Back in the sewing room...

Re-organization from Christmas madness. Installed new cutting board my daughter got me to the cutting table..

These a a few of the left over woolly mice I made for my new work family...stored in a boc with an air hole so they can breathe...per my granddaughter.

And then as I said I am behind on my BOM...Like most, if available, I am doing this one in two colorways--both to support my LQS, and because I love batiks, but not everyone does, so to have variety for sale or gifting..

This is the first set of blocks (block 1 of this BOM)  .these are made using the no-waste flying geese method--it is very nice for ease of matching and conservation of fabric. There are many diagrams on many sites and you-tube videos available. Try it- you'll like it!

Block 2--is actually a set of two blocks, I got one block of each colorway done--the other is cut...

Yes the flip n iron board is warped--it is not a spring chicken and has provided many years of service!

No, I do not have my main machine back yet :-(

Looking forward to the new year, once BOM's are caught up and a few late Christmas presents finished it is on to the
Coxcomb for the Judy Niemeyer-Quiltworks contest.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas

and will have a Happy and Prosperous New Year! Count your blessings..I count mine often- It does make the life journey much more pleasant-for you and others.

I have been crazy busy. Started a new job-GREAT thing

My main sewing/embroidery machine is till in the shop--BAD thing. It is only four years old and I am NOT  happy with it being out of service for a month before Christmas. But it is what it is.

Thankfully I have a back up sewing machine(well--OK, -more than one)  and a great friend Tina who offered up her embroidery machine!

I start the year with some backlog  of projects. I am not sure if there is ever NOT a backlog of projects, my project staging bins are always full; and 7 finished tops to be quilted after the one in the hoop is done. In the hoop is my the top my Grammy made, I have passed the half-way point.  Some of the tops may get machine quilted-they haven't decided yet--I let them decide. Yes--I am a bit crazy some think for letting fabric & projects talk to me...but I keep good company :-)

Oh, I do have 4 blocks of the month projects to catch up on, and a mystery quilt project...

And I got a new cutting board for Christmas. Somebody (it was the gremlins-that's the story and I am sticking to it-unless perhaps it was the house elf? ) forgot to put the iron pad down on the cutting board before pressing a a block of the month -and my daughter is very observant. :-)

Modern Mystery Quilt Done!

Soon to be on it's way to its new home. I love the way the quilting came out-very organic feeling:

And the 2 Winter Table/.Candle Mats are done and listed in the store:

It has been COLD, and SNOWY (yech-we need the water, but I prefer rain in the valley). It is a good excuse for hot chocolate :-)

I need to go work on Christmas Presents, and a few more items for the store.

How are you all coming with Christmas projects? 

So busy....loving the holidays and family...memories and such...

Trying to be ready for Christmas. Tree up, not totally decked out yet, but some of that needs to wait for granddaughter visit today :-) 37 years of history on the tree by the time we are done...it is a pretty awesome feeling!

Main machine still in the shop :-/ These are real close to getting bound

Of course at Christmas time their are secret projects that can't be disclosed.

But this is exciting..the Modern mystery quilt is almost done quilting--two hoop moves I think. It should be bound labeled, washed and on its way to its new home by the end of week, maybe the beginning of next week. I depends on what surprises life decides we need between now and then :-)

This might be the last set of needles needed (maybe-always a bit hard to tell) - I am currently running 8 needles through the hoop...

The white plastic :jar" is my string catcher.

The cats have decided to "OWN" the row by row quilt I made at Christmas last year:

Even Frosty the singing snowman was booted off..

Now back to that Modern Mystery Quilt..

Happy sewing, and Christmas enjoying. We are supposed to get snow tomorrow (3-5 inches-per the latest forecast) followed by some really COLD (not Chicago cold) forecast is for single digit temperatures.

The wall hanging is done

This is the best pic with my fur friends deciding they think this is their new nap quilt.

Below is a closer look--I was very happy with how the cornucopia turned out

Then I went into hat production mode, they are simple to make--and warm--yes they say we have a winter storm on the way..though the two white ones in this picture will be used mostly indoors for my granddaughter and I to play space ship--they will be space helmets to match the kerbals helmets--until I figure out the pattern for space helmets- It seems easy--but not so much.

That was Saturday. Then I cut 1.5" strips to start my octagon candle/table mats. went to sew and my Pfaff 2170 decided it did not want to sew. On turning it on the presser foot just started going up and down. Turned it off and back on (waiting an appropriate amount of time of course) Unplugged and re-plugged--re-cleaned--to no avail-so into the Sewing Machine Hospital she goes this morning, Pulled over the other machine and started sewing on the candle/table mats (after wasting considerable time) 

I do really machine quilt sometimes...

I have a note on my machine to remind me:

So the wall hanging is in place, hopping foot on:

And the slider is where???? Not under  :-(

So when it is all properly re-positioned:

Like my purple Grabbaroos?  Purple is of course my favorite color, but that is not why I use them (really)--I like them better than the others I have tried. And no, they do not leave color on white or light fabrics.

And this is what happens when your favorite (also might be my oldest) acrylic ruler loses a battle with a plastic bag :-/

Pictures of the wall hanging when its done, its still got a bit more quilting left to do, but stopped for a stretch break, and thread change on returning to the machine. Should finish up tomorrow. Granddaughter spending the night tonight :-)

And what have I been doing--more turkeys...

Two Turkeys in the Straw table runners in my online store, some mug rugs, getting ready to finish a Cornucopia wall hanging for me, in between life happenings.

Also still quilting (hand -quilting) the modern quilt-about to hit the half-way point-YEAH!

After the Cornucopia wall hanging is done, I have 3 hats to make, then on to Christmas presents, and Christmas mug rugs and table runners for the online store.

Also learning how this (with a few more steps):

Really makes no-waste flying geese :-)

But these from The Quilt Show were pretty neat too--Think they would make great for a kid blanket and for making Christmas Card holders, advent calendars and  whole host of other ideas kinda whirring in my mind -

that is how we quilter's roll-right??

Turkeys in the Straw....

Turkey Mug Rugs take lots of little pieces

and if you can't finish this project before nightfall, and you have a fur friend friendly sewing space, cat guards for little pieces are necessary-though I do think they would prefer some real turkey. 

Now my students know, there are very few rulers I like that are not multi-purpose, but I don't think cat guard was on the product labels for these rulers (Nifty Notions) -maybe an additional selling point? :-)

I think its a tie between Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas wrapping paper for them... this is definitely not the turkey they were dreaming of, but they are very cute! 

I also made this coffee time table runner and cut a few other things:

What have you been up to?

I am Happy!!

The Post Office--who I am not normally happy with--actually delivered a Birthday present to my Sis-in-Law in time for her BD. I didn't think it was possible--but they did it. She is Happy too. By her request, for the BD girls whose BD coincides with Halloween:

 I decided she needed one going in each direction :-)

And I finished this one up to get in the shop (It is one of my Easy 7):

And still hand quilting on this one 

Which is where I am off to--to put some more stitches in :-), well pretty soon--still a few more to-do's

Halloween hats almost done...

But I need one of my models (granddaughter) to try hers on before I line it, and I need to get this finished before i change the foot and needle back to work on fleece. Yes I have another machine--but it has a project in it too.

After I get it out of the machine, you can see the whole thing.

Before I started it  I got caught up on the BOM's I had....I technically have 2 from Sat--but they haven't arrived yet. I did not go to get them so I didn't share my cold with anyone ;-)











This is the one that wasn't done yet last time
















 These two are again the same block, different colorways

















The hats so far are below--Finn the Human and Princess Bubblegum to go with Jake the Dog. Those are bubble gums around the bottom of the crown.

Did another little project, but the recipient doesn't have it yet--so maybe you get to see it tomorrow :-)

And we didn't get much snow on the valley floor, what we did was melted by the rain. We are promised more rain today--we hope so -we need it!

Happy Sewing!

AQS Modern Mystery Quilt in the hoop

After trying several different threads, I am actually not using a King Tut variegated-what I settled on and like is a Mettler 100% cotton - gray. I tried yellow, tan, and a few others, but this seemed to just say me me me. This is the back (fur friends underneath)

This is the front with some fur friend help (they are still playing underneath). When I am not in the Living Room quilting on this I am in the sewing room working on some BOM's. I finished one and part of another yesterday











This is the one that is done

And then there was some chain stitching for some HST (I had already done the cutting) -I am doing the same BOM in two color ways -blue n white & brights

Then of course there is the other side to be done...

Then off to the Gypsy Cutter--I love my gypsy!

I also love my tucker trimmer for squaring them all up -and yes I do not cut 2 7/8", I cut 3 unless I am using another method. Due to the fabric for the BOM's being cut for this type of piecing with no real left over-we do them the old fashioned way.

And of course I keep the clips from the corners--these will go in the 1.5" bin.

The pile of HST's to be trimmed

And this is where I left it last night. Two more for this BOM (one each colorway of the next block-#6) and then Saturday I get 2 more blocks  (one of each colorway for a new BOM at my LQS Sewn-n-Such. One will be a Batik and the other Color Way is more traditional, kinda pastel-ish. Then Nov 2, the next two for the Blue n White & Brights.

Once I get the next two blocks done, I need to finish two more hats for the kiddos for Halloween-Finn The Human and the Bubblegum Princess, then two more blocks from Sat..then I'll decide what project needs done next.

I  am never at a loss for things to sew--how about you--how does your project list look?

Happy Sewing!