Snowy days can provide some down-time and fast finishes, I can offer up this pizza wallhanging as evidence! "Wanna Peesa Peetza?" measures 25.5" square and will cleverly disguise the breaker box panel cover in the kitchenette of our converted attic space. Another pattern from Ami Simms, our "peetza" is of the plain cheese variety, I was all out of fabric "toppings"!
Snow this morning...then a chance of freezing drizzle this afternoon. Total snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches. Colder with highs in the upper 20s. Temperature falling into the lower 20s this afternoon. Northeast winds around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.
And sew it goes, I'm spending this afternoon hand stitching some binding down, with a curled-up dog and a cup of steaming tea beside me. The escapades of earlier this week could almost be forgotten if it weren't for two suntanned shoulders hiding under this heavy turtleneck sweater!
We've had a great week, soaked up some warm and wonderful sunshine and returned home just in time to prepare for another go-round with winter weather, we have substantial snow in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Where in the world have we been? See if you can guess:
This is fun. How many days old are you? I am 20,576 days old today. Wow, that's a whole lotta days! You can find out your age in days, weeks and even the day of the week that you were born by clicking here.
...have we been? We made a quick road trip this week, putting a LOT of miles on the car. As you can see, we took our canine companion along with us; Hannes is the perfect little traveler! Whenever we're ready to go anywhere he hops into his travel pouch and we're off!
2. The motel we stayed at believes in duplicity. "Why", I ask; who knows. Can't you just imagine saying (or thinking) the following: "Hey that looks good; let's put two of them up, exactly alike, side by side!" No.
3. I bought this fabric and didn't need to pay any shipping charges!
The best thing about long car trips is the handwork that I get done! I completed the binding on two quilts and finished embroidering strawberries on one more side of the never-ending tablecloth project. 
... about housecleaning I learned from quilting. I've been cleaning house for a LONG time and I only began applying this principle on Friday. OK, so I'm a slow learner. I used to clean one room at a time, in it's entirety. "Why", I asked myself, "was I doing it like that?" I don't put together a quilt that way. I certainly wouldn't cut out all the pieces for ONE BLOCK at a time, sew those together, press them, and then begin on block #2. No, I would do all my cutting, all my sewing, all my pressing, for all the blocks at once and expedite the process. Employing that same technique I attacked my housecleaning with a renewed vengeance. I whipped through all the toilets and vanities first, cleaning and mopping. Then the dusting; ALL the dusting. Glass tabletops followed, and mirrors, done! Finally, the vacuuming, the whole house... in one fell swoop. I was through, and in record time no less! I might be a slow learner but I'm a fast remember-er, I'm not going back to the room-by-room method anytime soon; not after I know what I know now. What other life lessons are there, just waiting to be learned, right here in my own sewing room?
I pieced this second table topper over the weekend, it's done from a pattern found on the Moda Bake Shop and aptly named "Christmas Table Topper". The pattern requires two charm packs (prepackaged 5" squares representing a full line of fabrics by Moda, the manufacturer) and additional fabric for setting the blocks. Now, this is may be common knowledge to most of you, but it wasn't to me: charm packs don't all contain the same number of squares! Be sure and double check the number that you need before you assume that a charm pack (or two) will be enough! (The number of squares contained in the pack will be clearly marked on the reverse side of the pack.) I purchased two packs containing 40 squares each and needed eighty-one squares for nine 'Disappearing 9-Patch' blocks. Groan. I did have backing fabric purchased and cut a five inch square out of that to complete the top but will have to scramble now to buy more backing fabric. It only makes sense, now that I know not all charm packs are created equal. A word to the wise, from the now wiser: it's the count that counts!
I have a head start on Christmas 2010 thanks to a sew-a-thon retreat weekend! Pictured here is a pile of Chrismons, I finished making them up on Friday night, all that's left is to close the opening on the sides. I can check this task off the list! I pieced together a Christmas table topper and all the
blocks for a second one; one to keep, one to give away. And lastly, eighty nine-patch blocks for a Christmas quilt, awaiting assembly into a top. It's made from a Moda "Layer Cake" stack and two yards of a solid. I just read a quote from Bob Perks: "it's not enough to begin, you must always follow through"; how true. I will. Getting a step ahead carries its own weighty responsibility. With that in mind I have developed this, the 3-UP challenge, and have issued it to myself for 2010:
My bags are all packed and by the door, ready for a quilting retreat! All that's left to do is pack my suitcase and load the cooler. Whew! There's a lot of work and planning behind going away to sew for a weekend with your best buds. I always laugh when I have my bags all piled up like this and ready to load into the car, it reminds me of the time my husband helped me tote everything out of the house and innocently asked why it wouldn't just be easier for everyone to come and sew here! I replied that yes, it would be easier, but it certainly wouldn't be as much FUN. Anyone who might think that having fun is easy has never packed for a weekend quilt retreat. My husband is still trying to understand the concept.
This was Mason's Christmas present from Nana, his very own Picture Play quilt. The pattern from Ami Simm's book of the same name is "Dots and Boxes", I dubbed it "Dots and Boxes, Frogs and Foxes" while I was working on it but now that it's Mason's quilt it could just as easily be titled: "Looky, A Cookie!", he delights in finding all of the cookies pictured, his new favorite word (and, most likely, his favorite food)! I had hoped that he would enjoy exploring the quilt's surface and discovering hidden objects contained; my daughter reports that he LOVES doing just that. Nothing could have made my heart happier than learning that he
attempted to drag his quilt to the table with him for snack time yesterday! "Maybe you need to make him another one, Mom; a smaller, carry-around, version" she laughed. I'll see what I can do.
This one is good sized, 66" X 86", too big for a toddler to pull throughout the house; but just perfect for playing on and snuggling under. Incorporated into the layout are a few photo transfers and some fun and furry fringe animals stitched on the embroidery machine. I quilted the inner border with my favorite NiteLite glow-in-the-dark thread and added some red piping alongside the binding to finish it off with pizazz. Enjoy, little one, Nana loves you! Looky, A "COOKIE"!
Here stands my Chrismon Tree, it's coming down today along with all of the other Christmas decorations to be packed away for yet another year. Along with the lace angels, beeswax candles and folded paper stars the tree contains some beautiful cross-stitch Chrismons, made by my daughter approximately ten years ago; precious few of those are actually made up into the Chrismons they were meant to be. Unfortunately, most of
her perfect cross-stitch is still languishing on the even-weave canvas awaiting assembly (by me!). Every year it's the same story, I put up the tree and vow to finish the ornaments so lovingly hand stitched for this purpose. The hectic pace of the season always takes precedence and they simply don't get done. This year is different. I am taking the New Year's challenge the same way I would approach a large meal; little bites, one at a time. I have divided tasks that seem large over the course of the year and made assignments each month. January: Chrismons! I have altered the "notes" area on each month's calendar page to read "goals" and marked Chrismons there where I can see it every day. That, and this public declaration, should spur me on to a successful finish and twenty more Chrismons next year. I have packed all of the necessary materials to take with me on quilt retreat this coming weekend where I'll nibble away on them, one bite at a time. Wish me luck!
Along with a new decade comes a new quilter, please welcome Amelia to the quiltmaking club. Yesterday was her last day with me, she applied her binding and learned how to attach it to the back by hand, now she's on her own; I will sincerely miss our time together. Amelia contacted me back in October regarding her high school graduation project, she wanted to learn a life skill, she wanted to make a quilt, she wondered if I could help her. Was she serious? Could I help her? I jumped at the opportunity! Eager to learn, and with no sewing experience whatsoever, she jumped in with enthusiasm. I was encouraged by her focus and determination, she was a frequent visitor in my sewing space for stitching sessions after school and on weekends, I loved both her company and her sweet personality. From the initial fabric purchase all the way through machine quilting she knew what she wanted and kept her eye on the goal. I couldn't be any prouder of her, even if she were my own daughter. The truth of the matter is that Amelia was a gift to me! Yes, it was she who learned a skill, and the world has a new quilter, but I was able to experience the joy of the process through Amelia; that pure and simple joy of making a first quilt! Is there anything better than that? I can't think of one single thing. Thank you, Amelia!
Life is Good!
