No-Sew Zone

I just wanted to check in and wish everyone a Merry Christmas!  DD has been home since December 4 so I blame her for contributing to my Sewing Delinquency!  I did manage to get a recently started top finished before she showed up.  My LQS has a Strip Club once a month where they make-up a jelly roll and pair it with an easy pattern.  I found November's colors hard to resist.

I added some fabric from my stash to make it larger including these cuties.

 Segueing along,  I love this new book by Elizabeth Hartman of ohfransson! fame.  The quilts all have a contemporary feel and are mostly quite easy except for one that's appliqued.  It's a great book for the beginner and experienced quilter.  I particularly liked the fact that she made and machine quilted all the quilts herself.  It really comes across as a labor of love.

I've got to run, loads of last minute things to do today.  Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas to you and your family!   

Winter Pines Too

Here's my version of Winter Pines as found in Black and White Quilts by Design. I used a very bright red for the cornerstones. I just love the way it turned out. The black and white fabrics paired with the paper piecing imparts a crispness to the top.

I would have had this posted earlier except we have been having cloudy, windy, or rainy weather which made getting good pictures tough.




I've decided to pass on the leftover scraps. If you are interested, leave a comment on this post and I will randomly select a winner Saturday morning. The scraps are assorted sizes, not large enough to make these trees. Many of them are suitable for half square triangles.

I think I've mentioned our cardinal before. I think our house was built right in the middle of his territory and he's not about to cede any of it! I brought my camera last time I was folding laundry. He actually sits there and watches me.
Thanks for stopping by and for all the nice comments about Winter Pines Too.

Black and White

As I mentioned yesterday I started a project from the book Black and White Quilts By Design by Kay M. Capps Cross. It is paper piecing, something I swear I will never do again after completing the one I am working on.

But this project was so appealing I had to give it a go.

It calls for 20 8 inch blocks. And I had enough of a variety of blacks and whites in my stash that I didn't have to buy any. These are my blocks so far.

This is why I always say I will not do paper piecing! See that 'problem' at the end of the polkadot piece? Aargh! I find myself doing this quite frequently. And of course it is never one of the last pieces sewn so it would be easily corrected!

So far I have had 4 blocks with this problem! Does anyone else do this? I think I must zone out, lost in thought just cruising along listening to music or an audio book. The author suggests using Sulky Soft 'n Sheer rather than paper for the foundation. I am not familiar with this product but apparently it is a permanent, lightweight, nylon stabilizer that you don't (can't) remove. Less bother with paper pieces and worry over distorted stitches. Now that's appealing. I plan on finishing the top today so completed pictures tomorrow. And be sure to check out The Black and White Quilt Challenge Project to see lots more Black and White projects.

I Love This Book

I picked this little gem up at the local library recently and I highly recommend it. Five hundred and ninety-eight pages of everything about quilting. The author, Meg Cox, is very thorough in her research and it shows. The author writes for the Wall Street Journal and spent a number of years on the book. She covers history, tools and technology, fabric, teachers, shows, retreats, and museums, just to name a few. It's a great resource for info on the web. It's beginner friendly, but it's more than that. I think all quilters, no matter their skill level, will find many things useful and interesting in the book.



I peeked ahead and saw that the last third has tips and a number of projects, can't waitto get to that! Even though it is intended as a resource book, I find that I am reading it page by page. It is simply amazing. I am definitely buying this for myself. My only complaint, I wish the publisher had printed it as a larger book maybe with a spiral binding, but then that would have increased the price.