Christmas Sewing - 600 Nine Patches Needed!

The idea - I can use up lots of the orphan nine patches that have been amassing over the years with this block.

I like it better this way.

Four blocks  - even better.

A large bin of nine patches already made!

Only problem - many of them need to be repressed to sew together  - so each day I sort out, spritz with a little water and re - press a few.  I also have to make more nine patches as I didn't have 600!

I decided to go with  only red half square triangles. 

 All these blue quilts I've just finished has me in need of RED.

The blocks are so easy to make one all the components are ready.

And I love the effect when four are set together.

Going to try for a 90 x 90" top as a 72 x 90 seems skimpy to me.

Hurrah lots of red sewing ahead.

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Ben sent me this family photo he took while we were in the mountains in November.

Very cold weather for us this December - so I'm just going to enjoy my tree for awhile longer while I have a second cup of coffee and wait for John's brother and his wife to arrive

 from Connecticut.  They are headed to Pawley's Island for a few months.

For 2018, 

I wish you the enjoyment of friends and family, good health and lots of productive sewing.

Happy New Year!

Blue Churn Dash Finished

The workmen are off until after Christmas - so things were considerately quieter today.

They did a lot cleaning up while they were waiting on the inspectors to come out yesterday.

I appreciate that the contractor doesn't waste a lot of lumber.  The weather was so nice these past few days - they got a lot done.  Looking forward to spending time out here next summer.

This morning while I was doing laundry I finished sewing on the borders.

It is 88 by 88".  I think I will have enough of the blue  of inner border to use for the binding.

And I will use one of the blue backings that I bought for Daniel and Ben's quilt, 

  

Love my flocked tree - during the daytime hours.  The star topper that we have used on the tree for over fifty years (John picked it out) - wouldn't light this year ( we didn't test it before we put it on - it always amazed me that it lasted so many years).  Marcia and Jim have it at their house - they have rewired it and will bring it back on Christmas Day.  

John and Gordon Christmas 1961.  

I love to think that they are together celebrating their fourth Christmas in Heaven.

Merry Christmas

Early Morning Sewing - Border One

Got up for a little early morning sewing - that seems to be my most productive time these days.

I made the inner borders and sewed one row of little churn dashes and sewed them on before the construction crew arrived.

This was where they left off last night.  They are hammering away right behind the sewing room hence the early morning sew fest.

 I am also baking some cinnamon rolls that I prepared last night.  They smell delish.

Almost ready to come out of the oven.  Have a wonderful day.

Ideas Churning Around

When I started this quilt in Feb. 2016, it was just to make a blue and white quilt.

My idea of how it was going to be finished changed a couple of times.  My original plan was to merge the two block sizes within the body of the quilt.  A few months ago, I decided to enlarge the quilt and use the larger blocks in the center and use the smaller blocks in the border.

MY PLAN

Make more blocks so that the center would measure 75 by 75"

Add a 2.5" accent border around the center

Make enough smaller blocks to fit the now 80 by 80" center.

THE PROBLEM

I think the 2.5" border looks too heavy. 

This is a 2" border - looks better

Light border - UGH!

 Thought about using a smaller blue and a light together to make the 2.5 " border which is not too bad.

This is how the 2.5" border looks

I think this will be my solution so that I can use the smaller width border and my smaller blocks will fit without adding any spacer pieces.

I finished sewing the center together this afternoon.  

A couple of friends and myself took our intern out to lunch after church today.

   Our congregation members take turns feeding our intern Sunday Lunch.  That gives him/her a way to become accquainted with us and us him.  He meets with our pastor in the afternoon and then participates in the children's and youth  activities before he returns to Durham.

We went to Chiles and had fajitas - so I will not be needing anything much to eat this evening.

Bee Party yesterday - lots of food, fun and fellowship.

And friendly hugs and a gift exchange.

Finally - A Finished Top

Monday, while these guys were busy digging up my back yard, I sewed.

The borders all ready to sew on - just need to make the corner units.

Then I added the borders to the quilt top in the evening after dinner. 

Oh I do NOT like those corners!

Maybe this would be better.

I drew some ideas in my notebook and I was still pondering it when I went to bed.

I couldn't sleep anyway so I got up at 1:45 and sewed the unit above.

This morning at Sit and Sew - I took out the corner units.

When I got home from doing some errands I sewed thee new ones in.

 I had just vacuumed so I didn't want to open it up fully and I really don't have room for the 90 by 90" that it grew to be. Now I need to choose a backing and binding for it.

And of course - I have so many other projects that I want to sew on.

I am holding off on the Bonnie Hunter Mystery this year  - I love her mysteries but not sure if I want to commit to it until I see the whole pattern.

 This block "Dawn's Early Light " is one of her patterns shown in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 13.

PreDawn Sewing - Christmas Activities & A Nice Surprise

So this morning I got up at 4:45 and started sewing after I had my first cup of Coffee.

After making sure I had enough half square triangle units made,

I sewed 24 pairs of the small red half square triangles together.  Then I discovered that I had again sewed them facing the wrong direction - grr.  

This time I did unsew them and redid them correctly.

I also made the four large companion strips of blue half square triangles.

I made the large navy half square units that I think  will work in the corners.

Maybe tomorrow afternoon I will have time to finish up the border units - I am really getting tired of working on this but I don't want to put it aside again.

Our Cookie Sale went really well last night - we had so many folks that we ran out of boxes to put cookies in - we improvised with zip lock bags.

We were busy from 5:30 until 8:30.  Everyone was happy with their cookies and we had lots of new people that had never been before.

Of corse these gals served lots of Hot Cocoa!

Today we clean up and get the fellowship hall ready for the men to put on their Church wide Christmas breakfast in the morning.

My Sunday School Class is also having their Christmas Party tomorrow after Church at a nearby Steakhouse - I may skip the breakfast.

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This afternoon my daughter and son in law came over with my grandson Evan. 

The Coast Guard had sent him to Camp LeJeune for some training for a couple of weeks and he was home for the weekend.  He is stationed at Port Aransas in Texas. 

 He was home for the wedding in October but it was nice to have him here. 

We had dinner, played Rummicube and they put up the Christmas tree that I bought last weekend when I went to Lowes for a night light. 

What a nice surprise!

45 Minutes to Sew and The Cookie Walk

We Have been planning and preparing for our Cookie Sale for many months and today is the day.  So I gave myself 45 minutes to sew this morning to sew before getting on with other things.

I took out the corner that was sewed in backwards and resewed it.  I am making my borders in 8 sections. I will join them and add a solid red inner border before sewing them to the quilt center.  

I also have to figure out how I will treat the corners.

I have seven half border sections sewn - but 

OH SNAP - I have five rights and two lefts - looks like I really have only six sections.

Will I unsew one of them  - NOT A CHANCE!

I think it will be much easier to make more half square triangles!!!!

I'll need more than 45 minutes tomorrow.

COOOKIE WALK TONIGHT!

The men set up the nativity shelters and we will have a live nativity this evening as soon as it gets dark.  I've been told we will even have a 2 month old baby participating.

 Talented gals have been decorating the fellowship hall - grab a box and pick your choice of cookies

Take a family photo in our Photo Corner!

Ready for the cookies and candies.

This is where I'll be tonight  - working at the Hot Chocolate Bar with my friends at

Wendell United Methodist Church

Main Street

Wendell, North Carolina

Come on by and see us if you're in the area.