Mandala Beginnings

Mandala Quilt Layout Plans

Have I told you about my Mandala Quilt yet?  I am really looking forward to starting this one after the New Year.  These aren't the true colors I will be using, but I have finally selected them.  All of my fabrics are sitting here waiting for me with little murmurs of "why aren't you working on us?   My first step will be to create the applique center.  Isn't that going to be something?  I'm planning on piecing the straights and then ironing under the curves and hand appliqueing each of the layers.  Does that sound like a good plan to you?

I am actually planning this one to be 100% mine.  So often I get wrapped up in working on these huge beautiful quilts and especially in the spring it's a real bummer to make my own bed, with something that doesn't begin to compare to what I've spent all day working on.

What are your plans?  Promise me you've taken a moment to just enjoy the season and breathe, without having to worry about anything.  Are you done with your holiday shopping?  I've been done since my last box arrived yesterday.  Thank goodness, now I can just cuddle with my daughter and pat my sick husband on the back and enjoy the season.  I wish you all the same, minus the sick spouse of course!

Christmas Teach-In Quilt

Great American Teach-In Quilt

Detail of DD's picture

My theme for this year's Great American Teach-In  was "What makes me Me".  I was very impressed with Spoonflower's new color profile as it captured the children's drawings just as they had drawn them.  With no shift and nice texture.  DD said it was like I took all the drawings and sewed them together.

I wrapped the quilt in a pretty pink bag and off it went to school today for the Teacher.  Next year I'm thinking perhaps I'd like do have the children make a small project, likely with fabric that they could take home.  The rush of making a quilt last minute, right before Christmas like this really doesn't suit how I'm making quilts these days.  

Our Tree With Packages

I mentioned my Christmas tree in my last post and you all were just the push I needed to have DD help me wrap up DH's presents, of course because I had everything out, so I just flowed from wrapping gifts for one person to another and another. 

Tiny is coming for Christmas.

Our School doesn't do a traditional Christmas program as I recall from years gone by, but she reads to a really great group called Tail Waggin' Tutors (they are an international program staffed with amazing owners, and fully trained therapy dogs), this was her second Christmas party with them and they did a wonderful job.  The below picture is DD singing and signing in Sign Language.

Sing and Sign

We are all ready for Christmas and just in time to, with the cold front sweeping the nation.  How are you on your Christmas Shopping and Wrapping?  Only 4 days left you know.

First Package of the Season

Tiny my Wrapping Elf

Merry Christmas!

How is the holiday season treating you?  We seem to be running in slow motion.  I wrapped our first presents last week for my friend that I make the dog dresses for.   What did I give her?  Dog Dresses of course.  The first one is a fleece one that I made two of (cut from the same fabric but turned out very different) with one going to a dog my mom knows and the other to my friend.  Then the purple dress, I actually made in November and it was just so pretty I couldn't part with it for the normal rate so my friend Vicki suggested it as a Christmas gift.  Both Dresses were wrapped in tissue paper and then into their own wrapping paper packages.  I had lots of help from Tiny!

Christmas Gifts of Dog Dresses

Do you have anything wrapped up under your tree yet?  Mom always maintains a tree with nothing under it looks naked, but personally with pets and DD asks silly questions about whose is whose, it's easier to leave off the wrapping for a little bit.  I actually wondered if I would hold off and let the elves bring the presents on the 24th...  But really all the wrapping needs done before DD is out of school for Christmas Break - right?

Quilts for Sale

Hello everyone.  I emptied out my Zibbet Shop for the moment in order to place most of my quilts that are finished and awaiting homes on ebay.  With our furnace out I'd like to buy one of those media electric fireplaces for DH for Christmas (or have enough for a replacement furance) and I don't have anywhere near enough without selling a couple of quilts.  Current listings end Monday evening and include Free Motion Strip Quilt, Lollipop Quilt, Peppermint Burst Quilt, Scatty Stars, Earth Turtles, Hawaiian Ocean Applique, and this year's CQAL Mystery Quilt-a-long Quilt.  So if you have ever wanted a Sand and Sunshine Quilt now is the time.

All quilts are listed with free shipping within the United States and as I have more than one or two followers from outside those boundaries if you one of those and are interested in making a purchase just let me know and we'll work it out.

Equal and Opposite

All things are obey the laws of physics.  Especially quilting.  Now hold on there and let me explain.  For each and every action a quilter takes that quilter has a opposite reaction that will also happen.  For example.  A quilter takes a quilting class and learns a new technique.  The results?  You'll either be swearing off ever doing that again, or you'll certain to be making something that utilizes what you learned.

Take for example my friend Sue.  She thought she would border out her Lone Star Quilt with friendship blocks.  The results?  Having to make 56 friendship blocks.

My personal example is this.  If you make a huge border and fill it with applique...  You'll have a lot of applique to quilt!  Remember all that Wisteria?  Uh hu.  Remember all those leaves?  Remember there being no good way to travel through all that quilting?  Yep hours and hours of quilting.  And so many starts and stops I was actually having to cut my jumpers to quilt within the each new area.  What a challenge!  I told DD that I promise not to take on another contract quilt for a (long) while.  She paid me no mind one way or the other.  I'm not sure if she didn't believe me or not.   But thankfully I can say that I now have every speck of Wisteria quilted.  No, I can't show it to you.  The threads aren't tucked, and it looks - oh such a sight!  Which is more to my physics point.  It doesn't look pretty yet so I don't want to show you.

All of my sewing meant that I missed my Lone star Quilt-a-long day.  Thankfully I wasn't hostessing hu?  Anyway I don't have anything to show.  I had thought I'd dig out the Fabrico pens and see if I could get a bit more ink out of them.  But really, didn't you notice?  It's December 1st!  That means it's 23 days until Christmas!    ACK!  Someone slow down Santa!