2010 in Review

Here is the obligatory mosaic of some of my best crafty bits from 2010. I'm actually very pleased I figured out how to make one of these. 1. Raw Edge Circle Quilt top, 2. Redbud Blossoms Quilt, 3. Tickertape Doll Quilt 3, 4. Camera Case Wristlet, 5. Hexagon pillow, 6. Summer Sunshine, closeup, 7. Pure Baby Boy, 8. Summer Sorbet, 9. String Pieced Pillow, 10. Voile and Linen Sewing Machine Cover, 11. Neptune Quilt, closer view, 12. Out for a Walk #2, 13. Plume Sails, 14. Quilted French Press Cozy, 15. Be Merry mug rug, 16. tickertape doll quilt, 17. My First Bee Quilt, 18. Scrappy Squares Baby Quilt, 2, 19. Coordinating Bunting, Pillow and Quilt, 20. tickertape mini quilt, 21. Around Town, 22. Busytown Quilt, 23. Ruffled Wristlet Keychains, 24. whirligig doll quilt - close up, 25. Monogram Pillow

Thanks to each of you for visiting my little blog over the past year and for all your kind comments both online and off.

New Fabrics

Christmas and birthday money didn't last long in my hot little hands. I found these lovelies at an online store I've mentioned before. Does anyone else have trouble envisioning scale when shopping online? Some prints turned out to be larger and some smaller than I had imagined. Other than that I'm thoroughly pleased.
Here we have Zen Garden from Sanctuary and Dreaming in French, Praline in Fruity

I'm collecting fabrics from a gray and yellow quilt. From left to right these are Wave from Impressions by Ty Pennington, Spider mum from Day and Night 3, and Zen Garden from Sanctuary.
This is another Spider mum from Day and Night 3. I can't pass up brown, blue and white.
The top two here are Glass Tiles from Sanctuary and the bottom one is from Amy Butler's new line Soul Blossoms, called Dancing Paisley.
And finally, I swapped with a very nice lady on flickr for these amazing Indian fabrics (yes, as in India, taking a month to arrive by mail). The top two are hand block printed and have a really interesting nubby texture. The bottom is like a voile. Gorgeous!

Under the Tree

Merry Christmas to you all!

I think quilters are easy to please at Christmas time. Here are just a few of my goodies under the tree.Now if only I could find a little time to work on this.

Over the River

and several states, as a matter of fact. I'm off on a trip until Christmas, but before I go, I thought you might like to see some proof that I do other crafts, besides sewing (although that is my main squeeze). I had a chance to take a ceramics class a while ago. I love to make pottery! These were some of the pieces I made in the class. It was Ceramics 101, so these are definitely beginner pieces. I hope to have the opportunity to do another class someday. It was so, so fun.

These plates make me think of a quilt - half square triangles!The carving on this piece also makes me think of quilting patterns.After my trip, I hope to finish piecing a new, fun baby quilt I've started! See you then.

Handmade Christmas Wraps Up

I think I'm done with my handmade Christmas gift to do list! I completed this snowman kit for my little boys. Just in time too, since we had our first taste of snow last night. I got the idea from Make It Do.
And finally, a hostess gift for a party I'm attending tomorrow night. I had another item in mind originally, but once again Krista's cute wall hanging was on my brain. It is 12 x 15 just like hers.

Not on the List

Creative craft bloggers are killing me. Seriously, too much cuteness. I have several items still to make on my handmade Christmas list, but instead of knocking them out, I'm making things like this, thanks to this post on Krista's blog.Gah! And I just saw this, which I now need to make for each of my boys.

Handmade Christmas Continues

23 days until Christmas, and I've marked a couple more handmade gifts off my list. The first is a request from my grandmother who loves her tea, like me. I made her a quilted tea cozy.
This is my own design, and it allows the cozy to stay on while you pour. I think a redesign may be in order when I have time. I originally made it to be reversible, and while I like that there are no exposed seams, it was a real pain to put together! This is first time I quilted a tea cozy and used Insul-brite. Both give it a nice body. The outer fabric is Love by Amy Butler.

The next gift is a laundry bag. Many of my family members travel frequently, and I thought laundry bags would be useful to keep clean and dirty clothes separate in their suitcases. I used a new to me fabric - osnaberg. It is a utility fabric that is loosely woven and breathable, perfect for this application. I learned about this fabric when Jacquie did a presentation on solids for the KCMQG. They are simple drawstring bags with french seams. Just throw them in the wash along with the clothes, when you get home from your trip.

I used a new embellishment technique (ala Comfort Stitching and Rosaechocolat). Basically, it is fusible applique, but instead of stitching around the edges with a zigzag or blanket stitch, you "sketch" with black thread. It is a fun effect. I'll definitely be using it again. As you can see I've got a few more - for the whole family - to finish up.