Christmas Sewing

This Christmas I was able to do a little sewing mixed in the quilting. I went to a class at the stitch-n-frame.net to make these sweet little dresses. I made one for each of the three youngest grand daughters. Luckily for me all the parents are football fans and both teams are black and gold...Southern Miss Eagles and Missouri Tigers.

I made baby Harlie her Christmas stocking to match her Mom and Dad's. Then I made my snowman pillow just for fun from a pattern in a recent quilting magazine. I will have to look up the designer's name.
I have been making these Santa wall hangings the last two years and this one was gift for a friend. I do not usually get much sewing done around the holidays because I am embroidering so many items but this year was a little different for various reasons. I know I will miss the time to sit and sew but I can cherish the feeling when something comes together I am making for someone else.

The quilts were a hit!!!

The Sock Monkeys and quilts were given to the babies for Christmas. I think they were all happy with their quilts and new friends. Hunt and Laney gave their monkeys a squeeze and posed for their picture with the quilts.
The baby Harlie, who is one year old was not too sure of the sock monkey but she did like the quilt. I think Mommy and Daddy liked it as well.

Christmas came and went so fast as it always does. I was very concerned about having a Christmas with out our youngest daughter at home but Macintosh came through. We were able to see her and her husband on the iphones and have spent a lot of time face timing. Christmas day we were able to video chat through gmail and see them both as they opened their gifts. Technology in this instance certainly brought us closer together.

Hey! Hey! We're the Monkeys

I did it! I finished all four monkey quilts using the Anita Goodesign monkey embroidery CD, in time for Christmas!
I also made each of my little monkeys a sock monkey of their own.
It was fun to watch each one come together. I made four quilts similar but not identical for our four youngest grand (monkeys) children. I named the series of quilts, the title of this post and each quilt was assigned a number 1 through 4 to correspond with the age of its recipient.
#1 goes to 1 year old Harlie, #2 is for 2 year old Laney, #3 is for 3 year old Arely, and #4 goes to 4 year old Hunt. I hope they will all go "bananas" for their quilts and new friend.

Dear Jane With Benefits

Perhaps you remember Dear Jane.. This little quilt is a baby jane and she is sweet. Last year I participated in two block swaps, the fall frolic and Christmas swaps of Dear Jane blocks. I received these lovely little treasures from friends around the continent and put them together. Like any baby, I had many labor pains.

It isn't my first quilt, but the piecing looks as if it were. I started to unsew but instead I ripped the sashing. Needless to say, I wanted to cry. I decided to sew it back together and just move on. To make it more complicated, I wanted to make a curved binding, which I have never done, so I freehand quilted a feather on the border. After individually quilting the blocks, I proceeded to feather the sashing. The more I worked the worst it became..... practice made pitiful. I have heard people say, "the quilting makes the quilt" not in this case. The blocks make the quilt, I just gave them a place to gather. I decided to accept my limitations on the feathered sashing and move on. I removed it from the machine and THEN, I noticed a few places the seams were pulled apart. Of course, I will have to fix this but I pressed on. I sewed the curved binding and it turned out okay for a first attempt. When the quilt is viewed from a distance,she looks wonderful. She is a sweet little quilt, the blocks are so special to me and I smile each time I look her. The blocks do make the quilt.

I chose the name because I hear people use the term.. Friends with benefits. My cyber friends created beautiful blocks for me and that was certainly a benefit. As a footnote I do love the border fabric I chose, it "compliments" her well. She hangs over my stairwell, strategically placed at the perfect distance from the quilt patrol.

Monkey business in the sewing room

I have been monkeying around. A few months ago I had to take my sewing machine in for repairs and I saw the Anita Goodesign Monkey embroidery CD. I just knew my little grand babies would love to have monkey quilts. When I started I had 4 grandbabies, 4,3,2,1. I embroidered each of the monkeys I chose, 4 times. I have finished one quilt, ready to bind one, one ready to quilt and the last one needs another row to the top. I am so close to finishing and in the mean time another grand baby was announced. Looks like I better get back to the embroidery machine. I intend to make the first four for Christmas and since the new little one will makes his/her arrival in February or March I might have time.

A Decisive Victory....The quilt

I finally finished the Civil War quilt for my brother in law Dennis. Every fella in my family who has seen it, wants it...bad. I chose the name for the quilt because even though it was a reference to General Grant's comment about the battle for Vicksburg, this is my second attempt to make a confederate flag quilt. Obviously it won't be my last. The first one was made for my son and it was indeed my first quilt. It did not turn out so well but it is hand quilted and began a learning process that I have been enjoying for 11 years. I have been happily immersed in all things quilty.

The photos were taken in my back yard. The deer have come through the last few days and have eaten all flowers and decorative vegetation. My flower garden is bare but at it's entrance stand two columns that were salvaged by my husband's grandfather around 1915 from the Jefferson Davis' home, that stood on Davis Island in the Mississippi River. The columns were then used on a house he built for his family in 1944.

I finished the quilt on July4, do not think of this as a surrender but as a decisive victory.

I was not born in the south but as all southern women will say..."That's okay honey, you got here as quick as you could."

Mississippi Museum of Art

Pieces and Strings at the Mississippi Museum of Art
Yesterday my husband, son and I went to the museum to see my quilt hanging. I was very proud to see Kimono Garden hanging in a museum. I have posted a link to the museums exhibit site. The quilt is part of the Mississippi Cultural Crossroads Pieces and Strings exhibit. I made this quilt for a fabric challenge. I received the fabric in the mail and I felt a Victorian quilt was in order but as I thought about the era, I decided an Asian influence would be appropriate. I designed the kimono and used an innovated technique, Inklingo, to make the diamond collar and the cuffs. I then quilted by machine free style.

My Friendship Siggy Quilt

Here It Is!

I did finish it quickly after my last post but couldn't seem to take the picture. I love it and I have napped wrapped in Friendship. It makes for a restful slumber.

Attention!!!!

Since I do not yet know how to reverse the order of these posts, please bear with me...Start reading at the post entitled "What is a Siggy" and work your way back up. Maybe i will figure this out.

Friendship

In a few days I hope to post the completed quilt, quilted and bound. Just as the block says friendship held together, warm, and comforting, humbling and treasured.

Thank you ladies.

My excitement was growing with the quilt. Each neighborhood added to a beautiful mosaic of friends from around the globe. I felt the strength of two joining with two more and then four and eight and on and on until 120 friends were gathered together to celebrate my birthday. When I gazed upon the finished top I felt like someone had just opened the door to my surprise party. I was thrilled and humbled.

Trimming the blocks

As I sewed these little jewels into groups of four I trimmed them to the same size. I felt all of my worry and apprehension fall way just like the little slivers of fabric. They were coming together, my little blocks were becoming neighborhoods.

While I was busy...

sewing, my embroidery machine was too. He is such a talented little brother;)

I began choosing the siggys totally at random and sewing them two by two. I had the opportunity to think about the hands that made each of these blocks for me. A very warm feeling.

What is a Siggy?

A few years ago, I joined some online quilt groups. The first one I joined was Dear Jane in honor of the Jane Stickle quilt. I then joined numerous others I was introduced to through the original. Quickly I began reading the chatter about siggies...I though what the heck, I gave up sigs 20 years ago. Why would would I want to sign up to exchange them?

Live and Learn...siggies are signature blocks swappped all around the globe. Little squares of friendship. I decided to join the fun. Well, just like the old cigs these were addictive but unlike the others, these are very health enriching. I joined a birthday swap along with 120 other quilters and we swapped these little treasures. We received a list from our "swap mommy" then near each of the recipient's birthday we sent them a block. In your birthday month you were scheduled to receive 120 blocks from your invisible friends. Great fun!

I decided to put my blocks together with embroidered blocks that signified each month, ending with a beautiful block entitled "Friendship". Here follows the gathering of these friends into a very warm, cheerful, birthday hug.

Bonus baskets

I belong to a group of quilters online called

"BasketCases". Thus far we have been making basket blocks and I am behind. Can you believe that? last week I began playing catch up and I decided to let my embroidery machine make a few baskets for me while I worked on the others by hand. Here are my embroidered blocks. I purchased the files from embroidery library. They take a while to stitch out but they are beautiful.

Completed Projects

I just took a peek at my Works in Progress list and Yippee!! I had to remove 4 items from the list. I finished Laney's hearts, titled "all My Hearts"...Tyler's quilt from the featherweight....3 Baby quilts for Harlie...and Lauren's USAF thank you quilt. Now mind you I need to add others but I did indeed finish some.

Gator Nation

Gator nation quilt is completed and delivered. I appliqued the center and of course pieced the rest. It is quilted with grid work and football shapes, aka ovals. The quilt turned out fabulous and I think Robby is very happy. I hope he will cuddle up with his little wife under this quilt and enjoy the evenings. Both of them remembering all the reasons they have to give thanks.

Remember the DIL who was a Southern Miss? Here is a link to her new dance studio. RiverPointe Dance Academy.This little sweetie is taking Mommy and Me class, she is a prima ballerina.

Take a look and come in to dance, it is really fun as you can see. You don't even realize you are exercising too!!

riverpointedance.com

Pillow talk

Pillow talk.....I have been making pillows

for the grand babies and yesterday I decide to make these two for my daughter and her husband. They are Saints fans but he is a Florida Gator through and through. Their wedding colors were orange and blue and the groom's cake was, what else? A Gator. He hasn't seen this yet because I am also in the process of making him a gator quilt. I thought these turned out great so I wanted to share.

For the last ten years my husband and I have been attending all Southern Miss home games and watching the others on TV. Our two boys were cheerleaders for 3 or 4 years, one was Seymour the mascot, the other coached the cheerleaders for years, our Daughter in law was a Southern Miss dancer and then the coach for several years, We have another son who is a classical guitarist, another daughter in law and our baby, all graduated from Southern Miss...To the Top! You get the idea.

My husband ,(Brett Farve fan) son,(Saints fan) and son in law (the Gator) (all USM fans) talk about football, watch football, and wait for football constantly, so at the beginning of this NFL season I announced, I think I am going to cheer for the Saints. A few reasons, they are close by and they are black and gold like USM, and their stats remind me of USM. Sounded good. My son declares, Mom you know they are winning. No I didn't ..I don't care if they win ( just like USM) I am now a fan no matter what. Well, WHO DAT! I guess they needed me in their fan base.

Snow! MAN!

The Snowman was born today! He doesn't have a name just yet but he is ready to go play tennis or ride in a rodeo. Richard and Millicent had to run out to play in the snow before it is gone. We realize to our Northern family this is a touch of snow but down here in the south this is a ton of snow. I hope you are all having a good time in your snow. It certainly brings out the kid in us. Where am I? Taking pictures of course, in the warm, dry house.

When the children were little we travelled with Dad's job and we spent time in Denver...no snow. We were in Indiana for 5 years and it barely snowed, I am not kidding. Just a dusting of snow. So they really never had the opportunity to play in the snow as I did growing up in Missouri. One winter day in Mississippi, we received about 1/2 inch of snow fall and they all bundled up, went out with sleds and snowsuits and with in a hour they were playing in the mud. The snow was gone as soon as they touched it. I wished they could have enjoyed the beauty and the wonder of those tiny flakes adding up to mountains of snow. Each time it has snowed here since then one of them would ask, "Mom is this real snow?"

Today they are enjoying the snow with their dad or with their children and they were up with sun because they know the snow will melt and the children will be grown before they know it.

Tyler's Quilt

The last time I blogged, (sounds like something I shouldn't do:) I had posted our newest grand babies birth and her quilt.

This quilt is the first quilt made for our first grand baby,Tyler. He has graduated from high school.
In my defense, I did not quilt when he was born and did not begin until he was 1o years old. I thought about his quilt long before I actually made it, I needed to have a connection to him in the quilt itself. I paper pieced the blocks in bright colors, remembering the first time I saw him, he took my breath away. He and his mommy were so beautiful. The pattern is an abstract multi-faceted star. He certainly is a bright and multi-faceted star. The next connection was the sewing machine itself. I pieced this quilt entirely on my antique Singer Featherweight machine. I had not used the machine for piecing until this quilt or since but it was the perfect choice because our dear sweet Tyler is a wrestler. I do not know if he is still classified as a featherweight but his quilt is. I hope he will always wrap in the quilt and feel the warmth of our love for him.