Snow Day

We finally got some snow and it's February 9th! Of course they made it out to be the "stormageddon" well almost.......the news people do love a snowstorm! We only ended up with about 4", hardly a big deal but a good enough reason for me to stay put for the day.
I have been working on some flying geese. These will be a long term project and maybe even a full size quilt! I am using the method that makes 4 at a time. It's very accurate and feels a little like doing magic. The centered deer in the top block was a happy accident!
I was thinking this might be fun to do as a swap. Is anybody out there interested? You can find a tutorial on how to make them right here on my blog.

I made this today as a gift for a friend. I found some antique stamps a few weeks ago and they included some very unique ones.....I will do a post on them another day. They do have some letters missing so I had to improvise with new stamps. The fabric in this pincushion is from Cotton and Steel called Flower Shop that I got in Houston last fall. I think it is coming out in the quilt stores now.

Brynn

How sweet is baby Brynn? I spent the beginning of the week getting some meals ready for them and yesterday I spent the day at my daughter's house. I will go back tomorrow to give her a hand and next week if she needs me.

Sleeping baby, it's good thing

So far so good. She is only getting up once a night and going right back to sleep. Mom and dad are getting a good night's sleep! She took to breastfeeding right away which really takes a lot of stress off the mommy.
I am busy getting things ready for our annual getaway next week. As usual I can't decide what to bring. Right now I have about 5 projects, too many? Not enough?

Kelly

Baby Brynn Is Here!

Brynn Shannon Kelly

Our newest grandchild is here! Brynn was born this past Thursday 2/2/17, 3 days before her due date.
She is itsy bitsy, just 6lbs 11oz and 20 1/2" long.

Maddy and Finn

It felt like a long day to Madison and Finnegan so they passed the time away reading some books. In reality my daughter got to the hospital and had her less than 4 hours later!

Finnegan, Madison and Brynn

They are very happy to have a new baby sister, especially Maddy.

Madison, Caitlin, Finnegan and Brynn

They did not find out beforehand if the baby was a boy or a girl. After Brynn was born everyone had to wait until Maddy and Finnegan met her before we found out! It was a wonderful surprise.

Bob and Brynn

Maddy was pretty patient but was convinced they were going to tell her it was a boy and not a girl! She got her wish.

Madison, Finnegan and Bob

We watched the kids while the parents were in the hospital. They were so good, Maddy was a big help with Finn. For not even being 2 yet, Finn was great and never cried or missed mommy and daddy. He is a little comedian and kept us in stitches even on very little sleep.

Jim, Caitlin, Madison, Finnegan and Brynn

The happy little family went home today. We are so excited to welcome Brynn to our family.
Life is good.

Kelly

Possessed

I have become possessed with cleaning my house! I know it's kind of crazy. I only have 1 cabinet left in the kitchen and it is all done! I cannot begin to tell you how good it feels. I have taken 3 full car loads to Goodwill. Even my counters are clear......no chotchkies for me!

So sewing has been on the back burner with a little bit here and there. I love this little 4 1/2" heart (even though it needs some more contrast) and think it would make an adorable quilt. You can find the tutorial at Kvilstina Quilts. I love her blog and her colors are my colors!

Kelly

Corner Triangle Tutorial

You know I can't pass up a good pincushion. I made this one with some scraps I had leftover cutting out scraps for my stars in the last post. The ribbon was in one of those boxes that Moda has come out with called Frivols. This will be gifted to a friend next month.

Front of quilt

I had a few people leave a comment about my triangle corners so I thought I would do a tutorial. Unfortunately I could not answer you directly because you were a no-reply commenter.
Just for reference this quilt is not symmetrical.....First you quilt your quilt in the normal way, it does not matter if it is hand or machine quilted.
I did not invent this and I believe Ami Simms did but I am not sure.

back of quilt

Square it up after you are finished quilting it. Many times the quilting will slightly distort it.

For my quilt I cut out (2) 3" squares. I don't know that there are any hard and fast rules for what size to use but this technique is only for small wallhangings. I think the largest I  have ever used are 4" squares.

Next press each square on the diagonal.

Place your triangle on the back upper corners of your quilt with the cut edges even with the raw edge of your quilt.

Next stitch the edge of the triangle about 1/8". You are only holding it down until you apply your binding, it's easier than pins. Be sure to backstitch at each edge.

It will look like this. Next you apply your binding as usual.

binding is not on!

Next get a dowel cut about an inch smaller than the length of your quilt. All you do is stick it right inside those triangles. (Please note I don't have the binding on yet!)

This is what it will look like. Now you are able to hang it like a picture! I really like this technique for mini quilts and small wallhangings.  If the quilt is too large you will get a gap in the middle. Be warned though, some quilt shows still want a sleeve.
I hope this helped those of you who asked. Please feel free to ask me any questions!

Kelly

Rainy Day

I finally have a tiny bit of sewing to show you. In February my guild, the Penn Oaks Quilt Guild has our annual getaway. I like to have plenty of projects on hand because you never know what you are going to want to work on. These stars are 4 1/2" and so adorable! I think I am making 45.

I am making the colors in this quilt a little more bold than I usually do, and no pink!

I like to get all the cutting out of the way before we go because I make mistakes in a crowded room and there isn't that much room to spread out and cut.

Saturday I am taking a paper piecing class with our Modern Quilt Guild. Flying Geese and Hearts, sounds like fun to me!

I have been procrastinating with this block because the pumpkin block is SO orange. I am thinking of making it green, anyone have an opinion about this? The vines have not been put on so it looks a little strange with those leaves just floating around out there.

I have also made friends with Suzy Homemaker. I have been slowly cleaning out my kitchen cabinets and drawers. Just a few a day to keep it fun 😏

While cleaning out said cabinets I came across some vanilla beans. I decided to make my own vanilla extract. If you want to try this....... I put 1 cup of vodka and 2 vanilla beans sliced lengthwise to expose the beans in a jar. Screw the lid on and shake it every time you think about it for about 3 to 6 months. I used Absolute vodka but apparently the cheaper vodka is better. Nothing but the best for my chocolate chip cookies!

Kelly

Where Has January Gone?

Where has this month gone? I have nothing sewing wise to show for it. The above picture is about it, and the only thing I did was to glue fabric onto a hexagon, only 1! Our guild is having a member demo meeting next month. About 7 members show a technique to 7 groups for about 7 minutes. Each group then moves on to the next demonstrator and so on. They love it and often learn something new. I am doing EPP.

Monday I taught my granddaughter Maddy how to sew using her new sewing machine she got for Christmas. She did so well and I think she is hooked. She wanted to make a pincushion. When it was finished up she gave it to me ❤ ! I also gave her some scraps so she can practice.

What I have been doing is cleaning out my house. Except for fabric I really want less stuff around me. Pyrex is so pretty and colorful along with my finds at Anthropologie. I did take some to Goodwill though......

How do rooms end up like this? I know there is not much in here but it should look better than it does! This is a spare room in our basement where I keep all the decorations and highchairs (we now have 3 with another to come).....It's all cleaned up and organized now, I forgot to take a picture.

This is my side of my husband's office. It took me a solid week to clean, file and purge all those old files. Again why did I let it get so bad? It is so much more functional and I can actually find things! I could almost say it is fun to pay bills. This is a big room and would make an excellent sewing room.

I do have an old typewriter on my desk that I wanted to at least move if not just get rid of. My husband uses it about twice a year, so it's staying.

Thank you notes were written with these fun stamps. Who doesn't like getting a letter in the mail?

This past Saturday I had a luncheon for my daughter before she has her baby. All her best girls were there and we had such a nice time. No shower, no sprinkle, no presents, just a celebration of her. We wrote down guesses as to day of birth, girl or boy and name suggestions. Girl won by one vote. We only have a couple of weeks before we know!

Kelly

Happy 2017!

I don't know about you but it is taking  me forever to get back to normal! We went to a kicking New Year's Eve party and did not get home until 1:00. We. never. stay. out. that. late! It took it's toll the next day and naps were involved...........I didn't get my things put away, so today is the day.

My whole house feels trashed and rather dull without the red and sparkles.

It looks worse than it actually is........ I already have half of it packed up. How long do you leave your things up? Some people leave it for a couple more weeks, I just want to clean every single room!

Needless to say I haven't sewn at all except for yesterday when my bee met. All I have left on this is a small leaf in the bottom corner and a couple of berries. I changed the upper leaves and am so I happy I did.
I am cleaning out my husband's office and it is going to take a good long while. Blogging may be sporadic unless you wish to watch me sort through papers from 1990! Maybe I will do a before and after shot for a future post. We are also on baby watch so there is a lot going on.
Happy New Year to you all!

Kelly