It’s the busy time of the year!

This time of year is very busy for me…especially with the job I have of delivering packages! I have to really work at not being in the ‘bah hum bug’ kind of mood for the month of December. I work long days in the cold and it’s very stressful. I’m sure I won’t be getting much done in the way of stitching for the next 30 days or so. I need to stop and think about the reason we celebrate Christmas….Jesus Christ was born!

We put the tree up last weekend because we were baby sitting our grandson and we thought that might be something to entertain him. I started putting the ornaments up and he got tired of that in a hurry, I haven’t done another thing to it since then. Hopefully this weekend I’ll get it done.

The many projects I’ve been working on these past few weeks……

This hexie round is made of 1/2” hexies….you can tell by the pins hanging this one up, that the hexies are very small.

I only have to sew on four more hexie flowers and I’ll be ready to start adding my borders and applique. It’s much larger than this pictures shows. These are 1” hexies.

 

And my 8th BOM in my Primitive Garden wool quilt….this one isn’t done yet, but doesn’t have too much further to go.

This is the new BOM I’m starting this month. It’s made using all solid fabrics…very simple blocks and some applique in the borders….not horribly expensive either. The first BOM came with a plastic tub to store everything in as you go….I thought this was a great idea…Way to go Regina and Jamie from ‘Stitch up a Storm’…..

My latest purchases…..I love Kim Diehl books….love the way she designs. Got everything for 25% off, so I couldn’t resist.

My friend Kelly Kreft from Colorado sent me these fruit fabrics…we are both collecting to make a ‘jar’ quilt….so we’ve been sharing our ‘fruit’ finds….Thanks Kelly! 

Have a wonderful Christmas Season…and please remember why we celebrate…

Happy quilting, Kris

Happy Halloween

We hardly had any trick or treaters last night, I think we live too far north and only have about 15 houses in our neighborhood. I guess Norris Ave. was extremely busy with kids last night….especially because of the nice weather. My 22 month old  grandson Walker did stop and we got a picture of him in his golfing outfit.

I’ve been kind of naughty about blogging lately. I guess it’s because I’ve been working on the same projects and I’m getting a lot done, you just don’t see it so much. So it’s kind of hard to take a picture of the same thing from a week ago, and it’s just a little bigger! Kind of boring….

Here is my finished Christmas Table Topper…. it’s 42x42….it was supposed to be a tree skirt, but I just couldn’t cut a hole in the middle of it!

I’ve been mostly working on my mom’s civil war chronicles quilt and my grandmother’s flower garden quilt.

This 1” hexie quilt is now 65x82…so it’s really growing…I think I’m only going to add one more row in both directions and then I’ll add the white border…approximately 6”wide. Then comes the applique….I think I’ll love this one when it’s done. I only wish I was a hand quilter, since it’s all hand sewn, I hate to machine quilt it. I guess we’ll see when the time comes.

Happy quilting!  Kris

Vacation = a whole week of sewing!

I’ve had a wonderful week of vacation spent doing not much of anything, but sewing….FUN!

I decided I wanted to do a smaller project that I could get done in a few days. So I looked through the things I had on hand and found a ‘grab bag’ mom purchased for $25 last December from Cottage Inspirations in Cambridge. There was a book, reg. price of $18 and two tree skirt projects, reg. price of $44.99 a piece in the grab bag. I loved the fabric and the pattern and everything in the book. The book is Peppermint and Holly Berries from Art to Heart. I’m making one of the tree skirts, but am turning it into a table topper instead of the tree skirt. I’m quilting it now, so I’ve done fairly well, even though it has taken me longer to do then I thought it would. It’s 42x42 inch square and the embroidery and blanket stitch applique took a lot of time to do.  Here it is in progress….

And here it is as I’m quilting it. I have to add buttons for the holly berries and eyes to the Santas….finish quilting it and then bind it….should be done tomorrow sometime. I absolutely love it and the price was right too! I have another kit, so I can make another one when the mood strikes….I had lots of fabric left over and think between both kits, I could almost make a third one. These would be great gifts, I can’t imagine anyone not liking it.

I got the 7th Primitive Garden BOM last friday in the mail, and I had it done by Saturday evening….nothing too complicated in this one.  I sure do like doing the wool applique…it’s rather addictive!

I visited my mom on Tuesday and took her to her house for a visit….I got to dig through her fabric stash and take whatever fabric I wanted…Here is what I came home with. I seem to bring a bag full of fabric home with me every time I go and visit her! Thanks so much Mom! Wonderful fat quarters….this picture doesn’t do the colors justice either. The reds are a bright color, not a rusty color like this picture shows. I love to just pet and touch fabric….it makes me smile to just look at this picture!

Happy Quilting, Kris

It’s been too long!

As you will be able to see by all of the pictures below, I’ve been a very busy person. The big project I’ve been working on is finishing my mom’s Civil War Chroncicles Quilt from 2011. She has the center all done and now I will finish all four corners, there is a lot of work left to do in this quilt. The border alone is 60some 6” blocks, and the blocks I’m working on now are 14”. I’m not crazy about this quilt and I wasn’t from the first time I saw it. I love the fabric in it, but I think it’s just too ‘busy’ for my liking. The good thing is that I get to keep all of the scraps from this quilt and that is a substantial amount of fabric! Below is a picture of what this quilt looks like finished. Looking at this makes me think I have a long way to go yet! I’ve also gotten one of the borders sewn on my Farmer’s Wife Quilt, I’m having a hard time deciding what to use for the outer border….when I decide I’ll post a picture of it.

I have to make four of each of these block and I have 8 made so far…..

My wool BOM from Primitive Gatherings has been fun for me. I’m waiting for the 7th block now.

I’ve also been doing a lot of handwork on my large and mini hexie quilts. I’m planning on adding 4 more rows of flowers to my large hexie quilt and then see if I think it’s big enough to add the borders and applique. I have about 6 more flowers to make and I’ll have enough to get it done!

The picture of the single hexie above is my 1” hexies and the picture of the hexies all sewn together in color rounds is the 1/2” hexies. These two qults will look completely different. I’ve decided to mostly concentrate on the larger ones right now because that quilt is almost done.

And last but not least is the dress my daughter volunteered me to alter for a friend of hers. I HATE altering anything, but I’m being nice and doing this one anyway. It’s is almost two sizes too big, and it’s got boning in the seams in the bust. I HATE boning in dresses that need altered! I have the hem taken up and am almost done adding spaghetti straps, I’ve taken in the side seams in the hip area and now I need to finish the bodice part. I’m not taking this dress apart, I will ‘cheat’ and just take tucks under the armpits. No one will ever see those and it will work out okay I think. I sure hope it will anyway, cuz that’s what I’m going to do!

Well, Happy Quilting! I’ll try not to stay away so long next time!

Kris

My grandson Walker and I!

First off here is a picture of my grandson Walker and myself….it’s a horrible picture of me…but boy is Walker a cutie! He’s 20 months old and he’s Grandma’s boy. College football started this Saturday and my team won….Go HUSKERS!

I’ve got all 111 of the Farmer’s Wife blocks sewn together, I just need to decide what to use for the borders now. Over all I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I had quite a hard time with the cornerstones and I’m not sure why. I ended up ripping out a lot of those and doing them over. I was very frustrated by the time I got done.  I think I might quilt this one myself…we’ll have to see if I’m in the mood when it’s all done.My cat Morris wanted to be in this picture…..Sorry that he’s covering a couple of blocks….He’s a very large cat!

And here is the 5th BOM from my wool Primitive Garden quilt. I’m done except for the vine embroidery….which once I get going on it won’t take very long. I’m thinking I’m going to add a heart or something to the black star….I’m kind of debating on it right now.

My mini Hexie quilt is growing…..it’s a pretty slow process, but I enjoy doing it.

When I went to the Wooly Mammoth in Kearney a couple of weeks ago, I bought a skein of yarn to make a scarf for one of my daughters….It was very expensive, $15.49 a skein….It’s the black one…..I found the gray and orange yarn at Walmart for around $5 and it is basically the same…a little different, but for one third of the price it’s very nice. One skein will make a pretty long scarf. It’s not as fast knitting as regular yarn, since you have to get the knitting needle through a hole in the yarn instead of just looping it around the needle. These will be very nice gifts, relatively cheap to make, and I’m having fun doing it. I hope Lesley, my daughter will like them.

I’ve had a great day off today and I’m having a great time sewing and knitting.

Happy Quilting, Kris

My Vow……I won’t start any new quilts until I have at least one that’s started completely finished.

We’ll see how my vow works out….I’m going to do my best to get some things finished before I start another new project. I am getting the itch to start something new, and I just can’t let myself do that. I did finish all 111 blocks from the Farmer’s Wife Quilt. I need to pick out the sashing and the cornerstone fabric soon. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m a ‘piecer’ not a ‘quilter’…..I love piecing a quilt, I just am not too interested in doing the free motion quilting to finish it. I have to make myself do it.

 

My mini 1/2” hexie quilt has been very fun to work on. I’m ready to start the 4th color around, I’m enjoying this one more than the 1” hexie quilt I’m working on also.  My hand is in this picture so you can see how small these hexie flowers are. My next  color round will be green flowers. This will be a very special quilt when it’s done….all hand sewn!

This picture is of the larger 1” hexie quilt I’m working on too. I’m not sure how big this one will end up…..it will have white borders with some flower, vine and leaf applique in one of the corners.

Here are the four blocks that I’ve completed in my Primitive Garden Quilt BOM….I just got the 5th block in the mail yesterday and I’m ready to start on it. I’m having a wonderful time doing this quilt. And yes….I really do believe I’m obsessed with quilting, my house isn’t as clean as it used to be, and I could stay locked up in my sewing room for 10 hours a day and not think anything of it.I might come out every once in a while and get something to eat and drink, but other than that…..I could stay there forever!  This is an expensive hobby too. Fortunately, of the quilts I’m working on now three (both hexies and the Farmer’s Wife) are scrap quilts, so I don’t have to buy lots of fabric for them.

It’s time to go back to my sewing room and have some more fun!

Happy quilting, Kris

1/2” Hexies are more fun!

I’ve been inspired by a blog I read the other day to make smaller hexies. I like what I saw so much I immediately started in on a smaller hexie quilt. This one will literally take me a very long time to complete, but once I’m done I will really have a very special quilt. This will mostly just be a scrap quilt, the only fabric I will purchase is the neutral   color between the flowers. It will be in color rounds and I’ve decided the center of the flowers will all be from the red/pink family….the only exception will be when I make red flowers and I think the centers will be a yellow then. My little sister Val is busy cutting out the 1/2” hexies from card stock, so that is one nasty job I won’t have to do! You can find hexie templates on many different websites for free.

The large blue hexie is made from 1” hexies and the smaller is 1/2” hexies. They are very tiny compared to the larger ones. Lots of stitching  by hand! I love it! I think I might have a hard time being motivated enough to finish my larger hexie quilt now! I am very close to finishing it….so maybe I’ll get it done…..I can only hope.

I’ve been horrible about working on my Farmer’s Wife Quilt….I only have 9 more blocks to make and it will be done. These last few are taking me as long as it took to make the first 100! It’s like torture to finish these last few…..I will force myself if I have to……Ugh…..

And last is a picture of my new toy….my husband came home with this yesterday afternoon. A Samsung tablet…..it’s been fun to play with. Tons I don’t know yet, but I can get around on it a little bit. I love the kindle book app on it, much better than reading from a kindle.

I also got 35 bags of corn froze this weekend. It makes me feel good to have it in the freezer. Yummy!

Well, another week has started. Have a great day!

Happy quilting, Kris