CHRISTMAS SEWING

Not a lot of Christmas sewing this year.  I did make a wool lap throw that turned out to be more work than I planned.  More on that after Christmas.

BUT,  Pinterest inspired me to try a simple Christmas sewing craft.  I didn't have a pattern so I made my own in the size I wanted.  It is basically a paper-pieced log cabin block, that is then cut diagonally to make into halves forming two bodies.  By adding hat fabrics to each diagonal cut forms two 7" squares.  Next, add batting and a backing; embellish with buttons; and fold and tack each to form two Santa's.

I'm not sure -- is it a Santa, a gnome, or a gnome dressed as Santa?  I don't know!

Does it have a purpose?  By adding a hanger, it becomes a large ornament.  

It could be a bottle topper. 

 Or, maybe, it can replace the "Elf on a Shelf" phenomenon and become "A Gnome on a Roam".

OR, possibly you'll find one hanging out at your local Goodwill store in a couple of years; and, you too, can have one!

At any rate, it occupied me on a snowy afternoon plus used up some more scraps!

VIEW FROM MY SEWING ROOM WINDOW ON A SNOWY AFTERNOON

JENNI'S DRESSES

I finally completed a very old unfinished project.  I was always a sewing-maniac mother, but my daughter never once complained about all of the home-made dresses with ruffles, lace, pinafores, and floral fabric.  My mother always took pity on her and bought her plenty of jeans, t-shirts, and sweaters to also wear.

Back in 1973 when I started to sew for my baby girl, I started a box of scraps from all the dresses, etc. that I made for her.  I always planned to make her a quilt from those scraps.  Finally now for her 47th birthday, I finished that quilt.

It is small at only 26" inches square, but contains over 100 different pieces of fabric and the lace and trims I used over the years.

 It was tricky, on occasion, to combine different kinds of fabrics from cotton to velvet, polyester knits to lace.  I backed some of the rebellious fabrics with a foundation which helped. 

In 1989, I remember struggling sewing a black velvet dress basting each seam.  It was the same sewing the tiny square of velvet into the quilt.

My favorite ones to work on were the teal peau-de-soie long formal and her senior pageant dress with all the beads and sequins hand-sewn on the bodices. 

In addition for her birthday,

I accumulated pictures into book form of her wearing some of the clothes I had made.  I also sewed for her brother until he started to school when he started to rebel.  I had sense enough to quit sewing for him!  Some of the pictures are really bad, but they still bring back many fun memories. 

Remember the Gunne Sax dress craze? - of course, I had to make one for her.  Thank goodness for middle school and contact lenses, so those huge glasses were a thing of the past.  She also had her share of quilted vests.  After all, I was a quilter!

We were really into the lace and florals in middle school.

This quilt will never win a prize or mean anything to anyone but Jenni and me.  

Happy Birthday, Jenni.  Hope you enjoy the reminiscence, and thanks for being so patient with me.  I know you lived in fear I would stick a straight pin in you!

I'm joining in the following:

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
Ems's Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday
What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday

ROUNDABOUT

I have always enjoyed combining two different blocks in a quilt to produce secondary patterns.  This is an idea I have used repeatedly over the years.  Especially, it is fun to combine 45 degree triangles with 60 degree triangles to give the illusion of curves.

These are the two blocks I alternated in this design.

 The centers for block #1 were fussy-cut to make center medallions.

Part of the design was carried into the border to partially complete the illusion of a curve.

"THE STATS"
Roundabout, 2019, 27"x27", Paper pieced, Machine pieced, Machine Quilted

I'm joining the following:

Em's Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday

Cooking up Quilts for Main Crush Monday

What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday

So Scrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday

Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers Wednesday

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I get a Whoop Whoop Friday

FALLOW GROUND

Awhile back I posted about reinventing a quilt that I made in 1986 called "Orchestral Maneuvers at Dawn" (named after a favorite band of my son's at the time).

It was a simple alternating two-block design.

I knew that by using newer fabrics and a different layout of the two blocks, an entirely different quilt would emerge.

Here are the two blocks in the new fabrics.

And here is the finished quilt which I have named "Fallow Ground".

Hosea 10:12 and Jeremiah 4:3 in the bible talks about fallow ground.

"THE STATS"

'Fallow Ground', 2019, 23"x23", Paper Pieced, Machine Pieced, Machine Quilted

Every thing old can be new again!

I'm joining the following:

Em's Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday

Cooking up Quilts for Main Crush Monday

What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday

So Scrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday

Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers Wednesday

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I get a Whoop Whoop Friday

GLAMOUR SHOTS??

I'm working on a program I am giving in October about my 60-year journey as a quiltmaker.  I need to update some of my quilt pictures; and intrigued with the idea of quilts in "glamour shots", I'm giving it a go! 

Success?  Who knows?

I'm joining the following:
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
Em's Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday
What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday
Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday

REINVENTING A QUILT FROM MY PAST

I've always enjoyed combining two different blocks in a quilt to produce secondary patterns.  

Here's a quilt I made in 1986 using two different blocks:

 My son named it "Orchestral Maneuvers at Dawn" --- does anyone else remember the 1980s band named OMD? 

I decided I wanted to reinvent the quilt using the same two blocks, but in a different setting and using entirely different fabrics.

These are the same two blocks in current fabrics that I'm working with:

And, a glimpse of the different setting:

I'm moving right along and almost have the top pieced.

Stay tuned for the completion of the quilt!

More of the two-block quilts I have made over the years are included in my books:

I'm joining the following:
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
Em's Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday
What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday
Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making
Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday
So Scrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday

WINDOWS QUILT

THE STATS:

"Windows", 2019, 33" x 33", 36 paper pieced blocks with sashing and cornerstones, machine pieced, machine quilted, machine bound.

CHERRY JUBILEE

I finally finished this wool applique in time to photograph it with our cherry tree in bloom.  The plaid background is from a skirt from Scotland purchased at a thrift store for $6.

THE STATS:

Wool machine applique and embroidery, machine pieced and quilted, 2019, 21" x 21".

I'm joining the following:

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for can I get a Whoop Whoop Friday

Cooking up Quilts for Main Crush Monday

Ems's Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday

What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday

SINCE CHRISTMAS

After Christmas we undertook a major move-around in our house.  Sixteen years ago, we moved my original sewing room into another bedroom to allow my family to have a larger space when they came home to roost for 3 months.  And ---- we never moved things back around.  I decided I wanted my old larger space back as it has wonderful north light.  One thing leads to another.  After the month of January and lots of muscle and painting, I'm back ---- it's wonderful --- what took us so long?

I now have my computer in the sewing room; my husband has his own computer and library room; and we have a dedicated guest room (although much smaller than previous).

Since I had two months without sewing, I kind of lost my quilting momentum.  I did finish this top this week; and readied it for some machine quilting.

BUT, I'm not sure I want to quilt it right now.

I'm itching to get into my wool stash, and start a wool applique.

I'm awaiting a surgery date on March 18th --- nothing too serious, but important enough to spend a couple of days in the hospital.  Maybe, my mojo will return after that!!

Do you ever lose your momentum?

I'm joining the following:
Em's Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday
Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making
What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday