Out With the Old: 2012 Finishes in Review

That's the motivation of an artist — to seek attention of some kind. –James Taylor

1. Phoenix Song Charity Quilt 2. Forever Sudoku Quilt 3. Seeing Spots Lap Quilt 4. Hexie Notebooks 5. More Hexie Notebooks 6. Felted Wool Christmas Ornaments 7. Blouse 8. Rooster Potholders 9. Holly Jolly Christmas 12" Table Topper 10. Poultry in Motion Table Runner 11. Pinkalicious Baby Quilt 12. In the Pink: A Study In Pinwheels Sampler Quilt

I kind of felt like I was moving in slow motion this year. I'm always looking for the balance between satisfying the everyday have-to's and still finding time for the the really, really want-to's. Looking back, I finished more than I thought. It is kind of nice to see a whole year's worth of work all in one spot.

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Poultry In Motion: Chicken Cherry Checkers

Anytime I need to see your face I just close my eyes

And I am taken to a place
Where your crystal minds and magenta feelings
Take up shelter in the base of my spine
Sweet like a chica cherry cola
I don't need to try to explain
I just hold on tight and If it happens again
I may move so slightly to the arms
And the lips and the face
Of The Human Cannonball that
I need to I want to
–Savage Garden, I Want You

Those could quite possibly be the strangest song lyrics ever.

I was just going to call this table runner Poultry In Motion: Welcome {the fabric line is called Poultry in Motion, which I thought was very clever}. But that is just boring. I tried to come up with something a little catchier, but it just got weird. I went from Chickens & Cherries to Chickens, Cherries & Checks. That reminded me of the phrase in the Savage Garden song, "chica cherry cola," {which sounds deceptively close to "chicken cherry cola," which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.} Anyway, there you have it. That's how I arrived at Poultry In Motion: Chicken Cherry Checkers. And why I have an earworm.

That is quite possibly the goofiest table runner name ever. But it was a fun to make. And now you all have an earworm too.



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A Stitch In Time: 2011 Wrap-Up

Seventy percent of success in life is showing up. –Woody Allen

For the past two years, I've been keeping an index of all the projects I finish during each year. It has been fun to look back to see how much I've accomplished in one year. I humbly submit my 2011 finishes.

One Hired Machine Quilting & Binding Job

One Halloween Costume, Two Pieces {skirt & cloak}

Two Fleece Baby Blankets

Three Abbey Bags

Four Church Bags

Four Table Runners

Five Adult Bibs

Six Aprons {one reversible}

Eight Quilts

Twelve Quilted Notebook Covers

Fifteen Fabric Postcards

Eighteen Fancy Pillowcases

In case you lost count, that is 80 finishes, and I enjoyed every one of them. I hope that 2012 is as productive!

Glad of Heart

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. –Washington Irving

I hope that everyone had a lovely Christmas and that you all got everything on your wish list. I've had a very nice few days. I got the last of my Christmas sewing done Saturday afternoong and then headed to my family's party. We ate and exchanged gifts and visited and had a wonderful time. Sunday morning we went to church with my mom, dad, two of my sisters and their families. My sister, my twin-ten-years-younger, played her violin with the choir. She did such a beautiful job and I was so glad I got to go. We finished Christmas off with a relaxing afternoon at home, with the Little Bugs bouncing from gift to gift to gift, enjoying playing with them.

This is my last Christmas table runner.

It is a bit busy, but I absolutely love how it turned out. I quilted each of the hearts a little bit differently. This is the center heart.

Here is the heart on the left

And this is the heart on the right. I love these patchy hearts and am definitely going to use them again.

Here's a closer look at the quilting in the borders. I had so much fun putting this runner together.

I was going to post this on Saturday, but just ran out of time. Getting to the party seemed more important than blogging. So, I hope you'll indulge me in one more Christmas song. I think it is my new all-time favorite.


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Various and Sundry Monday: Vol. 21

At Christmas play and make good cheer,

For Christmas comes but once a year.

–Thomas Tusser

Christmas Concert Cuties
Both of the Little Bugs had concerts last week. I promised to show pictures and here they finally are. Grasshopper started in the 6^th grade orchestra in September and last Wednesday was their winter concert. It was short, with only four songs, but the orchestra as a whole sounded lovely. It was a really nice evening and I enjoyed so much hearing them play. There are two cellists, two students who play viola and a dozen or so violinists. I am really proud of Grasshopper and the work he's put in. If only I could get him to hold his bow correctly and practice a little more.


On Thursday, LadyBug performed a lovely selection of Christmas songs with the entire 4^th grade. Their performance was at the mall, so lots of people could attend. There wasn't much opportunity for photos, not to mention I forgot my good camera {for both performances} and had to resort to the camera on my phone. I made the vest LadyBug is wearing about 14 years ago. It was for my youngest sister, who was just about LadyBug's age at the time. I actually made vests for all three of my sisters, my mom, my grandma, Mr. Bug's mom and me {that's seven, if you're counting}. At our Christmas party, you can usually spot one or more of those vests every year.

Glad of Heart
The Glad of Heart table runner, which I'm taking to my family's gift exchange, is all quilted and ready for binding. We ended up only taking one runner for the gift exchange at Mr. Bug's family party {besides the one I made for Mr. Bug's mom}, so when I get this one finished, I'll be done making runners for Christmas. This is all you get to see until it is done.

More Donation Pillowcases
A few weeks ago, I showed you some pillowcases that a group of women in my ward {congregation} got together and made to donate to local facilities in need. We finished 15 on our service day and several more kits were taken home for completion. These are the remaining 11 pillowcases, making a total of 26 we'll be dropping off for donation tomorrow.

I love the Dora pillowcase. It is positively aDORAble. The two in the top right corner are flannel. The jungle animals are so cute, even though they got sewn on upside down. And I love the Tink pillowcases.

I love the red fabric on the Spiderman cases. I bought it several years ago as a remnant because I thought it had interesting texture. Someone else donated the Spiderman fabric and I rummaged around in my stash for the red because I knew it would be perfect together. I was glad that so many great fabrics that would work well for boys were donated.

Monday Music Spot: When Christmas Comes to Town
Christmas is in six days. Is anyone else worried about getting everything finished in time? I have lots of sewing done, but still lots left. Same with the shopping, but on a smaller scale. And the wrapping? I'll probably be wrapping in the car on the way to my family party, and then staying up late after we get home to finish wrapping gifts for the Little Bugs. Still, Christmas will come whether everything on my list gets done, so I might as well enjoy the season.

Sunday Squares

Fail not to call to mind, in the course of the twenty-fifth of this month, that the Divinest Heart that ever walked the earth was born on that day; and then smile and enjoy yourselves for the rest of it; for mirth is also of Heaven’s making. –Leigh Hunt

I love how this table runner came out.

I used Charlie Scott's Sunday Squares tutorial, adjusting it from a 32"x 32" wall-hanging to table runner size.

I decided to go with the white between the center squares and the sawtooth border. I think that the green binding is just the right touch.

I gave this table runner to Mr. Bug's parents at his family party tonight. I kind of wanted to keep it. But Mr. Bug's mom really liked it, so I'm glad it went to a good home.

And here's a fun holiday song if you need a little background music at your family Christmas party.


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Various and Sundry Monday: Vol 20

From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it. –Katharine Whitehorn

Undecided
I'm not sure how long ago I started this little table runner, but I pulled it out to add to my pool of table runners for the gift exchange parties I'm going to. I used a Moda Bakeshop "recipe" called Sunday Squares by Charlie Scott. I won the charm pack at shop hop a year or so before I started the runner and thought this would be the perfect project to use it in, only there weren't enough squares in the charm pack to make the whole quilt, so I decided to make a table runner. I had probably a half a yard of the background fabric in my stash, which wasn't enough to finish the top. By the time I got some more and got it washed, I'd either lost interest, needed to move on to something else more pressing or was kind of stuck on how to proceed. I'm thinking it was a combination of all those things, with being stuck the major factor.

I think I couldn't decide if I wanted to do a white border between the center and the sawtooth border . . .

. . . or if I wanted to do green. I still can't decide. I put the white border on last night and was all set on it. But when I got up this morning and looked at it again, I kind of like the green. While I was taking pictures, I was pretty set on sticking with the white. But after looking at the pictures, I'm pondering the green again. Opinions, please. Tell me what you think.

A Little Christmas Silliness
Christmas is in 13 days. Thirteen. Days. People. The pressure is on to get everything ready. If you're feeling stressed, here's a little something to make you laugh. There are some really great lines in here.


15 Yards
of 100% cotton fabric washed, pressed, cut and assembled into thirteen pillowcase kits. I got all my fabric on sale for at least 50% off and didn't pay more than $3.49 a yard for any one piece. I think there was even one piece that was $1.99 a yard. My favorites in this bunch are the Quilter's Showcase fabrics from JoAnn's. The fabric is a really nice weight/quality and it washes and presses really nicely, but the best thing about them is that they were on sale for $2.49 a yard, with an additional 10% off!

Glad of Heart
This is another table runner in progress. The top is finished and it is basted and ready for quilting. The fabric is Sanibel and I just love it. I know it is a little bit busy, but I think/hope that the quilting will help with that.

A very kind friend sent me five fat quarters of this fabric line at Christmas last year. I made a couple of Hexie Art Journals with it and had roughly a fat eighth left over of each fabric. This summer, I went to a fabric shop I don't visit often and they had one of those bins where everything you can cram into a gallon-size ziplock from the bin is $10. I was immediately drawn to the bright plaid. It was a big piece, just over 2 yards, and I thought it would be great for a table runner. When I saw Sanibel on the selvage, I knew it was meant to be. And just a few weeks ago I found a couple of different prints from this line on clearance at the quilt shop near my work. I was really glad to find them and I can't wait to start quilting on this.

Focus on Free-Motion Quilting
Vickie at Sew Inspired is hosting a little quilt-along during the month of January and I'm playing along because I am ready and anxious to learn as much as I can about free-motion quilting. Pop on over and have a gander.


Monday Music Spot: Santa's Got A Brand New Bag
I love this sassy Christmas song by SHeDAISY. It's just what I need to motivate me to do a little Christmas sewing, even though I'd rather go to bed.

Poultry in Motion: Le Chanticleer

The rooster may crow but the hen delivers the goods. –Unknown

I went to Google Translate to find out what Le Chanticleer means. I thought that it might be a particular breed of chicken which would make a nice title or subtitle for this table runner.

I translated it from French to English. Guess what the translation was? The Chanticleer.

Then I tried translating it from French to Portuguese and came up with galo doméstico, which means domestic rooster. Clearly, I was absent the day they read Reynard the Fox in school.

I don't know. Poultry in Motion: Domestic Rooster just doesn't have the same panache as Poultry in Motion: Le Chanticleer.

Perhaps I'll leave the subtitle off. After all, it's only a table runner.

The quilting: About three quilts ago, I got tired of using a walking foot for straight lines and stitch-in-the ditch. Two quilts ago, I decided to do the ditch work with my free-motion foot on. It wasn't the worst ditch work ever. So, I gave it a shot with the last project I quilted, and it was pretty OK. This quilt is also 100% free-motion and the straight lines aren't too bad if I do say so myself. Hooray for another Christmas gift exchange table runner finished!

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