Sunday, December 30, 2012

A Little Porch Time Quilt

It was probably a little ambitious to think I could get half of my border done in the month of December, but I did make progress!
Here are my pieces and parts prepped and waiting to be appliqued. For some reason one of my butterflies has two different yellow wings....
Here is one corner of my quilt. I got the inner dark border applied and the outer green AND I got the vine appliqued on two sides. Hmm, maybe I made more progress than I thought.
My plan is to stay focused on this until it is done! The month of January, for sure!!


I couldn't resist one more Christmas photo.  My mom was sick on Christmas day so we had her over on the 27th to open her gifts. It was just 5 of us and really was so much better for her. I had my brother snap a photo of Cory & I in front of our tree as I had forgotten to on Christmas day. I like this photo so much as it was so relaxed and casual.
See the snowflake cut outs on the window? I won those from Tim. (there were more on my kitchen window) He is so talented! Click on his name to check out his blog.

All right Porch Quilt ladies. Share what you have , even if it is pieces.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Holiday Musings

 Here is a little quilt I made for AAQI. I'll get the binding added this weekend. I used the hidden star patter and am calling it Hide & Seek. If you've been reading my blog for anytime at all, or you have a loved one with Alzheimer's you'll understand the title. I like that at first glance you don't see the star, but have to search for it within the pattern.
 I haven't been doing too much sewing but getting a little prep done for the applique of a Little Porch Time. How are you all doing on yours? Half way on the border?
 One Christmas tradition we have is making  Danish Aebleskiver Christmas morning. I like to think we are paying homage to my Danish ancestors.
 My brother home from China for a visit. My mom continues to look forward to seeing him. She doesn't remember where he is living but so far she remembers him. They have the main room in the assisted living home all decked out with Christmas decor.
 All the cousins (and me) went for a walk Christmas day. I LOVE this picture!! My niece and nephews lived with us for about 5 years so I feel like they are partially mine. I'm glad they are close with my two kids.
 Santa's reindeer?

 Sven thought it was a good time to celebrate Christmas while I'm 50. We opened the 50 year old vintage wine my sister had got me for my birthday. Yep, 1962 was a good year for wine in France!
A few of you asked to see my tote that I had in the photo in front of the outdoor Christmas tree. I got this bag at the Smithsonian Institute probably 15 years ago. It is still one of my favorites.

Have a fantastic weekend. My last post of the year will be the Porch Quilt so be ready next week.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas

From my house to yours I want to wish you all a sincere Merry Christmas!
Thank you for all your encouragement, inspiration, comments and generally putting up with my humble quilts and my silliness! It has been a fun and exciting year and I look forward to what 2013 has in store.





From my house to yours

“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.”~ Calvin Coolidge

Productive Week

Here were my retreat projects. I feel pretty good about what I got done.
Another quilt made from the cowboy fabric!! Yeehaw! I have a border fabric picked out and am hoping to get it on today.
I added the cheddar outside the spikes to help give this quilt balance. I brought a stencil to possibly get it prepped for trapunto. The stencil was too small and am now having second thoughts about doing it at all.
After finding my blocks at home I finished the main body of Just Takes Two!! After seeing some options I considered a more elaborate border, but only for about two seconds. Now I'm thinking a 4-6" red border and calling it DONE!

We didn't only sew, we also played in the snow. Click here to check it out!
Happy Christmas Eve!!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Just Takes Two Almost Finale

I'm having a lovely time in Sunriver with Randy and Claire. Everybody should do this the week before Christmas!!!! What a great way to relax. We are enjoying to cold snow and wind from inside our cozy sewing spot with hot soup and wine.

I got the final blocks made on Tuesday of Just Takes Two. Yes, I made a mistake, no, I'm not fixing it.
I then proceeded to assembling.....
except I apparently left a few blocks at home!



How annoying! But the missing blocks all go in one section, so it shouldn't be too much to add them when I get home.
It's cold and snowy but we always manage to get outside for a walk. We are going snowshoeing tomorrow!

We had a little accident at our business this week. The driver didn't only knock out the power but caused a surge at our business so I'll be stopping by the office supply on my way home and replacing some equipment. What a pain! As far as I know everyone in the vehicle was ok.

Countdown to Christmas! Have a festive week!!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Adventures of Sven the Nisse

What a fun Christmas weekend we had!
 We booked a beautiful room overlooking the Willamette River in downtown Portland. The idea was to see the Christmas Ship parade. We ended up missing it! I'm afraid I had too long of a  list of things to do this weekend

Accidentally came upon VooDoo donuts. Crazy iconic place in Portland to get a donut or two!
 Shop till you drop!

Had a silly time walking through Peacock Lane. It wasn't as good as it looks like from the website. But for so may Portlanders in the neighborhood it is a yearly tradition.


Had a festive time after dinner at  Pioneer Square .

Sven experienced his first snow!

And so this is still related to Humble Quilts here are my wool stocking ornaments. Pretty silly and prim but fun to make!
 

If you want to see what crazy thing I did on Sunday click here- Get to Goal.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Sewline Needle Threader

Some time back I was complaining about not being able to thread my needle. This came highly recommended by my blog readers and here is my unprofessional, unpaid review.
Looks like lipstick. It's nice because it is easy to find in your supplies.
Open it up, put your needle gently in the end-( eye inside) At this point I push down gently to see if my needle is lined up properly inside.
Lay your thread over and in the little slot.
Push top down gently
.

Pull needle out slowly. Ta-da!! Threaded needle and I didn't even have to put on my magnifying glasses!! lol
I've got my vine hand appliqued to my Porch quilt. It's going slower then I'd like, but it isn't because I'm spending time trying to thread my needle!!
It has something to do with getting distracted with cute projects like this from Cheri!!

Sven the Gnome is going on an adventure this weekend!!

Monday, December 10, 2012

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

I'm sorry I do not have any quilting to show. I'm working on appliqueing borders on my Porch Quilt, so showing a long vine would really put us all to sleep! lol I've been preparing for Christmas, trying to enjoy each moment. It is fun to revisit quilts and decorations I've made in the past.
I made this one last year, but it is in a prominent place this year. It's the first thing you see when you walk in the front door.

I  picked up this reindeer ornament from the Scandinavian fair a few weeks ago. The woman making them was walking around chatting and braiding. I was duly impressed!!
My cat got his pants changed to red again and he fits right in.

Second Sunday of Advent.
Trying to get the timer on the camera, this was the best I could do. We had our business Christmas dinner last night. It's always a fun time with our small group. Dinner and company was great.

This week I went to a Christmas Card making party. I'm not crafty like that, but it was so much fun and now I have some hand made cards to send out this year!!  Have a fantastic week.

PS Three of my AAQI have sold. One more is left. Please considering purchasing this for a great cause!! Click on the title to check it out. Cinnamon Rolls.  Thank you so much.


Thursday, December 6, 2012

AAQI Quilts for Sale!

I just saw that my 4 collaborative quilts for AAQI are now up for sale! Kathie Holland made the tops and I basted and quilted them. I'm going to "advertise" on Facebook soon, so may I suggest you purchase it while you can. Click on the title to bring you to the AAQI page.
Holiday Pizazz

Cinnamon Rolls

Blueberry Buckle

Autumn Reflections




Funny how these came up today for sale. I made my mom cry this morning and was feeling pretty lousy about it. I am trying to do something right, though... One thing good about Alzheimer's is she may not remember by tomorrow. Now if I can stop beating myself up about it.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

13/25 blocks!

It is hard to capture quilting on camera, but I am delighted to tell you I have almost completed the hand quilting of block 13 of Beyond the Cherry Trees! Here are my most recent quilted blocks.
Lady with glasses

Stem in mid air




You are just going to have to believe me when I tell you it is lovely! The motifs in this quilt are making it so much more enjoyable for me to work on. I know I have a lot to go, but I can't think of that right now.

My blogging may slow down a little  since the holidays are upon us. Be sure to take time to enjoy this time of the year.