Heather's Jewel Box, Top Done

Hello Blogger friends!

Well, we are back in the deep freeze again...it's COLD outside.  But, it is warm here in my office/craft room, and the sewing machine has been humming...

I wanted to share this photo of Heather's Jewel Box.  As you can see, the top is done.

I think it turned out rather well.  And the photograph doesn't really do it justice.  The colors are rich and deep, just like jewels.  I hope to take the final photo (once binding is done) outside in natural light.  Once the backing and binding is one, it will finish to 56" x 68".  And just when will that be, you ask???

Well...I am already working hard on my next project. More on that next post.  

My plan is to put together another couple of quilt tops and make a tote bag for myself.  Then, I need to take the sewing machine in for an oiling and adjustment.  I'll finish the quilts started so far once the machine comes home again. 

Next time I'll give you a sneak peak to Snack Attack!  See you then...

Heather's Jewel Box

Welcome Back, Blog Friends,

I've started project #1 for 2014, a lap quilt that I have named "Heather's Jewel Box".  Heather is our lovely and gifted niece who is about to leave graduate school with a Master's Degree in Psychology.  She will hang out her shingle soon after graduation this spring.  I'm hoping that after a long day at the office seeing patients, she'll come home, kick off her shoes, cuddle up in this quilt with a glass of wine, and unwind from the day. 

Heather loves color, and this quilt certainly fits this description.  I had the opportunity recently to visit Jeri's Quilt Patch in Norway, MI.  I saw a finished sample of this quilt in the store and thought of Heather immediately.  I purchased the pattern "Hole in the Wall Quilt", as well as a fat quarter bundle in rich jewel tones.  (This picture just didn't do the fabrics justice).  The jewels themselves are from several different lines, and all feature small tone-on-tone prints. 

The finished blocks are rather large at 15 1/2" square, with a total of 12 blocks.  There is sashing within, between, and outside the blocks.  The black sashing is from the Marbles line by Moda.  No formal border will be used in this quilt. 

So far, I have all 12 blocks made, and I'm in process of joining blocks and sashing.  I'll be back soon with the finished quilt top!

Till then...

Project List for 2014

Greetings, Blog Friends!

When I last left you, I was pondering what project to work on next.  I've put together an interesting list of projects, mostly quilting.  I can only list them in general terms, as some of the recipients read this blog!  Isn't this a fun mystery, blog readers...to guess which items might be coming to you!!

6 lap quilts for Christmas gifts (1 is done, 1 is in process)
1 quilt for housewarming
1 quilt for baby gift
2 quilts for graduation gifts
1 table topper for birthday gift
1 tote bag for little ol' me
10 pillowcases for donation to Children's Hospital

I'll revisit this list again after Christmas (11+ months from now) and see how I did!  Wish me Luck!!

I'm also planning to attend two scrapbooking retreats in April and October. 

More next post about the first project in the works....

Winter Chill Candle Mat

Hello again Blog friends!

Well, we survived the deep freeze of earlier this week.  Denis and I have been busy the past few days putting all our Christmas decorations away for another year.  How empty and blah the house looks!

To perk up my spirits, I've made a cute little candle mat out of blues and white.  It reminds me of the winter scenery outside, of the white blanket of snow against the blue sky.  I have named this piece "Winter Chill".  It is made from a kit I picked up at Antoinette's Quilt Shop  in Plover, WI.  (Click on Antoinettes, then on the Kits tab to see more of these candle mats).  The kits include precut Dresden plate slices, a center cut out, batting and backing fabric.  The shop offers one of these for each month.  This is the first one I have made.  I made this up very quickly, and now it's done!  Isn't it cute? 

The mat is 11" finished diameter.

On to the next project.  Hmmmm...what will it be?

RUBY RED TABLET COVER

Baby, it's COLD outside!!


Hello Blog friends!  Well, we are all locked in the deep freeze.  Right now it's -13 degrees, wind chill -36 degrees.  A little warmer than our sunrise temp of -18 degrees. 

 

The business where I work has been closed today and yesterday, but I haven't just been laying around watching movies and eating bon-bons.  I have actually been sewing, and made a cute quilted tablet cover for myself.  Both Denis and I bought new phones and tablets a couple of weeks ago.  I have been nervous about carrying mine around without any protection.  So, I raided my stash and happened to find some prints in red and white (what else?..as you can tell, red happens to be my favorite color). 

I free motion quilted the cover and inside pocket flap with a small meander.  Then, I added a fabric pocket to the quilted pocket flap.  I also added an accent strip and some ribbon (from my scrapbooking stash) to the front.  I used a button and a fabric loop as a closure.  The entire piece is bound in a white tone-on-tone print of small flowers. 

 

 I have a filled the pockets with a small pad of paper, a pen, a stylus, my "hot spot", and some screen wipes.  I'll also tuck the charging cord in the same pocket as the hot spot.  My tablet is now good to go!

On to the next project...a cute little Dresden plate candle mat.  I'll be back with the finished product soon.

Stay warm and safe in the cold.

Shawano Barn Quilt Flip Album

Hello Blog Friends,

Well, 2014 is off to quite a start, weather-wise.  The East Coast of the US has been buried in snow, now for the second time this winter.  And, here in the Midwest, we are bracing for the deep freeze to descend on us! 

I'm sharing the last of my Christmas projects ... a 6" x 6" flip book of the barn quilts of Shawano County.  You all might remember that Denis, Mom and I visited Shawano County this past Memorial Day weekend.  Here are some of the pages I made for this flip book (yep...you guessed it... this book is also made by Close to My Heart company).

Here are some of my favorites:

This is the front cover.

Inside front cover.

I have done scrapbook pages in the 6", 9" and 12" sizes, and by far the hardest to make (surprisingly) is the 6" x 6" size.  It becomes a bit of a challenge to make a smaller page all the while keeping your photo large enough to be seen.  I used up a number of scrap papers that I had, too, on some of the pages.  In many instances, the papers coordinated perfectly with the barn or quilt on it.  I also wanted to list the name of the block on each page, and used stickers, stamps, cut out letters, and computer printouts to accomplish that.  Pages are embellished with wood shapes, brads, buttons, and rubber stamp images.

This was a fun project and now I can't wait to make my own Shawano County barn quilt memory book. 

Now it's time to move on to the next project...but what will it be...quilting or scrapbooking?  Stay tuned for the answer!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!

This Is Your Life Memory Scroll Album

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Hello Blogger Friends,

I'm starting out the new year with more Show-and-Tell from Christmas 2013.  This is a scroll memory album, sold by Close to My Heart.  By now you are wondering...does she buy CTMH products exclusively?  No, but just about...my daughter Kristy is a CTMH consultant.  I buy it because the company has great products anyway, and I get to help out my daughter.   Anyway, back to the scroll album...

This item was offered in last year's catalog, and is now retired, but I've seen a few of them on eBay lately.  I wanted to show you what I did with it.  This album was made for our Nephew, Kurt.  It's kind of a "This is Your Life" album, and it includes photos of his grandparents, parents, and himself through HS graduation.  The scroll album came with two sheets of fabric stickers as well as a stamp set.  I also added some coordinating papers from a different paper packet using the same color scheme.  The main color scheme was a teal blue, a coral orange, and brown.  Here are some selected frames from the album:

The album curled up on the scroll

 

Love the stickers included with the kit!

 

This is the first frame of the album.  I chose to start Kurt's story with photos of his grandparents on their wedding days, then baby picture, HS pictures and an engagement picture of his mom and dad.

 

A variety of pictures from his childhood.  Don't you just love the expression on his face with the cookies, as if to say "Are we done yet??"

 
 

This is my favorite frame.  I just love Kurt's senior picture.

 

And here is Kurt with the album.  He was very happy to have it.  And, if you're thinking that the background looks a lot like a hospital room...it is.  Denis' brother, Gordon (Kurt's dad) was in the hospital on Christmas.   Gordon has since been released and is back home recuperating nicely. 

All for now...another Christmas project next time...