There's Snow Business Like Snow Business

Finished another cuddle-size quilt yesterday.  I'm so happy with it.  It's cozy!

Peri and I tried it out last night watching 'Grimm' on tv.  The flannel/fleece combination is very cuddly.  Peri would like it to be a little bigger, so I'll need to factor that in next time.  The fabrics have snowmen and hot cocoa and polka dots.  It is the largest quilt that I have machine-stippled all in one piece.  The finished quilting is nowhere near perfect, but I learned a lot after doing so much quilting all at once.  I look forward to practicing this technique on future projects.

I was able to make a little bonus quilt from the leftover fabrics.

Ever since Zade developed arthritis, she likes to make a little nest with whatever cushion-y things she can find.  She likes to keep this quilt stuffed under my desk.  That way, she's both comfortable and gets a little peace from Peri.  lol.

First Quilt of the Year

Merry Christmas! No, I'm not several weeks late. I'm really, really early with my preparations. I've finished another Christmas quilt, hoping to have enough of them done by the holidays for everyone to have one.

This is the "Li'l Twister" version of the funky pinwheel quilt I made before.  Whereas the original Twister pattern uses 10 inch squares to start, this version uses 5 inch charm squares.  Here's what the charm squares looked like, all put together...

I used two Christmas fabric charm packs that I had found on sale at Quilts Etc and then added more red fabrics from my stash. I really like the addition of blue to the traditional holiday green and red.  Most of the blue fabrics have snowmen on them.  After assembling the squares, the pattern calls for bordering them with strips of another fabric.  I found one that looks like tiny snowballs...

Then, the real fun begins!

With this smaller size of ruler, this second cutting step is the weirdest combination of fun and tedium.  Fun because the pattern begins to develop in the newly cut squares.  Tedium because I had to cut around that ruler 90 times!  Whew!  I've decided that I won't be making any big quilts with tiny pinwheels.  90 cuts is my limit.  Here are the newly cut squares ready to be reassembled....

As you can see in the finished picture above, I added another white border and then a deep red one to bring the quilt up to a usable size.  I quilted it simply as there was already so much going on in the design.

Zade decided that I needed a little extra help with this quilt.  While I as pinning the quilt together for machine quilting, she appropriated the leftover backing.  lol.

So, I have finished one of the three Christmas quilts I planned for this year.  Never too early to start getting ready for Christmas!

Quilt Mania

During the last few weeks of gardening and canning season, I was spending everyday either picking produce, weeding garden beds or bottling the goodies up. While it is really satisfying to see all the finished bottles on the shelf, the process is exhausting and time-consuming. So, to distract myself while I was working, I was planning quilts and promising myself some serious quilt-making time when frost hit.

Frost came. I've been quilting. And quilting. And quilting....

A special, quick quilt for our newest family member, Aynslee. These fabrics were so lovely that I knew they'd be perfect for our little princess. I used a simple pattern, the disappearing nine-patch. Used lime green fleece on the back to make it extra cuddly.

I've done a post about this quilt, but wanted to include it here to show the order of operations. Used my 'Twister' ruler and backed it with off-white fleece.

Made from the fabric line 'Cookie Jar Treats', this quilt is an addition to my Christmas quilt stash that I share every year. This one brings the number up to just enough for everyone to have one...except me. Gonna have to get at least one more made this year!

Although this one is primarily red and green, it's not a Christmas quilt. Those are apples and apple pies! I thought I'd use this one in September to celebrate the harvest and be cozy while watching tv downstairs. I purchased these fabrics and the pattern from Quilts Etc last year planning to make a lap size quilt. It turned out more twin sized so I really had to work to get it quilted. Pretty happy with the finished product, all said and done.

Most recent project, just finished this morning. Again, fabrics and free pattern from Quilts Etc last year. This one is just the right size to keep Peri and I warm on the sofa.

This group of quilts represents nearly the end of my stack of quilt UFOs. With that in mind, I splurged on some cute snowman flannels at last month's quilt class so between that quilt and some Christmas projects, I'll be pretty busy through the end of the year. No time for the winter blues in my sewing room!

This Year's Quilt

I finished it.  At last.

This year's quilt uses Aunt Gracie-style 1930's reproduction fabrics.  The Sunbonnet Sue blocks are hand appliqued (not a common occurrence around here!)  And for the first time, I used free motion machine quilting on the entire quilt.  That is also known as aerobic quilting.  LOL!  Over all, I'm pretty pleased with the finished quilt.  And, since I've been working on it for a whole year, I'm very glad to be done.

Busy week!

Whoa! Where did this week go??? Seems like I was running so fast to get everything done, and yet, the week still passed me by.

The absolute highlight of the whole week was going out to lunch with PJ! She is so much fun and such a little lady. We went to McD's for burgers and some time at the play center. Then off for some retail therapy at Wallie's World and the dollar store. PJ's sixth birthday is coming up and she helped with some of her birthday shopping. I hope we get to do that again soon.

Also got some quiltmaking done this week. Oh, how I love to make quilts! I am working with fabrics from the Moda Boutique line. They are so soft and silky and printed so beautifully. It's luxurious to work with them. Here's a pic of the WIP: