{Post 1,450} Newly Displayed Christmas Decorations

I love the Christmas season.  This weekend is one of my favorites in a frantic, hectic, loss-of-sleep kind of way.  We usually start the process of getting all the fall decorations down and the Christmas ones up the day after Thanksgiving.  My newly-married daughter (March of this year) asked for our lighted house display.  We had 5 ceramic lighted houses.  I had always put them in our foyer, but I was kinda tired of them, to be honest.  

Wes's grandmother gave us a piece of a crystal nativity every year after we were married.  I decided to put it up in my foyer.  Just found the perfect lights for it.  Need to find another set for the bottom level, where the wise men are making their way towards the baby Jesus with their bedecked camel.  I always set them up far away from the manger (after all, it took them two years to get there!

{Post 1,449} Long Time No Type

Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers.  Our family has been a in a phase of big changes for the past few years.  Adapting is the name of the game.

This year 2 of my children married, and we have had one new baby (so far...another due in December).

I will be updating with the quiltiness going on since the wedding (11/15) at a later date.  

Just wanted to wish you all a fantastic day full of warm memories (in relationships and pies!) and thank you for being a part of my life.

To those of you in New Zealand, Australia, and the like, I love you, too.  Wish you had a Thanksgiving holiday!

{Post 1,448} At Long Last

I think this quilt top was pieced in 2008 (maybe earlier).  I finally have a reason to quilt and bind it.  I will disclose that later.  

For now, let me introduce Jacob's Ladder.

Going to a very special home.

{Post 1,447} First Block of "Round and Round"

Here is a huge block (24" square) that is one of seven to finish a quilt called "Round and Round".  I am using all shirt prints for the friendship stars and natural muslin for the background.  

I have a lot of sewing and painting to do in the immediate future, so this will take a back seat.  I need to have it finished by January 2015.  Getting a head start, and also curious as to how it would look with my choice of fabrics.

{Post 1,446} Fern Ziggle Quilting

This is the first row of my secret project.  I usually forget about the Fern Ziggle pattern, but I really like it.  I have used it two other times that I recall.

{Post 1,445} Center of Runner Pieced

These are some shirt crumb blocks I made while piecing some more String Squares blocks.  I finished 16 more of the SS blocks!

I am making these crumb blocks into a table runner for my cousin once removed.  We have just recently reconnected after about 40 years on Facebook.  Her posts encourage me.  She has such a strong sense of family.  I am mailing it to her as a surprise.  

Must add a wide border, quilt, bind, and label it first!

It is 17" x 13" now.  I will add a 2" border all around from the same shirt and then a binding.  The small blocks are 4" square unfinished.  I had some tiny crumbs.  These type of quilts intrigue me.  

I used the same red shirt for the 20 tiny (1" unfinished) cornerstones.

{Post 1,444} Beginning of String Squares

This is the first row of a string shirt quilt I'm calling String Squares.  I was inspired by my b-friend Julie.  

Just making these as I have scraps.  Which I have a lot of, LOL!!

This is the finished width of the quilt.  I am probably going to make 3 more of this sized pieces to add to it.

The white on the right end is the sun coming through the window.

In other news, my Glory Bound top is pieced.  Now on to the pressing, quilting, and binding.  This is 64" x 80".  I will be selling this pattern in my Etsy shop later.  My store name is ShelbyStitcher (no space).