Block 6 of Christmas Potpourri

Another block for the Christmas Potpourri quilt!  This is block 6 and it went together beautifully.  I'm a happy camper and am off to get the fabrics ready for block 7.

Since the fabrics are mostly cut into rectangles that are 6" by 10", I don't pre-wash.  I pre-rinse in the sink, roll in a towel, dry and then use magic sizing when I press.  The debate about pre-washing continues and I will put in my opinion ---

This project is a perfect example of why I pre-treat my quilt fabric.  There are at least 12 fabrics that have been stacked and cut the same size for each block.  After a nice rinse, they are each a different size and / or shape.  Some shrink in wierd ways, some turn into parallelograms.  I prefer to have this happen before the quilt is constructed.  If you like to steam while piecing that can also cause a shift in the fabric if it has not been pre-treated.

I was once told by someone who had worked in the garment district in NYC that when you see how the fabrics are wound on the bolts it is no wonder that they become stretched and misshaped.  A prewash -- or even a quick spray with water -- helps them bounce back to their original shape.

Last post of 2011 - Glitter & Glisten Ornaments

It has been a busy December...



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are pics of some ornaments that I made this month.  They are from kits that I picked up on ebay earlier this year. The ornaments are called Glitter & Glisten from Lee Ward's and Carter's Dexter's - probably from the early 1970's.  Needless to say, they didn't want to have their photos taken and I couldn't get a good picture.

They look super on the tree -- but since the tree is already down, perhaps next year.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

Christmas Potpourri BOM Quilt Block 4

Today I finished block 4 of the Christmas Block of the Month Quilt.  I'm a little distracted this time of the year and managed to make one sewing mistake that I was not willing to change.  The star in the bottom right should be dark with a light background -- oops!  Not changing it.

Christmas Potpourri Quilt - Block 3

Block Three of Christmas Potpourri

Finding time to sew or stitch during November and December is a challenge.  This is block 3 of the Christmas Potpourri Quilt -- the purple is a little funky but -- what the heck!  I have made some of the half-square triangles for the border with the same fabric so I might be able to get a little balance.

 

Christmas BOM Quilt - Block 2

Here is the completed block 2 for the Christmas Potpourri BOM.  A few fabric changes were needed.  I have a cold and kept making mistakes but really, really wanted to complete the block ... so ... into the scrap drawer to find fabrics to replace the ones that got messed up.  Hope it still looks good to me after I'm feeling better.

Christmas Potpourri BOM - Block 2

This is block two of the current Christmas BOM -- in progress.  I'm still auditioning fabrics and blocks for placement positions but this should be pretty close to the finished block.

I added a new gadget to my crafting room.  This past week I bought a Pressing Betty.  I've only used it for a couple of days and I'm not sure if I like it or not -- change is hard!  A couple more weeks and I hope that I will have used it enough for a real opinion.

Needlepoint Ornament - January

January Ornament

This morning I finished stitching the January ornament from the Christmas Ornament of the Month Club.  This cute ornament came as a kit that included the painted canvas, stitch guide, and threads.  I believe that this series is currently exclusive for Family Arts.
http://www.familyartsneedlework.com/Clubs.html

Needlepoint Ornaments

Ornament Club - February

Despite my great intentions to work on projects that I already have, I couldn't help myself ... I signed up for the monthly ornament club at my local shop - Family Arts.  Each month we receive a needlepoint kit that includes a super cute canvas from Associated Talents.

The canvases are fairy small -- the design size is about 3.25 by 2.75 inches.

 

Dept 56 Christmas Decorating - The End

New England Village from Dept 56

This is the last village that was put up for Christmas decorating.  The houses and most of the people are from the New England series.

Our holiday decorations have been up since the week following Thanksgiving and they will soon be back in storage waiting for Christmas 2011.

Christmas Ornaments On Our Tree

There are quite a variety of ornaments on our Christmas tree.  These are a couple of my favorites.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The puppies ornament was made by my mom, the bird ornament was made by my aunt.

Even More - Christmas Village Decorating

Here is the last section of the North Pole Village - the houses, people and most trees are Dept 56.

 

More Christmas Decorating

More of our holiday decorating!  This group of lighted buildings are part of Elf Land (Dept 56) -- the two trees in back on the left are from North Pole Woods (Dept 56).

Christmas Cross Stitch

These are a couple more of the Shepherd's Bush mini pillows -- letters "S" for snow and "C" for Christmas.

Christmas Decorating 2010

Once Thanksgiving arrives, the days turn into a blur.  The Christmas decorating is just about done. This is part of the North Pole Village (Dept 56) that is set up.  All it needs is the fresh fallen snow.

Golden Princess Bead & Sequin Ornament

The Golden Princess is the first "round" bead/sequin Christmas ornament I have made, I finished it yesterday.  It was much harder to make than I expected.  This was a kit that came with materials to make two ornaments and I have 3 kits -- perhaps by the time I reach #6 I will know what I'm doing.

Holiday Apron

Aprons are great, I use them all the time when I am in the kitchen - and sometimes when I am working on different projects.  I finished this apron yesterday, this is the first one that I ever made.

Several years ago I found this as a panel print from Marcus Bros.

Santa's Boot Ornaments

This is one of the Christmas ornaments that I made over the weekend.  I finished three -- all the same.

Christmas Ornaments

Christmas ornament time! This is the latest project that I'm getting started on. This is an old kit that I never got to -- it has everything needed to make three mini Santa boots using sequins beads and ribbon.

When done, this style of ornament looks fabulous on the tree.... especially when the lights go on.