A Finish, A Mystery & Winners

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.

 Albert Einstein

I wanted to get my finished project blogged about yesterday but I spent most of the past two days in the road running errands.  I didn't get everything done Thursday so I had more to do yesterday.  I had an appointments to keep both days so I was afraid to try to start anything in the studio for fear of being late.  Christmas shopping is almost done but I have a stack of projects for gifts that need my attention.  Hopefully next week and this weekend will allow studio time.

A Finish

My finish is one you have seen before.  It is a charity quilt.  I decided to finish it although there are some ladies who like to stitch the binding down in the group.  That is a good project for some older ladies who don't or can't sew much any more.

Here is a good shot of the quilting.  I used a variegated YLI thread that went from blue to orange so it was perfect for this quilt.  I tried for some glamour shots.  Misty wasn't impressed by the quilt at all.

I did a scrappy binding with the leftover fabrics.  It turned out fine.

I think this shot was after washing.  The fabrics weren't prewashed before piecing.  It shrank some and the color catcher turned blue but there was no bleeding of color.

I tried something new and attempted to center the X on the back.  This is hard to do on the longarm as the layers shift as they are rolled up.  The tension put on the fabric is never exactly the same each time it is rolled either.  I think I did pretty good however it was only about an inch off when finished.  Not enough to be noticed visually.

Misty was one of the reasons for so many errands.  The groomer and the vet.  I'll have to get a picture of her new haircut.  You can see she was a little scruffy here.  She is 10 years old and has been suffering from skin problems this fall.  This is common with her breed but she has shown a little improvement this week.

A Mystery

Last Saturday I had a spike in page views here on my blog, over 2200 in one day.  I'm thinking that someone must have mentioned my blog on Instagram or Twitter because many used Google to find me.  Any of you wonderful readers out there know where this sudden interest come from?  Maybe some of my new readers found me that way.  I'm just curious.  It's nice to get some unexpected hits.

A Christmas Hang Out?

Welcome to ALL my NEW READERS!!!  Even while I've been delinquent in posting my numbers have been crawling upwards.  Thanks for having faith in my imparting something you want to read about.  I am about to hit 400 on Bloglovin.  I haven't check my other numbers lately but that is by far the largest one.  I know others use Feedly, GFC or email to get my posts too.  I'm thinking another drawing will be due soon to celebrate.  How about one to start off the New Year.

Most of my traffic lately, especially while I wasn't posting, was to check out my posts about Christmas projects and the Christmas Hang Out Linkys that I did the past two years.  I have not done any promotion for one this year.  I have been running them the week before Christmas.  If you are interested in having one this year I will be glad to do it.  I was thinking that a theme of Table Toppers would be nice.  This could be anything from Table Runners to Mug Rugs or Placemats.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LINKING UP PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW.  The dates would be December 18 - January 1

If I have at least 10 people who want to participate I will do it.  I think I would leave it open until New Years.  That way the Christmas Rush will be OVER and you will have time to think blog again.  If you have a tutorial for anything that will fit the theme let me know and I can feature it one day.

As I have done in the past I would have a Giveaway for those who participate.  I will make a decision Monday according to those who comment this weekend.  If I don't have at least 10 who are interested in linking up I will just skip this year and do one next year.

The Winners!

Thanks to all who commented on the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway.  I used Random. org to select the winners this morning.  Here are the Lucky Numbers that came up.  I will get the gifts on their way to you when I have your snail mail addresses.

#51 Cindy Dahlgren

#55 Debbie

#47 Lisa

#45 Crickets Corner

Congratulations!

Linking with:  Whoop, Whoop and Link a Finish and Finish it up Friday and Fabric Frenzy Friday

Learning the Art

To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living. 

Henri Frederic Amiel

Well, I have been getting a few things done but obviously not blogging about them.  October started out as it always does with my birthday a few days into it.  This was a big one ending in 0.  My husband and I went to the movies and then did a little shopping for me ;-)  then he left me alone for the evening and went to a football game.  The next day my oldest son hosted our whole family at his house for dinner.  It was really nice for all of us to get together.  With 4 adult children it is hard to make schedules mesh for that to happen.  Soon it will be time for Thanksgiving and hopefully it will happen again.  I'll be hosting that this year.

I finally got a quilt loaded on the longarm and have been quilting it.  I'm planning to get it finished this week.  Here is a peek.

I'm doing a pantograph on it.  This is a charity quilt that has been hanging around for too long.  It is a fun one I think.  I had fun making it last year while I was avoiding the stairs because of knee problems.

I pieced the back and am trying to get the design centered more or less.  I will see how good my planning was soon.  Here is a look at it from underneath. 

And a longer shot.  Homespuns aren't everyone's favorite but these are fun and bright.

I also got my Soul Searching top finished.  Yeah!!! I decided to depart from the pattern and added a row of Black and White strips between the blocks vertically.  

I would have added two rows but it would have made it too long.  That would have been more visually balanced since there are two squares between the colors horizontally.

Here is a view from the other direction.  How do you think it turned out?  Do you like the added rows between?  Should there be two?

I have been doing these blocks each month with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I had big plans at the first of the year to work on 3 projects but I've only made progress on 2.  That's OK.  I think I will just save the other one for next year.  Maybe I can get the 30s print one finished this year.

Linking with:  Design Wall Monday  and  Anything Goes Monday  and  So Scrappy

Design Wall Catch Up

Contrary to popular belief an artist is never ahead of his time, but most people are far behind theirs. 

Edward Varese

I have been having a productive month!  I will share some of my finishes in a day or two.  If I have been absent from the blog it is because I have been having to adjust my weeks to going to physical therapy twice a week.  I am making progress, my legs are getting stronger and I don't have much pain unless you count the sore muscles. ;-)

Spring is coming!

More daffodils are blooming each day.  There are several clumps opening up.  Some years they all bloom together but it doesn't look like that will happen this year.

Last week this tumbler quilt was on my 'new' design wall.  No. I still haven't made a dent in my Christmas fabrics even though this is the 3rd of 4th Christmas quilt I've done in the last few years.  This is my first time making a tumbler quilt.

Finished Top on 'New' Design Wall

With my knee problem it was hard for me to get in our high bed so we removed the box springs, replaced them with plywood.  The box springs were just leaning against the wall in the spare room.  We haven't made a decision yet about whether or not we are keeping the mattress set we have or getting another one that would be lower.  Since I am sewing upstairs the box springs seemed like the perfect thing to use for a design wall.  It's working very well!

Close up of Tumbler Quilt

This is the tumbler quilt that I cut out with the Marti Michell template.  I posted about the template here.  It went together easily.  The top is finished but not pressed at all.  I didn't do any pressing because the iron is downstairs.  Sometimes a little fingerpressing is all that is needed anyway.  It worked fine this time for sure.  The seams all matched up great!  I didn't redo any of them except for one piece I swapped out for a different color.

Edge of  Tumbler Quilt

When I was cutting it out I sometimes could not get a whole tumbler from the piece at the end of the strip I was cutting from.  If I could get a half tumbler I cut one so they could be used at the edges.  I will trim this off evenly after I get it pressed.

Accuquilt die cut tumblers

This is what is on my design wall this week.  I cut this out in December at the charity quilting group using the Accuquilt tumbler die.  I hung it up vertically after doing the other one I figured out it might be easier to do it that way.

Better color in this picture

This is made with a group of Moda homespuns.  The blues and oranges together are making it a very happy quilt.  I'm almost ready to sew the rows together.

Misty in a favorite spot

Misty, my miniature Schnauzer, was very sick after the holidays.  She may have eaten some people food which doesn't agree with her.  She is all better now and back to sleeping the day away waiting for my husband to get home so she can pester him to take her out.

I just noticed that I need to change the year in my copyright.  How can it almost be February?

I'm linking to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times and Let's Get Acquainted at Plum and June and New to Me at Celtic Thistle Stitches and We Did It Wednesday at Sew Much Ado and Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story and Linky Party Tuesday at Freemotion by the River and WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Give Thanks

When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength.  Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.  If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.

Tecumseh

Cornucopia 

The Holiday Season is underway!  I hope that you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!  Mine was nice but not perfect.  I was hostess to my children but one could not come due to illness of a family member who is now in ICU.   I came down with a weird sinus infection that is just today leaving me feeling more or less normal.  Nothing quite like having a headache everyday for a week.  

Big Splurge on Dinnerware!

I have discovered the best way to entertain family.  Make them bring part of the food!!!  I did the turkey and my first gluten free dressing which was great.  I also made carrot salad and giblet gravy and provided chips and dip.  The children contributed appetizers, desserts, sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole and rolls.  My husband said to use paper plates (I did buy some with a turkey and matching napkins) and so clean up was quick.  A less stress Holiday!  It was fine although the table wasn't as pretty as it is with real dishes.  We'll use real plates at Christmas.

My New Owls

I did manage to do a little decorating for my feast.  I found the silver owl a few months ago and then found the gold one to match right before Thanksgiving.  I really like to shop at T.J. Max!  I had picked up the other decorations a year or two ago.  I found the little gourds at Joanne's this year to replace some that got discarded last year.  My Publix Pilgrims met with an accident a couple of years ago and the little girl was broken.  They are cute but I wish I had the whole set.  Anyone have a spare girl pilgrim?

I even managed to get down to the studio for a while this week.  With the pounding sinus headache I knew better than to try to do any sewing but I did manage to get some cutting done for a new Christmas quilt project.  I've been wanting to make a tumbler quilt for a while.  Since I had the template and a pile a Christmas fabric that had not been put away I went to work with both. I'm using the full size of the template so they will finish at 5 1/2" tall.   Now I'll need to play at the design wall for a while.  I know... I still haven't finished to last Christmas quilt I started.   I got distracted with blog hops for a while and traveling and wedding and pictures....

Christmas Tumbler Quilt Cut Out

Tumbler Template

To end on a HAPPY THANKS...  I'm to be a grandma again.  The twins will be welcoming a new baby to the family around Memorial Day!  Can't wait for some baby cuddling time!!!  

Linking with Freemotion by the River and Design Wall Monday  and Freshly Pieced and Live a Colorful Life and Catpatches
(Yes, I know it's Thursday but I couldn't focus to write with my sinus headache)  Soooo Thankful to feel better!!!