Merry Christmas!

To all my wonderful blog friends, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Pink Love

Here we go again!  With Granddaughter #3 scheduled to arrive on February 23rd, I have been thinking about her quilt.  I found the first piece at Miller's Dry Goods.  Her mama loves daisies and simple.

The next piece, Frosted Dots, came from the Fat Quarter Shop.  I've used this before.  It adds a little fun to a quilt and is really great for binding.

I am thinking pinwheels of some sort but can't seem to move beyond that.  It will be back to Miller's after Christmas for me for some more inspiration.  My head's on overload with the holidays approaching.

:o)

A Double Finish...and a Little Disappointment

I am very happy to report a couple of finishes.  Remember this...

and this...

and this...

And this...

 Well, I am finally finished.  I love these quilts and the little guys who will receive them.  Each printed square represents some event or time we've spent together.

Here is the older grandson's quilt...

 and the back...

 Here is the younger grandson's quilt...

 and the back...

One more...a little closer...

The disappointment?  I used Dream Wool batting.  I love Dream Wool and how it looks and feels after it has been quilted...so snuggly and warm.  After I gently washed and dried these two quilts, there seemed to be a lot of fuzz on the black Kona cotton squares.  So I got out my 3M lint roller and thoroughly went over the quilts.  The fuzz was not really fuzz but bearding by the wool batting through the black Kona cotton squares.  Of course, I couldn't get all the bearding off.  I have never had this happen before with other quilts but guess this is the only one (or two!) that I ever used this combination of a dark solid with Dream Wool.  Anyone else ever had this trouble?

Birthday Pillowcase #9

This is the final in the series of the 2011 pillowcase birthday gifts for the Amish children who live next door.  This pillowcase is for Sam who turned 13 this week.  Sam is the neatest kid...very quiet, sweet, and smart.  He is an amazing artist...can illustrate a family gathering with pencils and white paper...and the result is almost like a photograph.  You seldom see formal drawings or paintings by Amish artists.  They are a community of people who like sameness and blending in with the others.  An Amish person really doesn't want to stand out as an individual artist.  That being said 'art' appears anyway...in quilts, for example...or a simple house design...or in a flower garden.  At least this is what I have observed since moving here almost 7 years ago. 

Here is Sam's pillowcase.  He likes blue.

I took a chance and used a small plaid in his gift.  I think it was okay with his parents. 

:o)

William's Birthday Pillowcase

My neighbor's youngest child, William, just turned four this year.  It is hard to believe he is that old as Roscoe's Pa and I took Mom to the midwife for check ups for several months before William is born.  It seems like it was just yesterday.

My hubby actually was the one who took Mom to the hospital the night William was born, after they helped the mid-wife load a trailer of household possessions as the mid-wife was in the process of moving.  After the trailer was loaded, the three of them went to the Amish 'care center' where William was born.  Imagine being ready to deliver child #9 and stopping to help someone move out of their house.  Whew.  The Amish dad stayed home to care for the other 8 children.

Here is William's birthday pillowcase...grey which is a color he likes and a combination of many of the fabrics I used in his siblings' pillowcases.  See previous posts for the whole story!

Oh, did I mention Roscoe's Pa's first name is William!?!

:o)

Sewing Fun!

Sewing is a stressbuster, therapy, life balancer, and a blessing for me.  I got some stressful news last week.  It's not terrible news but it is life changing and I needed to wrap my arms around it.  After spinning my wheels for a couple of days...feeling bad that I couldn't concentrate on my 'to do' list (which gets a whole lot longer this time of year for most of us)...I abandoned all attempt at trying to accomplish anything that I 'needed' to do and retreated to my sewing room.  I grabbed the pink haired dolly that we are giving our granddaughter for Christmas and the sewing began!  Here are some pictures of this therapy session!

A Pink Dolly!



A Totebag with a Sleeping Bag Pocket and Pillow!



Dolly Daydreaming in the Sleeping Bag!



Dolly in Tutu!



A Happy Skirt and Vest

 

A Sun Dress!



And add a school skirt and a nightgown to the ensemble!

 

  Life goes on and my head is in a better place!

  :o)