MOSSY GARDEN - PATCHWORK LAP QUILT

I had a request for a lap quilt from a family member. Her preferred colors were mossy green, pale yellow, rust, light blue....check, check check......I had all of them! 

.....or so I thought.....having the specific color didn't mean I had enough of each!!  Right from the start I worried about running short, esp. the background leafy green batik.  That's why I cut and arranged all the strips on my design wall before stitching them together.

That was a good decision as I was ever so short of the green batik.....and had to make it stretch by reversing the fabric placement on 5 blocks....seen below.  I hoped it might add a certain zip/interest to the quilt but it didn't.  Happily, I don't think it adversely affected the look either. 

Mossy Garden - 48.5" x64.5"

It's probably been a busy week in most studios....so check out these links to see what others have been working on:  Whoop, Whoop Friday, Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Richard & Tanya Quilts, Sew Crazy Mom

LITTLE BOXES

The Christmas spirit hasn't hit me this year.....actually that's true for the last number of years.  With family so far away and no other company expected, it's difficult to work up enthusiasm to decorate the house.  So....while most of you are spending time with that activity....I am free to play with my fabric.

 Our son & DIL are such thoughtful 'kids'......I'm often treated with fabric treasures they acquire for me on their travels.  Here are some antique Japanese kimona fabrics.

 The layers were fused together with Wonder-Under. You can see the remains of the freezer paper template that was pressed onto one side......

 ........ it was a pattern guide for cutting out this shape.........

 ......to make these small several of these folded boxes/packages, (about 3" square) which morphed into making several more with National Nonwoven's Woolfelt.

 Hummmm.....are you wondering why the above boxes looked so plain?  Especially coming from my studio?  Of course you are......and that sparse look didn't last long for the felted packages.  After digging into my felted wool scrap box, I found numerous pieces already fused with Wonder-Under.  Then, using my hole punch.....I made circles.
                               

Ta-da......much better don't you think??

I'm sure you will find a lot of inspiration by following these Friday links:  Whoop, Whoop Friday, Crazy Mom Sews, Richard and Tanya Quilts, and Off The Wall Friday.

GO PACK GO!!!!

                       I'm just sayin' here.......GO PACK GO!!  I'm NOT a fair weather fan.......however, I will admit to being a VERY worried fan as the Packers take on the Lions tonight in Detroit.

This clip says it all....(it's short).........

     

                              

THANKSGIVING OVERLOAD

Like most of the country, our household is still working through the overabundance of Thanksgiving treats.  Even Sooty, our rescue black lab had to take a rest!!

But of course, as I headed to the kitchen to get another view of her....she perked up.....like all labs.....she becomes alert anytime anyone is near the kitchen.

4 GIVEN

I'm going to focus on the highlight of an otherwise pitiful showing, where again the Packers 'gave it away'.  You can't win if you can't hang onto the ball....enuff said.

The half-time tribute to Brett Favre, as his number was retired, helped heal old wounds and most fans seem to have 4 Gotten & 4 Given.  The man simply loved football and didn't want to leave the sport when he was being eased out to make room for Aaron Rodgers who had patiently waited like a gentleman for his turn.  So who can blame him for taking offers to QB other teams?!?

The moment of the night was when Bart Starr, a Green Bay Packer legend, made an appearance.  With his failing health, it took a heroic effort to make what will surely be his last visit to Lambeau Field.  I'm sure there wasn't a dry eye in the place, or probably in most homes of Packer fans.

'Cheeseheads' take the good with the bad.....and as they say:  THE PACK WILL BE BACK.....but probably not this season.

GOBBLE, GOBBLE

HAPPY TURKEY DAY EVERYONE!!

There's so very much to give thanks for......don't you agree?  

One highlight is the memory of last Thanksgiving when 'the kids' were able to visit with us. Our CA grandson got to experience fun in the snow!

We teach them young.......so as the Packers face the Bears tonight.....join us in saying:    GO PACK GO!!!!!

This year we are especially grateful for a new grandson.....and his big brother who shared his precious stuffed rabbits with his newborn brother!

                                     
Thank you Lynn and Dennis for sending this photo - taken of a fence across from Lambeau Field....note, even the garbage bin is green and gold!!! One more time.....  GO PACK GO.........

EQUIPMENT FAILURE

Oh dear......my friends have had to listen to me rant for the last several weeks as one darn piece of equipment after another has failed....combined with horrible customer service!

Besides the ordeal I went through to get a new sewing machine, in an effort to get the Packer games every week....we  were ready to give up DISH, who we've been with for 25 years.  I don't want to get started here...... but I can say I'll never deal with DIRECT TV EVER (realizing that the customer experience can be severely impacted by local providers....ours stints)!! This drama played out for well over a week, leaving us w/o any service at all!!  

Our hot water heater broke.....despite calling 5 plumbers - 2 of which advertised 24-7 emergency service.....only 1 returned our call 2 days later (not the emergency one either)!  

My Keurig stopped working.....and now my iron stopped heating....spuing water everywhere......what on earth does one do without a working iron?!?  

It's time for a big fat, calorie filled cookie!!!

BABY BUNTING WALL QUILT

 The baby bunting wall quilt project was blogged about here.  With the birth of the newest addition to the family tree (my twin sister's daughter's, daughter just gave birth to a daughter), I now have a name to complete it.

My plan had been to print lettering onto fabric circles and fuse to the flags....nope...not a good plan.  Okay, plan B.....stamp the letters onto the felt.....nope...the felt is too porous to obtain a good imprint.  Geesh.....
Plan C search for metal discs of alphabet letters - nope....sizes weren't right.

After a bit of brain storming, Plan D brought out a piece of black Ultra-Suede...some of which already had Wonder-under attached. I traced the appropriate letters with the aid of a printed sheet from my computer.  

 Okay, okay....ya I should  have reversed them to make tracing easier.....but that kind of thinking escaped me during the frenzy of having this great NEW idea.....and heck, this keeps me humble!

Yes.....the black Ultra-suede letter fit perfectly......and here's the finished piece made using National Nonwoven's Woolfelt.

WILLOW    21" x 18"

HOLDING MY BREATH

Who'd have thunk it?  What should have been an easy game last week and perhaps even this upcoming one with the Vikings......we are now biting our nails.  However.....we are true to our green and gold......soooooo

GO PACK GO 

(with an extra GO GO GO this week!)

BABY GIFT

I don't have much to show for my week......though with another baby due in our family any day now.....I've gotten started on a gift.

I reinforced a piece of National Nonwoven's woolfelt with Pellon's lightweight non-fusible interfacing, along with some simple wavy machine stitching.

 I paired some hand-dyed cotton cording with a variety colors of woolfelt.  The cording was secured by hand couching.  

The flag shapes were drawn on freezer paper, pressed to the woolfelt and cut out.  

The top corners will all be tacked with beads, providing a 3-D appearance. 

The edge finishing is still being pondered about.....however, once the baby's name is revealed, I plan on printing each letter of the entire name onto muslin and applying them to the flags, or maybe just stamping them in white or black textile paint....hummmmm.....hopefully the name will fit in a pleasing manner!  

I'll continue to document this project as it proceeds......