May Mini, etc.

I have been mostly absent from blogging for over 3 weeks. Thanks to those that checked in on me. I am still here, but between continued physical therapy, wedding plans (this Saturday!!), gardening, and time spent helping Mom, there really hasn't been sewing time. This week I forced myself to finish a mini quilt for May. Just squeaking under the wire.

Here we have "Uncle Kevin's Tree Farm", based on a pattern from Kevin The Quilter. I shrunk the block, of course.  The top was made in December, so I only did the quilting in May.


You can see from this back shot that I just did a bunch of straight line quilting.
And the binding is only pinned on the back at this point. It may have to wait until post-wedding to get sewn down, but I am calling it a finish. Wendy, is that cheating? :)
Down the road I may do some hand stitching in the sashing, but can't worry about that now.

Wanted to share a handy item I picked up at a Ross store recently. This is a caddy for the bathroom. I set it beside my featherweight in my sewing room. The bottom basket holds a bag full of bonus triangles from a couple of blog friends.
I grab a handful of the triangles and put them in the bowl in the top basket to use as leader/enders. When I pull them from the machine I drop them into the bowl in the second basket. Keeps all the leader/ender parts organized and handy, without using my limited table space.
The photo on the right, above, gives you a better look at the caddy.



The barn quilt DD#2 made for me finally got put in its place on the shed. I love it there. Wish I had taken the photo before the lilacs started fading. They looked very pretty together.

As I mentioned in my last post (so long ago you probably don't recall), May is my blog anniversary. It has been seven years! Hard to believe, sometimes, though it feels like I have always known some of my blogging buddies. To show my thanks to my followers and friends, someone will be chosen to receive this little bundle.

This includes Jo Morton's latest book of little quilts, four FQs of her new line of shirtings, one of my Dresden pincushions, and a Riley Blake measuring tape. I will throw in some of my soap, too.
Leave a comment if you are interested. Thanks to all for the years of sharing and friendship! You are the best!
Until next time, 
Janet O.

Drawing Now Closed

Finally!

It has been almost two weeks since my last post. I finally have something to share (not much, but at least one quilty thing).

 

This was made using the tree block pattern that Kevin (kevinthequilter blog) shared last year--it just shrunk in my hands, as things tend to do. The blocks are a little rectangular, so the quilt will finish at about 14 x 15 1/2".  I auditioned the sashing without cornerstones, but the quilt seemed to need an added pop of color...so it got one. I am considering binding it in green.

One of the great things about actually making a Christmas quilt at Christmas time is the fun photo ops you have with all the Christmas decor available. I won't bore you with most of what I took, but here is one more taken in the Christmas corner of my sewing room. I think I will name this quilt Tree Farm. Hmmm, maybe it needs to be  Uncle Kevin's Tree Farm. No, I don't have an Uncle Kevin, but Kevin the Quilter strikes me as a really great uncle, and it was his block pattern, so I think he should be in the title somehow.

I also finally held the drawings for my birthday giveaway and the bags of fabric. After drawing the names, I went to my email to try and contact the winners, only to discover that two of them were "no reply" profiles, so I had to eliminate them and draw again.

My birthday giveaway was won by Lori D. (humblequilts blog). 

Bag #1 of Aster Manor fabrics goes to Liz (frogquilter blog).     

Bag #2 of the Rites of Spring fabrics goes to Aimee (thebryanfamilysampler blog). 

Bag #3 of homespun fabrics goes to Karen (moosebaymuses blog). 

I have contacted the winners and will get their packages sent as soon as I have all the addresses.

Well, that is it as far as the quilty content of this post goes. My third "finally" has to do with my nativity collection. Collections can be a dangerous thing. Where do you draw the line of what to collect? Will you collect anything you see that fits your collection theme, or will you be more selective?  I realized early on in my Nativity gathering that this could get out of hand so easily (but then most any collection can in the hands of an obsessive individual like myself). After giving it some thought, I determined I would choose to gather nativities from other countries. But there is a mind-boggling array of sets from around the world. Well, I prefer  hand-crafted ones. That narrows it some, but still isn't enough restraint. Then I hit upon the idea that I will collect from countries where my family and friends have lived or visited. And if they can bring me one themselves, all the better.

Forty years ago my brother returned home after serving as a missionary in Thailand, and I finally purchased a handcrafted Nativity made in Thailand when we were in Salt Lake City on my birthday getaway last month. It is crafted of metal, wire and beads, and is very different from anything else I have. I think I may work on putting up a tab to a page showing my International Nativity sets. When I get it done I will post a link here.

Monday I was standing out on the deck taking photos of the wonderland created by the hoarfrost, when I saw a bird land in our sumac tree. He proceed to eat the berries. I believe he is a Northern Flicker woodpecker.

That is not snow on the branches--it is frost! 

So many activities and gatherings in the next few weeks. Seems harder this year than ever to find time to sew and blog during the holidays, and I could really use some creative therapy. Yesterday I signed up for an "open sew" retreat in January. I have never attended that type of retreat before. I am really looking forward to it.

Until next time,

Janet O.