A Stitching Sunday

 When Lorna featured this door banner the other day on her blog http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com/2015/11/santas-reindeer-blocks-for-100-blocks.html

I had to make it! I picked up the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine yesterday and immediately started cutting. I actually made two--it is just as easy to cut for two at the same time. They are both ready for me to bind tonight while watching the Sunday night football game for Slow Sunday Stitching http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com

I decided to try quilting them with Lorna's suggestion of organic wavy lines and it was very easy and quick.

 The backing is an oldie from stash that has all kinds of animals. The candy cane stripe is from Joann's and is not the best quality, but I decided to use it anyway.

 This morning I hand sewed the binding down on my niece's birthday banner.

 It is already to be mailed.

 Last year, I cross stitched this quilt block sampler that was featured on Little Miss Shabby's blog. Donna found the link for me http://corianderquilts.com/quilty-stitches/I plan on framing this for my sewing room, but I have been itching to start another cross stitching project.

I have prepped everything for this sheep. It is a companion pattern to a cow and pig I think I made back when I was a newlywed. I figured I would get this done before any other cross stitch project. I am off to make dinner and stitch the night away!

November FNSI

Last night was Friday Night Sew In and I started off my Thanksgiving vacation with the evening in my sewing room. My daughter kept me company. We put on my little pot belly stove heater, drank some hot cocoa, and watched Say Yes to the Dress. I quilted up my niece and nephew's birthday banners. See what everyone else worked on here

http://sugarlane-designs.com/2015/11/november-friday-night-sew-sign-ups.html

I just love to do a simple one inch cross hatch with my walking foot. I need to run by my fabric store this morning and pick up some more of the turquoise fabric to use as binding for this one.

I also hope to find some candy cane stripe for binding for this door banner that Lorna featured on her blog the other day here 

http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com/2015/11/santas-reindeer-blocks-for-100-blocks.html

I am going to whip up one for me and maybe a couple others for gifts. I also have some zip pouches all cut and ready to sew now that my zippers have arrived. I started a new handwork project, but will share it tomorrow for Slow Sunday Stitching Sunday. I am going to sew, read, and relax since I have the whole week off this year!

Done vs. Perfect

 I seem to get stuck in quagmire sometimes with my quilting because I want things to be perfect instead of done. This quilt is an example. I sewed all the chicks and the top together back in June. Then, I did not quilt it because I wanted to quilt it so it looked like chicken wire as was shown in the Farm Girl Vintage book. I spent some time shopping for a chicken wire template on-line and I did find one, but the shipping was more expensive than the template. Dilemma! Should I even bother? In the end, I decided I just wanted to finish it and not spend any money on an expensive template or bother with hand quilting it.

 I started today off with hand binding it for Slow Sunday Stitching. Check out other handwork projects here http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com

 The quilting does not even show up that much because of the busy fabrics, so I am pleased with my choice to have a finish instead of perfection.

 A trick I have bee doing lately is to make an extra block for each quilt and turn it into the quilt's label.  I machine appliqued the block onto the backing and quilted right on through it too.

My niece and nephew have birthdays coming next month. They have reached the age where it is difficult to shop for them, so I decided to make birthday cake banners and buy gift cards for them. My sister recommended purple, green, and blue for my niece. Using the free pattern from Lori Holt found here http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com/2014/10/who-wants-to-make-cake-for-quilty-funs.html 

and Cynthia's tutorial found here

 http://dreamquiltcreate.blogspot.com/2015/10/quilty-fun-birthday-cake-banner-tutorial.html

I whipped up this banner this afternoon and plan on working on my nephew's this evening. They are so much fun to personalize and easy to make, I think everyone in the family needs one for their birthday in 2016.

I also placed an order this week for some zippers, so I can make some monogrammed pouches for colleagues as Christmas presents. Stay tuned for progress on them soon!

Vote for My Dogs

Lorna hosted her Dog Gone Cute Quilt Along at Sew Fresh Quilts and I participated as part of her blog hop. Now, she is having a contest where you can vote for your favorites here http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com/2015/11/dog-gone-cute-linky-party-voting.html

My quilt is Number 8 and features the dogs I have owned throughout my life. If you have a chance, please consider voting for me. Thanks!

 I finished appliquéing my Cottage Garden wool felt quilt. I love how it turned out!

 The scrappy fabrics and wools go together perfectly. This is a Timeless Traditions design that came out this year at the start of the summer. I treated myself to a kit for my birthday.

I picked up this fabric for the backing and will quilt it on the diagonals by hand with perle cotton.

We do not have today off for Veteran's Day, but I had to take it off to take my daughter to an appointment out of town. We are going to get started on our Christmas shopping after her appointment and enjoy lunch out. Have a great day!

Cottage Garden Blocks

 I did not manage to get into my sewing room at all this week. I caught a cold and was busy with evening obligations, but I did manage to get eight Cottage Garden Blocks done and read a great book.

 I think wool felt appliqué is so easy and fun.

 This design is mostly wool felt appliqué with a couple of pieces of cotton thrown in like this black with white polka dots.

 These blocks are small and finish only 5 inches. I love the primitive look and country colors.

 I have sixteen blocks completed and two more to go.

 I plan on finishing up the last two blocks and getting it ready to hand quilt with perle cotton in the pieced blocks and border.

 This block reminds me of the giant sunflowers my hubby grew this summer.

Check out what everyone else is working on for Slow Sunday Stitching here http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com

I hope to get back in my sewing room this week!

Plugging Away

 These are Pie Cherry Blocks from Lori Holt's Farm Girl Vintage book that I cut out all the way back in June for our quilting retreat in July and they were not touched.

 There are 25 of them and I want to set them with some aquas, but I need more aquas first.

 They were made entirely from my stash. I plan on setting these aside while I look for more aquas.

 I am all ready to sew my Farm Girl Vintage blocks into my sampler quilt and will be working on that this week. My blocks are the 6 inch version, but it will still be a large quilt with 48 of them and sashing.

 Last Sunday, I finished three blocks on my Cottage Garden project.

 These three blocks bring my total completed to 9 out of 18, so half way done with the appliqué.

 This is a small quilt with the blocks being 5 inches finished. Once the appliqued blocks are done, I do plan on hand quilting it. I will plug away with this today for Slow Sunday Stitching, see what everyone else is up to here http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com

It has been awhile since I posted a Fergie picture. Here she is with Lola. She is 3 months old and in total puppy mode, but getting bigger. Our friend brought over an elk leg that we cut into 3 pieces and Fergie hoards then all on her bed, but they are sharing them and getting along perfectly. 

We only had 5 kids come by trick or treating last night. We do live in a subdivision, but there are not many kids who live in it and everyone has a lot between 1.5 and 3 acres which means the houses are spread out. Not worth the effort I guess! I plan on making use of the extra hour today with lots of sewing and football. Have a great week!

VW Bug Love

I finished my VW Bug last week, but forgot to post about it. I have been picking and choosing certain Snapshots blocks from the Fat Quarter Shop's BOM to make as mini quilts for my sewing room. Since my first car was a red 1970 VW Beetle, I was definitely making this Gone Surfin' block. I grew up in southern California and did a little surfing too. In fact, I think my surfboard is still in my best friend's dad's garage. I traded the surfboard with him for some George Michael concert tickets when I was 16 and he was having his mid-life crisis that involved attaching a surfboard on top of his Porsche and going surfing a couple of times.

I have machine quilted all my Snapshots blocks with a one inch cross hatch on both diagonals and bound them in red.

I have been labeling then in the corner hanger. The backing is from the bargain bin at my LQS and is an organic cotton with turquoise.

 It is Sunday, so that means I am spending a little time with my Cottage Garden wool felt appliqué project for Slow Sunday Stitching 

http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2015/10/slow-sunday-stitching_25.html

 This is the next block I have prepped for stitching. The blocks are only 5 inches and this is number 6 of 18. My time spent on handwork usually increases as it gets colder. We had our first frost on Friday night which is pretty late for us. My hubby picked all the tomatoes yesterday and I roasted 4 cookie sheets worth this morning. The Broncos are not playing this weekend, but watching NFL Red Zone is on my agenda for the afternoon. Enjoy your week!