WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

Well, I am finally back in to the swing of my quilting and knitting since the Christmas decorations (well, most of them) are all stowed away for next year.  The above blocks are all the January block of the month that I will be working on this year.  I need more than one for each month, however, since mine will turn in to a quilt for a KINGsize bed!

So what's the "Waste Not, Want  Not" title.  Well, see those corners on the blocks? 

This little snippet came from there, and it had lots of cousins from all the other "half square triangle" spots.

OK, they are small pretty small, but there's just something in me that couldn't let those pieces of fabric go to waste.  I don't pretend to be an equal to the amazing Gee's Bend women, and it's not really the current economy that's got me in the mode.  Perhaps it's just 'cause a grew up with a mother who NEVER threw anything away (anything that was useful, that is).  Every time I buy fabric, I remember her ALWAYS buying at least 1/8 yard less than the pattern called for.  She was the best ever "scrimper" in squeezing and moving around those pattern pieces to the best advantage.  

Once I sewed today's triangles together, I had mostly 1 -3/4" squares and a few 1 - 1/2".

The strip you see up there by the ruler is one of many strips left over from the postage stamp project that I used for this pillow that I made at my first quilting class.  So there could be a use for these little guys making something like this.  Or they could be sewn together and used in combination with plain strips for a strip quilt that I'll be working on soon.  They would also be great sewn in strips for a narrow sashing.

Hope my mom would be proud for not being wasteful.

Now I've got to go get to some knitting to finish up next weeks' birthday projects.  Hope to share photos of those with you soon.  Until then, stay warm.

NEW YEAR, NEW PROJECT

Well, for most of the world, Christmas has seemingly come and gone.

However, at our house, most of the decorations stay around until the "12 Days of Christmas" are complete.

So, in addition to my tree and garland here and there, I still have this (one of my favorite) Santa overlooking my work as I get back in to the groove of quilting.  It was mostly cutting yesterday and today.

I was able to complete my first block for a "Block of the Month" that I'm working on.  (I will be making total blocks, t hough, as I am planning for this to be for a king size bed.)

I'm hoping that Santa approves!

 

A CHRISTMAS GREETING

FROM  OUR  HOUSE  TO  YOURS

As I was decorating our "family tree" a couple weeks ago, some of the first ornaments that I came across were my lace angels.  Looking at those angels, I just knew that this year, our family tree MUST be an "Angel Tree".  So you see, the tree is all snowflakes, gold and white balls, and angels.  After all, my angels looked over me so lovingly this year.  And I consider so many of YOU, because of your precious prayers for me and my family this year to be among those angels.  Thank you so much for your love, thoughts, and prayers for us all this year. 

MAY  ANGELS  WATCH  OVER  YOU  AND  YOURS 

THIS  HOLIDAY SEASON  AND  NEW  YEAR

It's been a while, I guess, since I've touched base to let you know what I've been doing.

Perhaps that's because it's taking me forever to get anywhere with these leg warmers.  This is the first one.  I'm finally getting the hang of it.  Sure is a good thing, though that it is for a January 27th birthday and not for Chirstmas.  I'd never make it.  I may still be late; just hoping not.

And after my knitting is done, I'm hoping to get back to some quilting.  I picked up this book a couple weeks ago to give me some ideas for the embroidery that I'm doing on my latest quilt.

And I just have to share with you all a wonderful, cold, crisp, East Tennessee "Good Morning":

FUN STUFF

Oh my, I guess O I haven't been around in a while.  I do need to stop by occasionally and let my faithful friends know what I am up to, I guess.  So here it is:

How much fun is this!  Won't a 5 year old just really love it?

I sure hope so!  It's for her January birthday.

These leggings are for her big sister who will be 17 in January.  Lots of January and February birthdays in our family!

I haven't started on the leggings yet, though.  Since I won't be with any of my children for Thanksgiving this year (We will see them all at Christmas, though-YIPPEE) , I thought the least I could do was send Gary the Gobbler to help them with the dishes.

I've also been having lots of fun with some embroidery.  Great to get back to a type of needle work that I've done so little of in the past several years.  I'll share more of that next time I stop by.

Time to take a break

OK, I've played around with quite a bit of leftover fabric from years' past Christmas pajamas.    This is the last of the baby quilts from that fabric.  And it MUST be the last bit of quilt sewing that I do for a while.  There are this year's jammies to be done, ya' know.

 

I did have some other fabric on hand that I used for a baby blanket for one of my very first on online friends who is having a baby in January.

So now there will be no more quilting until after this year's PJs are made, but I am still doing some knitting.

This was going to be a vest for my grandson, but we decided that the yarn was too feminine, so we were going to save it and give it to my granddaughter for her birthday in August.  But it would be WAY too big for her even then, so guess what?  I tried it on and it fits, so I  HAVE  A  NEW  VEST.    I've been wanting to knit something for myself and I finally have, even though it was unknowingly!  

Sorry it's sideways;  I'm still learning my new computer.  It seems that everytime I download photos they go to a different storage place, sometimes with the flip option and sometimes not.  ARGH!

But on to better things:   How FUN is this! This is the start of a vest for my granddaughter who will be 5 in January!

Well, I'd better go cut out some more fabric and get crackin' on the Christmas jammies.

A Melange of Fabric -- and Quilting Stitches

Well, I decided before I began to make the jammies for my grandchildren this year that I should get rid of some of the scraps (AKA stash) from previous years of their pajamas.  Timing is good, too, as I wanted to make a baby quilt for a newborn at our church and also one for his one year old brother who I never got around to making a quilt for last year.

While I was at it, I made this quilt too.  I have no idea who it will go to; but always nice to have one on hand, don't you think?

Oh, yes, there's plenty of feminine fabric too, but I think I'll only work on one of those before I start sewing the Christmas jammies.

Oh, and I gotta tell ya'; I'm having so much fun with an old form of needle work that I haven't done in ages:  hand embroidery.  This quilt now has some machine (stitch in the ditch at the sashing) and hand quilting and machine (initials of the ladies in the fabric exchange who sent me the fabrics) and the hand embroidery running stitches and French knots that I have started in the sashing.

Only problem is:  I'm having so much fun with the embroidery (and it will take me FOREVER to get all the way around that quilt), that I'm neglecting my knitting.

 Gotta get back to it.  See you soon.