FNSI/What Was I Thinking?

I had a great Friday night sewing, I even finished piecing a quilt top which is amazing for me! The problem, it was too windy for a photo today, even with help, so you will just have to take my word for it, and I will show more soon.

A Little Bit of Christmas And A Winner

I have wanted to make the Feathered Christmas tree pattern by Cherry Blossoms since the first time I saw it, and yet for some reason I thought it was too difficult, too time consuming, or who knows what reason I thought of not to make it and didn't.  Well, this week I decided it was time to attempt it, and seriously, it was very easy and not time consuming at all.  I have to admit I already had the Accuquilt dies for it, so it took approximately 30 seconds to cut out.

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day (And Some Finishes)

It is time again for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!!  Yay!  There are always fun things to win and new places to visit!  There are pages and pages of giveaways, so make sure to visit and enter to win!

A long time ago (which seems to be a recurring theme around here) I started making seasonal embroidery projects to hang in my kitchen.  I had finished all but the winter one, and that is probably because I had Christmas quilts/embroideries to hang, and I just figured I didn't need to until recently.

Minnesota Winters

I have always wondered why there are so many talented and creative people in Minnesota who just amaze me, and I think I have figured it out.  The winters are forever, and we can wait weeks for a little bit of sunshine.  I think everyone locks themselves in their sewing/craft rooms and creates their own sun.  (This was actually me trying to convince myself that we should continue living here, because I'm seriously not liking the no sun for days this year.  Give me sunshine or give me snow, and we have neither).

Well, I guess we are having a pink Christmas this year...OR I'm a little ahead for Valentine's Day.  At any rate I'm so happy to finally have this quilted.  I had started quilting in the ditch around each triangle, which I completed, but it just seemed too bland, so I set it aside for a while and thought about what else I could do with it.

The stripes in between the flying geese were driving me nuts, but after using the squiggle in another quilt I decided to try it here and it added so much!  It made a rather bland job of quilting fun.  (Notice the 39 seconds of sunshine).

And on the white border I used the squiggle in between straight lines of quilting to combine the two which actually makes it look like cables when you see the whole quilt further away.  I guess I don't always have to finish a quilt right away.  Sometimes when I wait a little bit, or work on something else, I come up with a different idea that I never would have thought of before!  Weird how that works.  Guess I should share that with my husband so he understands my multiple unfinished projects. ;)  It seems I'm working on everything unrelated to Christmas right now, and I should probably start finishing those projects.  No time like the present!! Happy stitching!!  --Kristen

The "This Took Forever To Finish, and I Don't Want to Wreck It Quilt"

Ever have one of those projects that you start and you love the way it has turned out, but you are afraid to finish for fear of wrecking it?  I seem to have way too many of those projects, but I finally, finally finished one of them, and I'm so excited about it.

This was one of those quilts that I just couldn't figure out how to quilt.  I didn't want to just stipple it, and the alternating stars and strip blocks just had me struggling with what to do with them.  I finally decided to just try a sort of wave and went to work.  Within a few rows I knew I was going to love it.

Minis and More

Yay!  I finally finished a mini quilt for the Minis and More parade at A Quilting Life and Island Life Quilts.  It isn't that I don't always try, it just seems some months get away from me time wise, and then I miss the parade.

It is ironic that I'm finishing a tulip quilt after our first snow of the season.  It is a fun and happy Thimbleblossoms quilt that was quick and easy to make.  I'm actually ahead of the game with one spring quilt finished.

I tried some squiggly quilting this time and wow was that fun!  I am definitely going to have to try it on a bigger quilt.  I'm finding the best way to try new quilting ideas is to use smaller quilts, that way if it doesn't really work out, it is less to tear out or live with.

Make sure to check out the other quilts in the parade today.  I'm excited to see what the next project will be.  Happy Stitching and first day of December!!!  --Kristen

Christmas Is In My Heart Blog Hop and Giveaway

Anyone who knows me knows I love Christmas.  In fact, when I was in high school my nickname was Christmas.  I've been listening to Christmas music for a month already, my trees are up, and I'm ready to celebrate the season.  We could use some snow, but I may have to wait until Friday for that!! :)

This tablerunner is a free pattern from Martingale, and you can find it here.  I've seen it numerous times and finally decided I should try it. It actually is a very easy pattern, and as with most patterns just changing the fabric choices updates it.

I used my walking foot to try some new things with the quilting which was fun and challenging all at the same time.

Once again it has been fun to participate in another blog hop (thank you Marian for organizing it).  Here are today's participants:

Thursday, November 19
Meadowbrook (you are here)
Tea Time Creations
Selina Quilts
Living My Dream
Seams To Be Sew

There is another giveaway from the Fat Quarter Shop of a $25 gift certificate.  This is a combined giveaway, so if you win, you won't hear from me, but don't let that keep you from entering because the winner from the last hop was Nancy who commented here!!!  This time I will give you a question to answer with your comment...What is your all time favorite holiday song?  I love Joy To The World, but if you ask my family, they would probably say that they all are my favorite.  :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by, commenting, and I hope you win!!!  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Halloween Haunts Blog Hop (And Fat Quarter Shop Giveaway)

Fall is my favorite time of year.  The colorful foliage, the beautiful weather, and all the fun Halloween decorations.  As I've said before, I don't do scary.  I watched all the horrible Halloween movies when I was young and ended up not sleeping for a week at night afterwards.  So, there are no frightening decorations at our house, every pumpkin and candy corn is happy.

The Ten Year Quilt

I started this quilt in 2005.  It was a mystery quilt through Glad Creations, and I choose the very bright fabric option which was WAY out of my comfort zone at the time.  Every time another clue came I cut and cut all those pieces and very carefully stored them waiting for the next clue.  And then they sat.  A few years ago I pieced the star blocks and then put them away again.  While cleaning my sewing room the other day getting ready for a sewing marathon I found them and decided it was long enough, this quilt needed to be finished.

FNSI and More Quilting

I did actually get to sew this Friday, and the Friday before (the weeks are just flying anymore), but the week before was boring, just some machine quilting in the ditch.

Yay A Finish!!

I'm going to keep this short today.  It finally quit raining and I wanted to share the finished quilt!

The Quilted Borders

I finally got back to quilting tonight, and I honestly believe that the biggest problem with my machine quilting is my procrastination.  I worry and put it off and then when I finally get back to it, I love it and have fun doing it.  I need to take my time and not rush it.  This time I'm not freaking it out if it isn't perfect, and I am really happy with the way it is turning out.  Actually I should say I'm surprised with the way it is turning out.

Minis and More Parade

It used to be a Schnibble's parade, now it is a Minis and More Parade.  As I'm realizing, I finished a few more Schnibbles than I thought and have quite a few to quilt.  The fun thing about a mini quilt is they don't take long to piece, and they are easy to maneuver when quilting on your sewing machine.

Friday Quilting

I'm so excited to finish this quilt.  After hemming and hawing for days I finally just bit the bullet and starting quilting.  It isn't perfect, but it is so much more than I expected I could actually do on my sewing machine!

I have a few grids to complete, and I need to figure out what I am doing in the borders.  I honestly believe that just doing is the best way to learn.

Is there anything more fun that learning something new?  No matter how old I get I am always learning, and doesn't that make life fun?!  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Vacation and More Finishing

I missed a few Fridays, mostly because they were spent doing prep work.  I've learned that doing prep work, while being mostly mundane and boring, if done correctly can make a job easier and look better when it is completed.  However, that does not mean I always enjoy it!

This weekend I spent many hours basting these quilts (and a few more) so that I can start quilting them.  I have spent months researching machine quilting watching videos, taking online classes, and reading books by different authors on their way of machine quilting with a domestic machine. Although I've quilted many, I'm ready to start trying new designs (i.e., lose the stipple).  My biggest fear has always been what if I mess it up, or what if it isn't all I want it to be when I'm finished.  Well, all of these quilts have sat for a long time waiting to be finished, and none of them are going to be entered in a quilt show, so I'm ready to start trying new techniques.  They are all ready to go, now I just need to start.  I'm hoping I will have something exciting to share soon...and I will share even if it isn't exciting.  ;)

One week of my vacation was spent working on this ornament.  I had gone to a needlework shop a while ago and had all kinds of neat stitches drawn out for me to use on this, and for some reason they were not in my "to go" bag.  So, when away from home with limited to no options for purchasing supplies or finding help, I did what anyone else in that situation would do, I bought a downloadable stitch book from Amazon and did my own thing.  He is tiny, and it really actually took me most of the week to finish him, but he will have a special spot on my Christmas tree this year.  I will always remember my week sitting in perfect weather outdoors stitching away the days. 

 I also finished this embroidery and made it into a pillow.  The pattern is from Nydiakehnle.com and it was a dream to work on.  The pattern is printed on the material, you just choose your threads and stitch away.  It was such a fun sampler to do with many different stitches, some of which I had never done before.  The best part, it is finished!  YAY!

The summer days are quickly fading away and the cool fall air is here.  My son starts high school in a couple of weeks and is finishing driver's training.  It is such a fun time, and it makes me realize that these kids grow up quickly, like a flash, and all a once they are the young adults we once were.  Happy Stitching!! --Kristen

Some English Paper Piecing

Good Morning!!!  It always amazes me how a long weekend away can invigorate and inspire a person.  Now believe me, this was no amazing trip somewhere fantastic, and as a matter of fact we spent most of it in a gym watching my son play basketball, but we needed it.  Sometimes I forget that while I work from home, and I love my home, I need to leave it and get away.  Not only for new scenery, but just to realize there are lots of fun things to do and see.  It was my son's 15th birthday this weekend, and we spent it doing things he loves to do.  It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time passes, and the memories are precious.

I brought along my Floating Colours pieces...this looked like a huge number of pieces that were going to make a lot of blocks when I left with my bag of basted X's.  It doesn't look like so many now.  :)  It is a good start, but I have a ways to go needing another 92.  It was mindless stitching that I could do while still watching my son and talking to my husband.  So not only did I not miss out on anything, I have some blocks done to remember my weekend by.  I can't wait to get started on the second blocks, but I have a LOT of basting to do before then, and other projects to work on too.  I'm thinking this is one of those hopefully not too long term ones that never ends.  Guess I need to get my papers and glue out again and keep working!

The morning sun is beautiful and there is a cool breeze perfect for taking photos.  It is one of those August days we live for and long for all summer.  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Friday Sewing

I am getting used to these odd hours, kind of, and although the working into the evening isn't my favorite part of the week, Fridays are slowly becoming something to look forward to.  I am finding my way back into my sewing room on a regular basis, and I'm loving it.

This week I decided a little Christmas in July was in order.  This is a Nancy Halvorsen tablerunner and there is another nativity scene on the other end.  While it is close to being finished, Joseph still needs his mustache, and I need to quilt it.  The hay in the manger is perle cotton and was a lot of fun to add.  I watched White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life while sewing, and thankfully the sewing room was cool because it was HOT and humid outside.  And to think, Christmas is only five months away.  I have my "to go" sewing bag packed for this Friday...I'm taking some handwork with me.  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Life...and new adventures

It's been a while again since I've posted, and it hasn't been for lack of working on things, or maybe it has.  My paying job has been in a bit of an upset lately with hours changed from working early mornings to late afternoons/evenings and now working nights on the weekends which is not something I relish at all.  I'm not quite sure how all this happened, but it has, and my husband tells me I don't do well with change.

While I was on vacation (over a month ago) I started working with my 9-patches.  I found a fun pattern called Bubble and Squeak by Emma Jean Jansen.  I made it bigger and resized it for my sized 9-patches.  I love the way it is turning out, and am hoping to finish piecing and quilting it soon.

I've also been making some very small (1/2-inch) hexie flowers with Kaffe fabrics.  I guess I like to see what I can do with all the bright colors, stripes, shapes, and patterns in these fabrics.  It is a challenge without being something I really have to think about.

I've also been working with different English paper piecing shapes.  Once again, the challenge of working with the different shapes not only stitching them, but basting them is intriguing to me while also being kind of mindless.

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With my new work hours I will have every Friday off and I'm going to plan to spend Fridays sewing/piecing/quilting/blogging.  My project today was this embroidery from Nydia Kehnle.  I used Sampler Threads Tutti Fruitti and Kiwi.  It was such a fun stitch I may have to go back and order a few more states after this one is finished.

Here is to new adventures in sewing, new work hours, accepting change, and making it great for me (did I mention I really don't do well with change?).  Happy stitching!!  --Kristen

Quiltcation Day Two

Funny how when you plan things you just can't foresee what is going to happen.  I woke up yesterday with an extreme case of vertigo (dizziness) and as the day progressed it got worse.  Today I'm feeling like I am going to survive, although I'm still walking like I'm on a ship in high seas. :)

Yesterday I finished piecing the border for my X-Rated Schnibbles.  YAY!  This was a fun quilt to make and the fabric (Snug As A Bug by Melly and Me for Riley Blake) is so fun that I'm happy I have a few scraps left to work with for something else.

The day is early and I'm ready to get back into the sewing room.  We will see how far I make it today, hopefully another quilt top finished?!?!?  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Quiltcation (a.k.a. Staycation)

This year instead of traveling we decided we needed a vacation at home to do the things we love to do and never have time for.  We all have our hobbies (my husband loves to work on old cars and my son never has time to play the video games he has collected) so we decided to spend a week together, but doing the things we each enjoy doing.  This has been very nice so far because our meals are spent talking about what we are working on and everyone is very relaxed, which isn't that the point of a vacation anyway?!?! :)

This quilt is for my niece who was born in January.  When I saw this pattern here called the One Block Quilt I knew it was the one for her.  I am using flannels because of course nine months out of the year it is cold in Minnesota, and I also wanted a little larger quilt because babies grow so quickly.  My plan is to get this quilted this week, and I am hoping to share something fun I'm using for the backing (we will see how it works before I share it with you).  I have a lot of applique to work on tonight for another quilt, and hopefully I will have more of that to show soon too. Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Finishing Work

I tend to be one of those people who loves to embroider, cross stitch, and piece quilts and then they sit and wait for a day when I can finish more than one thing.  Today was that day...

Pillows, ornaments, and wall hangings were on the agenda.  The weather has been off today, and I had to take what I could get for photos in between rain showers.

This Christmas Wishes to All pillow was made using a free embroidery pattern from Anni Downs and the pillow pattern is by Gail Pan.

This ornament is from a Little House Needleworks pattern (do you see a theme here with these projects?)

 
My Kathy Schmitz snowman is finally complete and ready to hang.  There are 12 monthly kits, and I can't wait to finish one for this summer.  I'm thinking I had better start June now so I can hopefully hang it in July.

My sewing room is looking a little bit better now, and hopefully there will continue to be more action in there in the coming weeks.  I'm feeling better about my Christmas decorating today after finishing these projects, after all Christmas is only seven months from today.  (I can hear the groans, but instead of saying I'm behind, it sounds better to say I'm ahead of the game).  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Right Before My Very Eyes

I decided this week before I started anything new I had to finish something.  There were just too many things lying around my sewing room, either cut out and no piecing, others with some piecing, and then still more that are pieced and just need to be quilted.  I have all kinds of projects I want to start, especially now that summer is right around the corner, and I will have vacation time and waiting for my son time to work on them.  

I decided the first thing I should finish is my Schnibbles X-Rated.  I don't even remember cutting this out, but I did, and all the pieces were right there staring at me.  At least I thought they were until I started sewing and realized something was missing, and it was not a little something, it was a big something.  Every night when I would go to my sewing room I would search for 34 pieces that I knew I had cut for the borders, but they were no where to be found.  I actually started to question if I was losing my mind or had suddenly stopped for some reason, maybe because I had run out of fabric. I knew I had had two layers cakes so that couldn't have been the case. I kept sewing and the closer I got to needing those pieces the more frustrated I became.  Yesterday I finally ordered another layer cake and went back to work...

So the quilt is now a flimsy and I can't add the borders, and then as I am sitting at my sewing machine sewing the last row on I see it.  I remember where my extra border pieces went...

Up on my design wall is this mini medallion quilt.  Now I remember, all those extra pieces were perfect for this quilt.  Note to self, even if I think it is a scrap, it may not be, and if it is in a neat little stack with a whole bunch of other pieces I will not use it until I make sure it isn't for something else.  The funny thing is, the whole time I was sewing I was deciding how to quilt the mini on the design wall.  I guess the fabrics look completely different when used in larger pieces compared to tiny ones.  I scare myself sometimes.  Well, enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.  And an added note...something happened with comments and my email, they don't always show up there, so I'm not ignoring you, I just may not see it right away.  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Have You Ever Had a Dream?

I have dreamed of going to Quilt Market for over 20 years.  Twenty years of watching it come and go and not being able to attend.  This year my dream came true, I actually got the opportunity to attend Quilt Market and all I can saw is WOW!  It was invigorating, inspiring, educational, and overwhelming all at once.  Everything you could ever want for quilting, it was there.  At one point we just had to stop and sit down because everything all in one place was almost too much for a person to take in.  I'm sure the seasoned veterans could laugh at the expression on my face because yes, I was the deer in the headlights!

I had planned to take photos, but I didn't.  There wasn't enough time, but I did think to get one of the doors opening up to the most wonderful displays of creativity.  My drive to create is renewed, I'm inspired again, and I'm ready to get back to my wonderful sewing room to make some of those dreams reality.

My message today is this, don't ever give up on something if it is really what you want.  Am I completely there yet, no, but after 20 years of waiting, I finally got to do something I actually was beginning to think would never happen.  I keep reminding myself, it is all in the journey, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me.  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Goodness...Time Flies

I've been missing in action again.  I cannot even tell you why, other than we have had a few very busy months and with everything that has happened lately I think it kind of took everything out of me.  That, and the fact that my son is headed towards high school in the fall, and with that comes a whole lot of "lasts" and a whole lot of "getting ready."  I have a hard time with the "lasts," and my son is excited for all the "getting ready."  I think I'm finally looking forward to all the new and exciting things that are headed our way.  In the meantime I did not quit sewing.

I spent NewYear's Eve and Day sewing along with the Bright Stars Sew-Along.  I had such a good start and then kind of got side tracked.  Today I finally finished piecing it.  The wonderful thing about this quilt is the way the blocks are made you would never guess the quilt would end up looking the way it did.  I have to say it has been a long time since I've made 80 blocks, but this is turning out to be a favorite.

We have 40 mph wind gusts today so getting a photo of the whole thing was impossible.  I even had two helpers and after about 20 tries we decided to wait for another day.  This was one of those quilts that no quilt stores were open when I decided to make it (3 p.m. on a holiday) so it is all from my stash.  There are tiny squares of green in the pink plaid so I thought I'd add a green border.  I'm not sure I've ever done an entire quilt this large with my stash, but I even have backing for it.  I cannot wait to get started quilting it, and I will show a photo of the entire quilt soon.

I'm participating in another quilt along that is all embroidery and applique, but the wind prohibits photos of that today.  I'm also going to be starting a quilt along with a friend that is a massive paper pieced quilt...which is a huge stretch for me, but I think it will all be good.  I will be back soon, not as long of a break as this last time as I have quite a few things to share.  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

FNSI

Wow, it is Friday morning and I'm already posting!!  I have the day off of work, and I actually stitched last night with my friends on the other side of the world.  It is always fun to dream of a different time zone in a warm place when I'm sewing and freezing here.

I worked a little on this January Jack Frost project from Kathy Schmitz.  I just have a few snowflakes left to embroider and then I can piece my quilt.

I also found my OLD (circa 1999) hexagon project.  I'm still planning on finishing it someday. It would be lovely to have it finished so I could keep warm on these cold winter evenings (I'm VERY ready for spring).

It is off to the sewing room for a fun day of sewing.  I have some old movies chosen to watch and a lot of fabric cut to sew.  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Inspire Your Heart With Art

When asked how art inspires my life, I had to take a step back and think about it for a minute.  I guess I never realized that art is and has been included in every day of my life for most of my life.

My grandfather was an artist.  He learned at a very young age that he could draw anything and people enjoyed it, especially the other children in his art class at school.  He would do everyone's drawings for them, for which they would receive an A, and he would get a C at best on his.  He was a character  (as you can tell from his photo), and I gather from stories he told he was in trouble a lot in school.

Fast forward a few years and he was teaching art class at my school.  He taught us all about vanishing points and horizon lines and how to draw bowls of fruit...well, he taught everyone in the class except me, you see, I cannot draw a straight line.  You have no idea how frustrating it was for him to have one of his grandchildren not be able to to do something that was so easy for him.  He was a great teacher, I just wasn't into art...that is until my grandmother gave me a needlepoint kit.  Now that was an art form I could understand!  I had tried embroidery at the age of 6 and loved it, but needlepoint, that was like painting with fiber and it opened up a whole new world.

Here I am 30 some years later and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't have some art form in my life...it can be crocheted hearts or some other holiday ornament, quilt, or decoration that helps me celebrate the season.

It can be a quilt that has been made with tiny little pieces or hand stitched together to form a covering for a bed.

I can dream for hours looking at fabrics deciding what colors to use for a certain pattern or finding the perfect pattern for a favorite fabric.

But it doesn't end there.  I love all different kinds of threads and yarns.  Who would have thought I could spend hours making doilies or punching thread through a fabric to create a picture that looks like...ART.

My grandfather didn't live long enough to see me loving art, my form of art, as much as he did his.  Even though I don't use oils, acrylics, or charcoal as my art form, I use thread, fabric, yarn, or wool to create something that brings me as much pleasure as his forms brought him.

I was fun to ponder how art inspires me on a daily basis.  If you would like to see some amazing ornaments, check out Patience Brewster Ornaments, they are inspirational!  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Time is Flying

Here it is a week into February and although I've been sewing plenty, I've posted nothing.  Not that I haven't thought about it, time has just gotten away from me.  I have enough for about four postings, and I keep signing up for more sew alongs, so I need to sit down and share a little.

This is a Gail Pan design from her book "Patchwork Loves Embroidery."  There is a sew along for Gail's Designs here the last Wednesday of the month if you are interested in stitching along, or just checking out what everyone else has been working on.

This is a free design from Anni Downs you can find here.  This was my January assignment for another sew along, and although it is stitched, I haven't decided how I am going to use it yet.  I am considering either making it into a quilted bag or a wall hanging.  I was very happy to have the stitching done January 31, at 11:59 p.m (just under my deadline).

I have plenty more to share (hopefully tomorrow)...but my taxes await me, and since my appointment is this week, I had better be prepared.

Okay, I had to add a sneak peak, it has something to do with this hot pink mess.  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Tammy 4 All Seasons

I had told myself no more blog hops for a while, and I had been good about it until I saw the Tammy Bag adorned with cross stitch. After all, I had the purse hardware just sitting around waiting to be used, so why not?!  :)

It was fun to make another Tammy bag.  Now back to some more quilting.  Thank you to Mdm Samm and Mary for another fun hop.

January 15, 2015

The Quilting Queen Online

Needled Mom

Bumbleberry Cottage

Moose Stash Quilting

Amy Whitaker will post on Ipiece2-Mary

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Meadowbrook