Stockings Finished!!!

I hope all of you in the States had a wonderful Thanksgiving Thursday!  I know I certainly did!  Thanksgiving day we usually spend with my Husbands family and then we get together usually the following Sunday with mine.  While waiting for the family to get ready for dinner I was able to get the last of the stockings finished, and I have to say, I'm thrilled with how they turned out!!

Now, are you ready for lots and lots of photos???  LOL

Here is a shot of the backs - remember how I chose to go with an all over feather on the back?  The only thing I might do differently if I did this again would be to choose a similar pattern for all of the feathers rather than just randomly stitching them.  I like order!!!

To finish the edge of the stocking I used vintage lace for a binding.  It is a wide lace that I think may have originally be intended for lingerie...but we won't tell!!!  I hand stitched it to the front first, then fold it over and under to the reverse side.

The ruffles were made from some leftover French General jellyroll strips I had laying around.  I wanted something that added a little interest but didn't take away from the quilting...because the star is definitely the quilting!  I stitched it down on the inside, then flipped it up so that the seam would be enclosed and the ruffle would be peaking out of the stocking.  Now just imagine some pretty sparkly wrapped presents peaking out of there too!  I can't wait!

An up close shot of the back...I decided to bead only the pumpkin seed quilting.  I contemplated crystals...I love the look of crystals on all those fancy show quilts you see, and these will never be washed...but there is just something to be said about simple beading.  I love the very Victorian flavor of these stockings.

My dahlia quilt is at a standstill...mainly because I've become sick of looking at blue and black!!  All the quilting on muslin has put me back in the mood to work on this quilt...yesterday I made another twenty or so feet of bias tape to add some more fun details to this.

I ended up not using the vintage crochet'ed bits on the stockings but found a PERFECT place to incorporate them into this quilt!!!  I appliqued all the birds on last night and started adding flowers.  After that I'm going to put the crocheted lace on and I'll share with you all...I REALLY can't wait to start quilting this!!!  :)

Almost to the Finish Line...

I hope you haven't gotten sick of photos of my stockings.  I am almost finished with them...

I just can't get enough of that texture.  I love it!  I thought the back looked SO pretty with all of those feathers and textures.

I cut all of the stocking shapes out and have started beading them...it will take me a while so they may sit on the back burner as I dabble in other projects.  I have a short attentions span!  I think I will work on these in the evenings...beading is perfect for watching listening to the tv with Hubby.

Below is how the third stocking turned out.  I sprained my wrist the other day so I had a little bit of difficulty controlling the machine for the orange peel/pumpkin seed design.  It got a tiny bit sloppy!  But I'm hoping the beads will help to make up for that.

I am going to play around but I think that the plan will be, after I bead these, to add a floral cuff to the top and drape over that the lace pieces.  I will have to fiddle and experiment and see what works well.

This will be a busy Thanksgiving week for us, but I'm looking forward to it.  My favorite time of year!  I will be doing a lot of cooking and cleaning, but in between I have pulled this quilt back out and am going to get to work.  Playing with muslin again has given me ideas!

Stocking Three Front is Finished - Woohoo!

Wooooohoooooo!  I finished the front of stocking two and three...and just have one more feathered reverse side and I'm finished.  I get bored quickly so I'm ready to pull these off the frame and start something new...

Above is the front of stocking two, finished...below is number three.  I wanted to try something different since I did a lot of different textures on the previous two...so I tried doing the pumpkin seed/orange peel all over in the background...and now I think I like it better in sections!  I will add beads to it, but it's just kind of boring all on it's own.  Looks like plaid.  Bleh.  It'll be pretty though with sparkly beads on it.

I really like the filled feather spines.  Don't they look like peas?  LOL

I have a mountain of laundry to do and I suppose I ought to shower.  LOL  So I'm off...  :)

More Progress on Stockings and Laura's Quilt

Making more progress on my stockings.  This is one I am working on this afternoon while the baby is napping...

The last of the customer quilts for the year is being shipped off shortly...and I'm looking forward to working on some of my own projects over the holidays!  My first goal is to get these stockings finished.

This is the first stocking and to the right, the reverse side.  I decided I am going to just do all three stockings backs with feathers...and each front will be a different design.

Above is another shot of the backing of stocking one. I just can't get enough feathers I tell you!  :)

I also finished up Laura's quilt yesterday...it is a very special quilt.  I'll let her share the story on her blog...but it truly moved me to tears.  What a beautiful quilt and what beautiful friends you have Laura!

I really really love ribbons...if I get some time here in the coming weeks I'll show you how to quilt them.  They are very simple but they are so cute and sweet!  I thought they complimented the fun whimsical nature of this quilt.

So much to do and so much to say!!  I want to get in as much sewing time over the next few weeks as I can so I am going to run.  This is truly a magical time of year...I hope you all are enjoying family and preparing for the coming holidays!  :)

Heirloom Stockings

Eeep!  I broke down and decided to play this evening.  I have been wanting to make these fancy quilted heirloom style stockings for my daughters for a while.  My favorite way to quilt is just goofing around...winging it and playing as I go along.  So that's what I did.

I really like how they are coming out!  Of course after I posted pictures on Facebook I discovered I missed a spot.  Whoops!  LOL

This is two layers of batting - something I'm really really liking.  I love poofyness.  I bought a roll earlier in the year of Quilters Dream Poly Request...it is their lowest loft polyester batting.  I bought it because it is inexpensive but gives the look of cotton.  I have since learned that if I want the look of cotton...I'll just use cotton...however...polyester has some great benefits!  This batting doesn't wrinkle like cotton when folded...and layered up...it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!  Two layers of poly request is seriously my new favorite batting!!!  :)

I pulled all these bits of lace and tatting - is it tatting??  Anyhow I pulled it out with a few linens and had originally planned to put them on the stockings...but now that I've finished quilting one...I like it so much I don't know if I want to cover it up with lace!!  LOL  So we'll see if I can figure out a way to incorporate these or not.  I am kind of thinking maybe the fancy quilting side will be the front...and I'll do a pretty floral quilted backing with bits of lace incorporated.  I definitely want beads...these are completely Cindy Needham inspired stockings!!!  :)

What are you up to?

Cindy's Quilt

Cindy's quilt finished!  I'm feeling on a roll.  :)  I'm having a good time too!  Just a handful of quilts before I'm on a break for 2013...and I can't say I'm not looking forward to it.  I have so many of my own projects on hold that I'm looking forward to working on!

Cindy's quilt made of Fig Tree Quilts fabric turned out so pretty...and I have found there is nothing that shows off quilting better than afternoon sun...

A project the Husband and I will be working on in the upcoming year will hopefully be to move my long arm over to the North facing wall of this room so I will have the sunnier areas for photography!!!  I'm looking forward to that...

We went with simpler quilting for this quilt - though I adore feathers - simply because of all the busy prints and I knew anything more complicated wouldn't show.  I love this fabric and have a big bag of it partially sewn into a quilt somewhere in my sewing room!!

Cindy sent me a new batting to try out that I've never quilted on before...a nice thick cotton and it really did quilt up lovely.  VERY linty though, as with all cottons, but this quilt is going to keep somebody very warm!  Good thing with winter just around the corner.

This week I'll be loading up and finishing another of Laura's quilts!  :)

Monica's Quilt #2

Monica's quilt (#2) is finished!!  Woohee!!  Everyone has ooooh'ed and awwwww'ed over this quilt (including me) and I am pretty sure I'm going to have to make one of these.  Gorgeous!

Now she's all set for spring and winter!  :)  Just a few more weeks until Thanksgiving!!  :)

Monica's Quilt #1

Wheeeew!  Have you been busy?  I sure have!  This time of year is always extremely busy for us as we have a large family, but other things have been happening so it just keeps me running.  I'm a tad behind schedule what with Halloween and school events so I'll update that today.  I did finish Monica's first quilt this past week and will be spending most of the day working on her second today.

Right about 5 inches from being finished with this quilt - my motor brushes went!!!  Oh was that a scary thing!  Quilt on the frame and all I had to pull the motor off of my machine, open it up, and replace the brushes.  Luckily after putting it all back together things seem to be back to normal...so back to work!  :)

I have to say - I cried that day!!  I think lack of sleep played a role but I've since had a few good nights rest and am ready to face all challenges!!!  LOL  :)  Hope all is well out there in blogland and that you've had some time to sew!