!

I wish you many thankful days and many blessings for you and yours!

How did I do on last week’s To-Do List?

1. Continue with stitching petal units for the Chic Country quilt top. ✗
2. New commission – 5 polo shirts to be made into pillows. ✔️ Pillows completed and ready to be delivered.
3. Squeeze in some quilting on the queen size quilt. ✗

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Quilt, bind and gift table runner.
2. Bind butterfly quilt to gift next Thursday
3. Enjoy Thanksgiving with family & friends!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

Sunday, May 14th was Mother’s Day here in the USA. During our annual Mother’s Day walk at a State park we came across these beauties! Lady’s Slippers!

I had a lovely Mother’s Day with family. We had a few who sadly could not join us this year. I hope you had a lovely Mother’s Day too!

On to quilting!

Last week I challenged myself to use the Westalee Sew Steady Clam Shell quilting ruler. For me, there was a bit of getting comfortable holding the ruler in place while moving the quilt under the machine needle. I had a few jiggles where I didn’t stay snug up against the ruler, but all in all I’m pleased with the results. No ripping out, I kept the mistakes in the quilting.

Simply Elegant is the name of the pattern for this table runner.

Made with a 2 1/2″ strip pack, Tonga Treats, from Timeless Treasures.

The clam shell design shows up better on the back.

As I was quilting the clam shells, I got to thinking that it might be fun to go back and do some quilting inside some of the shells. Above is simple straight lines.

This fill I’m calling petals.

Pebbles or circles with smaller circle inside.  I used a variegated King Tut by Superior Thread, color 921. Love it!

About three quarters of the way through quilting designs in the shells, I had a bobbin problem. I cleaned it up and went on my merry way. I didn’t realize I now had another problem until I finished the quilting and turned the quilt over! The tension got worse with each new fill design! But, I must say, I kind of like the look of the above mess! I’m leaving it! It’s on the back, the quilt is for my own use, and it will be a good example of what not to do in a future quilting class! I used Superior Thread, The Bottom Line, in Taupe in the bobbin.

If you are interested in seeing more fills in quilt designs, take a look at Esther’s designs over at I Patch and Quilt. I just discovered her blog this past week! She has a series going on right now on FMQ samples. So much fun!

How has your quilting week been? I’m having fun with my weekly goals this month of quilting up one small table topper per week!

How did I do on last week’s To-Do List?

1. Practice crocheting stitch – next step for Fusion Blanket.  ✔️ But not anything I want to show yet!
2. Quilt Simply Elegant Table Runner using a Clam Shell design. ✔️Clam Shell, and some fillers, and even got the binding on!
3. Waiting for FMQ step for The In Box Jaunt Quilt-Along. ✔️ Next step was posted today.
4. Sit Down Free Motion Quilters May BOM pattern is up and ready. Time to piece another block. ✗ Printed pattern, but have not worked on the block yet.

This week’s To-Do List:

1. Complete next step in the In Box Jaunt Quilt-Along.
2. Sew up May block for the Sit Down Free Motion Quilters BOM.
3. Quilt Dresden Plate table runner as part 3 of my OMG.

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter Weekend. We enjoyed having our out-of-town children visiting including our grand-daughter. And of course those who live in-town too!

Quilting! I’m loving how the Sew All Around quilt turned out! And I’m not a pink person. But for some reason, I do like this combination of blues and pinks.

I like how the dark pink and blue binding frames the quilt.

Digging into my stash, I found this piece for the back that is perfect color wise for the quilt top.

I did go ahead and put a sleeve of sorts on the back for hanging the quilt. I put triangles in the top two corners and a tab in the center.

 

I’m using a yard stick cut to size and placed in triangles and tab to support the quilt for hanging. Using a yard stick for hanging a quilt is a trick I learned from my first quilting teacher 20 some years ago. She liked a yard stick for two reasons, they are basically flat so quilts hang nicely against the wall, and also they are inexpensive from the local hardware store.

Silly me, I should have used 2 tabs instead of just one in the center of the back! I didn’t leave a space for just one nail for hanging! I might be slitting a little hole in that tab for the nail to be centered in the back of the quilt. (Yesterday was not my best day, had a stomach bug all day, and it must have affected my brain as well. sigh)

Here is a close up of the Signature variegated thread I used for the quilting.

Do you have a favorite way to hang small wall quilts? Please share!

Last Thursday, at my Curvy Quilters sewing day, I got the hexies all sewn together into a quilt top.

I’m pondering if I should add borders. I’m also wishing I could find more of the Moda Honeycomb “From Outside In” precuts or even fabric, to make 3 more rows for a twin size quilt. But this is an older line, and I’m not finding it for sale as I search on line. I used three packs of Honeycomb precuts for ~54″ square quilt top.

How did I do on last week’s To-Do List?

1. Continue Sew All Around BOM, binding is next, I’m not sure if I will put a sleeve on it for hanging. ✔️ Binding and sleeve on!
2. Continue Fusion Blanket. ✗
3. Hexie quilt top – hope to finish piecing top this Thursday at my quilting group day. ✔️ Top pieced. Add borders or not?
4. Enjoy Easter with family. ✔️ We had a wonderful time with family and perfect weather too.

This week’s To-Do List:

1. Get back to blanket stitching Fusion Blanket squares.
2. Need to work on OMG for April – charity quilts!
3. Sit Down Free Motion Quilters April BOM pattern is up and ready. Paper Piecing this month.
4. Hexie quilt – borders or not? Figure out a plan for the quilt.

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

Birthdays and Family!

In the photo above, 1 celebrated a January birthday, 2 celebrate February birthdays, 4 celebrate March birthdays. One is the odd ball out with a November birthday. My youngest daughter, missing from the photo, celebrates a March birthday! Plus 2 more missing with an April birthday and a June birthday. On March 4th we did a family celebration for all the February & March birthdays at one time. The 4th was my husband’s birthday (sitting holding up our grand daughter.) It was so nice to have 2 of our out-of-town adult children and their spouse/family come visit for the weekend of celebrations.

Hand stitching!

I’ve seen this color wheel pop up a few times over the past several years on various blogs. A class for it and other embroidery are offered by Rebecca Ringquist on Creativebug. I found I could buy the sampler from her Dropcloth Samplers Etsy shop. So I took the plunge and bought it as a Birthday present to me! I’ve been wanting to learn embroidery, and thought this sampler might be just the way to ‘wet my feet’. I had several 12 weight threads on hand from Aurifil and Superior Threads, but as you can see I need just a few more to complete the color wheel. I do have to wonder about my sanity! With all the piecing, quilting, binding of quilts I have planned, why am I taking on another project!?

How about you? Are you adding a new craft/skill to your list this year?

Last week’s To-Do Tuesday List, how did I do?

1. Continue working on 2 charity quilts. ✔️ I’ve have quilted a few stars, pictures when complete.
2. Continue FMQ sampler. ✔️ Top quilted and ready to bind!
3. Set up time to meet with my friend making pillow cases. ✔️ She stitched 14 pillow cases, and I cut fabrics for 13 more!
4. My husband’s Spring Break (college professor) starts this Friday and runs thru March 12th. I don’t think I’ll be getting much done in the sewing room. I’ll be happily spending the week with him!

This week’s To-Do Tuesday List:

1. Bind FMQ sampler.
2. Continue working o 2 charity quilts.
3. Sewing day this Thursday with Curvy Quilters.
4. Enjoy Hubs being home!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

We enjoyed our time with family & friends over the weekend. And do hope you did too! We started with a Christmas Eve service and then early Christmas Day traveled 2 hours to our son’s home. Staying over night, we continued our celebrations the next day.

My son and his wife hosted our gathering this year.

Spending time with them and our grand daughter was precious!

Family gathering, but sadly missing two who didn’t join us this year.

Our Grand daughter learned how to turn on the train under the tree and she crawled under there often to keep it running!

I did finish my last quilted gift on time to give to my son’s in laws! It was so nice to get to visit with them too for a couple of days.

I like how the red piping turned out and nicely frames the pillow.

How did I do on last week’s To-Do Tuesday List?

1. Finish a pillow to gift Christmas morning. Should be doable because I found an orphan Wreath block to use for the pillow top! ✔️
2. Grocery shopping for Christmas day eats. ✔️ Shopped and baked and enjoyed Christmas Eve and Day.
3. Enjoy Christmas Eve with church family, and Christmas day with family! ✔️

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. I found the flannel for the pjs! Now to make them!
2. Slip cover for the sofa. This is going to be a challenge. I bought the fabric 2 years ago and have put off making the cover since then. With all the Christmas gifts completed and gifted, I really want to conquer this slip cover before starting another quilt!
3. Plan out my sewing projects for the New Year!

How about you? Are you planning out what projects you want to create this coming year? Are you challenging yourself in any new ways? Next week I’ll share my plans.

Happy New Year!

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

My family who gathered with my husband and I had a wonderful time together this past Thanksgiving Day and weekend! I hope you did as well. We filled our  time by visiting, laughing, playing games, taking a walk at a nature preserve, eating!, enjoying a 2 year old’s antics, and even a little bit of Small Business Saturday shopping. Plus we fit in a Birthday Celebration! My daughter in law turned 31 Thanksgiving day!

On to quilting!

I’ve made just a little bit of progress on the appliqués for Timeless Tradition.  Leaves and stems cut and fused in place. Next up is blanket stitching around them. Then there are flowers to add.

This Honor Flight t-shirt quilt was delivered today! What a wonderful organization that honors and celebrates veterans and their service to our country.  I like how it turned out. Longarm quilted by Simply Sue. She did an all over design called Stars and Stripes.

I have two projects I’d like to have completed in time to ship for Christmas. The Timeless Tradition quilt and also a pair of pj bottoms. How about you? Do you have any Christmas or holiday sewing to finish? Eck! December is just 2 days away!

How did I do on last week’s To-Do Tuesday List?

1. Cooking! ✔️ Youngest daughter and I cooked up our Traditional Thanksgiving dishes Wednesday afternoon. Thursday morning I popped the turkey in the oven.
2. Enjoying family and friends! ✔️ We had such a wonderful time with family and friends. Good food, good people, fun games and nice walk.
3. Continue working on appliqué for Timeless Tradition quilt. ✔️ I didn’t get as much accomplished as I hoped, but hey! it was Thanksgiving week!

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Finish appliqué and outer borders for the Timeless Tradition quilt.
2. Sew November Machine Quilting Block Party pattern.
3. Purchase December’s Machine Quilting Block Party pattern.
4. I promised to make flannel pj bottoms for a young friend. I’ve misplaced the fabric! Got to find it!

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

Last week, while being sidetracked from my to-do list, I made up a spreadsheet of the quilt tops I’ve completed over the past year. Some were WIP, Works in Progress from previous years. Some were new quilts, and others are from One Block Wonders BOM, Block of the Month, I joined for this year. I’m pleased to say, I got the tops all measured, batting all cut, and even some have backs and binding ready! The large tops I placed on hangers and they are neatly stored in my sewing room closet.

While organizing the tops, I came across the cute May Blossoms table runner I made back in the Spring while participating in the One Block Wonders BOM. I allowed myself to be sidetracked once again to finish the table runner instead of sandwiching and quilting the Christmas Tree Skirt, which is what I should have been completing.

When I set aside the May Blossoms table runner, the top was pieced and appliqué fused in place.

This past week, I blanket stitched the appliqué, sandwiched, and started the quilting.

Shucks, its not done, but well on the way.

If you are interested, Sandy of Upstairs Hobby Room has 8 of the 12 One Block Wonders patterns listed on Craftsy. She plans on posting all 12 patterns soon. For the BOM, Sandy provided instructions for one pieced block each month. Then we used the block design anyway we wanted. For May I added stems, leaves, and buds to make the table runner. I pieced 3 blocks for each end of the runner to be form a flower.  Sandy is now has expanding the instructions to make full size quilts, available on Craftsy.

At my Thursday Curvy Quilters sewing day, I worked on piecing star points on to pieced and appliquéd blocks for the Timeless Tradition BOM.

Oh, and I selected, prep, cut appliqué pieces and fused the pieces in place for 4 blocks before going to Thursday’s sewing.

I’m using all fabrics – so far – from my stash for the Timeless Tradition quilt and I’m liking how it is turning out. Using from my stash was just a little challenge I decided to try. So far so good!

This weekend we have out-of-town family coming for a visit. That means I need to do a little sprucing up of guest rooms. I’m looking forward to spending time with them!

One of the quilting Facebook groups I follow posted this today: Quilting makes me feel ______. How would you fill in that blank? I’m feeling accomplished right about now!

How did I do on last week’s To-Do Tuesday List?

1. Piecing star points on BOM Timeless Tradition blocks. ✔️
2. Select, prep, cut appliqué pieces for 4 blocks of Timeless Traditions BOM. ✔️
3. Sandwich and quilt Christmas tree skirt. ✗
4. Purchase November’s Machine Quilting Block Party pattern. ✔️

To-Do List Tuesday for this week:

1. Sandwich and quilt Christmas tree skirt!
2. Finish quilting May Blossoms table runner.
3. Continue piecing Timeless Tradition quilt top.
4. Enjoy family visiting this weekend.

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

We traveled east to attend two events this past weekend.

First up was my parents 65 Wedding Anniversary.

We had a luncheon with as many family members as could attend.

What is a celebration without cake?

What a family! First row: my husband John & me, my siblings and their spouses, my folks Larry and Marie in the middle. Their great grand kids on our laps. Behind us are our adult children, nephew, nieces, their spouses, more great grand children!

Next up was a wedding on my husband’s side of the family!

Keith Schutt and his daughter Rosie.

Almost Mr. & Mrs. Travis Jarrett, saying their vows! Such a lovely wedding and reception!

It was a packed full weekend, and it was great visiting with both sides of our family even tho it was such a quick trip!

And let’s not forget quilting! The longarm quilter called me Thursday morning saying the Bargello quilt was finished! I met her to pick up the quilt, got home, squared it up, got the binding on, then Hubby, daughter and I got in the car for the 10 hour drive to PA! Phew! I was so happy to be able to take the Bargello along with me to present to my sister!

My sister and her husband (in the center) holding up their quilt! They love it! That’s me on the right side of photo and my hubs on the left side.

Close up of Honu (turtles) and quilting to represent the water currents in the ocean.

Close up of outrigger and waves.

My sister wanted this little fish print in the bargello. She could not tell from the photo I emailed her that I did incorporate them into the quilt. She was so tickled to see them in the quilt!

Fun Quilt Facts:

• Bargello center is ~ 80″ square
• Quilt is 106″ square
• Fabrics from Quilt Passions Quilt Shop Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and Edwards Sewing Center Fort Wayne, IN.
• Patterns used: Paddler’s Heritage & Someone to Watch Over You, both by Barbara Bieraugel Designs, and enlarged 150%
• Quilted by Paula Rueille
• Bound using the Flat Felled method

I’m so super pleased with how the Bargello turned out. And I’m overwhelmed with all the kind remarks received on my BIL’s post on FB. I think this is going to be my favorite quilt for some time!

Which of your quilts is your favorite?

How did I do on last week’s Tuesday To-Do List?

1. I’m hoping the long arm quilter calls to say the Bargello quilt is ready to pick up! If so BIND! ✔️ CHECK! Bound and delivered!
2. Two big events are happening this weekend. My parents 65 wedding anniversary and my niece’s wedding! I won’t be getting any sewing done this weekend! ✔️ Celebrations attended and enjoyed by all!

Tuesday To-Do List for this week:

1. New baby quilt to make, prep & piecing this week.
2. Mark and quilt Leah Day’s Machine Quilting Block Party, block # 9.

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.