scrap quilt


When I woke up yesterday morning, I was thinking about Christmas presents. I hadn’t thought about what to do for new friends I’ve made here… I decided I wanted to a little gift for the ladies in the patchwork and knitting groups, they’ve really helped me feel part of the community here so quickly! I will do some patchwork Christmas ornaments for them. I also decided to do a knitting needle roll for one friend who really helped include me in things here to get to know people. She just started knitting this year and loves knitting!!

I started this roll yesterday morning and got it done fairly quickly… It was based on one I saw in Stitch-n-Bitch book by Debbie Stoller, and I just used my knitting needles as a guide, very much done on the fly. I was happy to finish a Christmas project so quickly. I think I’ll leave a few knitting needles in the roll as well!

I also got 8 ocean waves blocks done now. I will stop working on these till next year, as I want to focus on the Dear Jane blocks for the swap, and the patchwork ornaments, I think I’ll focus on those today in between looking after a little sick girl and playing hide and seek with her crazy younger sister.

I also finished my mom’s scarf for Christmas. Yesterday afternoon I pulled out a knitting ring I got in Sweden (Barbara has made a hat for her DH with one on her blog). I started late afternoon, and by the evening I had done this hat, so now mom has a hat and scarf and some slippers for Christmas this year. She is hard to buy for, and appreciates handmade gifts, so she is one of the few recipients of handmade gifts this year. My friends in Waterford, my old area, love my chocolate chip cookies, but we plan a January visit to bring those (life just flew by at the speed of light, no time for a road trip now!)

I’ve started reading a lot lately, finishing Round Robin and Cross Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini, will have to get some more in the States! I read the first one already, and find them quick fun reads, filled with interesting relationships… I also started on our January book club book, House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III. It isn’t as light but is absorbing reading as well. I finished this month’s book a while back: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, a book told from the view of a high functioning autistic teenage boy, very interesting to understand how an autistic person sees the world.

As well as crafting and reading I managed to get the house clean, play with kids and cook dinner, a rare day for me, non-stressful, productive day!!

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I’ve been making slow progress these days, but I have finished Barbara’s Crazy Quilt round robin block I had been working on…it has been posted off to the next recipient a day before the deadline, yeah!

I also started working on the Dear Jane blocks I want to hand quilt for my pay it forward swap. If they aren’t done in time to be Christmas decorations, I figure they will make cute valentine ones, lol. The blue block is for Barbara’s Dear Jane, I promised one a while back as a thank you for all the help she’s given me since we met!

I’ve also started on a few ocean waves blocks for my scrappy ocean waves bed quilt. I will make this for our bed I think! I have a feeling my Dear Jane won’t be on the bed for a while, lol, as hand quilting won’t be speedy here with this newbie! I am using all my reproduction scraps and like the look so far.

We are really looking forward to our trip out to Oregon in a few weeks. Anyone in the Portland or Bend areas want to meet up? I am hoping to see Patti and Cher while I’m there (How is Saturday the 16th for you guys? I will be jetlagged, but that won’t keep me from some quilt shops!). My parents have retired to a new house in Bend, out in the mountains, so we plan to stay in Portland at the start and end of the trip to keep mountain pass driving to a minimum…

I am starting to think about 2007 goals… I think 2 bed quilts for my own house, many wall hangings, and a focus on quilting for our family again. I still only have one of my own quilts in the house and it is in bits, fallen apart from abuse (my first quilt). I love giving quilts to friends, but they appreciate any thoughtful gift, and I want to quilt for my girls this year as well…and sew some clothes for them…make some dolls maybe… So maybe 2007 will be year of the family for sewing and knitting projects…hmmmm

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