Friday, July 27, 2018

Christmas In July Blog Hop


Merry Christmas in July Blog Hop! 

I have been having a very wonderful month of July.
It feels like Christmas ... except maybe for the hot summer sun.

I have been swapping gifts:


I made this clowder of kitties for a
Christmas Kitty in July Swap
with a group of online quilty friends.


Here are the kitty swap blocks I  recently received in return.

This cat block pattern is from

The Cat's Meow by Janet Kime


These blocks were hand delivered to me by my friends,
Cherie, Debbieann and Vanessa,
at the Quilt Odyssey show in Pennsylvania
where I went during our vacation.

I have been online friends for many years with these
quilty and kitty loving friends.
It was the first time we all met.
It was a wonderful time.
We exchanged gifts and dined and had a great time together.

I bought the kit for the wool stocking ornament at Quilt Odyssey


My Christmas in July gift to me!


This adorable wool mitten ornament kit with complete pattern and instructions
and an extra scrap bag of wool felt to customize my ornaments.


The  instructions called for using regular sewing thread to stitch
around the decorations on the mittens.
I started to hand stitch these and my hands got tired very easily.

I did also use Heat n Bond Light to attach the cutouts to the mitten.

So I decided to do a machine blanket stitch for this part of the process.


I did manage to hand blanket stitch the mitten pieces together
to form the pocket
and to add the decorative stitches on the cuff.



I am pretty happy with the results!

These can be found online at
Rachel of Greenfields
in Lancaster, PA.

The Lancaster area is a wonderful place for quilters.
So many beautiful shops and quilts to see.


I also did some quilt shop hopping in Lancaster County.

Here at Zooks/Sauders Fabric  I found a ...


... pretty Kitty Christmas fabric for my swap kitties quilt.

My Christmas in July has been wonderful!

I am home from my travels and moving my stuff back into my
Sewing Room Makeover 
but I have not been doing much actual sewing, though.

So this is all I have to show right now.

My you enjoy all the merry


@
Carol @ Just Let Me Quilt


Please be sure to make all the stops today

July 27th


Christmas in my house just would not be Christmas 
without a tree ... 

So ...

Here is my Christmas Tree in July ... ;) 


A Meowy Christmas Tree! 

Maestro, Nutmeg and Katniss say, 

"Have a Meowy Christmas in July Blog Hop!"


31 comments:

Cynthia's Creating Ark said...

Very cute kitty cats. The cat tree is the only tree allowed in our house at Christmas. I have naughty kitties here. Love how the Morton's turn out.

Elizabeth Coughlin said...

Great projects! I really like the ornament.

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

Everything is lovely, Pat....I was to Zooks once on a bus tour...loved it!

Dorian said...

Great job on your mitten Pat! Looks like you had a fabulous time at quilt odyssy, so glad you were able to go and meet up with quilty friends.

Quilt Doodle Designs said...

I love your projects! The ornament is awesome and the cat quilt will be beautiful when done. I wish I could have cats, I love them but am allergic to them. I get to enjoy my sister's cat, Frank, when I visit her, he's a sweetie.

Linda C said...

Looks like a lovely time was had by all in Lancaster! That cat block has always been a favorite of mine but even though I have the book I don't think I have ever made one like yours anyway. Some in hearts, foundation pieced, for a memorial quilt for a friend, yes! Love your wool mitten project. Larger than I thought when you showed it on the machine bed. Well done, Pat!

Carol Swift said...

It looks like you had an amazing time on your trip and meeting up with blogger friends is always so fun. The kit you bought and sewed is adorable. I think your Meowy Christmas Tree kind of stole the show...cuteness! Thanks for hopping with us and sharing your Christmas projects. :O)

LJ said...

LOL, that's quite the tree! The kitty quilt is really cute and looks like it fits right in. I, too, have just finished making those same felt mitten ornaments. There is also a kit that has a light colored felt for the mittens. I got both kits because we have 10 grands and each kit only makes 6. I love that one with the tree on the top of the car. I purchased my kits from the Missouri Star Quilt Company. Adorable.

Creativeblonde66 said...

Beautiful, so very cute ♥

Carol said...

What a neat kitty quilt you will have! Those exchanges are cool. I made the mittens a couple years ago. Enjoyed the whole process. Yours are really cute! Thanks for sharing.

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures said...

Merry Christmas in July,

tink's mom said...

Oh that mitten is wonderful. The detail is what makes it special. Also love, love, love your Christmas in July Tree and its adornments. Glad you had a great trip.

Kay Holm said...

Love the Christmas kitties!!! I usually stitch felt by hand, but I may try it by machine after seeing yours. Thanks.

Lori Smanski said...

your mitten is sweet. what fun kitty swaps. i love your christmas tree in July. thanks for sharing quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

Home Sewn By Us said...

Good Morning! It looks like you had great fun with your friends, and I love the outcome of your swapped blocks for the clowder of kitties. What a cute idea! That wool mitten is SO cute and will look great on your tree. This whole blog hop has put me in such a great mood - I love seeing what everyone has made. Happy Friday! ~smile~ Roseanne

Anonymous said...

I want to make all the squeaky noises because that mitten is adorable!!! Thanks for sharing.

marebear said...

Hi, I want to compliment you on such a lovely post. I can tell you spend alot of time designing your blog. Love the sweet mitten, too! Is your name Rachel? I tried to find your name on the blog. Thanks for sharing.

Barb Neiwert said...

Great ornaments for an exchange or your own tree! And speaking of trees, those kitties seem to be just purrfect!

Kathy H said...

Your ornament is so cute. I enjoyed the show at quilt oddesy also.

Calicojoan said...

Love your Christmas Kitty tree LOL!! I've got got one of those here now too. I'm just a bit jealous of your shopping trip. I LOVE Zooks and the entire Lancaster area. Those little mittens are just too cute and well...it goes without saying your kitty blocks are just purrfect!

Preeti said...

Cute kitties. A bit of Halloween mixed in with Christmas, I'd say but still a whole lot of fun!!!

barbara woods said...

love your mittens and that great fabric

Susan said...

Adorable mitten, and an even more adorable Christmas in July tree! The 'ornaments' are quite cute!

Suze said...

Pat, I love your pictures of meeting your friends. The cat's meow quilt is purrfect for you and it's wonderful that your friends and you had a swap and even more special that the blocks were delivered in person. It took a few minutes to realize that most, if not all, the fabrics are Christmas fabrics, too. I noticed that many are also cat fabrics. You always have great ideas. I love your July Christmas gift to you - the mitten. I can see where the stitching would be hard on the hand. You did an amazing job on it. Job well done, my friend! Thanks for participating in the hop. You always bring a pleasant and cretive element to any hop. Susan

Sharon Aurora said...

Lancaster is a beautiful place to visit. I'm glad you enjoyed your vacation. I love your tree, especially those adorable ornaments. That cute little mitten you made belongs on that tree for the kittens who lost their mittens. :)

Charlene McCain said...

Your mittens are adorable! What a wonderful gift to yourself! Your tree is the cutest! Love all the kitty fabric, too. Meow-y Christmas!

Needled Mom said...

Those little mittens are soooo cute. Nice job on them too.

Susan said...

What a great Christmas ornament! It caught my eye right away, and I loved seeing how you put it together. Thanks for the source link. Your swap kitties and your real kitties are both adorable. Thank you for sharing those.

Robin (RsIslandCrafts) said...

I love your July Christmas tree lol. Your mittens are adorable. I like felt ornaments on my tree especially mittens. I'm very impressed with your machine buttonhole stitching. It's hard to do it neatly on small pieces.

Sharon said...

Meowy Christmas to you too! I really love the wool mitten ornaments; sew pretty. Thanks for sharing.

Janine @ Rainbow Hare said...

Your cats are adorable! And I'm very impressed - and a bit envious - that you are getting so organised for Christmas already. Those wool mittens look great :)