Easy Christmas Table Topper

Had some cute snowman fabric and decided to make a table topper out of it using the 60 degree triangle ruler I have.  I used it recently on a chicken table runner and table topper for my daughter.  It was so easy I figured I'd make a Christmas one too.  I recently got some hexagon shaped quilting designs so I figured I'd try one of them out.  It came out pretty good.  It's got a kind of country flavor to it and is red, white and blue (mostly) too.  So it made me think my daughter might like it.  I guess it'll make the trip with hubby.  He has to take an extra suitcase for all the stuff I have for him to take her.  But when he comes back he can just put one suitcase in the other for the trip home.  I have another one cut out in traditional Christmas colors for me.  Just gotta sew it, quilt it, and bind it.  Wednesday is my day off so I figure I can finish it up then. Plus I have some other quilting projects I'd like to get done.  The photos didn't come out too good, but this is the front and back and hopefully you can see the quilting.

Trick or Treat Time

When hubby and I were on the Quilt Across Texas Shop Hop he found a Halloween panel on sale in one of the shops and bought it.  He figured I'd do something with it.  He thought I'd make a wall hanging and just quilt the panel as is, but I decided to cut it apart and make four trick or treat bags.  Each one has a big block (front of bag), smaller block (as pocket on back) and strips (used as handles).  I used a spiderweb quilting design and used white thread on solid black fabric.  Think they came out pretty good.  And I had a lot of fun making them -- even though it involved a lot of hand sewing.  Tomorrow they will be on their way (with  my hubby) to my daughter's house for her and the three grands.  Didn't have enough to make one for my son-in-law.  Guess he'll have to wait until next year.

It's a surprise - kind of

Hubby gets to go see daughter, her hubby and the grands next week in Washington, but since I used up all my vacation time recuperating from knee replacement, I have to stay home and work.  So instead, I'll be there in spirit and made a surprise for my baby girl.  She loves chickens now. Of course she hated them when she went to school where the sports team was the gamecocks and where there were a dozen chickens in every store.  But now .... she likes them.  So I made her a few.  I found the fabric last year on my Quilt Across Texas shop hop and it just screamed her name.  I finally figured out what to do with the fabric.  The original plan was the table runner.  I took pictures of the quilting on the front and back even though you can't see it very good.  It's a real cool pattern.

 

The leftovers from the table runner became a table topper. Same quilting, but different backing so I took pictures of the quilting on front and back again.  The back of this one shows the quilting the best.



But the wallhanging is my favorite.  I actually have enough fabric to make two but ran out of time and hubby said she doesn't have enough wall space for two.  We'll see if she agrees, I could always send it later.

Was tons of fun but so glad to be done.  And I was able to finish in time for hubby to take with him, so no shipping costs.  Life is good.

Christmas Tree Skirt #2

I finished my second Tree Skirt and as usual it's even better than the first.  Still not perfect but definitely pretty.  On Nov. 1 it'll be at it's new home and underneath a Christmas Tree.  Here's what it looks like pre-tree.

Close up of quilting on back.

Close  up of quilting on front.

Gettin' 'em done

A few years ago I figured my quilting skills had progressed enought that I could make quilted projects for Christmas presents for my coworkers.  So I made each one a table topper.  One block each, pretty simple, one-day projects.  They came out great.  You can see them all here on my blog.  http://clkinmd.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-presents-tt-galore.html  Then the next year came and some of my coworkers had left and I had new ones, so for the new ones, it was table toppers again, but for the ones who already had table toppers I gave them their choice of quilted projects.  Now a few picked small wall hangings.  Pretty easy, done in no time.  You can see some of them here  http://clkinmd.blogspot.com/2010/01/getting-finished-part-1.html and some more of them here  http://clkinmd.blogspot.com/2010/01/getting-finished-part-2.html But two of them picked table runners and they wanted them long.  So .... when Christmas got here I had the tops done, but not quilted.  This was before I got my longarm.  So I showed them their presents at Christmas and took them back to finish them. Well, that was three years ago.  Today I finished one of them.  I am so happy and I had forgotten how cute it was and how much I liked it.   If she checks facebook, she won't be surprised, but she doesn't usually, so next week this will be on the way to her house.  Hope she still has a use for it. Here's some close ups of the cute fabric that I fussy cut in the blocks and used in the borders.  I used a chicken wire design for the quilting.  I think it came out pretty good.   Now I still have one to do, and I need to go dig it out and finish it.  If I remember right, it was the prettiest fabric I ever used.  I paid someone to quilt part of it and I think all I have left is to stitch in the ditch and bind it.  I must be getting better at the hand-sewing part of binding because I'm starting to enjoy it, and I used to dread it terribly.  It's so nice to check things off my "Get 'em done" list.