Did you put quilty items on your wish list to Santa this year?  I did, as I always do, and Santa came through and granted a few of them plus threw in a couple of surprises.  Do you want to see what I received?  I thought so.

First up, while these may seem a tad boring, they are really helpful to me.  Almost 100 percent of the time, I store bobbins with the matching spool using pipe cleaners but for those bobbins that I use all the time (white, black and those that match the colors of Girl Scout vests that I always am sewing patches on) I keep them in the desk drawer that is my sewing table.  

Having a place for them to be so that they don't get all tangled will be really helpful.  

Next up is one of the few books I wanted.

I'm a big fan of Judy Madsen, and even more so after taking a bunch of classes from her 2 years ago at MQX, and I just had to have her new book.  I haven't peeked at it yet as I'm waiting for the perfect time to be able to enjoy it (ie when they kids are back in school) but I know that I will learn a lot and will be itching to get to my machine to try some of the designs out myself.

Along with the book I received this magazine of Best Christmas Quilts from Quilters Newsletter.

I don't subscribe to as many quilting magazines lately as I'm really enjoying creating my own designs but I do like to get a few specialty magazines every now and then.  I've glimpsed through it and a few of the projects sparked my interest, one in particular that I think I will expand on and use up a bunch of scraps in the process.  Stay tuned.

Santa was probably chuckling when he chose this t-shirt to give to me this year.  He knows me so well and this shirt will get plenty of use during the upcoming quilt show season.

As last but not least, my sweet daughter gave me this sewing machine bank.  I'm sure that her Daddy had a hand in finding it but she was so excited to watch me open it and my heart burst with joy at seeing her reaction at how much I love her gift.

I need to find a treasured spot in my studio to put it but I'll always remember the look on her face that day as we shared a Mom and Daughter quilters moment.

My wish list was short this year and that's perfectly fine.  I have all that I really need right here at home, my wonderful husband and my 2 kids that I adore...plus I won't lie....my new longarm is right up there too. I'll be sharing photos of that in its' new room, hopefully soon.

Just as I expected, many of you have commented or emailed me for info on how to make your own Jingle Tree quilt.

Last Christmas my hubby bought me this textile hanger.  It is made from smoked bamboo and was crafted in Vietnam.  Sometime after the holidays he hung it on the wall in our great room as I had planned to use it for hanging small quilts but for months it just hung there empty.

 Over the summer, once I had finished my Merry Jingle Christmas quilt, I was actually in the mood to create more holiday projects.  I had another one of those "what if" moments and started designing on the fly a wall hanging for that bamboo hanger using some of the Kate Spain Christmas Charm Swap charms I had left over.  

I wanted it to be just Red and Green so I selected some of the Red charms that went well together.

 Then I cut them into half and made bricks.

 Those bricks became the bottom row of my tree.  I wanted the finished quilt to be a specific size to fit the space so 7 bricks worked perfectly mathmatically.

 Next came the Green pieces.

 Same step next...cutting them in half to create bricks.

 I made the Green row 1 inch shorter on each side so the middle piece is a 2 1/2" x 3" (cut) rectangle.

 I kept working my way up and of course my assistant stopped by every so often to inspect my progress.

 Once all the rows were done, I added white strips to each side to create my desired width of 36 inches.

 The rows were quickly and easily sewn together and within a few hours I had a finished quilt top.

I debated about what thread to use for this and since White didn't feel right, I waited to attend a show and there I picked up some Superior Metallic thread in both Gold and Silver.  Once home I placed both on the quilt top and the Gold was definitely the right choice.

Of course my Girl Scouts duties got in the way of this getting finished for a few months but when I listed my Penelope for sale I had to complete the quilting so that I could put practice fabric on the frame for potential buyers.  It didn't take long and then all that was left to do was the trimming and the binding.

I'm really thrilled with how the Gold metallic thread worked on this quilt.  It give it just the right amount of bling without overpowering the fabrics.

I used more half charms in alternating Red and Green for the binding and then Ta Da it was done!
Of course Mother Nature wasn't cooperative for quite a number of days to allow me to take some final pictures of it and as soon as the clouds cleared I snapped them quick.
I used the Santa Ana panto and I love the effect.
I'm so happy that another one of my light bulb moment ideas turned out exactly as I imagined and this gorgeous quilt will now hang on the wall for all the admire for many holiday seasons to come.
I'm finalizing the details so you can make your own version of my tree quilt and will post it soon.  Edit: you can find the tutorial here.

I've made one more quilt top from my Kate Spain Christmas charms and if I can find the time to get it quilted and bound soon, I'll be able to share that one with you too.

I have never neglected my blog so much as I have in recent months and it really bothers me.  I truly enjoy keeping up with what is going on in the quilting world.  Thankfully the busiest months for my Girl Scout Troop Organizer role is winding down so life (and sewing) can get back to normal.

My family took a much needed vacation last week, got home Saturday afternoon and my new-to-me longarm was delivered on Sunday.  The room is still under construction and I promise to share pictures very soon.

In the meantime, I'd like to share the small amount of sewing that I have accomplished recently.  These are all blocks for my Halloween version of Tula Pink's City Sampler.  This Purple block is number 24.

 For sale:  Voyager 17 with Dekked Out Quilting upgrade

I have exciting news.  I am upgrading to a bigger machine and frame so my Voyager "Penelope" needs a new home.

She includes: a Hinterberg Stretch frame set at 10 feet (length can be changed), Red Snappers, an extension base for ruler work, a new ruler foot plus the standard hopping foot and a fat foot, 50+ bobbins, 4 extra bobbin cases, industrial bobbin winder, Towa gauge, front laser stylus, an extra belt, (3) 118" zippers, timing needle, machine oil, (2) DVDs: I've got a longarm (and I'm not afraid to use it) and Longarm and Fabulous, and the balance of the 5 year warranty on the upgrade (from June 2014) which includes maintenance.

This is a great machine for the hobby quilter or someone that wants to get into longarm quilting but doesn't want to spend tens of thousands to get started.  She runs beautifully and I've enjoyed quilting my own quilts with her but now it is time for her to find a new owner who will love her too.

Price: $6,500.  Buyer is responsible for disassembly, transportation, set up and all associated costs.

Located in upstate NY, the Albany area.  She'll remain set up so you can come and try her out.  Email me if you'd like to schedule a visit.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that isn't a happy camper when there's no time to sew.  That is what my life has been like over the past 3 or 4 weeks.  Between a family vacation, the kids starting school and activities, my own Girl Scout troop meetings beginning for the year and my responsibilities as the area troop organizer, the only sewing I've been able to get in lately is some patches on Girl Scout vests.

My Christmas Tree wall hanging has been languishing on my frame.  I started the quilting on it in early August but my shoulders were aching then and so I took a break from it.  I haven't been able to get back to finish it since.  Hopefully very soon.

Not so patiently, I'm waiting for some pretty fabrics to arrive. I'm excited to get started remaking my Merry Jingle quilt and get the pattern written.  I've received lots of emails from quilters are waiting for it's release.  This is what the new version will be made with.

 

Our summer fun is winding down and the kids start school on Wednesday.  I'm sure many of you are wondering if I fell off the face of the earth recently but be assured that I'm alive and well and have just been very busy with summer activities such as Girl Scout Cookie Camp and a family vacation.

I'm excited to get back to having some sewing time but I have managed to finish another quilt during the summer.  This one had been waiting to have the binding finished for a while and I'm glad that it is now complete.  I present:

100 Good Wishes for Alana

 This quilt is for a little Alana, a friend of the family since the beginning of our adoption journey (not to be confused with big Alana who is an adult friend of the family).  Hubs and I met her and her mom a couple of months after she came home from China and we ended up using the same adoption agency as they did.  Her mom knew nothing about the 100 Good Wishes Quilt tradition and I've always wanted to make one for her.

I chose the Garden Frills panto and it suited this quilt perfectly, giving it just enough swirly interest for a 12 year old girl.