Monday, December 22, 2014

CASCADIA LINKY PARTY

Time to link my blog to Lori's where everyone is sharing their Cascadia doll quilts!  This was so much fun to make.  For one thing, I already had a bunch of 4-patches that I could use as well as strips and 1 1/2" squares of reproductions in a basket.


This picture shows the backing.


Right now, it is living on the back of this chair in our living room.


Go to Humble Quilts to see more!  Thanks, Lori!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

MORE CHRISTMAS SEWING

On my last visit to my 5 year old GD Abby, I gave her the following 2 outfits.  One for her 18" doll Lulu...

This isn't Lulu, it's my "model" for trying on clothes.  Her hair got cut off and she was sold at a garage sale.

and one for a boy doll.  The plaid fabric is something that I picked up at Good Will and the black was given to me by my oldest GD.


Abby has 4 dolls that she plays with a lot.  When I was there, I noticed that I had been favoring Lulu with the most clothes.  Probably because there are so many cute patterns for that size doll (18").  So I decided I needed to make some more for the smaller dolls, 14" and 15".

They also didn't have any underwear.  I bought some cotton knit somewhere and decided to try to make panties.  I have a pattern for an 18" doll that included them, so when I made them, I was happy with the result (on the left).  I didn't have a pattern for a smaller doll, so I just decreased the pattern in my printer and made a smaller pair that might (hopefully) fit a 14" or 15" doll,


Here's another outfit that I made for the 14" doll, Gracie.  Now 3 of the dolls have an outfit out of the same plaid fabric.



Today while out shopping I stopped at the Good Will store and saw some fat quarters.  There are 2 of each and they are Moda fabrics.  I paid $2.99 for 2 FQs of each (3 1/2 yards)!


I still have a couple more things to get done before Christmas not including baking cookies.  We're looking forward to our oldest GS getting back from college for the Christmas break!

Saturday, December 13, 2014

MOUSE COOKIES REVISITED

 Back in 2008 I made mouse cookies for the first time and blogged about them here.  Click on link which will lead to another link for the recipe.  I hadn't made them since then and now I know why.  They are not really fun to make!  They are kind of cute, though.

First roll into a ball with one pointy side.

Then roll in the crumbs.

It's really messy!

Add nose and eyes (Nerd candy), ears (almond slices) and tail (licorice).


Kind of cute!

I didn't get very many.



Attack mice!

Put in refrigerator to harden up.
I hope someone will like them!  This afternoon we go to see our DGD perform in the Nutcracker Suite, and tonight a friend's choir concert.  Enjoy the season!

Friday, December 12, 2014

SOME CHRISTMAS SEWING

Here's my design wall with some blocks from Bonnie Hunter's pattern, Bow-Dacious.  I have put the scraps away for now so I can work on some Christmas projects.  


Here is one of the blocks that I sewed together wrong.  I might leave it this way!


I just finished these "play" cookies for my 5 year old DGD, Abby.  I play "dolls" with her and last time we were there in November, she couldn't find any play food to feed the dolls.


This is my favorite one.  They are made from felted wool and beads.




Here's the cookie tin I got for her to keep the cookies in (hopefully).


They fit in the tin nicely,


This is the pattern that gave me the idea for them - but I'm sure you could make up your own and wouldn't really need a pattern.


We have some extended family that will be here for Christmas.  One is a nephew in the National Guard, so I made him a military pillowcase out of this fabric.


Another is a student at Oregon State, so he gets a pillowcase out of this fabric.


These pillowcases are finished.


There wasn't much military fabric available in town so I found some US Navy fabric on line - hope she has enough of it for me.

Yesterday I made 2 batches of cookies and I have another one planned for today.  Have fun getting ready for Christmas!

Thursday, December 11, 2014

FAT QUARTER BAG

A couple months ago I ordered this book "Fabulous Fat-Quarter Bags" by M'Liss Rae Hawley from C&T Publishing.  They had a "special" offer and the prices were super low, so I ordered this book and 2 others.  

I needed a gift and decided to make a bag from this book.  The name of the bag is "Fat-Quarter Carryall."  That should have been a clue that it was a large bag.


So, I had the pattern, and needed the fabric - 6 fat quarters.  Last year in May or June, I entered a giveaway for some FQs and won them.  It just so happened that the location of the blogger was real close to our son's house in Oregon where we were going, so we decided to meet at the LQS where she would give me the bundle of fabric.  The blogger was Amity Quilter who moved away shortly after we moved here.  :-(


Anyway, I used the 6 FQs to make this bag, but then I needed fabric for lining and handles, so I hunted through my stash closet and saw this polka dot that I had gotten at Good Will.  Yea!

 

The FQ Carry All is finished and it will carry a lot of stuff!


Are you making gifts?  Have fun!  I need to make a few more gifts and I'm also going to start baking this week.  Only 2 weeks until Christmas?  What?  Better get busy.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

SOME DECORATING

Years ago my MIL made jewel Christmas trees from her jewelry and some little Christmas lights.  We hung it up every year and then the lights burned out.  We finally got it fixed and are able to hang it up again. 


This wall hanging is in my sewing room.  I got the little Christmas tree at a garage sale for $1.00.  Some small ornaments and scraps of cloth tied on branches for color and it's done.


This wall hanging is a panel that I hand quilted back in 2006.  It is at the entrance to my sewing room.



We don't have a fireplace any more to hang our stockings on, so DH hung them on the quilt rack!  


At first I didn't set up my nativity scene because I didn't think I had room for it, but I shifted things around a little and made room.



Our new bookcase is a great place to put decorations - even on top!


Several years ago we switched to a smaller tree, but I still fit a lot of ornaments on it.  Oh oh, Mrs. Moose fell over under the tree.


That's better.  I made her out of a panel several years ago.  I'm partial to moose.


My new snowman is hiding under the flowers next to the mini doll carriage.


Here's a newly wed Mr. & Mrs. Snowman.  She even has a lace veil.  Guess where I got them?



My DGD has been over to do some sewing with me the last few days.  It is fun to see her making gifts for her friends.  I do help her from time to time.  She gave me this tin that she decorated for me.  I guess she knows me pretty well!


I hope you show your Christmas decorations when you get them up.  I love to see them!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

LOOK WHAT'S ON DESIGN WALL

Lori at Humble Quilts is having a QAL (quilt along) and I told her I would participate.  Yesterday I finished a few projects, and she posted the last episode.  It's a small quilt named "Cascadia."

I got out my little basket piled with 1 1/2" strips and squares as well as a bunch of 4-patches and 9-patches.  I used some of the 4-patches for the 2 outer strips and the 4 piece wide strip in the middle


This morning, I made the 2 on point strips and it is now on my design wall waiting to be sewn together, layered, quilted and bound.  That will probably happen after Thanksgiving.


I love it!  Oh, it looks like I will need to take off one row of the edges and middle sections to match the on point parts.  Did you join in?  At least this one is small and can fit into a busy schedule during the holidays.  I haven't decided about Bonnie's mystery quilt yet.  I rather doubt I will participate in that one.

Now, I need to go bake pies and make a salad for tomorrow.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

THREE FINISHED QUILTS AND A SNOWMAN

I finally got the binding sewn on my "Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandmother's House we Go" quilt!  I hung it on the wall and should have taken a picture of it before doing that because it was kind of hard to get the right angle and lighting from where it hangs.  I think we used to sing that song around Thanksgiving time in grade school.

"Over the River and Through the Woods"
 Then I finished a Christmas rail fence quilt that will be donated.  I cheated and folded over the backing for the binding and then sewed it on top by machine.  It sure went a lot faster!



The backing fabric was given to me by a friend.


Another Christmas quilt that I will keep and this patchwork fabric was also given to me by the same friend.  All I did was back it with some flannel that I had on hand with no batting and I quilted it with straight lines on the diagonal.  I really like this fabric, which is already pieced together and sold by the yard.




My sister has a snowman like this and I had been wanting to make one from an old bed spread.


This is the program from the Houston International Quilt Show that I got when they sent my quilt back to me.  My quilt, A Civil War Remembered, is listed on page 39 under Texas Guild's Award-winning Traditional Quilts 2014.


Tomorrow will be a baking and cooking day and on Thanksgiving we will be going to DS#1/DIL's home for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Unfortunately, our DGD has to work on Thanksgiving, as the stores are all open now on Thanksgiving.  I liked it better when stores were closed.  :-)  And our DGS won't be coming home from college for Thanksgiving, but we'll see him at Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my quilting  and blogging friends!