It's Your Birthday

My mom made the most incredible cakes, twice she was offered by a restaurant to make their specialty desserts.  She never wanted to but would always make one for her family and friends.  They were always perfect and served on her blue Fenton cake dish.  When I saw this appliqué pattern online I had to make three of them, one

 for my sister, one for my son's future wife and one for me.  

For my son's Vermont Condo Christmas 5 of 5

Using Cotton Tales Pattern Under the Stars for a 33" by 47" wall hanging I modified the quilt to measure 53" by 67".  I used Electric Quilt and enlarged the squares from 6 to 7 inches and adding new squares.  A simple construction then became a challenge.  The 9 patches had to be cut with 2 13/16 squares....Yeah forget-about- it.  I paper pieced with all of it with freezer paper.  I loved the results however, and hope he does too.

Snowman Mugs Christmas 4 of 5

Saw this pattern in a quilting magazine while grocery shopping. I ended up making 30.  The buttons were the problem.  I like to buy buttons on ebay in bulk, they are so much cheaper than in any stores.  I also do this with elastic, velcro and piping.  So 200 black, and 200 red buttons came to less then $5.  Try getting that many in JoAnns! I gave them to neighbors and friends with a loaf

of museli bread.

A Puppet Play House over a card table Christmas 3 of 5

Modifying an Idea I saw on line I purchased denim and loads of Wonder Under.  Normally I do fabric turn applique, but this was just too big a project for that method.....Oh and did I mention I made two houses and two sets of puppets. One to give to my niece's two little ones, and one set to keep in case my tumor comes back  in the event my son has little ones some day.  OMG the first pattern I purchased was a nightmare Butterick 4209, frustrated with the construction I removed the head of a puppet I had originally sent for from China after deciding it wasn't suitable for children  under three, and redesigned the pattern. After making all 7 animals with my new method, two times I might add I purchased Simplicity 1729 which was much better giving the fingers easy asses to the head.

The house has two sides with the bigger window, and the back just  plain denim .  The curtains lift up from inside.

Honoring my dad Christmas 2 of 5

For years I've been picking up nautical/ US Navy prints with the intention Of using them in a quilt in memory of my dad to be given to his two grandsons, my son and my nephew.  I chose a mariners compass for the center piece.  On the back with Navy fabric I picked up years ago at the Rosemont Quilt Show I added a fabric label with a dedication to the recipients, and a picture of my dad, and his ship during the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  I have also included the battles he was in, and metals received. The quilts measure 63" by 63"

How it all started Christmas 1 of 5

Downsizing a bit, and going through all my quilting books and magazines I decided to photocopy pages I wanted to keep and donate the books to the goodwill.  I came across a pattern for a quilted cat.  thinking a head to a birthday present for a friend who loves both cats and blue batiks I planned out the execution using nine patches.  I can't do anything without my computer and the electric Quilt program.  My computer had crashed, so I mapped it out in my head planning to make several.  after completing all seven I had some 80 some extra squares.  No joke.  With a new computer I then decided to plug them in and make two  62" X 74"  quilts for my 2 nieces. The colors are much prettier then the pictures allow.

You know what they say about sausage making and democracy, watching it in progress is not pretty.  Well neither is quilting.  Here was my sewing room last December.  I had  inherited a huge stash of bright batiks from a downsizing quilter friend of mine so when I saw this pattern for an Irish Chain I had to make it, and me being me I had to make two. Yippee on to my next project…….