Serving Up Some Holiday Cheer

My holiday making continues...  I churned out two sets of napkins this weekend.  I used my self binding napkin tutorial but changed the size so I could get all 8 out of the white linen I had left in my stash.  For these I cut the linen squares at 10 1/2" and the prints at 14 1/2" so I end up with 12" napkins.

I used Burgundy Aurifil for all the top stitching to help unify the different prints. I'm getting faster at whipping these out...  I finished all 8 of these in just under 3 hours.

Now I'm on to my next project, a Yankee Swap gift for our Boston MQG holiday gathering.  Are you still working on your handmade holiday gifts?  Tick, tock... only 15 days left until Christmas;-)

Spreading holiday cheer with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Napkin Stats:
Finished napkins are 12" x 12"
Pattern: Adapted from my Self Binding Napkin Tutorial.
Fabrics: Assorted prints from Figgy Pudding and Fruitcake by Basic Grey.  Essex Linen in White.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in Burgundy (1103).

Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding

It seems like it's been a long time since I finished anything which makes it especially gratifying to have this Figgy Pudding table runner done.  This levitated out of my UFO  pile last week.  I made the top back in 2011 as a prototype for my Boston MQG Kitchen Swap.  I decided the design didn't work for my swap fabrics but it was all basted and ready to quilt *someday*.

Last year it was on my Just 3 for December list but it still didn't get done...

It was a great way to practice my FMQ.  I obsessed over every stitch but with the busy prints most of my stitching really doesn't show.  True to form, I had started quilting this with gold Madeira rayon and then ran out:-(  I couldn't find anymore Madeira so I switched to a Superior metallic.  At least I saw it coming and made the change after I finished the ribbon candy swirls...  totally a design decision;-)  The metallic thread in the setting triangles does add a little extra sparkle, it's subtle but it almost looks like twinkling Christmas lights.

It's amazing how quickly the quilting goes once you just sit down and do it!!!  So many things get lost waiting to be quilted when really the could be finished in just a couple of hours....

And with all that practicing I got this fabulous Sparkle Star mug rug as a bonus...  just what I needed;-)

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quilt Stats:

Finished runner is 18" x 66"
Pattern: Original design based on a Bento Box block.
Fabrics: Figgy Pudding, Fruitcake, Jovial and Grunge by Basic Grey
Thread: Madeira Rayon 1055, Superior Threads Metallics #2

W.i.P. Wednesday: Christmas is Coming!

This week I've been quilting away on my Figgy Pudding runner.  I tried a ribbon candy swirl on the inside white boxes.  It's not too bad if you don't look at where I turned the corners (which you instantly did). 

I always like to make a sample to practice my design, adjust my thread tension, and choose a thread color before quilting any project.  The fancy term is a Maquette but around here they're referred to as yet another mug rug;-)  In this case I made a sparkle star block and then tried a loopy stipple.  I love the way it looks like Christmas lights.  Once I felt like I had it under control I used this to quilt the setting triangles and finally finished quilting my table runner.

I slapped on the binding and just need a movie night to finish this one up...  just in time for the holidays;-)

See what else is in the works at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

W.i.P. Wednesday: Seasonally Challenged

So after failing to finish my Halloween quilts on time I threw them on the UFO pile which promptly toppled to the floor...

At the bottom I found this Figgy Pudding table runner I've been promising to finish forever.  With 41 days until Christmas, this may be the year:-)

These holly garlands are one of the first FMQ designs I mastered...  they're totally forgiving and easy to use to fill a narrow space.  For the center boxes I modified Oh, Fransson!'s loopy flowers to look be pointy flowers so they look like Poinsettias.  Of course after practicing endlessly I realized they really don't show all that much.

And when you pull something off the UFO pile you get to start something new so I've jumped on the Modern Maples bandwagon.  These go together really quickly so maybe I'll be able to finish them before Spring arrives;-)

See who else is sewing at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Holiday Decorating

I was so excited to get my holiday decorations out.  I actually made this last year but didn't have it done in time to hang so this is it's debut.  The pattern is Lucy Goosey in 3D from MBS done with basic grey/figgy pudding.  I was especially pleased with my quilting.  I spent lots of time drawing holly and then practicing before I finally just went for it and free motion quilted the borders and sashing.  I used a metallic gold thread that gives it some sparkle.