Christmas stockings

My friend, Bev, and I are responsible for the Winter Blocks for our friendship group this year.  So we decided to give everyone a piece of red wool and a piece of white wool and have them make a stocking block.  The idea is that they can decorate it any way they please.

The stocking on the left is one that I started decorating with some of the decorative stitching on my Pfaff.  The one in the middle is one that I tried to embroider some random designs on.  The stocking on the right is Bev's--she added the antlers and put an eye and nose on Rudolf!  You can easily tell who is more creative out of the two of us!

My pink string quilt

This is something I started with the idea that I would just grab any strips I had already cut. So I went to my drawer of 2" strips (those were for the blocks) and my drawer of 1-1/2" strips (those were for the sashing) and pulled out any that were pastels.

Can you tell which is the block and which is the sashing? Hint: the blocks have 2 fabric strips and the sashing has 3 fabric strips.

Another Tote

I actually made this tote first, before the selvage tote. I based the selvage tote on this pattern but the selvage tote is larger because I started with 9" squares on the selvage tote. I quilted this fabric with fusible fleece and it was my favorite bag until I made the selvage bag.

16-Patch

This is the quilt top that I was working on at the retreat a couple weeks ago. I've finished the top and have now sent it off to be quilted. I'm keeping this one!

First Completed Applique

I've pieced so many quilts but recently decided to learn the back-basting method of applique and I'm so glad that I did. I've got 5-6 applique quilts in the works right now but this is my first finished piece. It's a mini and it was hand-quilted by a friend, Sharron B. She did a wonderful job.

And here's a closeup.

New Tote Bag made with Selvages

I love this bag! I've been collecting selvages for awhile for a quilt, but then I decided to make a bag instead. I really wish that I had started collecting the selvages years ago. I know I've thrown away so many wonderful selvages. Several people have started collecting for me, so I hope my collection will continue to grow so that I can make more of these bags. I'd like to make smaller one.

Here's a view of the bottom of the bag and the gussets on the sides.

Retreat

Spent this weekend at a retreat in Greenbriar in Eustace (sp?) Texas. It was heaven. 11 of us and 3 whole days to quilt. Just made one mistake all weekend--stayed up until 5:00am on Sunday morning talking. Should have just stayed up all night because when everyone started moving around and I smelled coffee, I was up and at it. Should have stayed in bed longer.

The retreat was out in the middle of the boondocks on 90 acres of trees, shrubs, grass, blue bonnets and paintbrush. And we saw a fox and a cat. The food was wonderful--yes, they cooked for us while we quilted. I'd go again in a heartbeat.

I worked on one quilt all day Friday and then Saturday morning I found that I had not brought enough material to finish it. So Saturday afternoon everyone piled into cars and we went to a local quilt shop and when we got back I started working on something else. I've almost finished it now and I'll post a photo in a couple days.

Saturday evening I made 5 pillowcases for my niece and her children. I'll post photos of them too.