#34 Lots of Fun Things to Share.....

First I usually write a new post every  Sunday or Monday, but with the storms and high wind passing through our internet has been down for 2 days, and my iPhone decided to crash at the same time. Which compared to the devastation in the US and Philippines is a minor inconvenience! My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone touched by the latest storm systems!!

Internet is now up and the battery in my iPhone replaced, so lets get to some of the good stuff!!

I have joined the Kona Solids Blog Hop taking place January 7-17, 2014. I'm very excited about it and working hard to come up with a fantastic project to feature!! Maybe even a tutorial! For sure a give away, Mad About Patchwork is donating a prize, so make sure you stop by!! I thought it was going to be the first time I participated in a Blog Hop as a contributor...

But, I got an invitation to join another Blog Hop!!!
So December 2-6 is my first official Blog Hop as a participant! I'm over the top excited now! There is going to be a lot of fun and prizes for you too! So check back and join in! More information to come!!

What I've Been Up To:

Some Happy Mail!! I won a prize through Modern Blocks QAL

I won a Modern Patchwork magazine, posting a comment on The Charming Needle, fantastic! So many wonderful projects inside including Josee's Petals and Patchwork pot holders!!

I received my Art Gallery Fabric bundle that I won, on Instagram!! 

I finished my nephew's quilt!! And added a label!! Don't forget the coupon code for labels if you are looking to buy some. Top right corner of blog page.

  I have 3 of 13 (baker's dozen) placemats done for my mother-in-law for Christmas! Last post for these! The back is Fall/Thanksgiving, front is Christmas! They were done quilt as you go.

  I made a casserole carrier. Though I think it would be better called a Pie Carrier! Too small to be for a casserole. (pictures just to show how it works! It would not close around that casserole dish!! lol) Love the fabric though!! (ps. red polk a dot fabric added, because the fabric in the kit was so out of square, I had to add it to make it the size it called for! If only I had understood that it was way too small I would have added more all the way around!! Oh well)

#31 Winter Has Arrived

So this week in Ontario, Canada winter  arrived......It was cold all week and wet, but this is what I woke up to Saturday! Our first snow storm!! (don't worry, I was the passenger for the road picture!!)


And along with the cold weather comes colds and flues, which I have been battling this week.....oh well. But better this past  week than this coming week!  because my daughter gets married this week!!! And this week is going to get crazy!!



What I've Been Up To:

I received a very lovely bundle of Art Gallery Fabric from a dear friend Frances Newcombe, newest Art Gallery designer!! Her first fabric line, Safari Moon, comes out in December.  She wanted me to try some of Art Gallery's fabric out and see what I thought!! It's lovely fabric, really nice to work with. It must have a high thread count too because there was minimal fraying, which is fantastic.             

Lunch Tote:

 So I promptly made a lunch bag tote,  with a tutorial I found online at Pink Penguin (There are a few things I would change about the pattern the next time I make this tote, but over all the tutorial is great). Just read through the whole tutorial before you start, because some information you find out later in the instructions would be useful to know before you cut your fabric.

Baskets:

I found a pattern for crocheted baskets over at Crochet in Color.   I found it a great project to keep me occupied while I was feeling a little under the weather, and I needed a baby shower gift (the peach ones) and thought this would be perfect! So of course I made one and than another one the larger size, which turned into 3 sets of baskets!!! 

Christmas Gifts:

I finally started quilting  my nephew's quilt! I wanted to echo the wave pattern but quickly learned it wasn't that easy. I needed to use a ruler to stitch the angle, so I ordered 2 rulers. The rulers came and I realized I needed an extention table for the throat of my long arm, so the ruler would sit properly!!! I am learning a lot.....so now that will be ordered....but I needed to get this done...and I wanted simple lines, so what is simpler that straight!!! lol My machine locks in veritical and horizontal so this is going to be easy and I think it is going to be perfect!!                                                               

13 a bakers dozen placemats for my Mom! I need to bind them still, but the quilt as you go part is done!! If you look close you will see that they are all made with the same fabrics but not one of them sewn the same!! Making 13 of them I didn't want to have to think about it too much, just sew, and I think they are so fun and bright! Christmas Cheer!! All the backs are the same though with a fall theme, making the placemats 2/4/1!!

Tester Block/BOM:

I also tested a new block for Kristy at Quiet Play . I can't share the block with you, but below are the fabrics I chose for the block, and I can share....

 

Kristy is going to be doing a Retro Kitchen BOM starting January 1st 2014. I can't wait, you should check it out!!

City Sampler:

#30 Christmas is starting early....

It's been wet a lot here, which makes it great for sewing and baking! At least that's what I like to do on rainy days, unless I'm bundled up reading a book, with a hot drink close by. So instead of letting the weather get me down,  I started my Christmas sewing projects.
I know Christmas already!?? We still have 65 days till Christmas, but if you plan on making any gifts, like I am, you have to start early!! So my Christmas sewing has begun!!
 Truthfully I love Christmas! I love the snow, the music, the decorations (which I put up in Nov) and baking!! I love making cookies! How about you? What's your favorite part of Christmas?

What I've Been Up To:

Modern Trees QAL My second QAL over at Christa Quilts!! The above picture was the lay out for the wall hanging. You add white strips along each side to make the rows even. I chose to make a lap size quilt and didn't want that much white, so I chose to sash the blocks! (basically I went for the easier piecing layout!! lol )

 Count Down To Christmas QAL I couldn't help myself, I had to jazz it up with a border and even incorporated the Modern Trees Block along the top!! It was meant to be, they are the same width!! I didn't follow the instructions for assembling the calendar to the letter either, but I am so happy with the results!

Blue Wave
I finally have my nephew's quilt loaded on the frame and knew how I wanted to quilt it, only to realize it wasn't as easy to accomplish as I thought!! eek!! I need a quilting ruler!! So that is now on order.....

 This is the back! I forgot to take a picture of it after I sewed on the gray strips top and bottom. I used Kona iron.

Christmas Placemats

I am piecing them, quilt as you go, with a variety of Christmas fabrics. I randomly cut  different widths of strips from all the fabrics, and am randomly placing them together. So none of them will be exactly the same. I was going for fun, and being as I am making 13 of them I didn't want to have to think about it, just sew! The backing fabric however is all the same and has a fall theme. Making the placemats a 2fer!! 2 placemats in 1!! Gotta love that!!

City Sampler QAL

Virtual Quilting Bee
All blocks done. Next up adding the on point triangles!!! So cool, but it maybe a few weeks...or after Christmas before I get there!

One last item....told you I love to bake cookies! These were too tempting to resist. Second recipe shared over at Jacquelynne Steves blog, Pumpkin Spice Cookie with Maple Cream Cheese!! So easy and so good! Too good I ate 3 on Sunday at lunch before I had to put them away before I ate more.