Sunbonnet Sue Sunday #20

Merry Christmas once again.  The final Sunbonnet Sue Sunday is happening on a Sunday far from the first Sunday of the month as it should be.  I am sorry, but maybe you are as far behind in your Christmas promises as I am.  The final block in Mom's Sunbonnet Sue quilt plus the entire quilt is the focus of this post---the final Sunbonnet Sue Sunday post.  The quilt was a joy for my mom to make, a joy for all to see and has been a joy to blog for you.  I know there are some who love Sue and some who hate her, but whatever your feelings are about her, you should make a Sue before you draw you final conclusions on your feelings for her.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU

FROM MOM AND ME AND

SUNBONNET SUE

IF YOU HAVE LOVED

EACH AND EVERY POST

JUST LET US SAY

WE LOVE IT THE MOST

PATTERNS, PAROSALS

BONNETS IN BLUE

PUMPKINS, KITTENS,

HOLIDAY'S TOO

THESE BLOCKS, THIS QUILT

IT'S ALL FOR YOU.

If you missed any of the Sunbonnet Sue Sunday posts and would like to travel back in time to read them all and see all the blocks one at a time and read all my cheesy limericks just put Sunbonnet Sue Sunday in the search box at the top of the blog and they should all come up.  Thanks for returning to read this special series and come back this year for a block of the month. 

Love and Merry Christmas to you also a Happy New Year.  I pray for lots of blogging pleasure.

My Christmas Tree--YEE HAW!

Just a short post to show you my Texas Christmas Tree! 

HO-HO-HO!

ANOTHER CHRISTMAS POSTING!

COMING SOON--THE LAST SUNBONNET SUE POST THAT INCLUDES THE CHRISTMAS BLOCK AND THE PIC OF THE ENTIRE QUILT.  I AM SO SORRY THAT I FORGOT!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
Another post before Christmas!!  And I even changed to a Christmasy background!  A little late, but to tell you the truth I have been having a little trouble getting into the spirit this year.  Maybe I have it now or maybe I just found a little extra time when I had a little extra energy.  Those two together are when I get things done and this seems to happen less ad less the older I get.
I am still working on the BOMS, and I hope you will come back by in January as that is when I plan to begin the pattern giveaway.  I am hoping this will be a fun year for Molly's Place.  I have to warn you that I may not be able to keep up with the once a month deadline, but I will truly try.  If I can't, I will eventually "getrdone".  I know that most of you are procratanaters like me, so you can save it to your computer whenever I crank it out.  I am hoping that an elf will contact me and teach me how to do a button so that it can be placed on blogs to promote my BOM.  We will see just how REAL Santa is. hehehehe
I am posting for your enjoyment, a few Christmas quilts that I have made through the years. 

The pattern for this one was in a magazine one year and is paper pieced.  I believe it was McCalls, but I may be mistaken.  I made this for my mother one Christmas and she loved it so much that she kept it hung all year round.

This tiny quilt was a kit from a can and is Thimbleberries by Lynette Jennings.  I loved making it and enjoy using it every Christmas.  It makes me smile.  It is about 12" x 12".

This quilt I did not make, but bought at a guild sale.  I do not know the maker, but the blocks are about 2"  and it is hand quilted.  A very special quilt in my home at Christmastime.

This is a block from my Christmas quilt.  If you don't know the quilt I am referring to, you can go HERE to see it.  I thought I would show close ups of a few of the blocks.  It is made with orphan blocks.  You ask me how come they all see to go together so nicely?  Well--I guess everything I do is the same color and style!   That is my only explanation----~~~  This was a fun block and very simple.

I honestly don't remember where the pattern for this block came from.  I do know that I love it!  It's as though someone has caught Santa as he is filling the stockings or placing toys beneath the tree.  He looks surprised, doesn't he?

This is a folded fabric flower technique that I tried one time.  Lots of fun and would make a beautiful quilt with all the blocks being the flowers with the stems and leaves different ways.  I also love the button center.  I am a button gal!

I don't know if I wIll get another post done before Christmas, so have the happiest one ever.  My son is about to move into his new home so we are very very busy.  My youngest grandson's grandma has been sick so I have been baby sitting him some and that has taken alot of my time also, so Christmas has been put on the side burner, so to speak.  It will get here whether I am ready or not, just like in Whoville!  God bless you EVERYONE!!!

Mom's Christmas Ornaments and BOM Thoughts.

I have so much I want to post about--I should post more often instead of trying to put it all in one post, but here goes anyway.  The following pictures are Christmas ornaments made by my mother.  As most of you know, she is now 83 years old and has Alzheimers.  She has always made Christmas special for my sister and I.  My dad grew up very poor and never had much Christmas, so she had to basically teach him the joys of Christmas too.  These are homemade ornaments that she made in the 1980s.  She made enough for everyone in the family to have a set. 

This is an angel ornament that belonged to a set that decorated our tree as long as I can remember.  The head is china and the body and wings are wire stretched with a sheer see through fabric like batist.  The arms are pipe cleaner like with a bead on the end.

              This is a Victorian style crazy quilt stocking with hand embroidery.

This Old World Santa quilt measures approximately 16 x 16 inches and is machine applique.  It also was made in the 1980s.

This is a book that my mom got for Christmas as a child.  It is a shaped book about 6 x 6 inches.  Inside is a poem intitled Annie and Willie's Prayer.

You can go here to hear the poem.  Mom read this poem to us each Christmas until she got sick.

I am still in dilema about a block of the month for 2010.  I have tried three and am not happy with any of them.

Of course you have seen the Texas Boot BOM for January.  I still have not done enough embroidery on it.

This is the pattern for February in the drafting stage.  Just a sneak peek of possibly nothing! LOL

This is a BOM that I worked on at the end of last year.  The trouble with it is the pattern is drafted where you make two blocks at a time and if you did n't make all the blocks alike, you would only be able to use 1/2 your blocks in one quilt but have enough for one to give a way as a gift!  I am thinking that each month you would use holiday or season appropriate fabrics.

Two of my test blocks-----I wanted to use wool for the contents of the baskets as it is so easy to work with and looks so dimensional.

An angel pattern that could easily be adapted to themes for a BOM with the clothes being different each month and the item she is holding being different.

Then there is my Christmas Tree idea.  I embroidered this tree.  I thought if I embroidered a different tree each month (color, shape, size, decorations different), it would make a fun BOM and then the following December you would have blocks for a new Christmas Quilt.

This is a drafted pattern for another month's tree.

I guess you can see why I am so confused about a BOM.  If you see anything you think is BOM worthy, please say so.  I may just post patterns as I think someone would like to have them for free and then ask if you take them to please leave a comment and post on your blog so that I can see them.  That would be fun.  Thanks for listening to me ramble. 

A TISKET, A TASKET, A NOVEMBER BUNNY HILL BASKET!

I don't know why I can't get started and then when I get started, I can't stop!  I stitched the whole block last night after procrastinating about starting it for about 2 weeks.  I had the whole thing ready for stitching that long before I got to it!?
Why is that?  After I start, it is like one stitch leads to another and if I stop I will forget where to go from here!  It was all working last night-------so---------------------------------------------I stayed up until 2 am.  Sid was working nights and Clark was gone to the hunting lease and it was just me and my needle and thread.  I had a blast and I know some of you just don't get it, but it is just my thang!! LOL
Here is the finished November block.  I am so sorry that next month is the finale.  I will not have a special basket block to look forward to each month.  I will have to search out another one but I doubt that it will be as enjoyable to me as this one has been.  Don't forget to visit Flickr group to see all the many versions of the same block-- each as different as children are different.
I wish each of you a project next year that you love as much as I have loved this one.-------m

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!!!

A few posts ago, I reported that I had been prompted to be a pattern tester for Marsha McCloskey and her new book on Feathered Stars.  That I did and worked on it during retreat at Alford Inn.  This was my report to Marsha in the form of an email:
Marsha, Marsha, Marsha--this is what I have been muttering under my breath for the last two days. LOL Also I have begun to drool uncontrolably, I have a twitch in my left eye and all I can seem to say is 1 9/16th---1 9/16th---1 9/16th.

I am just kidding. I have been working on my Feathered Star Block for the last two days at a quilting retreat in Van Alstyne, Texas. It is in an 1880 home with an inhouse Quilt Shop and have really enjoyed myself. I have attached a picture of my block.
I did not find any measurement mistakes anywhere. There is a typo error on the page starting Star Points: Paralleograms---7th line from the top--in () included should by including.
I had trouble rotary cutting the Paralleograms, but have to admit that I didn't read your instructions before hand, thinking that I already knew how to do it. I didn't. It is so important to read instructions. I suggest you put this plainly at the beginning of your book in bold letters! LOL
I did not have a ruler with 1/16 measurements. This was a real problem. I rotary cut the pieces then used the templates to measure them. This worked great. I seemed to be right on, and the block sewed together just fine. I think it would be a great idea to put a sticker on the front of the book suggesting that the quilter purchasing the book buy your new ruler and the point trimmer. They are not a MUST, but a really big HELP! I started to order them and wait until I got them to make the block, but my retreat was really a perfect time to get all of the testing done, so I didn't.
On the diagram/chart page beginning with Feather Star with 25 Patch Center. There are two pieces in the block labeled with S4. A square listed in the chart is S4 and in the Bias-strip Piecing box the 1 9/16 inch x 1 9/16th inch half square is also S4. I suggest you change the letter/number of the half square in the box and on the star diagram.
One more little thing I will mention is that I marked the placement (P1 and RP1) of the paralleograms all the way around the star diagram just to keep me from gettin confused and making a mistake. Also where the pieces looked like they were the same, but are not. You may not want to change this, thinking ones who need this done can do it themselves.
I did not trim the pieces as I did not have a point turner.
Thanks for this opportunity. If I can help you in any other way, please let me know.
Molly

I received Mrs. McCloskey's newsletter and she now has pics up of most of the blocks that were tested.  Mine is included!  Go visit take a look at all the beautiful blocks.  The name of the book is "RIGHT ON"  Feathered Star Quilt Blocks II, The Best of the Grid Based Stars. More Really Hard Blocks that Take a Long Time to Make.

Go HERE to see my block on her site.  It is called a

Feather Star

or click the title of this post for the page where all the blocks are listed.  Enjoy and don't be afraid to tackle a Feathered Star.  They have a bad rap.  They are doable.  If you can stitch with 1/4 in seam consistantly, you can make any block.  Later Gators.

Until Next Time---Molly

What's Up, Anyway!!

An update on progress. --Last weekend was a quilting weekend where I gathered with friends and sewed until my shoulders ached more than usual!!  My sides also ached from laughing so hard.  You've been there--you know what I mean!!
My antique reproduction quilt blocks got put together and a Flying Geese border put on.  I got into the mode of making Flying Geese and just went with it.  I was chugging along really good and decided to put some together and see how many more I needed.  Guess what?  I had enough for all 4 sides with some left over--how may more, you ask?   76 MORE!!  This cannot be! (Yes, this is one reason for the laughing). Yes, I will be adding more flying Geese to this quilt simply because they are made!!  Have you ever done this before? 
Here is the quilt as it is on my design wall awaiting a little more designing.  The corners must be made and attached.  I am thinking of adding some more stars to the corners or plain ones to show off some fantastic quilting, but definately more Flying Geese.  DEFINATELY!

Another accomplishment is a pincushion caddy.  Darling, huh?  My friend, Kathy and I each made one of these, hers completely different from mine using brighter fabrics.  Go over to Humble Quilter and hopefully talk her into showing it to you!

I am baby sitting today, but at naptime, I started my November Bunny Hill, A Tiskit, A Tasket block.  I love getting along this far with block because then "The Stitching Begins".  Love, Love, Love that part!  Better Go,  the baby is awake and needs his lunch.  More from the retreat later into the weekend.  This is just a preview.