OMG - It's a Snowman!!!

Howdy Friends!!!

This cute little Patchwork Snowman Table Runner was on my guild's UFO list for August, and it is also my OMG project for the month, so I'll be linking up with Heidi over at Red Letter Quilts.  This was a start-to-finish project, fresh out of the kit bag.  These aquas were included for the backgrounds....  

Although I think they are all very pretty, I ended up replacing two of them - the one on the left was too light, and the 3rd one was too dark.  I wanted them all to be closer in value so they didn't detract from the fun snowmen.

As you can see, Rocky jumped into his Quilting Kitty role and chose new fabrics pronto!

I really loved all the blacks they provided for the hats, especially that fun bias plaid!!!

I was also happy with the creams, although I did have to replace one of them with the fabric on the right...

..... because it had something weird going on with it ....

Now, bear in mind, this kit had been in the bag for over a year, maybe longer.  Whatever that stuff was, it didn't show up until I began to iron the strip.  Then it began to turn brown and oily looking, even staining my ironing board!  I've never seen anything like it.  This was a batik, so I'm thinking maybe wax gone rogue with age?  Needless to say, it went in the trash immediately :*)

Here are each of the faces, before stitching down or adding the button smiles.

At first, I set them together as the pattern showed, so that they faced in two different directions...

But I decided I didn't care for that.  No matter how I looked at them, they just looked upside down!!!  So after discussing the problem with my husband, we decided to put them all in the same direction and use it as a wall-hanging rather than a runner.

I stitched down the appliques as I quilted, something I have begun doing often with wall-hangings.  It saves so much time not having to stitch them all down first, then stitching around them again when I quilt!  First, I had to stitch-in-the-ditch to anchor the layers ...

And then I stitched down the applique shapes.  As always, Snoopervisor Rocky was right there, making sure everything was as it should be!

Next, I quilted in the backgrounds with some fun circly-curlyques ....

and some very primitive snowflakes....

Leaving no stone unturned, the Snoopervisor checked every possible nook and cranny for problems...

Still not satisfied, he crawled through to the back to check on things there....

Boy, talk about checking everything with a microscope!!!

All the way through to sewing on the binding, he never let up on his standards.... 

Hmmmm..... Mom, I think we have a little problem right here!!!

Sheesh!  He's a tough Snoopervisor to work for!

It wasn't easy getting this to the point where he could give his seal of appurroval, but we finally got there.  

Of course it was time for a nap after all that hard work!

This little guy sure does love his job!!!

=^..^=

And speaking of his job, Rocky would love for you to go over to the Pets on Quilts contest going on right now over at Lilypad Quilting!  There's not much time left for voting and the race is hot and heavy!  Rocky says it's easy to vote .... Just click HERE - and leave a comment to vote -

Cat - #2 - Quilter Rocky!!!  

He will send you lots of purrs and head butts if you vote for him.  

(He secretly has his heart set on winning those luscious hand-dyed fat quarters from Terri Stegmiller.  I think he has excellent taste, don't you?)

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

On the Needles 8-19-2016

I'm one of those unlucky people who suffer from motion sickness, and I can't read or write while riding, much to my regret.  I do often listen to books, but then my hands still need to be occupied.



One of the things I can do while riding is knit!!!  I often keep a project on the needles just for the purpose of having something to do during trips when my husband is driving.  It helps keep me awake and engaged, and that makes him happy :*)

For our trip to Carolina this past week, I pulled out my Aqua Socks to repair.  These came off my needles last winter (I can't find that I even blogged about their finish - bad girl!!!!)  But when I picked them up from the basket several weeks later to weave in the ends, there was this huge hole in one of them!

Some little critter had found its way into my knitting basket and had itself a feast!  Fortunately, I still had some of this yarn, so I was able to rip the stitches out all the way back to the hole, making sure to pick up the stitches on my needles before ripping back....

Then the repair was a simple matter of attaching a new strand of yarn and re-knitting the rows and binding off again.

Measuring to be sure I get it the same length as the first one

It is not as pretty or neat as before, but I doubt anyone will ever know except me!

Share what's on your needles at Patchwork Times today!

And PS - don't forget to "Like" our sweet little Quilter's Kitty, Rocky, in the Pets on Quilts contest at Lilypad Quilting =^..^=

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

A Wedding in Carolina (finally!)

We traveled to North Carolina this week to attend the long-awaited nuptials of our niece to her beloved.

These two lovebirds - Raney & Josh - have been engaged for over 3 years!  

They really, really wanted to walk up the aisle 3 years ago, but a very wise pastor counseled them to wait until Josh finished college and they were in a better financial position, and they were wise enough to take his advice.  So you can imagine their joy when this day finally arrived!

It was a beautiful day for a wedding!  We like to think God showed up and blessed the day with some of the most beautiful skies I've ever seen....

Few things are more beautiful than a Carolina blue sky filled from one end to the other with fluffy, voluminous clouds!  And I loved that they were all shapes and sizes - such a delight!!!

Of course, these two grandchildren were definitely a more beautiful sight to this Grandma's eyes than even those clouds :*)

Reaghan and Adam dressed for their parts in the wedding

Their little brother Cooper was not in the wedding, so he was able to just chill - you can probably tell he does that very well .....

The groom was waiting outside the church - all smiles!

And his groomsmen waited there with him.  The rather tall young gentleman there on the right is our nephew Andrew....

What you can't see from this picture is that everyone in the wedding party was barefoot!

This was a Hobbit themed wedding!  Raney and Josh are both Christians and love the Lord of the Rings movies, and they wanted their wedding to reflect both of those things.  Their cake was surrounded by vines, with tiny Lego bridal figures and a castle gate on top...

And it was surrounded by lots of beautifully creative sunflower cupcakes....

These were too cute to eat!  Although, a few of the guests seemed to have no problem at all with eating them...

Ethan's cupcake matches his boutonniere!!!

Cooper was not a bit shy about biting right into the Oreo in the middle!

There were a few other yummy things to eat too - this huge vine wreath was really gorgeous...

Keeping with their theme, the inside of the church was very simply decorated with a lovely flower- and vine-draped cross as the focal point.

Can you tell how happy Raney was to be walking up that aisle to her husband-to-be finally?

Her mom, my sister Laurie, walked her up the aisle, and her joy and pride in Raney was evident in every step and tear shed along the way :*)

After the ceremony, there was lots of hugging and picture-taking, as is always the case after weddings.  I just LOVE this photo of the glowing newlywed bride with her smallest attendants....

At the reception, the newly married couple opened the festivities with a very touching foot-washing ceremony....

And I was able to finally present Raney with the quilt I made as her wedding gift.  I think she liked it!

I liked the idea of a wall quilt for them to decorate their new home, something they could see all through the day if they wanted.  And I decided to mount it on artist canvas as a piece of art rather than simply a wall quilt.

It can be hung on the wall or just stood casually against a fireplace or on a mantel - there are many options for a quilt finished in this way.

The pattern is by Zen Chic called You & Me.  I love its simple elegance and the modern color scheme.  I used a lot of fabrics that spoke to me of home and love - bricks, vines and flowers, even a few raindrops and snowflakes.  Mostly, I pulled from my scrap stash for the background, and you all know how happy it always makes me to play in my scraps, right?

I learned a new technique while working on this project too!  I printed out the label on my own soft gray fabric!  I've always hated working with Printed Treasures - the paper is hard to remove from the back, and the fabric is not white so that it often looks dingy to me.  This worked like a charm, and I hope to do a tutorial on the blog soon to show you how I did it.

When we walked outside after the reception on Raney and Josh's wedding day, I was charmed by this view of a full moon over the steeple of the church.  Once again, I felt our Father's presence and His shared joy in the day with us!

You may be wondering if this little guy helped me with the Wedding Quilt....

As they say, a picture paints a thousand words .... and Rocky was busy posing on all of his favorite quilts that day for his entry into the Pets on Quilts contest going on right now over at Lilypad Quilting!!! The voting will start soon, but he would love for you to "Like" his picture now and show him some encouragement  - you can do that HERE!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=