New Year, New Projects, New Fabric!

I'm looking forward to starting some fun, fresh new projects in January! Trying some more modern fabrics is my quilting resolution for the New Year. Here's a look at some that I've collected so far. I can't wait to get started!

New Year......New Fabrics!

December LePetite Project

The LePetite Project for December was Prairie Point Christmas by Cara Wilson.  I finished this Christmas project in the "Nick" of time!  Get my Christmas pun?  Pretty bad, huh? Sorry, I couldn't resist!  Anyway, this was a fun project with lots and lots of prairie points! I've only made prairie points once before, on a Valentine's quilt that I'll be sure to show you in February, so I was looking forward to working on them again.  The ladies at my LQS dinner loved the project too!  You can find the pattern at Moda Bake Shop.  Most of my fabrics are from the Remembrance Line by Brannock and Patek for Moda. Be sure to check out the whole LePetite parade on A Quilting Life and Pink Pincushion at the beginning of January.  I'm looking forward to it! Also, thanks to my DH for taking the wonderful picture!    

Prairie Point Christmas 

  

A Last Minute Gift Idea

Holiday Cookies in a Jar

We have been making these sand-art-like gifts for friends, family, and teachers for years. It's a great last minute gift idea too.  Even if you don't need a gift at this point, the cookies are so tasty you may want to make them anyway.  The only catch is that you may have to brave the grocery store close to Christmas, but better that than the mall! Remember the grocery store scene in the movie Christmas With The Kranks?  That was me this morning.....it really wasn't that bad, although they were out of the brand of ham I wanted.   Find the recipe for this tasty homemade gift idea at Family Fun Magazine and enjoy!

A little messy!

A Few More Christmas Quilts

Christmas snuck up on me!  I wanted to get these pictures posted earlier, but suddenly Christmas is less than a week away!  If I waited much longer to get these posted, everyone is going to be way more interested in taking the decorations down than looking at Christmas quilts.  Some years, when Christmas is over I can't get the decorations down fast enough to start fresh in the new year.  I'm excited to get the decorations up and I'm excited about taking them down.  Funny how that works, isn't it?  This year it seems like the season has gone by quickly, but we do have about a week left, so I'm getting way ahead of myself!  I still have gifts to wrap, okay and a few to buy....Yikes!..... and cookies to bake!

I love this quilt!  It is one of my favorites. It came from a Fons and Porter magazine years ago.  Lots of points, but so worth it!  It was on my list of projects to start on for a long time until I felt like I need to take on a bigger project. This quilt was just what I was looking for.   

This closeup kind of shows the quilting.  The lighting in the house isn't the best, but it was just too big to take outside on a cold, windy day.  I just meandered, but it is a huge quilt! I squeezed it through my Bernina 440. Now that I have an 820 I don't know how I ever fit big quilts through a smaller machine!

Red Sky at Night is another Fons and Porter Magazine pattern.  More triangles and points!  Its not really Christmas, but I usually get it out now  because I love to add more reds to my house during the holidays, then keep them up through Valentines Day.

 
The kids are out of school now after a busy last week.  Sports banquets, teacher luncheons, class breakfasts, class parties....now I need a vacation!  More time to quilt!

Baking Cookies

My sewing machine is so lonely.  I've been busy getting ready for the holidays. So much to do!  I'll have time to quilt again soon, but my family likes their cookies!

These cookies are amazing!  Potato chips and cookies at the same time...does it get any better than that?  Warning-this recipe calls for a large small amount of butter and the cookies are addictive, as well as lots of fun!  Let me know if you give them a try.  I loved Carrie's post on Christmas Cookie Rules.  You may want to read them!

Potato Chip Crunchies Recipe


Ingredients


   2 cups butter, softened
   1-1/2 cups sugar
   1 egg
   1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   4 cups all-purpose flour
   1 cup crushed potato chips
   1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  
• Beat in egg and vanilla.  Gradually add flour and mix well.  
• Fold in the potato chips and pecans.  
• Drop by tablespoonfuls 1-1/2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. 
• Flatten with a fork.  Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. 
• Remove to wire racks to cool.

This recipe by Dorothy Buiter came from Taste Of Home Best Loved Cookies and Bars 2009    

The Christmas Quilts Are Out!

The decorating is finished and I have to show you some of my Christmas quilts!  It was a cold windy day, so my pictures may not be the best.  I need to find a better place inside to take my pictures.  It's just not real convenient to drag everything outside!  I made extra sure to bring in the dining room chair I was using to hang the quilts. I'd hate to leave the chair in the driveway and later back over it with my car!  That would be difficult to explain!

Jelly Donuts by House of Quilts
Made with a Jelly Roll

Close up of the quilting

It's A Wrap! by pieces from my heart
Don't you love the bias binding?

 I didn't buy enough fabric for the backing to make it go the direction I wanted. To make up for the difference, I added some extra blocks to the back to make it work! It took some extra time, but I think it was worth it!

Also, last Friday I spent lots of time at my LQS sewing and eating dinner with friends.  I worked on the next Le Petite Project.  More pictures coming soon!