Family Sewing Day...2016

We like to have a sewing day over the holidays while my sister Nancy is visiting from Canada. She and Deb are social sewers and only sew with us. Deb finished her jelly roll race quilt that she started last winter this year when we met by making and sewing on the binding. She is so excited to have it finished!

 Nancy was working hard to finish the quilt she only works on during her visits here...she began it in Jan. 2011. She came to one of my sampler clubs the night after she got in so she could get started and worked all day on sewing day. She finished it a few days before she left. It's gorgeous!

Dec. sewing day

 She left it here so I'm going to take it to be quilted and she will finish by binding it next year.

Finished...yea!

 Sharon worked on a Summit Pack. She had it all cut out before she came and got most of it finished before she left.

She finished it a few days later and made another one! I love them both!

 Wendy did some beading projects and Mom visited. She recently finished her sewing day quilt from a few years ago and just got it back from the quilter. She will be binding it soon!

I worked on the hanging sleeve for my Quilters Quilt the Blues Challenge quilt and helped the others. My challenge quilt was chosen as a finalist, so I've sent it off to be judged. Hope to hear back soon!

 Dad was around for moral support and opinions...can't do it without him! My nieces had to work, so weren't able to join us....next time!

I've been trying to get caught up and want to start writing the patterns for the new Sampler, Optical Illusions.

Family time & quilting time

 Yesterday was great, sewing with friends all day. I got the rest of my Hollow Cubes Too triangles cut out and want to finish sewing the other side pieces on today...then I will be ready to figure out the layout. I really like this quilt and will be excited to see it come to life!  

I am heading up to my hometown for some family sewing/chatting time today. I plan on stopping at the Harlan quilt store on my way. They are having a big sale for the Iowa shop hop, so I have to check it out.

My sister, Nancy,  wants to work on her quilt, so we will be having a mini sewing retreat the next 2 days. I am taking several projects to work on, but will probably spend most of my time working on a new Potato Chip quilt. I designed this quilt several years ago, and gave away the one I made. I want to make a new one so if I want to teach the class, I have my own model. (Plus it's just fun and easy to make!) I borrowed my mom's quilt the last time I taught it!

My two other sisters that live in Earling have to work today, but one is coming tomorrow to sew in the afternoon. She has some bindings to work on

Holiday fun!

 My sister has been here visiting from Canada the past week, so while she was at my house she worked on her quilt she started last Christmas while she was home. Here is her first complete block!

 I have wanted to redo my mouse pad for ages, so did that the other day using some wonderunder and fabric.

Doesn't it look great? 

New Quilter!

 My sister Nancy has been talking about learning to quilt for a long time. When she goes to quilt shops with me, she always finds fabrics for ME to buy. She loves looking at fabric! While I was visiting her last summer in BC, she picked out some fabric and a pattern for her first quilt. She said I could teach her to quilt while she was here for the holidays. So we got together Saturday and got her started. She got all her blocks cut out and one block completely sewn.

 Some of the blocks will be blue and some will be purple. She has a pansy border that has both colors and is gorgeous.

The light blue is the sashing fabric. All of the four corners were supposed to be the same fabric as the sashing to give the block a rounded look,  but we thought green on 2 corners would look like leaves on the flowers (yea, we think they sort of look like flowers...especially once she gets that pansy border on!)

I think this is going to be a good beginner quilt for her, not too difficult, but an interesting pattern. I should've taken a pic of the picture in the book so you could see what it will look like, but I forgot. Now I just hope she keeps working on it when she gets home again!