Doll Quilt- Quilt along Anyone?

Many of you commented on this quilt when I had the photo as my blog header. I resized it in EQ to be a doll quilt. Oh, I just love how it's turning out!!! I thought it would be fun if any of my blog readers would want to do it as a quilt-a-long? I know Kathie said she would do it (sight unseen, I might add) so that is one person. If I can get a few more I'll post the first installment January 1st. It is actually a little more complicated then it may look at first. Color placement is everything in this quilt! You won't need much fabric and the finished doll quilt would be 24" square. I was thinking of posting it in 4 parts, 1 part a week. I'm a slow quilter and only am working on part 2. Any takers?
Here is another project I've been working on for a quilt shop sample. It is called Mockingbirds by Lynda. I have the borders ready to machine applique. I would rate this pattern HARD and I feel like I'm an experienced piecer!!

Post Christmas

Here is my niece thrilled with the Candy Stix quilt. She was so excited to get home and use it!!

This adorable sock was a gift from Brandie. The chocolate she sent with it is stashed in the sewing room. Thank you so much for your generosity Brandie! The sock is hanging right next to an old Santa suit and they look perfect together.

These two placemats were a gift from my friend Randy. We have used them already and it was wonderful to see all the great reproduction fabric while eating. Can you believe I've never made quilted placemats? Although we use placemats on the table every meal. Thank you again Randy!
Ta-Da! I put the final quilting stitches on the main section of my Jane Stickle quilt last night!!! I hope it doesn't take me another 10 years to quilt the border. I do plan on working on it when I can this winter.

Merry Christmas!

I wanted to take this time to wish you all Merry Christmas!! This week will be a bit crazy and I'm not sure I'll have time to post again. Enjoy your family and remember the true meaning of the season.
Thank you all for the support and friendship I've made through this humble blog.

Humble Christmas Crafts

I know I'm not the only one that likes to make crafts that aren't necessarily quilts. No matter how humble they turn out I get so much joy from making them and I love revisiting them every holiday. I generally make crafts as gifts then proceed to make me one or more too!

Does anybody else make stockings for decorations? These are too small to hold anything but just hang there and look pretty.

I love working with wool. I made several versions of these last year.


I've even tried my hand at German paper cutting! These are hand sewn down the centers and lay flat for storing.



Before quilting I was a cross stitcher.

My sister made this for me and it holds center stage at my house during the holidays!!

I am working on a quilt for a quilt shop sample. Yikes! It is more difficult then it should be.

I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season.

Candy Stix Quilt

Here's the finished quilt for my niece! Woo-hoo! I know she is going to love it. A few of us from my small online DJ group swapped the Candy Stix blocks and I set them with the string blocks and backed it with flannel.
The blocks directions came from the Empire Quilters Guild blog and was designed by Karen Griska. In the quilt they showed online the blocks were set directly next to one another. It was a fun happy quilt.

These are a few of my favorite blocks and fabrics.

Proud to be a Dane

My kids died of laughter when they saw these Danish Christmas Nisse. I think they are adorable and their little knitted sweaters are so cute!

Legend says, during Christmas in Denmark, the mischievous Danish elf Nisse plays pranks on people. Nisse often lives in old farmhouses and wears gray woolen clothes, red bonnet and stockings and white clogs. As a good elf, Nisse generally helps people on the farms and is good with children but plays jokes during the holiday season. On Christmas Eve in Denmark, many families leave a bowl of rice pudding or porridge for him so that he is friendly to them and keeps his jokes within limits.

My little Christmas tree adorned with Danish ornaments and other red and whites.

Last year on Christmas morning I made these wonderful aebleskiver's. I plan on making them again. I also should plan on running that day too!!

I put a variety of fruit in the center. I tried a small piece of apple, a blueberry or two and served them with linonberry jam. I think I may have even popped an m&m in one!!

This is my grandfather who came from Denmark. I think the winter's must have been really cold in Wyoming. Look at those chaps he's wearing!!!

According to his sister's obituary she was from Skanderborg, Denmark. When we visited my son while he was an exchange student we were able to go through that town. Not much is known about them but I thought this was a great photo op.


I loved the thatched roof farmhouses.

A beautiful view of the town of Ribe.

Can you tell my other hobby is family history? I'm going to see my dad today- leaving as soon as I post this. He is the only son of my Danish grandfather. Both names Nels.

More Christmas Quilts

I may not put up all my decorations every year, I do put up the few Christmas quilts I have. Heck, I only get to enjoy them for a short time.

I made this free-style quilt while visiting my friend in Ohio. The pattern gave you a formula for making the baskets but that was about it. The applique is done all by machine, and if I remember right I was hand sewing the binding down on the way to the airport. I wanted it to be completed entirely in Ohio!! (no, I wasn't driving!)

Here's a Country Threads pattern that was a lot of fun to make. I leave this one up all winter. If we have a lot of snow everyone begs me to take it down!!

Here is a fun little sampler I did with friends. I think what makes this quilt so charming is the sashing and setting triangles. Sometimes I put this one on my table, this year I opted to hang it up.

I've joined SewCalGal's Virtual Christmas Show. Check out the great quilts posted.

This and That

Before I could really get started machine quilting I needed to finish the Blind Mans Fancy block I started. The one with the green center is the latest one.

The top block is this months BOM by Dawn at Linen Closet Quilts. Depending on how the rest of the quilt goes I may need to redo the eagle in a darker fabric.

My son came home from college to join me and some other Central Oregon Weight Watcher members in running the Jingle Bell 5KRun/Walk for Arthritis. Brrr, it was cold but nothing like today! I use the word "running" lightly, but I did set a goal for myself and beat it by 2 minutes, so I was happy. Oh, and I could still walk the next day!! hahaha

Seasonal Quilts

I haven't done any more decorating but have pulled out my seasonal quilts. It is so nice to revisit them after they've been stored for 11 months!

The table runner in my header was a fun, primitive style block that I made last year. I machine appliqued on old sugar sacks and purposely didn't quilt it. I figured I could always go back and do that later if I changed my mind. I really like the simplicity of it.

My patriotic Santa greets visitors as they enter my front door. I wish I could remember the designer. I do know that I love their patterns and the directions are great! (Joined at the Hip- thanks Carol!)

Things will be a bit slow on my blog for awhile. Making binding and basting quilts isn't the most exciting thing to talk about. I am hoping to get two quilts machine quilted before Christmas and that means I'll have to stay focused!!!

Humble Crafts

My two kids were here for Thanksgiving and I hardly made it into the sewing room. Here is the little cross stitch that I did finish and made into a pinkeep. I better take this as my practice piece, you think? I did enjoy it but learned a few things that might help me the next time. Use a small hoop to keep it taut and wear my magnifier glasses! It was hard and I did my fair share of uncrossing!! Don't you love how symmetrical it is? Hahaha........humble cross stitch- not just quilts!!!

My daughter is 26 and since moving out on her own has never had a big enough place for a Christmas tree. Since she was home for several days she asked if we were going to put up a tree. At my house it isn't as simple as finding an empty corner for a tree. There is furniture to be arranged and rearranged, chairs to be hauled upstairs, and decorations to be brought down from the attic. As long as we've been married neither my husband or I remember having a tree up in November! Because we have such a dry climate and a gas fireplace it may not have any needles left by the time Christmas comes. I'm glad we did it and the kids were able to laugh at the handmade ornaments they did as small children.

Did your kids make dixie cup covered in foil bell? I think every year they made them in Sunday School and I have several on my tree.

This is my daughter's paper Santa. She thought is was pretty sweet!

So, the tree is up and the house is almost clean. I hope you are all looking forward to the holidays, I know I am!

Happy Thanksgiving!

You've seen it on many blogs already, I'm sure. But I am truly grateful today!
Thank you all for commenting, being a bloggy follower and sharing this small place of Humble Quilts.
If I would have known what I was missing I would have started this blog a whole lot sooner.
Thank you for all the smiles you bring to me each day!

I'm also grateful for this beautiful view!!

I Won!

Has anyone seen Vegas Vacation when the family is trying to win back some money and the older man next to them wins Keno and he says, "I won! I won! I won! I won! I won!" If you havne't seen it, this won't make any sense, but that is what I was saying when Lynda from Primitive Pieces posted that I had won this wonderful wool turkey wallhanging!! I hung it up in a prominent place and will get many smiles from it!! Thanks again Lynda.
You can see a better photo of it on her website.

NW Quilt Shops

Last Friday I had to go into Portland and I finally made it to Vancouver, WA to the Primitive Thimble. Oh my! This shop is definitely right up my alley. The owner so so nice and made the experience that much more pleasant. She was so cheerful, friendly and helpful. I sure wish I was closer so I could take some classes.
I've always loved this quilt!! It's called Juniper and Mistletoe by Barbara Brackman.

They had the cutest displays throughout the whole store.

Lovely wool.

Look at the adorable partially hooked turkey!

I did manage to find a few items that had to come home with me.


This next shop is new to me and new to the area. Carrie gave me the heads up. I stopped in last week and had a short visit with the owner and was back today to snap a few photos. I think the owner, Leslie, intended to start a little fabric store so people could find quality fabric for bags, pj's, aprons and other clothing. What she didn't expect was quilters to come in looking for quilt fabric and supplies. The owner doesn't quilt but she is so willing to carry what people want. Even if she isn't quilt savvy I want to see her succeed. Isn't that how we feel when someone is friendly and helpful? So here is my blatant advertising for a new business. (she opened in June) If you are ever in the area be sure to look her up!!
You have to look closely or you'll miss it! It's called Material Girls fabric on 7th street in Redmond, Oregon.

Leslie has a nice selection of clothing patterns.

It's a small shop and she is leaning towards the brighter fabrics. She also has some wonderful gifty type items.

She has quite of bit of cute trims, ribbons and rick rack too.

One more stop I made in Portland was to Acorns & Threads- a cross stitch shop. I've been wanting to try my hand at a little primitive cross stitch. The store and the web site is amazing. The place was really busy so I didn't feel comfortable taking any photos, but I did pick up some linen and a cute pattern. I'm hoping to show you the very humble results later in the week. Please don't laugh too hard. I've decided to stick with quilting!!!

Weekend Update

Don't leave! You have the right blog! LOL No, this isn't my usual style, but I have had a lot of fun making these simple colorful string blocks. This is a secondary block for a Christmas gift I am working on. I finished them up this weekend and have all the paper tore off. I used Bonnie's suggestion and used telephone pages to paper piece them. It worked like a dream!

Here is the second little collage I finished.

And I redid the ribbon one the first one. I like this a lot better. It is adorable lace made by Moda. I backed them with craft paper and attached hooks for hanging so they would be ready to go.
Here are a few more blocks waiting for a project. The photo on the right was taken before I aged it. I love those Pennsylvania Dutch colors.

I've had a busy weekend. I am hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year, and although there will only be 8 of us I needed to get my recipes together, write my grocery list, get my linens washed, get rid of dust bunnies and fluff the guest beds. I wrapped my first two Christmas gifts! I'm never this early but wanted to get them sent with family members at Thanksgiving.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. Safe travels to those who will be on the road.