Thoughts of a Grasshopper

Stockings are one of my favorite things at Christmas.  I personally have not had a stocking in 30 years but how I loved them as a kid.  When you were waiting to open presents there was your stocking to look through with an orange in the toe of the stocking, nuts, candy, chapstick, little toys and games like a yo-yo, top, or those plastic squares that have the numbers 1-15 that you try to put in order.  A few years ago I put together a stocking for my mother as her Christmas gift.  It was fun to come up with things to include and to do the shopping for it.  I know she enjoyed it as much as I did.

This block is 99.5% done.  There is a ribbon bow to tie and attach to the top of the ornament but it needs to be quilted before I can add the bow.  Quick block to do that makes you feel like you are making progress at a rapid rate.

 I usually decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.  With Thanksgiving being early this year, I've decided to wait a few extra days.  I'm hoping to finish a Christmas wall hanging by then.  I'm planning to have the 9 blocks appliqued by Thanksgiving and that weekend I will add the borders and quilt it.  My Christmas cards may end up going out a little later since I'm only half done making them.  Yikes! The wall hanging has a lot of nice blocks.  I started with my favorite of all the blocks.  I love this candy cane.  It makes me want to break out my Christmas books and read one we've enjoyed for years, "The Legend of the Candy Cane" by Laurie Walburg.  The book is beautifully illustrated and tells the symbolism of the candy cane and Jesus Christ.

I started this quilt April 5th and finished it July 31st.  I started with cutting the fabric and on April 7th I had the circle done, minus the very center that just needed two circles cut for it.  It sat for 11 weeks before I had time to work on it more.  I spent most of the day into the wee hours of the morning cutting the fabric for the backing and sewing the strips together.  It was crazy to think that these simple strips took 12+ hours of pressing, cutting, sewing pressing, sewing, pressing . . . It sat a few more weeks before braved attaching the circle to the background.  That part seemed a little intimidating to me.  One part of me wishes I attached it so the lines pointed to the corners and another part of me is glad it is the way it is and slightly offset. A little more sitting and waiting before I got it layered, quilted and bound.  I stitched in the ditch so that I would detract from the circle.  This is 48" x 48".  I l...

I'm happy to say this is my last Bench Pillow (wall hanging) to make . . . at least for now.  There are 3 I haven't done: 1. A penguin with two snowmen for January.  Where I live in New Mexico we don't get much snow, if any.  If it does snow, it is gone by noon.  I miss snow! 2. An umbrella with rain boots for April.  I like it but our rain season starts mid-June and ends in September.  However, someday we will move and I may see rain in the spring. 3.  A Happy Birthday one.  This one I intend to do, I just don't know when.  I feel I have to wait another year because some of the kids had their birthday this year.  I guess it can wait and I can focus on other projects. Let me just say for this watermelon wall hanging, I adore the fabric ric rac I made for the larger watermelon.  This has nothing to do with my skills, it was all in the directions, but to loosely stitch and then pull and have that happen.  So cool!

This is the wall hanging I did for the summer.  I like it because it has a flag for Independence Day and a slice of watermelon that just screams summer to me.  Watermelon is something at family reunions, after spending time outside playing, a light treat on hot day. Sunflowers are just nice, happy flowers.

Even though I'm not replacing the wall hanging above the door this month, I needed to swap out the leprechaun hat I did for March.  It seems like I've had to whip these out quickly with Easter just two weeks after St. Patrick's Day. This has more of a spring feel to it.

It is windy enough here that you could fly a kite and it will be like this for the next six weeks or so.  It is something to be driving toward the valley and see all of the dust flying around.  This wall hanging above the door is quite appropriate.  I don't plan to make the April rain boots wall hanging because we won't see rain until June when it is monsoon season. I must admit, it was nice to have one without any words.  Goes sooooo much faster!

So frustrated that I have a buckle on my binding.  I may have to take it apart and do it again.  Super cute leprechaun hat wall hanging though!

Since it isn't enough that I do a wall hanging each month for above the door, I'm adding another wall hanging.  I had a decorative Stampin' Up! wire rack that hung on my wall with various pictures that make me happy.  It has been hanging there for over a year and I needed a change.  This now hangs by my desk and I quite like it.  The nice thing about this wall hanging is that you quilt and applique at the same time.  It whips up very quickly because of this.

It is hard to get a good picture when the sun is high up  because of how bright it is coming in our windows.  Of the 8 pictures I took, this is the best.  It wasn't until it was hung up that I realized I didn't put ribbon bows on each of the rick rack strings that have a heart.  It looks fine without it but it is a nice touch. This was a fairly easy and fast wall hanging to do with the exception of the words.  All those curves on the letters, I was so finished with the applique before it was actually done. haha  I was happy to use scraps from the Valentine wall hanging I made last year that hangs in the living room.  I love it when I can coordinate pieces.

I forgot to share the wall hanging I put together for November.  It seemed appropriate for Thanksgiving Day.  I really like the braided border on the top and bottom of the wall hanging. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

A few of the things that make you think of Halloween.  I love the candy corn "flowers".  I appliqued the Boo letters with orange.  I really like the pop of color rather than just plain black.  The black cat with the moon behind on the "O" is too cute, too!

Another beautiful wall hanging that I enjoyed seeing about our door.  The letters on the burlap are attached to the twine.  The ends of the twine are tacked onto the wall hanging.  It didn't get to hang too long before the one for Halloween went up. 

I made this wall hanging in July and hung it for August.  I'm going to use it again for January because I'm not into having 2 snowmen and a penguin above my door.  I'm sure I would feel differently if I had little ones or I actually lived where the snow stuck around for more than a few hours. The wall hanging itself I think is adorable.  My favorite section is the beehive with the bee buttons "flying" by the hive.  The "Home Sweet Home" is loose and hangs on the button.  I need to come up with a better way of storing these wall hangings. than carefully folding them.  I would like to leave them laid out flat, I just need a container for that. This next picture of the Bloc-Loc I had to share because this is the BEST tool to have for half square triangles.  It makes squaring up go so much faster.  I've had several projects, one with many squares and these make it go so much faster to square up and move on to the next step.  I was told yo...

Last week I took a break from working on the 2017 - 2018 programs for our DAR meetings and started working on this "bench pillow" by Kimberbell Designs.  I was motivated by July coming soon and I wanted this displayed before the holiday.  I waffled on keeping it as a pillow cover but still hanging it on the wall but for some reason I just can't bring myself to think of using it as a bench pillow.  I think it will take up the seat and people won't sit there or my family will use it and it will end up dirty and perhaps oily if they sleep on it.  I know, I know, it is washable but it is hard to get out oil stains from skin/hair on lighter fabrics. I called my husband at work Monday afternoon and suggested he may want to come home.  Probably should have started that differently as his mind probably thought something was wrong with his mother.  I quickly told him the wall hanging was done, I just needed to buy the curtain rod and I knew he would be anxious ...

I took an applique class at the end of January at the local quilt shop.  I want to make wall hangings for an area of the living room that has a lot of wall space.  I decided to make a Valentine wall hanging.  Things have been busy because I've been preparing a presentation but I decided to take a break and work on this.  I spent a week on this and it moved along swiftly in the beginning.  I thought I would have it done quickly.  Then came the applique part.  Preparing the pieces and stitching.  (I did the stitching after this picture.)  I seriously entertained not bothering with the heart border.  In the end, I'm glad I did it.  The funny part is, I didn't finish it until tonight.  I sewed on the sleeve on the back and had it hanging before I made dinner.  It is done.  I appliqued!  That class was worth it!

I saw a flag made of tumbler blocks on a quilting site, or perhaps pinterest.  I like how the tumbler blocks give the illusion of the flag waving in the breeze.  With family coming for graduation and a move coming up, I don't have time to tackle a larger quilt project so I opted for something small and satisfying.  I'm very pleased with this project!