Stockings are hung...

Yes, I have been busy readying for Santa to visit. Unlike sooo many of you, I am sure.

We have lots of pretty gifties around the tree and I need to wrap only the gifts for my husband's sister and her husband. They will be joining us for our traditional Christmas Morning Margaritas & Monster Movies. (We have no little ones, so we get to celebrate however we want!)

(These are the stockings we put up this year- the Snowman: the one I received this year from Swap; Blue Santa Pants: my original stocking from my childhood; the Gingerbread: from last year's swap; Red with Star: my darling husband's stocking. Plus some cute things and candles.)

Anyway, what with all the last minute projects to complete, things to mail, work to finish up, there has been no time to create new Gifties, photo them, write a How To and Post! Yes, whine, whine, whine.

So I decided to post a couple pictures of my tree and my mantle, since I am seeing so many on other blogs.

(Our tree is a little 4 foot fake tree that goes up in about 20 minutes and tears down even faster. When we moved into our home, we realized this little cutout between the living room and dining room is EXACTLY they right size.

So we can never move. This is just too easy.)

What does your tree look like?

Put a link to your pictures in the comments, so we can all see!

Tiny Trees

I seem to be awfully taken with little stuffed things. I have even used an old quilt revenant, made it into a pillow, turned it, stuffed it and shoved it into a cardboard-box-cave for my cat-monster-Louis to sleep in! When he tires of the sofa, of course.




But when I spotted these delightful little trees on Natalie's Chicken Blog, I decided I absolutely MUST make some. (Go see what other wonderful things she has posted. Really a great Blog-find.) She was kind enough to email me a link to the tutorial she found hers on, Thanks!

These would be wonderful along your mantle, maybe interspersed with those Wowls and some garland or lights. (I recently googled my name, and to my never ending shame and horror, I discovered I use the word "cute" in almost every comment I leave behind. I fear I make squeaky happy noises when I discover these things too.) I can easily imagine their use throughout the gray winter months, simply by changing the accompaniment for each holiday.


The trees are quite simple to construct, especially if you use a felted material, or other that won't fray too terribly. And they lend themselves to any sort of decorative embellishment you might choose. In fact, these are the perfect project for rummaging through your buttons and beads, depending on the effect. And a whole forest could support almost any style you wish to try.(I have also noticed a new tendency to overuse the exclamation point. Even two or three at a time. In a SINGLE paragraph.)

So, Let us make some delightfully whimsical soft sculpture trees:

The tree is made up of 2 parts:
Cone and base.

Simply use a string and a pencil to draw a circle on some fabric and cut out.
You then cut this circle into either 2 or 3 sections, and you will have fabric for the two or three cones.
Depending on how thick your decorative bits are, you may wish to embellish the fabric at this point, instead of waiting for the tree to be sewn together and stuffed.
For the base, take the same string and measure the bottom edge of the section, which was the outside edge of the circle. That is the measurement of the base you need to cut- the string makes a handy circle to trace around.

To Sew:
I find it easiest to to sew from the top of the tree (right sides together) about 1/3 down, leave a 1/3 gap, then sew the bottom 1/3 together.
Then join the base and the tree (right sides together again).
This leaves a gap mid-tree to turn your project and stuff it.
Then use an invisible stitch to close.
Voila!


This is a project for Thrifty Gift Chat, hosted at QuiltChat, a wonderful community of quilty folk from around the globe. Come check us out and say hi!

Stocking Swapped!

The Chatter-ers of Quiltchat.com just did our annual secret santa stocking swap, and I got this great haul from a friend in Texas!

Thank you so much to my secret Santa. I received a really top-quality LARGE stocking (shown here hanging on my mantle) with a big old snowman and shiny things. And she actually managed to put ALL the little fun things inside!

She filled it with lots & lots of good back up supplies: quilter's T-pins (really appreciated!!!), thimble, measuring tape, plus some Dressmaker's chalk pencils in different colors- I needed those!

Of course some nice fabric, some cute Santa tissues, a CD of Christmas classics, a handful of Candy Canes, a really cute tealight holder and a funny little ornament.

Thank you txstitches!

I think the first thing I will use, after eating a Candy Cane of course... is the Dressmaker's chalk- I have this chalkboard fabric I have been itching to play with :)

Reversible Tote, with pockets

I love all the fun, new, retro fabrics out and available right now.
They just make me smile!
So I decided to make a reversible tote using three of my favorite fabrics in my stash. (Yes, yes. I was supposed to be be working on a another project, and I shouldn't have started something new, yada yada yada. Get off my back- Sheesh!)


This is a bag you can make in an afternoon, and the directions below are for the simpler version, with some pointers for making the little special bits that I chose.

You will need at least 2 complimentary, contrasting fabrics.


Straps & Pockets:
As you may notice in the photos, I chose to use a third fabric that was complimentary to both my tote fabrics.



For the Straps, I cut 2 pieces approximately 4 inches by 40.
Working with one strap at a time, turn right sides together lengthwise and seam the raw edge so you have a tube.
Turn the tube right side out, and press.
Repeat with second strap.


For pockets, cut pieces approximately 5 inches by 5 inches, and turn the edges under twice, stitching down for stability.

Tote Body:
Work with each fabric and do exactly these same steps for both.


Cut fabric 26 inches by 16 inches
Fold right sides together and sew a seam along both sides, leaving the top open (opposite the fold/bottom). You may choose to sew off each corner at a 45 degree angle, to give a 'bottom' to the tote. Just make sure you
Turn top, raw edge under 3/8 inch and sew seam all the way around.
(You would now add the pocket, by simply sewing it into place where you want it. Be careful to sew pretty! Everyone will see this stitching.)


Now you join the bags:


Turn one of the bag layers Right Sides out.
Place the other bag layer inside the first and match the top edges, pinning every couple inches.
Place the strap ends between the two layers and pin in place. (I measured 3 1/2 inches from the sides.)
Stitch both layers together, all the way around, making sure you keep the fabric evenly fed. (The extra pinning will help keep it even. An even feed foot may help too.)
Sew a second line of stiching slightly inside from your original line.
You may also choose to add more stitching to the bottoms of each bag handle.



And there you have a darling, reversible tote!
Now you just have to fill it with something. Maybe you need to go Fabric Shopping!



This is another project for Thrifty Gift Maker hour, a live online chat held at #QuiltChat I host. All quilty-crafty types are welcome to join in the fun! Gift Maker Chat is on Sundays @ 7 pm & Mondays @ 10 am EST, but there are usually folks in around the clock, as we have friends from around the globe.

Quilty Ornaments

Are you looking for a way to add your quilty-ness to your Christmassy decor?
Howsabout an ornament!

Even if you don't want to cover your family tree with them, maybe that philodendron in your sewing room could use some holiday cheer! Or maybe you just need a something to hang from the curtain rods.

Whatever your needs- ornaments will fill them!

Look here at Auntbekky's blog for quick How-To!
Have Fun!

This is another project for Thrifty Gift Maker hour, a live online chat held at #QuiltChat I host. All quilty-crafty types are welcome to join in the fun! Gift Maker Chat is on Sundays @ 7 pm & Mondays @ 10 am EST, but there are usually folks in around the clock, as we have friends from around the globe.

Finger Pincushion

This is a fun-with-a-gluegun project!

What you will need

Glue Gun

Thread

Needle

Bottle cap

3 inch length of elastic

Trim- ribbon, lace, ricrac, etc

Two scraps of fabric, about 4 inches across

Stuffing for pillows or teddy bears

This will take you about 5 minutes to make and is a bit of a fun distraction. In fact, I made about 20 the day I decided to try it out. I ran out of bottle caps and beer lids or I would have kept making them.

The following are the step-by-step direction, but you can also go here to see a photo How-To.

Step 1: Start by covering the outside of the Bottle Cap with one of the Fabrics, using a bit of Glue just inside the bottom of the Cap to secure it.

Step 2: Anchor one end of the Elastic inside the Bottle Cap, then the other end, after measuring your finger to make sure it is a snug enough fit.

Step 3: Thread your Needle and baste the edge of the second Fabric. I prefer a circle of fabric for this as it makes a nice shape for the Cushion.

Step 4: Place the Stuffing into the wrong side of the fabric and draw the thread to make a littel pouf. You may need to add more stuffing to get your Cushion full, but then just anchor your stitches to keep it all together.

Step 5: Glue the bottom of the Cushion into the base of the Bottle Cap .

Step 6: A bit of Trim glued to the area where Cushion and Cap meet really finishes it off.

And a cute gift for any crafty-sewist friends!

This is another project for Thrifty Gift Maker hour, a live online chat held at #QuiltChat I host. All quilty-crafty types are welcome to join in the fun! Gift Maker Chat is on Sundays @ 7 pm & Mondays @ 10 am EST, but there are usually folks in around the clock, as we have friends from around the globe.

Charity Quilt Update

So... I sewed and I sewed,
and I unsewed and I unsewed.
And I got to wondering Why do the simple things always have to be unsewed???
LOL
I did get the majority of the top finished- all the rows are pieced. Now it just needs borders! (And quilting and binding.)
So my finish date Goal is December 1.
Just in time for the Charity Auction. Nothing like cutting it close!
Thanks to my friends at the sew-in for their encouragements and ideas.

UPDATE:

The commitee doing all the work for the Charity Auction met this morning and they felt having this quilt available for a members-only auction was a wasted opportunity. As parents and grandparents all, they all agreed that they would personally love the opportunity to bid on something like this.

So they talked and brainstormed for about an hour, and now this quilt will be auctioned off in March, at the Awards luncheon for next year's Poster Contest winners!

We will have time to invite the teachers and parents and administrators to come and help us raise some good money for a charity. And maybe this will become an annual item.

So a bit of a reprieve...

But I still think I will try to keep to my timeline of December 1. Because then we can use pictures of the finished quilt to generate interest long beforehand. :)

Bucket Bag Tote

Sometimes you just need to make yourself a gift. So how about a tote?

Maudie from #QuiltChat shared this really great bag she made. She found it while blogsurfing, and low and behold, the blog is owned by Chatter-friend from years past!
Andrea's blog is full of wonderful things. She is one of those fantastic over-achiever types that seems to piece a new top every time I look her up. (She really has some fun projects, so I hope you take some time to dig around a bit.)

Here are the directions that Andrea has posted for us:

Bucket Bag Tutorial, Part 1

Bucket Bag Tutorial, Part 2

Bucket Bag Tutorial, Part 3

Breaking the How-To up into bite sized pieces is a nice touch. Thanks Andrea!

And Thank you to Maudie for showing us this could be done.


This is another project for Thrifty Gift Maker hour, a live online chat held at #QuiltChat- all are welcome to join in the fun! I host Gift Maker Chat on Sundays @ 7 pm & Mondays @ 10 am Eastern US Time, but there are usually folks in around the clock if you want to chat at other times.

Another start- this one on a deadline

This is a fun project I have been putting off for a while. It is actually the winning posters from the Third Grade Poster Contest (something my local Association of REALTORS does each year.) We transferred the winning posters to fabric, and now I am making a quilt that will be auctioned off at our annual Charity Auction- whoever wins the silent auction bid on the item chooses where the money will go!
But I have been putting it off for a while... well... because of life and stuff LOL
I think I will switch around the posters so the attached essays (the contest theme is What My Home Means To Me) is on the outside. Maybe. But I am definitely using up the nine-patches I got from a batiks nine-patch swap.
I think I will just add white sashing strips between everything so it all stands out, including the blocks. Or maybe just equal sized white squares.
The light purple nine-patches will surround all the posters, and wander throughout the other, brighter nine-patches, just acting as a unifying force.

What do you think?

I think it will be eye catching for even non-quilters who will be voting on it.
Oh yes, I have to have it fully completed by December 7th LOL

Stockings!

It is Stocking Swap time again!

Everywhere you look, you can't help but read about guilds and groups and bloggers across the world doing their annual Stocking Swaps.

Autbekky, a fellow #QuiltChatter, has created a tutorial to help you make a stocking that you will be proud to send for any swap.

Just click here to visit her blog, Quilts and Such for the tutorial.
Note: Auntbekky shows a stocking made of fat quarters- but you could also make a very lively one made of crazy pieced fabrics. Of sparkly fabrics, of course!

And I just want to say Thank You to Auntbekky- she has agreed to help me in making the tutorials and projects for Thrifty Gift Maker chat, so that we don't have weeks of no projects. It is a HUGE help to me, as I wasn't able to do it alone. Thank you!

This whole Stocking thing is such a lot of fun. It doesn't seem to matter about your religion or beliefs as the fun of gift giving is pretty transcendent. And there are lots of stockings you can go out and purchase that are just as cute as possible.
But where is the fun in that???
Make one!

Here are some stockings I received in Swaps. So much fun! And each one so different. Yes, that smaller one is made of Potato Fabric, sent from Idaho. :)

What have you made or received in a Stocking Swap?

I had great success making a non-stocking: a Diva Bag worked much better for one swappee, as she doesn't celebrate the Christmas tree & stocking thing.
I made a jester boot stocking with bells on- I crazy pieced the fabric.
One year I made a red velvety cowboy boot stocking with crystals.
Oh- I received a Santa Bag made of sparkly burlap- that is a great bag!

It would be great to see links to other tutorials or projects that you all have come across.
Thanks for sharing!

This is another project for Thrifty Gift Maker hour, a live online chat held at #QuiltChat- all are welcome to join in the fun! I host Gift Maker Chat on Sundays @ 7 pm & Mondays @ 10 am Eastern US Time, but there are usually folks in around the clock if you want to chat at other times.

Gift from my Grandmother

I was just visiting Anne Heidi's blog, Piece By Piece, where she shared pictures of a stunning sewing organizer that she was recently gifted. It was made by her Grandfather while learning his craft of Carpentry. It is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. (go look!)

Her post caused me to reflect back on a gift I was fortunate to receive: a quilt top from my grandmother. She hand-pieced this king sized Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt some time ago, in anticipation of sharing it with her grand-daughter. I was so touched when she gave it to me. And a little intimidated, I don't mind sharing. I feel I should really hand-quilt it, so I will wait until I am better at that particular skill.

I am very lucky to live so near to my Grandmother, and that I can ask her about the quilt. I will have to make sure to ask the story of our quilt. And I think I will take it to Guild for Showing-off-&-Tell!

This is a close-up of one of the blocks- Minnie Mouse!

What I should be finishing

I keep pulling out this project, then something else comes up LOL

I love these fabric. They just make the best Big Blocks and are gorgeous in the simplest settings.

I cut this out a while ago and as I was setting them into the wider sashings, I discovered I cut some of the larger blocks an inch wide. Yes, I feel smart. So of course, it went into a pile without being completed.

So I hope by posting the pics here, it will be a prod to help me get going on it! After I do some minor adjusting of course.

(I am making it for me.) (Mine, mine, mine, la, la, la.)

Random distraction

So... I have some minor distractions in my life...

Including a cute little doglet and playing with Photoshop to make doglet even cuter!

Not really quilt related... except she is my company while I sew.

Unless I am being REALLY boring and she decides to go chew on something.

Rotary Cutter Case

Going to retreats and sew-ins, I see a lot of different ways other quilters carry their tools. One of my favorites was a little case to carry a rotary cutter in.

This one has enough space to keep your cutter plus a spare pack of blades, and you can change the closure on the pattern to something else, if you like.

---> Directions & Downloads

Please let me know if you find directions for any other types of cases out on the web- I was only able to find a few!

This is another project for Thrifty Gift Maker hour, a live online chat held at #QuiltChat- all are welcome to join in the fun! (I have lost track a bit, lost count of the time LOL)I host Gift Maker Chat on Sundays @ 7 pm & Mondays @ 10 am EST, but there are usually folks in around the clock.

Wee Wonderful Elf!

This is a fun time of year to peruse the Web and see the fun projects that others are making. Just surf around and look at your favorite Design sites, sewing machine manufacturer sites and places like http://www.craftster.org/ and you will see so many great ideas!

This cute little Elf (see the pattern here) in redwork is from the Wee Wonderfuls blog of Hillary Lang, who always has something fun and cute in the works!

The design set is a girl-elf and boy-elf and her pattern shows these bits of stitchery on a pair of stockings. I may just follow suit with mine! Or it could be a cute bib, or maybe a little wall hanging, or christmas ornament, or...

Have you never done redwork? Have no fear!

This little elf-girl is my first attempt and it only took me about 90 minutes.

Redwork is a good introduction to hand embroidery and this pattern is a great start, and won't take you long at all.

If you would like more specific information about redwork, look here. And here is a good primer on the basic stitches you should know. (But basically, you just trace the pattern onto a fabric and use a needle and floss and sew it on!)

Happy Gift Making!

This is another project for Thrifty Gift Maker hour, a live online chat held at #QuiltChat- all are welcome to join in the fun! (I have lost track a bit, lost count of the time LOL)I host Gift Maker Chat on Sundays @ 7 pm & Mondays @ 10 am EST, but there are usually folks in around the clock.

Gift Cornucopia

Here is a charming little cornet, perfect for filling with candies or potpourri. Depending on your choice of colors, this could be used throughout the year. It would be quite pretty hanging from a Christmas tree, or alongside some stockings.

I found the idea at Yvonnes- a great site full of all sort of patterns to download. Click on the Free Patterns link and I am sure you will enjoy all she is sharing with the world.

Click here for the paper-piecing pattern. It might print light, so be sure to trace over the lines to keep track of where you are.

There are no instructions that go with the pattern, but it is pretty simple to figure out:

1. Piece the different parts of the Heart motif
2. Put those 3 larger pieces together to make the horn shape
3. It is basically done.

I chose to add some batting and a liner fabric, it helps it keep its shape better while hanging. And don't forget to add a string or ribbon to hang it with.

Another idea: Make the basic cornet design, then add appliques or lace or beads or other fun things. A whole set of these would be a very pretty gift.

This is another project for Thrifty Gift Maker hour, a live online chat held at #QuiltChat- all are welcome to join in the fun! (I have lost track a bit, lost count of the time LOL)I host Gift Maker Chat on Sundays @ 7 pm & Mondays @ 10 am EST, but there are usually folks in around the clock.

Not Having to Choose- Priceless

And a bit funny too.

I just noticed how well my Laptop and little Janome Platinum fit together on my sewing cabinet. LOL
Now... where to put the wine glass...

No Waste Gift Bags

I really do not like giftwrap which gets thrown out. So I, like many of you, reuse every gift bag I receive, along with the tissue paper.

But sometimes the paper gets mucked up, or you need something that can be shipped without spilling all from the inside. So I make little drawstring bags, envelopes and other packets to wrap my gifts in.

This week's Thrifty Gift is a selection of drawstring bags.

The simplest is just a folded piece of fabric with a small channel along the top edge for a drawstring, something like this perhaps.

Another is a circular fabric with holes for lacing a string through, as shown here.



There are a number of variations to this idea available on the internet, including this one for an Apple Bag, a free design by the Leisure Arts company.

More complex patterns include reversible drawstring bags, cone shaped, animal shaped, zippered, compartmentalized- just about anything you can imagine. If I find anything special, I will be sure to post it. But please post any links you find in the Comments section here and I will try my hand at them.

This is the Week 14 (or 15) Project for Thrifty Gift Maker hour, a live online chat held at #QuiltChat- all are welcome to join in the fun! (I have lost track a bit, lost count of the time LOL)I host Gift Maker Chat on Sundays @ 7 pm & Mondays @ 10 am EST, but there are usually folks in around the clock.

Fabric Fortune Cookies

Everyone loves to crack into a fortune cookie.

And a cookie made of fabric would be really cute. How about as ornaments on a tree. Maybe a tiny tree, covered in just these as a table topper that no one would realize was a gift for each person attending a party?

What you need to start

* Two fabrics in at least 5 inch squares

* Fusible interfacing

* Fabric glue (something that dries quick is the important bit)

* Fabric stiffener (I like spray starch)

* Fortunes on slips of paper

* Chopsticks or pencils

Start by writing out your Fortunes on slips of paper less than 3 inches long. (Of course, you can always fold the paper if longer.)

Need help writing the fortunes? Try this online Fortune Generator. (Or try this one for funnier results.)

Then it is pretty simple-

fuse the fabrics back-to-back, cut out the circles, fold and stick in the fortune, add a dab of glue, shape and starch, allow to dry and Voila!

Olfa (the cutting mat & ruler maker) has great instructions here.

An alternate way to shape the cookies:
Fold the circles into thirds, the fold lengthwise and tack together at the center of the legs.

Do you want a really cute way to pack these?

How about a take-out box! You can even make one with all the things you have on hand. And here is a pattern that is a perfect size for one cookie apiece, or enlarge it and use it for multiples.

And if you want to try your hand at making some real Fortune Cookies, they are fast & easy to whip up.

Just don't overcook them.

Try this recipe.

This is Week 13 or 14 Project for Thrifty Gift Maker hour, a live online chat held at #QuiltChat- all are welcome to join in the fun! (I have lost track a bit, lost count of the time LOL)
I host Gift Maker Chat on Sundays @ 7 pm & Mondays @ 10 am EST, but there are usually folks in around the clock.

Recovering from Retreat

Ohhh- Home at Last!

Retreat is one of those vacations that you need a rest from after it is done. A bit of manual labor really. (So why isn't it better exercise??)

Retreat started last Friday, and it was such a blast! I am so glad to have met such wonderful friends who have welcomed me into their circle and invited me back to join them at such a gorgeous location.

We had a great time at Camp Luther, which is located on Lake Hatzic, east of Vancouver BC. Below is the view west, from the deck just off the workspace we all played in.

My space- not nearly as organized and tidy as "some". The 25 retreat-ors were set up on these great tables and we had a nice couple of pressing centers and a large cutting out/ laying out area for all to use.

Here is my bed- and I did get to sleep under my quilt top- I added the binding the first night of Retreat. As you can imagine, the 'beds' were super comfy, and there were two per room, plus a full bed. (The trick to getting any sleep on the bunk is to steal the mattress off the top bunk.) (And wearing earplugs.)(And to go to bed really, really tired.)

This is a quilt top which I finished while there- it started as a great little Mystery Quilt trio. But I couldn't leave well enough alone and combined and changed and combined a bit. It is shown here draped over my loom.

These are some mini quilts I started, and almost completed- they were 1 1/4 inch squares when cut from the scrap bin.

And... some Stash Enhancing. I couldn't resist. It was a Quilt weekend, right???

And I have already paid my deposit for next year!

I should start counting down the days...

Casserole Carrier & Insulator

Fall & Winter are the perfect time to think about inviting friends & family for a nice homecooked meal, full of fresh baked pies and things covered in gravy.

Yummmm.

Don't forget your sister-in-law's famous bean casserole!
But isn't it annoying how she brings it half cold, because it takes her 45 minutes to drive to your house? And then the kids drop it on your new white carpet!

Alack & Alas!
What to DO? How can you bring back the joy? How can you help?

Make her a Casserole Carrier that Insulates!

Directions are Here.
Pattern is Here.

It can also double as a Fabulous couture hat, for the more festive outings- especially if you leave the edges raw, like the kids like.

This is Week 12 Project for Thrifty Gift Maker hour, a live online chat held at #QuiltChat- all are welcome to join in the fun!

I host Gift Maker Chat on Sundays @ 7 pm & Mondays @ 10 am EST, but there are usually folks in around the clock.

Soft Journal

This Soft Journal, which I found at the Marcus Fabrics website, would make a very thoughtful handmade gift for someone who enjoys sketching or drawing, and with a bit of adaptation it would even work as an hand-embroidery practice book.

You will need some fusible interfacing and light colored fabrics to make the pages, and I chose to use some orphan blocks and muslin to make the cover. This is a fast gift to make, an incredibly versatile. It can be as complex as you choose. And just about any size and dimension too!

Here are the directions.

(The Marcus Fabrics site has additional direction available for more complex journals, as well as dozens of other projects and quilt patterns.)

This is the project for Week 11 of Thrifty Gift Maker chat hour, at #QuiltChat, hosted by myself on Sunday @ 7 pm & Monday @ 10 am EST. All are welcome to join the chat.

An orphan's fate

I found a bin of orphans.

I am not proud of it. But there it was, in the back corner of my closet.

A box. And in the box, separately in plastic ziploc bags, in grocery totes, crammed together and layered dozens deep...

Half embroidered blocks, half a project completed, patterns with the pieces cut but never assembled, threads everywhere, things missing instructions.

A history of my sewing this last decade.

I can’t believe I left these half done LOL

I think they have been there since I moved here 4 years ago.

So here is my shame- exposed for the whole world to see.

One entire grocery sack was filled with unmade bocks from shop-hop 2006. I will admit that I am not sure where the unmade blocks for the 2007 hop are, now that I am being honest.

I seem to have an aversion to completing embroidery. The mole that was layered and basted together and cut, but then left. The Sunbonnet Sures, that need just a tiny bit more.

I think I can blame some of this on my old sewing machine. It was horrible. It would simply stop working for no reason.

It was a learning experience.

Also, two starts on small Lone Stars-
the blue is in diamonds, the other an early try at strip piecing perhaps?




A number of projects to be sewn by hand. And a bag of scraps from a top that must be stashed elsewhere, because I know I haven't quilted it yet.

It brought me back to the days before I understood how foundation paper piecing actually works- note the raccoon. I will have to assemble those pieces. I remember the frustration well.

I love to design, and have here a triptych of winter scenes, a Puss In Boots, a rose wreath, a basket missing its flowers and those Seasonal Sunbonnet Sues needing just a bit more stitching.

I do think I will try to finish these.

Because I know I have more to discover in the deep recesses somewhere. Because they reminded me of other half-finished blocks. Things not yet glimpsed.

Tops that are layered and basted but not quilted.

Guilt in cotton.