Christmas Placemats!

I used a jelly roll of Garland by Cotton and Steel to make these placemats.

I selected 4 strips and stitched them together into a strip set.

Then I took a 60 degree triangle ruler and cut wedges from the strip set.  You get enough wedges from one strip set to make a placemat.  (6)

I love how they all turned out so differently.  I made six!  I had used some of the strips to make the tree cushion covers that I made this Christmas.  The size of the placemats is perfect.  I like them so much that I am going to make another set of six for our ever growing family.  

We had such a lovely snow event a couple of days ago.  It is like a winter wonderland here in our neck of the woods!  

Thank you for stopping by and I wish you all a Happy New Year filled with blessings of health and happiness.  Lots of sewing time too of course!

Love

Chantal

A Christmas Tree Quilt Finish!

I have finally quilted what might just be the oldest item on my UFO list.  I have been wanting to learn how to quilt feathers in forever!  I decided that I was prepared to sacrifice this top in case the feathers did not turn out well. 

I am happy to say it was not a sacrifice.  It took me four weeks and many hours of quilting to get this one done as it is quilted within an inch of it's life.

I used a tartan plaid fabric for the borders which I really like.

The lighting was perfect to show off the quilting.  I think I have mastered feathers and I certainly will be doing them again in future quilt projects.

I have been working on many Christmas gifts.  Hence the radio silence from me.  Most everything is secret!!!!

I hope you are all having fun making "secret" sewing projects for loved ones.  

Love

Chantal

Temperature Afghan Progress.

I started making a temperature afghan for two of my children and myself in July of this year.  We all live in different parts of the country.  It has been an interesting exercise.  This is the afghan for Texas.

Here is New Hampshire.  Look how much cooler the colors are.

Here is California.  Just cruising along in the 70's.  

I am happy to say that I am completely up to date with all three afghans.  I don't think my kids read my blog - this is a present for next Christmas.  That will give me time to make all the half-hexies and do the border.  

Thank you for visiting.

Love

Chantal

A Cheerful HST Finish!

We have had quiet a bit of rain recently which makes taking good pictures nigh impossible.   You don't want to put your lovely finish down in this!  

So I apologize for the tacky pictures taken in my sewing room.  These HST's were off cuts from a large quilt that I have made.  With my inability to throw out even small scraps I made this wall hanging/ table runner.  

It is densely quilted with pebbles and figure 8's.  I am thrilled with the yellow binding.  Very cheerful and bright.

Thank you for visiting.

Love

Chantal

A Pink Piggy!

Guess why I knitted a pink Piggy!

That's right!  I'm going to be a GRANDMA for the first time!  My eldest son and his sweet wife are expecting a baby in April of next year.  

I can barely contain my excitement.  Of course I have started making baby things.  I think this baby is a girl.  If not, well pigs are pink!  I will be making more farmyard animals.  This was so fun.  

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.

Love

Chantal

A Nine Patch Finish!

I really like nine patches.  They are so simple but remind me of a more traditional patchwork time.  I finally got to baste and quilt this lovely.  It has been in the top queue waiting it's turn.

I used two stencil blocks in the turquoise grunge blocks.  I meander quilted the nine patches.  The background Moda Solid Butter on the nine patches served as my inspiration for thread color choice.  

Here you can see more quilting detail.

The binding is the turquoise grunge.  The backing is an ivory grunge.  The leaves have succumbed to the howling wind which we have had for the past few days.  But at least there is a little bit of color to be seen.  

Thank you for stopping by to visit. 

Love

Chantal

This and That!

I have been busy quilting a top that had been in the queue for a while now.  I have run out of thread!!!!  Oh well, more is on it's way.  I thought I had more but it is a slightly different shade of the same color.  I almost carried on with it but I knew I would hate that I did not wait.  So I wait!  

Meanwhile, I decided some kitchen cloths for stocking stuffers should get knitted.  I love a quick finish and it is so lovely to have mindless knitting while watching TV.  I have three completed already.  I finished another one last night after this picture was taken.   I am using "I Love this Cotton" from Hobby Lobby.  They have some really lovely shades.

I have been driving around a fair bit this week to enjoy the fall foliage.  It does not disappoint.  Look at this flaming tree.  Awe inspiring!

Our town of Chester has a Scarecrow festival every October.  Many visitors come by to look at all the lovely displays.  Here are two folk near the library.

The library itself has done a wonderful job with storybook characters. 

So cute that I could not resist sharing these with you.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.  Next week I will be back with another finish!  

Love

Chantal

Improv Christmas Quilt Finish.

Shortly after Christmas last year, still giddy with Christmas spirit, I decided to try an improv technique on making trees.  A sweet friend,  Ellyn, had made blocks like this and I was intrigued.  She posted a link to Amy Smart's Blog http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2014/11/patchwork-tree-quilt-block-tutorial.html where there is a tutorial to make these blocks.    They are so much fun to make and really worked up quickly.  I finished the top in no time at all and even made the scrappy binding to match.  Then it got hung with all the other quilt tops that need quilting.....

Well since the season is almost upon us, I decided to quilt the top.  Hopefully you can see some of the quilting in the next two pictures.  My fabric was selected to hopefully make a bit of a vintage looking quilt.  

I used a variegated green thread from Connecting Threads to free motion machine quilt this wall hanging.  I am so pleased to have this done well in time to hang up for Christmas.  I have two more Christmas tops to quilt that I hope to finish before Christmas.  I am on a roll with this quilting at the moment.  A third top is basted and ready to start quilting.

Meanwhile, yes, the seasonal change is well underway in our little corner of the world.  The vibrant green maples have a decidedly burgundy blush to them.  The colors are so wonderful.

I wish you a very happy weekend.  

Love

Chantal

A Fall Quilt Finish!

In my last post I spoke about basting a fall tumbler quilt.  Well, we had a rainy weekend so I managed to get a bunch of quilting done.   Actually, I finished quilting it.  

Since this is a scrappy quilt made out of all kinds and quality of fall fabrics I decided to just go ahead with an allover swirly design.  I used an apricot color for the quilting.  I chose a burgundy with fall leaves on it for the binding.  

I wish the trees in the background looked a bit more fallish!  I will take a picture again when the leaves have changed.

I pieced the backing on this quilt.  I had a charming scarecrow fabric which I thought would be a great addition to the fall quilt.

They are so cute!  I am so thrilled with this finish.  It feels lovely and soft and I am looking forward to snuggling on the sofa under this one.  

I have chosen the next top to quilt and have started rolling the layers onto the pipes.  I need to piece the backing and then the basting fun can start again.  My batting is large enough to get a wall hanging out of it too.  Will baste that one also and then I can get busy with the quilting.

Thank you for visiting and have a super, productive sewing week.

Love

Chantal

I Went to the Basement and a Baste!

I went down to the Basement looking for a piece of fabric I knew was down there for a backing.  I found the fabric and then came across a quilt I had started Foundation Paper Piecing a couple of years ago.  The bag contained all the fabric and most of it was already cut out.  I thought I would take it upstairs and finish it.  

I took it upstairs and started unpacking the bag looking at all the pieces etc and found to my horror that I had only made ONE block.  Well, if I hadn't have cut all the fabric out I would have made it into a cushion cover and called it a day.  So, I started making blocks and am really enjoying the FPP again.  It is a Christmas quilt and might just be done in time for Christmas.

I basted a quilt yesterday all ready to start quilting.  It is a fall quilt of tumblers - fairly big tumblers in fall fabric from my stash.  I used a new to me method of basting.  I rolled the backing, batting and top onto individual plumbing tubes covered in foam which my dear husband helped me make.  I thought I would be sitting at the dining room table basting this but it turns out this quilt was too large for that so I still did it on the floor but it was so much more manageable.  I usually use another person to help me layer the quilt, but all my chickens are away.  So I have had to come up with a method where I can keep the whole sandwich taught and straight.  This worked like a champion.  I have kitties that love to help by walking all over the layered quilt making it wonky.

I hope you are having a good week and I wish you a wonderful weekend.  Thank you for visiting.

Love

Chantal

Another Finished Top!

In my quest to finish half started projects, I have finished Double Diamonds.  It is a Missouri Star Quilt Company pattern made from Blueberry Park.

I really like this fabric.  See all the snowballing that had to happen?  Well of course I saved all the triangles and sewed them into half triangle squares.  My waste will become yet another wall hanging.

I had four very ripe bananas and because my baking daughter is away at college, I had to get stuck in myself and put those puppies to good use.  

I hope you are all having a nice day.

Seaside Fun!

My Niece and her husband spent three days with us over the weekend.  They are from Australia.  We took them to visit Nubble lighthouse in Maine yesterday.  It is about an hour from where we live in New Hampshire.

The day was beautiful if a bit windy.  Warm and sunny.  This is the ice-cream shop and restaurant.  We had to have some ice-cream.  The maple walnut was delicious.  

There is a gift shop!  Oh how I love gift shops.  Sitting outside the gift shop was a gentleman selling prints of the paintings he has done of Nubble Lighthouse.  He personalizes your print for you by adding a name onto the boat in the picture.  When my husband was young he and his dad had a little sailing boat.  I thought it would be lovely to put the name onto the little boat in the picture.  Such a lovely touch.  What a charming gentleman too.  I am thrilled with my purchase.  

We had a lovely outing and it was great to see the ocean.

Simply Moderne!

I really like Simply Moderne magazine.  It's a Quiltmania publication.  I want to make several quilts from each magazine.  Well I needed a table runner and there was the perfect foundation pieced one in the latest issue. 

I selected some lovely warm brights and some  neutrals.

It came together fairly quickly.  Not too much frogging.  The pattern calls for six blocks in a row.  So I shortened it to fit on my table.

I quilted it with a lemon colored thread which is a bit difficult to see in the photograph.  I am beyond thrilled with this.  From start to finish in three days.