What am I working on...

Can you guess what I am making?  I should have it done for a Monday post:)

These are finishes from this past week...

This round one with blue snowman and snowflakes was a request from a customer so she could put it out after Christmas for the winter. 

Hope to see you Monday!

Linking with Beauties Pageant, Finished or Not Friday, TGIFF, Off The Wall Friday.

It's all about the snowmen

You all know how much I love snowmen!  It doesn't matter what month or time of year it is I can make them:)  Recently I made one of these and when it sold it was time to make another. I didn't even get to blog about the first one but it was identical to this one.

So fun to make! At just 14"x22" it can fit just about anywhere.  I put a hanging sleeve on to the back so it can be hung or laid on a little table. 

I used the alphabet Accuquilt dies to do the words in white felt with fusible on the back.

 This next project has been done a while and I forgot to blog about it.  The pineapple snowman table runner is one I have done a few times also. A good one to reduce a few whiteish scraps. The pineapple Creative Grids ruler was used for it.

On the domestic side of things apple picking has taken place, well some were picked there are more still on the tree.

A Dutch apple pie was made, I'd offer you a piece but it's all gone already! I know it's not nice to tease you, I'm sorry;)

That's it for today!  There will be a few more finishes this week, what will they be?  You might want to stop back in a few days to find out;)

Linking with Monday Musings, Design Wall Monday and Sew and Tell Monday.

Three finishes

 Last week was a busy one. In addition to meeting several of my goals I finished three more table runners.

These are such fun ones to make, it's hard to stop!  Which ones you ask...gingham table runners of course!  These are made using my Accuquilt 3" strip cutter, I have a tutorial for them on the Accuquilt blog. 

They really are super fast to make, sew strips, cross cut, sew into rows. It takes me about an hour to sew one. 

It's really fun to pick three fabrics that coordinate. 

I have used the orange and yellow fabrics for one last year, but this one has a different white background fabric.  You can even use a fat quarter for the light fabric.  These two are now listed in my Etsy shop.

I had a little extra time one day and looked around my sewing room to see what I could work on. I always have lots of projects in the works.  This snowman runner was the closest to the finish line with only needing binding. The pattern for this runner is called Tilting Trees and can be found in my Etsy pattern shop.  I used my Accuquilt 2.25" strip cutter to cut bias binding quickly. They have a good tutorial on how to do this.  

Linking up with Wednesday Wait Loss, Midweek Makers.

My Day on the Mug Rug Blog Hop

It's time for another fun blog hop, No Ring November, hosted by Carla at Createinthesticks.  Since I am deep into making Christmas and Winter themed projects for the shop, I thought it only fitting I keep with that theme. I mean you all know I LOVE snowmen, right!  If you are new to my blog welcome and now you know I totally love snowmen too⛄. 

It took me a while to decide on exactly what I wanted within the snowman mug rug category though.  And then one day it dawned on my that I needed a snowman mug rug for myself, can you believe I don't have one already!  The itch to play with cotton rope has now been scratched;)

The process starts with making a spiral with your cotton clothesline rope then stitching a + through the center with regular stitching to hold it together.  

Keep on spiraling the rope while you zig zag, around and around you go until it is as big as you want. Mine came out at 6.5".  I ended it by tucking in the end and zig zagging over it. 

If you don't want a mug rug use it as part of your snowman display.  OMG I just thought about making them smaller and using as ornaments on your tree!!!!  Or how about gluing a magnet to the back for a refrigerator magnet.

After it's all stitched I painted on the eyes with the end of a dowel rod dipped in black paint.  A smaller rod was used for the mouth.  The nose was painted with a terra cotta color.  If it is used as a decoration you could glue on buttons for the eyes and mouth and a felt nose.  I hope you enjoyed my little project. 

Please check out the other bloggers today for more fun mug rugs! 

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Days Filled With Joy

Hill Valley Quilter

Just Sew Quilter

Den syende himmel

Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting (you are here)

I am linking up with Wednesday Wait Loss, Midweek Makers, Put Your Foot Down and NTT

From one season to another

 You all know I have been whipping out a lot of patriotic and summer table runners for the last couple months.  Time to shift gears and trek into fall and winter a little bit, table runner style not weather wise- thank goodness!

First I went into winter zone with this snowman table runner for a quick finish.

A simple meander in the middle section.

And then I backed up to a fall project.  I might as well make one of these pumpkin ones while I have the pattern out. 

I just love the white pumpkin, especially on this cork look gold metallic background fabric. 

On these two table runners I appliqued first and then quilted.  A lot of the time I do just the opposite.  While I had the fabrics out for the pumpkin I cut out three of them, but only finished this one.  Now when I need another it will be much quicker to finish up.  The pattern is from Bloomin' Minds, I made the addition of the outside border as I wanted a little wider runner.  For the snowman I used the basic pattern from the pumpkin but I took the snowman from another of her patterns.

Might not be any sewing time today as the grandsons are coming over to spend the day with us, the first time since the Pandemic started. We are excited!!

To Do Tuesday #36

 Happy Tuesday to all of you!  I never thought I would stick to making a written goal list this long. It's not that I truly feel the need to write a list as I usually just know, in my head, what I need to do. But this gives me something to blog about.  This was the perfect year to try this out.  I am sure a lot of you out there has struggled this year to blog also.  Sometimes I just don't feel like doing it, so the goal list helps me out.

My goals this week were to make:

• Strawberry table runner-✅
• Quilt snowman table runner-✅
• Gnome runner-✅
• Quilt a panel wall hanging-✅

A strawberry table runner was a custom make for a customer.  There was one in my Etsy shop but it was a bit to long for her so I made to her specifications. 

Snowman table runner for my shop using my Through the Window pattern.  The pattern can be found in my Etsy pattern shop. 

A little different quilting design in the outer border done using rulers on my Nolting FunQuilter.

Another Gnome runner was finished.  You can tell this is a new one because I used a different black/gray stripe in the small border!  This is the third one I have done. 

Another panel all finished on Thursday, listed on Etsy Friday, and sold on Sunday!!  It's on it's way to Alaska. I am on a panel kick for sure right now.  After squaring up the part of the panel I wanted to use(the center portion of this wall hanging), I added the black faux cork like fabric border.  From there I made the flying geese for the tree and green and red pinwheels.  The measurements were not going to allow me to add pinwheels all around so I added in the light background to fill the space.  I really love how this came out.  It was fun working on it, it brought back memories of younger days as I learned to drive an old red pickup on the farm similar to this. I kinda wish I had another panel like this.  

I felt like it was a great week even with all the appointments I had to drive the hubster to.  The last doctor appt was Friday and he is off crutches now and can drive again, thank goodness!! Those were a long 7 weeks.  

This week's goals are: 

Another strawberry table runner

Two patriotic reversed S swirl runners

Finish another panel that I started yesterday

Two Easter table runners for an order

And if I have time for anything else that would be awesome!

How about you, what are your goals for this week?  Do you have deadlines that need to be met?

Linking with all my friends at To Do Tuesday thanks to Roseanne and Sue for hosting this each week. 

Also linking to Longarm Learning Party.

Let it snow-no no not really!

No I don't really want snow, not for a long time.  But the pattern for this is called Let It Snow by Snuggles Quilts.  I did a different border than the pattern. HST's are faster than flying geese;)  These pictures have a bit of a blueness to them, ignore that, it is really white white fabric.  When taken on a cloudy day that is what happens for me. 

Once he was pieced I did a simple meander in the background, a quick loopy design on the snowman.  Some continuous curve in the HST's and a diagonal piano key in the outer border.  While still on the longarm I stitched down his felt arms, nose and snowflakes.  His mouth is down with the 'hand quilting 'stitch on the sewing machine, with black thread in the bobbin and invisible on top and using a tension of 8 on my machine I get a hand stitch look.  His eyes are buttons.

  

It's never too early to start making your holiday decorations-I do it whenever the mood strikes.  But with doing craft shows I am always out of season anyway!!  

Linking with Sarah and Amanda Jean.

Diagonal stripes

The project I started a couple weeks ago is now completely done and I love how it turned out!  The snowman is the only part that was a pre-printed panel (his counterparts will be done later).  I added on the one inch aqua border around him.  The pinwheels were some leftover half square triangles from the flip and sew corners of another project.  I just happened to have more of the red and white fabric to carry on with the checkerboard and stripe border.  

It took a bit of putzing with the diagonal strips to get them just right, but I think the effort was worth it.  So I strip pieced a WOF x 2" of the black, white and aqua to make the stripe. They were then cut on the 45 degree to get the diagonal. I measured and added the red and mitered the corners.  I don't really like mitering, but this one just called for it to be done.

 

 The quilting was fun too, diagonal strips, crosshatching, and straight lines.

And some fun continous curve swirly designs in the pinwheels.

  

Fun all over swirls to represent the wind whirling around with the snowflakes.

I don't usually think aqua for Christmas but he had it in his scarf so I went with it and I really think it is fresh and fun looking.  My neighbor saw it and really liked it, she might end up buying it she said.  I am totally OK with that!!

Linking up with Main Crush Monday, Monday Making

Be sure to stop back on Wednesday to see my Island Batik September project for our Back to School blog hop!

Are you ready for snowmen?

No, no, no I didn't mean for the real thing, I meant the quilted kind!!  Personally the real thing can hold off for many many months:)

These are made from my very own pattern that I have for sale in my Craftsy shop that you can find HERE.

How could you resist these cutie pies, I am in love with them!  This time I used Tsukineko ink to stencil on the snowflakes, then I heat set them so the table runner can be washed. 

I was able to get a batch of these guys all done for the fall craft shows and also I put one on Etsy. So if you don't want to make your own you can find one already to go HERE

They are all backed with the same red and black polka dot.  When I have several runners that can use the same backing, I load my quilting frame with a long piece which saves me some time.

I hope you all have a productive quilty week-I am hoping to as well.

Linking with MCM, Monday Making, Linky Tuesday

Falling for purses

I had a past customer of my purses come to see what I had on hand a couple weeks ago as she needed a new one. The ones I had made were not going to work for her, so we looked through my fabric and she picked out the perfect ones for her:-)  Since I like to make them in batches, and since I needed more for an upcoming craft, show I decided a couple days later to go through my bin of purse fabrics and get started.  These are what I came up with.  My customer ordered the one on the bottom right.

They all have 8 pockets inside, 3 pockets outside and a magnetic closure. This is from a pattern I made, I have had many requests for the pattern, but at this time I do not have it for sale. However the purses are for sale;-)

My customer also brought along a friend of hers(mine too) and she really like this snowman wall hanging I was working on and it is now hers!  Customers sister emailed me about purses after that and she also purchased one that I had on hand.  I love it when I get to personally talk/email with my customers!  Thanks so much ladies!

I used felt for the letters, hat and bird to machine straight stitch applique on after the quilting was done.

Linking with Let's Bee Social

12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop

July 14th-July 25th there is a very fun Christmas blog hop happening. When Sarah @ Confessions Of A Fabric Addict asked if anyone would like to participate I jumped at the chance. I love decorating and making things to display for the Holidays!

Today is my day to give you an idea for Christmas, maybe it is a present for yourself or a gift for someone else. But it sure is a happy project, how could you not fall in love with this snowman runner!  It's no secret I love to decorate with snowmen for Christmas, but you can keep him out all winter too, what a versatile project.  And I will have the pattern for sale in my Craftsy shop soon.
It is 18 1/2" x 41 1/2", with a little piecing and a little applique.

Edited to say---The pattern is now up in my Craftsy Shop!

And for a little more Christmas inspiration, here are a few of my other decorating ideas.

You can click on each picture for a larger view.

I am sharing the day with fellow blogger Jennifer @ inquiringquilter, so be sure to check out what she has for you also.  You might also want to check out Sarah's each day too as she is having a quilt along that doesn't require a lot of time but turns out oh so cute!



So be sure to check out all the other fun ideas at the following bloggers.

July 14th:     Sharon Vrooman @ Vrooman’s Quilts

                    Carole Carter @ From My Caroline Home

July 15th:    Yanicka Hachez @ Finding Myself As An Artist

                   Chris Dodsley @ made by ChrissieD

July 16th:     Marsha Hodgkins @ Quilter in Motion

                    Leanne Parsons  @ Devoted Quilter

July 17th:     Tonia Conner @ All Thingz Sewn

                    Selina @ Selina Quilts

July 18th:     Lara Buccella @ Buzzin Bumble

                    Soma Acharya @ Whims and Fancies

July 19th:     Joanne Harris@ Quilts by Joanne

                    Suzy Webster @ Adventurous Applique and Quilting

July 20th:     Vicki in MN @ Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

                    Jennifer Fulton @ The Inquiring Quilter

July 21st:     Michele Kuhns @ Crayon Box Quilt Studio

                    Jan Ochterbeck @ The Colorful Fabriholic

July 22nd:     Alla Blanca @ Rainbows. Bunnies. Cupcakes.

                     Zenia Rene @ A Quilted Passion

July 23rd:     Joanne Hubbard @ Everyone Deserves a Quilt

                    Paige Alexander @ Quilted Blooms

July 24th:     Carolyn Jones @ …by CJ

                    Tisha Nagel @ Quilty Therapy

July 25th:     Susan Arnold @ Quilt Fabrication

                    Beth Sellers @ Cooking Up Quilts

                    Linda Pearl @ One Quilting Circle


Linking with Freemotion by the River, Let's Bee Social, NTT, Whoop Whoop, Fabric Frenzy Friday