Lots of green things, and happy mail

Deadline met!! Even as I type, this quilt is winging its way to little Maggie in Oregon.

I don't know if this counts as finish #47, since all the others have been small and mini quilts. Should this be included  among them?
The pattern is Tic Tac Who? by Joanne (Canuckquilter blog). I was a pattern tester, but she hopes to have the pattern available soon--maybe early in the new year! It is well written and was easy to follow. It also includes a dog and a duck block. You can choose which animal you want to use.

This upside down photo shows the quilting designs the best--except for the owl, which I hadn't yet quilted. I had to keep the whole thing simple, or it would never have been in the mail in time.

This is the largest thing I have quilted for a while, and my shoulder was not happy about it.


I didn't feel like I would have to work that hard to push this crib size quilt under the needle, but tell that to my shoulder. Since I have mostly quilted minis this year, it hasn't been an issue.

When I decided to try Kevin's tree pattern (in a smaller size, of course), I just started cutting 1" strips, and then cutting them down to 1" squares.  I had enough squares for 8 trees, and I finally got ONE assembled.






This gives you an idea of the size of the finished tree. I'm pretty sure I won't have seven more of these assembled before Christmas!






Here is what came of those pinwheels I was playing with recently. It is about 9" square. I would think I could get this quilted before Christmas, but if I do count Tic Tac Hoot as #47, this would be #48 and then I would feel pressure to get two more done so that I could say I made 50 little finishes in a year. Can I deal with that kind of pressure on top of everything else going on during the holidays? I guess that remains to be seen.

Now for the happy mail. My delivery person has been one of my favorite people lately.




The beautiful little ornament (it isn't as big as it looks) was made by Grace (citymousequilter blog). It is already on my tree! The wonderful scrap quilt made from orphan blocks is from a dear friend who shall be nameless. It has kept me warm and cozy while curled up with a good book. I won a giveaway for shower tabs from Barb (funwithbarb blog), and she included other goodies and a birthday surprise. I keep forgetting to put a shower tab in my shower, but I am going to put one in the shower right now so it is just there and I can't forget!! And Julie (meandmystitches blog) sent some of the fruits of their labors with their beekeeping.  I have to say, these are such cute little things. And the wax has already helped keep my thread smooth and tangle free while binding Tic Tac Hoot!

Enough for now. I'm going to be having a very Merry Christmas this week with lots of family time. Whatever you celebrate (and even if you don't), I hope you have a wonderful week!
Janet O.

I couldn't help myself.

Even though the holiday has passed here in the old U.S. of A., I had to finish up more of my R/W/B projects. The tumblers were begging to be assembled, so I complied.

 Just a simple stipple pattern, which I find so relaxing to quilt. I did end up making one giraffe in there, with a long, straight neck. Can you spot it?  Then I bound it and placed it in its home for the summer.

Miss Stacy's free pattern from the Summerthyme blog hop she recently sponsored was another project that insisted on being finished. What can I say--I listen to my projects. : )
I found the typewriter key buttons that Stacy used on her pillow at the local Jo~Ann, but I decided to stitch the phrase on it instead. The whole time I was stitching I was also singing the song.

 Her pattern was for a little pillow, but I wanted to hang this. After seeing the banners that Karen (Log Cabin Quilter blog) has been making from Miss Stacy's patterns, I got my inspiration to border it and put that feather stitch around it that Miss Stacy likes to use. I had never done the feather stitch before I took that workshop from her back in January. I was afraid of it then, but I do enjoy it now.

Last time I showed you this 16" block made by Michelle C. (Michelle's Quilts and Stuff blog) that I sliced up.

 

 Soon it will be stitched up into this 11 1/2" mini quilt.

Every bit of this was cut from that large block, and I even have some leftover pieces.

I do have some of that red fabric in my stash, so maybe I will border it with red and bind it in navy.

So much red/white/blue in my sewing room lately. Even my leader/enders pinwheels have been pretty much in that color scheme (with a little black thrown in for depth).

But I do work with other colors, too. 

The mini broken dishes quilt I began when I was testing the Itty Bitty Eights rulers is now hanging in my yardstick gallery. Over the weekend I put up another yardstick and two more rulers in the gallery (which is in the very short hallway outside my sewing room). I thought DH would say something about how the quilts would soon overtake the house, but after two days and no comments I finally asked him about it. He hadn't even noticed. I think I will start hanging the quilts everywhere. Oh, wait--I already have.

Another nature shot--I just had to share this rainbow from last Sunday. The family gathered on the deck to Oooo and Ahhh. I ran out in the rain to get shots without telephone lines in them.

Until next time, 

Janet O.