Christmas Stars...

Quote for the Day:

“Christmas doesn't come from a store, 

maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more....” 

~ Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

A little birdie told me last year that she'd like a Christmas quilt, so for the past month or so, I've been working on a Christmas quilt that I designed myself in EQ7.  I am happy to announce that the last of the three borders are now on the quilt and it is ready to be sandwiched and quilted.  It ended up 100" x 100"!  Whew!...it's gonna be FUN trying to quilt it on my little domestic sewing machine!   :(

So here's pics of the scrappy "Christmas Stars" quilt top...

Even the THREE borders are scrappy!!!

I need to either purchase a king-sized batting for it or piece one from the batting pieces I have on hand.  I also need to piece together a backing for it.  THEN I will get it sandwiched and start the quilting on it.

Loretta

My Current Quilt Projects...

All of the Christmas fabrics start showing up in quilt stores in July.  There's a reason for this!  If you're gonna get a quilt made in time for Christmas, you've gotta start EARLY!!!

I actually started this wall hanging quilt about 3 years ago...at the beginning of December...not a good idea!  LOL  It was a panel that I saw on display at the LQS and I had to have it!  I started out handquilting it in my small, portable Q-Snap frame...taking it to guild meetings, etc., and working on it there.   It wasn't getting done very fast, OBVIOUSLY...so after I finished the Baskets quilt that was in my floor frame, I decided to put this one in the floor frame and finish it.  It is getting done a lot quicker now and will be ready to hang this Christmas season!

My current piecing project is also a Christmas quilt...this time a queen-sized quilt.  Last Christmas my daughter-in-law said she'd like a Christmas quilt, so I designed one in EQ7 for her...

It's coming along nicely!  All of the green/white blocks are pieced and squared up.  I'm currently piecing the star blocks and am about 1/3rd of the way done with them.  

When we were in Tennessee in June, we went to the Mt. Juliet Farmisan Market because our daughter had a booth there selling her glass bird feeders.   Across from her booth Crittenden Custom Creations had a booth set up and I went over to investigate.   Bill Crittenden makes hand-turned pens so I asked him if he had ever made any seam rippers.  He acknowledged that he had never done one before but was anxious to make one and took my order.  I received it about a week ago and am sooooooo impressed with it!  It is beautiful!!!

The handle is carved from a rectangled block of dyed plywood!  It is double-ended.  You pull out the metal end, turn it around and push the rounded piece back into the hole in the end to get this...

The end on the left is bigger...more for coarse cloth like denim or canvas.  The end on the right is finer and more for lightweight fabrics, like quilter's cotton.  I love the feel of it in my hand...it is very well balanced...like a nice writing instrument.  I haven't had any seams that needed ripped out since receiving it, but I'm sure that will all come to a screeching halt when I start joining my blocks on the Christmas quilt!  (Joining the blocks to make a top is ALWAYS where I make my mistakes!!!)  


Loretta

Another Trip to Tennessee...

Quote for the Day:

"Never go on trips with anyone you do not love."

~Ernest Hemingway

In June we took ANOTHER trip back to Tennessee to our daughter's to celebrate our grandson, Clark's, 2nd birthday.  (Whew...4 trips in 5 months makes one exhausted!)  
 

Clark and Sera...

The party was held at a pavilion at the local park and it was HOTTER THAN HADES that day!  The kids were able cool off at the park's "Splash Pad"...

The next day we all took a jaunt up to the bridge where Erin and Dale got married in September.  There was a boat race that day so we got to watch it from the bridge for a few minutes.

Andy HATES having his picture taken, so he will do anything to keep from looking at the camera or smiling...

Loretta