Design "Wall" Monday

Well, it isn't the wall but it will have to do for now.

The next row for "Seasons in a Row" is hearts for February though I decided to go with a slight variation over the pattern used and foundation piece mine.  I use EQ and have it linked with Sew Precise software so that increases my options of finding something I can use.   Then I rough cut fabrics by using the rotary cutting directions in EQ and adding extra fabric since I'm foundation piecing.  It is ready when I am ready to sew. 

 I'll be out of pocket for a couple of days so today was laundry and errands day.  One stop was at Hobby Lobby for some striped fabric for a project that will be coming up.  Well, "It's All About Me" project sponsored by Sew We Quilt.  I received my day assignment, bringing up the rear on Thursday, February 28.  The official start is February 19th.  I am pretty sure I know what I want to do but will need to do a little design tweaking first.  I am not sure that I will use all of this for the project but it would make a neat quilt down the line with the leftovers or whatever, LOL.

And sew it goes----------   

some cutting etc

 After spending some time this morning on the photo editing project, I decided that this afternoon I could try some cutting and sewing.  Playing with setting up the Kenmore electronic machine now and trying to determine where my quarter inch is on this thing.  I do not think I can change the center needle position on the machine to compensate for the distance of the foot but for what I am doing at the moment, it is NOT critical.

I am going with a shortened Christmas tree for one of the Dresden Plate blades for the tree skirt, using the "Charley Brown Tree"  Button Up like the one I already made in Nov. 2011, as a start.  I am using a couple of the fabrics that were in the Sweet Saint Nick line at Connecting Threads and use stash for the star and flower pot I plan on appliquing.  The original pattern had you piece in the tree holder----no way!  This blade will be less "busy" than the twister blade was.

I just found out that my lefthanded blogging friend and her friend the "other Linda" are going to do another "Leisurely Turtle Race to Christmas with Squirrels Allowed"  (or LTRTCWSA) for 2013.  These two were trying to get me to join in but I had other stuff going on----when don't I?  BUT this starts immediately after this just past Christmas so I may have a leg up with these two tree skirts and my plans to finally complete my version of the Oxmoor House.  Now I have to tell you that my lefthanded blogging friend has done some swaps with me and some of her previous projects have and will be coming to my house.  The girl loves scraps and I can accommodate that!   Want to join in----you got till November 30, 2013.  No rules either!  This year they called it a draw---you are done when you say you are done, LOL.

Mail call today brought the fabrics that I was able to purchase from the Fat Quarter Shop, thanks to the gift certificate I won in the blog hop from Starwood Quilter and part of my Christmas gift money from the Bama Belles.  Isn't it pretty?   Better than the thumbnails I posted the other day.  THX y'all!

The next thing I know it will be time to start supper! I already had to make one meal already today (spinach pie)  plus threw some chicken in the crockpot to make some chicken noodle soup earlier today.  I may go with the soup and save the Seafood Creole idea for tomorrow instead.  Some of the fish needs to thaw slightly anyway.   Ambivalent.

And sew it goes------

Christmas Shopping----for me

Thanks to Susan P at Starwood Quilter and the generous blog hop gift certificate I unexpectedly won. these fabrics from the Bonnie and Camille Marmalade line from Moda will be coming to my house soon.  I added in some of the Christmas gift money from my dear Bama Belles and got a couple more to do with it. I hope to include them in my Farmer's Wife Inspired Sampler when I get back to working on the blocks again.  THX again, y'all.

Can you tell I love orange and yellow??  And that green that goes with their Vintage Modern stuff?

DJ had asked me if I was still waiting on the part of my Christmas gift from him----I am but I had received notice that hit had shipped.  When I heard the mail lady out in the drive, I thought it might be here.  They only pull in the drive when they have a package, otherwise it is out in the mail box across the lane.  Instead it was the fabric I had ordered from thousands of bolts for Blake and Julia's tree skirt I will be making for them, a delayed wedding present.  DJ said "that just means more work for you" when I told him the present was NOT here yet.  Yeah, maybe but I enjoy sewing so that is not technically work.  Work is having to mop the kitchen floor because you spilled your extra full coffee cup all over the kitchen table and floor.  And having to do a load of towels since you soaked up a couple dish towels cleaning up the initial mess on the floor.  SIGH.

The ivy on the left is the backing.  The green is a bit brighter than I hoped but I'll probably use it anyway unless I have a better option in the fabric bin.  The red is perfect though not as orange as it looks in the picture. 

I will use the Frosted Tree Skirt pattern from Connecting Threads but sub out the kit fabric for the stuff above .  The kit fabric will combine nicely with a previous line from CT called Twilight Frost---won't go to waste.  It is no longer available on their website but the pattern is now able to be downloaded , now calling it "Star Bright Tree Skirt.   It  was gorgeous in the frosted blues!!. 

I had downloaded this from the website when it was up there.  The light cream will go where you see the white.  The creamy dotty print is the sashing.  I have to dig in the stash for the cornerstone fabric.  Where you see the medium blue will be the red  and the dark blue is the green print.  I think. Now that I see the fabric.  I may reverse the red and green but will mull that over before cutting.  I ordered enough that it can go either way but it would change the binding choice.  

I will finish up Allison's first, then do this one and get started back on my version of the Oxmoor House quilt.   But for today, I am going to get back to my snowman row that I started yesterday for the guild row of the month.  I drew it up in EQ so I could  foundation piece it but only got as far as their hats chaining 8 blocks through. 

And sew it goes------

Moving on

I finished up the monster quilt I showed you in the last post as planned yesterday afternoon, almost right on schedule. Aline had called me about something else and I told her I would be finished in an hour or so. What did she want to do about pickup and delivery? They attend church near my home and it being Wednesday evening, there is usually choir practice and/or Bible study going on.  We left it that one of them would probably run by before heading home.

Funny thing was her husband stopped  to pick up the quilt and the phone was ringing at the same time.
  I could guess who it was on the other end though we let it ring.  Aline was telling me that if I didn't see Hans by 7:45 he wouldn't be coming, LOL.    He'd already been and gone!

I have been knitting a bit in the evenings and started the hat on the right Tuesday evening.  Really I wanted to do it as using a true circular needle or "in the round" as they say but had already shut down the computer so just went with the standard methodology.  Circular needles but used straight like I normally do.  I am at the point with that watch cap where you switch over to stockinette stitching. 

Since I was done with the quilt before I had to worry about supper prep I cast on and followed along with the video tutorial I posted last month from knitdenise.  Well, I cast on twice because the first time I had done it far too tight and should have used a shorter 12 inch cable between the needles.  Another inch or two and I'll be doing the shaping for the top.  Then do I try the video for knitting with two circular needles OR switch to double points?

And just like that----I got more than one thing going, just like I do with quilting! 

And also considering another project with any leftover yarn.  I do like this Grape Fizz color and can see getting another skein when I am down near  Hobby Lobby next week.  I  may need more to finish it.  I know I can get two watch caps out of one skein of yarn but switching things out, maybe not. The hat is from the redheart dot come website for "knit roll brim hat".  Change things up a little bit and adapt for in the round. 

At some point I need to re-crochet the top of this hanging towel thing for the kitchen----provided I can remember where it is that I found the directions.  Just poking the button through the double crochet spaces has led to some raveling.

Oh, speaking of the kitchen.  DJ is just about done in there!  A couple coats of green on one last door and he is finished.  The ones he has already completed are hanging.  I'll get a "tada" picture taken when he is officially finished.  It really looks different in there!  I can also expect to have a return on my dryer top as he has had it taken over as his work/storage space since this whole deal started.  You can do the laundry but forget using that normally available surface for a folding/holding prep area.

At present I am pre-washing fabrics for Allison's tree skirt (and maybe stockings).  Most of this is half yards, from Connecting Threads.

Technicolor Tidings

Peppermint Frost

Sweet St. Nick--but only that candy on butterscotch background

The cream is for the background of the skirt, as my  niece requested.

I hope to combine this with other things in my stash, including what was cut away from the backing of my Patience Corner to make crazy patched sections of the "petal" segments of the tree skirt.   I know I have some charm squares left from my quilt and can incorporate some pieced elements into the segments, whatever.  She wanted a mix of fabrics that would go with any decor down the line.   So that is exactly what I will do.  I like the button and loop closure on this as well.  McCall's M6453

But first----slog through pressing all this fabric.  I hate to iron but half yards are not too bad as three yards of backing fabric.  Today may only be about prep work---and fill in with knitting for actual creative time.

Friendship Quilter's Christmas Party is on Saturday and I am signed up for dessert.  I am thinking I am going to make another peanut butter sheet cake since the girls seemed to enjoy that at the retreat in October.  I made cookies for the last sew-in a few weeks ago though I am wanting to try an Angel Sugar Crisp Cookie recipe I have flagged on pinterest from Taste of Home.  Maybe next week, midweek or so.

Well, I've got a date with the iron.  Good thing it is warm enough outside to open a window and maybe keep from getting overheated doing said pressing.