First Finish of 2016

 There were a few small table runners that didn't get quilted before the craft show a month ago. I really didn't want them to sit in the UFO pile for another year, so I pulled them out yesterday. They were already pin-basted and the binding was cut, so it only took a few hours to finish them up.

Can you tell I had fun playing with my stash of Christmas prints? I was in use-it-up mode!

 

I love that blue and green one.

Fun prints on the back, too. I'm getting better about remembering to include my printed labels.

The two larger ones are about 12" X 36" and the three small ones are 6" X 18".

Miscellaneous Crafty Catch Up

In keeping with the end of year catching up, here are some crafty projects I was working on. I'm tired just looking at it all! I honestly don't know how I did it all in two months.

I was really pleased with my craft show set up. Don't look too closely at the prices. I already know they are too low. 

The princess totes went to Abby & Olivia in Denver. The 2 mug mats were commissioned. I like that they are similar, but different. The two pillowcases were for Mollie's new pillow.

 My niece asked for collars and leashes for her girls' doll pets. Lily's dog is wearing the new collar, but Anna wanted to put hers on her new unicorn. It's a good thing I made them adjustable!

I liked the NYB postcards so much, I put them in tow blog posts! I spent one night in front of the TV making origami stars for a small Christmas tree. I need to get my paper folding fix from time to time! The brownie trees were my go-to party contribution. The candy cane bow tie is for my super cool son.

 

Twelve key fobs made from my father's ties were gifted to all of his kids and grandchildren.  Some people cried. Mission accomplished.

In addition to all the crafting and quilting, I did take a few breaks to cheer on my kids. Pete participated in the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps birthday ceremony. He's on the 45 yard line on the left, 6th from the front. (Julia and I watched the ceremony live streaming on line.)

That's Julia, number 11, playing in a rugby tournament that her team won. We also went to her Christmas concert to hear her sweet solo. She has the most beautiful singing voice, but can throw a mean tackle!

 

 There was some beautiful color in the house: birthday roses, pretty poinsettia and anniversary roses. Someone knows my favorite color!

Orange Ribbon

Hello, blogland! It's good to be back. It has been a crazy couple of weeks, and I'm happy to finally have my feet up for a little break.

Bill and I drove up to Manchester yesterday to visit Chris and Jamie's wedding ring quilt at MQX. It was awarded a faculty ribbon from Page Johnson. It's orange! Thanks, Page!

Before I had a chance to take any other pictures, Sandi with an I and Lynne with an E jumped in for their close up. We had never met before, but we became fast friends. Hello, girls!

I was ready for the craft fair this morning with a full table of goodies. Unfortunately, there weren't very many customers. Thank you to my friends who came out on this beautiful day to support my fabric addiction handmade business. Leftovers will be posted to my Etsy shop very soon. My poor shop has been empty for over a year. It's time to fill it up!

There is an exciting project coming up. I can't wait to tell you all about it!

See you soon!

WIP Wedensday- Table Runners

 I'm getting ready to vend at a Spring craft show in April, so I'm trying to get some work done. This week, I'm focusing on table runners.

This one is done and measures about 11 X 24". It was inspired by Ryan Walsh's quilt, but I pieced it with squares and rectangles.

These two are pieced from DS Quilts fabric that I picked up on sale last weekend at JoAnn's. They might get borders before quilting. The pattern can be purchased here.

 And this sweet little square was pieced together with hourglass units left over from Mollie's quilt. I'll be looking for a coordinating Springy print for the border while I'm on a shop hop this weekend.

Linking up, then back to work!

Craft Show Progress

 I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. We were so happy to meet my newest grand-niece, Mollie. She is the cutest little peanut!

I've been very focused on craft show sewing and it feels great to get things done. I made two baby quilts this week. This is a simple patchwork made from a stack of fat quarters of Lizzy House "Outfoxed." I cut 6" squares and the top went together super fast. 

 

The backing is a DSQuilts print from Joann's and the purple binding was in my stash.  Big loopy swirls is my go-to quick quilting design. This quilt finished at about 39" square before washing. I expect some shrinkage and fun crinkling.

I had fun playing with these Dr. Seuss prints that I've had for a while.

 

Straight line quilting on this one with a great print on the back and a striped binding from the same collection. This one is about 38" x 46". This fabric was pre-washed, so it shouldn't shrink much.

I made a pile of fabric boxes. (see my tutorial here) I'm stitching on the buttons at night while I watch TV. There are 8 or 9 more to finish up. It's a great little catch-all for a desk, sewing table or nightstand.

Guitar straps made from one shabby chick's tutorial. They are so much fun to make! If anyone has a use for 2" black nylon webbing, please let me know.  Amber also has a camera strap tutorial that would go great with my tote bag that isn't finished yet.

 

Pete is doing great in boot camp. He enters the Crucible tomorrow morning: the 54 hour final test before he becomes a Marine. I could just burst from the mix of emotions right now! Fortunately, I can head back to my sewing machine to calm my nerves.

Have a great week!

WIP Wednesday

 I just have a few minutes to say hello. I've been sewing every day to get ready for a holiday craft show. I love these baby blankets made with flannel and minky. Please prewash your fabrics before making these. Don't ask me how I learned that lesson! I washed with Ivory Snow and they smell like babies! 

The blankie on top is for my sister who is now a grandmother! We can't wait to meet our newest family member. My sister is hosting Thanksgiving dinner which is why I am sewing today and not cooking.

I have a batch of fresh paper pieced lapel pins ready to go.

 

I love flannel infinity scarves. I wear them often through the winter. They are so cozy!

I wanted to have more quilty things on my table, so I made six mug mats to sell with matching mugs.

 

If you are in the area, I hope you'll stop by this great sale. There are almost 100 vendors! See the listing for quilts on the poster? That's me, so I guess I'd better get some actual quilts finished to sell.

Pete is excelling at boot camp. We are certainly going to miss him tomorrow, but we're so happy that he'll be home for Christmas.

Craft Fair Weekend

If you've been wondering where I've been for the last 2 weeks, I've been chained to my sewing machine, preparing for two craft shows this weekend! I've never done two shows in one weekend before, so I'm a little nervous about having enough stuff. I'm sure I'll be stitching on Saturday night to fill in!

I'll show you more next week as the leftovers are loaded to my Etsy shop.

Paper pieced lapel pins (my signature item)
Table runners and table toppers
Pin cushions with beaded pins (inspired by Karen Griska)
Key Fobs (on the little tree)
Felted wool flower pins (left over from last year)
Zippered Pouches (Noodlehead pattern)
Infinity scarves (Anna Maria Horner velveteen and voile and plaid flannel)

See you on Monday!

Christmas Runners

I've been busy this week trying to boost my inventory for the next craft show.  My mother informed me that I need to sell something quilted, so here are three new table runners.

They were actually fun to make! 

I started with (24) 5" squares.  To each one, I stitched 2.5" squares to two corners, similar to this tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew. 

I layered them with Fusi-boo batting, so I wouldn't need to pin.  It is a fusible bamboo blend and it worked great for this project!  I quilted it with free-motion petals.  No marking + no pinning = all 3 runners quilted in under 1 hour!

I was on a roll with speedy techniques, so I completely machine stitched the binding.  (Trim the quilt even with the top.  Attach the binding to the back, flip to the front, and top stitch.)

At this point, I wasn't about to hand-stitch the labels, so I fused some white Kona cotton to a sheet of Heat-n-Bond lite, trimmed it to 8.5 x 11" and fed it through my printer to create a bunch of labels.  Cut them down to size with pinking shears and fused them onto the back of the runners.  They might not last through the first washing, but they'll do the trick for now!

There will be 78 vendors at this show on Sunday!  It should be a fun day!

A Crafty Day

As a pre-Birthday treat, Bill took today off to be my designated driver to the big cities of Providence and Pawtucket. I am the expert navigator.

On the way up I-95, we love seeing the Big Blue Bug dressed up for the holidays. He looks even better at night, completely wrapped in lights. "Nibbles Woodaway" is a Rhode Island landmark.

First we went to Craftland! Fun, fun, fun! It's open year round now, so if you're ever in Providence, please go. If I'm feeling brave, I might consider submitting some of my work next year. I'm not sure if I'm cool enough. Bill said I might have to stretch outside my comfort level.

I loved the architecture of the building across the street. I don't know anything about architecture, but I thought it was pretty.

Next, we took a ten-minute drive to Pawtucket for the Foundry Artists Show.

There were 60 (SIXTY!) fabulous artists displaying their wares.

The ArtGirlz booth was right at the entrance. Too bad the Girlz weren't there. Hey, maybe if I hang out with them more, I'll be cool enough for Craftland.
I might have picked up a stocking stuffer here. Shhh.

Look at this glorious fringe!
I want to know why this fringe doesn't unravel or fray. Does anyone know? Maybe I'm just not using nice enough yarn. It's not knotted at the ends and the ends are soft.

This booth was really cool. Playing with Books, which I think is an offshoot of The Rag and Bone. The wreaths are rolled pages of old books. Garlands are everywhere!

Not a great picture with the sun streaming in, but these are really sweet art sets from Pink Lemonade.

Tomorrow, I'll show you what I bought! And there might be a birthday giveaway!
But right now, we're getting ready for a Girl Scout troop holiday party.

Catching Up

It's been a busy week, but what else is new?!

On Monday, I devised this little number:
A crocheted Advent wreath pin.
I started with a tutorial for a crocheted wreath,
slightly modified (didn't use the plastic ring),
added sequins from my mother-in-law's collection
and a sweet bow.

(It's hard to tell in the photo that one of the sequins is pink.)

On Wednesday, Julia led a Brownie workshop
for the Stitch-It Together Try-It.

On Thursday, we participated in a Las Posadas procession
through our town that ended at a homeless shelter.

On Saturday, Pete and I sold our wares at a local craft show.
(Leftovers will be added to my Etsy shop very soon!)

Pete, the salesman, is demonstrating his marshmallow shooter
to the coolest old lady we've ever met.
Look at her bracelets and that purse!

Also on Saturday, Bill got a new toy!
It is an incredible Martin guitar that sounds a million times better than his old acoustic. He's been lusting after these guitars for a while, and we're so glad that he finally bought one for himself. He's a Happy Daddy!

On Sunday, we attended a holiday concert by
The Air Force Band of Liberty.
What a great show!

On Monday, all I want to do is sleep!