Gratitude

Have I mentioned how grateful I am for family??

...And that my son's arm is long enough so we didn't need a "selfie stick".  Ha!

Hope you have enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday  :)

Pillowcases

My daughter wanted to make some pillowcases for Christmas gifts for friends while she was here this weekend.  So I dug out my old pattern from a few years back and she went to work.

I love it when my girls want to sew!!

She picked out cute fabric and did a fantastic job.

They turned out great!!

Hmmm.... I wonder what she'll make next??

Norman Rockwell Exhibit

While in Provo recently we visited the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the Museum of Art on BYU's campus.  It was SO amazing - I highly recommend it to all Norman Rockwell fans.  What an amazing artist and how fun it was to learn more about his life, his family, his art, his beliefs and his inspirations.  I am a fan and have been for a very long time.  For more information on this exhibit and to reserve tickets (which are free), see the website below:


 http://rockwell.byu.edu

Here is a picture of a Norman Rockwell cross-stitch I made for my husband several years ago.  It still hangs in our office!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I painted these little guys about 30 years ago!
I did not become a tole painter, but still enjoy pulling
these out every year!

"Creativity can engender a spirit of gratitude for life and for what the Lord has woven into your being. 

"Creativity gives a renewal, a spark of enthusiasm, a zest for life that we all need."

Elder Richard G. Scott

I love this quote!  I really believe that creativity, in whatever form we use it, brings a "spark of enthusiasm and a zest for life".  I am so thankful for that, and for my family whom I love very much!  I want to be supportive of all of their creative endeavors as they have been of mine.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with your loved ones.

Quilt Market Trends

I saw this video recently on what one shop owner says were the top three trends at quilt market.  I've seen these "adult coloring books" everywhere!  Personally I'd rather do the doodling, or Zentangling myself - rather than color what someone else has doodled - just my personal preference though.  They are obviously a big deal!  I did buy some of the gauze fabric and made two swaddle blankets and I really, really want to make a tuffet.... I think they're adorable....

Check out the video here:

http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=37292144

Cute Little Baby Feet

And Another One!

I finished another quilt made with Kim Diehl fabrics and the same fireside fabric on the back. This quilt is made from a pattern from one of Kim Diehl's books too. It was actually a table runner pattern that I just made twice as big.

Another One Done!

I finished up another Christmas gift! This is a lap quilt for my Mom.  I love the Kim Diehl fabrics - they're just so pretty.

I used Fireside fabric on the back because it's soft and cozy, and quilted an all-over design in the center and a feather border.  It's pretty snuggly!

Have a wonderful day!!

Why Quilts?

I read an interesting article about why quilts and blankets are placed on the Tabernacle Benches during a recording session for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  If you're interested you can read about it here!  Quilts come in handy for all kinds of things!

http://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/articles/why-are-quilts-used-in-recording-tabernacle.html?cid=social_20151117_55373156&adbid=10154606784703868&adbpl=fb&adbpr=19919948867

A Very Wooly Christmas Gift

I got all of the wool blocks done and this Christmas gift is all set to give away!

To finish the blocks, I put the backing fabric and the wool piece right sides together, stitched around leaving a small opening to turn, then turned right side out, pressed and top stitched.  I didn't want any extra stitching interfering with the cute rick rack looking border on the "frame" piece.

Then I had to figure out how to make it easy to change the blocks out each month.  I knew I wanted to use velcro but I didn't want the stitching of that to show either.  I found some iron on velcro that worked really well!  It seems very "stuck" like it will do the job well!

One Christmas present done - many to go....

I'm Still Here!

I'm still on the planet!  I've just been enjoying a visit from this little cutie the last few days!  SOOOO much fun :)

My son-in-law even got in on the "seam ripping of quilting stitches" action!  How did I ever get so lucky to get this guy in the family?

The quilting is almost all picked out and will soon be ready to re-quilt.  Lesson learned - if you're not feeling great about how the quilting is looking, quit sooner rather than later and try something new.  This has been a LOT of unpicking.....

True Love

It must be true love if your hubby helps you pick out quilting stitches while watching football....  We still have a long way to go.

That being said, I am not a straight line quilter!  I'm free motion all the way - it was a mistake on my part to even attempt straight line quilting.

Live and Learn....

Finishing Up!

I got the last two wool blocks done for the wall hanging.  Now I'm working on finishing the edges and figuring out iron on velcro!

I quilted today with old thread that kept breaking.... That is enough to drive one crazy!

Mini Me

Our Little Bits Miniature Quilt group decided to exchange small fusibles of ourselves based on this Circle of Friends pattern by Karen Eckmeier.  It has been very fun to try and personalize them and make them uniquely "you".  I am always impressed with the creative talent in our group, but this has been especially fun.  I can hardly wait to see all of the finished products.

So far I've only received one, from Max. Max is a knitter/crocheter as well as a quilter and she likes to make scarves, hence the scarf on her "fabric self".

Here is my fabric self!  I finally finished them up this week!  I was trying to think of something to make mine unique and came up with the book bag because I LOVE books and I LOVE to read.  I also added the teeny tiny, and I mean TINY maroon buttons because I had them, so why not?  I'm not sure where else I will use them, but they sure are cute!

We are also to make a spool of thread and a fabric block.  I chose to make mine green because next to orange I really like lime green.  I was going to make my shirt orange but with my blue "jeans" I didn't want to look too much like a big Bronco fan, so I opted for the gold colored flowered print and I like it.
Notice the "thigh gap"??  Only in my dreams....  But hey, in fabric I can look any way I want!

Quilts of Valor - Thank a Veteran!

Thank a Veteran today!  We have much to be grateful for.  One of the items on my long list of quilting things I want to do is to make a quilt for the Quilts of Valor organization.  You can learn more about this inspiring program here:

https://vimeo.com/11905879


Here is another article with pictures showing some Veterans in Utah being honored and receiving Quilts of Valor quilts.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865640979/Utah-veterans-honored-with-quilts-as-part-of-nationwide-appreciation-initiative.html

To all Veterans I say Thank you for your service!!

Wool!

Here are some wool items shown at our Little Bits meeting last week.  This pin cushion made by June!









And Sherida is working on primitive style wool pillows for the holidays!

Nice :)

A 65 Year Old Wedding Cake Topper

Last week my miniature quilt group - the Little Bits - met to enjoy each others' company and work on our little "mini Me" people (more on those later!)  As always, we have some great show and tell items!

This bag was made and shown by Eleanor.  I love the bright colors and fun design!

Annie surprised us by showing the cake topper from her wedding 65 years ago! She and Al are still going strong!  They are traveling to California soon to attend a grandson's wedding and that is what prompted her to pull out the cake topper from her own wedding cake so long ago.  Someone made it for them evidently, because the little bride is dressed in fabric from Annie's wedding dress!

Our wedding cake topper was blown glass - very beautiful.  I used to display it on a bookcase we had and alas, one of my kids broke it, so it is long gone.  We have pictures though!

Kathy shared these two quilt tops that she has ready to quilt.  Interestingly she uses no batting, just a top and a backing.  She likes them very light weight, but she does "quilt" or stitch them together. It was pointed out though that they technically cannot be called a quilt because by definition a quilt has three layers.  So I guess they would be called a blanket, or coverlet....

You learn something new everyday :)

Another Wool Block

Pictured here is my wool block for September.  These will finish at eight inches.  I am just about ready to square them up and get this project finished and wrapped up for Christmas!

I have actually started Christmas shopping too!  My plan is to keep it simpler this year and hopefully get what I need before the stores get too crazy - then stay away from them!  No impulse buying!

No Sewing Today

I did not get into my sewing room today, in fact I had to go to a board meeting for work.  Instead of the usual board room though, we had it on the Kessler Canyon ranch in DeBeque.  We saw a lot of deer on the way and on the way back, and at the property.  It was very beautiful and a really pretty day.
We passed this Cowboy Chapel on the way.  I had to get a picture for my daughter #1 who wants to marry a cowboy.  I'll have to tell her I found her wedding chapel!

Saw these horses off in the distance as we were approaching the property.  They look pretty real, but they're not....

I would have loved to go kayaking!  This was our view as we were having the board meeting.

A lot of interesting decor including these rustic chairs and this Indian blanket.

Nice day with my hubby!