It's My Day on the Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange Blog Hop

 

Quilting and cookies! Seriously, what doesn't go better than those two? Carol really knows how to bring out the best of the holidays with them, that's for sure.

This year is very different for this household. There is a wedding coming up next spring, and this girl has finally gotten her act together and really buckled down on this diet thing, so there are NO cookies around here this year. No candy either. LOL!! Just to keep hubs happy, I will make him, his all time favorite Chex Mix". There is just so much I can expect him to give up at the holidays.

I really have been good about sticking to the plan, I'm down 38 pounds and honestly, I'm finding it very easy to do. But it is a cookie exchange hop, so I do have cookies to share!

There was "that" little trip to Vegas to visit with my friend Carol last month...

She took me a place named "Pop Drinks" just for a cookie. I would love to tell you I was kicking and screaming all the way there, but I would be a big ole liar if I did!

Oh my goodness, they are to die for!

I borrowed these photos from their web site.

So many incredible choices, it looks like I am going to have to go back many times to try them all!

(Heads up Carol, you best lock your doors or just move! tee hee hee) 

Along with these incredible cookies, they have customizable soft drinks, and popcorn. 

Be still my heart!

If you are lucky enough to live in Las Vegas NV, St George UT, or Farmington NM, you need to check them out. There are new ones coming soon in Utah, Idaho and Arizona.

http://ilovepopdrinks.com/

We had a howling good time that weekend, and the best way to commemorate it was to pull out a pattern that has been in my "to-do" pile for a very long time. 

Introducing, in Christmas card form...

"Oh Howly Night"

The is a "Java House" quilt pattern. I absolutely love their whimsical designs.

These sweet guys just warm my heart.

The background was very interesting to piece. The stripes were pieced, and the circular center was an applique. It was kind of mind boggling how they put it together, but the instructions were great and if you follow along, step by step, it comes out beautifully. It was definitely something out of my wheelhouse and a fun little challenge.

As a blogging quilter, I share the good, the bad and the ugly. It's keeps me humble.

LOL!! 

 So, I must confess...I am on a "use it up" kick, in my sewing room and I found an old bolt of polyester batting that was the perfect width. I spent hours quilting it on my domestic machine and love the dimension it has. But it's polyester batting and nothing I do, will make it lay flat. I should have known better.

So, I think the rest of that bolt is going to have to find a new home or the trash.

Well, it's a big ole poop (lets call it reindeer poop) for this project, for me!

It's a perfect for a Christmas card photo...

...maybe won't irritate me nearly as much if it's a bed runner.

On the bright side, I use a machine I bought 2 years ago and never really made friends with. We have finally bonded and I love it!

After seeing a pillow at the Garden of Quilts with Carol, I remembered a hop in 2012, when we made  pillows from a "Jillily Studio" pattern "Holiday Lane". The free pattern is still available HERE.

You can find a kit on her website as well.

This pillow now lives with friends up in Alaska.

Oh what a blast to the past and yes, poor Carol has had to deal with me a lot this year!

:-)

Please visit my fellow bloggers today and see what's cooking in their virtual kitchens!

December 6

MooseStashQuilting (your here)

Just Sew Quilter

Ms P Designs USA

Beaquilter

Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life
Stitchin At Home

You can find the entire schedule for the hop HERE.

Wishing you happy holiday season, filled with joy!

Merry "Christmoose"!

til next time...

Keep on Stitchin'

It's My Day on the UFO Blog Hop

 Welcome to my day on the UFO blog hop. 

This post comes with a warning...it's very long!

"Alien's Among Us"

Here's a UFO, that I have no recollection of making, LOL!! Anyone else out there feel my pain?  It was double batted with wool and was in a tote full of projects that have never been quilted. I would love to tell you just what my thoughts were on this, but it's a mystery to me.  I quilted it up, using stitch in the ditch and added a few "Out of this World" appliques to fit the theme of this hop.

After that, I must have been taken over by said "Aliens" because something got into me! After finding 2 totes of quilts that were finished, but never quilted, I decided it was high time to get em done. Some were big and some were small, but in all I managed to get 15, yes 15 UFO's finished. I have to say, I am doing the happy dance here!

We were camping at Glendo State Park in Wyoming last week 

and our campsite was perfect for taking photos.

These 2 big guys are Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilts.

The top one is the 2013 Bonnie Hunter Mystery "Celtic Solstice".

The bottom is is her 2015 Mystery " Grand Illusion".

This is a "Stack N Whack" that was done long, long ago, maybe 2006 or 2007???

I was really hooked on them and have fabric for 2 more. If you never start them, do they still count as UFO's?  LOL!!

"Halloween Who Knows"

Don't have any idea what it was, or when I made it, but it's kinda ugly. LOL!!

I would blame someone for adding to my stack of UFO's, but I recognize the fabrics, so I must have done it. Either that or someone snuck in and stitched it while I was sleeping. Was that one of you???

 "Free flight Macaw".  a 2019 pattern by Dione at "Clever Chameleon Quilting". 

When we were Island Batik Ambassadors, she asked me to pattern test this for her.

It looks like she hasn't blogged for awhile. I know she moved to the Outback in Australia, and I haven't heard from her since. Hope your doing well, out there Dione!

"Stair Step Sampler". Pattern by Alison Vermilya at "Little Bunny Quilts". 

I actually cut a kit 3 years ago for a quilt retreat and never even started on it. Fast forward to this year, when my NY, NJ and PA friends were able to get together again for a retreat, and I actually got it finished. Not before I realized that I had forgot to cut part of the pieces! Eye roll here. I was able to find fabric that blended well enough anyway, and it's a finish. 

"Ready for Christmas"

Does this look familiar? It's a Carol Swift original...I went to Vegas last year and took a class from her. I finally got it quilted at the NY quilt retreat this year too! Carol's patterns are as fun as her classes are!

You can find her pattern HERE

"Words to Grow By"

 2020 BOM from Sew Incredibly Crazy and Friends.

It was so close but so far away. I added the borders and got it quilted. 

"Mariner's Star"

You just have to see it outside to appreciate the colors. This was done in my hand dye fabrics, to long ago to remember when, but it's possibly my favorite quilt now.

This 60" x 60" beauty is hanging by my longarm, to keep it company!

 "Stain Glass Angel"

 was designed by Deb Geissler at "Designs by Deb"

I'm lucky that we live just across town from each other. She held classes for this in her basement back in 2015. I'm sure she would have a heart attach if she knew I just now quilted it!

I added the lettering with "Crafters Edge" alphabet dies.

"Moose in the Pines"

This is a "Round Robin" quilt that Bea Lee, from "BeaQuilter" hosted back in 2015.

If your not familiar with how they work, you make your center block and the quilt label, then mail it off to the next person. Each person participating, adds a border and sends it on to the next person. You can see all the quilts on my post HERE.

It was so much fun to work on all the different quilts. Unfortunately for the most part, those days are over due to the crazy prices of postage now.

Lastly, 3 miscellaneous table toppers and runner.

I'm so happy to not only see all your projects this week, but that I managed to blast through a bunch of my own as well. If the aliens who took over my body feel the need to do so again some time, feel free to "Beam Me Up Scotty". I've got a couple of totes of projects that haven't even been started yet!

On a side note here...

I had to stop and read this twice!

I found this on Etsy HERE and think my sewing room needs this for sure.

LOL!

Hope you all have enjoyed the week with us.

You can find all this weeks projects posted on our Pinterest board 

HERE

Please visit my fellow bloggers today!

Homespun Hannah's Blog

Inflorescence

Words & Stitches

Just Sew Quilter

Winter Wonderland with Island Batik

It's that time of year, and the new batiks are hitting the shelves.

These new ones, just fill my heart with joy!

I have to admit, that my favorite colorway in this line, is the center one. There is just something about that "denim" look that speaks to me. 

Could it be that endless rows on jeans in my closet???

LOL!!

Yes, that denim color proved to be the perfect background 

for this jolly ole guy!

He comes from the "Art to Heart" Christmas Favorites book.

While quilting his beard those reindeer seemed to just melt away.

That's one of the fun parts of working with batik prints.

No matter the pattern, they work up beautifully in any project.

And when you step back, they seem to magically re-appear.

Check out your LQS for these new beauties and

make a little magic yourself!

;-)

Now as for me...

I'm thinking my favorite denim batik would work up great in a recycle denim raggy quilt. Oh, would that not be warm and wonderful?

Till next time...

Keep on Stitchin'

Christmas in July with Island Batik...

Christmas in July...

It's like those "chips" where you can't eat just one.

Or those M&M's where you can't eat just one pound!

Oops, I promised myself I wasn't going to air

that dirty little secret!

I was going to take "that one" to my grave...

and no, not from M&M overload,

Thanks for asking!

OK, back on track here!

I got a chance to play around with a little art quilting.

I fell in love with straight line quilting, during our Modern Challenge last month. Then I stumbled on this fun tutorial from Julia Graber.

 It was all the inspiration I needed,  to sit down and play.

Out came the Island Batik Holiday Happenings fabrics and my Accuquilt GO cutter. I was off and running!

I love these 12" projects. You really can, sit down and finish them in a few hours.  It gives you a chance to get your feet wet,

 with new techniques.

You can read Julia's post on making this fun background fabric

HERE

and you can see Oops Lah's results

HERE

Between them, I just couldn't resist!

A big thanks to Island Batik and their yummy fabrics!

Keep on Stitchin'

Christmas in July with Island Batik

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

minus the snow

plus the 90 degree temperatures...

Well OK, maybe it's not really looking like Christmas,

but it's feeling that way, at the ole sewing machine.

This month Island Batik and my fellow ambassadors have taken 

 the holidays by storm.

There's nothing better than getting a jump start on those holiday

projects. Once fall arrives we blink our eyes and it's Christmas.

I'm never ready, are you?

Father Christmas.

This "father" is from Island Batik

Gorgeous fabrics to celebrate that special day!

If you are an "Angies Bits and Pieces" fan like me, you know that

she does a Christmas pattern every day in the month of July.

You can see more right

HERE

Loads of inspiration...

"Sew"...get busy and

show us your Christmas in July projects!

:-)

Keep on Stitchin'

You know your thinking it too!

 

Hope it was a Merry Christmas for all of you!

:-)