Year 2019 in review

My report card for the year:

Completed quilts big and small:

One mini quilt called Stop!

8 mug rug/ pot mits

One twin quilt for my grandson

2 replacement pillowcases for my daughter

One lap quilt for daughter's former beaux

One small flag quilt from tumblers 

One quilt along mini for Kim Diehl's Simple Friendships 2

One flannel baby girl quilt

One mini Christmas quilt ( blocks are 3 inches)

2017 Rainbow Scrap quilt lap size

Tree skirt for October 2018 wedding

2 pillows with wool applique for me

Bea et Cecile quilt along flowers for 2019 donation for NIC unit

pillowcases for grandkids. ( no picture of completed ones)

+

Sum total:     2 pillows, 4 pillowcases, 8 mug rugs, 4 mini quilts, 2 tree skirts, 2 lap quilts. 1 twin quilt. 

 That means 17 quilted projects including 4 UFOs. 

Additional sewing : 6 hexies for wool quilt exhange, 2 round robin blocks, and various other things in stages.

Finishing the year sewing

I truly have enjoyed having time to sit and time to sew during this winter/ holiday/Christmas break.  I don't always get as much done as I would like, but I have been plugging away at projects in stages.

First I have the top completed for my nephew and his wife. The shower my sister is giving is in 3 weeks.  I love how the colors of teal, lime, and light blue and green have come together. Such a pretty soothing combination and such interesting fabrics.  Today I found a wonderful smooth teal minky to back it.  I think I will try to roll the back into binding.

Here are the wonderful fabrics up close. Colors never show up well for me.

I have also been completing color after color of cutting and sewing for Frolic, Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt. The first 3 clues went together fairly quickly. Step 4 has been a bugger of colors and sizes and sheer numbers. But it is now all cut, and only needs the finishing seams for half square triangles and then trimming. These are the sets that are completed.

These are the sets that are cut, but need to be sewn.

 And I have all the background cut for step 5. I needed to add some more pinks to my stash.  This is not a color I particularly like or even use much. But it makes this quilt so cheerful.

My method is to double the measurement of unfinished square for half square triangles, say 2 7/8 inches and cut it into a square: 2 times 2 7/8 = square of 5 3/4 of both colors of fabrics. Then draw a diagonal form opposite corners making an X . Sew 1/4 inch from each drawn line. And then cut into squares and then on the drawn line. It makes 8 half square triangles each for this measurement 2 inches finished.

I have also been completing color after color of cutting and sewing for Frolic, Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt. The first 3 clues went together fairly quickly. Step 4 has been a bugger of colors and sizes and sheer numbers. But it is now all cut, and only needs the finishing seams for half square triangles and then trimming. And I have all the background cut for step 5. I needed to add some more pinks to my stash.  This is not a color I particularly like or even use much. But it makes this quilt so cheerful.

I have been working on my Christmas Star blocks. Many steps and precise sewing needed. But I am really happy with the finished block. For Bea and Cecile's Quilt along, I am making 20 of these blocks. I hope to enter it in my guild's quilt show at the end of March.

I need to make the candy bags I have so carefully been setting aside. I have M & Ms, Oreos, Toll House chocolate chips, and a couple more. They are of different sizes.  I want to get this going on my last two days home.

Merry Christmas

 We had a quiet Christmas with just my husband, daughter and I. Family togetherness with memorable movies. We like the Muppets' Christmas Carol and an oldy: Claymation Christmas from the 1980s. Plus we watched How to train your Dragon 3.

We so miss the grandkids and all the fun they bring. Louisiana is warm this time of year, but so far away. Here was a photo my husband and I.  Notice the lilting angel on top of the tree.  Handmade and purchased our first year married.

 I thought I would share a few quilted treasures around the house for Christmas.

My husband was surprised at how many packages were from online shopping.

Here are some star blocks I have been working on for my French Quilt a Long.  I will need 20 blocks instead of the 16 they desire; so I am getting ahead and practicing my piecing skills. 

The colors are not nearly as vibrant as in person.

Each block is 6 colors and takes some trimming and ironing to get them just right. 

I am shooting for entering in my my guild's quilt show the end of March.

Other piecing:  this is clue number 4 for Frolic by Bonnie Hunter. 

This clue is a lot of work. 

Lastly I made a purchase for my nephew and his wife who are having a baby in February.

These are some lovely teals and shades of blue and green. 

N

I have selected a Bricks pattern and it should go together easily 

I need that as the shower is January 18.

mug rugs

Christmas mug rugs

I know I started these at least a year back if not the previous one.  But it was an easy one to finish.:

I had modified some image on pinterest and made 4 red and 4 green packages. It was easy to make a flying goose for the bow on top. They are about 8 inches square.

So I spent an hour or so finishing the quilting using the heat resistant fleece. 

And then added the binding. 

Then I spent the Green Bay Packer football game binding them. 

And finished the last of them watching Santa Claus and The Sound of Music.

DONE and ready for gifts for my coworkers.

To Frolic and Christmas

Time has gotten away from me. And I have not posted in a while.

Christmas is upon us and I am really missing my grandsons to make cookies and do all sorts of Christmas things.

And then Monday I got a very sad call from my DD. Her boyfriend of almost 2 years broke up with her. We all liked him so much  and feel he just wasn't ready for a commitment despite the fact they are both 31.  She, of course, is devastated and it leaves me a little bummed as well.

But onward. I have been sewing.
First here are the 3 steps of the Frolic mystery by Bonnie Hunter. I really like these colors together.
But instead of a scrappy background, I found yardage of a cream print for  dollar a yard on Connecting Threads Black Friday.

Then I am going to finish these mug rugs as gifts for my school pals. 

 This set needs quilting and binding

This set is quilted, and just needs binding.

And I have made a block for my Quilt a Long to see how hard it was and whether I liked it.  I think it is a go. 

Sad day

It is a sad day when one of the local high schools has a shooting ( Waukesha South High School) It is blocks from my church and across town from where I live and a school where I once was a frequent substitute.

I work in the next community to the east. The drills we train for both in "locking down" classrooms and tactics to throw a shooter off guard are serious. The threat seems surreal. The reality hits too close to home. 


Addendum:

In the subsequent week 7 schools had threats of shootings, students who were searched for guns and all in the state of Wisconsin, my home.  Most are even no more than an hour away. How can something so life changing and hateful become so common in a school, a place that is to be a safe haven and an opportunity?  How is it that guns are the answer? 

Thanksgiving break.

It has been a nice relaxing break this Thanksgiving Lots of chats with family and lots of good food.  I even got out for one trip for Black Friday shopping, just 2 stores and the Christmas tree.

But little by little I have been quilting.

Each night my HB and I would sit by the tv watching some movie. I have to say if you haven't seen the Klaus animated movie on Netflix, it was wonderful. I am a sucker for all things kidlike.
Anyway lots of wool applique was done, but just bits on 3 different squares.

Then each day I have been piecing my flannel top together.  This has been a project I have been working on for a long time.  I know I had wanted to enter it in our quilt show in March as the theme was bear's paw which I intentionally selected the pattern from Thimbleblossoms called Over the Moon.    The wonderful colors accent my couch which is also why I ordered the chocolate brown to go with it the layer cakes I had.

   Until: Waaalaaaa:        It is together.    And now it is ready to be quilted.

Mission accomplished.  Hooray!

  

Here is a photo with the volunteer support behind it.

                                   

A single block, up close. These are all woolies flannels from a few years ago by Bonnie Sullivan.. 

And here is me at the Winter Market at Oconomowoc: lots of food and beer and music, and lots of shopping.  I found some cute wooden ornaments for my grandkids. Good times!

Thanksgiving

We are cat sitting, not exactly a dinner guest. But she is company after all, albeit a little finicky.
My daughter is staying with her beau and so she is close and can visit.

Our dinner was steak with twice baked potatoes and green bean casserole with an amaretto pumpkin pie. Special and just dinner for 2.  Funny thing, my daughter dropped by just as we were going to eat.

I was going to take a picture, but with a DD here, I forgot.

So it is time to sew:


I really want to finish this quilt top:





Then I have the first clue of Frolic to work on: yeah for raspberry and blues.

Hand stitching and stars

So I have been hand stitching on my Little Red Hen bakery snowmen. I have been using size 8 pearl cotton. 

And I also have been completing more star blocks for my exchange modifying the sizes. 

My first 6 inch block

  2nd 6 inch block

9 inch block 

And all of them together with the 12 inch one..

For those who asked about the pattern: this is the book I found the pattern in:

Sorry, And this is the pattern directions. 

Sorry, not a very good photo. 

So only 2 days of school this week and a long Thanksgiving weekend.  

We are starting a new tradition for our holiday: steak for 2, my husband and me.

It is very hard after having just our family for at least 7 years. But things change. 

My son and his family are in Louisiana; my daughter and her boyfriend are having Thanksgiving with his family. We will probably have a lasagna dinner or something on the weekend.

There is a lot to be thankful for!  This past year has had its rough patches. 

But there are so many good things in life. 

Treasure them!