HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year to each of you! Wow! 2011! Amazing!

Do you make quilting resolutions at New Years? Sometimes I join UFO challenges, or One Project a Month type groups. But this year my quilty resolutions will be with myself to:

1. Make good use of what I already have.

2. Buy only what I really need and will use promptly.

3. Finish some things that are started.

4. Don't start more than I can finish.

5. I have several long-term projects in the works (Dear Jane, Sylvia's Bridal Sampler, Women of the Bible, and Vintage Valentine). My plan is not to add any more huge projects before progressing a ton on those.

6. Quilt my numerous flimsies (completed quilt tops)!

7. Get some of the men out of the closet. That would be "Bobs" or bags of blocks from exchanges. They need to be made into useful items.

8. Limit my number of those addicting block swaps. Oh, that's going to be a tough one!

That's probably enough for one quilter for one year!

Have a safe and fun holiday. Maybe find some time for some stitching too!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The times have changed, but the message is the same! Click here for a wonderful YouTube video.
Merry Christmas everyone!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CUPCAKES

For 2011, I joined a birthday cupcake swap. I'm in a group of 50 gals swapping, so for my birthday I'll be receiving 49 fusible cupcakes. We are only swapping the applique portion, so we can each select our background fabric and stitching to be consistent throughout our project. The swap was on the Scratchingpost group, the group for Sindy's FatCatPatterns.

I made up my first 12 in no time. That will take me into April. These are small and fit in a regular envelope with regular postage. I bought some birthday cards at Dollar General to use for the swap. I think this will be really fun!

If you are interested in how to prep fusible appliques for a swap (without the background) you can read about it on Sindy's blog here.

For the past 2 years I've been in a B'day FQ swap. It ran May to May and this year we decided to end in May and start up again with the calendar year, to save confusion. Since my B'day is in July, I wouldn't have received anything in 2011, so this will be a nice replacement swap for me for this year.

CHRISTMAS STARS SWAP

My stars have arrived from the Christmas Stars swap. I have a few extras to add to the ones I received, shown here. Aren't they pretty! Lots of varity. I hope to use them for a Christmas quilt next year, mixed with some larger Christmas stars.

CHRISTMAS STITCHING

I like to make homemade gifts for Christmas. It doesn't always work out, but this year I've done quite a few.

My youngest granddaughters will be receiving some new things for their American Girl dolls. The dolls will be all set for a slumber party with their new nighties, sleeping bags, pillows, and pets. These were made from a simple panel design.


They'll both be getting aprons for themselves and their dolls too, also made from panels.




My OH grandsons will be receiving these knit scarves. I love to do simple garter stitch on bamboo needles. So simple, so cozy!

My sister and I exchange small gifts. This year she and her husband will be receiving these microwave cooking bags, I made with the new Tatar Batting. One is for steaming tortillas, and the other is a potato bag, for microwaving baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, sweet corn, muffins, etc.

WONDERFUL QUILT

Isn't this the most fantastic quilt??? It was hanging on the wall at Lolly's. I just had to get a picture of it. When I asked permission, the clerk also handed me a paper explaining the quilt.

It was a community service project for 2nd graders! Yes, 2nd graders! Their teacher, Arlene Shaum, who teaches 2nd grade at Harrison Christian School, in Goshen, IN, drew the pattern out on tear-away canvas. The design is from a cross stitch pattern. The squares were one inch. She cut the fabric squares and placed them in a special bin her husband built for the project. She drew a color grid in the canvas, so the kids would know what color squares to glue where. They worked on it before school and whenever they finished their work early. The quilt was put together in 6 panels. By Dec. they were half done, and guessed that it was The Lord's Supper. The teacher sewed the blocks together, making the resulting squares 1/2". Let me assure you this is a huge quilt make of a zillion tiny squares.

What a great idea! What a super teacher!