Red and White Hunter’s Star

I was marking my lone star quilt off the UFO list on the sidebar, and noticed I missed some that were finished last year. At some point a few years ago, I decided we “needed” a quilt for Christmas for our bed. Christmas prints weren’t appealing, and I chose a traditional pattern – Hunter’s Star in solid colors. If you haven’t seen it before, the Rapid Fire Hunter Star tool from Studio 180 simplifies the process. The vast majority of the quilting was done with the pattern Cleo from House of Creations. I don’t remember exactly when I finished this huge quilt, but it was in 2021 — it made it on the bed for Christmas. As a bonus it works for Valentines as well.

The Power of Suggestion

Working in a quilt shop, especially when your job is to check-in new merchandise can be a costly endeavor. Things you were sure held no interest for you may suddenly have appeal when they pass through your hands.

I lost interest in cross stitch years ago, in fact I think there are still a couple unfinished projects from the 80s somewhere in the house. But when a pattern for Snow Country Sled ornaments from Foxwood Crossings passed through my hands, I “needed” to do cross stitch again!

So last year at Thanksgiving the pattern and perforated paper made the trip with me to Oregon, and I did manage to stitch out the designs for three sleds. I didn’t get around to actually finishing the project until yesterday, when I glued the designs to the top of the sleds. This will need to qualify as my handmade ornaments for this year. (I try to do at least one each year.)

I think my interest in cross stitch has once again waned  — until something else exciting passes through my hands.

December Projects

As is our usual tradition, we opened gifts on Christmas Eve night.  Which means, I can finally show the projects I’ve worked on this month.  It has been several years since I did many handmade gifts and this year I made up for it.  First up is the whole cloth quilt I made for our quilt group gift exchange.  The color isn’t quite right on the screen — it is a red, red.  The quilting designs were derived from some Hawaiian fabric.

We only exchange gifts with extended family if we are together.  My sister and her family came here this year.  So for her I made this Handbag.  The Pattern is “The Large Angled Pocket Handbag” from Dixons Designs. (The fabric for my purse came into the store this week 😀 )

My sister and brother-in-law have a foster daughter who is 11 months old today.  For her I made a baby doll from a “Dinky Baby” pattern.  I used Doll Skin fabric rather than the craft velour called for by the pattern.  I think the velour would have been easier to work with.  The pattern directions come on a CD so there are loads of pictures which means the instructions are pretty easy to follow!  The real baby’s first reaction to the doll was to rip off its hat and bite it on the top of the head.  We think maybe she considered that a kiss.  LOL.

I was cleaning out Jesse’s outgrown clothes a couple months ago and there was a large stack of T-shirts.  I was ready to donate them, and it suddenly struck me I had about enough to make a T-shirt quilt.  I stuck them in the closet and forgot about them.  I remembered them at the beginning of the month.  I bought the stabilizer for the shirts on December 4.  I didn’t have as many T-shirts as I needed to make the quilt the size I wanted, but I did have the backs.  So I digitized video game titles and images on 7 squares.  I was clearly reminded of the fact, I dislike auto digitizing.  However, I had to live with it as I didn’t have time to manually digitize and finish by Christmas.  I also didn’t stitch out samples.  All the embroidered blocks are the first try.  The boys got out of school on December 20 and I managed to finish the binding on the 21st early in the morning.  Thankfully they are fairly typical teens and slept in. There is Dr. Suess flannel on the back and wool batting.  It all paid off when Jesse pulled it out of the box and proclaimed he LOVED it!

For Guy I made a turtle police car pillow from one of the blocks in Amy Bradley’s “Traveling Turtles” pattern.  He had seen a picture of the pattern and asked me to buy it.  He said he would make a pillow from that block if I would help him.  I just saved him the trouble.  I think this pattern is a hoot, and after making this am considering a whole quilt.

I made pillow cases for both Nolan and Jesse.  The pattern can be found by searching either “Hot Dog Pillow case” or “Burrito Pillow Case”  I used this pattern.  Nolan got Converse like shoe fabric because he has a pair of bright yellow ones exactly like one shown in the print, and Jesse got cats, because he has been crazy about them for years.

Finally a new wall hanging for Guy’s office.  He has two already and this is to rotate out with one of them.  The Pikes Peak and Colorado Springs postcard blocks are from Olde America Antiques Vintage Quilt Blocks.  The pattern comes with the blocks but is also available free from their website.  I still need to hand stitch the hanging sleeve and will probably get to it today.

Whew, I should be tired just looking at this, but I’m ready to move on to the next project, or three.

The Power of Suggestion

Working in the quilt shop, it is fascinating to me how much power there is in a sample.  In the nearly 6 months I’ve been working there, I’ve seen people buy patterns and books they would never have looked at twice without a store sample.  We had a stack of “Frosted Memories” books from This & That which had been languishing on the shelf.  There are great projects in the book, but the whole thing was done with that specific line of fabric.  Most of it is long gone.  I really liked the pillow and decided to make it up from other fabric.  I hate to admit I used a couple pieces of Thimbleberries fabric.  (I’m just not a Thimbleberries fan.)

 

From the pillow scraps I had enough left to make this hexagon table topper (also from the book) if I just added the rusty-red from my stash.

 

I’m happy to report, the power of suggestion is alive and well.  The books are sold out and I was able to bring the samples home before Christmas!

Going to a Party

****A quick note for my local friends who don’t read this through a reader.  I’ve added several posts today and back dated them as far as Oct. 13, just to drive my sister crazy. 😀  Actually, I back date so the things show up on the actual finish date so I can look back in the future and dates will be correct.  Driving my sister crazy is just an added benefit.****

I’m planning to attend an ornament and decoration exchange this coming Sunday.  If I have the time I like to make my own exchange gift and I just finished it last night.  (For me that is PRE planning!)  It is from a pattern by Raggedy Pants called Is It Time Yet?

And the back view.

I can give it up because I have another about half-finished.  Anybody want to come with me to the party?

Law Enforcement Tree

I put up the majority of our Christmas decorations yesterday.  This is the first year I’ve ever purposely done a theme tree.  (I’m more of an eclectic kind of gal.)  Guy and I saw a bristle tree used for display in an antique mall last year.  I found one on eBay, but it didn’t get here until after Christmas.  Guy has been picking up police ornaments (haven’t managed to find any Sheriff Deputy ornaments) when he sees them and this year he got his own tree.  We went to Hobby Lobby tonight and picked up a few things to fill it out.  A few more ornaments and some red, white and blue jingle bells.

Did you notice the badge wired to the top?  It moved from the scarecrow wall hanging to here.  Next year I might let Guy wear his anniversary badge.  😀

Whew!

They did it!  We did it!  The school Christmas play was tonight and the students did an amazing job.  They knew their lines.  They transitioned and changed sets smoothly.  There were 17 students, many with multiple parts.  They always exceed anything they’ve done in rehearsal when we get to the actual play.  Thanks to Carol and Sam for the pictures.  I didn’t have a chance to take any since I was the prompter and had to follow along closely. 

Here are a few pictures to document the event.  

Three Missionaries

 

Young Scrooge and his sister Fan

 

Scrooge & Marley

 

 The bed was made from a broken table top, bolted to scooters.  PVC pipe poles and the curtain was fabric I had on hand.  It was attached to string with shower curtain rings and safety pins.  Carol, Sam and Chad built the bed and I added the textiles.  

Get up on the wrong side of the bed, Scrooge?

 

Christmas Past and Scrooge during rehearsal

 

Fezziwig’s Warehouse

Belle's House

I’m not sure why I made Fred a vest since he covered it up the whole play with that jacket.  He didn’t have the jacket in any rehearsals.  

Fred’s House

Cratchit House — Tiny Tim is doing a good job of hiding behind Bob

You can tell by the look on Jesse’s face he hated this line.  He is talking about the Christmas pudding and says to his wife “Like it! Why my dear, next to our children it is the best thing you’ve ever produced!”  

Ah, There’s Tiny Tim

Christmas Present, Ignorance and Want

 

Scrooge and Christmas Yet to Come

 

A Portion of the Cast

 

Carol, Sam and Chad put together the backdrops.  I worked on costumes.  If I’m counting correctly I made 10 vests two of which were reversible, 12 skirts (I went simple with these one seam, a hem, a casing with ribbon pulled through for an adjustable waist), 2 capes, 2 mob caps, 1 night cap, 1 clock, 1 apron and I started a bonnet that just didn’t get finished.   All the fabric except the gray for the capes and the off-white for the mob caps and apron (that fabric came from Walmart for $1.50/yd) was upholstery fabric remnants that was donated to the school years ago.  It doesn’t sound like so much here, but when I was working on my ceiling at the same time and cooked dinner for the play it seemed a little overwhelming.   

It is finished, so now I can move on to a few decorations and a little Christmas preparation in my own house.

Gift Exchange?

Today is an annual gift exchange party.  So of course, being Princess Procrastinator I worked on my gift last night.  The gift doesn’t have to be handmade, but those are the type gifts I like so they are what I take.

I made this snowman table runner from the Art ♥ to Heart book Easy Does It for Winter.  Everything but the buttons came from my stash.

This morning when I woke up the snow was piling up.  A lot of times when it snows in town we don’t get much at our house, but that is not the case today.  I kept watching and finally at noon decided I probably wouldn’t be going to the party after all.  I’m sure I can get there.  However, I have a long list of things still to accomplish today, and if I get stuck in snow on the way home it won’t happen.  Oh well, I either have a gift for next year or I have a new table runner.

Christmas Pudding Prop

In our school play Mrs. Cratchit gives Bob Cratchit (aka Jesse)  a Christmas Pudding and they talk about it.  I needed a Christmas Pudding apparently also known as Plum Pudding.  I have never actually tasted Christmas Pudding.  However, I had purchased this magazine for some of the patterns it contains.

Low and behold it has a pattern for a wool felt Christmas Pudding ornament.   So voilá, today I finished my pudding prop.

Jesse my poor picky eater, won’t eat pudding of any kind.  He is not impressed with this either.

More Uses for Renae’s Rays

The little whole cloth quilt I posted a couple of days ago was marked with Renae’s Rays and one stencil.  Renae’s Rays isn’t just for quilts.  I’ve been using it for slightly different projects as I work on items for the school play.

First a 6 foot clock for the back drop.  It is felt and I just marked it with Sharpies. 

Then how about mob caps for some of the girls to wear?  I looked at the width of the fabric and then chose a circle size that would allow two caps per width.  I used the rolled hem foot on my sewing machine to finish the edge.  My initial plan was to sew elastic two inches from the edge.  I did it on one cap using a zig zag and stretching the elastic as I went.  It didn’t work quite the way I wanted.  It was a little too big, but we still used it. We are on too short a deadline for me to worry about ripping things out.  (This picture is Mrs. Cratchit — for her costume I made the cap, skirt and apron.)

Since the elastic wasn’t ideal, on the next cap I used a wide zig zag over 1/8″ ribbon.  This meant I could pull the ribbon up to tighten.  That worked much better and it would be possible to adjust for different sized heads.  This picture is Mrs. Fezziwig. 

I’ll be doing one more post with more of the students and costumes.