Christmas Cover-up

Holiday time sure does make craft related blogging difficult!  Even though my sewing machine was humming along all weekend, I can't post about it because I was working on a gift.  It is also difficult to work on gifts with family coming and going, so have been using this Christmas "cheater" quilt that I made last year to keep a few special projects out of plain view...it adds a festive touch to my sewing room too!

More Mittens

The knitting for the mitten tree project continues!  This pair of mittens was made using a free pattern, Basic Pattern for Children's Mittens, by Elizabeth Durand.  This pattern offers sizes for children from 4 to 14 years old and is very easy to follow!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Apple Bread

Apple Bread

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup apple, coarsely shredded
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

In bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, place oil, sugar, egg, vanilla and apples.  Stir into flour mixture.  Add walnuts and mix.  Pour mixture into greased 8x4 inch bread pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bread tests done.  Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan.

Knittin' Mittens

A friend of mine is collecting new hats, scarves and mittens to be added to a "mitten tree" for the holidays, so of course I volunteered to make some mittens for the project.  All of the donated items will be distributed to people in need.   These mittens were made using the free Chunky Mitten Pattern from The Fabric Addict.  Bulky weight yarn and size 7 needles makes these mittens a quick knit...perfect for charity projects!

Mighty Oaks From Little Acorns Grow

This felted acorn will never grow into an oak tree, but it sure makes a cute decoration for fall, doesn't it?  All you need to make this acorn is a bit of brown wool (I used Patons Classic Wool in Chestnut Brown), size 5 double pointed needles, an acorn cap from a nearby oak tree and a few minutes of time!

Cast on 6 stitches.
Divide stitches evenly among the needles and join in round, taking care not to twist.
Round 1: kfb all around. (12 stitches)
Round 2: knit.
Round 3: kfb, k1, kfb, k1...repeat to end of round. (18 stitches)
Round 4-9: knit.
Round 10: k2 tog, k1, k2 tog, k1...repeat to end of round. (12 stitches)
Round 11: knit.
Round 12: knit 2 tog all around. (6 stitches)

Break yarn and thread through remaining 6 stitches.  Stuff the acorn with a bit of wool yarn before drawing the stitches together and then tie off.

To felt the acorn:  Add a few drops of liquid soap to a small bowl of hot water.  Wet the acorn thoroughly in the water/soap mixture and then roll the acorn around in the palms of your hands until you can no longer see the knit stitches.  Rinse in cold water and squeeze out excess water while forming into an acorn shape.  Allow to dry and glue on an acorn cap.  

Tumblers

I have had this 3" tumbler template for awhile and never used it, so during a recent stitching session with a few friends, I took the opportunity to try it out.  As I was cutting, I commented that the template makes the job so much easier than cutting tumblers with a ruler and then a friend had to burst my bubble and tell me that AccuQuilt just came out with a 3" tumbler die to go with their new Go! Baby.  Just think how fast I could have cut out this little wall hanging if I had a Go! Baby!  (Hint, hint...are you listening, Santa?) 

Wavy Wiper Win!

Have you heard about Messy Karen's Wavy Wipers?  If not, they are wonderful little knitted dishcloths that are just about the same size as a sponge.  They are the perfect size for wiping up little spills and the best part is that they can go right in the wash, so they won't breed germs the way a sponge can!  If you are a knitter and would like to make your own Wavy Wiper, Karen has the pattern available for free on her blog, Messy Karen.  If you prefer to have Karen do the knitting, you can purchase a Wavy Wiper from Karen's Etsy shop, Ruthie, Rosie, Norie.  If you are feeling extra lucky, you can try to win one like I did...Karen is very generous with giveaways and has them often!

Have You Ever?

Have you ever donated a Priority: Alzheimer's Quilt to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative?  Have you ever gone back to the AAQI  website to see what became of your donation?  I did just that recently and found that my Becoming Scraps quilt had indeed sold and earned $55.00 for Alzheimer's research!  I was stunned!  This little 9"x12" quilt was made straight from my scrap basket, cost me nothing and only took a little bit of time to put together and yet it raised $55.00!  Think how much money we quilters could raise for Alzheimer's research if we all made just one little 9"x12" quilt from our scrap baskets and donated it to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative!  Earlier in the week, Lori of Humble Quilts challenged her readers to make and donate one Priority: Alzheimer's Quilt before the end of the year and I accepted that challenge.  It's the season for giving and I can't think of a better (or easier) gift to give...won't you join us?

Veterans Day

Heartfelt thanks to our nation’s military service members, both veterans and active duty, for their dedication, courage, accomplishments and sacrifices to protect our everyday freedoms.

There Was Shopping Too!

My son and daughter-in-law did a great job in choosing their new home.  Not only is it a beautiful apartment complex, but there is also a wonderful little quilt shop just down the street!  Quilter's Corner is a small shop, but they have a very nice selection of fabrics and many of them were quite different from what the shops here at home carry.  Now goodness knows that I don't need fabric, but when I saw this panel and coordinating fabric from Exclusively Quilters I couldn't resist.  It will make the perfect Christmas (or birthday) gift for the lil' cowboy!

Home Again

The weekend went by much too quickly, but we had a wonderful time and as predicted, the Buzz Lightyear quilt was a HUGE hit with the lil' cowboy!

The Adventure Takes Off!

Mission Accomplished!

The Buzz Lightyear quilt is quilted, bound and ready for take off!
I think this is the fastest I have ever completed a quilt, but I haven't done anything else this week either.  It was a bit of a challenge to get it done in time, but I think the real challenge will be finishing everything else that I need to have done before we leave!  Laundry, a bit of cleaning, packing...let the countdown begin!

Quilting On A Prayer

I really REALLY wanted the backing for the lil' cowboy's quilt to be a solid piece of the Buzz Lightyear fabric, but once the top was finished I realized that it was just about the same size as the backing fabric.  Now the "rule" is that the backing fabric should be 6-8 inches larger than the quilt top on all sides.  Rules are made to be broken, right?  I loaded the Buzz backing, said a little prayer and started quilting.  I was sweating a bit by the time I got to the last couple of rows of quilting, but as you can see, I had a whole 2 inches to spare!

It's A Top!

I don't think there is a faster quilt to put together than the disappearing nine patch, so that's what I chose for the lil' cowboy's Buzz Lightyear quilt.  After just a few hours of cutting and sewing and I have a finished top.  Now to get it quilted!

To Infinity And Beyond!

Our Marine, daughter-in-law and the lil' cowboy have finally settled in their new home and the best news is that they are now only a short 4 hour drive from our home!  Which means that Mama and Papa are close enough to go down and visit every now and then!  This coming weekend we will be on babysitting duty, but it's been a couple of months since we have seen the lil' cowboy, so I thought it might be nice to take a little something along in case he has (*gasp*) forgotten us.  From what I hear, the best way to make friends with the lil' cowboy these days is through Buzz Lightyear, so when I found this flannel I knew I had to make him a quilt.  He loves his blankies, so no doubt a Buzz Lightyear quilt will get us back in his good graces in no time!