Final Finish for 2018

It hit me to tackle one of the few quilts I started piecing this year at the May Breakfast Club meeting. It is the pattern, “Lotus,” by Jaybird Quilt’s and uses the ruler “Hex and More,” to cut all the pieces for the pattern. 

I already had most of the large triangle blocks constructed so I set them up on my design wall.

Above is the layout from the pattern but I didn’t love this look with my blocks. Something else came to me that would be so much more fun for quilting designs.

I only had to make seven more blocks to get this layout which is 69 x 89-inches. It was really a quick quilt to put together except a few times I stitched the triangle blocks together at the wrong angle so seam ripper work was involved.

One of the things I like about Breakfast Club is it gets me to try patterns and rulers I might not be drawn to as I shop at quilt stores. I never would have picked this one but I really enjoyed the ruler and how nicely all the pieces with bias edges came together. 

The first thing I did after I got the rows sew together was to top stitch a 1/4 around the outside edge to stabilize the outside edges. I even have a wide-backing piece of batik fabric in my stash that will work great...as it sits in "To Be Quilted," que now.

December Breakfast Club

Show and Tell from Breakfast Club.

The ladies did this pattern a couple of months ago, It’s Sew Emma’s, “Peppermint Lane BOM.”

Mesh bags are all the rage at the quilt shop where we meet, Seams Like Home. This beer themed bag will hold two growlers. You might have to be a beer drinker or know one well to know what a growler is. 

Love this puppy dog face! Didn’t find out the pattern designer.

The quilt shop’s Saturday Sampler quilt for 2018.

This dachshunds-in-sweaters fabric backs an adorable pattern by Elizabeth Hartman.

Such and adorable quilt.

A cute snowman panel quilt.

I got a new iPad for Christmas and am posting from it. The photos load quickly from my iPhone but doing a long post is not very user friendly.  I have a goal for 2019 to do more blog posting. Smaller more frequent posts. 

2018 Year in Review

Here we go! Projects finished in 2018.

I completed the quilting on six quilts.

Sky Full of Christmas Stars, the mystery design from Breakfast Club, 2017. The pattern was a Moda Bake Shop quilt designed by Kristina Brinkerhoff from Center Street Quilts. I added a"border" to finished the star shapes around the outside. Finished size, 69 x 83-inches.

Scrappy Christmas Star from 2018. A pattern of my own design using scraps from the Christmas Stars quilt.  About 39-inches square.

Faux Hawaiian Applique, 63 x 75-inches. This quilt design started from a challenge in the Material Girls group to create a quilt using a panel. I had a set of printed Hawaiian applique panels just screaming to be part of the challenge. 

And because I loved the scraps so much I had to make a mini quilt, Scrappy Hawaiian, 30-inches square.

I got two tops quilted that had been patiently waiting their turn. The Breakfast Club mystery from 2016 and Bright Blooms, another Breakfast Club project.

There were a few quilt tops added to the "needs to be quilted" pile of projects. 

I made a great dent in my Sandra Cozzolino cross stitch Santa ornaments. 

Vintage Sets

2016 Caribbean Santas

2017  National Parks Santas

Bucilla Kits

Airplane Santa

Nordic Snowman

Santa Paws and companion ornament kit.

Christmas Kitties and companion ornament kit.

Jungle Bells ornament kit.

Ugly Christmas Sweaters ornament kit.

And a new category for me, Clothing.

Here is my adorable grand niece in a smocked dress I made her.

Two batik rayon tops.

And one final sewing related project, a set of Merry and Chris Moose. 

What I didn't include were my extensive landscaping projects. I am already starting to think about 2019 landscaping projects along with the quilting, cross stitching, Bucilla kits and clothing. 

More Christmas Quilting

I am definitely on a roll with my quilting.

This scrappy star quilt is just under 40-inches square and was made with the triangle scraps cut from the Christmas Star quilt I finished quilting in my last post. Sometimes staying in the quilting mindset really works to keep my creative thoughts flowing.

I was so thrilled earlier this year when I came up with this design to use my scraps. I wanted to have it done to share at the upcoming Breakfast Club Mystery class on Dec. 27th. My goal was to be able to share both star Christmas quilts together. The star quilt from my previous post was last year's mystery pattern.

 Here is the very fun backside!

Two Christmas quilts done...in one season!

I have two more Christmas quilt tops I would love to get quilted before 2019 but I have had a hard time finding backing fabrics I like. I ordered some a couple of months ago but when they arrived I found the quality of the fabric was not worthy to be used.

I ordered two more pieces of backing fabrics paying more attention to the manufacturers, 

We'll see which backing shows up first. 

In the meantime I really need to spend some more time working on my Christmas moose dolls....and Christmas cards...and shopping for a few more presents.

Getting Back to Normal

It has been almost two weeks since the earthquake. Aftershocks has decreased in frequency and intensity which really helps with getting back to our normal routine. One of the scariest rooms to enter after the earthquake was our master bath. 

After moving the furniture I was amazed to find our glass shower wall in one piece. It sat on the floor until yesterday when it was time to get it reinstalled.

So much better! Notice the new bar that braces the glass at the top left. We were missing that piece before the earthquake. Safety before aesthetics...learned the hard way.

The best therapy for getting through the first week of intense aftershocks was to spend some time at my quilting machine. 

A better look at the quilting with some of the lights turned off to create shadows.

And the backside. I love this quilt. I didn't have a single tension issue the entire time and I used several different threads in the quilting. 

The quilting group I attend retreats with throughout the year had a Christmas party and gift exchange last weekend. The weather was not great that day, icy roads, but 13 of us gathered and had a group hug for making it through the quake. I got a set of Merry and Chris Moose crafted for my secret Santa. For my gift I received a wonderful set of bright batik fat quarters. 

Creating is such a great way to deal with stress.

I also finished the redwork embroidery on this set of ornaments. I plan to make blocks out of them and put together a mini quilt. I plan to hand quilt this project. Maybe I can get this little top pieced at our February retreat.

These patterns are by the Australian designer, Lynette Anderson. Not my usual style but I picked up several of the patterns at a quilt shop in Paris. The specialty wooden buttons are what grabbed my attention.

I don't want to dwell on the earthquake. We had so little damage even though we were just under 25 miles away from the epicenter. The aftershocks have really lessened in the past two days...big relief! The toughest part for me was my husband had just left on November 26th for a long trip with Fed Ex and did not get home until Monday, December 10th. He rarely does long trips but he wanted to have Christmas off so he is now done working until January...unless Santa needs more help delivering packages.