Redbird Bee Secret Santa Swap...

I belong to a wonderful Bee within the St Louis Modern Quilt Guild. We're starting our third year with a fun traveling block project. But we decided to end 2013 and  begin 2014 with a Secret Santa swap. Thanks to Kelly who got us all registered at secretsanta.com. We were all able to create a wish list and the site did the name swapping for us. No one knew who had who. We gave ourselves a couple of months to make a handmade gift for out partner. It's a talented group! So we all ooohed and aaahed as each gift was revealed on Saturday!

I received this AMAZING bag from Hannah. Even my husband said "the colors are so you!" {didn't think he even noticed}

And look at all those zippers!! I've been trying to get all my handwork organized and this is perfect. So grateful for such a beautiful, thoughtful gift!

I had Linda's name and she asked for a wallhanging for her sewing room. I decided to use a block chosen by each of our Bee members over the last 2 years and incorporate it into a wall quilt. Here's what I came up with.

I made all the blocks first in a 6" size. Then it took quite a while to figure out an arrangement that I liked. The "Sew" is fused and and machine appliquéd and the needle and thread are embroidered.

Such a fun activity!!

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Garden Lattice in Nordika

When I saw Jeni Baker's line Nordika, I was smitten with the fabric but had no idea what to do with it. The lightbulb went on and I decided that another Garden Lattice quilt would be perfect. It's really a good one to showcase bold prints since the separating white strips keep everything clean and crisp. I think I've shared the top and it's finally quilted!

To mix things up a bit, I decided to set this one on point. It definitely gives an interesting new twist to the pattern.

The back turned out super cute! I used 2 widths of the panel print and I love the effect it gave! It slowed my progress some because I had to wait for additional yardage to arrive. I'm glad I waited ~ it created an interesting design!

The quilting was simple ~ wavy lines using the number 4 stitch on my Bernina, widened to 5 and lengthened to 4. The binding is the gorgeous plaid in the line which is printed on the diagonal.

In other bits of sewing, I made these bags for the grandkids. They're the Quilted Knapsack pattern from Jodi Nelson at Pleasant Home. My husband laughed because the baby is only 5 months old and not much bigger than the knapsack. He's ready though when it's time to start carrying his stuff!

I'm filling them with goodies and I can't wait to give them to the kids!

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Is it a quilt?

 My flannel hexagon top is finally a "quilt".

Maybe it's not a quilt? I used the same technique that I used in my Summer Blankie, combining flannel and voile, sans batting for a light weight, very soft and drapey blanket.

The two layers are held together with minimal quilting. I simply stitched 1/2" on either side of every seam. Quick and easy! Done in a day!

The voile is on the back this time and the "quilt" has a traditional, but machine-stitched binding. These blankets are so soft and very comfy for napping. {I know this from experience}

In other projects, I fell hard for Joel Dewberry's new line Notting Hill. I used the decorator weight for a new Multi-tasker Tote. {The first one given to my daughter}

And a sneak peek at the quilt I'm making using the Poppy Palette. It's making me smile!

. . . Cindy

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Bags and Blocks

I made a few bag/pouch gifts over the holidays. They were a little late getting out, but I can finally say they're with their recipients. The first is a great little lunch bag - pattern from Sew the Perfect Gift. It had some nice details and was fun to make!

 I also made 4 zippered pouches (Gina, I forgot to get a picture of yours!) from Elizabeth Hartman's Perfect Zip Bags pattern. I can't say enough good things about this pattern! I'm really not very skilled at these kind of projects, but this one is fun, easy and turns out perfectly every time - even with a zipper to install!

 My to-do list this week also included making Rene's block for our Redbird Bee. I love this block!! She used Elizabeth's Patchwork Wheel block tutorial but changed it to a whopping 20 inches. It's just gorgeous and I'm ready to go out and stock up on some more Cameo!

And finally, I'm on target with my Lucky Stars BOM. This was our practice block for December. I'm really happy with it, but realized when it was finished that I'm in a color rut. So I'll be redoing this one in my new palette...

I'm sticking with the navy, but switched to a brighter aqua and changed the orange to cerise (a purply, pinky, red). These were so much fun and I'm ready to do the next one!

I'm looking forward to our St Louis MQG meeting this weekend. It's always an inspiration and a few laughs! Hope your weekend is creative! . . . Cindy

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A bump in the road...

You may have noticed that I've been absent for a bit. Yes, we definitely hit a bump in the road that brought my quilting to a halt. After 4 days of doctor visits and tests, my husband had open heart surgery on Friday to repair a valve in his heart. The whole thing took us by surprise and scared the dickens out of us. All is now well, though we're in for a long recovery time. But in many ways we are so thankful and looking forward to a quiet, relaxing winter at home.

So, before the bump, I did finish a couple small projects. This pincushion was for a Christmas party exchange at my quilt guild. I didn't get to go to the party and I think I ended up with a super cute pincushion.

the back...

I also had this unfinished pouch sitting on my UFO pile. Sometimes I wonder why I wait. It took me 20 minutes to finish it! And it will make a nice gift!

Just so you know - my blogging may be sporadic in the next few weeks. I'll be taking care of my favorite guy before any sewing gets done. He really is not very demanding, so hopefully I'll sneak a little quilting in here and there. Say a little prayer for us - we'll be over the bump in no time. . . .Cindy

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Thanksgiving sewing...

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I enjoyed cooking for more than 2 for a change. Did I ever tell you that I cook much like I quilt? I rarely have a list when shopping and just pick up what looks and feels good at the moment (much like fabric). When I get it home I have to figure out what I'll do with it (much like fabric). This year I made fresh cranberry sauce and added all-fruit peach pops that I had leftover from the girls' visit this Summer. A bag of apples became our Thanksgiving dessert topped with my favorite butterscotch chip oatmeal cookie. My experimenting gets results that are sometimes good and sometimes not (much like quilting). I do hope to remember my recipe when it turns out well!

Not one for crowds, my shopping consisted of a little cyber-shopping only. It left a nice long weekend for some sewing. I've been thinking about trying to finish up my WIPs and start the new year with a clean sewing slate. I'm not alone, Katy and Jessica recently posted the same resolution. So hopefully you'll see a lot of finishes in the next several weeks...

I have a few new bags on my list. First up is the Zig Zag bag from Zakka Style.

This was a fun bag to make and I'm happy with how it came out. I used natural linen and some prints from Chicopee.

 The back side of the bag is solid linen and I quilted it with a pattern of straight lines in 3 colors.

Also accomplished this weekend...

Hexagons in Loulouthi flannel. I've had this cut for a while and it literally took a few hours to sew it together.

The pattern is Rosalie from Valori Wells. These hexagons are big! 10" tall. And the AMH flannel is sooo soft - I wish you could feel it :)

And finally a couple of bindings finished. Watch for these finished quilts this week!  . . . Cindy

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Bags and such...

I've been in a "small project" mode lately. I have to say, this is probably the best small bag pattern I've tried. It's the Perfect Zip Bag and comes with 3 versions each in 2 sizes. I just love how easily the zipper is inserted!

The bag actually started with this little bauble. I found it at my local shop and then had to match the fabrics to the bauble!

This little card wallet has been on my to-do list forever. It's the Little Wallet from Valori Wells.

Honestly, it was so quick and easy I don't know why it took me so long!

This is Anna Maria Horner's Multi-Tasker Tote. It is such a cool bag! I haven't made a lot of bags, so I was a little leery. But it was a breeze and really fun to make! The fabric is Field Study.

And finally, if you have a young child in the house, you may know who this bag belongs to. Our Elyse is probably Doc McStuffin's biggest fan. Thought a matching bag might be a fun dress-up toy!

. . . Cindy

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