Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Quicker Strippie!

When the too short troll backing turned into a quilt top, I got the idea that I could make quicker strippie quilts for Lap Robes for Veterans!  This organization actually prefers simple quilts over more intricate designs for a couple of different reasons, so these quilts will be perfect for them and I'll be able to use up the odds and ends of patriotic fabrics in my stash too!  It's a win all the way around!

Silent Sunday

Back Or Front?

My original plan was for this to be the backing for the Quick Strippie Troll quilt top that I made last week, but it turned out to be just a few inches too short.  Yes, I could add another white stripe somewhere to lengthen it, but I think I like it well enough as it is to use it as a top.  Perhaps I will simply back them both with solid white and then I will have two Troll quilts to donate instead of one!

Silent Sunday

Back In The Sewing Room!

Now that fall is here and it's getting dark earlier, I'm finding that I have a little more time to spend in the sewing room again.  I don't want to do anything too complex when I get home from work, but a few minutes of mindless sewing, while dinner is in the oven, is just what I need!  Quick Strippie quilts are just the ticket for mindless sewing.  It doesn't take long at all to stitch one together and they make great donation quilts!

Silent Sunday

What Happened To August?

Oh my goodness!  Was my last post really in July?  What happened in August?  I'd like to say that I was too busy preparing for the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's 2016 Exhibit to post but that wouldn't be quite true.  Yes, I did play a part in this year's exhibit, but it was quite small compared to past years.  Truth is, the only stitching I have done in the last 6 weeks was this small quilt that is part of the guild's "Dreaming of a World Without Cancer" display.  All of the quilts in this display are offered for sale at the price of $25.00 each with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.   The guild's exhibit runs through September 25th, so if you are in the Wellsboro, PA area this week stop at the Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center to see it in person.  For those who live out of town, photos of the exhibit can be seen on the guild's Facebook page.

Now that summer is coming to an end and the days are getting shorter, I hope to have more time for stitching and blogging!

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Job Benefits

My job at the thrift store definitely has benefits!  Look at this beautiful hand-pieced, hand-quilted quilt that came in on the truck this week.  Only one problem...it looks like it had a run-in with a pair of scissors at some point in its life.  I couldn't bear to see it sold as a cutter quilt, so I brought it home to try my hand at restoring it.  I know it's going to be next to impossible to match the fabrics, so the question is...shall I try to find a fabric that matches closest to the color and not worry about whether it is a print or solid or should I try to keep solids and prints as they are even if the shade is a little different?

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Wavy Zip Bag

I turned my wavy weaving piece into a little wavy zip bag.  I added a beaded zipper pull just to make it a little more fun.  I love how it turned out!

Silent Sunday

Wavy Weaving!

A quilty friend of mine spends winters in Florida and summers here in Pennsylvania.  She most always comes home with some new fabric trick that she learned over the winter from her quilty friends in Florida.  The photo shows what she shared with me recently...wavy weaving! (It's a technique by Trish Hodge.) How fun is this piece?  I think it's going to end up as a little zip bag!

Silent Sunday

Done & Delivered!

I finished twelve quilts total this time around and last week I delivered them to Lap Robes for Veterans.  No doubt they will go to some very deserving veterans!

Wishing everyone a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!

Silent Sunday

USMC Quick Strippie

And the last in the stack to be bound was a Quick Strippie that will go to a USMC vet.

Silent Sunday

Another Finish

Making the most of my patriotic scraps!  Here's another simple 4 x 5 setting of 10" squares all finished and ready to go to Lap Robes For Veterans!

Star Quilt FInish

At 40"x 40" this star quilt pattern by Amy Smart makes the perfect quilt for a wheelchair bound vet!

Silent Sunday

USMC Strippie Finish

I'm a USMC mom, so I definitely have a soft spot for Marine vets!  Here's a USMC quick strippie quilt all finished and ready to go to Lap Robes For Veterans.

Nine Tiny Hats

I was able to make nine preemie hats with the Red Heart Buttercup yarn that was given to me a couple of weeks ago, so that's just about three hats per skein.  I added top-knots and crocheted pom-poms to some and stripes to others, so they are all different.  All of these baby hats will go to the Janet Weiss Children's Hospital in Danville, PA.  You can find my pattern for these hats HERE.

Silent Sunday

Simple Patriotic Finish

One quilt for Lap Robes For Veterans all done!

Lots Of Handwork!

The quilts for Lap Robes For Veterans are all quilted!  Now for my favorite part...hand stitching the bindings!

And on this Memorial Day...

"Love your country and live with pride

And don't forget those who died

America can't you see?

All gave some and some gave all

And some stood through for the red, white and blue

And some had to fall

And if you ever think of me

Think of all your liberties and recall 

Some gave all"

Silent Sunday

Changes

For the past 15 years I have been a stay at home mama and grandmama and I truly enjoyed every minute of being able to help out with the grandkids while their parents worked.  Now the oldest grandkids are able to do the babysitting, so I've been looking for something more than quilting to occupy some of my time.  That opportunity came a few weeks ago in the form of a part time job at a local thrift shop.  Change is never easy, so it's taking some time for everyone to adjust to me working outside of the home again, but I'm really enjoying this job!  There are added benefits of working at a thrift store too...like fabric!  I found reproduction fabrics in the photo in one of the first boxes I unpacked!  Yes, I'm really going to like this job!

Hot Mess Preemie Hats

I came up with this simple pattern for preemie baby hats using Red Heart Buttercup yarn given to me by a friend who declared it "hot mess" yarn. They may look like a hot mess, but they are also the softest little hats ever! Once I get them all finished, the hats will go to the Janet Weiss Children's Hospital in Danville, PA.

 

Hot Mess Preemie Hats

 

Size 13 double pointed needles

 

One skein Red Heart Buttercup yarn yields several hats

 

Gauge is not important...preemies come in all sizes!

 

Cast on 24 stitches. Join to knit in the round being careful not to twist the stitches.

 

Knit to 5 inches from cast on edge

 

Decrease for crown

 

Round 1: knit 2, knit 2 together, repeat around 18 stitches

 

Round 2: knit

 

Round 3: knit 1, knit 2 together, repeat to end of round, 12 stitches

 

Round 4: knit

 

Round 5: knit 2 together around, 6 stitches

 

Cut yarn about 12 inches from last stitch. Thread tail through tapestry needle and through remaining 6 stitches. Pull tightly to close top of hat. Tie off. Weave in ends.

*To add a top knot 

Round 6: knit 2 together around, 3 stitches

Knit around on these stitches for about 3 ½ inches. Bind off the stitches, weave in ends & tie the top tube in a knot.

Silent Sunday

Still Quilting

I'm still working on quilting the quilts for Lap Robes For Veterans.  Just a few more to go and then I'll be in binding mode!

Almost Finished

Checking the gauge was well worth the time it took, because the little Bug Warmer sweater is turning out to be just the right size for my friend's new grandson!  I just need to bind off the hem and sleeves and it will be ready to go in the mail.

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

On The Frame

Now that I have all of the veterans quilt tops pieced, it's time to get them quilted!  I really enjoy quilting these Quick Strippie quilts.  It goes fast and it's fun to quilt something different in each strip.

Dust Bunnies!

Yes, there has been some serious stitching going on in my sewing room and I've got the dust bunny colony living in my sewing machine to prove it!  Yikes!  Time for a little spring cleaning...

Silent Sunday

Photo Credit: Debbie Pascale

Gauge?

Usually I just throw caution to the wind when I start a new knitting project and don't bother with checking the gauge, but because I am using a different yarn than the pattern calls for I thought I better take the time to knit a swatch or two.  Hopefully the extra time it takes to check the gauge will pay off in the end.  Question for you knitters...do you check your gauge before starting a project?

Oatmeal Coconut Pecan Cookies

Every once in awhile I get in a creative baking mood and actually come up with a recipe worth keeping and sharing.  This is one of those recipes.  Perfect for the coconut lovers in the family!

Oatmeal Coconut Pecan Cookies

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 salt

3/4 cup flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

3/4 cup toasted coconut flakes

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Extra sugar for rolling

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

Cream butter, shortening, sugar and brown sugar together. Add in egg and coconut extract; mix well.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together; add to creamed mixture. Stir in oats, coconut, and pecans.

Shape cookie dough into 1 inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on a large baking sheet. Place on the middle rack in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies set on baking sheet for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Silent Sunday

Tops For Vets!

All of the kits that I made up over the winter are quickly becoming tops.  I purposely chose easy patterns with large pieces for these quilts that will go to Lap Robes For Veterans.  Their motto is "So Many Veterans...Sew Little Time" and it is so true!  Veterans greatly outnumber quilters, but that doesn't mean that we aren't going to try and show our appreciation for their service by giving each and every one a quilt!

And The Winners Are...

And the winner of the Learn to Quilt with Scraps class is...

#12 Sherry said...

I love scrap quilts. I love using any of the "old standards", like Shoo Fly, Bow Tie, Dresden Plate, etc. but with a lot of different fabrics.

Thank you for this giveaway.

And the winner of the Learn to Make Pineapple Quilts class is...

#33 Linda Atkins said...

I would love to know how to use all my scraps. I have oodles of triangles, squares and rectangles that are a stash all their own. I use them to design my own quilts. My grandchildren are each getting one for Christmas and now I am working on a wedding gift, a play on lights and darks. They have been labors of love and so much fun seeing them evolve.

Thanks to everyone who visited Hanging On by a Needle and Thread and took the time to comment.  I truly enjoyed reading each and every one of your comments!  If you didn't win and had your heart set on taking one of these online classes you can enroll anytime at www.anniescatalog.com/