Busy Busy Busy….Need I Say More?

I have been so busy at work delivering all of those Christmas presents….that I haven’t gotten as much done this December as I would have liked. I think I do have everything done that I need for gift giving though…..so that’s a plus for me!

Danelle’s baby quilt…..the top is done and now on to quilting…Looks much better in person!

and a small wall hanging that I am finishing…just need batting and a backing now….Might put this on our family Christmas auction.

one more jar table runner…I have this on my table right now!

A scarf made for a Christmas gift…turned out pretty good.

Val’s Christmas gift….I should have the binding done in a day or two…I’m also working on infinity scarves …they are fun and easy….Here’s a couple of pictures of what I’ve done so far….my daughter wanted the really wide and short one made for her….In other words it’s a special order!

Have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Happy Quilting,

Kris

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It’s looking a lot like Christmas at my job….I won’t have much time to do any sewing this coming month since I’ll be delivering packages 6 days a week thru Christmas! I really dread the next 3 1/2 weeks….no rest for me, and very long days driving and delivering. The good thing to come out of this will be my larger paycheck which I’ve already spent at Joann’s on line during their Black Friday sales….wonderful bargains and free shipping! WooHoo! Baby flannel for $1.99 a yard and all notions 1/2 price! I could spend a bunch more too, but I’ve got to control myself.

I just got three quilts back from my quilter Kelly….now I only need to get them bound….someday anyway. The Winter Wonderland is for my sister for Christmas, so I’ll have to get it done soon. I love to do redwork, this is the 3rd quilt like this I’ve made and I’m thinking of doing one in black very soon.

This was a BOM….Paris in Fall…all reds, browns and tans.

Who doesn’t love Kansas Troubles? I think I’m getting tired of it and then I see the quilts I’ve done with it and I fall in love all over again. This log cabin Kansas Troubles quilt is one I’m keeping for myself….It’s the second one like it I’ve done…..the first one I gave to Barb, my sister…Mom cut out all of the flowers and ironed them on the blocks…so it’s a quilt that mom helped me with so it’s kind of special.

My jar table runner that is quilted and bound now….I love it! And here is another one I just finished that needs to be quilted. These are so easy and fun to do….

And another quilt I’ve started for my granddaughter Emersyn….These blocks are very time consuming, and I’ve already made a large quilt out of these for my daughter Lesley….When I went and visited her this past month I saw it on one of her beds, it had been washed and it looked so soft and inviting, it made me want to make another one, only this one will be much smaller. These blocks are 12 1/2 inches unfinished, and you have to sew a lot of curved seams to finish a block. I plan on putting a snow white border on and then some large green rick rack for stems of appliqued flowers, I also plan on putting her name on in large black letters in the border too. Hard to explain, but I have it all in my head how I want this to look. Hopefully it will look as good as I think it can.

And last but not least are my scarves…I finished four more and these are for my sister Wendy to give as Christmas gifts.

Have a very Merry Christmas and remember the reason we celebrate Christmas….Our savior Jesus Christ was born!

Happy Quilting

Kris

Small projects

I’ve gotten the binding done on my primitive table runner…the free motion quilting is very primitive also! I just happened to be doing the free motion quilting during the Nebraska/Northwestern game and my quilting most definitely reflects that! GBR!

And here is a table runner of jars that needs to be quilted…I had fun doing this one, it’s fast and very easy…I think I’ll bind it in red.

And here is the first granny square afghan that I’ve completed……these granny squares came from an uncle’s girlfriend…and that’s all I know! Whoever she was she wasn’t the best at crocheting!  I’m trying to make do and overall the afghan looks pretty good. I have enough squares to make at least another one. Since these are at least 25 years old,  I’m having to be real careful because some of the yarn is falling apart…..Ugh! This one is for my sister Val! Merry Christmas to you….

I’m headed to St. Joe this weekend to see my granddaughter…and I’m hoping to find all kinds of bargains if I get a chance to go shopping while I’m there.

Happy quilting, Kris

I’m a happy girl….I’ve discovered the joys of owning a ‘walking foot’!

I’ve owned only Berninas for the last 30 years or so. I bought a new machine about 2 years ago…A Bernina QE (Quilter’s Edition) Aurora 440, but I had to keep my old 1080 Bernina because it was such a good friend and had been there for me for many years. I still pull it out and use it every once in a while! My old Bernie had been very good to me. Well, my new machine has a BSR (Bernina Stitch Regulator) which I use quite often when I’m free motion quilting and a Walking foot, which has just sat in the box since I purchased the machine. I’ve  been trying to figure out how to attach wide satin binding to flannel/minky etc… for baby blankets and make it look neat and not all wavy and puckery….I finally remembered I had a walking foot somewhere and I thought I might as well give it a try. I had a preconceived notion it would take a long time to attach, but I found out it goes on as fast as a normal ‘foot’ does, and much to my surprise it made a world of difference. I’ve been watching youtube videos of people attaching the satin binding and they say how they don’t pin it on, just sew using a normal foot and from what I could see they had lots of waves and ripples. I experimented with my walking foot and I pinned a lot, and I had great results. I know these pieces of flannel don’t exactly look great together, but it’s all I had on hand, and I was raring to go to give my ideas a try! I also seamed the binding like you would a normal binding and I think it looks much better than most of the suggestions on the internet and youtube.

So since I’ve fallen in love with my walking foot I thought that adding regular binding would be a piece of cake for the walking foot, and it definitely was! I doubt I’ll ever sew it on with a regular foot again!

My wool applique table runner that is almost done…..I sewed this binding down with my walking foot and it was super easy and I loved how it worked.

And here is my 4th BOM of Evelyn’s Garden….All fused down and I only need to blanket stitch around the wool now….Fun handwork!

And the last three scarves I’ve knitted…the middle one is a pretty green, this picture just doesn’t show it like it really is.

Happy Quilting! Kris

I’ve been busy!

I’ve been busy making small items such as table runners, scarves, wall hangings etc.etc.etc….and I’ve been enjoying every minute of it! Been using scraps and haven’t had to buy anything for these projects. I have a couple of drawers of yarn that I bought when it was on sale and I’ve been having fun looking through that to decide what to put together for a new scarf! I’m working on a green one now….and almost have a black one done too.

I made another penny wool table runner but used a black background. I like it! I’m sure I’ll put one of these on the auction at our Christmas get-together.

This is the latest table runner I’m working on….It’s from the magazine Primitive Quilts and Projects Winter 2012. The above penny wool table runner is out of the same magazine only the Spring 2013 Issue. I love this magazine! It’s more like a book and it’s only $10….It’s well worth the price for all of the projects you get in each issue. They are available at most quilt shops, and I’m thinking I might subscribe….I’d save quite a bit of money if I did this.

And here is a close up of the wool applique part….I’m not done yet, but it’s coming along pretty fast.

My third block in the Evelyn’s album BOM….This is a fun and fast one….

And another project that I started about 15 years ago….My uncle gave me several bags of crocheted granny squares that came from who knows where, and I started putting them together with some black yarn, this is almost done and I’d like to finish it and start putting another one together. It’s kind of fun and interesting to see….the granny squares are all different colors and you can tell that whoever made them used tons of left-over yarn or whatever they had on hand. I think this one was promised to my sister Val many years ago, and she might finally get it this winter!

Happy Quilting…and Knitting and Crocheting!

Kris

Time for some smaller projects…

I’ve been working on smaller projects lately, ones that I can haul around with me. I work on them in the evenings when I’m watching t.v. and when I take my break in Norton during the day while I’m working, or in the mornings while we are waiting for our freight to come. You know the saying about idle hands….well that is definitely not me!

This is a table runner or mat…made from wool ‘pennies’….I really enjoyed doing this and I love how it turned out. These are a lot of scraps from the Primitive Garden wool quilt I just completed…I might just make another one too. It finishes at 17”x22”….I had never bound corners with angles like this before, it was very interesting! I got the job done though and they look pretty good.

Love the bright colors!

I’ve also been doing some knitting….great thing to haul around with you….been doing some scarves….I have drawers full of yarn, and thought I might get some good out of it.

My daughter tells me the fuzzy scarves are out now….well that’s too bad, because I’m still going to make some of them….I happen to still like them….fashionable or not!

Happy Quilting! Kris

Small Projects! (Handwork is my friend)

I’ve been working on some smaller projects that I’m not sure what I’ll do with yet….Maybe put in the family auction at our Christmas get together….Or maybe keep a few of them myself! I am going to be making a few more before Christmas so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

This is a small wool applique wall hanging. I love how this turned out, the pattern was in a recent quilting magazine I got and it had a ‘flour canister’ full of tulips. I decided to change that up a bit and did my own thing. I free motion quilted it and bound it this weekend. I love the vibrant colors.

This is a Christmas table runner also out of a recent magazine. I’ve embroidered the reindeer/christmas blocks and then pieced and free motion quilted the runner….Much cuter in real life than this picture.

The second block of my Evelyn’s Album Wool applique BOM…I love doing this! Hand work is my friend!

Happy Quilting!

Kris

I Really Have Been Busy…..

I know I’ve been very naughty about posting anything the last 6 weeks…but I promise you I’ve been very busy…My granddaughter  was born on September 1st. Her name is Emersyn Lila and she was 8.5 lbs and 21 inches long. We got to go see her for only 24 hours the day she was born, but we are going this coming weekend and she’ll be four weeks old then……my how time flies…I’m really excited to get to see her again.

I’ve been canning most of the summer…so my quilting has taken a backseat. I’ve started in again about 3 weeks ago and I’ve gotten quite a bit done. I finished my Primitive Garden wool quilt and it’s ready to send off to the quilter….

I’ve almost gotten the Amish with a Twist done too…I only need to add the borders, which are done….they just need sewn to the quilt now….

After much contemplation I decided to just raw edge applique the borders….I had one hand appliqued and just was very frustrated and thought I’ll never finish this quilt if I have to do this three more times, so I tore it apart and did a small zigzag around the applique with a clear monofilament and I think it’s just fine.

And this is my new project…a BOM called Evelyn’s Album from Primitive Gatherings. I love to applique wool quilts.

And another project I want to start on…got this out of a magazine and it’s a wool applique project too. It looks like fun to me.

I’ll try not to be away so long next time, but like I said before….I really have been busy!

Happy Quilting!

Kris

‘Nuff Said!

Below is the reason I’ve not been doing much sewing!

Elderberry, Chokecherry, Cherry, Rhubarb, Sand Cherry, Rhubarb Cherry, Cherry Almond Jam, Mixed Cherry, Chokecherry Apple butter…….I’ve made 55 jars of jelly in the last couple of weeks.

I’ll be making some Hot pepper Jelly in the next few weeks….

Happy Jelly Making!

Kris

Vintage Tins and Jelly Making!

The jelly making bug has got a hold of me….This happens every year, but some years are worse….this year it hit pretty strong! The choke cherry bushes are full, it’s a very abundant crop this year, much more than normal. I love the smell of choke cherries cooking. Yum!

I’ll probably make some rhubarb and cherry jelly in the morning……the rhubarb juice is straining right now, and I just need to buy some almond extract before I can make the cherry jelly.

On to quilting topics….I’ve finished all of the embroidery for the vintage tins quilt….Now on to the piecing. Below the embroidered block are the fat quarters I’ve picked out to use for this quilt. I love it!

Happy Quilting,

Kris

Vintage Tins Embroidery

Only photos today…..One more block of embroidery and I’ll be starting on the piecing of these blocks! Woo Hoo!

Happy Quilting! Kris

Quilt Label

The label for my granddaughter’s quilt.

My daughter Lesley, has a blog named, The Purple Carrot and a spin off of that named Purple Carrot Kids, so I thought this was a very appropriate label for the back of the baby quilt I just made for her.

I’ve left a blank spot on the yellow label to fill in when the baby is  born and I know her name.

I’ve had some fun the last couple of days working on the labels for these two baby quilts. I’m trying to make them very personal and for them to mean something to the baby and the parents.

And on another note, my daughter Karmon has started an Etsy shop with her jewelry. She has some very nice things, so please take a look at some of them…KMCbeads

Thanks and Happy Quilting!

Kris