Fall

I wanted to share my fall "Blessings" door hanging. My sister, Carol, is a resident at Lakeland Rehabilitation and Nursing Home. I try to make seasonal door hangings for her.  This one was inspired by Bluprint 's free pumpkin pattern. However, the block was too small. I enlarged it, and added the letters and the blackbird. I also used strips of varying widths as I think that adds interest to it. Thanks for stopping by!

September Quilting

I've done a variety of quilting this month. We started table runners with strings in quilt club last month. I really enjoyed this project. Most members used white for a background, but I really loved this green. The quilting was done on my BabyLoc Tiara quilting machine.  I think I will make more of these.

The second project was making kitchen boas for three of my sisters. If you aren't familiar with these, they consist of  9" wof fabric plus a dish towel. It is worn around your neck with half of the dish towel sewn at each end of the fabric.

I made 2 soup bowl copies for my sister, Shirley, who celebrated her 86th birthday. I've made several of these as gifts, and people really like them.

My sister wanted to recreate a lamb that her granddaughter carries around. Madison's lamb is looking worn, and Judy hoped she could substitute in a new one. Madison likes it, but she doesn't want to replace the old one.

 

Now, on to work on two baby quilts and start working on Christmas gifts!

Landscape Quilts

A few months ago my quilt club made landscape quilts. I had made a couple before, so I chose to make a sunset for my project.  We all chose different scenes using the same technique.

                             
                                                    I was pleased with the finished project.


This is my first landscape Quilt. It was made for a blog hop. At the time, my husband and I were babysitting for out granddaughters in Colorado Springs. The inspiration for the quilt came from the beautiful aspen trees we saw taking the cograil up Pikes Peak.

"Home" wall hanging Gifts

These are all variations of the Missouri Star Quilt Company's row by row from a couple of years ago. I made them this year for friends, two who were moving back to places they used to live and one for a 50th wedding anniversary gift. I must not have taken a picture of the one I made for a wedding gift.

Quilting for Others

Every year, our Cerro Gordo Church of the Brethren Women's Fellowship has a service project. This year we made fidget blankets for dementia patients. We gave them to a local nursing home.

This is a wall hanging I made for a friend. These blocks were made by her grandmother years ago.

My sister, Shirley, will be 86 this month. This is a quilt she made for her great granddaughter.

My daughter is a librarian for FirstLine Schools in New Orleans. Each year they have a fundraiser for their Edible Garden program. This was my donation for their silent auction.

Baby Gifts

                                       

                                                        Baby blankets I made for friends

Christmas 2018

Even with a wedding and a wedding quilt to make, I found time to make a few Christmas items.

A strippy Christmas  tree.

I loved these pinwheel ornaments.

Christmas Quilt and Wedding

On January 5, our daughter, Anna, got married. I made this quilt (hand quilted) for their wedding.

                                       Our family at the wedding celebration, New Orleans.

Anna's and Chris' wedding quilt.

Thankful

I haven't posted in some time, but my hope is to get back into posting the things I make.  Today, however, I would like to share a picture of my family.  We celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary in November with all of our children, gathering in southern Illinois.  We had a great week with our 3 children and their families.  I am so thankful that they took the time to gather with us to celebrate.

Time to Catch Up!

 Wall hanging I made for my son, Luke, in July 2016.

Lap Quilt I made for my sister, Carol Seidenstricker.

Winter Quilting and Signs of Spring

Hi Quilter Friends!

I feel like I have gotten much accomplished these past 2 months, and it is a good thing, because spring is just around the corner.

These are blooming all over my yard.  I love it when the snowdrops bloom.

My first January project was this bluebell wall hanging for my oldest son, Josh.  He lives in Albuquerque and misses our field of bluebells in the spring.  This was his birthday gift.

Next, I finished a queen-size quilt for my granddaughter, Julia.  Her 14th birthday was also in January.  She loves owls.  The square in a square blocks are made using a Kona jelly roll.

I am just learning free-motion quilting, so this large of a quilt was a challenge.  I have been signing most of my quilts like this, making a square, folding it into a triangle, adding some stabilizer and signing using my Janome 7700.  Then, placing it in the corner of the back of my quilt before I add the binding.

I have also been making kids quilts:

 Actually, the first two are quillows, quilts that fold up, tuck into the pocket on the back and form a pillow.

This one is for Adelyn.  Her Grandmother is a friend of mine and is in my quilt club.  Adelyn will be going to Mayo Clinic in May, and I wanted her to have something bright and cheery to take along with her.

I wish I knew the name of this fabric.  The little girls are so cute--I would make it again.

I also made one for Parker, her little brother.  I didn't want him to feel left out.  What little boy doesn't love super heroes?

Here is Parker's quillow, all wrapped up.

The quilting was good practice using my Tiarra.  I am getting the knack as to setting the tension and am enjoying the free-motion quilting I can do with it.

I also have a new great niece, Paige.  This rail fence quilt is for her.

Oops, I have the shadow of the other clothesline in this one.  It was fun to make this with all of the bright pretty fabrics.

Speaking of fabrics, a big thanks to my friend, Jani, who gave me most of these fabrics.  Now, that is a true friend, one who shares her stash.

I have one more baby quilt to make for this spring--for a great nephew.  I think I am going to have to purchase the fabrics for that one!  I hope you have had a great time quilting this winter also.  Until, next time!

Christmas Cookie Exchange '15

Welcome to my blog. Thanks, Carol, for giving us this opportunity to share cookie recipes with others.  I know I have seen some great recipes this week that I want to try!

It was a great time for me to do a virtual cookie share.  My two beautiful granddaughters were here the entire week before Thanksgiving.  We have been making lots of candy, cookies, noodles, and pies.  I have taught them well.  They are 13 and 10, and they can make pies and noodles by them-selves, not to mention the cookies and candy.

The first cookies we made were spritz cookies, a recipe my mom used to make.  She would "hide" them in the upstairs bedroom of our old farmhouse--the room we didn't use in the winter because it was too cold.  We would sneak in and sample them long before Christmas.  They are made with a cookie gun.  We used an old metal one when we were growing up.  Now, the girls and I use a Pampered Chef gun.

SPRITZ COOKIES

1 lb. butter                                1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs                                       1 tsp. baking powder

4 1/2 cups flour                        1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter (be sure to use real butter) and sugar.  Add unbeaten eggs.  Combine flour and baking powder.  Add flour mix and vanilla.   Divide the cookie dough into 2 parts and swirl green coloring into half of the dough and red coloring into the 2nd half.  Press with a cookie press onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  

I asked Julia and Lauren to bring a recipe to share, also.  They chose jello cookies that their Grandma, Carolyn Ogren, has been making since their mother was a child.  They are made with lime or raspberry jello.  Make 2 batches if you want colorful red and green cookies.  We used lime jello.

JELLO COOKIES

3/4 cup butter, softened                                               1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup sugar                                                                2 1/2 cups flour

1 3-oz. package jello                                                    1 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs                                                                           1 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix thoroughly butter, sugar, jello, eggs, and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Roll dough into 3/4 inch balls.  Place 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet; flatten each with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. (We use a glass with a design imprinted in the bottom so that there is a design on the cookies.)  Bake 6-8 minutes.  Makes about 4 dozen.

I want to share just a few pictures of our candy-making.  We made 2 batches of peanut brittle, caramels, peppermint bark, and peanut butter fudge.

Grandpa came in to supervise.

Lauren's peppermint bark.  Yummy!

                                    Julia making caramels while Lauren stirs the peanut brittle.

                                             Stretching the peanut brittle--soooo good!

We also had time to walk in the woods, go out for pizza and have a great Thanksgiving dinner.  I hope you were as blessed as I was on Thanksgiving.

Thank you, Carol at Just Let Me Quilt, for a great hop!

Please stop by for yummy cookie recipes from our blogger friends today:

December 4

Linda at Food Storage Moms

Susan at Super Mom – No Cape!

Kathy at Just Quilt it

Lindsay at Lin's Kitchen

Carol at Just Let Me Quilt

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy cookie baking!

February Fun

We have been busy in February!  I didn't have nearly as much time to quilt this month.  Our daughter, Anna, lives in New Orleans and wanted us to see some of the Mardi Gras festivities.  We were able to go and see 2 great parades--Muses and Endymion.

The floats were fabulous!  We had a great time.  Both parades were very family-friendly.  

It was hard not to get in the excitement--people on the floats were throwing beads, footballs, frisbees, cozies, more beads, little basketballs, cups, and more beads.  

When we left NOLA, we met friends, Terry and Sue, at St. George Island in Florida.  We rented a large house a block off of the beach.  Sue's brother, Dan, and his partner, Howard, were there for part of the week.  

Then, we went to Tallahassee for a few days to visit with Terry and Sue's son's family, Jonathan, Erica, Norah, and Clara.  We went to Wakulla Springs and went on a swamp tour.  We really enjoyed the birds and the alligators.

                                Back at the house, we enjoyed spending time with Jon's family.

We came home to frozen pipes in our well pit, but that has now been fixed.  It was good to get home between storms.  We really enjoy being back in our own bed after 2 weeks of travel.

I did manage to get some quilting done this month.  I finished Anna's 4th library quilt before we went, so I was able to take this one to her.  It is actually the logo for her charter group, Firstline.  The words are their values.

I also made another ipad case--this time for my sister, Carol.  It has velcro closures and a place for her to put a stylus.

After returning to Illinois, I wanted to make a tote for Anna.  She picked out the material at Mes Amis in NOLA.  It is a great quilt shop--tons of fun fabrics.

I had just enough material left to make her a snap bag.  I should put it in March's blog, but it goes with the bag, so here it is:

It's been a busy month--lots of travel, time with family and friends, lots of snow, frozen pipes, sandy, cool beaches.  We've enjoyed February, but we are really looking forward to spring flowers, warm weather, and sunshine.  

Happy Quilting!