Christmas stockings

December 9th - by 10 pm the amount of snow we had received since 11 am was unbelievable. 

The advantage of a week with snow: you can take care of your Christmas mail and I finally made the overdue stockings. I had made Helen and Sarah's when they were still living in our household. I had taken a class were I learned to do special stitches with my Pfaff. How many years ago was that? Several years later I made another "batch": Ben, William and Wade. Sarah's children were not yet on the horizon. Well, they are now. Caleb is 5 years old.

I found that they are not that difficult to make. By the third one it went fast. I started with the template I had made years ago on a grocery store paper bag. It would be easy though to draw a shape you like yourself. It's just good to keep it to make future family members exactly the same.

Cut out the shape from quilt batting. The inside of the stocking I cut a little larger. Make sure that you cut a second one with the fabric reversed. The outside of the back can be one piece too. The three layers of the back I just quilted criss-cross.

Then I covered the shape of the stocking just like you would make a crazy quilt. There are many tutorials on the internet but here is one youtube you might like.

When front and back are layered and quilted, all you have to do is put right sides together and sew around, turn.

Now the cuff!

Of course I had to ask my daughter what the children's favorite colors are. There dinner plates and cups are color coded! They know who's is who's. 

Cut the piece double wide to go all around the stocking. Of course thinking of the seam allowance. Write the name how you would like it on a piece of paper, folded in half so that you also have support on the back. Position it. 

The positioning was the hardest part so I would not end up with the name upside down. Nothing like making it visual for me.

Ready to do the "writing" with the free motion foot and the feed dogs down. I tried on a piece of scrap how wide the zig zack stitch should be. Go slow! Sometimes I even go forth and back when I was too fast and a line was too skimpy. You don't want the fabric to show through.

Sew the side seam of the cuff, iron and pin to attach. 

Again, I have to be visual. I put it round the outside first with the raw edge up to position it just perfect. Then I turn it inside and pin it. It's easy to forget to insert the hanger. I spread the ends of the hanger a little apart and around the corner a little to the back. That way the stocking hangs better.

There was a problem. Years earlier I had made Wade's stocking the other way. 

It took some doing but here is the row now.

Unfortunately the Virginia Tech fabric is now a bit upside down but I don't think my son-in-law minds.

That was fun. My husband said I should make some for us. May be during the next snow storm?

Finished

I wrote about the USA and German collaboration HERE! And now the quilt is finished. Just got a new knee and when you can't do anything else, you do hand-sewing. I had sewn on the binding and hanging sleeve with the machine before the operation. It's all about thinking forward.

And here it is hanging up on the wall. James was very eager to get it up there. He really likes this one.

Size: probably about 59 x 86 (forgot to measure before we hang it)

I also managed to finish the angels for the church bazaar. Only gluing was left to do. And make-up. Yeah!

The quilt Adventcalendar with Lace Ornaments

I can't believe it but I never posted my whole Adventcalendar here. I had to take these photos in May because somebody in Germany needed them.

The quilt itself is very easy. Different squares of green and beige fabric 5 x 5 inches, some HST. That's all. Oh yes, the stem and the border. After sewing the squares are 4.5 x 4.5 inches which made the quilt about 53.5 x 59 inches. If one wants a different size quilt, just calculate the size of the squares.

The dots in the photos are 24 round faceted glass beads sewn on to tie the ornaments to. I left them there for the rest of the year because they look a little like dew.

Circles have the numbers 1 to 24 ironed on.

Starting on December 1 the circle with the number of the day is turned around. My advent calendar gives me great joy every year.

These 24 ornaments are all Chrismons, Christian Symbols. The majority of the designs are from my friend Brigitte Bellon. Her name is known by all lacemakers world-wide. This project took me several years... while I also was working on the beaded ornaments. Brigitte supplied me with another design every so often.

Christmas is going to be here quicker than we think. So I thought I share this with you. Just in case ....

With great happiness did I learn that the patterns are going to be published by the
Deutscher Klöppelverband e. V.That's why my photo was needed for the front page. I can't wait to see it when it is finished.

In the meantime, Brigitte had given me permission to publish. And of course, some of the designs are my own. You can find them all HERE!

If you have any questions or you are going to use any of the designs, I would be very happy to hear from you.

Second Flowers in a Row quilt

The top is done. Another flower quilt. I have reported about the first one HERE!

Both are charity quilts sewn at the weekly Thursday Stitchers (as I have reported in the above link). The project started out with nothing but flowers which was just too much. I like this second version better. James calls it a green brick wall but I think it is nice.

And ... the piecing is finished! Yeah!
Now somebody else will do the quilting and binding.

USA and German collaboration!

Yeah! I finished it. The top is pieced. The needle is still hot. Question to my husband: Should I attempt to quilt it myself or should it be done properly? It is a keeper. It's going to a longarmer!

The 9 blocks in the middle was a BOW project from the National Quilters Circle. The blocks are 16 inches finished and were available on their FaceBook site: NQC Quilt Block Challenge

This quilt was called Pleiades (something about the universe). 

The group has 43,561 members. I had to join but I enjoyed very much to see everybody else's color choices. I learned so much. The designer's quilt looks totally different.

After I had finished the 9 blocks I didn't know what to do ... make 3 more to have a rectangle? Didn't want it square. I was sure about that. Set the blocks "on point"? I put them aside for a while.

Then it was time to finish an UFO.

As you have seen on my blog I am also participating in a German BOM. Actually it is a ROM. You can look at all my 6 Heads / 12 Blocks (ROM) postings. I am looking forward to that every month. Again, I learned so much. The patterns can be found HERE and you don't have to join.

Thanks to Nadra, Gesine, Verena, Andrea, Katharina and Dorthe.

There is also a FaceBook group Quilt-Along 6Köpfe-12Blöcke.  

So, long story short ... I used the months March (stars) and July (zigzag).

For the stars I used my new method of making a tube first and then cut the HST. What a time-saver! And so accurate. For both rows I used my method to sew corners. Another time-saver. That was a lot of fun. Both of my helpful tips you can find behind the tab on top: Quilt Tutorials/Patterns.

If you use those, please leave a comment for me. I would love some feedback. Are my explanations clear enough?

6 Heads / 12 Blocks (ROM) - August - again!

Every block you make, every pattern you attempt, has so many possibilities! Somehow its a blessing and a curse. So, no surprise, I started thinking ...

Yes, Nadra's lifesaver row. You need 10 blocks. If you use the same fabric for the whole row you need 40 HST. That means you have to trim 40 to the correct size because you make them a little larger.

We all know there are several ways to make HST.
~   Make 2 at a time... (as suggested in this pattern by Nadra. Perfect if you make every block in a different color.
~   Make 4 at a time.
~   Make 8 at a time (you can find the link under my Quilt Tutorials/Patterns tab above).
With all you really should trim them afterwards.

Here is another way!

Cut two strips WOF (width of fabric) from your two colors.
To know how wide to cut these put your ruler with the line of the size you need on your cutting mat. For this pattern we want 3 1/2 inch squares. You can see that the tip goes to 2 1/2 inches. Add two seam allowances and you know you need 3 inch strips.

Btw the ruler I am using for this is Debbie Tucker's Trimmer. I am sure there are others around too but I got this one and I would not want to be without.

Right sides together sew both sides so you have a tube. Press it nice and flat.

Now you can cut your half square triangles by lining up the ruler line with the sewing line. I am right handed so I usually cut the right side first. 

When you want to cut the next HST flip the strip and cut another.

Don't be too stingy with the material. Sometimes I find I have to trim a little on the left side too. Happens probably because the width of the strip is not totally correct. If you find the tip goes straight to the other sewing line you might just gently have to nude that one stitch appart after cutting. It happened to me when I tried my method on 3 inch HST.

In this case I got 16 HST out of one strip. Only a little waste from the beginning and end.

And none need truing up. Press open. Make sure you pile them up the same way so that you sew your larger square always in the right corner. Don't you love chain sewing?

As another participant on FaceBook said: it makes sense to do all the larger squares first. Otherwise a mix-up could easily happen.

And here is another time saver!

To make corner triangles (like flying geese or this one here) I neither draw a line or iron a crease. I take an index card!!! You find the helpful hint also under that tab Quilt Tutorials/Patterns.

The four parts are sewn together. 

I have a confession to make. The white fabric was so flimsy that I left it double. I only cut the blue back away. It worked really well and looked so much nicer.

Time to do the outside corners. Same technique. Index card!

Another confession. I am not sure what I was thinking when I made the first block. Flimsy white fabric in the middle but I cut the other two layers away. I wasn't happy with it at all. I decided to appliqué a heart. My boo-boo gives it just a little bit more interest. It's ok.

I think that is all. I hope you find this useful. 

And I would be very happy if you would leave a comment.

Another tip: The 4-at-a-time method and this method will produce HST with bias edges. This is not a problem for me because I use starch (Best Press) before I iron and cut. This makes the fabric nice and stable and easier to sew. 

In Honor of the Nashville wild duck couple

In a May blog I had talked about finding an egg from a wild duck couple in Nashville.

I had blown out the egg with my good old German gadget and intended to make it what James calls a negligée. I hang several with bobbinlace and tatting on my Easter tree every year.

Yesterday I went to my monthly lacemakers meeting in Williamsburg. A new person has joined us. She recently had started to tat and wanted to know how to do split rings. I promised her that I would show her. I have not done it in a while so I was a good girl and refreshed my memory the night before ... and yes, I still could do it.

So, I quickly came up with this pattern.

There are 6 daisies in a row. And here is how.

I "loaded" two shuttles with continues thread.

First daisy:

I made 1 ring with one shuttle=  5 p 5 p 2 p 2 p 5 p 5

Make 4 more rings=  5 jp 5 p 2 p 2 p 5 p 5

Now make a split ring. 

          with the same shuttle=  5 jp 5 p 2     

          with second shuttle=  5 jp 5 p 2

          close ring with first shuttle as usual

Next daisy:

Make split ring.

          with one shuttle=  2 p 5 p 5

          with second shuttle=  2 p 5 p 5

          close with first shuttle

Now make 2 rings with one shuttle and 2 rings with the other shuttle.

Split ring with both shuttles.

( p = picot, jp = join to picot )

The band of daisies was fixed to the egg doing work with the needle.

I made similar daisies for my daughter when she got married. I made the veil and my mother sewed the daisies to the edge. 

Helen looked so beautiful. And she was very happy with what we had made. That was in 2006.

Ha, that duck egg had started a chain of memories. 

6 Heads / 12 Blocks (ROM) - August

Lifesavers!
This design is from Nadra and you find it HERE!

Thank you for another cool pattern. This too would make a good border. Probably all 12 of them since they are rows. It was fun making.

I had made one and liked it. Oh oh, not enough fabric. That's the problem when you make a mystery quilt from stash. 

I had enough for 5 blue ones and then made 5 red 'lifesavers'. But then I was not sure about the arrangement.

I decided to 'audition' it with a couple of finished rows and decided on the second arrangement.

Oh well, the whole quilt will be an experiment anyway ... since I ran out of certain fabrics.

6 Heads / 12 Blocks (ROM) - July

I can't believe I forgot to blog about the July row. The designer is Gesine and this is her blog.

I love, love, love this design. It would make a perfect border for a quilt one day ... where the background fabric flows into the border.

I tried to arrange the now 7 rows. It is definitely difficult to use scraps when you don't know the overall design. There are 5 more rows/month to come and I ran out of several fabrics like the beige background with the little flowers. Gone. No more.

But so far I am very happy because I have learned a lot.

The Cotton Robin Big Reveal

Finally! You find the BIG REVEAL here on the Cotton Robin blog.

This is my center which I mailed to Julie the organizer in January. I included a button for the eye but of course did not sew it on (as the instructions said).

In March came a center to put a first border around. There was a note from the owner saying that she would preferred it to be 'on point'.

I decided to do that right away. It was on my design wall for quite a while ... trying out different things. I didn't like anything.

This is what I came up with. I mailed it to Diana in England who put the perfect 2nd border around. I just love the finished little quilt a lot.

May - this needs its second border. What am I going to do?

After a lot of thinking and rethinking! Tish then took it a step further when she quilted it. I like what she did too.

This is the 4th step. The one for me to quilt and finish. That part is for me the hardest. 

I started with drawing chalk lines and sewed some straight 'rays' from the sun. The chalk thing is something I bought in spring at the Hampton quilt show. You iron the lines away. After I have read so much about this marker and that marker ... disappearing to early ... or reappearing when you don't want it ... I am totally confused about marking.

I borrowed a ruler foot and templates from Becky and after some trying out used them for straight lines first and circles. I really liked the results. Better then I could have done it free-hand.

And I learned another new thing when I had done research on techniques. I have two kinds of self-threading needles (which I think are must-haves). One should not take the side-threading one to sew away threads in quilts. The needle could get hooked in the batting.

Done! Here is the back.

And the front.

Now all I have to do is wait for mine! 

And it has arrived!

And 2018 has already joined the little Cotton Robins from 2016 and 2017.

That was a lot of fun. Thank you, Julie. I hope we will do it again next year!