Another Christmas Quilt . . . . . .

Here's another Christmas quilt.

This is the tenth quilt I made.

I must have bought entire bolt of that Santa fabric, have you noticed it keeps showing up? Anyway, I like this side of the quilt......

It's this side that I have a problem with. This is that Turning Twenty pattern by Tricia Cribbs. I'm not sure why I don't like it.

The fabric is cute

And I used a family of fabrics so it all goes together nicely. Maybe it's those big blocks...I just don't know......I do know this is my least favorite of all the quilts I've made.

It looks pretty good folded up here in the sunroom. Who would guess that an ugly quilt hides beneath those folds? This is the room with the red furniture.

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Oh Christmas Tree . . . . . . .

Finally, some sun, I was able to get some pictures yesterday. I could probably have a post with no pictures but I tend to babble, and I think the babble is easier to take when it's broken up with pictures. See right now, I'm babbling and you're thinking "where's the pictures, Thelma get on with it"......

So when I'm not decorating, or shopping, or baking, or doing all the normal things I need to do when it's not Christmas, like walk the dog, I'm sewing! I'm not getting a whole lot done but every little bit helps keep me centered and balanced and happy, most importantly happy!

Now before I go into what I'm working on, let's pause for a little commercial break.......I'm probably giving you all you need to know to make this quilt, you could probably look at the pattern on the designer's website and figure out how to make this quilt, but here is a little reminder.......

'nuff said.....OK, back to normal programming....

So here is what I'm working on now. As I mentioned before, I'm in the mood to work on a Christmas project. I saw this quilt on the Temecula Quilt Company's blog and fell in love!

This pattern is by Ardie Skjod, of Farmhouse Threads. I immediately ordered the pattern, I live in Illinois, the pattern was coming from California, but I was wanting to start on this pattern now. It's Christmas, who wants to make this pattern in say July?

So I took a good look at the pattern picture and thought, oh this is easy, this is a bargello pattern. Is that what you thought too? Just a few strip sets in cream and green and I'm good.

So I started cutting and sewing, confident when the pattern arrived it would tell me how many greens and how many creams to use in each row.

So the pattern arrived, and guess what.....Surprise, Ardie had a whole different way to make this quilt!! She makes this top using 9 patches!! Yes, nothing but 9 patches! That's how they are arranged.

But I had already made beaucoup ( that's French for boo coo ) of these strip sets.

I made all sorts of sizes so I could easily assemble my rows without much repetition in the fabric.

Same with the greens. (See the red squares, I'm adding a few here and there, surprised? I didn't think you would be.)

And in my mind I figured once you pieced the correct number of greens, all you needed to do was add a little half square triangle to each end, then you would have the angle you needed for the branches.

Ardie goes about making those branches a whole different way! I imagine Ardie is real nice person, and you can tell by looking at this pattern a very creative person. But there's no going back for me. I'm sticking with my bargello approach. I had to figure the number of creams and greens in each row myself, but in the end, all that matters , is that I have a Christmas Tree. Stay tuned for further updates!

Can you stand just a couple more decorations......

This is just a little knick knack box that I set out on an end table. I just love the detail of Santa's beard, plus his expression is perfect!

When you remove the lid there's a little surprise, (no not chocolate, does everything have to revolve around chocolate!) a sweet little teddy bear...why I don't know, but he's sweet just the same.

My daughter gave me this pudgy, Victorian coat and hat wearing, skate carrying snowlady. She has sparkles all over her, and when I get her out, I get sparkles all over me, we're a sparkling pair. She's one of my favorites!

Thank You Baby Girl!

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It's Baaaack..........

I got my quasi "Jellystone" quilt back from the quilter, just in time for holiday gift giving!

It's a quasi Jellystone quilt because I started with Miss Rosie's Jellystone pattern, but made a few small changes.

This is quilt # 49, all the details of its assembly are here.

I went with an overall stipple pattern. The backing is beige Moda flannel.

I'm still decorating but I finally have one room done!

The dinning room, Ta Da!!

The wire in this ribbon really helps give the bows a nice shape.

This little present......

Is a place card holder.....and

stores a sweet little surprise.

I received the pattern for the project I started. What a surprise, the designer and I are going about this two totally different ways! The pattern is "Oh Christmas Tree" by Farmhouse Threads. I hope to have better light for pictures so I can blog about it tomorrow.

Stay tuned.........

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My First Christmas Quilt . . .

This is my first Christmas quilt and Quilt # 8. I made this quilt for a charity auction at our local hospital. It was a tree festival where folks decorate Christmas trees, donate them, then they are sold at an auction. This is the only picture I have of it. ( just ignore that rude couple blocking your view of my lovely quilt, I have no idea who they are!)

The pattern was the same pattern I used to make my Halloween quilts, "Sticks and Stones and Nine Patches" by Marti Michelle. I don't remember the fabric but it had panels that I used for the center of the blocks in the quilt and for decorations on the tree in the picture. The quilt and the tree were a "matched set" and sold for around $1500.

Here's a better shot of the pattern, using my Halloween fabric. Thinking back on it, it didn't bother me at all to give away the first Christmas quilt I made. Probably because I was also working on my Thimbleberries Christmas quilt so I knew I had a Christmas quilt in my future, and also, this was the 4th quilt I made using that pattern, I think I may have had enough of it.

Can you stand anymore Christmas decorations? I hope so because I have more...

This is my favorite all time Christmas platter. Look real close, the Christmas tree is decorated with martini glasses! Now there's a tree that would be fun to decorate. I thought that was such an odd combination I couldn't resist it.

Here's something else you don't see very often, something with the name "Thelma" on it!! My whole life I've never run across my name on those fun little knick knack items that you see with all those other names....thimbles, little angels, mini license plates, really important items that you need your name on...no Thelma, nope. My folks got me this mug, I think they paid extra to have the name added. This after hearing me complain about my name for 40 some years. I really like it, having my name on it makes it all the better!

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Sweet . . . . .

Look what showed up on my doorstep.........

A box of chocolates from Recchiuti Confections.

My daughter's special fella' sent it as a little thank you for a nice Thanksgiving weekend. Seems like we should be thanking him for putting that smile on our daughter's face.

This is what it looked like when my husband got home.......yip, he bought it!

I got to spend a little time in my sewing room this past week.

I'm still in the mood to work on Christmas projects. I saw a really cute Christmas pattern and ordered it online. While I wait for it to show up, I'm going right ahead with how I think it should be made.

I think I need 1800 1 1/2 inch cream squares. I'm going scrappy.

Here's some 1 1/2 inch hsts. I think this project has the smallest pieces I've ever worked with.

There's just something about small pieces that makes them look so cute. (like shoes, why don't the 10s look as cute as the 6s?)

I hope I get the pattern before I get this project finished! It will be interesting to see who does it right!!

I'm still decorating.....

The tree in the sunroom (the room with the red couches) is a theme tree. All the ornaments are either snowmen, have snowmen on them or make up a snowman, like snowballs or snowflakes. I started collecting snowman ornaments 12 years ago. The first tree was a 3 foot skinny tree, we've grown into this 6 foot tree. I've collected so many that a new addition has to be pretty special for me to buy it.

Forgetting the sentiment of some ornaments, here are a few of my favorites, based on cuteness alone.

This one is hand painted, from the INSIDE!!

There are several things about this ornament that appeal to me, the polka dots, the red color, the pudgy snowlady wearing earmuffs.

Here's businessman snowman, all dressed up for work. I really like the dog hanging out with him.

This is my second most favorite, I think it 's the red coat. I LOVE red coats. (I'm sure you're shocked!)

But this little guy is my most favorite, yes, he hangs upside down, but he sure looks happy about it. This is how I feel most of December, upside down but happy.

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