sew what's new?

WELL I FINISHED LAST SATURDAY'S BLOCK ONLY TO BE DISAPPOINTED THAT MY POINTS WERE CUT OFF.  SO I MIGHT USE IT AS MY LABEL AND CUT IT DOWN.  SO THEN I DID ANOTHER. THIS  ONE WAS ALRIGHT.  SO I BORDERED IT.  I ALSO DID A LITTLE WORK ON PUTTING SOME OF IT TOGETHER . AS YOU CAN SEE BELOW I DID GET THE ORNAMENTS ON THE TREE!  WENT AND DID A LITTLE SHOPPING  AND A WHOLE LOT OF LOOKING. GOT A LITTLE MORE IN THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS TODAY .   STILL NO SNOW, BUT WITH A WEATHERMAN PROMISE OF SOME THURSDAY NIGHT,  I WILL BELIEVE IT WHEN I SEE IT.     MARTHA

GOT THE CHRISTMAS TREE OUT AND SOME DECORATIONS  AND WENT TO WORK ON THE HOUSE.  PUT UP SOME CHRISTMAS QUILTS TOO,OF COURSE. THAT LITTLE TREE IS LEON'S MOTHER'S TREE SHE MADE IN A CERAMIC'S CLASS .  THE ONLY CLASS SHE EVER TOOK,  JOYCE COVERT WAS HER FRIENDS NAME THAT DRUG HER TO THE CLASS. PUT UP THIS SMALL QUILT IN THE LIVING ROOM.  AND A LARGER ONE IN THE HALLWAY  AND PUT EVERGREEN ON STAIRWAY LEADING UP TO IT. I ALSO FINISHED PUTTING ALL ORNAMENTS ON TREE   BEFORE I MADE SUPPER.  SOME WHERE DURING THE DAY I MANAGED TO GO TO THE POST OFFICE,  CUB FOODS AND WAL-MART.  TONIGHT IS NCIS AND  I THINK I WILL SIT DOWN AND WATCH IT!   BY THE WAY ALL MY CHRISTMAS CARDS ARE OUT!    MARTHA

 I DID NOT GET MUCH ACCOMPLISHED TODAY.  KINDA LIKE ONE STEP FORWARD AND TWO STEPS BACK  SORT OF DAY.   I MADE A COUPLE OF SANTA  PAPER PIECED ORNAMENTS.  WHEN I WENT TO IRON THEM AND SPRAYED THEM WITH BEST PRESS ,GUESS WHAT HAPPENED? THE RED FABRIC RAN!  SO NOW WILL WAIT UNTIL I HAVE ALL OF THEM DONE AND WASH THEM WITH A COLOR CATCHER ,  OH WELL. FINISHED QUILTING AND BINDING  THE TWO TABLE TOPPERS FROM LAST POST. PUT A RIBBON ON MY WREATH AND FREEHAND QUILTED HOLLY AND BERRIES AROUND IT .  I DON'T DO MUCH FREEHAND  QUILTING , I USUALLY STICK TO THE DITCH OR 1/4 " AWAY.  JUST WANTED TO TRY SOMETHING EXTRA. DID A LITTLE BIG STITCH QUILTING IN CENTER AND ALSO SOME STITCH IN THE DITCH QUILTING.  THEN BOUND IT. STILL HAVE NOT GOT CHRISTMAS TREE OR DECORATIONS OUT.  MIGHT TRY THAT TOMORROW.  WENT TO MY CIVIL WAR GROUP MEETING TODAY.  IT WAS THE LAST ONE.  THE STORE WHERE I PARTICIPATE AT IS NOT HAVING ONE NEXT YEAR.  I WILL MISS IT.    ALL FOR NOW,MARTHA

CANDLE MATS AND TABLE TOPPERS ARE ON MY TO DO LIST FOR CHRISTMAS. THIS IS A TWISTER PATTERN I FOUND ONLINE ON ONE OF MY QUILT CLUBS.  IT CAN BE DONE WITH ANY SIZE TWISTER RULER.( REGULAR RULER- 5" SQUARE;  MY MINI RULER -3 1/2" SQUARES)  .  HERE IS A COPY OF THE DIAGRAM FOR PLACEMENT OF THE GREENS FOR THE WREATH.  THIS IS BEFORE YOU CUT YOUR SQUARES   WITH YOUR RULER. THEY ALSO GAVE A DIAGRAM OF A CHRISTMAS TREE DO WITH THE TWISTER RULER. I HAVE NOT TRIED THAT ONE YET. WITH THIS ONE I DECIDED THE MIDDLE NEEDED SOME WOOL APPLIQUE. DOWN LOADED THE BLOCK FROM BARBARA BRACKMAN WILL TRY TO DO THAT TOMORROW.  THERE IS SO MUCH INFORMATION OUT THERE JUST FINDING THE TIME SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST.  I HOPE YOU ALL ARE BEING SAFE THIS SEASON AND THRIFTY!  MARTHA

  Wishing you all a peaceful  and happy Thanksgiving!!  May your day be filled with family and friends.  May God also  give  you a loving inner peace.   Martha

ARE YOU GOING OUT TO FACE THE CROWDS ON BLACK FRIDAY?  I THINK I WILL STAY HOME  AND SEW!!  FINISHED THOSE TWO MUG RUGS. I ALSO FINISHED THE PILLOW I WAS WORKING ON.  SO IT IS TIME TO NOT ONLY WORK ON MY BARBARA BRACKMAN BUT ALSO START SOMETHING WITH SOME HANDWORK IN IT. ISN'T SHE A BEAUTY? ALL FOR NOW, MARTHA

FINISHED THE BINDING LAST NIGHT WHILE WATCHING BOARDWALK EMPIRE, LOVE THAT SHOW.  FINISHED MY BARBARA BRACKMAN BLOCK FROM SATURDAY. I THEN STARTED ON SOME CHRISTMAS MUG RUGS! I MADE MYSELF SOME CIRCLE TEMPLATES AND THEN CUT OUT MY CIRCLES. I MADE MY SWIRL TEMPLATES AND MARKED WHICH POINT WAS THE CENTER. DREW  ON HEAT N BOND, THE 3 PIECES NEEDED FOR EACH MUG RUG.  THEN IRONED ONTO BACK OF WHITE MATERIAL AND CUT OUT EACH WHITE PIECE.  PLACED EACH WHITE PIECE ONTO RED AND GREEN CIRCLES CAREFULLY SO CENTERS ARE JUST TOUCHING.  IF A LITTLE OFF ON EDGE YOU CAN ALWAYS TRIM IT OFF! I SATIN STITCHED DOWN THE WHITE RAW EDGES. I THEN MADE A SANDWICH OF TWO LAYERS OF BATTING AND ONE BACKING AND THE TOP. I DID USE A SOLID FABRIC BACKING. TO QUILT IT ,  I JUST FOLLOWED THE CURVE IN EACH  COLORED SECTION. ONCE QUILTED I ADDED BINDING. I WILL SEW  DOWN THAT ,  WHILE I WATCH WAREHOUSE 13 TONIGHT!  THESE ARE JUST BIG ENOUGH THAT A COUPLE OF COOKIES AND A CUP OF HOT COCOA WILL FIT. 

LOOKING OUT MY SEWING ROOM WINDOW THERE IS SNOW!  REMEMBER THE BACK OF THIS QUILT THAT I COULD NOT SHOW YOU BEFORE?  NOW I CAN ,  IT IS ON ITS WAY TO ITS NEW OWNERS.  A FRIEND OF MINE HAS A HUSBAND WHO JUST LOVES THE GRINCH AND I SOME TIMES THINK HE BELIEVES THAT HE IS ONE ALSO. SOOOO, I HAD MADE HER A QUILT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND DECIDED IT WAS HIS TURN.  I HAVE NOW MOVED ON TO TABLE TOPPERS AND CANDLE MATS.  I HAVE SEVERAL OF ONE KIND TO MAKE  AND DO NOT WISH TO GO OUT IN THE COLD TODAY.  SO ONE OF THEM WILL BE SATIN STITCH AND  THE REST WILL JUST HAVE A SMALL ZIG ZAG AROUND THE EDGE , BECAUSE I AM LOW ON TEAL THREAD. SOME JUST HAVE DIFFERENT BACKROUNDS. YOU WILL NEED SOME EMBROIDERY THREAD (COOTON OR RAYON OR SILK)  A NEW SHARP NEEDLE, SOME TEAR A WAY STABILIZER.  I USED A ZIG ZAG STITCH AND MODIFIED IT TO THE SETTINGS SHOWN ,2.0 WIDE AND .5 LONG .  USE WHAT YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR MACHINE.  WITH A BERNINA YOU SHOULD PUT COTTON  BOBBIN THREAD THRU HOLE I

THE BARBARA BRACKMAN BLOCK # 46 IS CALLED SOUR APPLE TREE. SINCE WE ARE GETTING SO CLOSE TO BEING DONE WITH INDIVIDUAL BLOCKS , I HAVE MADE SOME DECISIONS ON SETTINGS.  AT FIRST I WAS NOT GOING TO HAVE SASHING ,  HOWEVER NOW I WILL NOT ONLY HAVE SASHINGS BUT ALSO CORNERSTONES.   I PICKED A SMALL NINE-PATCH AS MY CORNERSTONE . THREE RAILS AS MY SASHING.  MY STRIPS ARE 1 1/2 " WIDE.   I WENT WITH A BROWN WITH RED DOTS OF COLOR AND  A LIGHTER BACKROUND WITH BROWN PAISLEY FIGURE ON IT. THESE WILL BE MY NINE-PATCH CORNERSTONES. MY SASHING STRIPS ARE ALSO 1 1/2" WIDE EACH  ; A TEA STAINED OFF WHITE WITH A RED PRINT. HERE ARE FOUR BLOCKS TOGETHER ,  MAYBE WITH A LITTLE MORE SEWING TIME,  I WILL HAVE SOMETHING SOON FOR YOU TO LOOK  AT!   NOW I  AM OFF TO BAKE SOME PUMKIN COOKIES FOR MY HUBBY.      MARTHA