A Fun and Crafty Activity

Here's a non-sewing activity that the whole family can enjoy, and you can still have your hands in the fabric. Seasonal stars made with folds of fabric are just the ticket for some group fun.

I first saw these Scandinavian Stars while browsing through Pinterest several months ago. I liked the idea and thought others would, too. I cut a bunch of fabrics and took them to our August quilt retreat at Needles n Pines. We gathered around the dining table and made our stars, yet I have no pictures. It was night time; dark for quality pics.

When Frienzies rolled around in October, Susan had a fun Halloween activity for us (we like activities, don't we, Pam?). Immediately, I knew Scandinavian Stars would be our activity for November. 

Briefly, the October activity was making this jack-o-lantern out of a canning jar decorated with torn bits orange tissue paper and black construction paper. We Mod-Podged the paper onto the jar. Once dried, just pop in a battery-powered tea candle. Voila! There you have a really easy, re-usable pumpkin!

Now, back to the Scandinavian Stars. We had Frienzies at Sherrie's house, so I arranged with her to bring the supplies for making stars. She fixed up a little ironing station in her kitchen, and we sat around the dining table folding and making our stars.

Sherrie's pretty table ready for our luncheon. She is one of several Frienzies who have Fiesta dinnerware - always a festive table! After our meal, we cleared everything away for crafting.

Pam and Sherrie getting started.

Susan has a finish!

Two stars made.

The Frienzies showing off our stars.

Now, Frienzie Pam took this activity one step further. She prepared enough fabric for 10 stars and took it to her family's Thanksgiving Dinner. Late on Thanksgiving Day, she sent me some messages telling me how her family loved the activity - it was a BIG HIT!

Four generations of Pam's family are represented around this table showing off their completed stars. Love it! The youngest of the participants is Emma seated in the front right; she took to it straight away and ended up making two stars! Yay, Emma! Just goes to show you that this is an activity for any age. Pam says her Aunt Sandy is 80 and her niece Emma is 12. Fun for the whole family!

Pam's daughter Carly requested a Thanksgiving activity every year. I can see why, too. When you can have a project and still maintain conversations, then you have a winner! The Scandinavian Star is definitely a winner.

I have now made 8 stars. The first 4, as you can see, have jute hangers sewn on. These are the ones I made back in August at the quilt retreat. The remaining 4 await their hangers. Two are Christmas and two use 4 fabrics rather than 2. I think they would all look good on a tree or wreath. The fabric does not have to be matchy-matchy.  Great for scrap-busting!

If you are interested in making some stars for your Christmas decorating, the best way to learn how is to watch some YouTube videos. I found several that were helpful. The one I returned to repeatedly was this one by Erica Arndt, quite user friendly and short. 

I will link up with Kathy and her Slow Sunday Stitching party. Let me know if you try these stars! I sorta' feel like they could become addictive.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Quilts At Becky's House

You all know that I have a wonderful little sewing/quilting group which meets every other Friday, as I have shared many of our activities and their creations over the years. 

Today you are in for a treat, because our last hostess was Becky who is absolutely masterful when it comes to achieving a "look" - her style is very traditional using reproduction fabrics. A winning combination, as you shall see.

Pretty little wall hanging.

It's likely a safe assumption that we all incorporate quilts into our home decor, and Becky is no exception. I love to see her pretty creations as well as how she displays them. The basket quilt with faded pink background fabric is even prettier in person.

Mini quilt on a corner cabinet.

Table topper and cross stitch pretties on the hutch.

These touches of the craft we all love so much provide lots of character in Becky's decor, and they all definitely reflect her skillful color choices and pattern play.

Here's a finish Becky shared with us that morning. She worked on stitching binding while we visited. This is a Jo Morton pattern called Lancaster. Becky says she bought this as a kit; my best guess as to when - based on the release of the fabric - is 2020.

So there's a little glimpse into my friend Becky's style. I sure love seeing all the gorgeous creations she comes up with. All the girls, for that matter. I feed off their creativity!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

From my quilting room to yours, I hope you have a most wonderful Thanksgiving. 

My quilting room has become dusty this week. (Dustier than normal!) Instead of sewing, I've been in full-throttle hostess prepping mode. Around 30 of my family will be here for turkey and all the trimmings at noon today. 

The big platter awaiting the 18-lb. bird!

A very old table topper.

Fortunately, everyone brings a dish, so all I have prepared is the turkey, both mashed and sweet potatoes, gravy, and rolls. Probably the bigger task is making space for all of us. I have 4 tables up in 4 different rooms. Cleaning and clearing away all our day-to-day clutter has consumed quite a bit of my time this week.

Let me tell you about the exceedingly enjoyable day we set aside for making noodles. My mother has absolutely perfected homemade noodle making, and my sister Sandy and I figure it's high time we learn this skill. Armed with rolling pins and a lot of eggs, butter, and flour, Sandy, my daughter Erin, and I gathered around Sandy's kitchen with Mom. In no time at all, we had 4 batches mixed, rolled out, cut, and spread out on waxed paper. Flour everywhere!! But they look really good!

And you know if daughter Erin was involved, then grand baby Cate toddled around in the midst of all the activity. What a treat. Four generations of noodle-makers! 

Special times with family are what the holidays are all about. And we don't necessarily need THE precise holiday - any day can be a special occasion when dear loved ones spend time together. Can you tell this great grandma is totally smitten with her youngest great-grandchild?

Enjoy those feasts whenever and wherever you have them. I am surely counting my many blessings this Thanksgiving!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Small Stuff

 I've been in a bit of down time, lately, as my lack of posting here would indicate. I did plan to have several quilts quilted, and loaded Floral Explosion onto the longarm many days ago.

I made one pass across the quilt and had three thread breakages. wahhh! I believe the tension needs adjusting, and I just have refused to go back to make things right. My mindset isn't right, at the moment. Soon, I will be ready to face it. I hope!

Sharon came on Tuesday of last week, and I did accomplish one project that had been on my radar - a new pillow panel for the center of our bed. I wanted one that would pair nicely with the fall-winter look of Dusty Trails.

 Just to see what you think, here's a quick reminder of the quilt.

I also have pulled fabric for regular pillow cases to use with this quilt and the pillow above. I think they will all work nicely, and as I complete things, I will be sure to share here.

I really haven't been very focused on sewing and quilting lately. Consequently, that also means that blogging has suffered. I do take these spells of inactivity (moreso lately, it seems), but hopefully I will be back in productivity mode before too long.

Over the weekend, we had a special little guest to fill our every waking moment. Yes, Cate had her first solo overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's. We were in heaven. It was work, though, and we appreciate that raising kids is for the younger set!

Have you been more productive than I have? I read several blogs and follow several IG accounts. There are some fantastic quilts being made - just not by me, at the moment!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Parade of Friends' Quilts

Over the last month or more, I have accumulated several pictures of quilts made by quilting friends. It seems a good time to share some of those with readers. Prepare for a little quilt parade!

Basket Quilt made by Terry.

Monkey Wrench quilt by Becky.

 

Red and White Sampler made by Becky.

I cannot stress enough how valuable these friends are to me. Besides being wonderful human beings, they provide endless encouragement and inspiration. Our shared love of quilting may have brought us together, but true friendships have grown through getting to know them more closely. 

Now, one quilting friend goes back much, much further than the others. Sharon and I taught English at CHS for 30 years, and formed quite a strong friendship even before becoming quilting enthusiasts. The love of quilting has served to strengthen that friendship and to keep us close in retirement. Here are two recent makes from her - not totally finished just yet, but you'll still get a "feel" for them.

Scrappy 9-Patch made by Sharon.

 Not wanting to waste a single bit of 3 Sisters fabrics and other similar prints, Sharon began piecing these 9-patch blocks and setting them with Kona Snow. It is a fabulous way to use up scraps and they look so perfect when scattered about in happy little 9-patches. Sharon has a show-stopping border to go on this quilt, and you can be sure it will be shared here in due time.

Christmas Trees and Stars made by Sharon.

Remember earlier this fall (or late summer) when Sharon and I were both making Alpine? Well, Sharon wasn't done making trees as you can see above. She combined dark green trees with Christmas-y red and green stars and then used some holiday yardage to create this strippy quilt. Her plan is to add shiny buttons at the top of each tree and then use this as a wall hanging. Totally eye-catching in her holiday decor!

There you have it, friends. A tiny quilt parade for your viewing pleasure. Can you see why I never run out of inspiration? These sweet friends boost me in so many ways.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Helen's Pink Quilt

About the same time Hettie asked me to quilt her new grandson's baby quilt, Helen asked me to quilt a small quilt, too. I'd had such good success with quilting some of my own quilts, I had no qualms at all at quilting for these two friends.

Well, my machine gave me all manner of fits while doing Hettie's baby quilt. In the link above, I shared some of my frustrations and how I totally fixed the problems all by myself! It gave me hope that I would have complete success with Helen's quilt.

And I got along great. It quilted up like a breeze! Gives me a little confidence boost, for sure! 

I believe Helen had purchased a quilt kit for this pink beauty. It wasn't too large - maybe a nice lap size. I used two bobbins, if that can be any sort of reference.

The center element is a heart-shaped design. Looking at it from the other end helps to see it better.

To get a real good look at the entire quilt, I like to spread it out on the bed. I left all the trimming to Helen. There would be a good bit of backing fabric available for binding, if Helen intends to go that route.

I am still reluctant to take on quilting for others, but for close friends who understand I am still very much a rookie. I suppose I am willing to take that leap of faith that they will be gentle and kind with me. I need so much more practice, and believe me, I HAVE the quilt tops ready to go for plenty of practice!

I actually spent yesterday making the backings for THREE quilts, and they will be going 1-2-3 onto the longarm this week.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Slow Stitching- Lake Effect, Again

A right, fair mess exists in the Lake Effect tub. I doubt that any one place in my quilting room is in as great a tangle as this project bin.

Yes, I've taken up working on Lake Effect again. Perhaps in the coming days I will make some real and readily apparent progress?!

Way back in May, I laid all these parts out to assess my next step: attaching the appliqued border onto the hexie section. I fiddled and scooted and rearranged the panels to get the best result. I know my efforts have strayed drastically from the original pattern, but it still looks pretty good to me, so I am moving ahead with this.

I am now hand stitching the border to the central section. It is not taking long at all, and I find myself wondering why I don't just stick with this thing and get it finished.Why, indeed?

Most of the hexies still have the cardboard templates in place, but sewing has not been hindered by that. My thinking was that the shape would remain truer with the papers in. After I finish connecting the borders, I will go to the back and remove the papers.

Some problem solving will be required when I get to the corners of each panel. The instructions were very clear about leaving the outer ends of each panel 'unsewn' yet I see that I am going to have to rework all the corners. Theoretically, those vines swoop in an effortless meander around the corners, gracefully sprouting out leaves and berries along the way. The jury is out my creating this same look.

For now, I am content to stitch to within a few inches of each corner, then move on to making whatever applique corrections necessary. I might even have to remove a few elements, and I do have the fabrics for replacement parts if it comes to that.

My 2023 goal for this quilt, Lake Effect, is to have the entire quilt top connected into one piece. It still seems like an attainable goal, so with several audio books queued up, I plan to do a whole lotta' hand stitching in the coming days.

I will link up with Kathy and her Slow Stitching party today. I love seeing the variety of projects these folks are creating.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Buckaroo Baby Quilt

A few months ago, several members of our quilting group (The Frankfort Girls) were on a clearing out and giving away sort of mood. Completely unplanned and independent of each other, several went through closets, drawers, and/or storage tubs and came away with a few things they knew they no longer wanted or needed. I was a lucky in this paring down phase as I nabbed a layer cake of Sasparilla which Terry was relinquishing. Seems as though I almost immediately knew I needed yet another baby quilt, and this would be perfect.

I have now made 3 baby quilts using this same design from layer cakes. And it doesn't get much more basic than this - from a 10" square (layer cake size) cut 1-5.5" square, 2-2.5"x5.5" rectangles, and 2-9.5"x2.5" rectangles. That leaves only a bitty piece as waste - 1"x5.5" for the trash. 

I cut this quilt out on Sunday, and had it all stitched up on Monday. A full layer cake will make a quilt 6 blocks by 7 blocks. The blocks will be 9.5" square, and thus the quilt should measure 57"x66.5".

The first quilt I made like this has been gifted to baby Henry L. I made the quilt kit in January for stitching while we were in Florida. That worked out so well. When I learned of these 2 upcoming births - both in January - I knew exactly what I would make. One is for my nephew and his wife who will welcome baby #2, a little girl. 

I don't seem to be able to find a post on my nephew's quilt; maybe I was holding off until I quilted it. Anyway, here's a picture of the blocks. I do have the top sewn together, and most likely, it will be on the longarm this week.

This third quilt, Buckaroo, is for daughter Emma's long-time friend Laura and her hubby. They will become first-time parents.

I am attempting to find suitable backing fabrics for these two quilts from my existing stash. I have every hope that I can come up with something.

Happy Quilting, Friends!