Last finish of 2009

I was able to finish my Snowball quilt tonight and I am really happy with it. Thank you Allyson and Nicole for starting this challenge and allowing me to take part.

I intend to keep better track of what I accomplish in 2010. From the notes I kept this year, I cross stitched 29 items. These range in size from the mermaid to the ornaments posted previously. I finished 12 items into scissor fobs, ornaments, or mattress pincushions. And I did 13 sewing items. These ranged from quilts, runners, pillows, and bags.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year.

Progress and goals

I got to sew on Saturday because I have no car at the moment and couldn't go after Christmas shopping. Hopefully, the car will go in the shop tomorrow to be fixed. I do not handle not having wheels very well.


I got half of the red & white snowball quilt together. I am doing the partial blocks but not in the way the book says to add them. I didn't want to do the long seams on the sides to add the partial blocks, so I am adding them to each row. I have the last five rows ready to have the seams ironed so they can be added to the first half.


My goal is to have this completed by New Year's Day.

I picked up a cross stitch piece that I haven't touched in almost 5 months. I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere on it, so I set it aside. I stitched on it yesterday and today and now feel like it is moving, at least on this page. I am stitching this over one on 25 ct Lugana.





This is what it will look like. The design is by The Silver Lining and is called Best Buds.

Merry Christmas to all

I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. May we all have our health and happiness in the New Year.


I got my Red & White snowball quilt layed out this morning. I am going to do the partial blocks on the side, I just didn't get a picture after laying those out. Can't wait to start putting the rows together.

This is the only picture I could get of some visitors we had after the snow stopped. At one point, we had about 7 running around chasing each other and eating everything they could find.

Snow and stitching

We got some of the snow that was pounding the east coast. We got about 7 inches and it was really pretty since I got to stay in my house and look at it out the windows.














I found these Boyd's Snowbears at a shop that will no longer carry them. Everything Boyd's was on sale for $5. I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I got both.

I took advantage of the snow and did some stitching. I did the two on the right yesterday. I need to find buttons for the penguin and a bird for the snowman on the bottom.

I plan to sew on my Red & White Snowballs today. Hope everyone is warm and dry.

Dear Santa, I can explain...

I won't say that I have been a good girl this year. I really tried, but you see, I have added another addiction that I can't seem to control. I was totally addicted to counted cross stitch till this year, and then I found quilting again. If I don't get coal this year, I would love to receive either Fig Tree quilts Cameos pattern and the fabrics to make it as shown, or Fig Tree Rosettes pattern, or a bolt of Moda Bella Basics 9900-98, or a Simple Abundance Jelly Roll.


http://www.fatquartershop.com/store/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=927711271217159277&Store_id=499&page_id=23&Item_ID=31124&Parent_Ids=
http://www.fatquartershop.com/store/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=78161123948187816&Store_id=499&page_id=23&Item_ID=31488&Parent_Ids=

http://www.fatquartershop.com/store/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=78161123948187816&Store_id=499&page_id=23&Item_ID=35685&Parent_Ids=

Thank you Santa for your very helpful elves. They do a great job.

Join the fun at http://www.fatquartershop.blogspot.com/

Stitch Group #1 Christmas party

We had our Christmas party yesterday and had way too much fun. With this group, we draw names and give that person a handmade gift. Most of the time it is cross stitch, but it can be something that was bought as long as it is handmade. We then give gifts to everybody in the group and we also have someone do table decorations.

We met at 2 pm to go eat at O'Charley's and then went back to the hostess' house to stitch till the 5th member could make it.

I had the table decorations this year and made quilted pillows.

We passed out the group gifts and each person took their turn opening their stack. This is some of what I gave. The fobs are all the same on the front and then personallized with their initials on the back.

This is what I received from everybody.

We also give Sharon, the hostess, a gift every year. She has us in her home every other Thursday and always has some type of snack, mostly homemade desserts. She had mentioned earlier in the year that she wished she had a quilt to hang on a quilt rack that she has in her living room. I spoke to the group and we decided for me to make a quilt and the other girls would split the cost with me. This is my 4th quilt and the 1st one I have given away.

This is Angela's gift from Sharon, her mom.

This is Jessica's gift from Angela.

This is Nancy's from Jessica. The framer didn't get it finished in time, so it is just a printed picture right now.

This is Sharon's gift from me.

This is my gift from Nancy.

Like I said, we had way too much fun and finally left to go home a little after 9 pm. I will post better pictures of the large gifts in another post. Hope everyone is almost ready for Christmas.

Holiday Bingo

http://the-quilt-shoppe.blogspot.com/

The Quilt Shop is hosting a Holly Jolly Blog Bingo. Signups are open till December 13. Looks like it is going to be fun and the prizes look great.

I have blocks

I actually made blocks this weekend. I got 54 blocks done and am feeling so much better about my progress. I need to decide if I am doing it like the book or adding borders. I had thought about leaving off the partial blocks along the edges, but I like how it gives the look of stars around the red blocks. If I want to keep with that thought, I need to do the partials on the edge. I already have them all made so it saves me nothing by not doing them. I can't make up my mind. I hope somebody else adds borders so I can see it before having to make my final decision.

I needed an ornament for a get together tomorrow night and had seen one here.

http://the-latebloomer.blogspot.com I decided to see what I could come up with and did that tonight. Hers is cuter, but I used what I had on hand and I think it is OK. Thank you so much for the idea.

Hope everyone had a productive weekend.

Updates and excuses

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. My husband and I went to both families on Thursday and of course ate too much.

I didn't get anywhere near what I wanted done on the snowball quilt last weekend, but I did get the cream side pieces made.

My excuse for this weekend, I got a call from one of the ladies in town that I help out by doing her backstitching and beading on her cross stitch pieces. She had a piece finished that she needed the beading done on so she could get it framed for a Christmas gift. Almost 16 hours later-

This weekend, I took Friday and did the binding on a quilt that will be given as a Christmas gift.

Just need to add the label and it will be ready to go.

I went shopping with my girls on Saturday to take care of some Christmas shopping. Today, I got the red side pieces completed. My storage box is looking much better. Maybe next weekend, I can start making blocks.

This is my most recent cross stitch finish. This is 26 Stitches by The Drawn Thread. I actually finished this on my Pigeon Forge, TN trip.

Off to catch up on my blog reading.

Swap and update pictures

I wanted to post pictures of the other fabrics I got in the swap.




From Carol, AZ
http://carolscraftblog.blogspot.com/







From Nan, TX

From Debbie, OK

From Thelma, IL, who already has hers finished http://cupcakesndaisies.blogspot.com/

From Lesly, Ontario

http://pickledish.blogspot.com/

This is where my progress stands. I got all 480 HSTs done, strip sets sewn and recut, and the individual squares cut for the side units last weekend.

I hope to get all the side units and several blocks made this weekend. Not sure I will make it, but that is the plan.

I am going to see my quilter tomorrow and plan to drop of this quilt top. This is actually the second quilt I pieced. I started it about 12 years ago and got all the blocks together and then stopped working on it. My mother, who can't stand UFOs, got me started back on it this year and that is when the quilt bug hit really hard. I couldn't get a good picture of the whole thing, but imagine 56 of the blocks in a 7 X 8 setting. This thing measures 88 X 100. What was I thinking?

That's it for now, hope everyone has a productive weekend.

Too much fun

Got back in town this afternoon from my Cross Stitch retreat and had two packages. Love getting fun stuff in the mail and not bills. I finally found my camera cord so here is a picture of the fabric I mailed out for the swap.

I got a package from Allyson of Fat Cat Quilts- Does the one on the far right look familiar? It made me feel a whole lot better about my choices and I love the other ones she sent also. Thank you for the red, it will definitely make it into the quilt.

I also got a package from Nicole of Sister's Choice Quilts. Love these also and they made it fine Nicole.

We found our way to 5 quilt shops and 4 cross stitch shops. We had our usual outrageous fun; too much food, too little sleep, and too much shopping. I picked up more reds and creams for the challenge and lots of other goodies also.

Hope your weekend was fun also.

Fabric in the mail and other packing...

I got my swap fabric in the mail on Monday but I can't find my camera cord to post a picture. I went to a quilt show on Saturday and hope I didn't drop it there. Any way, I sent Moda Marble Swirl, Iced Mocha by Buggy Barn-1900A, and Creamery Neutral III by Buggy Barn-1397. Hope everyone likes them.

The other packing I have been doing is for my annual cross stitching retreat with one of my groups. We are leaving early Thursday am for Pigeon Forge, TN. Our driver has the trip planned by what cross stitch stores and quilt stores we can stop at on the way.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

I'm up for the challenge...??

I have joined the Red & White snowball challenge on FatCat Quilts blog. http://fatcatquilts.typepad.com/fat-cat-quilts/

Because of joining this challenge, I created this blog. Please bear with me as the blog, challenge and swap are all new to me.

In stitches