Finishes for Two Holidays

 Today I show you two more finishes of my reversed S swirl table runners. The first is made from adorable snowman fabric. 

Some of these fabrics have sparkle to them which makes them look like freshly fallen snow.

The backing fabric has green dots which coordinates with the green skinny swirl border.

And then we jump to the next holiday. As an Etsy shop owner I always have to be a season or two ahead so that shoppers get their item and have it ready for decorating.  I present to you Valentine reversed S swirl.

Mixing hearts with pink and red cupcakes together in this table runner seemed appropriate.  We all love sweet treats on Valentine's Day. 

The black and the pink heart fabrics shine nicely with their sparkly fabric (which is hard to capture on camera). 

Today I will spend some time cutting out a few more items to piece over the weekend.  What are you doing this weekend?

Linking with: Wednesday Wait Loss, Finished or Not Friday, Can I get a Whoop Whoop

To Do list on Tuesday

In spite of only have one item on the To Do List last week I accomplished more than that.  So the one thing on list was to make a round snowman topper for a customer. Nailed it!!  This is from one of my patterns called Around and Around We Go which can be found in my Etsy pattern shop.

With that done I was free to work on whatever I wanted.  First up was two round wedge toppers in a fall theme.  

Progress was also made on the Autumn SAL with Melisa.  I am pleased with how much I have done this week. I see Melisa finished hers up and it is cute!!!  I might take a couple nights off from it though, my wrists are really bothering me. 

Halloween is right on our back doorstep, well at least for those looking for new things to decorate with.  So I thought I should get another of these Hocus Pocus wall hangings done.  The pattern is from Primrose cottage on Etsy. I made one for myself last year and sold one also so you might remember seeing it here before.  It basically is using the same fabrics for all three. 

I really don't know right now what goals I have for the upcoming week, but rest assured I will make something!  Wishing you all a great week.  And don't forget to hop over to Linda's for To Do Tuesday, Monday Design Wall, Monday Making, Wednesday Wait Loss and Midweek Makers

Some hand stitching

In my spare time I have been enjoying some hand embroidery.  I used to do a lot of it, mostly fall and snowmen and made them into pillows.  So when I saw Melissa at Pinker n Punkin Quilting was stitching these adorable snowmen blocks I jumped on the snowmen bandwagon!  

And three more, they are a pretty quick stitch. At first I did one in an evening. Then I stretched it out into two evenings. I wasn't in a hurry. 

And then I ran out of embroidery thread and I had to find a printer to print out a few more.  I finally got the thread and found a printer to use at the library.  So now I have one more done.  Eeek that is a horrible photo, the lighting was not very good!  They are all stitched on a very white fabric called Prairie cloth I think, I don't have the bolt handy to check. But it is a nice heavy cotton, I love the feel of it.  I used a FriXion pen to trace the pattern to the fabric. Then I can gently press with a hot iron to make any lines disappear when I am done.  Speaking of done, I have no idea yet of the setting for these cuties. Might be one quilt or it might be two or even three wall hangings.

I have always preferred to use a thin batting behind my fabric while I stitch and then I don't hoop my piece. It just feels comfortable to me.  There is one more in progress now and then I need to find more of that batting in order to finish up the twelve blocks.  So that is what has been hanging out on my design wall, what's on yours?  

Oh by the way, Happy Valentines to all my quilty peeps!!! 

Linking with Design Wall Monday and Monday Making. 

Something different

I needed a little break from quilting.  Yes I can do other things besides quilt 😁once in a while.  Tuesday afternoon I decided I wanted to play with my beads.  Ahhh it felt so good to finally get a chance to make a new bracelet again.  Plus I decided on which beads to order so I can make a few more using different designs.  This bracelet pattern is a free one from Deb Roberti at Around The Beading Table.  

These are from the same pattern, but the bottom two use a different bead so it gives a little different look.

Have you seen the cute snowman stitchery patterns at Pinker n Punkin Quilting and Stitching and guess what...they are free!!  Melisa is so generous with her stitching patterns whether it is primitive stitching like these snowmen or cross stitch. 

I have two done and she just came out with #5.  I will make mine into a wall hanging eventually. The lighting was terrible when I took these photos last night, but I stitched mine on bright white cotton fabric with red DMC floss. 

And back to quilting, using red batiks.  I should have this one done early next week.  In the meantime I have to set it aside to work on a custom runner for a customer.  

Linking with:

Finished or Not Friday

Peacock Parade

TGIFF

Using a Panel-Take Two

 The first table runner using a panel turned out so good that I chose three more blocks from the panel and I now have a different look for the second one. If you missed the first one you can see it HERE.

After squaring up the blocks I added the dark gray sashing to bring it up to 8 1/2" square. Then I could use two flying geese units on each side of the blocks and white squares in the corners. The geese are 2"x4" finished, which meant I could use two Accuquilt dies from the 8" cube set to make these very quickly. What I hadn't realized was how it was going to look, when I put it all together you don't see the flying geese so much as the secondary pattern it formed. I like it a lot!  I didn't use EQ to design this, only my head and the design wall, so I was flying by the seat of my pants for the whole thing. 

 After the blocks were finished I needed something to make it longer.  So why not make flying geese gingham trees to put in between the blocks.  Like the runner in the previous post, I cross hatched the blocks.  Swirly wishbones are always a good choice for the trees, a quick meander in the white background and continuous curve(CC) in the red flying geese. And now I have another farmhouse look table runner!

                             And just to bring us back to the real season that is happening now...

So several years ago I had purchased a yellow calla lily, it bloomed once while we were on vacation and our daughter took it's photo for us.  And then it never bloomed again, I figured it was dead. I was just telling one of my followers about this and three days later I was watering them and HOLY COW, there it was blooming!!!!!!!  In our climate we do have to dig them and store them in the basement over the winter and then plant in the spring. No matter the color, yellow or white, I store them in a brown paper bag.  I don't have many so it works fine.

Accuquilt wants you to know about a fun launch party coming up on July 6th. They are introducing the die of the month.  If you are curious sign up for this party HERE, there are prizes involved, dies and fabric!!  But you have to be signed up to be eligible for them. 

All the talk about Feedburner going away and hearing so many bloggers switching over to Follow.It, I started working on it yesterday. I added the new Follow Me By Email at the top of my right side bar. I will work on getting people switched over or if you don't want to miss a thing or are new here feel free to sign up again. Hopefully it all works out.  I wish Feedburner would have stayed put, it was working fine wasn't it, you might say I don't like change!   

Linking with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Favorite Monthly Finish

More...

Last week was just not a very productive work week.  However, I kicked it into gear over the weekend, several projects got their final stage-binding.  You have seen these before so I won't go into much detail.

The two sunflower table runners are for an order from two local gals. I still need to make 2 identical little wall hangings for them also.  They tend to like a lot of the same things.  The Turkey will be for the shows or Etsy. I also found the start of a few more turkeys lurking in my closet so I will be good with those for this year. 

These guys also got their finishing touches and are ready for the craft shows. I also have a few more snowmen to quilt up.  It's getting closer and closer to this season:(  Just heard on the weather channel that snow is heading to South and North Dakota and hopping the border for Minnesota this week!!!!!!!  No, no, no we don't want it yet, it's way to early.  

Today starts the Witchy Stitchy blog hop which is hosted by Carol at Just Let Me Quilt.  It's gonna be spooky fun, I hope you'll join us.  My day is Wednesday.  Here is a list of participants.

October 7 - Today

Creatin' in the Sticks

Songbird Designs

For The Love Of Geese

Quilted Delights

Kathleen McMusing

Quilts By Joanne

Whims And Fancies

Janie G. – Hosted at Just Let Me Quilt

October 8

Selina Quilts

Words & Stitches

Vroomans Quilts

Days Filled With Joy

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Life in the Scrapatch

Just Because Quilts

Brenda's Quilt Blog

October 9

Home Sewn By Us

Kathleen - Hosted at Just Let Me Quilt

Quilts Fabric and Thread Tales

Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting (Me)

Websterquilt

Seams To Be Sew

Sew Many Yarns

October 10 

Beaquilter

Homespun Hannah's Blog

MooseStashQuilting

Cynthia's Creating Ark

It’s A T-Sweet Day!

Count it *all* JOY!

Bethni L. – Hosted at Just Let Me Quilt

October 11

Just Let Me Quilt

Quilt Fabrication

Melva Loves Scraps
Patchouli Moon Studio

Ms P Designs USA

Karrin’s Crazy World

Patchwork Breeze

Linking with Monday Making

Snowmen go for a ride

Remember back in September a friend came over to sew snowman bodies while I cut them out.  I said at a later date I would have them finished up.  Little by little I have stuffed, gathered, sewn coats and hats for them.  The past week or so I have finished up a bunch of them.

All in all I finished up 14 of the snowman heads on a wreath(front left guy).  Nine of Singing Sam(front middle one).  Eleven of Liberty Sam(front right) And 8 of the top ones holding the redwood sticks, he is called Light the way.  

Here is Light the way holding two different battery operated tea lights, one is glittery and one is grungy. 

Liberty Sam is either holding a glittery white tree or a snowflake, and carrying a jingle bell.  

All boxed up and ready to go for a ride to a craft show that starts Nov. 1st.  I need to deliver them today in order for the people to get everything all set up.  Believe it or not I still have about 25 more to finish up for a show in early December.   

But first I need to get more snowman runners made!  The show that is going on right now emailed after this first weekend saying my snowman runners all sold already!  The show goes for 3 more long weekends, so I might try to get more up to her.  I already know that the one I am delivering at today needs more because I don't have very many to give her to start with!  Whew-maybe I need a nap first;) 

Linking with Connie, Susan , Brooke and Jennifer

Something a little different

I have pulled the fabrics for my December Island Batik scrappy table runner challenge. I hope to get at it later this week or early next week.  Island Batik included this coordinating Alpine Ice bundle in the box I received from them in July.  It is one of the newly released fabrics at Fall Market.

I got to thinking I wanted to have a coordinating wall hanging to go with the snowman runners.  He needs to be quilted and faces yet, but it felt really good to do something a little different for a change.  The snowman runners are still going good on Etsy so I continue to make more.  I was at JoAnns over the weekend and helped them empty out a few bolts of gray fabrics.  The favorite clerk says 'What are you doing with all the grays you keep coming in for', so someday I need to take one in for show and tell.  

Linking with Susan for her 100th Midweek Makers linky party!   Won't you come join in the fun!!

First craft show done, second one beginning!

So many of you commented on my post showing the pictures of the craft show I was doing last week.  I thought I would update you as it finished on Saturday night and we could pick up the leftovers then.  One never knows what to expect from the shows, in 2012 it was an awesome, spectacular show for me.  But the following years it has went down, however I am happy to report I made more than last year.  The amount of table runners that sold was wonderful, although I wish more of the wall hangings would have went.  It's a win win when you sell-good for the wallet but bad for the next show inventory!!  

Yesterday I dropped off at the next show which starts tomorrow(Thursday) and goes for 4 long weekends, meaningThursdays thru Sundays.  This show is at Kenyon Mn, if you are in the area you should check it out!  This show is also set up boutique style.  She has lots of different vendors then the last show, so that mean different types of crafts.  

In order to avoid paying a registration fee we could make a scarecrow to display in their yard.  People who come to the show can vote on the one they like best.  There is a big variety of scarecrows and yard ornaments.  My DH volunteered to make mine this year.  We didn't need anything fancy so plain and simple it was.  I painted the head after seeing an idea on Pinterest. 

I cleaned the pumpkin, added a layer of Mod Podge to the area where I was painting.  Let it dry, then paint the face and after it dries Mod Podge it again.  I have never done this before and it was a lot of fun!  And DH thought it was pretty darn cute:)

Now today I am inventorying for the 3rd show which I deliver to on Friday.  This one is in Grand Meadow, MN  and is boutique style and boy do they ever do a cute job of displaying! They have 3 big buildings and 2 smaller ones to spread out all the wonderful crafts.  Plus there is always tons of outdoor decorations to buy also.

Can you say crazy busy!!  When I got home from dropping off supply at that show yesterday, I finished wrapping, decorating and tagging 24 candy canes.  

You can hang them on a door knob, stair railing post or on the wall.

It occurred to me that I never showed you the latest batch of snowmen. Meet Mr. Good Cheer!  I made 14 of him.  They need to go to 2 shows. 

The downside of selling so many runners at the first show, and then having to divide the leftovers in half for the 2 shows that will be on at the same time, is that neither of them get a nice supply.  So that means I need to scramble to get a ton more made, and make another delivery, but it is all good as I love to make them!!  And then I had a couple more sales on Etsy, so I needed to replenish that stock so I took from the shows inventory!! 

Linking with Susan, Sarah, and Sherry.

Prim snowheads

What a crazy two days, all day yesterday I inventoried my quilting, this morning I inventoried my purses and childrens sweaters.  All this is to be delivered tomorrow to the first craft show of the season.  

This afternoon was some dishcloth knitting on the knitting machine.

And when I had done enough knitting for today I moved on to these Prim Snowheads.  The pattern I used for these is from Country Friends.  I have a dozen of these ready.  The snowmen only go to the 3rd and 4th craft shows.  The first two shows are mostly fall related items that sell.   I feel really good about today's accomplishments.  And I only have 21 more snowmen to finish up!

Linking with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss and Let's Bee Social

Singing Sam and LittleBits

Feeling good about my accomplishments this weekend.  Fourteen LittleBit snowmen done that measure 16" tall.  Warm and Natural is what I use for their bodies after dyeing it with tan Rit Dye.  His tree is made from green felt.

Singing Sam is singing his heart out.  He is also made of Warm and Natural after dyeing with tan Rit Dye.  I dyed the yardage and then my friend came and sewed bodies and hats while I cut them all out. The hats are felt.

 I finished up these eleven, which measure 11" tall, on Saturday.  There is one more that didn't get stuffed with the rest of them, so I will have to get him done with the next batch of snowmen.  Hopefully I'll get at least one more batch done this week.  Tomorrow and Tuesday are inventory days for the first craft show of the season, which starts on Friday!  I can hardly believe how fast this year has flown by. 

Linking with Beth, Beth and Connie

Snowmen X 3

You may have seen these next three wall hangings before when I posted HERE.  They were only pieced at that time, now they are finished.  As usual by clicking on the pic you will get a larger one to look at more closely if you want to.

Number one:

           

Number two:

 Number 3:

                  

 These cute snowmen were all on the same panel and I stretched it to make three different wall hangings by adding several different elements to each one. They all measure approximately 19" x 31", Hobbs 80/20 batting and Glide thread.

Yesterday I put bindings on eight items.  So hang onto your hat there is more to come this week!

Linking with Freemotion by the River, Midweek Makers and Let's Bee Social