Janet's Quilt for Christmas

This quilt has been hanging in my studio for months and it came with a backing that was a couple feet too short. So, I've been waiting on Janet to bring me a new backing. I think she may have briefly forgotten about it, but I didn't. I quilted it and put the binding on for her for Christmas. She was quite surprised.





I used Quilters dream poly batting, So Fine white on top and Bottom Line in the bobbin, continuous curves and loopy things in the blocks and I'm not sure what the white square designs are called. I drew lines dividing the block into eighths and feathered away. Not perfect by any means, but the muslin was a good practice space for me.

Christmas Day

Here are a few picts from the opening of gifts on Christmas Day:

Eli likes her new pony:


Matt & Dennis like their gifts:


Sarah & Jessi look pretty happy:


I had a wonderful time with Jason and Julie's families and am so glad we could all be together. Next year, I hope to have Jeff and Dané here also.

PJ Day!

Today was a lazy, PJ day! I finished hand sewing the binding on this yet to be given Christmas gift that I quilted yesterday, and watched 2 Lifetime movies.



Dan made a run to Culvers for Butterburgers and we watched the snow fall all afternoon. I made shrimp stir-fry for dinner and we watched the Colts and the Bronchos get beat....bummer!

The new warming blanket is on the bed and I'll be climbing in very soon.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to my friends and family. I hope all your Christmas dreams have come to life. Enjoy the day with your loved ones and say a prayer for those serving our country far, far away!

I must have been a good girl this year, cause look what Santa brought me...an Ott Floor Lamp. It is amazing and I already tried some stitching and it is so wonderful.
Thanks Santa!

Shipshewana 2010 Update - Registration Closed

Since I have received 4 registrations in the mail in the last 2 days, I must close the registration now. I am so sorry that I can't continue to take registrations from all who wish to attend and I had no idea the response would be so good. The 2 larger meeting rooms are already booked, so we can't upgrade at this time.

I'm sure we will have a wonderful time and I can't wait!

If you are interested in attending, but haven't sent me your check and form, please send me an email and I will start a waiting list. You never know what might happen between now and October.

Stashbusting Week #51

Fabric Added This Week - 0 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date - 150 yards

Fabric Used This Week - 1.5 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date - 232.5 yards

YEAR TO DATE STASH USED: 82.5 yards

Not much used, but some is better than none!

Coffee Table Runner

After I finished quilting for customers yesterday, it was time to do one of my gifts. I quilted and sewed the binding on this 52x27 Christmas Star table runner, a gift for my co-worker Margaret. She shares a love of coffee with me and I knew she would appreciate it.



Hobbs 80/20 batting, Camel Permacore thread and the Swirls Circle Lord template made this a less than an hour quilting job.

Vicci's Gradation 9-Patch

Vicci made this little quilt using only 2 fabrics and the result is wonderful. I love it.
She wanted custom quilting and after asking for help from my longarm friends, here it is:



She picked up all 4 of her quilts yesterday and was pleased. Her quilter friend/neighbor, Patty, was amazed that she had me do all the binding on them, but Vicci said, "My presents are ready to be wrapped now!"

I'm so happy to help!

Shipshewana 2010 Update

I've received deposits and forms from 38 quilters and I have 4 that have been listed as roommates. As of now I'm saving a place for them even though I haven't gotten their money/forms yet.

I just got off the phone with the Farmstead Inn and it looks like we can take another 3-4 participants and that's all, otherwise the sewing room may be too crowded.

To say I'm pleased with the response would be an understatement. I realize that one could have reservations about sending in a deposit for a retreat to someone you don't know, but I'm glad you have faith in me to provide you with a wonderful retreat experience. I'm sure you are as anxious as I am to work on another JudyL Mystery Quilt.

So, if you've been planning to send in your forms, please do it soon. To those who are registered, I look forward to meeting you and if you owe a balance, I will send out a reminder closer to the retreat.

Happy Quilting!

Janet's Panel Baby Quilt

Last night I finished meandering this little baby quilt for Janet. The batting is Hobbs poly and it really defines the quilting. The Thread is PermaCore White. She needs to apply the binding so she can take it to a shower on Sunday. Better get busy Janet!




I have 1 more quilt to finish before Christmas and hope to do that this evening. Then, the weekend will be filled with baking and Dan's birthday.

NEWS FLASH
We finally got our Christmas Tree up! It still needs to be decorated, but it's a start.

Jackson Update

Well, there was a mis-communication about his weight and he actually weighed 1lb 12oz, which is a lot better than we thought. He is 13 inches long. His mommy was released from the hospital yesterday and was resting comfortably at home last night when we called. The NICU staff said Jackson was doing amazing! We're hoping for some more photos soon.

Placemats for Midland Meals

I collected placemats from guild members at our Christmas Party Wednesday night to give to Midland Meals for distributing to their homebound clients. They were thrilled to receive them and just happened to be having their staff Christmas lunch when I delivered them, so there were lots of oohs and ahhs.

Thanks so much to all the members who donated and especially to those who made their placemats. I can just imagine how happy we have made over 70 homebound seniors in our area.

How Sweet Is This?

You were probably expecting a baby picture, weren't you.
Well, we don't have one yet, but little Jackson, weighing in at 1lb 2oz is holding his own.

What I was refering to is this cute panel quilt of Janet's that she just wanted me to meander. It's flannel and the batting is a Hobbs poly, with lots of loft. Snuggly Soft!

It's A Boy!

Jackson Lee Wasmuth made his appearance today in Denver, about 3 months early. I have no other details just yet, except that he has healthy lungs and is pretty good at kicking and crying.

Cory and Mandy were expecting to have a few more months to get ready for him, but I guess he was in a hurry.

I'm so excited for them and you know what....we just packed up their Christmas gifts last night for shipping, including his giraffe quilt.

I hadn't mentioned her pregnancy on my blog this time. They lost a baby about a year ago, so please say a prayer for this little guy to be strong.

Stashbusting Week #50

Fabric Added This Week - 0 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date - 150 yards

Fabric Used This Week - 2 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date - 231 yards

YEAR TO DATE STASH USED: 81 yards

Not much used this wee, but some is better than none!

Are You Sick of my Bindings Yet?

Saturday, at our guild sewing day, I stitched the binding on Vicci's block of the month quilt, so it's ready for the hand stitching. One more quilt for Vicci, after this one, and then hers will be finished.



I changed direction yesterday and quilted this little snowman panel for a christmas throw gift and started stitching the binding last night.

I Wrapped!

Last night, I wrapped and then I wrapped some more and the tip of my index finger feels like it has been ripped off from the tape. It went from this:



To this,



Well, and these are still remaining. But look, you can tell it's a bed now.



And these will be shipped.



Today we will get our tree and the rest of the decorations down from the attic. Let's see if we can get that done before they show the house at 3PM.

Another binding Finished!

Wednesday evening I finished the binding on this quilt and I did a little quilting on Vicci's quilt.

I also pulled some fabrics for a maybe project for tomorrows guild sewing day.

More Bindings

I finished the binding on Kay's quilt



and started on Vicci's Rossville Quilts BOM last night



Wrote some Christmas cards and loaded a quilt.

Stashbusting Report #49

Fabric Added This Week - 3 yards (I didn't have any dora fabric)
Fabric Added Year to Date - 150 yards

Fabric Used This Week - 6 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date - 229 yards

YEAR TO DATE STASH USED: 79 yards

Cute, Cute, Cute!

That's what I say about these little things I created tonight.

A good friend is expecting her first baby in February, a girl, and we are having lunch tomorrow. I just had to have a Christmas gift, or two, for baby Maddie. I put together these "designer" burb cloths. They are just a prefolded cloth diaper with a cute fabric strip and some trim on both long sides. Aren't they darling?



Then a little bib for Maddie. I know she won't be wearing this for quite a while, but I want to be sure she knows she's a princess.



Then I made some more burb cloths for our grandson who will be born in March in Colorado. Do these fabrics look familiar? The are the leftovers from his giraffe quilt.



I washed all the fabrics and the diapers before I started and every one of the diapers looks like this on the ends.



Of course, Miss Elizabeth will need a new bib for Christmas, so I made this for her.



I also had the embroidery machine going while I was working...making 2 quilt labels for friends. It was a busy night and I suppose I should have been quilting or sewing binding, but I felt the need to be creative.

Dora Flannel

On Friday I got an email saying that the Blue Star Mothers group was providing some Christmas for 2 children who's dad is deployed. One of them is a four year old girl who likes Dora and her mom asked for a blanket. Well, I didn't have any Dora fabric, but Joann's did and it is flannel, so it's very, very soft. I assembled the top on Friday evening and loaded it and started the quilting. I finished the quilting last night and did the binding today. Then, I decided that she needed a pillowcase to match. They are both washed, dried and ready to go the the Blue Star Moms Cookie Brigade this evening.




I baked about 8 dozen cookies this morning to take also. I didn't mix them, just took them out of the plastic tubs and baked them. I do just love those fundraising tubs of cookie dough.

Cookie Exchange

I went to Mary's annual cookie exchange today and what a nice assortment of cookies were baked. I made Pecan Shortbread Trees and look how cute they look next to the pink ones. It's a recipe that I'll try again.

She has a beautiful house and it is decorated so nicely. I still have my Christmas decorations in the attic, except for some outdoor lights.

Idle Hands? Not here!

I have been working on customer bindings. This one's finished:



This one is about half done.



I do love to hand stitch bindings. I find it so very relaxing and I can even keep an eye on what's on television. The next three quilts scheduled to be quilted, also have the bindings to be done. That's lots of relaxing and also lots of $$$$.

Barb's 4-Patch Log Cabins

I just love how this quilt turned out. She wanted a pantograph, Popcorn in the center and then the borders done in swirls and feathers. I've never done this before, but tried it and she loved it.


The batting is Hobbs 80/20 and the thread is PermaCore Mother Goose.




The stopping of the pantographs at exactly the right spot was a trick at times, but for the most part they ended up quite nicely. The backing is actually just natural muslin but the sunlight yesterday afternoon made it look blue....go figure!

Mucinex DM - It's not for me!

That's me - UNDER THE WEATHER!

I've had a little cough for a few days, nothing else, just a cough. No fever, no chest pain, no sniffly nose, and I may go for hours without coughing. Yesterday morning I thought I would try something new to me....Mucinex DM Cough Suppressant.

Well, never again....I was so sick.
It started with cold sweats and a horrible headache, then vomiting. I went home for lunch and took a 2 hour nap and felt much better, so I went back to work. By about 4:00 it was back and that must have been the last of the timed release tablet.
After a customer quilt was picked up, I got into my jammies and snuggled up on the couch to listen to the news. I could only listen cause my eyes wouldn't stay open. By 8:00 I was feeling pretty good and had some chicken noodle soup.
This morning I am good as new....except for an occasional cough, which I can live with.