Silent Sunday

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Sewing

I didn't do much sewing for Christmas this year, but while wrapping presents over the weekend, I realized that I needed to wrap an odd shaped gift.  Making a fabric gift bag seemed a lot easier than trying to wrap it with gift wrap.  I used a pillow case pattern rather than making the bag to fit the gift exactly, that way it can be used as a holiday pillow case or used as a gift bag again next Christmas!

Silent Sunday

Let It Snow!

Temperatures in north central Pennsylvania have been unseasonably mild this month.  In fact, yesterday we had a record high of 66 degrees!  Something tells me that these crocheted snowflakes are going to be the closest we get to snow this Christmas.  If you would like to crochet your own blizzard, the instructions can be found at Attic 24.

(Make sure to note that the instructions are written in UK terms.  For this pattern the only difference is that "dc" is actually worked as a single crochet.  Work the rest of the pattern as written.)  

Silent Sunday

Quilts=Art=Quilts

I spent a wonderful day yesterday enjoying rooms full of art quilts at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, NY.  To any quilt lover living in the upstate New York area, it is well worth the trip to see these magnificent quilts!  The exhibit is on display until January 3rd.  For those who can't make the trip, you can view a slideshow of the quilts HERE.

Summer Camp '15

The weather this December has been almost summer like with temperatures near 60, so my Summer Camp '15 quilt finish doesn't seem as overdue as it really is and as it turns out, I finished just in time...Gyleen Fitzgerald is starting a winter sew along that promises to be a real scrap buster!  Join in the fun on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups.

Silent Sunday

Week 4

The Thanksgiving holiday put me a little behind in the Moda Sampler Block Shuffle, but a little more late night sewing and I should be all caught up soon!  Week 4's blocks were designed by Deb Strain, Brenda Riddle Designs, and Zen Chic.

Oops!

Oops!  At least I noticed the mistake before the block was sewn into the quilt top!

A little unsewing, a quick turn around, and now all of my geese are flying in the right direction.  Much better!

Silent Sunday

Week 3

Three more blocks in the Moda Sampler Block Shuffle.  Actually it was four blocks if you count the one that I made twice!  Designs this week by Primitive Gatherings, Little Miss Shabby, and Jen Kingwell Designs.

Feeling Cocky

One of this week's blocks for the Moda Sampler Block Shuffle was a simple pinwheel block.  I thought to myself that it would be easy and I could whip it out in no time.  I cut the pieces to size, stitched the tiny half squares, and put the block together, but when it was finished it was much larger than it should have been.  What in the world did I do wrong?  Well I got cocky and didn't read the instructions, so I missed the line that said to trim the half square triangles to size.  I wonder if I will ever learn how to read all of the directions and not just look at the pictures?

Warm Fuzzies All Around

A friend and I spent a good portion of our summer making fleece blankets for the local Head Start classes.  We made 34 blankets in all!  They were handed out to the children last week and you see by the photos that they were well received!  Warm fuzzies all around!

Silent Sunday

Week Two

Three more blocks this week in the Moda Sampler Block Shuffle.  Designs by V and Co., Kathy Schmitz Studios, and American Jane.  Another batch of easy to stitch blocks!  I am really enjoying putting these blocks together.  It's like going back to my quilting roots!

On The Needles

This skein of Sockotta yarn was a gift from my daughter-in-law quite a few years ago.  I started a pair of socks with it, but didn't care for how they were turning out, so I frogged it and put the yarn away.  I came across the yarn the other day and thought I should really make something with it, so started a simple Baktus Scarf.  It's a great project to work on while watching TV...just knit, knit, knit and increase one every 4th row.  It doesn't get much easier than that and it's going to be the perfect scarf for the cold weather that's coming!

Silent Sunday

Rescue

Last week I stopped at the local thrift store hoping to find a nice second hand sewing machine for a new quilter.  I don't normally look twice at an old sewing machine unless it is a Singer, but this lonely Kenmore was the only one in the shop.  The gal working at the front counter had no idea if it worked or not, so she said I could take it home and try it and if it worked I could come back and make a donation for it.  Deal!  I cleaned it all up, gave it a few drops of oil, put in a new needle and that was all it took to get it stitching.  I couldn't get the zigzag stitches to work because of a stripped gear, but it has a beautiful straight stitch and really that's all it takes to make a quilt.  I even put it to the test and pieced a Quick Strippie quilt top with it in a little bit of no time!  It may be old, but it still has a lot of get up and go!  I think it will do nicely for a starter machine.

Week 1

There were three blocks in week 1 of the Moda Sampler Block Shuffle.  Designs by Pat Sloan, Me & My Sister Designs, and Sandy Gervais.  All of the blocks went together easily and I love how they turned out!

Silent Sunday

Moda Sampler Block Shuffle

Have you heard about the Moda Sampler Block Shuffle that started this week?  Each week there will be 2-3 free quilt block patterns available for download and at the finish you will have 30 blocks for a quilt.  I think it will be a good way be able to stitch a little bit each day without committing to a big project during the holiday season.  One of my favorite local quilt shops, O'Susannah's Quilt Shop, is stitching along and posting YouTube videos of the process.  Watch the video below for more details...

  

While The Internet Was Out

I may not have been posting, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been quilting.  I was recently asked to make this quilt for a military couple that will be getting married this month, so I have been busy sewing to make sure it was finished in time for the wedding.  (Maybe it's a good thing that the internet wasn't working right!)  The quilt finished at 60x77, so it's a nice throw size that will be perfect for the sofa or 4th of July picnics.  The pattern is Star Bright Quilt and is available for free from Swim Bike Quilt.

Finally...Really...I Hope!

I think we finally have the problems with our internet worked out.  Even with the new line and a higher speed our internet was still dropping.  All signs pointed to the router as the culprit, which was one of the first things we replaced in August, so I was hesitant to follow the tech's advice to purchase another new router of a different brand, but I did just that last Thursday and so far everything is working great.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the new router has really fixed the problem, so I can get back to blogging as usual!

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Handknit With Love

A longtime friend just entered into hospice care this week.  Although we are close at heart, we are not close in miles, so I can't be there to help her and her family.  I'm one who needs to DO something and I had already made and given her a quilt a couple of years ago, so I went to work on knitting her a pair of cozy slipper socks.  Very little in the grand scheme of things, but it brightened her day when they arrived in the mail and I know she will be reminded of how much I love her when she wears them.

The pattern is Chunky Knit Slipper Socks and the awesome printable wrapper is from Cobberson & Co.

What Happens?

What happens when your friends find out that you are knitting hats for charity to use up your yarn stash?  They give you their stash!  Thanks, Kathy.  It's probably a good thing that I have more yarn though (not that I was in any real danger of running out) because our internet issues were only solved temporarily.  This weeks "solution" is to bump our our speed, but that's not working either and service is still sporadic.  Oh well...less time on the computer means more time to knit!

Silent Sunday

No Internet Means...

We have been having trouble with our internet not staying connected for the past couple of months.  Multiple calls to tech support, visits from the cable guy, a new modem, and a new router weren't of any help.  Last week I reached my breaking point and threatened to change ISP's if the problem wasn't corrected.  Apparently they didn't want to lose a customer because they sent someone right out to change the line into the house.  Low and behold that fixed the problem and our internet is running full speed without interruption.  No internet means, no blog posts, but it also means that I was actually doing something a little more productive than blogging and pinning patterns to Pinterest. I knitted eight hats that will be donated to a local pre-school!  Maybe the internet should go out more often...

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

With A Little Help From My Friends

Thanks to the help from a few good friends, I have 21 quilts, a fleece blanket and a bag of bindings to deliver to Lap Robes for Veterans this week.  These quilts will be distributed to veterans traveling on the Honor Flight out of Rochester, NY next month.

Silent Sunday

On To The Labels

The quilts that I have been working on for Lap Robes for Veterans are all quilted and bound, so the only thing left before I ship them off is to stitch on the labels.

Another Shirt Project

Like so many others in the family, my youngest son loved the idea of a table runner made with his grandpa's shirts.  He picked out a very simple pattern which worked well to showcase the different plaid prints and once quilted in a half inch grid pattern, it turned out to be quite special.

Silent Sunday

Modern Quilts: Expect The Unexpected

Modern Quilts: Expect the Unexpected is now on display at the Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center.  The show is open daily from 2:00-5:00 pm with free admission. This juried exhibit consists of thirty-three quilts and wall hangings made by sixteen quilters.  If you are in the area be sure not to miss this exhibit!

Silent Sunday

Knitting For Pre-Schoolers

The local yarn shop is collecting hats and mittens for pre-schoolers, so I thought I would give my fingers a break from binding and knit a hat or two.  Working with size 11 needles and a double strand of worsted weight yarn is a nice switch from sewing bindings with a tiny needle and thread!

Still In A Bind

Yes, I'm still trying to get all the binding finished on the quilts for Lap Robes For Veterans.  I think I have eight or nine left to finish...hopefully all will be done in time for the Honor Flight in October!

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Binding...Lots Of Binding!

I have been quilting just about non-stop this week and I now have five Air Force quilts quilted for Lap Robes for Veterans!  I even have the bindings sewn on and they are ready to be hand stitched to the back.  I see some quality NetFlix time in my future!

Fleece - Right Side Or Wrong Side?

With most fleece prints, it is apparent which side is the right side, but with solids and some prints it is hard to tell (especially after the selvages have been removed).  An easy way to tell the right or wrong side of fleece is to hold your fabric by the horizontal cut edge (this is the edge with the most stretch) and pull slightly. The cut edge will curl to the wrong side of the fabric. 

Lap Robes for Veterans

While at the Genesee Valley Quilt Fest in June, I had the opportunity to meet and talk with Nancy Van Apledoorn, founder and coordinator of Lap Robes for Veterans.  Nancy's ultimate goal is to see that every veteran receives a lap robe, but for now she has all that she can do to see that veterans in nursing homes, hospice care, and those traveling on Honor Flights in her area receives a lap robe.  In 2014 Nancy and a group of 30 volunteers donated over 800 lap robes (quilts, fleece, knit and crocheted blankets) to veterans in the Rochester area.  Pretty impressive for such a small group, but if the goal is going to be met, they are going to need help!  Being the daughter of a WWII Army veteran, wife of a Navy veteran, and a USMC mom, I was more than willing to offer my services.  I met with Nancy a few weeks ago and picked up 20 kits to quilt.  I hope to have them all done and ready to be given to veterans taking the Honor Flight out of Rochester, NY in October.  My machine is going to be going full steam from now until then!

To learn more about Lap Robes for Veterans or to find out how to start a similar project in your area check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LapRobesForVeterans.

Silent Sunday

Just One More

Ok, just one more zip bag and then I really need to catch up on some projects in progress!  Plus I'm out of zipper now, but Sue from Susan Sews told me about WAWK Sewing Supplies and how wonderful their prices are.  She wasn't kidding...25 7" zippers in assorted colors are only $4.99!  Check them out at www.wawak.com.