Christmas Quilt-a-thon

I work well with deadlines, especially the non-arbitrary kind.  As a result, it seems I often have a back-log of projects to complete in December in time give as Christmas presents.  I will sew for hours on end, days in a row to complete gifts.

This year my list is fairly short:

• monogram pillow
• finish last year's Christmas quilt - a work in progress

The Christmas quilt is based on the Tinsel & Baubles pattern by the Fat Quarter Shop and uses the Jingle fabric by Kate Spain.

  The quilt should be a quick finish as I have already sewn all the 'baubles'.  It's just matter of sewing the squares together, quilting, and binding.  As it is a quilt for myself I packed it away last year once Christmas had passed to finish this fall, which has turned into December.

Flash Back Friday

Welcome to Flash Back Fridays! 

I am going to post about past projects, completed prior to beginning this blog, on the last Friday of the month.  As I have sewn more than a dozen quilts since making that first quilt for my mom many years ago, I have many quilts and stories to share.

This is a quilt I made for my niece using Arabesque fabric by Anna Griffin.  Her mom is a dance teacher and had painted my niece's room in soft pink and gray. 

Work in Progress

 Last minute photos before it goes in the gift bag.  I can't believe I forgot  (well almost) to take photos before gifting it.

  

Monogram Pillow

I needed wanted to update the throw cushions on my couch.  Rather than the prints and stripes I have had in the past I decided to go with a more neutral palette, something similar to some denim pillows I had seen in a store.

Off I went to the fabric store to buy white denim. I thought white denim covered pillows would be perfect for my tan couch, but no longer felt the same way once I placed the white denim on my couch.  That clean, bright look I was going for now screamed bland.

Yikes!  Was this another fabric purchase that was going to sit and collect dust?  No, I really needed updated pillow covers.  I was determined to make it work.  I searched on-line for inspiration and came across this pillow:

The peace symbol wasn't what I wanted, but I loved the texture and tone-on-tone look.  I decided to make a monogram pillow.

I'm very happy with the result.

Buyer's Regret

You may have read about the fabric I had ordered to make a birthday gift for a friend's daughter that wend missing.  You can read about it here.

In my rush to replace the missing fabric, I bought some at a local store.  Two different stores in fact, purchased days apart.  And not just any store.  They were quilt stores.  Both carrying hundreds of bolts of quality quilt fabric.  Each time I thought I was happy with my fabric selection and each time I regretted my choice within minutes of leaving the store.

Since I no longer like the fabrics bought to make this gift (I cannot share details until after it has been given) they won't be used, at least not for this project.  So much for my goal of reducing inventory. 

La Conner Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival

I was inspired to make my first quilt while visiting La Conner.  Little did I know at the time that La Conner, known for its tulip festival, is home to The Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum.  It is celebrating it's 20th year in 2017.

Now that I am a quilter, and know there is a quilt museum in La Conner, I will be stopping by the next time I am there.  Perhaps I'll plan a visit when they are hosting their annual Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival.

Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum, La Conner

Lost in the mail ... say it isn't so!

Inspiration arrived early for a gift I want to make for my friend's daughter who is having a birthday in November.  It's a small project.  Plenty of time to order fabric, make it, then mail it.  Or, so I thought until I went to check if the package had arrived.

According to the postal service it had been delivered.  According to the mailbox, it had not been received.  Unlike the mailboxes above, the package was sent to a community mailbox that requires a key to be opened.

Urggh!  I often order fabric on-line and have never had packages go astray.

One of those days ...

Some friends were stopping by to visit so I decided to bake some cookies.  They arrived just as I was putting the cookies in the oven.  I forgot to set the timer.  This was the result. 

 

In the photo they look like double chocolate cookies.  In reality they were completely burnt.

 

A few days later I tried again.  This is what I had been planning to share with my friends.  Instead, I had the whole batch for myself.