2018 Baby ~ OMG New Year's Finish

Ringing in the New Year with a spectacular finish for the up-coming New Baby!

Baby on the way shortly, all in her own time ~

Linking up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts for One MonthlyGoal and a Great 12^th Finish for the Year.

Looking forward to another year of challenges.

Christmas Memories by Cranston Print Works

The Christmas Memories Panel was designed to be a fabric book of mini poems celebrating Christmas.

The poems really speak for themselves. I need not add words. Although, I do want to add fabrics to create a loving Christmas Treasure Quilt to read each year with my wee-ones. 

I've trimmed all of the books panels at 9 1/2" x 13" rectangles and gathering ides how to piece them together. Possibly 2 1/2" scrappy red and white squares? What are your ideas?

In the meantime, enjoy the memories! 

And be sure to visit Jennifer at The Inquiring Quilter and Link up your progress and finishing at her Wednesday Wait Loss.

The Last Supper by Cranton Print Works Co.

I found this 36" x  44" inch panel by Cranton Print Works Company in one of my "Juntiquing" adventures and knew I just had to own it.  . . . Well, actually..... I found three and purchased them all for $2.95 for one with some mix-match remnants and  2.95 for both of the other two. Great score!

The first one I am quilting just as the panel itself for a prayer blanket/ snuggle blanket for my sweet mother-in-law. She was the very reason I Had to have these!

It will be quilted with straight lined quilting and I am using a soft polka-dot snuggle flannel for the backing and a lovely blue polka dot binding from QuiltBlocks of Fabric Editions, Inc.

You can find many more panels Cranton's Choice Fabrics and learn more about the employee owned company here.

Linking up with Midweek Makers and The Inquiring Quilt's Wednesday Wait Loss

Virtual Cookie Exchange Blog Hop 2017

                        

I want to thank Carol S. at Just Let Me Quilt for hosting a Wonderful Virtual  Cookie Exchange again this year! As a collective, we will all be sharing cookie and candy recipes, Christmas traditions and Christmas Quilts. There are even several chances to win a great prize in give-aways! Be sure to follow along in the Virtual Cookie Exchange Blog hopping Fun! 

One of my all-time ever favorite cookies are so simple. Only a couple of ingredients! And they taste like pure divinity to me! Some call them Pecan Balls, Italian Wedding Cookies, Snowball Cookies (cover in confectioner's sugar) or Danish Wedding Cookies (add cinnamon). 

I call them Wedding Cookies.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened unsalted butter

2 tblspn granulated sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/4 tspn. salt

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 275⁰ F

Cream together butter, sugar and flour with mixer.

Fold in pecans and salt. Stir until combined. 

Mixture will be crumbly but stick when pressed into a ball.

Roll dough into balls and place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 275⁰ F for around 45 minutes.

Let cool completely on baking sheet prior to lifting to airtight container. 

Dust with confectioner's sugar.

May be kept up to one week in container.

                      You can find the original recipe and variations here: Wedding Cookies

My family is a mix-mash of his and hers children and we have no formal family traditions together. Our children were quite grown when I met my husband, so he and I collect an ornament for every Christmas we've shared together. We are on the great search for 2017! When our family comes together we celebrate Joy and Time Shared. What a blessing!

A lot of time is spent traveling back and forth across the country to see family and to where our work leads us, so we enjoy the opportunities to see New to Us "Junktique" (that's my word for those catch-all shops) and Antique shops. I have many vintage quilt sightings and lots of other eye pleasing sights.

One Quilt in particular I found at the Antique Market is this Adorable Cookie Cutter Gingerbread Quilt! I love it so much! This is definitely on my To Make And Do List! 

Currently one of My Favorite Sewing Notions in my sewing corner are these very useful Bobbinis - used to keep your loaded bobbin with the thread spool.

You can order them at Amazon Or Follow my blog and leave me a comment on how you follow to have a chance at winning some! Winner will be chosen after the Blog Hop! Good Luck!

December 5 

Creatin’ in the Sticks

Creative Latitude

Gray Barn Designs

Domestic Felicity

Pieced Brain

Quiltscapes

Ms P Designs USA

Cynthia’s Creating Ark

 December 6

 Sew Incredibly Crazy

Freemotion by the River

Moosestash Quilting

One Old Goat And Her Little Farm

A Little Bit of Everything, from Mike & Alisa

Hazel’s Daughter

Patchouli Moon Studio

Bumbleberry Stitches

Selina Quilts

Brenda’s Blog

 December 7

 Quilt Doodle Doodles

Kris Loves Fabric

Life in the Scrapatch

Home Sewn By Us

For The Love Of Geese

Stitch Days

Val’s Quilting Studio

Tu-Na Quilts

It’s A T-Sweet Day!

Just Let Me Quilt


Also linking up with Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Make Way for Baby! One Monthly Goal!

If I haven't mentioned publicly Yet, I must get some baby quilts made. Grand baby is coming any day! I've had several stacks of fabrics just waiting for me so I've started cutting!

                                   My first is this adorable Woodland Creatures print.

I made a mistake sewing in sashing last night but decided NOT to rip it back and out and go with it. I like what is happening, so is it really a mistake? There are a couple of places to fill in then I will sew these all up with a border. I am still deciding on that border, but this one I want done!

The second quilt I've started slicing up has adorable baby foxes. So snuggly flannel!

I am pretty sure I will be going with this layout and stacking more HST. The contrast between colors do not seem strong enough but I think it will be a great snuggle quilt for Mom-to-be.

I'm linking up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts and One Monthly Goal to get the Woodland Creature totally complete with binding and label by the end of December and to have a lovely Pink/Yellow/White top stitched together by the end of December. 

Wish me much sewing happiness and success!

Linking up with The Inquiring Quilter's Wednesday Wait Loss

November OMG - Pineapple Splash

I got all 25 blocks set into a real beauty! After getting it all pieced together, I have decided I Really want this quilt in a much larger size. It turned out as a twin bed size and it is calling out to me to become bigger!

Tell Me What You Think? Would You Make It Larger?

The original pattern "Star Spangled Pineapple" is by Amanda Niederhauser of Jedi Craft Girl. As you can see, I omitted the pinwheels and used a slightly off-centered setting for the pineapples. They turned out so Lovely!

I will be linking up today with Patty at Elm Street Quilts to share my Monthly Quilting Success in her One Monthly Goal setting party and with Susan at Quilt Fabrication to celebrate HER 100th Midweek Makers event! Go see all the beautiful projects shared on their links!

And I must not forget Jennifer at The Inquiring Quilter in her Wednesday Wait Loss!

Muted Tones for Autumn Guild Quilt~

Remember these fabrics from the Rescue Pile at my Very 1st Guild Meeting?

Some from the pile were used for the Quilt Guild Block of the Month! November 2017 block was the Slanted Diamonds Block courtesy of Quilter's Cache and Marcia Hohn.

Muted hues in blue, green, tan, browns and red in light, medium and dark tones were used by our guild members to separate the rows to form the slanted diamonds.

I chose to use some of the Blue, Brown and Greens I found in the Rescue Pile~

                 

The squares I made were entered into the monthly drawing at the Guild Meeting. The Lucky Winner received ALL of the Month of the Blocks made! How exciting! Isn't this collection going to become the most lovely Quilt!?

I did not win the drawing, so I'm hoping the recipient will bring it in for show and tell once it is complete~

Some fun link ups I'm connecting with are  Main Crush Monday's, Sew Cute Tuesdays,  Freemotion by the River,   WIP Wednesday's,  Let's Bee Social, Midweek Makers.  Fabric Frenzy Friday, Finish it Up Friday http://mollisparkles.com/2017/01/sunday-stash-212-unicorns-and-more/, http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/ and Finished or Not Friday.   

Pineapple Tropics ~ November's Goal

Intention was to have this quilt made for the summer months this year, but it looks like it will be bringing a little summer time later in the year! I am using a pattern "Star Spangled Pineapple" from Amanda Niederhauser at Jedi Craft Girl. Although not exact a true to the pattern, it is still truly a Star of a Quilt!

       

 I am preparing 25 blocks in 5 x 5 Row setting and attempting to stagger them a bit. Wish me Much Sewing to get this completed for the month of November!

Sharing with Patty and all of our quilty friends at Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal - November~ It's not too late to join her in all the quilting successes!

Rescue Pile #1: Working with Muted Tones for Autumn

What a more perfect way to use some of the rescue pile fabrics for the Quilt Guild Block of the Month! November 2017 block is the Slanted Diamonds Block courtesy of Quilter's Cache and Marcia Hohn.

Muted hues in blue, green, tan, browns and red in light, medium and dark tones are used by our guild group to separate the rows to form the slanted diamonds.

I chose to use some of the Blue, Brown and Greens I found in the Rescue Pile~

                 

                                                                 

The squares I make will be entered into the monthly drawing at the Guild Meeting. The Lucky Winner receives ALL of the Month of the Blocks made! How exciting! Wish me Luck!

OMG - October Finish

Another Goal Setting Party For Me! I got this Nautical Mini Quilt Pattern at Jedi Craft Girl. and finished getting the top put together.

And it is well on it's way to being quilted! The anchor is embroidered with blanket stitching and all the square in a square have been quilted. I just need to finish the free-motion on the side, bind and label it! That could be my goal finish for next month! woo - hooo! But I may just have to add to that goal :) This one is way too exciting Not to finish in the next couple of days!

Join me at Elm Street Quilts for a Monthly goal setting party! And see all my quilty friends work as well!

Joining a Quilt Guild

An invitation to a quilt guild is an honor of sorts to me. As a novice, being surrounded by so much creativity and talent is a Huge inspiration.

Attending may be somewhat mundane at times while listening to budget items, but the atmosphere is enthusiastic. You are surrounded by people who have the same love of textiles as you!

Martingale has a divine article asking and defining three questions as to whether you should join a guildo. Have a look at it and check out the eye candy there as well.

I visited a local guilt guild by invitation; to say the least, I was ecstatic! I entered and was immediately welcomed at signing in. And Oh My! There was a round table chock full of Free- fun for the taking quilters items. Just a couple of examples were quilting books, pre-packaged patterns, finished blocks, partially completed quit projects with instructions in the bag and of course Lots of Fabrics to choose from! What could be more welcoming!

Enter a raffle for a couple of dollars for some great prizes, enter a raffle for wearing your very own hand-made, stitched name tag or enter the raffle for a Block of the Month. Each member has the opportunity to win all the blocks made for the month by entering their own. Each block you make gives you that many entries into the drawing.

One of the guild's fund raisers is a quilt made collectively by all the group. Here is the 2017 Raffle Quilt by the Calvert County Quilt Guild. Called  "Aztec Sunrise"; it was made from the Cinco De Mayo quilt pattern by Karen K. Stone, pieced by their guild members, and quilted by Allison Korb - also a guild member. Check out their page. They have a much lovelier photo than I could capture.

A Library for sharing, guild pins to wear and Show And Tell were some of the other attention capturing events! There may even be lectures by some semi-famous quilters.

To list some of the fun there are:
- Mystery Quilts
-Summer & Christmas Social parties
-Workshops
-Quilt Retreats
-Raffle Quilt involvement
-Challenge Quilt projects
-Charity Quilt projects
-And Lots of other community projects

Plus, you get to Make an Even Bigger Friends List! Why Not?

Here are some of the Goodies I Rescued from the Gift Pile. Do you see anything here that makes you smile? What would you make?


 
 
 
 

Each week I wish to make a post about the Rescue Pile and what is being constructed with the acquired items. Stayed tuned and leave me a comment on what you might make.