A quilt for a friend

I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday.  After hearing that one of his friends was having a tough time, my son and I decided it would be fun to work together to make her a quilt. We pulled several fabrics from my stash and these are the blocks we came up with. They still need some arranging but we are well on the way.  The picture isn't very good cause I am trying to post using my new tablet (a great Christmas gift if I could figure out how to use it).

Missing in action!

 The craziness of the season caused a minor quilting scare late last week.  I had a few extra minutes and thought I would do a little applique on this block for my quilt based on Chinese embroideries.  I had forgotten to bring my silk applique threads home with me after my son's surgery, so when he arrived here for the holidays I was itching to stitch.  Horror of horrors, the quilt block was nowhere to be found!  I spent much of a day looking in all my bins of fabric (and trust me there is a lot of it) and even resorted to calling my SIL who had been here in late Oct. to see if she had scooped it up by mistake.  I was pretty distraught cause I didn't think I had enough of the fabric used in the flower to fussy cut the petals again.  But as often happens, another idea of where to look came to me in my sleep and I woke up ready to look again.  Sure enough I found it folded inside some backing fabric that I had been auditioning recently. It was a relief to find it but I think sometimes I am going crazy, misplacing stuff even though I try to stay organized.

I finished the block today and am so happy that I found it cause I love the way the lotus turned out.  Only one more block before I need to figure out borders.  I love the Christmas projects but it is nice to get back to other projects.

Christmas presents

This week my little sewing group had our Christmas get together and we exchanged gifts. I made these little owl pincushions and matching needlecases.  It was so much fun putting the fabric together and making these that I may have to make one for myself.

And here are the lovely things I received. A wonderful handmade ornament (looking forward to the tutorial for this one), a personalized pot holder is not only quilted but embroidered too and a cute little snowman plate. Thanks ladies for these treats and especially your friendship.

The final snowmen and more hand quilting

As I was stashing away some Christmas gifts today I realized that I had snowmen quilty things in yet another room.  This little pillow was made many years ago for my youngest son's bedroom. I believe the snowman pattern came from a Thimbleberries Christmas book.  Now he has a perfect winter home in our tiny guest room.

 And here is the quilt on the bed in the same room.  This is about the only bedroom that always has a quilt on the bed, which I change often.  Sorry you can't really see the quilt, I'll have to get a better picture. :)

 Snowman Country is quilted, embellished and bound and now hanging in the guest room awaiting the arrival of the youngest son.  I wonder if he will remember making those snowmen on the bed when he was in elementary school.  They were projects we made during Christmas craft day in 2nd and 3rd grade.  One year we made the pillows, the next the little beanie baby to match.  I cut and sewed all the fleece snowmen and had the kids stuff and sew the opening closed.  I also cut all the noses and black circles and scarves and they then just had to glue on the faces and buttons and tie on the scarf.  I did this for 3 classes, so about 60 kids.  Hard to believe now but I really miss those days!!!

I know I've shown this one before but I can't resist showing it once again.  I love hand quilting this during the holidays, not a Christmas quilt but it says Christmas to me.  I'm starting to move around the edges but still a long way to go.  Maybe a finish by next year!

Two more for Christmas

This weekend I whipped up this little snowman wallhanging for my powder room.  I have something a little more elegant planned for this room but since there is not enough time to get that finished for this year I decided to go with something a little more whimsical.  The needleturned Snowman design is adapted from a block from "Snowbound" which was Bunnyhill's 2010 BOM.  I pieced the little red and white checked border cause I didn't have a red and white stripe fabric and love how it turned out. I went with very little quilting, partly to let the fabric speak for itself and mostly cause I was lazy and just wanted it finished fast! Looking at it in this picture it almost looks like a panel, oh dear is that a good or a bad thing?

And here is one that I forgot about when I was taking pictures around my house. I made this a few years ago and can't find the pattern.  It is fused and then buttonhole stitched by hand and again not much quilting.

A Quilter's Home at Christmas

 I've so enjoyed seeing everyone's Christmas decor that I thought I would give you a little tour of my home decorated with quilts this Christmas.  This one on the couch is made from leftover scraps from the Christmas quilt over the fireplace, as is the pillow.  But the quilt really lives on the ottoman shown below as a cover from the crazy Yorkshire terrier who bosses us around and who loves to scratch and destroy stuff.

 I've shown this one before but now the mantel is complete.

 Here is our little woodland display on the top of the entertainment unit.  I always have quilts folded on the shelf but I think I need to make a red and white quilt to add here.

And here is the view into the dining room. It isn't a Christmas quilt there but the colors work and the stripes sorta read Christmas candy cane to me.

See that Christmas tree quilt on the back of the chair. It is one of my very early quilts, probably around 1987 and one of my first machine quilting projects.  And next to it in the basket is the red and green Whig Rose that I am currently hand quilting.  I love how these old and new projects work together.

 This is in my kitchen. Again not a Christmas quilt but I did make it to use at Christmas time.  It is called Ruby Red Dots and the book is still available.  But on the chair a tiny Christmas pillow from the late 80's.  Back then I also made lots of Santas and there is one on the table that is made with fabric that was stiffened and then painted.

Here is a 4 ft. stuffed Santa made sometime in the early 90s.

 And a couple more.  I made the one with the little teddy bear when I was living in England in 1986. He is probably the first one I made and I made a different Santa every year for several years.

 I didn't make this one, he is a little fellow from my husband's childhood and my husband's uncle made the sleigh.  I haven't really seen all this stuff for a few years because life got in the way of our normal Christmas celebrations. I am enjoying the memories that all these things bring back.

   Oh and this wouldn't be a tour of a quilter's home at Christmas without seeing what most quilter's really see this time of year.

The mess of the season!

Happy Stitching