"It was a very good year ..."
Bye, 2013!
<3
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Ringing in the New Year of Blog Hops!
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This hop is being well cheered by cheery
January 7
January 8
January 9
January 10
January 13
January 14
January 15
January 16
January 17
January 20
January 21
Sew We Quilt
This colorful blog hop is brought to us by the lovely
Madame Samm @ Sew We Quilt
This colorful blog hop is brought to us by the lovely
Madame Samm @ Sew We Quilt
Katniss says " No more peeking!"
Please visit us on January 10th to see our creation!
Happy New Year!
~ <3 ~
Friday, December 27, 2013
Celtic Solstice ~ Part 4 Done!
More pieces of the puzzle with which to play!
120 Four Patches for Part 4 Done.
Linking up with all the other pretty quilts coming together
@
Thanks, Bonnie!
I am ready for Part 5!
Looking forward to the seeing how this mystery is revealed.
Have a happy quilty day!
:)
Thursday, December 26, 2013
My Secret Santa
... surprised me with this colorful fabric!
16 half yard cuts of the new Kona Summer Solids!
Thank You, Secret Santa!
Merry Christmas!
:-)
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Peace By Piece
"When life gives you scraps ... "
<3 You put them in a scrap jar <3
Fill it with random bits and pieces of fabric too small to use
and too precious to throw away.
It is mostly used for these ...
(1) Leaders and Enders
This is my current "leaders and enders" project. I am using 1.5" scrap squares to someday piece enough of these two inch 4-Patch blocks for a quilt.
This shows the "leader" at the start of a chain and the "ender" under the needle
and the stack of small squares I have for this purpose.
For my non-quilty visitors:
"Leaders" are the little pieces of fabric you run through your machine at the start of a long string of chained piecing. You do this so that you insure your seams will be straight and 1/4 inch and your stitching will be even.
This is the ender I left under my needle last night to start my sewing today.
"Enders" are the little pieces of fabric you leave under the needle of you machine to have everything set for starting your next chain. I find these little pieces are invaluable aids to smooth piecing. My sewing machine has a tendency to "cough" sometimes when I start feeding fabric under the needle and it results in a small messy knot of thread on the bobbin side of my stitches. Sewing machines do this all the time.
For smooth sailing, leaders and enders are the way to go.
(2) My current quilt project ... " quilty beach balls" anyone?
(Read more HERE)
Quilty cabin fever has struck very early this winter.
My need for warmth and sun expresses itself each winter usually in January or February by a need to only sew bright spring and summer colors.
Guess there will be no more red and green Christmas sewing this year and no blue and white snowflake blocks.
(3) Katniss "sunning" herself at midnight ...
under my daylight lamp one night this past week.
Guess my kitties are feeling shut in by the snow and cold, too.
(More quilty Katniss pictures HERE)
(4) The Tree
... needs lights and decorations ...
That is my hubby's hand holding a light set as he did not look very "ho-ho-ho" when I tried to take a picture with him in it. We are very late getting out tree up this year. Finding the tree is a family event and my boys were away on vacation so we had to go out last Sunday after all the snow and the tree was frozen and full of ice so it has spent the last few days thawing out and opening and filling our home with its lovely fresh fir scent.
<3 My big kiddos will be back tomorrow night to deck it out. <3
:) I need to make Christmas cookies today. :)
(5) My Favorite Christmas Song ...
performed wonderfully in this flash mob performance
at the courtyard of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Enjoy!
performed wonderfully in this flash mob performance
at the courtyard of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Enjoy!
"Let there be peace on earth ..."
<3 I Peace By Piece <3
Linking up today with ...
Really Random Thursday @ Live a Colorful Life
... and ...
Random 5 Friday @ A Rural Journal
... and ...
Feline Friday @ Sarah Did It
Blessings to you and yours
<3
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Beach Ball Bingo?
Beach balls?
Summer Sails?
Sandcastles?
(... going to have to decide a name for this one ...)
sewing ...
sewing ...
sewing ...
The quilty kitties and I have to keep this one under wraps until this January hop ...
Please visit all the bright and sunny hoppers then!
Katniss is saying, "You're in my sewing chair!"
Butterfly is saying, " Think again. It is my sewing chair."
All I know is it is not my sewing chair. ;)
Monday, December 16, 2013
Dreaming of Summer ~ Beach Brights and Castles in the Sand!
Look at what has landed on my sewing machine table!
These arrived today to brighten and warm my quilty corner in cold snowy New England!
Aren't these colors gorgeous?
The are new Kona Solids!
Here are the links to the colors in these palates at the
and
mmmmmmm ... yummy!
Can you guess what these might be for?
Here's a hint ...
Celtic Solstice Part 3 Done!
More Celtic Solstice Mystery pieces in the play!
This is still a mystery to me but it is fun playing with the units.
Sewing these did not take as long as the second part.
Finding time to get into the sewing room was off and on
as it was a busy weekend with my family.
At one point late at night I found Katniss sitting on my machine bed looking like she was sunning herself under my daylight lamp.
Katniss looked at the chain pieced string I left trailing out of my machine ...
then looked at me as if saying, "Think maybe you should be doing something here?"
Katniss and I have completed the 100 half-square triangle and 25 pinwheels for Part 3!
We have also made some progress on my 4 Patch Leaders and Enders project.
I am linking up today with the
@
and also
@
Time to work on another project in the works!
Happy sewing!
:)
Sunday, December 15, 2013
1st Stitchin' Sisters Round Robin Block Arrived!
My 1st Round Robin block has arrived!
This beautiful block was made by my friend Annette.
Annette does not have a blog. I keep hinting that she really should have a blog so everyone could see her beautiful work.
Alas, Annette says she does not have time.
Alas, Annette says she does not have time.
Must be because she is sew busy making beautiful quilts.
I love the fabrics and colors in this block!
Annette makes many beautiful quilts in beautiful fabrics and beautiful patterns.
I wish many more quilters could see Annette's beautiful work.
I wish many more quilters could see Annette's beautiful work.
Annette should have a blog.
Maybe we can encourage her to find the time ... ;)
Annette found the pattern for this block
@
You can find this block pattern HERE
I have this beautiful block hanging in my sewing room waiting for it to tell me what I should add for a border.
Last night while I was sewing HSTs for the Quiltville Mystery,I got an idea and sketched a draft for a possible borderand pinned it up next to the block so I could study it some more while I sew.
When I am sure I have the right border, I will see what I have for fabrics.
Annette included some extra pieces of her fabrics that she had left after making her block. I may or may not use some of them. Annette has asked us to limit the colors in this quilt to the ones in the center medallion fabrics but we can choose our own fabrics.
Looking forward to sewing a border for this beautiful block soon!
~ <3 ~
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Happily Ever After Quilts
@
This gorgeous rainbow of fabrics arrived just in time to brighten my cold day
in cold and soon-to-be snowy New England.
They are sew gorgeous!
These are the fabrics for the upcoming
Kits are available HERE
and at
I love the mystery quilt weekend patterns from
and am really looking forward to seeing this pattern surprise
this December 28th and 29th.
Sewing with my quilty online friends is a great way to end my year and ring in the new!
Hope to see you joining in the fun!
:-)
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Celtic Solstice Mystery ~ Part 2
Part 2 Done
and
still a mystery!
Linking up today with all the pretty quilts in progress at
Here is my project box.
I am slowly turning the small cutaway triangles into little pinwheel blocks for a doll quilt
or something in addition to the four patch blocks leaders and enders.
I needed to make 100 of these colorful chevron units
for the smaller version on this quilt ...
I am ready for the next pieces to the puzzle!
Join us in this free pattern fun from
:-)
Army Star Quilt of Valor
Army Star Quilt of Valor
closeup of the center blocks
Army Star Block
This paper pieced pattern was created for this quilt.
Quilt and block specially designed for this quilt by Denise Gies
and sewn and quilted by the members of the
border detail
quilting detail
presentation pillowcase
tag
Presented to
2nd Lieutenant Forrest
at his commissioning ceremony,
December 11, 2013
<3