Quilts from Christmas Past

This will be my last post before Christmas, and maybe for the year. We will see how next week goes. I thought is might be nice to show some of the quilts I have done for Christmases past. So here goes:
In no particular order, since my computer has way too many issues...

 Cherry Christmas fabric by Aneela Hoey. Made from a charm pack, this is still one of my favorite Christmas collections.

              A tree...Lizzy House meets Sherbet Pips.

 Two charm packs of a Sweetwater Christmas line Countdown to Christmas, and the sashing is yardage from the same line.

             A QAL done with Christa from Christa Quilts a few years back.

                   Fun fabric on the back of a pillow.

                        A Christmas table runner.

               My very first ever quilt. And yes, I still have it.

             Trees from some book I no longer own. This is an older quilt also.

 This was a gift for the boys. It has bean bags so you can toss them and play tic tac toe. Made from Aneela Hoey prints from Little Apples.

              My first Fair Isle quilt made in a QAL with Lee at Freshly Pieced.

                                   Fun reindeer heads.

                      My second Fair Isle made for my daughter.

                             Another from a book I used to have.

Houses in Christmas fabrics. Love this one.

A Christmas Ticker Tape pillow. Not Christmas fabrics, but the colors give the feel of the season so that's how this one came to be.
I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas, or what ever holiday you celebrate. Love your families and enjoy any time you spend together. See you back here soon.

A December Finish

This finish is one I am so excited to share today. I had to wait until I gave it to my daughter before I could share it here. This last year it has been very difficult to sew. I had started several projects back when I had energy and the motivation. But since about May, both were lacking. My creativity is finally back and I am enjoying sewing again. I am slower than before, but the more I sew, the stronger I get.

I made this wonderful quilt for myself last year from a pattern by Lee at Freshly Pieced:

My eldest daughter saw it and wanted me to make her one, so I said sure. She bought all the fabrics in February. She wanted the colors of hers just a bit different. I started cutting all the pieces and keeping them organized in zip bags. But after sewing a few blocks, I couldn't sew for such a long time.

 I slowly began putting in time in the sewing room. Making myself sew something for 20 minutes at a time. It became easier and I started to enjoy it again.

I love the shadow of the leaves here.

 I showed my daughter a picture of a few blocks early on, but then nothing. I made a baby quilt, but never mentioned this one.

 I love the Nordic chickens fabric she picked for the back. She's good at stuff like this.

 I kept plugging away and finished the quilt top. I am still kind of weak in places and crawling around to pin baste was really difficult. It took me probably twice as long to do it for this quilt.

 It took me a week or so to quilt. I used a silvery grey Aurifil thread. It shows up just enough on the top. I quilted it in all over swirls, just like I did mine. It took most of a large spool to quilt.

Before quilting

Before quilting

Before quilting

 I love the way it turned out. The reindeer and the berries being the only color really pop.

So last night I surprised her with it. She wasn't quite as surprised as I thought she would be. She said since I hadn't mentioned it in so long, she thought I might be working on it. But I am glad it is done in time for her to enjoy it for Christmas. That was my goal, and I did it!!

WIP Wednesday...Yay!

I am still here and I am finding that I am still enjoying sewing, although not as prolifically as before. Just plodding along really. And for now, that's okay by me. The mojo is still there, just turned down a bit. For today, this is what I have for you:

 Remember these? Back in January I picked these great spring greens from my stash. I was really wanting to make a small quilt for above the mantle that was really spring-y. I let this sit and gel for a bit and finally came up with a plan.

 A single, large Dresden plate in spring greens, with a sunny yellow center to represent, duh, the sun! I wanted a very pale blue Kona solid to represent the sky in the spring. You know, those days when the sun still feels so thin? I think this one is Bluebell. It looks really grey here, but that is just the indoor lighting.

I am debating the quilting of this. Any thoughts? I have already decided to bind in one of these great spring greens too. Should finish at about 34 inches square. Lovin' it so far. Happy Wednesday to you. Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced.

WIP Wednesday...Buzz Buzz Buzz

Hi! It's been awaile since I have participated  in WIP Wednesday, but as I was perusing the blogs this morning, I realized I had something to share. I started this last year, just before Christmas and then it sat until January. It is moving along slowly now.

 I bought a yard of Tula Pink's wonderful bees in this light aqua and pink colorway. It really called to me. Then, I pulled a bunch of coordinating fabrics from my stash and just looked at it for a few weeks.. I saw a snowball and ninepatch on someone's blog and knew that was it. So I began.

 As is typical for me, I began without looking up to sse what measurements were to be used for the pieces. I made a couple of blocks and the size was off, so they will end up on the back of the quilt. My next attempt was better.

 I love the way this looks. It will be a fairly small quilt, either a baby size or a wall hanging. This photo is with the camera flash. While still not true, the colors are a bit darker and closer to true than above.

My daughter and I decided that this needs a border. I have ordered and just received some Gail Kessler Dimples in a sort of peacock aqua. I plan a one inch finished border followed by one more row of 2/5 inch squares like the nine patch blocks. I think that will look perfect. Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced.

Buzz Buzz...WIP Wednesday

Well, this will probably be my last WIP Wednesday for awhile. A forced sewing break begins next week as I have my surgery. I plan to sew up to the very last minute, though. Here's what's on the design wall right now:

 A bit pale and washed out color-wise due to the lighting, but it is a very soft color group for the most part. I saw a snowball and nine patch quilt on someone's blog a couple of months ago and knew right away that I wanted to make one with this Tula Pink bee fabric.

 It is my favorite one in the entire line, so I bought a yard and had hoped to pair it with my stash. So far, so good.

 I have decided this will be a small wall hanging. I don't have enough fabrics to make it too big and I don't really want to keep adding fabrics just to get a bigger size. I like the ones I am using.

 I had cut the squares for the snowballs a half inch smaller to start, so I could center the bees. Unfortunately this did not work with my nine patches which are made of 2.5 inch squares. So I cut them a bit bigger. I still like the look.

This is going to be so pretty when it's done! Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced.

Friday Fair Isle Finish

I just this minute finished the quilting on my fair isle quilt so I could snap a few quick picks in the very late afternoon sunshine to share here. It still needs binding, but hey, I have all day tomorrow to do that!

                    I love the swirls...

             I love the brightness of the colors...

          I love the reindeer...

              I love late afternoon shadows...

      I love that the white is so crisp...

        In fact, I love everything about this quilt.

      I even love the back.

Thanks to Lee at Freshly Pieced for such a wonderful pattern.  I will post the final quilt as soon as it is bound and washed and dried. Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it Friday.