Are you ready for the most delicious blog hop of the year? This wild and wonderful bunch of quilt bloggers are showing off their cookie credentials in the sweetest show and tell of them all!
Carol over at justletmequilt.com has rounded up a super sweet lineup with something sure to fit every sweet tooth! I’m already smitten with Creatin’ in the Sticks adorable gnome block and the pecan bars look Amazing! Pecans (pee-cans or pee-cons) I don’t care how you say it, they’re my favourite!
So hop along and meet me back here later for a little yummy treat and remember… treats at the holidays have special calories that go right up the chimney…at least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Early this week, I came home and realized it was a tad cold in the house. I check the thermostat and it was 60. I thought maybe the thermostat timer had been put off by the time change (I know I always am) and so I turned it up. Nope, nothing. That gauge didn’t change, no warm air was forthcoming and the cats all decided that I was a lovely heat source. I texted the neighbors for a recommendation, ran the gas fireplace for long enough to take the edge off the chill and got into bed with four quilts and four cats. It was Thursday before they could come and take a look but, thankfully, they had a replacement furnace in stock and could install it the next day. Turns out that our 25 year-old furnace was not just failing but had become unsafe and had to be disconnected. I can’t complain about getting 25 years out of it, though, and the service company was great!
In other news, I’m continuing with my tiny tidies. This one was more of a “micro tidy.” I had this small pile of miscellaneous stuff on my table. Maybe five minutes of my time but what a difference. I also decided to start on a box of scraps that need taming.
My daughter thought that her co-workers had hit a saturation point with scrub caps a while ago but just asked if I would make some more as people were asking for them. I finished these three and then I have a group of special request ones to do, too.
These are the three I finished today…
These are all from a free pattern and youtube tutorial by Rob Appel. And, while they are a great stash buster by using up about 1/2-yard each, the key seems to be to not replenish faster than you use the fabric. (I’m still struggling with this concept as evidenced by the new Tula line that arrived today!!!)
In other home front news, the armoire was finally adopted and look at the difference it makes in the living room!
It’s hard to believe how much that one change opens the space up.
Because I took today off for the furnace, I’m planning to work on Monday but then I’ll be off the rest of the week for Thanksgiving break. My friend Jennifer and I are planning a post-Thanksgiving sew-a-thon and I have a long list of pre-Christmas sewing I’d like to get done. There’s a quintet of Christmas pajama pants that need cutting and sewing, a stocking or two that need stitching and of course a zillion quilts I want to work on!
So what’s on your holiday weekend agenda? Whatever it is, I hope you’ll be warm and safe.
It’s No Ring November courtesy of Carla over at Creatin’ in the Sticks!
Several years ago I started making seasonal coasters for my mom and so I trotted out my old ideas and started a set that would make a fun stocking stuffer! I still haven’t hooked the old computer up from when we evacutated ahead of the fire threat (I know, I know it’s been over a year…) .
Anyway, without my old patterns, I decided to use an old sewing trick and drafted a quick 3.0″ finished square with a simple tree design. Then, so I didn’t have to trace it three more times, I used my unthreaded sewing machine to stitch my penciled lines through all four layers of paper.
Voila! Four matching patterns with the added bonus of pre-perforating the paper so it’s even easier to remove.
I like to make and trim my coaster and then quilt them to a slightly larger piece of fabric.
After I quilt it, I trim the excess batting and trim the back fabric so it extends just 3/4″ beyond the trimmed batting. Then I fold the backing around the front and hand stitch it down.
I’ve tried machine stitching these but I really like the look of the hand stitching. They’re not perfect but they make a nice spot of color under a cup or glass.
This is a great place to use up leftover scraps and bits. I’ve made seasonal coasters with flowers, leaves, fish and more fun things. I hope you’ll dig into your scraps and whip up a set of these for yourself and maybe one for a friend!
I’d love to see them if you do. You can tag me over at Instagram at @bethstrand
Be sure to check out these other talented folks and thank Carla for putting this party together!
Today felt like a bad Monday wrapped in a Wednesday suit but that is what cats and sewing rooms are for… to lift the spirits!
Fuzz therapy first!
I soaked in some fuzz therapy and chatted with a couple friends and then I went upstairs to load the back of a quilt on the frame and look around for a tiny tidy. I settled on this box of notions… turns out I didn’t need most of them! I also began pulling the final section of my scrap vortex off the bulletin board and onto the design wall. That top only needs one more row….I just need to lay it out to see if that’s horizontal or vertical! Best part of cleaning that box was finding the funny little tweezer- looking tool…. its called a bodkin and I’d been looking for it! Well, thinking of looking for it, anyway!
So, a finish I think I missed was this one!
Finishing at about 72×72, this giant star will be raffled by the Elks for their charity efforts. My friend, Jennifer, provided the fabrics for the top and I did the sewing.
Another top I finished was this one but, Ack… that blue piece sticking out of the upper right… that’s been removed and replaced and this one is heading for the longarm. I bought the panel on a trip to Phil’s high school réunion and my friend Margot gifted me the greens so it’s full of good memories. For the border, I cut 2.5″ strips and sub cut them into 5.5″ and 3.5″ strips. I paired them up and alternated then to get that watery look. I have to say, I’m pretty excited.
That’s all four me tonight. A tiny step forward but a step nonetheless!
For several years, I’ve participated in the Seams to be Sew row along. Marian was such a kind person and welcomed my inexperienced self into a group of wonderful designers. She passed away in March and Melissa from The Quilting Room with Mel stepped up to lead this row along in Marian’s memory.
From my first row along, I’ve focused on pieced rows. I love piecing, it’s fast, it’s fun and, frankly, I’m an epic fail at fusing and hand applique takes a long time!
So this year’s row from me is waves. Nothing says seaside to ne more than three sounds of crashing waves. I’d love to show you a better photo but, unbelievably, I can’t find my row! I’ve put it in a safe place and I need to find it quickly for my show and tell day! Of course, if you saw my tidying post, you’ll know why I can’t find it!
These are made with the snails tail block and each block finishes at 10″ for a 30″ row.
Now, these are pretty easy if you take them step by step but be sure you have your fabric placement right before you sew…how do I know?
I’m grateful to Melissa for helping us keep this tradition in Marian’s memory. I’m sure all these rows would make her smile.
And, as promised in the title, here’s the tiny bit of organizing I got done today in between a broken pipe, no water, trips to the hardware store and trying to find a plumber (all of which took a good chunk out of my day. )
It may not be gasp-worthy but Max appreciated the extra floor to spread out on and it was fun to finally hang the clock my friend Margot gifted to me. And yesterday’s empty box…now half full of things to donate!
Please stop by the other designers on the hop today…I called ahead and they’re expecting you!
That’s all for me tonight, friends. The wind is howling, parts of my city lost power today and I’m thinking I should let my phone get a good charge, just in case!
Soooo….my daughter has taken the lead in really helping get the main areas of the house tidied. Many bags of clutter have exited stage left and there’s been a lot of, “Do we really need this?”
Both of us are really enjoying our “new” rooms!
The last week of so, I’ve been laid up with random foot/leg pain but now that it’s resolving, I’m starting on what is easily the worst room in the house…my sewing room.
My lovely friend, Jennifer, always reminds me about the importance of eating one bite of the elephant at a time. So last night I started with a very tiny transformation.
Before and after of my little notions drawers.
Today I tackled a full box of scraps. My Accuquilt got a good workout and proved once again what a fun tool out is!
I cut and sorted into:
2.5″ strips
3. 5″ half-square triangles
Strings
Scrap triangles
Bits for improve crazy piecing which will be sorted by color
And pieces for a scrappy flannel quilt (a pattern I’ve made a bunch of times before and I think I have all the blocks I need for one made!) Here’s a little photo gallery of my progress!
From overflowing to empty!
Now, just for full disclosure, here’s a gallery of the state of things when I started. This is going to be a long project but I’m excited to see tiny bites out of this elephant. And, I’m excited to share my progress. I’ll post these up on Instagram, too. If you’re working on an elephant of your own, feel free to tag me @pbstrand and let’s cheer one another on. #quiltroommakeover, #onebiteatatime
School is back in session and life is hectic but it’s never too hectic to come out to play with the wonderful Carol from justletmequilt.com!
I love playing along with the Halloween hop even though, gasp! I don’t usually end up decorating for Halloween. My oldest has a birthday just before and I didn’t want to overshadow her birthday. And then, I’d usually decide not to decorate because it was just for a few days…most years, carved pumpkins decorating the porch and lots of candy was our contribution to the festivities.
So, over the last few years, I’ve made quite a few lovely projects that I wouldn’t have made without the annual hop.
These are all the images I had the patience to find…lol… the phone was being REALLY slow! And Griffie appears to have snuck in…a message from beyond, perhaps?
Now, I say “made” but a bunch of these are tops. I think I better plan to finish them up and do some seasonal decorating next year!
For this year, I decided to dust of the witches’ hats and see what I could do.
Fabric auditions!
Turns out, you really can have hundreds of yards of fabric and STILL not have the one you need! After extensive fabric auditions, I headed to the store because nothing was working!
Nope, nope and “Don’t call us, we’ll call you!”
The right one made all the difference. My apologies for the bad lighting….but I didn’t get the borders on until after dark…
They say you put a bit of yourself into whatever you sew and here’s me…
A crazy cat lady witch!
By the way, do you recognize the purple border from the reject pile? It was not destined for lattice but I think it’s nice as a border. The rich purples with gold and floating instruments remind me of the Haunted Mansion.
So, let’s set a goal for next year… I’ll add a photo of my bed dressed in a Halloween quilt next year..maybe after that, I’ll be inspired to make that Christmas quilt I’ve been dreaming of! One holiday at a time, right? Do you think a Thanksgiving quilt is a requirement? Hmmmm….. I’ll have to think on that one!
Please be sure to check out all my ghoul friends… they’ve been turning up the spooky this week! And be sure to stop by justletmequilt.com and thank Carol for putting this on!
How much do I love blog hops? A whole big lot! Not only do I get a big shot of inspiration from the other bloggers but I also get a shot of panic-induced sew-jo!
I was mulling over a bunch of ideas when suddenly I remembered the Canada panel. I actually wasn’t sure if I bought it so I searched my email before I searched my sewing room. And once I knew I had bought it, the sewing fairies helped lead me right to it! I paired it with a newsprint neutral from the Canadian anniversary print and added a bundle of red fabric I purchased at a quilter’s yard sale organized by Pioneer Quilts. This was, of course, pre-covid.
My Accuquilt was the star of this show with those many, many 2.5″ squares and triangles. Honestly, without it, I’d probably not have tackled that border (remember, deadline looming…) Thanks to technology and some dumb luck (seriously, I didn’t measure the panel before I started on blocks) I was able to turn this top out on a rainy weekend! So, with that lead-in, here’s my Falling for You project!
Honestly, who wouldn’t fall for that handsome Mountie?
Pieced maple leaves!
All it took for my scrappy leaves was a combo of squares, 1/2-square triangles and one quick stem! Next week, I’ll try to add a step by step tutorial.
In the meantime, hop over and give Joan at MooseStashQuilting.com some huge kudos for cat-herding and rounding up so many talented quilters!
I’m proud to be in the daily lineup with these great people..
Fall has started here with a rainy weekend and cooler nights. Last night, however, was perfect river weather and we took advantage of ladies night to go kayaking. I didn’t really ever picture myself hanging out on the river discussing the Great British Bake Off on a Tuesday night but life is full of little surprises!
Here’s hoping there’s something unexpectedly pleasant in your week that makes you feel as contented as the grand-cat looks in this picture!
Grab your scarf and a mug of something warm and come along this week for the “I’m Falling for You” blog hop hosted by MoosestashQuilting.com. I’m so excited to show you my project! Stop back by on Thursday and, in the meantime, hop over to each of these talented designers for a fun, fall- themed week of inspiration!
Ack! I’m so very late! This week was crazy busy at work and I totally missed the kickoff of the Seaside Adventure Row Along! This is a memorial Row Along as we lost of fearless leader, Marian at Seams to be Sew. Marian passed away this spring and the world is definitely poorer for it. Marian was always kind and helpful and never minded my 11th hour panic calls when I couldn’t figure out codes for giveaways. Mel at The Quilting Room stepped up and coordinated the designers to go ahead with the row along. Rows are release twice a week. My day is in October but mark your calendars and pick up these terrific row patterns…or, as they say, “Come on in, the water’s fine!”
You can find all our fabulous designers on these days:
Words & Stitches 