Potholders and more

It’s time for my annual Christmas potholders, pillow cases and other hand-made gifts.  I have my plan!  Currently, the potholders are in process along with 24 that I’m doing on commission for a daycare parent.

Out of 1 1/2 yard of the front and the same for the back, I can make 24 potholders.  First, I quilt the front and back on cloth.  One I use two layers of Warm n Natural and the other is Insul-Bright.  Then, I cut out my 9″ squares, sew them together, turn them inside out, hand stitch the opening closed and run a stitching line about one inch from the edge all around.  That’s it.  Lots of steps, but very easy.

Here are two I put together last week after my sister saw one on www.selvageblog.blogspot.com and knowing that I had the apple fabric, made her wish.  When she got it in the mail, she said she felt like a jeanie…  one blink of the eye after her wish and it was in her mailbox!

Happy 51 Anniversary Mom and Dad !

Class Ring

Andrew is the first one to ask for a class ring.  Neither of the other two were interested and since Andrew rarely asks for anything…

I disguised it among his afternoon snack.

My daughter was looking for a pinot noir and I found this for her after she found her own.  Notice the name:  Sarah’s vineyard.

And my sister, Donna, gave me this beautiful framed Queen Ann’s Lace.  I put it above my computer table near a piece of art my high school art teacher, Sister Anna Mae, made. 

Lunch

My little daycare boy…

A new deck of cards

Woo Hoo !!!    I got a new deck of cards for simply giving blood last night!

 

Embroidery Quilt finished after many, many years

In the midst of quilting one of Mom’s old lone star’s for my brother nearly five years back, I found this little gem in a piece of fabric.  It has been dismantled and reassembled with more modern fabrics.  Here is the finished product.

 

Toy Making

Our Scout Troop has a tradition of making wood toys for the Christmas baskets at our charter church.  Here are some photos from yesterday.   Scouts from 11 years to HS Seniors are encouraged to build the vehicles from drawing to finish.  I did a LOT of sanding!

My son and his friend did “quality control” in addition to other duties.  They have funny faces!

Directions for “Cartwheels”

My “Cartwheels” quilt is featured on www.selvageblog@blogspot.com today AGAIN!  Thanks Karen!

Here is how I pieced the quilt.

To get a 54″ square quilt,  I cut 18 each 13″ squares into Half Square Triangles (one cut from corner to corner of square).  I added the selvages to each side leaving the main color in the center.  See top left square in diagram.  My pattern making skills are slack, so the right side of the quilt is cut off in the directions, but you get the idea.

 

Weekend

Friday morning, we had no power and after a phone call, the company fixed it in 15 minutes.  I did make instant coffee on my one burner Coleman on the back porch.

Yesterday, my husband, son and my daughter’s brother-in-law ran a 5K race here in town.  It was more like a XCountry run and very fun.  Probably it’s been nearly ten years since I last ran a race.  Kevin, at 52 years old, ran a 20:01.  Our caps are about 20 years old and still going strong.

Living in a house full of runners leaves this scene…

 

And there are more on the stairs to the basement.

Quilt in the works…

I finally have enough blocks to get this quilt from the “Material Obsession” website together.

And we checked out the demolition today.  The side stairs are still in one piece.  While I was taking a picture, the tractor came rolling by.  The worker stopped, waved at the daycare kids, then did a few twirls.  Rather fun!

It’s getting really hard to find stuff of interest over there.

Dia de los muertos

Happy 22nd  Birthday, sweet Sarah!

Poor girl was born on All Soul’s Day.  It is a day when we Catholics remember those that have gone before us.    My daughter doesn’t particularly like the bright colors of Mexico, but there are some really fun fabrics, so I try to make her something with the dia de los muertos line.  This year it’s an apron.  I also go to the local market and get pan de muerto (bread of the dead). 

And even though she’s married, I’ll make her a chocolate cake with chocolate icing.  We love the recipe that Hershey put out years ago.