A New Year -- A New Project

Christmas has come and gone.

As Santa leads his reindeer back to the North Pole (He's already left the greenery behind.)


we are left to undress the tree, put it away


and begin the routine of another new year.

What better way to start a new year than to make a quilt for a new baby--albeit my "old, not real quilting" kind of quilt.


With the convenience of the internet to be able to check a registry to learn a new mom's color choices (this particular one: pink and sage), those of us with extensive stashes are able to whip something up without too much effort. Need I say more: keep building your stashes, ladies. That's the best way to start a new year.

So my title for today's blog--Is the new project my baby quilt, or is it building a bigger stash?
I'll let you be the judge!

Too many quilts, too little time

Oh, goody I was able to find some more 30s fabric for my "nursery" quilt. (A couple pieces aren't really 30's but coordinate well, so I picked them up too.)


I thought I'd keep busy with that until the fabric arrived for my new grandbaby's quilt. Well, lo and behold, it came the same day I got home from the store with my new 30s fabric.
What wonderful service: ordered on line on Saturday, and it arrived Thursday. Great on-line prices and what a fun package to open, wrapped up so pretty.


So like any good Nani, my 30s blocks and fabrics are back in the cupboard and I'm playing with my first rag quilt.


As I was cutting these pretty blocks last night, my peripheral vision caught site of some gingham stash that I had just laundered. Oops, there goes my busy mind. Wouldn't a gingham rag quilt be adorable--in all colors of gingham! And, of course, there's all that flannel stash that fills a couple dresser drawers--already cut in to 5 inch blocks. That just might be good way to use like-themed bits and pieces of baby flannel.

Oh, and I was watching Simply Quilts yesterday morning and saw the "flower pounding" (actually pounding flowers on to fabric, transferring the pigment) program. I think I might just have give that a try, too--perhaps just before it's time for my poinsettia leaves to drop. But I'd better stop thinking while I'm ahead.

I should have been thinking a little more clearly to help me figure out why I wasn't getting rid of my lingering cough. Oops, I think I might just be allergic to mohair. Finished up this scarf a little short of plan with a trusty mask last night and it's out of the house soon.

That takes care of the baby blue yarn; somebody's definitely going to inherit some beautiful purple mohair yarn!

AULD LANG SYNE

I never have quite understood that song. I know it's a new year, but why do we want to forget old friends? But even if I do forget some old friends, I certainly don't want to forget my newer ones. Some of the best of those are the women whom I have met through the internet--many of you will be reading this. I must say that as I start the year I count among my blessings the friendship that I have with so many of you.

And what better way could I start the year with completing the Friendship Square Quilt that contains squares from many of my on-line quilting buddies. Yes, I actually finished it last night, sewing the binding in place.

Many of you have seen it in varying stages during my very amateurish quilting saga, and now it has a special place where I see it (right next to the pillow with my mom's hand knit cover) every morning during my "devotions". And it's quite handy to just pull my new quilt off its perch for an afternoon nap--not nearly as itchy as my mother's old Girl Scout blanket that I added fringe to last year. Not itchy at all--just full of the love from all my quilting sisters!

Thank you for all your hints and patience with me as I dabble in this age old form of needlework.

But it's not just quilting friends that I have learned to know with this new-found technology--well, at least pretty new technology to me! I have also met many wonderful knitters as well. Although I have knitted for years, I'm learning a lot from my on-line knitting friends as well--many who are quite a bit younger than I. One shared a simple scarf patten with me just the other day. I decided to try it out with the leftover yarn from my Sis's scarf.

Such a lovely, simple repeat of knit 3, slip 1. I think I actually like it better than the original one I made. Perhaps I'll just have to give my sis her choice!


And as the new year begins, since one quilt is finished, I must begin another. I saw one on Simply Quilts a few weeks ago that I really liked, but unfortunately I misplaced the directions.
It's for the "baby room" to coordinate with my Grandmother Hooton's quilted squares that I put together a few years ago.


I played around with some muslin and I think I've got it figured out.




I need to figure out the easy way to sew the side strips to the center square. I'm thinking that there is a way that is all straight seams; my mind just can't get it right now. Tomorrow.
Unfortunately I don't have quite enough of the 30s repro fabric. Gosh, I guess that means another trip to the quilting shop. Too bad!

Double, double

There is lots to be said about "doubling" up on things.

My daughter Anna Maria's best childhood friend is expecting twins in a few months. We were excited to be part of hosting showers for her--one in my home for her high school friends, and another at church today for our parish community.

So far, my handiwork for baby gifts has been quilts, but I decided to break the mold this time and knit baby blankets. So I "doubled up" on some knitting. I did learn in this knitting process that the same size, but different composition, needle will yield a different guage. I used bamboo on the first (blue) blanket, but because the joint from the needle to the circular's "wire" was not smooth and my yarn kept catching, I switched to all plastic for the second (pink). Wow, what a difference. By the time I realized there was such a difference, I was too far along with not enough time left to go back and redo the pink for them to be identical. You can probably see the difference in the photo that I took as I was ready to wrap them.


There were several hostesses for the church shower today and a joint gift was purchased. My task for the shower was to get the corsage. I also volunteered to use my poinsettias for the serving table decoration. "Doubling up" all the way around here. Keep that stash ladies, every last bit of it. You never know when you can use the tiniest pieces of fabric.

The decoration theme for the shower today was rubber duckies.


Guess what, I made flannel duckie PJs for one of my granddaughters a couple years ago. I had only 2 small pieces of the fabric left, probably only 5x5 inches. Just put some craft weight "wonder under" on it, cut out the duckies with my embroidery scissors and voila, with a glue gun, there's a little something extra in the corsage!


Use another little duckie, along with some more stash (just plain gingham, again stiffened up with some "wonder under") and you've got a themed floral arrangement. These same poinsettias, by the way were wrapped in pink and blue gingham for the shower at my house earlier in the week--after being in the gold foil from the nursery for Christmas. (I usually use red poinsettias, but this I year opted for the white, knowing that they might soften the Christmas decor a bit for the shower.) Gee, I guess that's "tripling up"!


But I wouldn't wish "tripling up" for you, Jennie--doubling up with your twins is quite enough, don't you think?

Ah, Crochet is pretty good too!

I haven't crocheted in so long. It was really nice to be forced back in to that wonderful form and needlework to finish the edge of my baby blanket.

And, yes, to those of you who know that there was to be a matching pink one: it is also finished. Nina, if you are reading this, no fair telling Jenny before Wednesday!

But back to crochet, I think one of my all favorite crochet items are "doilies". I have so many from my mother-in-law and sisters-in law and I love them. And this time of year, I think there's nothing much better than a Christmas tree with lots of crocheted snow flakes. (Oh, I guess I should admit: No, I didn't make these; they are a mail order purchase.)


Now that I'm up to date on my knitting, and the first group of family Christmas visitors have come and gone, I think I'll actually get back to my quilting project that has been so patiently awaiting my return.

And in the meantime, even though it's a night early: from our East Tennessee home
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.

from Mary Lynn and Terry

APOLOGIES

I promise I'll be back soon--just busy being busy!

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Somehow I can't read that title statement without hearing Julie Andrew's voice singing it!

But that's not what this is about. Goodness, so much to do in these days as we near the holidays.

In addition to placing hardware on the walls for me to hang drapery and knowing that he must help me assemble our large Christmas tree before I host a luncheon next week, my dear husband was still willing to hang a rod for me to display one of my favorite (albeit first) quilts. Several years ago, before the family farm was sold, I found pieced squares that my maternal grandmother had hand sewn. (They are pre 1948 as that is the year she died.) I purchased some off white flannel to back the squares, sewed them together, hand quilted them around the patterns, and viola, my first quilt. Although I have used it for some of the grandchildren, I have decided to consider in an heirloom and display it as such.

I have purchased some 1930s replica children's prints for a quilt that I will use to cover the babies from now on. My purchased prints are so much like the print in this central square that it's almost uncanny.



And this is the "hope chest" where those squares were stashed in our Indiana farm attic. The chest had been my mother's 1932 high school graduation gift from her parents. The poor cedar chest was in terrible condition when I found it, with much water damage. I had the top veneer replaced and I refinished the wood. This is perhaps one of my most precious material possessions.


And now for some holiday magic. Although we all know that this is not the reason for the holiday, I love Santas and I have managed with the help of market shopping with my daughter Eleni to get a pretty nice collection. This is the new one for the year. If you look closely, you may see the needle and thread in his hand.

Right now Santa and his elves are sitting on the cutting table in my laundry/sewing room. I hate that not too many people will see it there. Either I will have to move it, or send my guests to the laundry room "potty" instead of the powder room!

I just had to show him to you before tomorrow since December 6 is the day that the Christian world commemorates St. Nicholas. Almost every Orthodox Christian church world wide will celebrate Liturgy tomorrow in memory of this great Saint. And yes, dear grandson, Nicolas, he IS your saint!