Lots of Projects - No Quilts

 My sewing machine has been busy but not with quilting projects. 

For Christmas, I bought American Girl dolls for two of my granddaughters that love to play with my old dolls. 

What they love about my old dolls are all the clothes I have for them that were made by my mom or me. I'm hoping to start teaching some sewing with dolls clothes soon. Kate is 5 and I think I was about that age when I got involved in sewing. I had to do hand stitching for several years before I got to use a sewing machine.

I have two neices I made doll clothes for many, many years ago so I already have a stash of doll patterns. I mentioned using the leftover cuddle fabric from their quilts to make coats. Wow...they loved that idea. It was a little challenging with the thick plush and I had to have the vacuum right by my machine...so much shedding when you cut that fabric.

My next idea for the dolls was to make cases for them. I googled for a pattern and of course found one. Even better...it was a PDF download. Instant gratification.

I made several changes because I wanted to use By Annie products like Soft and Stable .

I didn't add the straps for the backpack but it will be pretty easy to add if they want it.

I now need to make one more coat and case for Kara's doll. 

For years I have been seaching for a new robe. I get too hot wearing robes made with  synthetic fabrics so I finally decided to make one. I've made robes before but the last one I made prior to 1998...the year we moved to Alaska. I still had that pattern and I knew that it fit great so I dug it out. 

The biggest challenge was searching for fabric. I bought a gray plaid flannel fabric about two years ago at JoAnns and then the pink check flannel about a year ago. Surprisingly, JoAnns had a line of Eddie Bauer flannels that were really nice. Currently our JoAnns is a disaster with the filing of bankruptcy. 

I love my new robe. I have enough of the pink flannel to make some pajama bottoms. Hopefully I will tackle that project soon.

I felt bad that I didn't make my grandson a pillowcase for Christmas and then remembered a friend had gifted me some aviation themed fabrics last fall. One piece was exactly 27-inches long...the perfect length. I had a couple of batik fabrics in my stash that were great companion fabric matches.

My current Bucilla project is a set of ornaments that match Kara's unicorn stocking.

There are two more ornaments to finish the set. 

I finished the last set of animals in the, "Noah and Company," set of patterns! The copy right date on the patterns is 1998. I think I bought them on eBay around 2000.

The set included Noah

and Mrs. Noah, which actually stitched up pretty quickly.

Here's all the pieces together. I will eventually finish them as ornaments. I have a space in mind for display next  Christmas.

I treated myself to a project bag made by the seller, Kreative Carol, on Etsy.

I paid $128 for it and I love it!  I really appreciate all the great work that went into the bag.

She makes the bags as they are ordered so I got this about three weeks after I ordered it. 

It also had a thread bed, a little folder to throw loose threads on and clip closed.

No critter photos but a little look at life in Alaska.

Kate had her 5th birthday the first week of January. Her other grandparents live on a lake in Anchorage that is a fly-in community. In the summer the planes are on floats, in the winter the planes are on skiis. So....not only are the other grandparents "plane people" like us, they are also big snowmachine and four wheeler enthusiasts. Kate's party was at their house and the kids were invited to bring their little snow machines and four wheelers to spin around the lake. 

This photo was taken about 4 p.m. It was a pretty day. 

The next day it warmed up and rained...snow gone...icy roads.

We've had a terrible winter...very little snow...yet Texas and Arkansas are getting snow. Everyone is pretty grumpy they can't play with their snow toys. We put the skiis on one of our planes and I think it has only been flown a handful of times by our son this year. Disappointing. 

Quick After-Christmas Update

 I was a busy elf during the month of December. I proved I can quilt three quilts in a month so I need to at least get one a month done in 2025. That’s been my goal for several years.

I finished the three quilts I was making for my granddaughters. I made a matching pillow case for each quilt that I used as the gift wrapping. It was so much fun to have them opened at the same time, though the two-year-old and five-month-old had some help.

Quilting with the cuddle was great. I didn’t have any issues. I did have to work with a larger needle size but that was the only adjustment I had to make

I finished Kate's newest stocking. 

I always think the stocking I just finished is always the cutest I've ever made!

I took me weeks to finish the companion set of ornaments. Those horses had so many little details. I gave them to Kate on Christmas. She had checked on my progress a couple of times in December, wondering why it was taking me so long to finish them. 

Kate seemed to really appreciate the ornaments when I gave them to her. She sat down and took the time to look at each one individually. So sweet!

After the ornaments were done, the zebras became my evening project. 

We had so many holiday events with the grandkids. Call me crazy, but I wanted to start of tradition of making cookies with them. Kate was old enough to help and really enjoy it. Kara and Austin are two-years-old so I made a simple part for them...adding sprinkles to some frosted cookies. 

We made two kinds of cookies, banana oatmeal with raisins and chocolate, chocolate chips.

The chocolate, chocolate chips were definitely Austin's favorite. 

I had some simple felt ornament kits for them to make while I was baking the cookies...kept them and the adults pretty busy.

Austin had his second birthday this month and we had a family celebration at our house for his big day. 

Kate and I went to a couple of holiday bazaars at a local school and church. 

We each found some good locally made gifts.

We had some yucky weather that melted all the snow at our house right before Christmas and made for icy road conditions...my least favorite part of winter.

Writting my annual Christmas newsletter got done a few days before Christmas and I managed to get them all in the mail on Christmas Eve which I always count as getting it done on time!

Kate and Kara have January birthdays...not sure what I am getting for them. I'd like to put together some kind of crafty kit for Kate to do with me...still thnking on it. 

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. 

I always look forward to a New Year...because I have such a huge of list of projects I want to get done. I'm sure I'll get all of that list done and more in 2025.

Decorating for Christmas

Last weekend I had a wonderful time at a quilt retreat held by my local quilt shop. I didn't know any of the ladies attending but of course it was a great way to make nine new friends! 

My retreat project was the kit, Hootie Patootie. Very fun project...perfect for the limited space at the retreat. I finished the blocks...just need to stitch them together.

I have one more stocking close to being finished...this one is for my grandson. This is the second time I have made this kit and I was a bit more savvy on the layers of construction using quilter's plastic template in the wings and plane body. The stocking front is done. I want to get the stocking fully finsihed by Thanksgiving when they come over for dinner.

I also finished an ornament that came with the kit.

I also finished stitching one more set of Noah's animals, sheep. Only two more animal sets to stitch.

Christmas decorating is underway at my house. It takes me weeks since I don't work on it everyday...and I have a pretty hefty stash. 

Switching out all my hanging quilts was an important first step.

This sweet little wall hanging was a kit given to me by my mother-in-law many years ago. We used to live in San Antonio and she lived in Houston. For many years we went to the Houston quilt show together. She no longer quilts but she certainly shares the love of quilting and hand stitching with me.

I do enjoy tackling quilt projects to employ different techniques. I'm always attracted to projects with little gimicks like unique buttons. I also am a big fan of the quilt and fabric designer, Nancy Halvorsen. This quilt is from her book, "12 Days of Christmas." 

It was a nice little challenge to figure out the quilting for each block.

I did a fusible web adhesive for the appliques and top stitched by machine with a blanket stitch.

It took me years to make this quilt. 

I remember working on all blanket stitching while living in Paris...

in my sweet little sewing room.

By far...the quilt that was the biggest challenge for me was this quilt design by Sue Garman, Classic Nutcrackers Block of the Month. I did needle turn applique...hand stitched it all!!! I saw this kit advertised in a quilting magazine and immediately signed up. I have the original advertisement...$7.75 a month for the pattern and fabrics each month. What a screaming deal! 

Looking at each block...I am so even more impressed with this accomplishment!

The detail in the design is amazing. It took me eight years to make this quilt.

The Carpenter's Star below was made with scrappy HST's from a bigger quilt...which reminds me...I need to pull it out of storage but I have run out of wall space for it!

The next quilt is another one related to my mother-in-law. I bought this kit for her and several years she returned it to me..unmade. It is a pattern by Sandy Gervais, "Shopping's Done! Gifts Wrapped." It's a fat quarter pattern where you stack the fat quarters and cut them in the same shape and switch the fabrics to mix up the colors. Lots of fun to make the blocks.

And some smaller quilts. 

I did hand stitching to make this red work quilt. I also handquilted this small quilt. It is a design by the Australian designer, Lynette Anderson. She sold the blocks individually and called her series, "Sweet Christmas."

I bought a few of the blocks in a Paris quilt shop when my mother-in-law was visiting. 

I'm a sucker for cute projects with cute buttons. 

I didn't find all twelve blocks in  Paris...

but my mother-in-law hunted down a shop that carried them when she went to the next Houston quilt show. 

Every Christmas season starts with theses two pictures being hung first...my oldest pieces made by me. 

My mom stitched two huge crewel pictures when I was growing up. My dad was in the Marine Corps and we moved a lot! Those two pictures my mom had stitched were the only pieces that were ever hung on our walls. There was a huge tree she stitched and a floral still life. I don't know what ever happened to those pieces...sad. 

I made the top Christmas tree when I was in college. I went to Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. It was...and still is a women's college. The University of Missouri Greek Town (fraternity houses)  bordered our campus. Very convenient for dating. The boyfriend of one of my friends thought I was doing homework for a class when he saw me stitching it.

I was a second lieutenant in the Air Force when I made the Christmas Tree below. That was before I was a quilter or cross stitcher. I was always a big sewer of clothing from about the age of 11.

I am working to instill the gift of creating with my oldest granddaughter. She spent the night last week and wanted to help me decorate. I turned it into DIY with Gigi! She loved it. We had a great time coming up with these snowflake decorations.

Time to get back to decorating!

Quilting Intensity

 Retreat Season is in full swing. 

I finished October with my third quilt retreat, Material Girls at a B & B in Wasillla. I was a monagamous stitcher. My goal was to minimize my packing. 

All blue matalic batiks fabrics from my stash. I still need to sew all the blocks together.

This is a free pattern from Scott Flanagan's blog, 4th and Main Designs. He has done a free quilt along in the summer the last three or four years. I always print up the pattern but this one was finally the one I had to make. 

I finished quilting my grandson's quilt and for the first time used a minky fabric for the backside. 

"Enchanting," is the pattern from the book, "The Magic of Three Yard Quilts."

Hard to see but the focus fabric is a batik with the state of Alaska.

I'm definitely a fan of the minky backing and had no issues quilting with it.

The Breakfast Club group I quilted with many years ago desolved and a new group formed, the EOB...End of Bolt group. They meet every Tuesday at a quilt shop in Anchorage, Seams Like Home. I made it one day last month. As I am typing I am realizing it's Tuesday and I'm missing the group! It's just not in my habit pattern...yet. 

So...my goal for the one time I attended the EOB Tuesday was to finish cutting out parts for a new quilt, Blue Onion. It requires an expensive Creative Grids ruler that I was borrowing so I needed to return it to my friend that Tuesday. I stitched one block...came together beautifully with a lot of tips from other quilters on YouTube. 

The colors look so intense in this photo...color of my world has changed with the arrival of winter.

The quilt shop in Eagle River has a class for the Blue Onion pattern so several friends have made or are making this pattern. Seemed like the perfect time to jump on their bandwagon.

I have a retreat this upcoming weekend in Eagle River at my local quilt shop, Twisted Sisters Quilty Pleasures. For the first time I am attending a retreat run by the shop's owner. I really prefer these daytime retreats...sleeping in my own bed.

I have picked my focus project. A kit...not batiks. I seem to be captured by panel projects. A new phase! My granddaughter Kate loves purple...I think she will love this quilt. 

October Bucilla projects were devoted to Halloween.

Trick or Treat Puppies

Purrfectly Spooky

and Halloween Squad...

which I finished but never took pictures and now all the Halloween decorations are packed away.

I had enough decorations to fill a pretty good sized tree. My grandkids loved it!

I also stitched up a Lizzie Kate chart, Vinnie Von Fang. 

There are several embellishments to add to Vinnie and he will be finished as a stand up piece. There is a companion witch I hope to get done by next year. 

I also made a pinchusion kit I have had for several years. There are three more pieces to make in the kit. Maybe next year. This is from the pattern, "Fright Night," from Cottonwood Creations.

We've gotten some snow. It is with much relief our winter is looking a bit more normal than the last two that slammed us with record breaking snow fall amounts. 

I have started putting my Christmas decorations up. 

It is so dark in the winter...those Christmas lights really help!