Time to Sew

Bella, our dog, says hi.  She's worn out today, but she has had an amazing week.  She loves Christmas, for several reasons.  There are children's faces to lick, food scraps to snarf up off the floor, more kind hands to pet her, a present or two, and maybe even some Christmas ham in her bowl.  She even loves the mailman who brings packages to the door.  January might seem kind of flat to her.

But not to me!  It's all done--the shopping, wrapping, cleaning, baking, hugs and laughter and merrymaking.  Time to reveal the secret sewing, and to get back to making the needles fly.

Here's the little wall hanging I made for the Brown Bag Challenge at our quilt group.  Each participant puts a fat quarter and a slip of paper with their name on it in a brown bag, and we exchange bags.  We make something (pretty much anything goes) using the fat quarter for the person who brought it, which we give as a gift at Christmas.

The fat quarter in the brown bag I got was the white-on-white fabric I used for the background.  On the slip of paper with the person's name was a request for a Christmas table runner or a wall hanging, with cardinals if possible.  I delivered the cardinals, courtesy of Connecting Threads.com, seen here in the border.  I also made a matching pot holder, but didn't get a photo of that.

I added these corners on the back, to assist in hanging.  Have you done this?  Was it useful, or not very?  I've never done this before, and I'm not sure.

I don't make a lot of sewing projects for Christmas gifts.  It increases the stress, which I can do without.  I did make each grandchild a new pillowcase.  It was fun choosing the fabrics for them.  My granddaughter got vintage kittens, Little Buddy's has tractors (of course), my second-oldest grandson got a Minecraft print, a video game he loves, but I was stumped on the oldest grandson, Big Buddy.  My husband reminded me that Big Buddy will be in high school next year (!!!), so we chose a manly plaid.

I love my family, and I feel like I'm the luckiest person on earth, but I don't mind that the holidays are just about over and I have some time off babysitting.  I have so many UFOs to finish, and I'm hoping to make a dent in them during this long weekend.
The top above was inspired by a lady in my quilt group (the amazing Laverne) who brought a similar top to show and tell some months ago.

It's very simple, just charm squares with 1.5 in. rectangles sewn to two adjacent sides.  Mine is a lot smaller than Laverne's was, because I ran out of the fabric I was using for the narrow pieces.
Everything for this charity quilt comes from the stash.
I'm not sure if I'm going to quilt it myself, or give it to the long armers in the group so they can do a more professional job.

My Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts from this year are STILL in progress.  I'm adding brown print borders to the Wagon Trail quilt sections.  This is the big "half".  Once the borders are done, it's on to the quilting!

I hope to get this one done soon, but we'll see.   My 2017 RSC quilts are still waiting to be finished.

But that's not stopping me from thinking about RSC quilts for 2019!  This is my current idea--8 pointed stars made from two fabrics in the designated color, plus a white background.  I love all the rainbow star quilts Angela and others have made for the RSC.

This was the view out our back door on Christmas morning.  It's a White Christmas!  Never mind that it all melted by the next day.
Little Buddy is really hoping for more snow so he can build another snowman.  Eventually I'm sure he's going to get his wish.  This is a Wisconsin winter, after all.

With snow, or without, may your days be merry and bright.  Happy New Year!
Cheers for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches
Linking up with
Angela at soscrappy
Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Myra at Busy Hands Quilts
Cynthia at Oh Scrap

Tis the Season

I must confess, this used to be me.  I was a Grinch at Christmas.  Mainly, this was because I was a working mom with a job I obsessed over (school librarian, K-8, at two schools), living with a family that still wasn't used to me being back at work and not home all the time.
My life was already maxed out.  Christmas just made everything ten times worse.  Every one of my three kids needed a present and/or cookies for everything they belonged to--scouts, sports, clubs, etc., and nobody seemed to be able to tell me these things until the night before they were due.  And then there was the decorating, the shopping, the wrapping, Christmas cards, and all the crazy pressure to make the holidays "perfect".
Well, I'm not perfect.  I cracked.  I complained.  I even said I hated Christmas.  Definitely a grinch.  Maybe my heart shrunk, I don't know.
Eventually,  I learned to slow it down a little, and to skip some things and delegate others.  My kids grew up, and instead of everybody stressing out and spending a fortune, we decided to draw names among the adults and limit the amount of money spent on the present (we're up to $25 as of this year).  Our focus is on spending time celebrating together.  Oh, and eating.  Lots of eating. 
Things are better, and I'm enjoying the holidays again.  I now think of Christmastime as a season, not just one day, and we do little fun things as we go along from Thanksgiving to New Years Day.

This week, we finally put up the tree.  Little Buddy loved helping.  (A few ornaments may have been slightly harmed in the process, but we're okay with that.)  The first thing he does when he gets here in the morning is flip the switch to turn on the tree lights, even if it's bright and sunny outside.

Can you guess what this is?

It's a tea wallet!  I made it as one of several little gifts for my Mom (I drew her name this year), and put in some of her favorite decaf teas.  I got the free tutorial online from Fanny Lu Designs HERE.  It was very fast and easy.  Now I need to make one for me!

On Monday, I decided my apple core vinegar was ready.  It has been smelling very vinegar-y for several weeks, tucked away in a dark cupboard.

I got these three bottles of vinegar from it.  They will be useful in cooking and baking this winter, and they cost practically nothing, being made from apple cores, water, and a little sugar to get the fermentation started.

Good news!  I finished the Christmas quilt this afternoon, after Little Buddy went home.  It feels so good to have this one done before Christmas this year, since the top was left over from last year.

It's a big quilt, 83 in. x 93 in., which is just gigantic for me.  I did the quilting with Mrs. Pfaff, she of the built in walking foot, and made all the markings with soap slivers.

On the left you can see the backing, a wide back I ordered from Connecting Threads last year. I quilted a gentle cable in the outer border, an easy one I've done several times.  The binding is completely by machine, which is now my go-to method.
Everything isn't done yet for our holiday celebrations, but we're making progress.
Better still, we're enjoying the journey.
I'm wishing you the joy of the season (and none of the stress!)
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches
Linking up with:
Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Angela at Soscrappy

Quilting Christmas

Welcome to my blog!  

I hope your week has been fun, with not too much holiday stress.

As you can see above, Mrs. Pfaff and I are hard at work this week, quilting a top I finished last year.

This is last year's picture.  My Little Buddy rolled up in the top, and I ran to get the camera.  Do you think he knows he's cute?  He's a whole year older now, but just as much fun.

The top is a Bonnie Hunter pattern called Sticks and Stones.  It's not on her web page, but you can click HERE to get the free PDF.
I'm not doing Bonnie's mystery quilt this year, but I thought I'd finish this quilt inspired by her work.

The colors are off, here.  The photo with Little Buddy has more true colors, the standard Christmas red and green.
I'm ready to quilt the borders now, so there's a good chance I'll finish this one before New Year's Day.

Meanwhile, I've been slowly finishing the decorating.  Can you see the difference between these two brass candlesticks?  The one on the right has been polished, and the one on the left is waiting its turn.
 My grandmother gave me these candlesticks for my 25th birthday, and they are always displayed on our mantel.
Polishing them is the kind of thing our butler should be doing.  If we had a butler.  (Where is Carson when you need him?)  Oh, well, a butler would find it very boring around here--no footmen to supervise, no need to announce Lord and Lady whatnot, and only polishing the brass once a year.

Here's where the candlesticks ended up, clean once more with new candles.

I've been treating myself to new books--for free!  I requested these from our library last week.  When Little Buddy is playing after story hour, I'm looking up books on my phone.  If our library doesn't have them, they can get them from other libraries in the system.  When they come in, I get a call.  As long as I return them on time, it doesn't cost a cent.  Libraries are one of the best uses of tax money that I know of.  (This message brought to you by a retired school librarian.)

Speaking of free stuff, this is my "shopping" for today.  I shopped my basement stash for fabrics and notions for some Christmas gifts I'm making, and for the Antebellum Album quilt blocks.  I tend to forget what great stuff I have stored.  But it is definitely getting messy down there.  I will have to spend some time sorting this winter.

Does anybody recognize this fabric?  Is it a panel?  I'm sure I got it second hand somewhere, no idea where or when.  I think I'd like to make a small quilt with it, using some blue Christmas fabric I've had for a while and don't know what to do with.

This is the Antebellum Album block #11, Ever Widening Circle, from Barbara Brackman's Block of the Month for this year.  (Click HERE to go to this block pattern.)  It's a variation of a Square in a Square.  My version has an inked circle in the center, and says "May the circle be unbroken".
I am of course recalling the song.
In my head, I hear the Staple Singers voices singing Will the Circle Be Unbroken (click HERE to hear it on Youtube).
I'm wishing happy times for you this week--good memories, new traditions, and lots of quilting fun.
Cheers for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches
Linking up with:
Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts (for the last time?  She's signing off!  She will definitely be missed!)
Angela at Soscrappy
Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Myra at Busy Hands Quilts
(OMG!  My quilt from last week was one of the featured quilts on the Busy Hands blog!!!)

Scraps of Fabric and Time

It's December!  I can hardly believe it, the time passes so quickly.  Little Buddy and I put up most of the Christmas decorations this week.  I'm saving the tree for next week.  We're spreading the joy of the season all through the month.

Here's what I've been working on.  The top for this quilt was finished back in February.  (Click HERE to go to the post about piecing it.)

It's quilted at last!  And shown here on my queen sized bed.  The quilt finished at 72 in. x 81 in.

As you can see, I did very simple quilting.  Mrs. Pfaff and I quilted in the ditch to stabilize everything, and then we quilted the ditches of the nine patches and just continued the lines across the unpieced squares.  I marked the lines with soap.

It was easy to include the pieced border in the grid lines going across the quilt.  When I finished the grid, there was only the outer unpieced border left to quilt.

I sort of copped out, and used a swag stencil I've gone with a lot.  It's easy to mark and easy to quilt.  Plus I actually like it.

Here's the back, a lovely repro fabric I bought on sale a long time ago.  I love turning over a quilt to find a pretty backing.
Did you notice the binding?  It's the same fabric I was thinking about using for a border on my Wagon Trail quilt.  It's really dangerous to leave a fabric laying around in the sewing room.  It can get snatched up and used for something completely different.  Will I have enough left for the border I was planning?  I don't know yet.  I might have to go to Plan B.

This week, we had a sad event in our family.  Little Buddy's great-grandmother, Grandma Betty, passed away.  She was 90 years old, and had led a full life, but she will be sorely missed.
Grandma Betty was my son-in-law's grandmother.  My son-in-law (E.) told me this story.
When E was born, Grandma Betty made him a quilt.  He kept it all his life, and had it with him when he was living on his own.  His puppy chewed up the edge of it several years ago, which really upset E.  Last summer, E asked Grandma Betty if she could mend it.  At first she told him to just throw it away, but he refused.  Together, they cut off the damaged edge, and Grandma Betty mended the quilt.  Both of them were very glad they had preserved it, and E has this very special memento of his grandmother.
We just never know how important the gift of a quilt might be to someone.  It's a lovely way to be remembered.

I'm wishing happy memories, new and old, for you all this week.
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with
Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop
Myra at Busy Hands Quilts
Angela at Soscrappy
Cynthia at Oh Scrap

Playing Catch Up

It's the end of Thanksgiving weekend around here.  We had a good time with all of our kids, their spouses, and our grand kids.  My little buddy learned this "trick" from Grandpa, and now he thinks the cornucopia basket is a hat.  As you can see, it makes him very happy.  As he says, "Silly Grandpa."

I did finish a project, but I can't show it to you yet.  Ssh, it's a Christmas secret.  I've got the binding to do yet, and that's going to be whipped down by hand.

I'm playing catch up on a Block of the Month.  Until yesterday, I had only six blocks done for Barbara Brackman's Antebellum Album, but had gotten stuck.  We get block #11 this Wednesday, so I got out the bucket of red and green scraps and made these four.

Only two of these are the official blocks.  The hourglass and the flower are blocks I added to replace a couple I was having trouble with (which is why I was stuck).  Block #3 just would not print out right no matter what I did (I'm sure this is my fault, not Ms. Brackman's), and I really didn't like Block #10.  So I looked through the wonderful pictures of antique quilts Ms. Brackman puts on her blog, and chose these blocks from the photos.

Here are all ten of the blocks laid out on the kitchen table.  I'm not sure how I'm going to set them together.  I do know that I DON'T want a square quilt.
If I need more blocks, no worries.  I've got LOTS more scraps.
Civil War Quilts:  Antebellum Album
Above is the link to the instructions for Block #10.  From there you can get to all the posts.

It's good weather for knitting.  We're supposed to get a snow storm this afternoon/tonight.  I've got beans cooking for soup, oatmeal cookies baked, and I'm finishing my blue wool sweater that I started last winter.  I can't seem to knit in the summer, but as soon as we get a frost I want my needles in my hands.
This is the last skein of this blue yarn.  Luckily, I'm most of the way through the second sleeve, and only have the neckband to do after that.

I hope you stay warm and cozy this week, wherever you are.
Cheers for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Cynthia at Oh Scrap
Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop
Angela at Soscrappy

Harvest Home

Hello, and welcome!  Are you ready for Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  The meaning is right in the name--giving thanks, which I know I should do more often.  The family will gather at our house for a big meal and lots of love and laughter.

I'm trying to get food planned so I can make some dishes ahead of time.  Refrigerator space is always a problem, but I think we're going to put some things, like the pumpkin pies, in the trunk of my car Wednesday night.  (It's good and cold in the garage, but above freezing, and I'm not going anywhere then.  I'll let you know how that turns out!)

Meanwhile, I'm still working on the wagon trail quilt, one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts.  I'm auditioning this border, which strobes on the screen but not in real life.

I've also decided that I need another row of blocks.  It was going to be square, which is wide enough but too short for the bed.

So back to making blocks, and using up more scraps!

These are my leaders and enders--rail fence blocks.  I think I'm going to set them like this, on point.

As I give thanks for all the blessings of my life, I'm also mindful of the people devastated by the fires in California.  Right now I'm sending money to help, but maybe later there will be a need for quilts as families rebuild their lives.  My donation is going to the California Community Foundation's Wildfire Relief Fund, but there are many other places to send money, including the American Red Cross.

Today I will close with one of my favorite hymns.  Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Come Ye Thankful People, Come

written by Henry Alford in 1844

Come ye thankful people come,

Raise the song of Harvest Home

All is safely gathered in

Ere the winter storms begin

God our Maker doth provide

For our wants to be supplied

Come to God's own temple, come

Raise the song of Harvest Home.

Linking up today with:

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I Get A Whoop Whoop) 

Myra at Busy Hands Quilts
Angela at Soscrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap