Joint Project Completed and Mailed

Dad H and I had a great time doing this project together. Last Spring, he purchased a Decco 340 and has been making wonderful designs with it on a very regular basis. This quilt represents the second set of blocks that we worked on together. The first set is of Noah's Ark ---I had already made some, but Dad finished them up. I have not made the quilt yet, but today I found the perfect piece of fabric to finish it up. Hopefully, the top will be posted for you to see before the end of the week.
As I stated earlier, we both learned about what happens when you pull the fabric a little to tight and in too many directions as you hoop it. There is some pull around the designs, so I decided to force the blocks to fit even though the inner borders are not even in the blocks. Then I cut all the blocks to the same size and pieced them together. Because of the pull, I decided this might be a very challenging quilt to work through on the longarm, so I used high loft batting and I tied the quilt together with white floss, and then I put a double fold binding on it. It will be a fun quilt for snugglingbecause it is lightweight yet warm. I enjoyed my time sitting with it on my lap while I did the hand sewing on the binding. Believe me it says "CHRISTMAS" all over it!!!

Lefse, anyone?

Although I spend a good deal of every day quilting, today we will spend the full evening making our winter's supply of lefse. For the past 34 years, I have partaken in this annual tradition courtesy of my husband's Norwegian heritage. (I only have a little bit of it in me.) At first it was simply eating it at the family gatherings and discussing whether Grandpa or Grammie did the better part of preparing it. While living in Maine, we bought our own lefse grill and were assisted by Mom and Dad with our very first batch. As the kids grew, so did the fun and the flour involved in making it. The folks had been more serious about the process, but I don't take anything to do with food too seriously. The biggest clean up messes of the year involved getting the flour out of all the nooks and crannies and off all the kitchen surfaces. Now it is back to just the two of us, so we make half a batch and share a little with the kids. Jamie has her own grill now.

The test piece was the best we have ever made, so I guess the weather conditions were just right! The pieces were very crisp almost as soon as they were removed from the grill.

Are you asking what lefse is? Lefse takes the place of bread at our holiday meals. It resembles a tortilla in appearance, but is much thinner if it is done right and is the flour type. There are two types of lefse - flour and potato. Potato lefse is stored in the refrigerator or freezer. We make the flour version because it is family tradition and because it can sit on the shelf in an air tight container for months. It is like a brittle cracker while sitting on the shelf. About an hour before the meal we sprinkle it with water and lay it between the folds of a dish towel, and it becomes pliable like a warn tortilla ---that is when the fun begins.

When we sit to the table we explain to our guests that they may put whatever they want on the lefse, but we generally put a little butter and sugar on ours. When I lift off the lace tablecloth at the end of the meal, I know exactly who chose the sprinked sugar version. Several relatives love to put their potatoes and gravy inside, and sometimes I opt for cranberries. Once you decide what to put on it, you roll it up like a crepe and enjoy. However, folding up a little bit of the end before rolling helps to keep the trimmings inside. Even for those unfamiliar with lefse, I plan 2-3 pieces. One of my brother-in-laws claimed that he was half Norwegian simply because he wanted more of the lefse.

What do we do with the leftovers? Well, I actually make planned-overs and try to hide them until the meal is over. These pieces are made into klings. I layer about 6-10 pieces, covering them with various toppings: butter, jelly, peanut butter, honey, and sugar. Instead of rolling them I cut them into bite sized squares and place them in a small container for later. When my husband was a kid Grammie would make them to take ice fishing. Delicious and decadent!

Tops and tops....oh my!

I am trying to set a different kind of goal for myself for the rest of November. I am going to complete all the tops I have actually started and if the body is willing and time allows, I will then see just how many I can also quilt. None of the tops that are actually cut out are spectacular, but they want to be finished just like any ideas in my head. The third one has been in the works for about 5 years, but it is all hand pieced, so....

Yesterday I pieced the first of Dad's embroidered blocks. They are snowpeople. Because he was still very new at using the embroidery machine, he did stretch and distort the fabric some, but they are fun blocks, so I decided to piece them and then use a high loft batting with white floss ties. It should be a fun one for cuddling up.

Today, I am finishing a transportation quilt using blocks that I had made for another project. It will be just right for use in a crib. I have a great piece of transportation fabric to use as backing. I am going to attempt using the wavy ruler to outline the blocks, and then I will add a red binding.

Tomorrow I am going to piece together the hand sewn blocks I made using a pre-cut kit, but use the sewing machine. At one time I was really psyched about the quilt, but then when I started sorting the finishing kit I found that I was short to border strips. Really takes away from the overall look, so I tried to find something that could be substituted. Nothing works, which tells me that I should really finish projects in a more timely fashion. I will just use a different setting. I do know that the backing I have planned is beautiful and still available. It will make a nice cuddle quilt.

There are probably others that I need to uncover, but I am finishing these tops first and then I will search.

TA-DA-TA!!!!!

I have completed the center of my Christmas Quilt Block of the Month. (pattern by Jeana Kimball and published by Oxmoor House, Inc, 1995-1996) It will now be put away until after Christmas. I plan to add 3-5 borders and then hand quilt it. This is not the best photo of the top, but I just want you to see what it looks like. Once I get the borders on, I will take another photo with Kevin's assistance.

Did every seem line up as shown in the diagram? No, but every strip was the right size. With the spacer pieces that were added in the original, I was a little nervous, but all in all it turned out to be something I will treasure for a lifetime. The top was pieced in chunks and then fitted together leaving me to consider y-seams, etc. I was a little anxious with the hourglasses, Santa, the train and Noah's ark, but they actually went together with ease.

Would I do it again? Not certain on that one, but I did learn a lot about different kinds of piecing and color choices. I would switch out some of the colors, if I did it again, but then these are all scraps I have had for years, including some scraps from my mom's stash . I did not purchase one piece of fabric for this during the piecing process, but I have been thinking about this quilt for years and probably stockpiling certain ones.

Christmas Block of the Month Quilt

As many of you have read, I have been working on the blocks for this quilt since January, 2009, but I have had the pattern since I purchased the blocks in 1995. My daughter asked how long did it take, but I think she was just asking about the wreath block. That block took about 20 hours. Other blocks did not take an hour, for one but generally those had multiple blocks to make. I would not want to venture an exact amount of time on the blocks but I am going to keep track of how long it takes to hand quilt it. That part will not start until after the holidays, but I am tentatively planning to piece the top by the end of 2009 (if there is enough time left between all the other things I have planned. This is one of the most involved quilts I have ever made. Some of the blocks were challenging because of all the points and pieces. I learned a great deal about turn-turn applique and know that my skills have greatly improved.

Would I ever do another block of the month? Yes, I am starting two different ones. My guild is doing a Fat Quarter Sampler quilt that is scheduled to take until March of 2011, but I think I may work ahead because I get anxious to see the final outcome. I have to choose the 28 fat quarts and 2 border prints this week so that I will have my first 4 blocks done before Dec. 8.

I am also going to do as snowman (non-Christmas colored) family reunion quilt from Pearl Louise Designs. I will be starting that one in December and plan to have it done by December of next year ----- It is basically a single applique block each month, plus a few filler blocks which could be done at anytime on the machine. I want to do more needle-turning so these blocks should be perfect.

Stay tuned for all of these exciting adventures!!

Last....But Not Least!!!!

I am currently working on the last block for my Christmas BOM quilt. It is almost 1/2 way done, so I should be able to show it before the end of the week. I love the Santa and the row houses, but the Christmas block is one of my favorites. I am not certain that I love all the fabric choices, but I loved putting it together. The saw tooth blocks appear to be easy, but the first set of points were a little bit of a challenge until I realized they were flying geese. This is going to be an amazing quilt---not necessarily a perfect quilt, but one that is perfectly enjoyable to the one who is completing it. I am also certain that my grandchildren will enjoy the finish project next December. I AM SO EXCITED!!!