Nearing Christmas

Nearing Christmas.  The weather has gotten chilly.  They predict rain for the rest of the week.  We'll see.  Christmas eve with friends and Christmas Day with family. What could be better - of course attending Mass to sing praise and Joy in the Birth of Emmanuel - God with us.

Quilting has slowed down as I worked to accomplish the season's decorating and baking. I did work a bit each day.  Here's is what I have so far:

This is a block from a quilt by Mark Lipinski in the McCalls Quick Quilts,  September 2005.  The colored print is actually a teal, but that's what I get taking a photo at night.  Ah, me.

I hope you are done with your preparations for Christmas, so you can sit down and start to gather yourself to enjoy the season.  Merry Christmas!

Haven't been Totally Stitchless

It's the time of the year that all plans get changed.  Ah, me.  So here's what I've been able to do in those little 15 minute sessions:

 Took two charm packs and came up with this HST baby quilt top.  It's small, so may be for the preemies.

This was another charm pack - I used the Super Easy Hour Glass tutorial by Jenny to make these squares. Each are now in the sew together the rows stage.   I have to finish this one by Thursday AM. Then it will go to another member of St. Anne's to finish.  Have a cute nursery flannel for the back.

What have you been up to?  Leave me a comment and I'll go see your post.  Off to do some Christmas cards. Blessings,

Two Finishes for Friday

At last, I have a finish - well, two actually.

The first is the baby  quilt I've been quilting: - Arggh! - I don't have a photo! I seem to have erased it. I'll have to show it later.

Next, this I do have a photo.  My studio sign:

It is done and waiting to be hung in my studio. This is a pattern from Kay Mackenzie's book, Scrap Applique Playground .  I raw edge appliqued the letters and FMQ the background.  Then I did back and forth on the spools to make them more realistic as to having thread.  The one thing I'm not happy about is the background is not square in the bottom left corner.  I'll remember to check that before I add the next border to a top.  The scissors were a bit tricky because I used a gray solid for the blades.  Solids so fall apart! I had to use fray check all along the edges to keep it not together. Sigh. But at least that worked.  I didn't realize the letters would look so ghostly with the white, dotted background. Another thing to check with a b&w photo from my camera.  But it's done and I'm happy enough to hang it.

Lastly (and another finish) is the steal game entry I made for our Guild meeting.  

Made a sandwich, quilted it, then cut out a 7 inch circle.

Then I bound the circle with bias binding.  

I then folded it per instructions from the pattern in the 2000 Fons and Porter Nov/Dec For the Love of Quilting issue. And got this:

a scissor case

So those are my Friday finishes.  What are you working on?  I'd love to see. Just leave me a note and I'll come comment. I'll be linking to Can I get a Whoop, Whoop?  and Oh Scrap!.

Blessings, and Happy Thanksgiving!