I'm still here...

Please don't faint and fall over because I'm posting.  I know it has been FOREVER since I was on here.  I'll just put it down to that time got away from me. So please excuse that this post  may turn out to be a bit lengthy.

 First of all, I did get all of those stockings finished....I even threw in a few extra for the teacher's daughters and the girls I keep after school. Having them hung on my design wall, it sure did look like a lot of stockings!  Each one was stuffed with a pencil, a couple erasers (hard to get away from being a teacher), a candy cane,  and a sticker.

For Christmas, I made all of the adults in the family  and my granddaughter's teachers, quilted trays. Everyone got one out of fabric that seemed appropriate to them, including the quilting.  This is the one I made for myself.  I had to try it out didn't I? I'll be making some tweaks should more be needed..

I  had to dig out the baby quilt pattern that LaDonna had posted about earlier and make baby quilts.  One of my former students became a daddy for the first time.  He was one of those children that touched my heart and had always kept in touch with me. So his little boy got a quilt.

Of course the month of December was packed but not with any quilting.  My son and daughter-in-law were able to fly in from California for a few days at Christmas.  It had been two long years since we had seen them and so it was a wonderful few days! After they left, it was hard to get back into the swing of things so during that time, my sewing machine went in for it's check up.

While my machine was in the shop, I used that time to go through, throw away, clean, reorganize and then mess up again by cutting out a Valentine quilt for myself and Granddaughter's Kindergarten teacher.  She is one extremely awesome lady. I used a pattern (Ragged Hearts) I got from LaDonna years ago but never got around to making. Over time, I had gathered fabric together to make  a 'kit' but just never got around to making the pattern.  Something else always got moved in front of it. When we presented the wall hanging to the teacher, she just sat there rubbing it and smiling it...which I took as a good reaction.

So now you are basically caught up on the quilting that I've been doing.  As of today, I am tweaking the arrangement of quilt blocks for a quilt for my mother-in-law.  The blue flowered one that I made her a few years ago was looking rather worn last summer when we saw her.  As soon as I get an arrangement that I am satisfied with, I'll begin trying to quilt it.  Don't know how long that is going to take...I do tend to obsess about such things...right after I decide on pattern and fabric...which is an entire other story!

~Diana

Sanding Not Sewing

Not much sewing going on around here!  Though I did start a new project...sanding the wood trim in the house in preparation for painting.  I plan to paint the baseboard white and have the quarter round match the floors that my husband did such a good job on last year!  No clue yet on what color will go on the walls.  All those years moving around in the military, dreaming of our forever home, and now that we have it, I can't decide what colors to use! 

Everything in the living room moved to the center, covered up.  You can see the sanding dust along the floor.

Cleaning blinds is not something I enjoy doing... really, who does?!  Covered them up until the time comes to do the window trim.  

Action shot.  My goodness, look at my hair.  That's gotta be sanding dust making it look gray.  Yeah, that's it.

See my new knee pads?  Love them!  Makes the job so much easier!

For such a small house, there sure is a lot of trim!  We have so many plans for the house.  I can't wait to get it all done!  But just like in quilting, I'm trying to enjoy the process!

LaDonna

Pillowcases For Sandy Hook Elementary (No longer needed!)

Check out this shop's page. They are doing a pillowcase drive for the children of Sandy Hook Elementary School.

 Quilter's Corner

Here's the address for mailing:  Quilter's Corner, 312 Danbury Rd, New Milford Ct. 06776 

I can't believe it...I don't have any kid prints in my stash!  Time to go to the store.

LaDonna 

Update:  Here's the two I sent:

Fast and Easy Baby Quilt

Need a baby quilt in a hurry?  Diana and I use the "Super-Sized Nine Patch" as our go-to pattern for fast baby quilts.  The pattern is available in a pdf for easy downloading!  Here's the link:  "Super-Sized Nine Patch".  I love this pattern because it's fast, super adorable with different prints, and best of all, you get three quilts out of it!  With a new 60mm blade in your rotary cutter, you can cut all the fabrics at once, which saves you even more time!  The hardest part of this quilt is deciding which cute prints to use!

I like to quilt these in an overall wavy grid.  The wavy lines add visual interest to a linear design and hide all kinds of wobbles and bobbles! Here's the back showing the quilting:

Here's the front showing the quilting: 

Because I like controlled wavy lines, I use this ruler to mark my lines:

It's actually a ruler for making leaves, but I bought it for marking wavy lines!  Here's the link to the designer's website:  Sue Pelland Designs

Scriptures are a nice finishing touch to a baby quilt!

Once you get started on these baby quilts, you can't stop!  They are addictive!  

LaDonna

Super Fast Stockings Done!

Just a quick note....

The one hundred stockings from my previous post (click here) turned into 125 stockings because of operator error!  I misread the email.  So much for attention to detail! 

The main thing is they are now done!  FYI, the pinking rotary blade is wonderful!  Fifteen different pink fabrics with the same pink lining/cuff and snowflake bling:

For a little extra gift, I glued ribbon to tea lights:

I am so thankful for the opportunity to make these gifts.  I hope I can make more next year!

LaDonna

How to Make a Stocking...Fast!

I don't know about y'all, but my summer has flown by!  February to October has just gone by so fast!  We have worked really hard on our yard this summer.   We have taken several pick-up truck loads to the transfer station and we aren't done yet!  We've dug up a gazillion daffodil bulbs and calla lilly bulbs!  Now that fall is here, we've moved plants and planted bulbs, putting them in a better location for us.  Here's our progress in the front yard so far:

After having the same glasses for 6 years, I finally got some new ones!  Completely different from anything I've had before!  Still working on getting used to them, but I like them and better yet, Tony likes them!  I always take him with me to pick out new glasses because as I tell him, "You're the one who has to look at my face!"

Now that Tony has retired from the Army (gosh, that's now been one year!), we are quickly putting down roots here.  Hair stylist (without having to go through even one bad haircut before I found her!), optomotrist, dentist (how nice that we won't have to change doctors in 3 years!), neighbors, friends, civic club, church, shopping, sewing machine service, car repair (I could have waited on that one!), sewing group...I'm really feeling at home here and I love it!

Now to the title of my post.  To help with a women's ministry in this area, I offered to make 100 pink stockings.  I know what you're thinking; believe me, I thought it myself!  One hundred stockings?!!  I needed a super fast method for making all these stockings.  I found this technique on another blog from a few years back  (she has lots of cute ideas, click here for her blog)  and adapted it for my stockings.

Use whatever shape stocking you want, it doesn't matter the size or the shape, to make these stockings.  Because I have so many to make, I didn't want a separate cuff to sew on.  I adapted my stocking pattern so I could turn down the top of the stocking for my cuff.  An easy way to do this is to draw your stocking pattern on a piece of paper, decide how big a cuff you want, (I used 2 inches),

fold down the cuff on your paper pattern,

fold over the edges to get the cuff close to the body of the stocking,   

unfold, and you have the angle for the cuff!

I then transferred my pattern to some sturdy plastic.

 

With right sides of your fabric together, place template.  Cut a lining fabric and an outer fabric.  I used my small rotary cutter and cut through 6 layers at a time.  Don't have time to waste...100 stockings!

Layer your fabric this way: lining fabric right sides together, pretty outside fabric right sides together on top of lining fabric.

Stitch 1/4 inch seam around the stocking, leaving the top open.

I used my pinking shears (gosh, it's been a long time since I used them!) to trim close to the seam all around the stocking.  Or you could just clip into the seam at the curves.  The main thing is to have your stocking be flat and smooth.

Now you are ready for turning.  Reach between the lining fabrics and turn the stocking.

Use a point turner to smooth out the seams.

Next, reach between the pretty outside fabric and turn.

 Use as point turner to smooth out the seams again.

Give it a good press.

Now after pressing, you may notice that the top raw edges of the stocking aren't exactly even.  That's ok!  Use your rotary cutter and ruler and trim even.  

Satin stitch around the opening.  You'll be stitching the lining fabric and the pretty outside fabric together. I used a water soluble stabilizer to make sure my satin stitches were nice and smooth.  

 Follow the manufacturer's directions to remove the stabilizer at this point.  Press cuff down.

For the hanging loop, I cut 1 1/2 inch strips.  Fold so the raw edges meet in the center, then fold again.  Stitch close to the edge.

I satin stitched the ends of the loop together and then placed it inside the stocking, about a 1/4 inch down from the edge.

Stitch close to the edge all around the folded edge of the cuff, making sure to catch the loop.

Now for some bling!  I found the cutest little snowflake button.  Dug out my glue gun and glued the button to the cuff.

 The finished stocking!

Only 99 more to go!

LaDonna