Swapping books and more with new friends . . .

Recently, I joined my first swap in ages. I confess I was a little nervous (having been burned in long ago swaps). But I had such fun planning what to swap, making my gifts, then packing, mailing and eagerly anticipating, then receiving my own package.

"Fall into Reading Book Swap 2022" was hosted on InstaGram by @wwarner27 (aka Wendy). She matched participants into one-to-one swap partners. Everyone in the swap filled out a questionnaire including favorite book genres and other interests. My partner and I were able to chat via emails while deciding what to send to each other. 

Here's a peek at the books I soon purchased for Mandi  ...  My puzzle now is which one (or two) to send to her .... or maybe send more?  

See any titles below that intrigue you? 

 

 

Wondering where I purchased this stack of books? Why, at one of my favorite independent book stores! I am lucky to have two located near me. If you're in Houston, be sure to visit "Murder By The Book" on Bissonnet and "Brazos Bookstore" a block away also on Bissonnet. While I frequent both, the books above are entirely from Murder By The Book. Now to decide which books to send to Mandi....hmmm....

Meanwhile, the swap includes sending small gifts. Mandi and I are makers and crafters, so I wanted to make something special for her. But time was short and I needed to whip something together quickly. What could I make for my new book-loving-&-crafting-friend? Inspired by the name "Fall into Reading", I looked through my unfinished blocks, pulling two made in fall colors. I decided to finish both.

 

The first block is a variation of the classic Jacob's Ladder quilt block. 

It was originally headed for a Sampler Quilt, a quilt never came together.

I confess, I enjoyed quilting this block into a little quilt.

 

The second block is called "Leaf Love Wreath." It is an original design and paper-piecing pattern by Kristy Lea (aka Quiet Play). 

The pattern is currently available on her Quiet Play website. For your ease, click Leaf Love Wreath pattern for a direct link to this pattern. Click Quiet Play patterns to see all of Kristy's wonderful patterns. To learn more of my creative quilty friend Kristy who lives in the Land-Down-Under (aka Australia), take a look at her website: https://quietplaydesigns.com/ 

I finished this sweet leaf wreath block into a small quilt too.

Both quilts are finished and ready to go to a new home .... as soon as I decide which to send or whether to  to splurge and send both quilts to my "Fall Into Reading Book Swap 2022" partner .... What would you do?

Send BOTH of course!

... along with three books and more gifts which filled the package nicely.

 

 

All have arrived safely and best of all,

Mandi is pleased! Yea!

 

I love my package that she sent to me too!!!

This was a fun swap & I look forward to swapping again.

Wendy mentioned hosting the next swap in February (possibly?)!

Have you joined any internet swaps lately?
If you have, I hope they were as delightful as this book swap was!

Another ending ....

It is that time when summer is beckoning .... schools are winding down, teachers and custodians are cleaning classrooms, bulletin boards are being disassembled ....

But I took a break from the cleaning and final lesson planning to make a small gift for my 10 young students this year.  Each child selected the colorful zip-pouch they liked best and then picked out a new pair of sunglasses to tuck inside. I love sending them off with a little something made by me and specially for this class. They are my first class back at the preschool where I first discovered my fascination with working with this unique age group, their parents and their families (siblings, grands, cousins, etc).

 

What a year it has been ... but we (my co-teachers, students & families) safely navigated the full year of in-person school during a pandemic. While I and some of my families did test positive for covid at some point during the year, and our class closed for a single day, we never spread it to other classmates! I am extremely proud of that (and very thankful too). This class came with an awesome group of parents!!!

Happy summer to everyone! 

 

Have a fabulous time whatever you do and wherever you may wander.  Me? I'm excited to have a renewed passport and am ready to wander .....  See you in the fall!

 

An easy kitchen gift to make

I've learned how to make a new gift item for family and friends.  The supplies are easy:  

a kitchen towel (can be a special holiday towel, or any kitchen towel that makes you smile), 

a coordinating potholder with a loop to hang it by, 

a large decorative button 

and matching thread.

To make this easy-to-sew kitchen gift:

First, gather the supplies listed above: a dish towel, coordinating potholder, decorative button and matching thread.

    

Hint: Use a potholder with a loop as the loop becomes the buttonhole, but I am getting ahead of myself.  The loop can be placed in the center of one side or located at a corner. 

Then, follow these 5 simple steps:

1)  Using a long gathering stitch on your machine, stitch on along the center of the towel.

2)  Fold pot holder in half (you will be stitching towel to this midline).
 

3)  Gather the towel until its gathered width matches that of the potholder.
 

4)  Stitch towel to potholder by stitching its gathered lines to potholder's marked midline.
 

5)  Add a decorative button of your choice. Tah-dah!  You've finished!

You can use a shank button (pretty options available!) or a button with 2 or 4 holes. 

Pick a button that pleases you.

As you can see, my button basket is overflowing 

with a variety of buttons.

I need to make a few for myself.  

I am thinking of using this fun & fruity theme.

 

What do you think?

Just a little ....

💗Love 💗

It's what the world needs now

Please share a little now 

and

then, do it again.

 (can't possibly hurt!) 

💌  Thank-you  💌

Stitching up coasters

This year, I am making many gifts for my family and friends, beginning with these coasters.  While directions for these have appeared elsewhere, this method may be a little different. 

The ingredients are simple:  6 charms squares (all the same size) and one piece of batting (sized 1/2" smaller).  Note: the batting used should be cotton or wool.  Insul-Bright (a heat-sensitive batting made by The Warm Company and is recommended for use in potholders) can be substituted for the square of batting.  Click here for more information on Insul-Bright.

For this coaster I used 6" squares: two of the snowman holiday print, three of the holiday lights print and one of muslin.  I cut one square of thin cotton batting that measures 5 1/2" square.  Note:  the 6" squares can each be different coordinating prints or solids, including the muslin square.  This results with a scrappier looking coaster.

First step is to iron four of the squares in half on the diagonal -- two of one print and two of the other.

The next step is to make a quilt sandwich with the muslin on the bottom (it will disappear into the interior of the coaster when complete).  Center the batting square on the muslin, and the final square on top with its right side facing up.  

Note: if using a print fabric in place of the muslin, layer it face down so that the wrong side will touch the batting.  This square ends up inside the coaster, barely seen.
Second note: the top print of this sandwich will end up being the bottom side of the coaster.

The next step is the mildly intricate one ...

Using the four triangles, place them around the four corners of the quilt-sandwich, alternating fabrics (if making a scrappy variation, arrange the triangles in any order that pleases).  Tuck one skinny corner of each triangle under its neighboring triangle.  While I tucked under all the left corners, it can be either the left or the right corners, as long as the same corner is consistently tucked under the neighboring triangles.

Pin carefully.

Stitch using a 1/4" seam allowance around all four sides.  Be sure to remove the pins rather than to sew over them.  Warning: weird and hazardous things can happen to your machine if you get used to stitching over pins ... such as pins getting mysteriously stuck inside the feed dogs, or worse.  No need to ask me how I know this....

After sewing all four sides, trim the corners to reduce the bulk in the coaster's edges.

Be careful not to snip into your stitching accidentally!

This next step is the magic one -- simply flip the coaster inside out, starting by holding the folded triangular sides.  Use a chopstick to poke the corners out, shaping them as squarely as possible.


I like to add a single top-stitch 1/4" (or so) around the seamed edge (as seen on the left coaster below) for added stability to the coaster - especially if your seam allowances are skimpy or if you clipped the corners a bit too much.

This step is optional as the coaster on the right shows it is a completed coaster at this stage.
Final note:  the batting layer is optional and can be eliminated.  The resulting coaster will be thinner, though.


This is the collection of coasters I have made so far ... I like to gift them in sets of four, but have also given them in pairs or individually.  The individual coasters are great for co-workers to use under their coffee mugs at their desk or work cubicle.

Pre-cut charm packs are great for making these coasters too.  They are smaller in size, but still plenty big enough for a coaster.  This project is a simple one and an excellent stash buster.

The coasters I made with the 6" fabric squares are great for larger coffee mugs yet they are not quite large enough to be mug rugs.  They can be used in many ways besides as a coaster, too.   My sister-in-law grabbed them to use as little potholders and another friend keeps one in the car to wipe-up windshield condensation.  What other uses can you think of?  

If you have any questions, I am happy to help answer them.

Be sure to share a photo if you make any coasters, too.

I love reading your comments!

the Nutcracker

This is our view as we wait for the fantastic opening of Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker on December 20, 2015.  We are seated in the Founder's Box seats, gifts from a friend who unexpectedly could not use the tickets.

photo from this year's Houston Ballet's  Playbill

 

We were thrilled to be there as my sons had promised to attend one of this year's Houston Ballet's Nutcracker performances but had not purchased tickets yet.  I had seen it years ago, but they have not.

photo from Ballet News, UK  

More important, this is the last year the Houston Ballet is using Ben Stevenson's choreography which they first performed December 4, 1987.

The original performance of the Nutcracker was in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1892 with an original score by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.  Below is a photo from 1900 production of the Nutcracker by the Imperial Ballet.  Click here for more information and photos of the history of the Nutcracker.

photo from Moscow Ballet

The first full-length performance of The Nutcracker in the USA was December 24, 1944 where it was danced by the San Francisco Ballet.  Click here for more information on the San Francisco 1944 performance.

photo from the Classical Girl

It did not take long for The Nutcracker to become an American holiday tradition.  For more information about the Ben Stevenson's choreography and Nutcracker history click here.

We didn't want the magic to end, so enjoyed a walk in the neighborhood after the performance before heading to the 59 Diner and then home.

I look forward to seeing the new version of The Nutcracker designed by the Houston Ballet's Artistic Director Stanton Welch next year and plan to enjoy it with my sons too.

One last addition -- click here to read an article from The Week about this ballet being the cheesiest ballet of all time!  It includes more history about the story and the ballet .... beginning with this:

In 1844, French writer Alexandre Dumas adapted an earlier, darker version of The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman that had been intended strictly for adults, making it "happier and more appropriate for children.” The master of the Russian Imperial Ballet liked Dumas' new, lighter version of the story and decided to transform it into a ballet, commissioning Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky to compose the score, now some of the most recognizable pieces of music in the world.

I do love this ballet, cheesy or not - but then I like live performances of all kinds!

August goal for finishing.....

 

Time to declare my goal for the month of August in the A Lovely Year of Finishes ongoing motivational challenge.  This month my goal is to finish doll quilts that I've promised to a friend for

her granddaughters.  They are started but I've stalled out and need to get going again to get them completed and delivered.

The one that is the farthest from completion is nicknamed "Dots for Dolly".

I had fun appliqueing the dots onto the background but how in the world shall I quilt this?

Maybe I will try some big-stitch hand quilting .... in straight lines or in spiraling circles or both?

I also hope to finish this bargello quilt-let which I blogged about here.  Originally meant to be the third doll quilt, it ended up being too small for the requested size, which is probably why I've been stalled on finishing these three quilt tops.  Since this one is too small for the doll quilt, I think it will become a quilted pocket-sleeve for my cellphone (which is a larger size than I've had before).

Join me in the Lovely Year of Finishes fun and set a goal to finish some project you have.  Click here to see who else has set a goal in this month's challenge.  You can find me at linky #66.


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A trio of Hamsa quiltlet gifts

Three weddings among our small religious school staff during our year with "Peace Love & Music" theme gave me the challenge to make something special for these friends.  The gifts were commissioned by our Religious School Director and would be given from the entire Religious School Staff.  Something alike yet different was needed as well as something incorporating the Judaic charms that Marna gave me.  My ideal goal was to create original pieces that would be well-loved by each of the three newly married couples.   Months of pondering lead to the idea that was shared in the post here and the finished pieces are below.

This first Hamsa quiltlet of Peace, Love and Music was made especially for Sarah and Michael, the first couple to marry of the three.  The fabric used for the hamsa is the same that I used to applique a dove on my block for their wedding chuppah.

 My dove block is on the farthest side of the chuppah - in other words, you can't really see it in this photo...

so here it is or click here.

 The beautiful bride Sarah and her Mom Cathy smile in anticipation.

One serious groom Michael is focused during the ketubah signing.

The second Hamsa quiltlet of Peace, Love and Music was gifted to a journalist Michael (another different Michael, of course) and his bride Rachael.

   

I loved using this newsprint fabric for this wonderful couple whose wedding was a lovely outdoor setting in Central Texas.  Purple was also a prominent color in their wedding and reception.

 Such beautiful smiles by newlyweds in love!

Cutting the cake is always a fun time at weddings, and moments captured on other's smart phones is the new normal.  Do you see the purple kippah?

The third Hamsa quiltlet of Peace, Love and Music is in orange, the favorite color of the groom Matt.  I hope his bride likes it as much as I do -- it may feature my favorite quilting too.  Note: I only quilt my smaller pieces, such as these which are approximately 15" x 18".

 Their wedding was small and intimate amidst the trees in the Houston Arboretum.  I do not have any photos of their small wedding and reception, so will share a favorite from last summer, when the groom Matt was traveling in Israel as a chaperone for a group of teens from our religious school (a group that included my sons).  I think he does like orange!

These three quilts were a joy to make for my friends.  They were finally completed and gifted to the couples in June, after the school year ended, though a sneak preview was shown during our closing school luncheon for the faculty.

I've missed the linky at the beginning of the month (again) but this is for the final linky for the month of June in "A Lovely Year of Finishes" ... sigh.  However, it's never too late to finish something!

Join this monthly challenge group "A Lovely Year of Quilt Finishes" at any time.  In the first few days of the month, you post your goal for the month, then in the closing days of that same month, you post your successful completion.  It's that simple.  To keep it fun, there are prizes awarded randomly - woo-hoo!  I am linky #64 on the completion posts.
(Is this a perfect number?   Eight-squared - I love playing with numbers, don't you?)

Flood Texas with Love

The week-end of Memorial Day 2015 brought massive quantities of water flooding through several Texas towns.  The photos on the news that week-end and the days following were amazingly awful to look at and the news of the amount of loss, both the loss of life and the loss of property was heart-wrenching.

When I saw this logo posted on InstaGram by "supersara20", Sara,  I immediately wanted to join in and help with this great drive. 

credit to Brenna (IG - beknitpicky) for this great logo!

Quoting Sara  from her blog Southern Transplant:
The state of Texas is many things to many people.  To millions it is home.  Texas has recently dealt with severe weather including flooding and tornados in many areas, the worst of which was in Hays County and the city of Houston.  I am a resident of Hays County, I have had to deal with flooded roads, rain, high winds and losing a few shingles on my house.  I am one of the lucky ones.  Many others have had to deal with flooding of their homes and the loss of loved ones.  To date there have been 28 deaths associated with the flooding and several of these people are still missing.  There have been hundreds of houses flooded and many completely washed away.  As the flood waters recede people are returning home, to find mud, mold, venomous snakes, fire ants and rodents in their homes making the clean up that much more difficult.

The idea is for the community of quilters to Flood Texas with Love (and with Quilts).

Sara obtained permission from Cheryl Arkison, who has graciously given permission for us use her Just One Slab block from her book Sunday Morning Quilts which is a fabulous book (I own a digital copy).  

 The directions for the color-slab blocks can be found on pages 48-49.  

Cheryl gives directions on her blog, Dining Room Empire.  Click here for the specific post or keep on reading as the following is quoted directly from her post:

If you don't have the book (Sunday Morning Quilts), let me summarize how to make a slab:
Take two pieces of fabric and sew them together. Do that a few more times. Then start sewing more pieces to those first pairs. Sew groups together. Add additional pieces of fabric as necessary to get up to your finished size. Start with small bits or big ones, it doesn't matter. Raid your scrap bins and go with what you've got.

Sara adds to make each block using one color per "slab".  Any color.  Each block should measure 15.5" square.  The hope and plan is to make quilts 60" x 75" in size, in a rainbow of colors.   Sara is collecting blocks through the month of June, then the piecing, quilting and binding will be completed in July.  

So far I have made four slabs....

 an orange one came first...

 then a green one ...

 then not one, but two blue ones!

I discovered that piecing two slabs at a time is very time efficient.  I love this creative way of using up the fabric scraps that I can never toss into the trash.  This is a fun block to piece, perhaps because there are no specific rules. The directions are to improvise as you go, ending up with a block that measures 15.5" square.  I believe improv piecing is quite freeing! 


Thank you to Sara and to Cheryl for this wonderful project.  I have so many friends who lost so much in the flooding, specifically here in Houston, but also all across our mighty state.  The time to heal is now and sadly it is moving forward ever so slowly.  I know it is still hard for many.  I hope that these quilts, when presented to their new owners, will provide them with much love and with new-found strength.

Here is Cheryl's update on the Canadian floods from 2013, with photos of the quilts made then.  Click here.  She also acknowledges the drive we are currently holding in Texas to help flood fellow Texans with love and quilts.  How awesome is that!  Besides piecing slab blocks, I am also helping to quilt and bind the finished quilts too.  An amazing project that I am very proud to be a part of.... truly.


If you would like to join us, it is not too late.  Make a slab or two -- in your favorite color or in whatever color is most predominant in your scrap bins.  If you can't make a block(s) you can donate through Paypal to sara_stetson@yahoo.com in any amount.  All money will be used for quilt materials (batting/backings/thread/binding), shipping and long arm services. Any excess money collected will be donated to the Red Cross of Central Texas.  (Sara is happy to provide documentation if requested to show the donations are used correctly!)

Please email Sara at sara_stetson@yahoo.com or send her a private message on Instagram @supersara20 when you have blocks that are ready to send to Sara in Austin, or contact me in Houston.


Thank you all in advance!


#floodtexaswithlove

Reflecting over my 2014 ALYoF work

This is my year in review of the lovely finishes I achieved, thanks to the motivational challenge set by Shanna of Fiber of All Sorts and Melissa of Sew Bittersweet Designs with their "A Lovely Year of Finishes" monthly challenge.

My first month to join was February 2014.  I am linky # 148.

My goal was to make blocks to swap with my Block Builders Bee in March, and I did get my blocks made in time to swap and now have a lovely selection of scrappy red-n-white blocks sitting - wait a minute!  I've met a goal but also have a new UFO added to my pile of growing projects. I am certain these blocks may reappear in a future ALYoF goal.  Meanwhile, I did not finish these blocks before the end of February, so I did not have a finishing post ... sigh.  My first goal was not completed by the deadline.  I must admit, this set me back and months passed before I set a new goal in ALYoF.

July came and so did my renewed effort to set goals of finishing projects, or at least finishing steps in projects.  This month my goal linky was # 105.

My blog post about this quilt is here.  "Fields of Blue" is a quilt made for my son Isaac.  He selected the pattern and the fabrics that I used (I may have slipped in a few blue variations to enhance the variety...).  My goal was to finish this quilt.  My friend Pam Biswas quilted it (the photo shows her work in progress), but I am slow to add bindings.  Since the goal is to finish things, what can top the actual finishing of a quilt? 

I met this goal, and am linky #64  in the finishes post for July 2015 (no photo appears in the linky as I was stumbling with how to do linkys still).  Above is Isaac holding up "Fields of Blue" for the photo that I had planned to use.  Eli, his brother, has decided he would like a quilt like this too!  I need to get that started one of these days ... Click here for my blog post about finishing this goal.

It is exciting to finish your goal!  I immediately selected a new goal for the month of August where I am goal linky # 32.  This month's goal was focused on finishing two redwork embroidery projects.  I have been working on both of these for some time, rather sporadically too.

I had taken to bringing them to my Teacher Inservice meetings (I teach two-year-olds how to enjoy attending at preschool), but still had not completed either one.

As you can see, both now have the embroidery completed and I am linky #72  in the finishes linky party for August 2014 (I have the honor of being the very last linky that month!).  Click here to see my blog post about finishing or here for my original goal blog post.

For September, my goal is to finish a sweet baby quilt for a dear friend's first grandson.  I am goal linky # 52, or click here for my original blog post.

I had found this fabulous fabric at one of my favorite local quilt shops, Quilt 'n Sew in Katy, Texas, and wanted to make a quilt from the 'cloth book preprinted pages'.  Sweet Baby James clearly loves his new quilt (as do his English Professor parents!)  Best of all, I finished it and James is enjoying it while he is still a little baby!  There are other baby quilts actually lingering in my UFO pile (believe it or not, that is very true -- maybe I will finish one in time for the intended receiver's Bar Mitzvah ... I still have a few more years ...)

I am linky #65 in the September Finishes Linky Party, or click here for my nice blog post (which is one of my favorites).

I am on such a grand roll now.  I am loving meeting my goals and better, finishing projects!  Onto October where my goal linky is # 25.  This month I took a different direction with a goal of upcycling a pair of denim shorts, turning them into a tote bag.  Click here for more details on my blog post.

Andy, our dog, was wanting to play, as he is wanting as I write this -- so here is a short puppy break.

Andy approves of the finished tote, which is linky #28 in the October Finishes Linky Party and you can also click here for more details on my blog, where you can see photos of the funky cat-print lining and interior pockets (sshhh, don't tell Andy).

November's goal was to finish my piece for the Michael Miller challenge featuring eight pastel solids in their Spring Cotton Couture line.

I am linky # 38 in the goals linky party or click here for my blog post about this goal.

I was thrilled to finish this month's goal and I love the quilt and the quilting by Pam Biswas.  The pattern is Pot Pie by Thangles and is quite fun to sew together.

For November, I am linky #52 in the finishes party, and more information and photos is available on my blog post here.  I am sad to report that my "Mmm Pot Pie" quilt was rejected from the Quilt Con show in Austin, Texas this February.  I look forward to seeing the quilts that were selected from the over 1,000 quilts entered in this show, especially the ones in the Michael Miller challenge exhibit.  I now have a new challenge -- to get a quilt made and entered into a juried quilt show!  I have no idea how many rejections I may receive before reaching that goal, but I am ready for this challenge.

Meanwhile, my last goal of the year was to bind more quilts. This month I am goal linky # 58, or click here for my blog post.

I haven't figured out how to take a good photo showing that the quilt needs binding.  If you have suggestions, please share.

These bargello quilts are made by a brand new quilter.  Can you believe they are her first and second quilts ever?  The magnificent quilting is by my friend Pam Biswas too.  My claim to fame: I added the binding, that's all.

 
 I am linky #41 in the December Finishes Linky Party and you can also click here for my blog post.

That's all!  These are my seven goals that I set with my six finishes.  I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the "A Lovely Year of Finishes (ALYoF)" this year and plan to participate again in 2015.  My first goal - to add bindings to another quilt!

Thank you to Melissa (of http://blog.sewbittersweetdesigns.com/) and Shanna (of http://www.fiberofallsorts.blogspot.com/) for hosting this monthly year long challenge!  Did I mention that there are door prizes each month for the some of the lucky ones who achieved their goals?  I was lucky to win!  This post will qualify me for a chance to win one of the grand prizes for finishing a minimum of six goals (I barely got my 6 finishes completed!) and I am linky #32 in the final year-end linky party.  Join the fun for 2015.

Another great side benefit of "A Lovely Year of Finishes" is that I am blogging regularly again.  There are so many positives that I benefit from by challenging myself to set a goal each month and to reach it.....granted I do seem to start new projects just a quickly as I finish old ones ..... but that's a story for another blog post.