Design Wall Monday - December 15

There are 2 small Christmas gifts I want to work on this week, especially since I'm facing a deadline.  No photos to share until after Christmas. Shhhh . . . it's a secret.

The pieces are all cut for one of those secret gifts.

There is one Christmas gift that I can show - at least the fabric.  This adorable cat fabric is destined to be 2 projects.  The first project is a table runner to be gifted by my daughter to her neighbor.  The top is done and it shouldn't take me long to quilt and bind it.  The second project will probably wait for the new year and is for ME - a tote bag.  

Progress continues on the snowman themed 3-yard quilt.  More rows are ready to add, and I can FEEL the finish coming soon.

Plugging along on the Bonnie Hunter mystery . . . clue #4 is easier than I thought it would be.  Half rectangles can be tricky, but she had some really excellent cutting instructions for these, and they came out perfectly even without using her specialty ruler.  A few more Clue #2 units are cut as well.  There are also some additional string blocks in the works.  These will all make great Leaders/Enders as I work on those Christmas gift projects. 

Two new kits for mini quilts are coming up on my To Do list. This one is going to be my reward for checking some things off my list this week.  The temptation to just dive in is great  however!  But I'm trying to hold off until the gift items are finished.  

I'm linking up today with:

https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/ 

https://songbirddesigns.blog

RSC25 - Week #50

Week 50 - I just can't believe 2025 is almost over!!  It was painful to write that 5-0 for this week, as time is flying way too fast.  

The 4-Patch Fun project is coming along.  When I left this last week it was 3 blocks wide by 4 long.  Now it's 4 x 5.  Forward progress!  The zig zag layout is working out nicely, and as I add more blocks in lots of colors it will get better and better I think.  This will continue to be an RSC project well into 2026 most likely because the blocks are only 6" finished.  As is it's only 27" wide, which means it needs to grow much bigger to be useful. 

The red, white, blue set of 4-Patch Fun blocks are sewn into 4-sies so far.  That set also needs a lot more blocks to make a Quilt of Valor.  

In between other projects this week, these half neutral string blocks have been accumulating quickly.  Once trimmed and the phone book foundation paper removed, my plan is beginning to take shape. 
 

String Stars - this is another idea I had saved to Pinterest and forgotten about until now.  I think I'll just use cool colors for this one - purples, blues, greens. The string block basket has a lot of those colors already sewn, and almost no warm colors.  Mostly I'll need to add more of the half neutral ones to the mix for star points.  These are also 6" finished blocks - so it will continue into the new year in order to have enough.  

This afternoon is the Christmas party for our Sew Vintage group.  We have winter weather again today, so hopefully everyone can make it.    

Let's go see what else is happening with scraps this week . . .

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/ 

Finished (or NOT) Friday

Today I have ONE thing finished, and ONE thing not finished.

The 5th and final pillowcase for the grandkids is finished.  It's tucked into Jack's Christmas stocking now.  Each grandchild gets a new pillowcase every year in their stocking.  Can't fight tradition, right!! 

The Not finished item does have forward progress.  This is the snowman themed 3-yard quilt I've been working on.  It doesn't have a deadline, so hasn't been a high priority.  The blocks were all made and sashing cut, so now that the pillowcases are finished I can get back to working on it again.

This morning the 4th clue will be released for the Lupines and Laugher mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunter.  I've made some units for each of the first 3 clues and plan to spend a little time today playing with Clue #4, whatever it might be. 

I've been plugging along with some binding this week.  So maybe by next Friday there will be another finish to show.   

Check out more finishes at
https://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/

One more pillowcase

 

The solar system pillowcase is finished and in a Christmas stocking.  Now I just have one left to finish for the grandkids. 

Tomorrow morning, the 4th clue will be posted for Bonnie Hunter's mystery.  I've been using her first clues to use up a lot of scraps of light blue, pink, purple and neutrals.  Wonder which of those colors we'll play with next. 

Keeping busy

One more pillowcase is finished, and tucked into a Christmas stocking.

The other 2 pillowcases for grandsons are pinned and ready to sew.  Today may not yield much sewing time, if any at all.  But I should be able to finish them by the end of the week.

I've had the scraps out for neutrals, light blue, pink and purple this past couple of weeks, so that I could pull some options for the Bonnie Hunter mystery as the clues are posted.  A few more units for Clues #1-3 were added yesterday.  But there were a lot of purple scraps too small for the mystery units.  So I used some of the skinnier purple strips to make some string blocks, to add to the stack that I worked on at various times for RSC during the year.  These string blocks are only 6.5" square, with some being all purple and others being half purple with the other half neutral.  I think I have a plan for some of these.  

Lots of progress

Both of the pillowcases for the granddaughters are done, and tucked into their Christmas stockings.  The swimmer print used on the cuffs was something I ordered from Spoonflower.  The rose colored fabric for the main part of the pillowcase was purchased last week to go with that print.  It really picks up on the rosy pink in the print.  

The pillowcases for the 3 boys are all cut and kitted up.  One is even pinned into the "sausage roll" and ready for that first seam.  I love this technique because there are zero raw edges anywhere in the pillowcase.  

A few more units for the mystery quilt have been added.  These are units for Clues 2 and 3.  I really enjoy working on these in between other projects, and don't feel any pressure to "keep up" with the mystery.  There is no rush, so I'll just keep adding a few here and there.  

One more Christmas "goody" has been made - Rosemary Spiced Nuts.  It's a recipe I found on Pinterest years ago, and I only make them around the holiday season.  Our Sew Vintage group has our Christmas party next Saturday, so these are all ready to take to the party.  

It's a good thing that we went to see Olivia's orchestra concert last week, because she broke her right wrist in 2 places on Sunday while sledding with friends.  That will put a damper on both swim team and orchestra while it heals.  I feel so bad for her.    
 

I wonder if the orthopedic clinic offers a group rate for families.  Her twin brother isn't quite healed up from his broken ankle yet.  He's now in a walking boot after several weeks in a cast and one of those knee scooters.  

Design Wall Monday - December 8

What a difference a week makes!  We've had lots more snow.  Snow days are perfect for sewing.  The guild Christmas party was Saturday morning, and we broke up early because several inches of snow had fallen in 2 hours.  We got about 5" total here.  Plus a little more came on Sunday afternoon. I'm pretty sure we've already had more snow than we saw all of last winter.  

The Countdown to Christmas box from Missouri Star has yielded some fun and interesting things so far.  There is a charm pack with a pattern for cat and dog shaped mug rugs, and the acrylic templates were included  There is a coffee mug - already added to the 3 I've already collected.  A small binder with storage sleeves inside will hold charm packs and applique temples.  

There is a pillow pattern along with the plastic alphabet templates needed to applique the WELCOME or any other word onto the pillow.  There is even a package of fusible to use.  The charm pack from earlier in the week could be used for the pillow too.  So that covers the first week of surprises.

All of the blocks for the snowman 3-yard quilt are finally sewn, pressed, and trimmed.  Now I can just focus on getting them into rows - and in the correct order.  The goal is for this to be a flimsy by the end of the month.  

I'm getting a late start on the grandkids' pillowcases this year.  The math/science print has been in the stash for awhile.  The NASA prints are newly purchased.  These will be good for 2 of the boys I think.  

The solar system fabric has also been in the stash for a couple of years.  It's time to use it up.  The black print and the tan one are some options for cuff colors.  I haven't decided yet which one I'm going to use.  

The swimmer print will work for cuffs for both of the girls because both are swimmers. 

One other plan for the week is to continue working on the clues for the Bonnie Hunter mystery.  We've seen 3 clues so far, and I have a good start on them.  The colors really make me think spring.  And it's a nice change up from red, white, blue or some of the darker colors I've been sewing with lately.  

I'm linking up today with:

https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/ 

https://songbirddesigns.blog

RSC25 - Week #49

Do you panic this time of year?  I don't even have a ton of holiday events to attend, but I'm feeling a little panicky about how close we are to the end of the year.  Maybe I was feeling extra "behind" since I was sick a couple of days this week and felt like I had gotten nothing accomplished at all. Friday was finally a good day for sewing with few interruptions. 

The only RSC sewing that happened this week was putting 8 of the 4-Patch Fun blocks together into a zig zag layout.  I started thinking that the zig zag would show up better if I put a neutral strip between each vertical row.  That required digging into the neutral strings bin. 

So I partially opened some seams yesterday and inserted a 1.5" x 6.5" strip next to each block.  Another row of blocks on the left was added too.  Now I'm seeing the zig zag emerging.  I don't have enough blocks yet for a whole quilt, so these will continue well into 2026 for RSC.  I'm happy to have a plan now.

The scrap bin with all of the odds and ends from Quilts of Valor was overflowing, and I worked hard last month to use up enough of those scraps to at least fit into the bin.  Yesterday I dug back into it for this block.  It's called God's  Eye and was a free download from www.patchworksquare.com that I used in a recently finished project.  Now I remember why I thought it was a pain in the butt to make.  The instructions were fine, but putting it together and getting it to lay flat was a bit frustrating.  If I ever make this again I think I would press all of the seams open to reduce that bulk more.  It's now in the QOV "sampler" stack of blocks so it will get used in a quilt eventually.  But it will NOT have any twin siblings any time soon. 

The neutral, pink, purple, and blue scrap bins are stirred up now too.  That is because I'm playing along with the current Bonnie Hunter mystery.  I don't plan to make mine full sized, but it's always fun to play along and see how it goes.  Clue #3 dropped yesterday morning, and it really only took me about half an hour to make 1 set of each size HST in the clue.  I'll do more over the weekend most likely.  I'm aiming for roughly half the quantity of each clue. 

Let's go see what else is happening with scraps this week . . .

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/ 

Catching up

Wow - I just lost a whole day and a half.  Tuesday morning I did some laundry and baked gingersnap cookies in the morning.  By noon I felt so tired and sat down in the recliner for awhile before going downstairs to sew.  I ended up sleeping off and on most of the afternoon and evening.  Wednesday was mostly lost as well. The only reason I had a blog post on Wednesday was because I wrote it while baking cookies Tuesday morning.  I had a fever, couldn't get warm and ached all over.  Thursday I woke up feeling mostly normal again, although still very low energy.  I'm still catching up.  

My new Ford Escape was ready to pick up Wednesday afternoon, and my husband was a good sport and went to get it.  Yesterday morning I was thinking that I kind of hate to take it anywhere right now because I don't want it to get dirty. Since the snow our streets are a mess.  And then - my husband took it and went to the gym yesterday, and to run errands.  We also took it to Sioux Falls last night to go to granddaughter Olivia's orchestra concert.  So much for keeping it clean.  LOL

A quick update on Wednesday's post . . .  The correct name for that center block is "God's Eye", and I downloaded it from www.patchworksquare.com .  The pattern has instructions for 3 block sizes - 16", 12" and 8".  Now I really really want to make that center block again - but in red, white and blue in the 12" size.  

The last time I was in my sewing room was Monday.  Hopefully today I'll finally get back down there to sew.  I'm feeling the withdrawal.  

A small finish for the week

The binding is finished on Eye of God - which is lap quilt or wall hanging size.  Maybe even a good size for a baby quilt.  It's about 40" square.  

That center star block was called Eye of God, and was a free block that I downloaded from somewhere online.  It was actually quite tricky to put together without losing the points.  The polka dots around it are bowtie blocks.  And that lime green does NOT glow in the dark, although in this lighting it sure looks like it would.  

As I finished up the binding for this one, I got to thinking that maybe I should make more lap quilts and donate them to nursing homes here.  Hmmm . . .

Today is supposed to be the day I can finally pick up my new car.  We'll see if that actually happens today.  I'm getting very impatient with the wait.  

Tuesday - this and that

My morning routine is just that - a routine. I tend to be up earlier than my husband and I take my first cup of coffee to my home office.  I can sit quietly at my desk, enjoy my coffee, read some blogs, and watch the activity at the bird feeder.  The landscape is white and clean looking after the snow we got this weekend.  

The birds are usually pretty active in the mornings around that feeder outside my window.  The past week or so we've had blue jays, juncos, chickadees, woodpeckers, and some tiny birds that I don't know the name of.  Wish I could get a good photo, but they are awfully fast to fly off.  And since those blue jays showed up we haven't been seeing any cardinals.  CORRECTION: one male cardinal showed up this morning. 

So, since it was December 1 there was the first package to open from the Missouri Star Countdown to Christmas box.  Gift #1 was a very cute panel and a pattern to use with the panel.  The pattern has either a wall hanging or a table runner option with snow globes.  So cute!!  I'm thinking table runners will be my choice.  

A little more than half of the blocks needed for the snowman quilt (Splendor) are sewn, but still need to be pressed and trimmed to size.  I've been using the pieces cut for the Bonnie Hunter mystery as my Leaders/Enders while working on the snowmen. 

I was all excited about picking up my new car yesterday.  But now they are saying it won't be ready until Wednesday.  And since my old vehicle now belongs to the dealership, I feel a bit at odds without a car to drive for a whole week.  

Design Wall Monday - December 1

Another new month already!  And I didn't come close to checking off my goals from the last one yet.  But that doesn't really bother me because the important things WERE checked off - like my son-in-law's Lone Star wall hanging. 

My December goals are a bit more deadline oriented, but the list is pretty short.  

• Finish the Christmas gifts I've begun
• 2 table runners
• pillowcases for grandkids
• secret gifts
• Finish flimsy for snowman 3-yard quilt (Splendor pattern)
• bind Eye of God lap quilt  (only 1 side remaining)
• bind the 2025 Saturday Sampler
• bind Orange blossom wall hanging
• a few RSC or QOV blocks as Leaders/Enders
• Make my 2026 UFO and PHD lists 

The project box for the Dresden Fans quilt was emptied now that it's a flimsy hanging in the closet, making way for something new.  So what new project is in the box?

I've been on the fence about sewing along with Bonnie Hunter's current mystery quilt, Lupines and Laughter.  Every year I download the mystery clues, whether I play along or not.  I really like the colors this year, so I'll do it but on a smaller scale.  Last week I made 3 sets of the clue #1 blocks.  And I've cut out parts from scraps for a few of the clue #2 blocks.  Right now I'm thinking I'll do half of the units she calls for, and then after the reveal I can decide if I want more or not.

BTW - I managed to hold off on opening anything in the box (Jenny's Countdown to Christmas 2025).  I did remove it from the shipping box yesterday afternoon.  

 Lots of anticipation for opening the first item this morning while enjoying my first cup of coffee, and reading my favorite blogs.  I'll try to remember to share some of the box contents each week on here.  Item #1 is in that red envelope on the right.  

I'm linking up today with:

https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/ 

https://songbirddesigns.blog

RSC25 - Week #48

The Quarter Dresden project is now a flimsy.  It isn't huge - just 50 x 60.  But I'm very pleased with how it turned out.  It's pressed and hanging in the closet, along with the leftover grey background - just in case.  The project box has been emptied and will have a new project take up residence in the box soon.  

It's time to take stock of what RSC block sets are remaining in the closet, so plans can be made for how to proceed with each set.  These are not all of the partial sets from this year and even from past years, but it gives me an idea of what is there.  Continuing block sets into the next year never bothers me. 

Some of my day yesterday was spent taking down some fall decor and putting up Christmas.  My cardinal tree stays up all year in the dining room as I just enjoy the cardinals that remind me of all the friends and family no longer with us.  I changed out the quilt, and hung the cardinal quilt for the Christmas season.  And one of the new table runners is on the table.  The big Christmas tree in the living room is partially decorated. 
 

But the stockings are all hung.  That new stocking I made for myself is likely to stimulate a bit of teasing from my girls.  It's twice as big as everyone else's and the toe is pointing the opposite direction.  Oops!!  LOL

Let's go see what else is happening with scraps . . .
https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/ 

It's Friday

Because we were home by ourselves, and I wasn't cooking a big meal - yesterday felt like Friday all day to me instead of Thanksgiving Day.  We had a really good early holiday with our kids and grandkids on Wednesday.  Yesterday we enjoyed the leftovers sent home with us. And now it really IS Friday.

No Black Friday shopping is on my radar for today.  I plan to decorate the Christmas tree now that it's up in the living room.  I finished the December spools mini quilt yesterday, so it is on the family room hearth.  The one with 4 little trees will go on the living room hearth.  I really do enjoy these little 12-14" mini quilts.

I have a start on the 3-yard quilt called Splendor.  One complete row is done, and half of the next row is done.  Lots more to go but there is no deadline for this one.  

We're expecting winter weather to move in sometime in the afternoon.  What a shame that I might have to stay home the next couple days and sew.  And possibly bake the cookies I'll need to take to our DAR meeting next week. 

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Because we had our family Thanksgiving yesterday, my plans for today involve sleeping in, sewing and getting out the Christmas decorations. 

Just a little progress

 

It's not finished, but I can see the finish line from here.  This is the December mini quilt with the spool design.  The main part is now in 4 rows, so once I get a chance to sew those together and then add the narrow borders it will all go quickly. 
 

I really thought I might get it finished on Tuesday, but it just didn't happen.  After my haircut and manicure appointment, I planned to just go get groceries and come home and sew, and make the deviled eggs for Thanksgiving.  Plus we were on the edge of crazy winter weather with 50+ mph wind gusts, a little snow and sleet.  It would have been a good day to just stay home and sew, right?

So instead of going right to the grocery store or doing any sewing at all - I went and test drove a new vehicle.  Isn't that what normal people do in bad weather?  When they have lots of other things to get done at home?  My 9 year old Ford Edge has been having electrical issues for months, in particular with the key fobs.  I guess yesterday was just the day I decided I was tired of fighting with it.  My new RED Ford Escape should be ready to pick up on Monday!!  I'm very excited.  And the sewing will still be here waiting.    

Tuesday To Do list

Today will be pretty busy, with not much time left over for sewing, but maybe I'll get an hour or so late this afternoon.

This morning I'm headed to get a haircut and manicure.  I have a bunch of paperwork to catch up on at my desk when I get back.  And I have deviled eggs to make for our family Thanksgiving, which is tomorrow. Lots and lots of deviled eggs!  Because apparently I didn't make enough last year.  LOL

Yesterday I was up early, and got quite a lot done before noon - in my PJs, which is not normal for me.  The Dresden project is now a flimsy, but I won't be sharing that until the Saturday post of Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  It's now pressed and hanging in the closet, waiting for its turn to be quilted.  It's not a huge quilt - only about 50 x 60.

All the parts and pieces are cut and labeled for the December spools mini quilt.  It's so handy to use my little alphabet clips and my small design board to keep everything organized.  I even got the row with the bow sewn.  This should be a quick one to finish. 

Another task I wanted to get done yesterday was to cut the pieces for the Splendor 3-yard quilt, and get one block sewn as a test.  The pieces for the half rectangles are cut from fabrics 1 and 2, but not the pieces for the sashing from the 3rd fabric.  

Only one set of rectangles is actually sewn, not a whole block quite yet.  Twelve of the rectangle sets will be sewn like this, cut on the line and pressed to the dark.  The other 12 sets will have the light fabric tilted the other direction.  These will be blocks A and B, with C and D coming from the opposite sets.  

And of course - I wrote my To Do list on Sunday evening, posted it early Monday - and then promptly deviated from that list on Monday.  I hadn't decided whether or not to do the new Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt this year.  I always save her clues, and sometimes sew along, and sometimes don't.  But I really liked the colors she chose for Lupines and Laughter.  She posted a week early due to her travel schedule, and after seeing this first clue I couldn't resist diving in.  It was a shallow dive with only 3 sets of this first clue.  But I did pull out a few more pinks, blues, and neutrals I can use for a few more.