Wrapping Helper

Dear Friends, I just had to add some pictures of our kitten, Phin.  He has been REALLY helpful with the Christmas wrapping and has already learned how to unwrap presents.  Isn't he clever!  Today I was wrapping the last of the presents and Phin decided I needed company.  Here are the photo ops. 

Enjoy!  All the best, Kim

"What's in here anyway?" 

"For me . . . from Santa?"

"Wow, it's bigger than me!"

"I need a break!"

Completed projects, Woo-Hoo :-)

Dear Friends, we're in the last few hours of preparation for Christmas . . . I chose to take a "less-is-more" philosophy this Christmas:  minimal decorating and baking, reduced shopping.  So, here I am calmly (for the most part) sitting and writing.  I have managed to finish a few gifts for Christmas and am thrilled about that!

Table runner ready to sew

Working on the table runner

     Last year I made a table runner for my SIL in Christmas fabrics.  But, it was only a "top" without backing or quilting . . . so I took it back that day (bad Kimmie!) and brought it home to finish.  It took me a year, but I did finish it.  I actually made a second table runner in the same pattern with different fabric as the "back" so my SIL could use the runner more than just at Christmas time. I layered it right sides together with batting, sewed the edges together with an opening to turn it right side out.  I hand quilted it to secure the layers and wrapped it up!  Yeah :-) one more project done! I will post a picture of both sides once my SIL has unwrapped it.

     I joined a scarf-of-the-month club at the yarn shop in Rutland, Green Mountain Fibers.  I signed up for the 6 month club (one every other month) knowing that a 12 month club would just be WAY too many UFO's for me!  I  finish two of the scarves (I gave the yarn and pattern to a friend one month; it was lace yarn and that's not one of my favorite yarns to work with).  One I gave away to a friend without taking a picture of it, but here is a link on Ravelry to show you what it was like.  The pattern is called "Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks" and it is a beautiful star stitch perfect for the variegated yarn in blues and greens.  My friend Cindy loved it and it looked wonderful with her coat!  She promised to send me a photo someday!

Patty's scarf

     I finished the second scarf earlier in the year as a gift for another friend here in VT.  The pattern is entrelac using Noro Silk Garden, a variegated yarn that looks like I changed colors every few rows or so.  It was fun to do and I look forward to making another one at some point.  I washed it in lavender Eucalan and then added some hair condition as suggested by my LYS helper . . . the scarf looks beautiful, is now soft and smells fabulous!
     A few weeks ago I decided I should count my UFO's . . . that probably wasn't the brightest idea I've ever had!  I stopped counting after 45 projects (some actual UFO's and some only wanna-be UFO'S).  When I stopped counting I had only counted my quilting UFO's and I hadn't even begun counting my knitting UFO's or my mending pile or things I should be making for the Inn.  It is all just better left uncounted!  I'll just get to it when I get to it!  So here's to having three projects off my list . . . Woo, Hoo!  
     Hope all of your stitches are happy ones!  Have a wonderful Christmas and New Years.
     All the best,
     Kim 

A funny kid comment

Abstract by Alexis

I picked up Alexis at the bus stop last Tuesday; she had a 5-day weekend for Thanksgiving (oh, those were the days!).  She showed me the art work she had done at school that week.  I said, "Oh, wow!  That would make a great quilt."  Alexis replied "Forget the quilt, Mom!".  I guess she is tired of me seeing a quilt in everything!  Here's her abstract work (that would make a great quilt) and her refreshing turkey! 

Cool Turkey by Alexis

 

 I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hope all of your stitches are happy ones!   
                          All the best, Kim

Thanksgiving and Beyond

Turkey Line Up!

      We had a great Thanksgiving here at the Inn.  With 25 for T-Day dinner we had our work cut out for us . . . by 8 am we had 2 turkeys in the oven and lots to accomplish . . . thankfully Mom came over with Dad for dinner and made the gravy!  I always manage to make it with lumps and Mom's is perfection!

       I had a deadline on Tuesday before Thanksgiving to finish a quilt for my niece, Libby.  It was her 18th birthday present (March), her high school graduation present (June) and her "off-to-college" present (September) and it was late for all three!  I got the quilt on her bed about 20 minutes before she got home for the long weekend . . . phew!  

One of Libby's blocks

     When she came to visit me when she was 9-years old she wanted to learn how to quilt.  So I had her take some of my scraps and sew them down to 1/2 pages of newspaper for a foundation.  She made 6 of these and her mom, Lynne suggested I make them into a quilt for Libby's 18th birthday.  Lynne and I removed all the newspaper from the back and stabilized them with iron on interfacing.  I used my sewing machine to add decorative stitches to the blocks.  I then cut them into large squares and made them into a Turning Twenty quilt with lots of flannel.  I used Tuscany wool batting and flannel backing, quilted as-you-go in long columns on my Bernina.  

The Finished Quilt

     As I was hand sewing the binding I realized how wonderfully warm the quilt was and how much I would like to use wool batting again.  The quilt looked beautiful when completed and I was so happy to have it finished.  While it isn't 2011, I consider this my first UFO finished . . . now on to the next!