Hello Darkness My Old Friend

Those are the beginning words of one of my favorite songs "The Sound of Silence". I do believe Simon and Garfunkle were one amazing duo. Hip, yet folksy and their songs have stood the test of time. As I look back over the past year I am surprised at the amount of things I have made, but will they stand the test of time? Does it matter? Why do we make (so many) things? Who cares!!!?

My bow tie quilt is one of the most favorite things I have made this year. I love mixing the old and new fabrics together for a completely dare I say, funky look. Now I am having a hard time figuring out how to quilt it. I know I want it to be more modern as opposed to traditional, just to push the line even more.

I am very proud of this quilt. It took a long time to make and I was scared to death I would mess it up when it came to squaring it up and putting on the binding. I have it hanging in my living room and my granddaughter says it makes her eyes go zingy, mission accomplished!

I really had fun making this quilt! So very different and pretty much glued together!! This is supposed to go into the auction for the guild quilt show but I may just keep it and make another one.

I can officially say I am no longer afraid of curves and I learned a new skill. I obviously still need some instruction in the contrast department......

Some contributions were made to the UFO pile, but that was totally planned. Sometimes it is ok to abandon projects, you never know where they might show up.

I gave a lot of things away which always makes me feel good. I never feel like anything I own is too "precious" only people are to me, they are the most important. The colors in this make me happy.

Overall it has been a good year with some ups and downs as is expected. I know for sure next year is going to be amazing and exciting, with our ever growing family, weddings and all the little things that make life worth while.

I never make resolutions, I don't believe in them and I won't be starting now!  Instead I will be making goals and plans for sewing and with the many other things that go on in my life, but still try and live in the moment and not get carried away.
I didn't count up my projects from this year because it doesn't matter how many things I made. The excitement and fun is in the doing, the give and take I get from readers like you who follow me, comment and just make life a lot more fun! I look forward each and every day to emails from my quilting friends from around the world and nearby.
So what is it you really want to do this year? It doesn't have to be sewing or quilting related. When are you going to start? What are you waiting for?

And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

Griffin and Elliot

Today is my grandson Griffin's 10th birthday! Happy birthday Griff, love you! Mom Mom.

Kelly

It Was A Wonderful Weekend

It's A Wonderful Life is in my opinion one of the best movies ever! There is so much in this movie that warms your heart. My son Dylan, his wife Mary and grandsons, Griffin and Elliot treated me and my husband for my birthday.
I also think Donna Reed is one of the most beautiful actresses of all time.

We saw it in an old time movie theater which added to the fun. As you can see we were in the nose bleed section. It added to that nostalgic feeling, Mary and I of course shed a few tears at the end of the movie. We walked across the street to a cute little place called the Bistro for dinner. For all the locals if you haven't been to Phoenixville in a while, you need to check it out. It is a vibrant town filled with all sorts of interesting stores and restaurants.

Barb from Fun With Barb sent me some wonderful gifts for my birthday! How fun is this beach bag with the vintage bowling fabric. I will be using this later this spring when we head to Florida.

Isn't this a creative way to display buttons? I will be keeping this just the way it is on a shelf in my sewing room. These cute pink socks are also a winner!

Barb also gave me the house mug rug that I am displaying here with a cup that is so me, given to me by my friend Stephanie. How lucky am I? There is also an aqua cup to match the red one, one of my most favorite color combinations.

Stephanie also gave me these adorable scissors that are perfect for getaways in the little cover. I really am pretty lucky to have such nice friends.

These cute little slippers are from my friend, Cynthia. She is a quilter and a knitter! I am always in awe of knitters, I can't seem to get the hang of it!

Griffin and Elliot on the beach

I leave you with this Christmas card of my innocent grandsons playing on the beach in Cape May. Our family wishes your family joy and peace this holiday season and in the new year. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah (Cheryl I am talking to you!).

Kelly

Winner of Giveaway Is......

The winner of the giveaway is Jane of Jane's Fabrics! Congratulations, please send me your address so I can send out your goodies.

I loved reading all the comments. Part of the reason I asked the question is that in reality it doesn't matter how many things we made, what matters is the joy and excitement we get in creating them. Even if you only made 1 item in the past year, if you enjoyed making it you are a winner!
Thank you for all the nice birthday wishes too!

Kelly

12/13/14 Giveaway

Some of these look red but they all are pink!

How cool is today's date? 12-13-14......and it's my birthday! I decided on a pink giveaway today, just because I wanted to. I enjoy each and every comment you make on my blog. I have learned so much, and made so many friends. I truly enjoy each and every comment and try to  respond to every single one.

So leave me a comment become a follower, if you aren't one already, and tell me how many things do you think you made this year.....quilts, bags, mug rugs, whatever I want to hear! I will pick a name at random on Thursday, December 18th. This is open to everyone. It may not get mailed until after Christmas depending on the lines at the post office!

If you are interested in any of these fabrics above, or the cute little scissors you can find them at the Quilt Block in Exton PA 610-363-0404.  Good luck!

Giveaway is now closed.

Kelly

We Need A Little Christmas!

Right this very minute! I love that peppy song when I am decorating.
This cookie jar above is one of my most favorite Christmas decorations, no cookies in it though.

I have not sewn a stitch this week. Last weekend I got the house decorated and my shopping done. I had 2 Christmas concerts with the grandchildren, that will definitely get you in the Christmas spirit! Their happy, shining faces singing out so enthusiastically is so much fun to watch.

I feel like I can now relax and enjoy the season and all the festivities. My friend Judie said she decided to get all her shopping done by the 10th, so I followed her lead and it was a great idea!

A big change for us this year, we went with a small, live table top tree that we will plant outside in the spring. I love it!

One of the things I love to put out is all the pictures of the kids/grandkids with Santa Claus. If you look in the center back, my then 21 year old son finally sat on Santa's lap. He screamed bloody murder as a child so we gave up. I told him I was so sad I didn't have one of him, wish granted!

Jan and Cynthia at the Quilt Block gave me this as a gift, isn't it pretty?

Tomorrow I will be having a giveaway that has nothing to do with Christmas.  So come back and see what I am up to.....

Kelly

A Day In December

My birthday is in December, it also means that every 4 years I need to make the pilgrimage to the Department Of Motor Vehicles, also known as the DMV. It is never a fun place, ever. Everyone that works there seems to hate their job and people coming in never know what they are supposed to do, where they are supposed to sit and it takes forever for your number to come up. Let's just say I had a ton of things to do and was not looking forward to spending the day there. My number was 172, the number on the wall was 140.....and I forgot my book. Thank goodness for an Iphone!

Imagine my happiness as I opened the mailbox and saw there was a great big package in there addressed to me! I signed up for a the Little Quilts Swap a few months ago and could barely contain myself to get in the house before I ripped it open.
Kim from Kentucky made this adorable quilt and hand quilted it too! I didn't know she was stalking me because your partner is a secret but this was the one I picked out that I liked the best. I was so surprised to see all the goodies tucked in with the quilt.Three fabrics, a small little seam ripper that I will be putting in my Sew Together bag, 4 candy bars.... I immediately ate one as I perused my loot,
a spool of variegated blue thread, a Creative Grid ruler in a size I don't have and if you look at the top right of the picture those little hooks that you slip a bobbin on and then put it into the spool to keep your colors together.

Look how wonderful the hand embroidery looks, I could never get mine that perfect. You can also see the hand quilting up close.

It instantly put me into a good mood and made me forget all about the DMV. Kim thank you so much, now I have to look for the perfect spot to hang my little quilt!

Kelly

The Good and The Ewww

My quilt is complete and I am very happy with it! I decided to chuck the border in favor of a nice red binding because I am running out of sewing time! I just realized I forgot the buttons on gingerbread boy....
Looking at it hung up I would definitely change the star fabric background (bottom left) it just doesn't go in my opinion. Hey that's what it's all about learning from our mistakes! I also fused the ribbons on to the wreaths, they were supposed to be dimensional.

Yesterday was our bee's Christmas lunch. We opted out of a restaurant this year and Robin hosted at her house. It was so much fun and way better than going out. Above are the gifts I received from my friends.

How cute is this? Jean did such a nice job and made each one in our "colors".

Robin made this again in our colors. I decided to put it in my sewing room so I can enjoy it year round, though it may go on my Christmas tree too.
I will have to hide Ellen's hand lotion and hand sanitizer or a certain granddaughter will leave my house with them. Kathy's granola will be a nice addition to a morning cup of yogurt. Thank you again ladies it was a super nice day.

So today I see they picked the Pantone color of the year.........I cannot even put it on my nice, bright, cheery, clear colors blog..............Marsala! Not one vote on my survey for it! It's a brownish red, all I can think of is dried blood.... I am sure there are people out there that will love it but I can never see putting it any place in my house, let alone wearing it. Okay maybe a lipstick? On second thought no way! Just my opinion, but then again I like lime green, caribean blue, aqua and hot pink, they surely did not have me in mind when they picked it!
Please tell me what you think about their pick!

Kelly

Food Coma

Thanksgiving weekend was fun but too many days of celebrating is taking it's toll. Honestly I was very good about not eating too much but I was exhausted come Sunday!
I finished up my quilt. I took this picture before it was quilted and the bows are not on the wreaths yet.

This is one of my favorite blocks....

and this one too. I opted not to do a border but a nice red binding to frame it as you can see above.

I also am participating in a mug rug swap and got this one out in the mail yesterday.

I am going to start another project tomorrow using these pretties as the clock is ticking.

I have decided this year to get a live small tabletop tree instead of a big one. I am curious to see what my kids  have to say about it and the grandchildren! I have a lot of social obligations coming up so blogging may have to take a back seat with only a few posts here and there. I will be back full force in the new year.

Kelly

Happy Thanksgiving

My blocks are coming together. I have two more to sew up and may try and get to them today.

I did make yet another Sew Together bag. Instead of piecing the exterior I used a cool print and let it do the work.

Those fun fabrics from the last post found their way into this bag!

I wish all that are celebrating Thanksgiving, a happy and fun day. It is my favorite holiday that we will be celebrating on Friday instead of Thursday so all my children can be together with us. Thank you to all my readers who comment and make my day that much better every day!

Kelly

Christmas Shopping

oohhhh!

So today I started Christmas shopping full force. I have picked up a couple of things here and there but not with a lot of enthusiasm.
Imagine my surprise when I found myself at my LQS, The Quilt Block, to find just the right fabric for a gift I am making.

I will be buying yardage of this one.....

Yes I like these a lot!

Kelly

Foggy

 Yesterday I spent a good part of the day working on these blocks.

The blocks are simple.

This background is a bit busy but I think in the end it will work.

This reminds me of Cindy Lou Who's ornament that falls off the tree and rolls across the floor alerting the Grinch that someone is out of bed....

None of the tops of my ornaments (the gray part) lineup, just don't look too closely.

The good thing is, I am using up my scraps. The bad things is my room is trashed!

Kelly