Merry Gift Christmas {Quilted Pillows}

"Gifts of time and love are surely the best ingredients of a truly Merry Christmas!"

It seems to be my luck that I can’t seem to find time to work on Christmas projects for our home in time for the big day.  This year, I finally had all my Christmas "to-dos" complete a few days beforehand.  I thought I had a reasonable amount of time to at least finish some pillows for our family room chairs, but our guests arrived while I was still doing the matchstick quilting.

Since I was busy entertaining during their visit, I wasn’t able to see the confines of my studio until Saturday...and finished these pillows right before the New Year.  I don't want to sound like I'm upset.  The gift of time with family is worth more than two cute Christmas pillows on my chair!

I will confess that this pattern is from a book, but I managed to work out the math by looking at others completed blocks, and I was able to adjust it for my own use.  Matchstick quilting is my favorite for where these pillows live for vacuuming/cleaning reasons.  I stuck to a white, green, and red thread.

I used a fun and festive red gingham for the hidden zipper backings.

 I finished the bindings with a red and white stripe.

Quilt Stats:
Measures: 14x26"
Pattern: Adaptation of Merry Gift Pattern
Fabrics: Joanns red dot, red gingham, red stripe and green fat eight bundle
Quilted: Matchstick quilting in Gutermann Red, Green, and White on Babylock Symphony

I’m hoping that I can start earlier this year on Christmas projects for our family this year...but am content to pack these away with the other quilts until next year.

Spelling Bee Quilt: Letter J {Quilt Along}

 Fat Quarter shop is still running a a quilt along to celebrate the Spelling Bee Book.

The Spelling Bee Book is by Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet and features complete instructions for 100 letter, number, punctuation and picture blocks in two sizes plus 18 quilt projects!

The Sew Along will feature 88 of the blocks from the Spelling Bee Book! Lasting 44 weeks, the Sew Along will feature 2 blocks from the book each week. I was asked to join and and this is the third project I have made using the book.  See the Fox Pillow and Butterfly Pillow!!!

Today is the Uppercase Letter J.  I will admit I scrambled to grab it since all of my children's names start with the letter! 

I was going to make something with one of their names, but I ended up choosing the word Joy.

It's a word that has encompassed our lives since the loss of our daughter in 2009 and I had to make it!

I used some leftover scraps from the Paperie Fat Quarter bundle I bought from the Fat Quarter Shop.

It made a fun pillow for my chairs in our formal room with the walls the color of the aqua print.  It joined the Butterfly block Pillow I made last month!

I think they are so fun together!!

Quilt Stats:

Measures: 12x25"

Pattern: Letters J, O, Y from the Spelling Bee Book by Lori Holt

Fabrics: Paperie by Art Gallery Fabrics 

Quilted: Matchstick quilting on Babylock Symphony

I just adore it......

CHOOSE JOY this coming new year!!!

Patchwork QAL: Block Twelve

 This quilt along has been a measure of my patience and fortitude.  I will admit that it confirmed my suspicions that I still haven't mastered the skill of small/tiny piecing.  But I'm glad I was up for the test and I still won't give up trying.


 Mother's Own

I think this month's block's name is perfect because only it's mother, me, could love it with all its trials and imperfections when it's done!! 
 

 
 Only the backing, quilting, and binding to go!!!

 I can't believe that I stayed the course this year!!!

Patchwork QAL introduction

Block One: Souvenir of Friendship
Block Two: Diamond Pane
Block Three: Box-in-a-box

Block Four: Star and Cross

Block Five: Homestead Block

Block Six: Round the Corner Block

Block Seven: Propeller 

Block Eight: Rolling Nine Patch 

Block Nine: Grandmother's Choice 

Block Ten: Country Roads 
Block Eleven: Spinning Tops

See everyone else's!!!!

The designers of the quilt's fabrics - Bonnie & Camille - are sewing along, too! Fun!

Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl (@jedicraftgirl)

Amy of Diary of a Quilter (@diaryofaquilter)

Andy of A Bright Corner (@abrightcorner)

*Bonnie of Cotton Way (@bonniecottonway)

*Camille of Thimble Blossoms (@thimbleblossoms)

Debbie of Happy Little Cottage (@happylittlecottage1)

Greg of Grey Dogwood Studio (@greydogwoodstudio)

Heidi of Buttons and Butterflies (@buttonsandbutterflies)

Melissa of Happy Quilting (@happyquiltingmc)

Melissa of Oh How Sweet (@ohhowsweet)

Pat Sloan of PatSloan.com (@quilterpatsloan)

Renee of Sewn with Grace (@sewnwithgrace)

Sedef of Down Grapevine Lane (@downgrapevinelane)

Sherri of A Quilting Life (@aquiltinglife)

Sondra of Out of the Blue Quilts (@sondradavison)

Taunja of Carried Away Quilting (@taunjalynn)

Tina of Emily Ann's Kloset (@emilyannskloset)

Carrie Nelson/Miss Rosie of Moda Cutting Table

Reversible Christmas & Everyday {Apron}

 "There is no saying no to Grandma's cooking!"

When Amanda at Jedi Craft Girl posted that she was destashing two apron “kits” with these Matryoshka dolls on them, I instantly yelled "BABUSHKA!" out loud and typed "ME! ME! ME!" on her post.

The reason I had to have them is that our family is of Polish descent and I grew up hearing my grandmother calling the stacking dolls she had in her family room babuskas, which means grandmother in Russian and some parts of Poland.

When Christmas rolled around, I knew that I wanted to send her one of the aprons with some cookie mix in a mason jar. 

 I found reversible instructions on Riley Blake’s website.

The dolls are just adorable and festive for Christmas. 

I also think she will love the cherries on the pockets on the "everyday use" side.

As for the second one? 

 See the details HERE.

 I had to keep it for myself so I can have warm memories of my grandmother. 

She is a pretty important person in my life!

The Paperie Patchwork {Quilt}

I enjoy naming my quilts, and Paperie Patchwork just sounded like a good name for a quilt.  However, the word paperie means nothing, in French. But "papeterie" means 'stationery', and the shop where you can buy it.

  And if you are wondering why I pulled that word out of the sky?  I didn't.  It's the name of the line from Art Gallery Fabrics.  Ironically, when I was trying to find its meaning, I DID find a ton of shops called Paperie.  Who knew?   I figure this is a good story for what is, frankly, a rather simple patchwork quilt?

This quilt became an idea when I ordered the line from Fat Quarter Shop to make the Butterfly and Joy Pillow covers.

I had "over ordered" for the pillows, but knew that the bundle wasn't going to be enough for a full size quilt, so I grabbed a Dear Stella Fat Quarter bundle I’ve had in my stash for quite a long time now.

The squares are a simple 8” square each.  I laid them out on my family room floor while we watched the Houston Astros play in the World Series.  Then I pieced it together on my Featherweight while watching them advance to the next game.

I loaded it up on Ole Betsy and chose the pantograph patttern Bossa Nova by Urban Elementz with Baby Pink Omni Thread by Superior Threads.

The backing was leftover blue and pink backing leftovers with oddball widths and I used a super old wide pieced strip from the Micheal Miller Glitz line.

The binding was a cool crosshatch style blue I found at Joann Fabrics.

The quilt label is an embroidery pattern I have had in my files for several years that is a the breast cancer symbols surrounded by encouraging words to make a butterfly.

Quilt Stats:
Measures: 64" square

Pattern: Simple Patchwork of 8" squares

Fabric: Paperie by Art Gallery Fabrics and Dear Stella Fabrics

Quilted:  Bossa Nova pantograph with Baby Pink OmniThread on Handiquilter Avante

This quilt was sent off to my uncle’s home this Christmas.
I figured his wife could use a quilt hug and love.

Button's {Cross-stitch Stocking}

 "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care 

in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there."

It ACTUALLY happened.

 I FINALLY finished Button's stocking!!

I purchased this kit in January 2012, after his first Christmas. 

 I was hanging up the stockings that season and realized I forgot he needed his own stocking!

Unfortunately, It was one of those projects that took forever.  I would pull it out around October or November every year and get distracted by other projects.  I would tell myself that I would work on it when January came...but alas...I would forget.

Last year, on December 31st 2016, I vowed that the family could lock the doors of my studio if I didn't finish it by Christmas.  Luckily, I beat that by several weeks.  I finished the final details over the Thanksgiving holidays, including the adorable hanging tassle!  

We will ignore the fact that I really didn't lay out the J with the rest of his name well.  

Calligraphists would call that poor kerning. Whoops!

The backing is the felt that came with the backing.  All of our stockings have felt backings and often think I might change them all to different fabric, but the felt seems to have a enough stretch for Santa to fit all our goodies in there!

I love the tassel hanger so much that I plan to replace the boring ones on the other six stockings!

Stocking Info:

Kit by Dimensions Craft.

Gold Collection:

Candy Cane Santa Kit

No. 8778

He was so thrilled that it was finished that he wanted it front and center.  

Normally, I hang them from oldest to youngest, 

but decided to appease the guy since he waited so long for his!