January Stitching

OK...I THINK I am going to get to do a little stitching today.

A few years back, well actually, 2012 is more than a few years back... I participated in a Christmas through the year program through Darlene's blog, A Quilting Daze . Darlene doesn't blog anymore. I hope all is well in your neck of the woods, Darlene...you are missed. Each month we were to make 1 gift for Christmas and her cheerleading meant I had a box filled with handmade gifts come December. It was the BEST and I haven't done it since. I was visiting with a friend on the phone the other day and this subject came up. She too is a maker of beautiful things and she was stitching away on Christmas Eve. In an attempt to avoid the crunch this next December, I'm going to give this another go. This month I am going to finish stitching up lined drawstring bags that I didn't finish before Christmas:

Everyone loves the simplicity these add to gift wrapping, especially the men! I know many of you are DONE with all things Christmas, but I promise that this is worth investing in if you love to give hand made gifts come December.

I am also hoping to work on Bonnie Hunter's On Ringo Lake. I'm on step 2, buy hey, it's all about the journey and I'm just going to enjoy it and not worry about rushing through it.

Then there's a new project I'm starting with my Quilt Squad girls. I only made 2 meetings last year, but I hope to step that up this year. We're going to be making blocks from Sew Emma's pattern called Blessings

using 30's prints and Kona Snow for the background. Each of us will make 12 identical blocks and we'll exchange them this summer and set them however we choose.

That ought to keep me busy and out of trouble for this month. On the book front, I'm currently listening to Cold Sassy Tree

on Audible and I'm loving it, so that's an added incentive for spending more time  behind my sewing machine. How is it I've not read this before?

April Christmas Through the Year and a Care Package

I almost didn't get a gift into my Christmas box this month, but I managed to stitch up a few of these grocery bag holders using this tutorial from Jeni. Kind of seems like a funny thing to give as a Christmas gift, but I like practical and I think this is one of those things you really don't think about because I've always just stuffed the plastic bags into a plastic bag from the feed store and it hangs behind a door. I think one of these along with a set of potholders adds a bit of fun to something ordinary.

And I just now thought that you could stuff it with fun kitchen gadgets to give as a gift and use the grocery bag holder as the wrapping. Just tie it off with some pretty ribbon and you're good to go.

I'm linking up with Kim over at Lily Patch Quilts this month. Each month this year she is hosting this great program so make something for your Christmas box this month and then hop over at the end of the month, link up and see what everyone else is making. There are some great ideas being shared. Thank you Kim, for cheering us on!

I made 3 of these this month, and yes, we have moose antlers in the dining room.

The wind was blowing again and they made the perfect place to hang these for a photo.
2 are for the Christmas box, and one went into a care package for our college girl:

Monkeys because I know they will make her smile.

Finals week has arrived and a care package will hopefully be a bright spot in an otherwise stress filled week. She gets chocolate, because what is Finals week without chocolate:

 And a Snoopy Pillowcase because we love Snoopy:

And a comic book because she and her brother liked these many moons ago:

And her favorite licorice and dried fruit and mixed nuts:

A few new toys for her 2 kitties since she is spending all of her time studying with her nose in a book:

And Scooby Snacks for that additional Scooby power!

Along with a package of gummy bears so she can take out her Organic Chemistry frustrations by biting off their heads:

One should never run out of Gummy Bears when taking Organic Chemistry at this particular school.

Christmas Through the Year - March

                                                       

Only by the skin of my teeth do I have something for my Christmas box this month. Honestly, I just finished these about 30 minutes ago. I worked on lots of projects, but nothing for Christmas. I've been so focused on knocking things off of my PHD list, that when I finally came up for air, the month was coming to a close.

At the first of the month, I come out from under my rock to see what everyone else is doing and I make my list. Then, when I poke my head back out and blink a few times, I realize the month has all but passed me by. Thankfully, I can sew under my rock and having Internet access allows me to check in with y'all, but time rushes by as fast under my rock as it does for those of you above ground.

Here's my contribution for March - Rice bags:

I like that the cover is removable for washing:

I used this hay print, that I love, on the back:

I've had rice bags on my list for some time, and finally got a few made for some ranching friends. Here's the tutorial I used. Keep one in the freezer for a cold pack and one out to heat in the microwave for when you need to apply heat. You can add a few drops of essential oil if you'd like, but these are for ranching families and I'm not so sure the men in these families will want lavender scented heating pads so these are unscented. These are about 8 x 10 and perfect for a sore shoulder or back.

And I have one pillowcase to add to my box too:

I have more cut out, just need a few minutes to stitch them up. I'm linking up with Kim over at Lily Patch Quilts for Christmas Through the Year. Last month I was tickled that my name was chosen for the monthly drawing. I won a $50 gift certificate from The FQS! I'm still contemplating what to choose - it's like being in a candy store. SO many wonderful choices! Thank you Kim and FQS! Don't put me in for the drawing this month, but I wanted to link up so I could keep myself on track.

Christmas Through the Year - February

I scrambled to get something in my Christmas box this month. I've been working on lots of things, just not Christmas gifts. And with the arrival of spring, playing in the dirt and outdoor projects have been keeping me...well...outdoors...so that leaves less time for sewing.

However, I remember the wonderful feeling of greeting the Christmas Holiday Season last year with a full box of handmade Christmas gifts so I made time to stitch up this set of potholders for a sweet friend:

Well fiddlesticks! I can't load the photo. I'll have to edit it in when I can get it loaded. Grrr...

Oh, wait...I made a set for my Mom last Christmas. Let me see if I can dig up the picture from that post. It'll just have to do. The ones I made this month have a green binding:

These potholders have been a big hit and I am getting requests for more.

Kim, over at Lily Patch Quilts is hosting our Christmas Through the Year Party every month so pop in and see what everyone has been up to. Those Christmas boxes won't stay empty for long, and I'm betting everyone else that links up will have a photo. Sigh.

Gettin' It Done and Christmas Through the Year - January

So, I did manage to finish my list of things to get done in January, but it was by the skin of my teeth. I bit off more than I could chew last month.

1. Finish my snowman quilt - actually, I already got this one finished the other day, but it was a UFO coming into the New Year so I am counting it. DONE

2. Bind my Western Made in Cherry Quilt - aka: Barn Star Quilt DONE

3. Finish making all the parts for Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street and piece the blocks.DONE

4. Piece a baby quilt for a friend's 1st grandchild. DONE - well, it's pieced, but I still need to finish the applique. I still have the rest of the day to do that. :)

5. Adding a 5th one in case #1 doesn't count. LOL  Piece the leftover blocks from my Western Many Trips quilt together. DONE

So that's 2 UFO's crossed off the list! I'm aiming for 3 more this month since they just need binding, although Jackie still has them:

1. Make binding and bind the Chimney's and Cornerstones QOV

2. Make binding and bind Scrap Jar Stars

3. Make binding and bind Bunny Hill Baby Boy Quilt

4. Piece Easy Street

I'm linking up with Judy over at Patchwork Times for Getting It Done! I think this is going to really help me stay motivated this year. Thanks Judy!

And the end of the month also means it's time to post about Christmas Through the Year. This year, Kim, over at Lily Patch Quilts is our gracious hostess. So pop over there and link up your January project. I can't say enough about how much this helped me last year so you can bet I'm all in this year! I know everyone's probably tired of Christmas, but truly, you will be grateful when December rolls around and you have a box filled with handmade gifts! Thank you Kim for keeping us on track this year!

This month I made 10 more lace snowflakes. I can't stop making these. I know I am sending some to my Aunt in Germany in December and I think they will be a really nice touch tied to brown paper packages

I'm glad no one was around to see me take this picture. This is an old apricot tree that grows in a corner of the yard, sheltered on two side by the house. A fence is on the third side, and I just wanted sky in the shot, so in order to get this shot I had to bend as if I were about to attempt a back flip. I guess our old dog, Gus was there, but he won't tell how ridiculous I looked because he gets a raw egg with his supper every night and he loves me, and tonight he'll get 2 eggs... just to be sure!

Did You Know Santa Really Lives in Arizona?

It's true! The day after Christmas, DH brought home a fat envelope. A really, fat envelope. It was a Mary Poppins envelope. I kept pulling things out of it, like Mary Poppins' bag. The first thing I pulled out was this:

How cute is this little snowman? I KNOW!

He is grinning up at me as I enjoy a mug of hot tea and yes, I am grinning back at him! And yes, I know he does does not have a mouth, but he is grinning with his eyes. And no, I do not have whiskey in my tea.

I was the grand prize winner for Christmas Through the Year and Darlene sent me a whole slew of  lovely, lovely gifts.

An oven mitt made from Countdown to Christmas fabric!

4 charm packs of a really pretty Moda line called renewal. I have plans for these! A quilt of course and it will fit right in with my home.

Here is a super cute table mat that is perfect for spring. I am smitten with patchwork and this fits the bill perfectly!

Look at this cute kitchen towel! I love red - it's so cheery:

Darlene even included something I am quite frightened of:

 Yes I am afraid of bags  with zippers. :) Or more accurately, I am afraid of making them. This one is laminated and sporting yummy strawberries.

I love this bookmark! Must make some of these!

A magnetic pin caddy which will come in quite handy as I am forever forgetting where I have put my pincushion and now I can have pins in 2 places all the time. I tend to migrate when I sew.

This darling table mat is just as cute on the front,

as it is on the back!

And this fun table runner certainly spruced up my dining room table.

And here is everything under the tree. I used those red Clover clips to hang some items from the tree. I'm telling you, those clips are just too cool:

  Honestly, I feel guilty. I mean Darlene and Cheryl helped ME out with this club and here I am receiving gifts. If it wasn't for the two of them, I would have been up a dry creek bed and all  the paddles in the world wouldn't have helped. Instead, it was smooth sailing all the way and you can bet I'll be doing this again in 2013!

Darlene, I can not tell you how much I appreciate each and every stitch. I'm fairly giddy over each item and rest assured they will be loved! Thank you!

Now the rest of you ought to get geared up and come along for the ride next year!

Christmas Through the Year Recap

So who's still stitching for Christmas? I'm still stitching, but not for Christmas. This time of the year, the lists get longer, but I'm a list gal. They help keep me focused, or at least that's the plan.

In January I joined up with Darlene and Cheryl for Christmas Through the Year and I am so very glad that I did!

It has made December much less chaotic. Thanks to the two of them, I am not chasing my tail so I tip my hat to both of you - thank you for all of your hard work, monthly reminders, link-ups, and never ending tutorials.

I thought I would show a recap of the gifts I made this year...

Like most of you, I've got a houseful this week. Lots of people coming and going so my computer time is scarce, but I just wanted to take a moment to wish all of you the Merriest of Christmases. May your holiday be blessed with His presence and may your New Year overflow with all of the things that bring you joy.

 I love this Christmas special. I have fond memories of watching this with my Dad who loved it as much as I did and then later, it became a tradition with our children.

Whiz Kid With a Twist Quilt for Our Boy

Has everyone recovered from their Thanksgiving Holiday? I don't know about y'all, but it is all speeding by way too fast.

I actually found myself in town on Black Friday this year, but it was just to haul some Christmas decorations and a tree in for our college girl. She had a friend driving back to Oklahoma and I drove to town to meet her. I loaded her up with the Christmas Express and then you can bet I skedaddled out of there as fast as I could. :)

So today, I actually have a finished quilt to show. I do believe this is the fastest quilt I have ever put together. I started it on Oct. 17 and finished piecing it on the 21st. Then I handed it over to Jackie and let her work her magic. I just wanted a simple meander across it.  I stole minutes here and there after I picked it up and on November 24th I added the last stitch.

On Monday morning, when I loaded up to make my way into town, I took along the quilt in hopes of snagging a picture. Lo and behold - there was green grass by the library:

This started out as the Whiz Kid Pattern from Kiera Vanella, but then I started playing with the hst's. I really like this layout for these hst's and I hope our boy will like it too. Hopefully it'll remind him that his Mama is never far away, even though the map tells a different story.

This quilt measures 76 x 94. Our boy is 6'3 and I wanted him to be able to have room to stretch a bit and still keep his toes warm! :) I used two different blues for the binding simply because I could not decide between the two. The cream is this eagle print I fell in love with from the Stonehenge Stars and Stripes line:

I used it on the back as well.

I am going to link up with Christmas Through the Year

over at Darlene's later this week. This is the last month to link up and after this, we're on our own. Thank you both so very much for keeping me on track all year! If it wasn't for you two, I'd be pulling my hair out right about now. I'm super excited because I actually made something each and every month! Next month I'll share everything I've made throughout the year. Even though I have outgrown  my Christmas box, I am still stitching away on small  gifts. Cheryl keeps adding wonderful tutorials every month and I keep finding fun things to make.

Wrapping Up Christmas

I don't know what's come over me. I've mentioned before that I'm a firm believer in no Christmas anything until the day after Thanksgiving. I LOVE Christmas music, but don't even THINK about playing it until the day AFTER Thanksgiving. And here I am promoting Christmas each and every month of the year! I'm going to blame it on Darlene and Cheryl and their Christmas Through the Year program. Yes, I am very thankful that I have a box overflowing with handmade Christmas gifts, but I am still struggling to come to terms with this new train of thought. However, I think they have created a monster.

Last week I started stitching up a couple of the Lined Drawstring Bags that Jeni designed last year. Click HERE for her tutorial. I bought her pattern which includes a variety of sizes as well as instructions for figuring how to stitch up any custom size. I highly recommend it! I love, love, love these little bags! One:

turned into 2 

and then 2 turned into 4

  and before I knew it, 10 little bags were perched upon the table.

And I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they continue to multiply.

The Dirt Road Gypsy Quilt

The Dirt Road Gypsy Quilt is home! On Tuesday I picked it up from Jackie and with the Blogger Quilt Festival beginning on Friday, I set about getting the binding on:

Stitching to the front:

And then I was eager to hand stitch the back down. I love binding quilts and I these little red binding clips are my new favorite notion:

Its been a busy week, but yesterday DH left for an Elk hunt and our girl came home for the weekend, dragging along a friend and two kitties. In order to get this quilt bound in time for the Quilt Festival, I had to work on it while she was home. This was my solution:

I just tossed a big flannel sheet over the top of the quilt. Problem solved! I'm sneaky like that. :)
The girls went to town last night to conquer the corn maze and I worked on the binding all night long until they came home.
I had help:

My binding buddies:

I'm cutting it close for the festival, but who needs sleep? I'm multitasking, as this will be my Christmas Through the Year project for October as well.

  Darlene and Cheryl have been wonderful throughout the year and because of them, my hand made gifts are just about finished! Thanks ladies!

If you're popping in from the Festival - welcome to the end of the dirt road where quilting and ranching are mixed in with a bit of homemade goodness from the oven.

Our college girl chose this pattern that was originally published in the  February 2012 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting. It is a pattern by Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle. I think I wore out my iron pressing all of those seams open, and I was never so happy to unplug that thing when the last seam was pressed. However, now that I see the finished quilt, it makes me want to make another one...or perhaps I ought to just keep this one! No worries kiddo! It was just a fleeting thought although don't even try to con me into giving this to you early! Under the Christmas Tree it goes!

I love the stained glass look and am smitten with the backing. In an earlier post, I came to the conclusion that I was channeling my inner Jimmy Buffet when I crossed paths with this fabric. And I suppose Jimmy Buffet is a Gypsy in an island kind of way. I sure did listen to a lot of his music while I worked on these blocks. This became known as the gypsy quilt when I began to look at all of the fabrics I had gathered together. There are bits of Terrain, Curio, Gypsy Caravan, Organic Soul, London, Grand Bazaar, Road to Marrakesh, Rhapsodia, Mimosa, Summersault and who knows what else! Its an eclectic mix and some of the names of the fabric lines just made me think of exotic and far away lands and thus gypsy came to mind. College is  a journey so I'm thinking it is an appropriate name, but no matter where she roams, she will always be a dirt road girl. 

Quilt Measurements: 100 x 100
Special Techniques: None, just lots of pressing open of seams. :)
Quilted By: Jackie Williams using this great swirly design called Happy Days

Best Category: Bed Quilt - Scrap Quilt 
So here's my contribution for this year's festival:

Thank you so much for stopping in! I know that Amy is hosting another grand quilt festival and that there are umpteen blogs to visit and oodles of inspiration. Thank you Amy! I'm fairly certain we will all be adding to our lists of 'must make' quilts!