Christmas 2016

While decorating the house for the Christmas holiday, I decided I needed another Christmas quilt. 

What? 

Adding another thing to an already busy time is nuts! 

But...I did it! 

I found a gift block pattern on Pinterest and started making packages from Christmas fabric scraps in my stash. Originally, I planned on just making a 4 x 4  lay-out but as I was playing around, this arrangement immersed. 

I'll try to find the link and edit this post later. 

The quilt is about 56" x 64". 

I straight lined quilted through the gifts to make like a Christmas tree. 

You can see better from the back, below. 

The background is FMQ in stippling. I love the texture that it gives to the quilt!

The backing and the background were larger pieces from my stash which I inherited as was the red and white stripe I used for the binding. 

I just love it when I use fabrics from my stash! 

My stash is quite extensive that I barely make a dent, or so it seems.

I also made a new garden banner from a Christmas panel inherited from my mom's stash.

 

Our annual Norwegian Christmas progressive dinner (we call it the Troll Stroll) was this past Sunday and the usual characters showed up for some festive activities and gift giving. 

Do you have some crazy traditions?

My wish for you is to have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year spent with family and friends! 

I'm linking up at Let's be social.

Finally done!

I have a finish!  

This quilt has been made over the year which makes it seem like it has been around a long time! The Rainbow Scrap Challenge hosted by SoScrappy announces a color of the month. You can choose anything to make or follow along. This year Angela designed a column quilt which I did not do but looked amazing put together. Maybe next year....

I choose to make a blocked based on the Soul Searching block. I changed the bar sizes so each block was smaller than the original. This would allow me to use more blocks hence more colors.

There are 12 colors even though the challenge was for 10 colors. I added an extra medium blue and an extra light green to round out my quilt. The background for the blocks is low volume prints. 

The backing fabric is from my stash. I pieced it with a column of 3 lanterns using printed fabrics that read as black for lantern's background.  

I made a scrappy 'piano keys' border using this technique I found on pinterest. 

I quilted using an organic straight line in the lanterns in the thread color of the lantern. In the low volume areas and in the border, I FMQ loops down each bar.

I'm naming this quilt Lantern Festival because it reminds me of the Chinese lanterns that fly in the sky at a lantern festival. This quilt finishes at 57" x 66".

I'm linking up to SoScrappy!

I have a few more projects hanging around my sewing room that I hope to find time to work on during this already busy time of the year.  

What have you been working on?

Distracted!

Yes, I have been distracted for the last 5 weeks or so! You may ask what could distract me for that long? Well, it certainly wasn't the political campaigns. 

In fact, my distraction was a great distraction from all the political nonsense! 

My distraction was is the Chicago Cubs! 

I have been a Chicago Cub fan since I was a little girl. Players like Ron Santo, Billy Williams and Ernie Banks were my childhood heros!

 Although I haven't personally waited 108 years for the Chicago Cubs to win the World Series, I have waited all my life (which is quite long in itself). I still need to pinch myself to remind myself that it happened!

These players are so endearing. They are the good guys. They play with heart. They were very fun to watch (and a bit nerve wracking)!

As you can imagine, Chicago went crazy! 

Everyone was is celebrating...so much so that 5 million people were crowded downtown for the parade and rally. 

The crowds down at Wrigley Field are still there. On Saturday, late afternoon, we drove down to see the marquee but had to settle for a drive by. 

People are still crowded outside!

I did manage to do some knitting while watching my beloved Chicago Cubs and finished this lap blanket last night which will be donated to a local hospital. 

I found this chevron knitting pattern on Pinterest and wanted to try it using scrap yarn. 

Today I managed to finish quilting this baby quilt which has been a UFO for some time. 

My daughter and I made it together. We each pieced some of the row blocks and started quilting it but then she became super busy. I had other projects and so it sat for a while. Now all that is left is hand sewing the binding. 

I also have my RSC quilt ready to sandwich and another quilt that I have been working on almost ready. Hopefully, not to long before I can show some finishes!

Labels

Do you label your quilts? 

I have always documented and labeled my quilts with at least the name of the quilt, my name and the date. If it is a gift, I add who it is for and maybe the occasion. Sometimes I add my location.  

I also keep a running journal and of coarse photos of all the quilts I make and a short paragraph about each quilt, including size and finish date. 

Lately, I have fallen behind in labeling. 

Since I finished a baby quilt made for a gift, I knew I needed to get busy making some labels. 

I used Bubble Jet Set 2000 to set the ink from my printer on the labels.

It is easy to use. I take my muslin (my usual go to label fabric) and soak it in the solution. Ring out the excess and hang it to dry.

Once it is dry, I iron it and then cut it to 8 1/2" x 11". I also cut freezer paper to the same size and iron it on. 

At my computer, I search for free clip art that will go with each quilt. I make my labels with the important information on it and then print it out. Here are the ones I made yesterday.

Once they are printed, I iron them again to set and cut them out. I remove the freezer paper and iron under a 1/4" around the label.

The last thing to do is stitch them on! Here are the quilts I finally finished!

From left to right:

Yes, Baby Bear (Mod Bear Paw), Hunter's Star, Freedom of Expression, Pretty Patchwork, Diamonds in the Rough, and Fall Y'all!

A finish and the final Rainbow Scrap block

It is always exciting to have a finish! I really enjoyed quilting along with Lorna over at SewFeshQuilts on the MOD Bear Paw! Even though this quilt was time consuming with all the little pieces, the finish was so worth it!

I love how the Mama Bear is padding along through the grid of baby bear paws!

One of my favorite stories that I read my 3 girls when they were little was this book, Can't You Sleep Little Bear by Martin Waddell.

It goes perfectly with this quilt as I imagine this Mama Bear padding into Little Bear's room because Little Bear couldn't get to sleep. The illustrations in this book are beautifully done by Barbara Firth. 

Mama Bear is so patient with Little Bear and teaches Little Bear that he does not need to be afraid of the dark. 

The backing is a cute cross print in 2 different shades of pink.

I straight lined quilted around each baby paw and diagonally across the blocks. On Mama Bear, I FMQ stipples to give her texture. The binding is in a slightly darker shade of gray than the Kona silver I used in the sashing. 

This quilt finishes at 39" x 47". 

It is ready for the baby shower (baby due after Christmas) and of coarse, I needed to find a copy of this book to go along with the quilt! 

Thanks Lorna for this fun project! Linking up with Lorna's Let's Bee Social.

Another thing coming to an end is the 2016 Rainbow Scrap Challenge. October was the final month and the color is Yellowish Oranges. 

Here is my final finished block.

I will now be playing with the layout of all my blocks. 

Here are all my other blocks (not in any particular order) 

and whether or not I will add a scrappy border. What do you think?

I will be linking up to SoScrappy tomorrow.

Progress Report

Before heading off for a few days of relaxing Fall days in beautiful Door County, WI, my goal was to complete the 26 blocks needed for the Mod Bear Paw QAL hosted by Lorna over at Sew Fresh Quilts.

As I stated in my last post, the blocks were a bit time consuming partially due to all the trimming of the small HST and the arthritis in my hands. 

I persevered through the 22 Bear Paw blocks and finally  started on the big bear blocks. Although there were some tiny pieces and some even tinier HST, these block went together faster. 

I did need to remake a few of these blocks as I realized a bit too late that I'd sewn and cut the diagonal in the wrong direction. 

Here they are! All 26 blocks finished.

When I get back in a few days, I'll be working on adding the sashing to complete the top! WooHoo! 

I'm loving this pink baby quilt version! 

I'm linking up to Mod Bear Paw QAL at Sew Fresh Quilts.

Quick Update

After cutting all the pieces for the Modern Bear Paw QAL, I started the piecing process this week. The blocks are a bit time consuming. All those small bear claws (HST) which are made oversized for accuracy purposes results in a lot of trimming! They add up to 16 claws per block!

The trimming and pressing does not bode well with the arthritis in my hands.

I do love these Bear Paws! 

I have completed 10 blocks (or 160 claws) and I have some more partially pieced together. 

Linking up at Sew Fresh Quilts