It snowed this week!! Years ago, it seemed like we got a snowfall every year. The kids would get the day off of school and it was a treat for all of us. With climate change, we rarely see snow. But this week we got about two inches and it was wonderful. Prior to this we got rain, a lot of rain. Living with drought and fires like we do, nothing is better than rain. Anyway, we are enjoying this wintry weather up here in Northern California.
Most of my time has been spent packing and great progress has been made. However I have found a few minutes here and there to sneak in a little bit of sewing. When I was sorting scraps last week, the pull of the solids bin was great. I did a little improv and ended up with two cute minis.
I put Insul Bright and regular batting scraps in these so they can be used as pot holders or trivets on the table. They are a little be stiff since I quilted them densely.
This was the first one I made. The wavy piecing was fun but I do have to say, I am not hugely satisfied with the jittery look of my wavy quilting.
This was number two. It is made mainly with shot cotton which doesn’t have a ton of body. (Hmmm, I should have starched the pieces.) So it pulled with the quilting. No worries though – still fun to just sew!
Both of these little projects are backed with Kaffe Fassett stripes.
This is what I have on my machine this week. As I packed, I found a quilt top that belongs to our Guild’s Community Service team. Guild members can drop by and pick up completed tops and finish them or quilts that need to be bound. I have had this on the shelf for months! (Sorry team!) So I basted it and am giving it a meander this week. I have the binding strips cut and ready to go. It should be finished in a day or two.
Finally, aren’t these holiday stockings gorgeous? My sister sent these to me, Ray and Julia. She is incredibly talented with her knitting needles and made these for us. I really, really love them. Her work is just amazing. I can’t wait for Santa to fill our stockings this year!
That is it for now. Since it is Tuesday, I think I will head over to Linda’s for To Do Tuesday. You can click here to check out what everyone is working on this week. Also linking up with Pat at Stitch, Sew & Show.
What fun little makes! Next time you do one with the shot cottons, you could try fusible fleece for backing. I do that with my little mug mats, fusing the fleece to the top, then a little shot of basting spray to the backing. It seems to help stabilize the fabric a bit more. Of course, you could use fusible fleece on the backing too for a bit more padding. Those stockings are gorgeous; that is some serious knitting talent! We are bracing for some crazy serious weather here to night – very high winds, rain, snow, possible tornadoes. Current temp is 51 – in December! Crazy!
Thanks Wendy. Fusible fleece is a great idea and I know I have some (somewhere?) Next time….
My sister, yes – some incredible knitting talent. She made about 20 holiday stockings last winter and we all got some. What a treat.
Weird weather coming your way. Stay safe!!
The view outside our house looked like that this morning, too. All moisture welcome – it has been horribly dry here, too! Love your little minis! That is a fun way to sew. Those stockings are beautiful!
Hurray – yes Diann, all moisture is welcome. Makes me happy.
The minis are so fun. I was surprised to see they came to be the same size and I didn’t have one next to the other when I made them. Just a fun coincidence I suppose.
I’m so glad that California has had rain and snow, it makes me so happy to see everyone’s photos. I think the little minis look great, hooray for turning some scraps into something useful. Working on the guild charity quilt sounds like a great way to spend some time this week and I’m sure your guild will be thrilled to have it whenever it is ready. And wow – what stunning stockings! I hope that all continues to go well for you as you near Christmas and continue to pack.
Oh my gosh Yvonne, we all feel such relief with the snow and rain we are getting!! Lake Tahoe has gotten tons and tons of snow which is going to really help. Love seeing our hillside getting green.
I hope all is well on the island!!
Such gorgeous hand knitted Christmas stockings, such a lovely gift from your sister.
Thank you Jenny. These are just a treasure for us. My knitting skills are primitive at best so I just love these!
Wow! Those stockings are wonderful! Kudos to your sister!
Yes, they are pretty impressive! I love how they look hanging from the mantle. So, so pretty!
Merry Christmas, Bernie!
Love your blog, as usual. Those stockings are amazing! Which sister did those?
Hi, Patti made the stockings. She is so talented. Hats, intricate sweaters, socks – she knits all sorts of things. This is a talent I do not share with her!! Cathy also does really well with knitting needles – she has Patti as her teacher! Hope you are well!
Hoping for cooler temps and moisture, Bernie. The nature needs a salve after the devastation of wildfires. Kudos on sewing anything at all. With the holidays, the impending move and the closing of your Etsy shop, I would just enjoy the lovely potholders. In any case, they have to bend around the hotpot 🙂 Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thank you Preeti!
Wonderful – rain and snow for CA! I can’t imagine how welcome that must feel in a land with drought. Hooray for getting those lovely pieces done, in the midst of holidays and a move! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours.
Thank you Kathleen. Merry Christmas to you as well!!
Yahoo for snow! We have not had any yet, and it was 62 degrees here today. Like everyone else, I love the stockings. I also love your string projects. I’m never happy with my wavy quilting, but it does get the job done. I hope you have a lovely holiday with a break in the packing and plenty of rest and peace. Merry Christmas!
Weird weather continues! 62 degrees in December – so strange.
Thanks for the note Mari. 🙂
The look out your door looks like a vacation! So pretty. Glad Mother Nature cooperated to give you some rain and snow..
Looks like you are doing good on your packing. It’s nice to have time to get things organized and sorted out, isn’t it. I wish I could be there to help you, but we probably wouldn’t get much done. 😉
Your minis are adorable, and I love your wavy quilting. What gorgeous stockings your sister made! I hope Santa fills them with everything you love. 🙂
Thank you for the shout-out to To Do Tuesday!
I am just now catching up on posts from To Do Tuesday, and now I realize that you linked up – I’m so glad Bernie! I thought you had just referred to it in your post – duh. 😀
Love those little quilts! I especially love the wavy one, I think it looks really pretty with the wavy quilting :). Happy Holiday to you and your family!