Been working away on the pink baby quilt. Got the baby owl prepped and am now appliqueing her to onto her tree branch. She has a sort of Cindi Lauper vibe to her. At least I tried to give her one.
Sissy
Monthly Archives: December 2015
They say it’s a girl!
So this is what I have been up to today. A pink baby quilt because after all “They say it’s a girl!”. Taking a break now to move around. It’s raining out and thundering nice and cozy feeling inside.
Catch you later.
Sissy Malone
Merry Christmas Everyone
I awoke this morning feeling very blessed by God. I have so many things to be thankful for. I have wonderful friends, I have family I love and I kicked breast cancer to the curb. But most of all I am thankful for the gift God gave me of being able to quilt. That is my true passion. I am so at home in my sewing room. Sometimes I have to force myself to get up and move around, go outside soak in sunshine. It’s just difficult to pull myself away from a project once I become engrossed in it. I have been able to complete many quilt tops this year. They will be my legacy for my nieces and nephews. Heads up nieces and nephews be nice to your Aunt Sissy!
I made up a December Project To Do List, yes I have ocd and I love my lists. They keep me on track. Today I finished all items on my list. And yes, I have a list already made up for January 2016. 🙂 Feeling pretty smug!
Today was absolutely gorgeous. Not quite sure where we topped out but probably close to 70 degrees F. I sat outside for awhile in my rocking chair on the porch soaking in the sunshine. Christmas day and I’m wearing a t-shirt. Wow.
I have two whole days to devote to my January 2016 list!. Pretty excited about that. I am hoping to complete at least 12 quilts this year. Some new and some UFO’s. Some for me some to be surprises for my friends.
Merry Christmas everyone and wishing you a blessed 2016!
Sissy Malone
Fabric Shopping
My view when I got up this morning. Beautiful sunrise.
Morning coffee in hand, headed to sewing room.
First off let me say, I LOVE FABRIC. I like to touch it, feel it, look at it, drool over it. There’s nothing I don’t like about fabric except maybe when it bleeds when washed. I have an impressive stash that I have accumulated over the years and am seriously attempting to use it up. You would think that when I needed a certain color I could just browse through the stash and voila there it is. Yet there I was faced with the dillema of not having just the right color and scale of print for my princess quilt. Which in turn meant a trip to the fabric store. I had to go anyway because I messed up my cutting on the Saturday Sampler 2016. But never would I have thought I had to go because I did not have just what I needed in my stash. I guess it means I am using up my stash. That’s a good thing. So off I went to the fabric store and got everything I needed or close enough. I had a picture in my head of just what I wanted but I guess they haven’t designed that fabric yet. So I improvised. But in the process of shopping for just that right fabric I discovered many beautiful fabrics and it was very difficult to leave them in the store. I had to remind myself we are finishing UFO’s and trying to utilize what is in the stash. Most times I’m successful, most times. Today was one of those.
I got my Saturday Sampler 2016 piece of fabric and pieced the block together last night.
I think it’s going to be lovely, vibrant quilt and am looking forward to it’s completion.
Plan for today is piece Story Tellers BOM and prep the castle block for the Princess quilt.
Shout out to my sister, Melynda, it’s her birthday today. I am sooo glad you were born! We are twins now until my birthday in January. Yep, we were born in the same year. My first Christmas I got my very own live baby doll.!
Love your Sissy.
Happy Stitches Everyone!
Sissy
Cookies Prepping & Mistakes
Got most of my Christmas cookies baked this past weekend. Still have one batch of “Pill Bottle” cookies to make.
I also finished prepping my first block for “A Boy and A Girl” quilt. I am totally in love.
And then there is my Mistake…… argh…..
Got up early this a.m. specifically to cut out and piece my first block in my Saturday Sample 2016. Did not cut the background fabric in the order of large pieces first and now I do not have enough to cut the final 4 7/8″ square. Argh……. Just will have to buy extra background fabric. Note to self. Don’t attempt anything before consumption of full cup of morning Joe.
Have a wonderful day!
Sissy
Delayed Gratification
I have all but one thing finished on my December “To Do” list. Start Princess Quilt. That will also get accomplished. I find myself adding to the list as I move through accomplishing the items. Good feeling.
I finished Saturday Sampler 2015 top completed the borders, made the binding and it is ready to go to Vickie Clancy who does my quilting for me. I also have 4 other tops heading her way for 2016. I am on a roll. Signing up for the UFO group has had such positive influence on me. I highly recommend joining a similar group if you have projects lying about in varying degrees of incompletion. I finished many projects this past year. I will post later in December a recap of this year.
Here is my Saturday Sampler 2015
Now onward and forward.
I’m so excited! I’m singing the Pointers Sisters song in my head. Just not in the context the song was meant.
On my December list was to cut out the background for “A Boy and a Girl” quilt. I completed that but just could not resist getting started prepping block one. My fingers have been itching to get started on this quilt for 7 months now but I have stayed the course and the finished working on my UFO projects as well as projects that popped up needing done in between. My personal delayed gratification proving to myself I do possess self restraint when necessary. Thank goodness it’s not always necessary! Life would be just way too challenging if I had to deny myself things I enjoy too often.
I haven’t gotten far but what I have accomplished is several hours worth of prep. I traced the pattern on the background fabric using a water soluable pen. When I am finished appliqueing the pieces I will hand wash the block to get the starch , glue and markings removed. I made my freezer paper templates ( I actually remembered to reverse the pattern on the light box) I have a note to myself to remind me because I have forgotten once or twice and had to create my own version. I have pressed the freezer paper template to all the fabrics and am now at the stage of trimming the fabric to within 1/4″ around the freezer paper getting it ready for the starch and press. I also have to make 16 of those pink circles and 8 more a little bigger in a different fabric. Hopefully I will get those done this weekend.
Today I am baking Christmas cookies so not much sewing getting done. But at least I got to play with “A Boy and A Girl” and it only whetted my enthusiasm for this quilt.
P.S. my new rescue kitty, Yum-Yum, has an affinity for knocking my Shamrock plant to the floor and dirt is everywhere. The poor plant is down to roots with just a little dirt. Twice in one day was just a bit much for me to take so I texted the lady I got her from and the response was “no refunds, no exchanges”. I had to laugh. I have since moved the plant to yet another location and when I got home last night it was still intact. Yum-Yum got to stay another night. 🙂
Happy Stitches Everyone and Happy Holidays
Sissy
December Project Progress
December To Do List
- Put Binding on Quackers (completed 11/26)
- Put binding on Row by Row (completed 11-29)
- Sew Backing for Autumn Joy & prepare binding (completed 11-29)
- Sew 2 months of Story tellers BOM (completed 11-30)
- Set together Saturday Sampler 2015 (working on today)
- Purchase more basting glue
- Purchase 2016 Saturday Sampler 1st block
- Sew backing for Bear Hollow and prepare binding
- Start Princess Quilt
- Cut background fabric for A Boy & A Girl
- CLEAN SEWING ROOM!
Wow already at # 5 on list. Clipping right along. I am on vacation today and tomorrow so I am hopeful of having my list completed by Monday 12/7. So instead of starting Princess Quilt I will be able to get it completed this month. That will be wonderful.
Today I am working on the 2015 Saturday Sampler from our local quilt shop. How it works is you purchase month 1 block in December and then show up in Jan the 1st saturday of the month show your completed block and get the second block pattern and fabrics no charge. Of course you have to purchase the background fabric, and the setting pattern and the fabrics for the setting and perhaps a special ruler sometime during the year, but at the end of the year you have a delightful sampler quilt. The best part is you get to spend an hour once a month with people who enjoy your same interests, make new friends and see old friends. It’s a win win!
I have been sewing all morning on the spool spacer blocks. They are finally finished. With sadness I removed Autumn Joy from the design wall to make room for the saturday sampler so I could layout the sampler blocks in a way pleasing to me. Now that I have it how I like it. I will sew them together and then start on the borders. I might surprise myself and get this all completed today. I’ll keep you posted!
Sissy
Appliquenut 