Bindings

If you've been reading my blog for any real length of time, you know that I really like to do bindings - so much so that I offer to do them for friends. It's really not just because it means that the quilt is almost done (yes, that feels good too!), but it's because I love how a binding can make a so-so quilt look awesome.

I participated in the 2019 Color Challenge hosted by Jen over at Patterns by Jen  What's kind of funny to me is that I don't really like sampler quilts, and that is exactly what this is. So what did I do? I made two blocks each month. I made the original block provided by Jen; and in the second one, I reversed the fabric placement. Here are a few examples...     

Even though we didn't have to sign up to finish and blog about our completed quilt, I decided to do so simply to give me the push to get them done. It really would be easy for me to set the blocks aside and then have them get shoved into the UFO abyss - AKA the "tub of shame." 

Both quilts are done and I'm happy with the results. I have to get some pictures, but that won't happen today. Instead, I'm going to give you a sneak peek at the bindings.  :-)

One of the quilts has a scrappy binding that is sew the traditional way - sewn to the front by machine and hand stitched to the back.

I used a flange binding (machine sewn to the back and then machine sewn to the front) for the second one. 

I can't decide which quilt/binding I like best!  :-)

2020 Color Challenge - There will be Prizes!

I'm participating in the 2020 Color Challenge and am excited!

I had a lot of fun this year and know that next year is going to be even more fun. HERE is more information from our hostess Jen of Patterns by Jen. 

Just like last year, I've jumped right in and signed up for months early in the year. I will be blogging about the challenge in January, February, and June. Of course I plan to blog about it every month, but those are the months for which I've committed.  :-) 

Like I did for 2019, I've signed up to complete the quilt and blog about that too. And just because I can, I am making two blocks per month and plan to make two quilts. 

So what does this all mean?

Each month, Jen will pick a color and a block and she will provide instructions on how to make that block. There are actually three options of colors this year - 

Original Version - two different shades of the same color

Black Background - two colors, but the background will be black

White Background - I'm guessing you can figure this out, right? 

Last year, I used fabrics from my stash, but I decided to mix it up a bit this year and only my background fabrics are from my stash. I also decided that all of the colors would be batiks and that all of those would be purchased from the same shop. I knew that I would be traveling to Once Upon a Quilt in Ft. Lauderdale in early December, so I decided to purchase all the batiks there and use the resulting quilts as a way to remember my trip. 

I had a blast during my workshop there, and met some wonderful people, especially Lisa, the owner. I'll share more about my trip and the shop each month, which will help keep me motivated and focused all year long. 

Besides me, am awesome group of bloggers have agreed to write up blog posts about the blocks and colors each month. This will allow you to see the block made up in all the same colors, but from different fabrics. I can't wait to see that! 

Jen is very clever and the 2020 colors have been assigned a bird to represent it. I think this is a great way to figure out what the color actually looks like. I just did a search of the birds and had a great visual for the color I'm trying to match. 

Like 2019, I'll provide some basic information about the bird including its habitat, sounds, and symbolism. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that my grandchildren LOVE to feed the birds and to watch them from our back room. I'm excited to be able to learn a lot about a lot of birds while making a beautiful quilt.  

Here are the 2020 Colors

2020 Monthly Colors

January - Finch (yellow)
February - Indigo Bunting (teal)
March - Oriole (orange)
April - Honey Creeper (purple)
May - Budgerigar (green)
June - Blue Bird (blue)
July -American Robin (rust)
August - Flamingo (pink)
September - Cinnamon Teal (cinnamon)
October - Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Olive)
November - Buff-breasted Sandpiper (buff)
December - Cardinal (red)

Here are Jen's Fabrics

(She has two for each month because she's doing the original version.)

Here are my fabrics

(Oops! I have a couple of fabrics out of place.) 

I am using a black batik for one background (top of picture) and a white on white print that I had in my stash for the other set of blocks. It's hard to see, but I decided to use the wrong side of the white fabric because I like it better. :-)

I know that you've been reading a lot and are wondering about the prizes that I mentioned earlier. There will be quarterly prizes this year, and all you have to do to be entered is join the link ups during the months within that quarters. (One link up enter per quilter each month, please.)

There are lots of sponsors, which means lots of prizes! 

Check out Jen's Blog for a list of sponsors. :-) 

So, are you going to join the fun and put lots of Color into 2020?

Planning Ahead

I decided to join the Color It Red Blog Hop that is being hosted by Carol over at Just Let Me Quilt. 

I've already been playing with project ideas, so stayed tuned for more information!

Finished!

As promised, here is a picture of the finished quilt that I made for Maggie's charity auction. I know it's very simple, but I sure do like these fabrics and the end result. Sometimes, simplicity is the best option. For the background on this quilt, click HERE. 

Of course it was snowing the morning I was taking the picture, but I couldn't wait because I had to get this baby in the mail and on it's way to Maggie.

While we were hanging this up, Jack asked if I had named the quilt yet.  I hadn't even thought of that, but figured he had an idea. For those of you who don't know, Jack is not only my wonderful husband, but he is also my official quilt namer, quilt holder, and binding fabric chooser. :-)  

I asked his thoughts and he said, "Blue Lagoon, because it is so peaceful and calming." Wow! That is exactly what I was hoping for when I chose these fabrics. Yay! I nailed it!  

I did decide to use this fabric for the binding, and I'm very happy with that decision. (I made that decision on my own, but Jack approved. lol)

I think it looks good on the front and back.

Speaking of the back, I had this wide backing from Wilmington Prints planned for another quilt, but decided to use it because it was perfect for this quilt. I'm sure I will find something else for the other quilt, which isn't even started yet.  

I've got a lot of irons in the fire, included that 2020 Monthly Color Challenge hosted by Jen at Patterns by Jen.  She's introduced the bloggers for next year and I'm one of them. Not only will there be monthly blocks with instructions, there will also be prizes. Oh, how we all love prizes! 

I have finished my two 2019 Color Challenge quilt tops and have already made the bindings. I just need to finish the actual quilting; and I hope to do that by the weekend. Be sure to check back for those pictures. 

Design Wall Monday

It's been a hectic couple of weeks here and I'm finally catching up. I'll share what's on my design wall today; and for the next couple of days, I'll share some of what I've been working while I've been away from blogging.

I'm in the process of quilting this project and then it will be donated to Jack's granddaughter who is organizing a charity auction for a co-worker's mother who is suffering from cancer. I needed something quick and a decent size, and I think this fits the bill. It measures about 70" x 85". I debated on whether or not to add a border, but I decided against it because I really didn't have enough of any fabric that I thought looked good, and I am kind of in a hurry to get it done. 

The woman who will benefit from the auction (I don't know her.), likes all shades of blue. I found some very pretty blue fabrics in my stash and since some of them include a touch of green, I decided to use green for the small squares. I am happy with the result. It's difficult to see in the picture, but the background fabric is a very light shade of blue.

Last year, I made this quilt for a similar auction that Maggie organized.

  

That quilt was larger (90" x 98") and I chose that one because I thought it fit perfectly for the person in whose honor the auction was being held - our son-in-law Jim. Jim loved the outdoors, whether he was hunting, fishing, or gardening. This quilt reminded me of serene waters and it made me smile. Unfortunately, Jim passed away a week before the auction, but it was held anyway. 

The winner of this quilt was one Maggie's work partner and she surprised us all when she gave the quilt to Maggie. It still makes me smile to know that this quilt is with Maggie and giving her comfort every day. I hope that the winner of this year's quilt feels the same way.

I'm thinking of this fabric for the binding, but I won't decide that until it's all quilted. It's got the right colors and is part of the same line as some of the fabrics I used. I'll decide and then post pictures later.

What are you working on today?

Check out some quilters eye candy at 

Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

and

Beth's Monday Making

Virtual Cookie Exchange

It's December, which means it's Christmas cookie time! Of course that also means that it's cookie exchange time. I'm thrilled to be participating in this year's Virtual Cookie Exchange.

Carol, of Just Let Me Quilt is our gracious hostess, and she's made the rules for this exchange simple and easy, which is just up my alley.  

I have seven grandchildren who all love to work in the kitchen. When they spend the night, they go to sleep having discussed the breakfast plan. It's usually pancakes made with grandpa or scrambled eggs made with me. Either way, they all love to help and unless we are in a hurry, I love to work with them.

They all like oreo cookies and just love the ones covered in chocolate. So what's a grandma to do? Let the kids make them, of course. 

They like the traditional style where the classic oreo is dipped in chocolate; but they also like the vanilla cookie dipped in chocolate. 

Since there are two different kinds, they differentiate between them by topping one of them with sprinkles. The flavor that is decorated changes each year, of course. It just makes life fun and interesting.

While I like the oreo cookies, one of my all time favorite cookies is a wonderful buttery shortbread-type sugar cookie. There are minimal ingredients which makes them quick and easy to make. The kids can help with these too, but I typically make the cookies and let them do the decorating. 

Just like so many cookies, it all stars with butter! You can substitute margarine, but I really do prefer butter. (I use salted butter, but you can use unsalted and then add a pinch of salt when mixing everything together.  

Here are the ingredients:

2 cups butter

1 cup powdered sugar

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla (or almond)

food coloring (optional)

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees

2) Cream butter and vanilla in bowl until fluffy

3) Add flour, powdered sugar, and cornstarch a little at a time, mixing after each addition. (You may find it necessary to knead the dough a bit to get a nice smooth consistency.)

4) If you are opting to use food coloring, divide the dough into however many different colors you are using, and knead in a few drops of coloring. 

5) Roll into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet (I don't like to use a non-stick cookie sheet.), and flatten with a fork or the bottom of a pretty glass. (If the dough sticks, dip the glass bottom in sugar before flattening the dough.)

6) Top with sprinkles, if desired.  

7) Bake for 20 minutes, or until cookies are firm, but not hard. 

8) Cool completely and let sit at least 24 hours before serving. (This is the hard part because I like them warm!) 

9) Once cooled, you can add frosting or glaze, if desired.

10) Enjoy!

Besides making cookies each year, my kids and grandkids get together one day the week before Christmas (depending on work schedules), and enjoy a day of games and other activities as well as a special meal.  

We typically enjoy shrimp cocktail and crab legs, along with some veggies. Last year, Lynn and Ty also made sushi, and that was fun. The grandkids all love the feast and enjoy being in the kitchen during the food prep. It's chaotic, but fun!

After we eat, we have our gift exchange and then relax and enjoy the rest of the day. Ok, it's usually not easy to relax with seven kids there, but we do have fun. We play with their gifts, play games, watch birds, etc. 

Every year, I try to make something new to celebrate Christmas; so this year, I made some napkins. 

I also made place mats using the scraps from the napkins. (This is a really bad picture, but I just couldn't get a picture to show that the background is a very light green batik. 

What are your family traditions? 

Whatever you do to celebrate, I hope that it involves family, good food, and lots of fun. 

Be sure to check all of the blogs and see what traditions, creations, and yummy recipes they share. 

December 2^nd

Creatin' in the Sticks

Ms P Designs USA

Home Sewn By Us

Vroomans Quilts

Cathie's Craftworks

Sew Many Yarns

Just Because Quilts

December 3^rd

Moosestash Quilting
Stitchin At Home

Barb – Hosted by Just Let Me Quilt

Hill Valley Quilter

Little Penguin Quilts

Everyone Deserves a Quilt

Selina Quilts

Count it *all* JOY!

Purring Cottage

December 4^th

Made By Marney

Homespun Hannah's Blog

Beaquilter

Cynthia's Creating Ark

Life in the Scrapatch

DesertSky Quilting

Sunlight in Winter Quilts

December 5^th

Quilt Doodle Designs

Ridge Top Quilt

Pumpkin Patch Patterns & Quilting
Websterquilt

Bumbleberry Stitches

Kathy's Kwilts and More

December 6^th

Just Let Me Quilt

Kris Loves Fabric

Domestic Felicity

Karrin’s Crazy World

Songbird Designs

Melva Loves Scraps

Brenda's Quilt Blog

Color Challenge - December

It's time for the December Color Challenge - the last one for the year! 

To play along, go to Jen's blog for the block pattern and instructions. 

You won't be disappointed!

December - Purple - Crocus

The crocus is one of the first flowers to emerge in the Spring; and it is often referred to as the light bulb flower because it looks like a bright light bulb until the petals open into the cup-shaped flowers. 

Because it brings the landscape alive with color after a long winter, the crocus is often looked at as a symbol of cheerfulness, joy, excitement, and glee.

Crocus can be white, yellow and purple; but it is the purple flowers that are considered one of nature's most precious treats. Historically, purple is a symbol of prestige and royalty, so the purple crocus is the perfect addition to Spring bouquets to celebrate special occasions.  

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Here are my fabrics - a solid light purple from my stash and a fat quarter of Purple Starlet from Blank Quilting. (I've been using fat quarters from the Starlet line for each month and I'm still happy with my choice.) I'm thrilled that I've been able to use stash fabric for my solid fabrics all 12 months! WooHoo!!

I love to see all the units of a block sewn together and ready to be laid out and sewn together to create a finished block. It motivates me to sew. :-) This month is super simple!

The completed block! As usual, I just love how the Starlet fabric looks in these blocks. Just like every other month, I've sewn the original block plus a second block that has the opposite or different fabric placement.  Here's the original block.

And here's the "opposite" block.

As has been the case each month, it's a subtle difference this month, but it can make a big difference in a final quilt layout.

Check out these other bloggers who made blocks this month. Be sure to come back in January to see how we've put the blocks together into awesome quilts! 

Patterns By Jen

the Geeky Bobbin

Two Maker Chicks

Ali & CC

Scrapdash

The Quilted Diary