Monday is Fun Day - Reindeer in the Moonlight

This was the week I felt like putting up some holiday decorations.  I went to a few stores, looking for something interesting, yet inexpensive.  I found quite a few somethings, enough to take us through all of December's Monday Fun Days.

First up is this paper ornament, lit by LED bulbs.  I have a little display area that I see when seated at my sewing machine, and this is what I put there yesterday.  The ornament is 19" tall and 14" across.  It comes in two other versions: red/green and purple/I can't remember.  

I had to do a little fiddling with it in order to make the cord unobtrusive, because it emerged from the bottom of the silver circle and hung over the bottom turquoise stripe.  I tucked it back behind the turquoise, cut a "T" shape through the silver part, then pushed the cord through to the back.

It came with a suction cup to hang in the window, but then I wouldn't be able to see it at night, like in this photograph.

Plus this way it casts a nice moon light through the forest and reindeer (sneaking up on a vintage paper house) onto my sewing table, which at this moment looks more like a frozen pond.  Yup, that's what it is, a frozen pond.

Done: My To-Do List Quilt

I started my To-Do List quilt the last week in October and finished it last week.  Two weeks from start to finish is pretty fast for me.

Three things inspired me to make this quilt:

1. My love of to-do lists, and a desire to have a cute one in my sewing room.
2. One fat quarter of Clipboard, purchased in September.
3. My fascination with envelope blocks, as created by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith in their book, "Quilts Aplenty".

Here's the quilt, pin-basted.

I wish they made safety pins that were a little thinner, but I suppose they wouldn't be as sturdy.  These leave holes in the fabric, and I have to rub the holes a bunch with my fingernail to get the weave to close up.

I wanted buttons on my envelope flaps, and once I had the placement figured out, I taped them to this grid that corresponded to the appropriate blocks.  I didn't want to lose them, and I didn't want to forget which went with what.  There they sat, nice and safe, until it was time to sew them on.

When auditioning bindings, I considered black because it matched my cornerstones.  But when looking at it from a distance, I didn't like the way the cornerstones just kept flowing without a visual stop.  

  Therefore I opted for a light, striped binding.  

  
Here's the front.

I found directions online from Alex Anderson's "Simply Quilts" show that used to run on HGTV.   In fact, that's how I found out about the book.  I found it just in the nick of time - in early November, HGTV redesigned their website and dropped the links to the episode.  I'm sorry about that, because I was really looking forward to sharing it with you.

The original quilt, known as "S.W.A.K. Envelope Quilt", consisted of all envelope blocks.  I alternated them with unpieced blocks from the Clipboard fabric.  Each block (except for the large white one) finishes at 4.5" x 6.5", and my version of the quilt is approximately 28" tall and 31" wide.

 

Here's a close-up of some of the envelopes.  Quilting was quick and easy - I edge stitched the sashing.

  

A variation of the quilt had a pocket to hold paper and pen, and that seemed like a fine idea to me.  There's no envelope, just a slot backed with the same polka-dot as the envelope flaps.  I made it the height of two envelope blocks, then needed to find the right kind of paper to fit in there.  

I picked this fabric because of the sewing-related theme, and because the white made this pocket stand out.

I found the perfect size and color notebook, and a 13" Minnie Mouse pencil that I dare myself to misplace.

Here they are, a perfect fit.  I can either tuck the entire notebook in, or leave the cover hanging outside for a little extra decoration.

On the back, I continued with the theme of planning/making/sewing, by choosing hand-print fabric.  

The label is a paper-pieced block from Ayumi Takahashi's You've Got Mail Wall Pocket quilt in her book "Patchwork Please".  This envelope doesn't open.

But the ones on the front, do.  Now I need to fill them up with sewing-related do-to lists.

Just a Memory

During some times of the year, four weeks ago doesn't look that different from today.  But this time of year sure makes a difference.  I finally got around to developing some photographs I took exactly four weeks ago.  These images are just a memory now.

Today this would be snow, not seeds on the leaves.

 Gaura just kept blooming month after month after month.

 Frozen solid now.

A little bit of sun illuminating the trees, back when the sun was still warm.

So it's cold everywhere now, but it's still fun to bundle up and walk.  Lakes are still open and we're seeing new water birds like Ross's Goose and Common Goldeneye. 

On a recent walk in ten-degree weather along a lakeshore, we spoke with a student studying here from abroad.  Although she came from a warm climate, she was eagerly embracing the day.  If there's any place more beautiful than this city, it would be heaven, she said.  Wondering how she was handling the frigid temperatures, she shook her head, smiled even more broadly, and said it didn't matter.  That's the spirit.

Monday is Fun Day - Sewing Basket

Sewing baskets are starting to pile up around here, although I did manage to donate one this summer.  But when something's on clearance it catches your attention.

Orange is my favorite color.  Or maybe turquoise is.  And when they're both together, it's too much to resist.  

Lots of purses.  Who doesn't like purses?

Now I have the inspiration I need to complete this "In the Bag" pattern, using the fabric at the bottom.  Right now, I keep it all together inside the sewing basket.

My Deciduous Bonsai

I found an oak seedling in one of our flower beds this spring.  Although I didn't want it growing where I found it, I did want it growing inside our house. 

I planted it in this duck planter and it did very nicely all summer.

I was surprised and more than pleased, when it behaved the same way as the oaks outside - changing color and dropping its leaves.  My next goal is to try to keep it alive during the winter and see if it puts out new leaves next spring.

Two Little Girls with Big Heads

I've been on an embroidery timeout since February, not sure why.  This week I made a goal of finishing a piece I started this spring, and I finished it last night.

The colors were taken from Little Apples by Aneela Hoey.  I have no idea when or where I bought this charm pack, but I'm just glad I did.  

I'm a bit annoyed with myself for not making a note of where I got this embroidery pattern.  It doesn't seem to be in my embroidery books, so I can't give proper credit to the designer.

My plan is to make several additional, but different, embroidery blocks and combine them in a quilt with all the charm squares.  Since I have just a small piece of this white fabric left, and the coarse weave gives it a distinctive look, I'll only be able to squeeze out two or three more embroidery blocks. 

I think that the future embroidery designs for this quilt are going to be coming from Stitched for Fun by Fiona Goble.  But when writing this post, I discovered that Aneela Hoey has written an embroidery book.  I just requested it from the library, and that might influence my plans.  I better wait for it before starting the next block.

Monday is Fun Day - Olaf Notebook

I always wait for movies to be released on DVD, which means I'm behind the times.  I recently got around to watching Frozen. 

The day after watching it, I found this Olaf notebook.  This pleased me because he was my favorite character.   

And it's two notebooks in one - you can see this small one on the front.

Not that I needed more notebooks, but it was too fun to resist.

Not Just Another Pretty Face

Ain't nothing to it, but do it.

                 --- Jake Worthington