Happy Little Girls

Remember Anne was busy making quilts for Addi and Emma for Christmas?

Well, they were opened with glee by two happy little girls early Christmas morning.











Aren't they just adorabe little elves? Addi loves tiny little details so she will have lots of fun with the fussy cut little squares in hers.













Emma is a voracious reader and hers looks like stacks and stacks of books - very appropriate.

This was the first time that she had machine quilted and it looks like she might be a pro.













They both turned out just beautifully and will be happily used. I like how she used a variety of ginghams to bind Addi's - ties in nicely with the blocks.

Wonder what she'll do for an encore?...M

Waste Not, Want Not

Over the holidays my sewing room takes a beating as it becomes the 'wrapping centre' - code for the room that all gift and paper and cards get tossed into until they come out again in pretty little packages. It's great to be able to contain the mess but it is not a big room so sewing is temporarily suspended until I can clear things out again. I finally took the bull by the horns yesterday and did some long overdue sorting and organizing (you know it's time when your niece is musing aloud as to whether you might have hoarding tendencies...). I've also rearranged the furniture a bit - it's a nice change.

So, what does that have to do with men's shirts, you ask. Organizing included reclaiming several of the Official Cookie Tester's old dress shirts. I hate to throw anything out, and other than worn cuffs and collars they are in great shape. A pile has been building in a basket for a while now so the time was right to sort them out.

It really didn't take that long and now that they are all neatly pressed it's amazing how much new fabric I have to add to my blues - there has to be at least 4 or 5 metres! There's a red and blue log cabin that I saw on Mia's blog that they will be perfect for - hers was made with scraps too. I also want to use some for a Spiderweb à la Krista Withers... Swoon.

The bonus is that I got a lovely little supply of buttons out of it as well (Dori made me the lovely pear pincushion).

I was going to pitch the back yokes with the labels in them, but I think it would be fun to work them into the quilt too.

Of course, after all that mucking about and sorting and organizing, a girl needs a break...and maybe a nice little mince tart and a cuppa to wash it down with...M

And a New Year Just Begun...

With the flip of a page a new year begins - I hope that it is filled with peace, joy, patience and a sense of adventure for all of us. My friend Lori has a saying, "The days are long, but the years are short'. So true, so lets make the most of them, both the days and the years. And what better way than to start working on something 'sweet'? Last time I mentioned that I've been rethinking my Candied Hexagon and so I've been mulling that about. Kim McLean's version (the third photo down) is what inspired me to start but somehow I'm not feeling the love for it as much as I once did - I think the scale of my pieces is larger than what she had so I'm not seeing the depth that I'd like.

I slipped out to the shops a few days ago to see if I could pick up a few more fabrics to finish it up and bring it to life a little more. I found a few fat quarters and also picked up a mauve piece. I'd seen a few great star quilts lately, particularly this one with tiny pieces, so when laying out the blocks I decided to offset them a tad, inserting mauve triangles. I like it!










Time to bring out the paper and pencil and start sketching. Much as I liked it I wanted to see the two options next to each other before I decided (besides, it was also a great chance to pick up a pencil and doodle a bit - I know you can do this with computer programs but I just love this process).

So yesterday I sat in front of my tree for a few hours to see what it might look like, particularly the edges. I love the hustle and bustle of the holidays but I particularly like the quiet time between Boxing Day and New Year's because I can actually sit still and enjoy my tree, either stitching or reading by the fire. The Official Cookie Tester is already hinting at when it will come down so I needed to carve out some serious tree time.

In the end the new layout wins. I'm going to run the pattern right to the edges and just bind it without borders so I'll need about 83 blocks and 10 half blocks for it. I've got 75 finished so not many more to make - just not sure if I'll start piecing these together and add as I go or stitch them all and then lay the entire thing out.

I really got silly and did a mini layout so I could do the math and get an accurate block count - if you squint you can see it too!

This is a closer look at the mauve - it reminds me of the swirling snows that we have seen over the last several days.

So, time to sew a few more blocks. The Rose Bowl starts soon so I'm off to find my needle and thread. Happy New Year, everyone!...M

Stocking Stuffers & Special Things

Several of my gifts and stuffers this year were given for the quilter in me, and I couldn't be happier.

Betty made absolutely gorgeous woolen eyeglass cases as gifts (this is what she kept running into the bedroom at the cottage to plan in secret during our craft day at the cottage a while back). Aren't they wonderful? If memory serves me correctly, that Godiva chocolate truffle bar that's tucked inside will help improve my eyesight...

I love the felted ball, and her stitching is teeny, tiny and perfect.
















And Anne had a sewing treat for me too. This charming little gal is a magnetic needle nanny. She's only about 2 inches from stem to stern but the magnet is strong enough to hold scissors, needles and pins securely in place and at the ready. Guess that means no more standing up and realizing that the upper part of my pant leg has become a temporary pincushion...where's the fun in that?!

She'll need a name, of course. Any suggestions?







Santa wasn't about to be left out of the picture either. He tucked a Clover needle threader into my stocking, and none too soon either because lately those needle holes seem to be getting smaller and smaller.

And for the tree, a little something from Stephanie. Isn't she beautiful? She's a Christmas quilting angel complete with halo, sewing basket and a lovely scene of a quilting bee on the front of her skirt. Quite regal, isn't she?

She's equally beautiful from the back.

















Collectively, they have all inspired me to pick up needle and thread again and I've been enjoying a return to fussy cutting and relaxing hand stitching.

I went for the biggest bag first cause I'm tired of moving it around the house/sewing room, so I'll spend some time working on Candied Hexagons. I started laying blocks out on the spare bed and playing with the layout and am thinking of changing things up a tad. All will be revealed...M