Christmas Decorations

This past week I worked on some Christmas decorations using the embroidery machine. I decided the more things I made, the better I would get using the machine. So, candy cane holders were my first items to make. 

The bows are very easy to make and available from the EmbroideryIt Etsy Shop HERE. Look under candy holders to see all the others she has. I am going to work on the gingerbread man holders today. The horse pattern was from Embroidery Garden  and was fun to make. Adding these to the Folded Star Ornaments I showed in the last post will give me quite a few ornaments to put up for sale at The Yellow Window.

Do you make ornaments for Christmas trees or package decorations? Which one(s) was the most fulfilling to make?

Apple Cake for Sewing Day

Thursday was Friends' Sewing Day with Teri and Gloria at my house. The hostess bakes a mid-morning snack. I had apples. I did a Google search using "easy apple cake." The recipe I chose was Easy Apple Cake HERE.

I made it the night before and had to have a taste. It was moist and tasted very good.

Lunch was Cabbage Roll soup that Teri made...and was it good! 

We did more chatting than quilting, but that is part of getting together. Gloria got the binding sewn on to her quilt and took it home to hand sew it to the back. I forgot to ask her for a picture. It is a double bed-size, huge and  colorful Lemoyne Star on a black background. Teri layered a small fall panel and did some free-motion quilting around the scarecrow.

I had bindings to sew to potholders. Eight simple potholders that I quilted with serpentine stitching on the diagonal after layering backing, front and 2 layers of batting. 

I finished 3 Michigan potholders. 

Today, I watched a video at Nancy's Notions on how to make folded fabric star ornaments using heavyweight interfacing (which I had ordered last week and it arrived today). The video is located below the picture of the ornaments in a small box. Last year I had tried making one of these ornaments using batting and folded fabrics and was a bit frustrated. The method shown in the video made it so easy. I even used my circular cutter to cut the interfacing!

And I got 2 done (only need buttons in centers) in about 20 minutes. I'm planning to make more for Christmas decorations. And what a way to use up scraps and leftover pieces. I even figured out how to make them different sizes.

What have you been crafting?

Four-In-Art Challenge Reveal

Illumination and Light, the theme for the 4th quarter reveal of the Four-in-Art challenge this year. Our online group has been creating quilted projects this year under the general theme of LIGHT, with ILLUMINATION as the sub-theme for this quarter. 

I found this sub-theme tough. When I searched the word "illumination," the medieval art of illuminating books was foremost in the results. I was thinking along the lines of light bulbs shining on a performance stage, a book while reading, a window, and many more concepts. 

I chose some photos I had taken. I liked the sun shining on the tops of trees. I really liked the lighthouse at night, and an evening sunset as we finished fishing on Lake Michigan. 

My idea was to use sun and trees. Using a shimmery bridal fabric I combined techniques I learned in classes from Ann Lovelace and Lenore Crawford. 

Illuminating Sunlight is the name I gave my quilt. The use of the bridal fabric gave it the illumination I imagined.

This is the final reveal for the Four-in-Art quilters' group. The group started 5 years ago. I joined in 2013. The founders are looking toward new quilting adventures. I have enjoyed working with this wonderful group of quilters and on the quarterly challenges. I have gained friends. I have tried new quilting techniques. I have learned so many concepts of art and quilting as we have shared our pieces over the years. I am thankful to have been a member of Four-in-Art quilt group.

Please visit the other Four-in-Art members' posts listed below. 

Simone

Rachel

Janine

Elizabeth

Betty

Catherine

Nancy (That's me, you are here!)

Our Four-in-Art Group Blog

But there is good news!

A few of us have signed on to a new quilt art group started by two of our members. 'The Endeavourers' will be revealing their first theme projects on February 1, 2018, with 14 quilters in the group. I look forward to this quilt art group as we show how we "embody the spirit of our quilts." I hope you will stop back to see what I have to reveal on February 1!