Poor Mans Machine Embroidery!

Good morning!  The last couple mornings I have been sewing and trying to get a little quilt done that was for my February Small Quilts club. I had just been swamped last week with things and didn't get my sample done in time for class. Thank goodness it didn't have tricky blocks or anything, and the part that needed to be demonstrated, I did have done! 

I transferred the design with a fusion pen, that can be erased with steam. I call this poor mans machine embroidery. It probably has a proper name, the stitch that is, but I can't find my manual to tell you what it is! Haha! On my Janome Memory Craft 6600p, it is stitch number 5 in mode 2. Here is a picture of the stitch on my machine...

My sister, Gretchen, and I saw a gal at Market a couple of years ago demonstrating this, and for the life of me, I can't remember her company name. But she was showing how to do redwork on just a simple machine! It is like a backstitch by machine,  and you just have to get the stitch motion in your head so you know when to stop with your needle down to turn on curves or points. It is fun, and fast! I do love to do hand work, but I like to show my club gals new things they might not have tried, and after 2 years going strong with this club, I like it to be more than just a new block! So here is a picture of the finished quilt top! I got the idea for the patchwork blocks from the cute doggie pattern from Country Threads in my last post! Oh, by the way, the little dog quilt went over really well at the Humane Society auction. I didn't meet the gal who won it, but I hear she was very happy!

    Now to quilt bind and age with some coffee solution! I think one of the ladies in my club is actually appliquing her center design with wool! I might have to make another one and do the same thing! I do have some left over blocks! This pattern is called "American patchwork!"
    At the shop we have been moving some things around. One of our Antique vendors, on the other side of our building where we have the "Painted Cupboard," is taking on a larger space. So we needed to move some of our gifty stuff out into the quilt shop. Well, that always snowballs into a complete change in the floor plan, because I seem to not be able to just move one area! So I'll take some new pictures of the shop to share when I'm done!
    Here is an update..... Dad is doing really well, healing up nicely and getting around the house! He is anxious to get back to work at the shop and everyone really misses him! Thanks for your prayers and well wishes!
   I hope you all have a great day!!
      Jeni

 

Sweet doggie quilt!

Good morning!
    It's been a bit crazy around here, with all that has been going on. My Dad just had a major surgery a week ago, and is now finally home from the hospital and doing well. My siblings and I have been helping our Mom get to and from the hospital. She is so funny and sweet, and so is Dad. They really are amazing people to want to grow up and be just like! Mom just turned 79 and Dad will be 80 soon. Mom does our "Ask Mom" article in the magazine, and we have told Dad he needs to do an ongoing article for men on, How to live with a Quilter! I'm sure he has some good stories to tell!
    I have been working on this cute quilt pattern by Country Threads. I think I gave you a sneak peak last post, but here it is! I left out the sawtooth border, and just added a cute black and cream polka-dot border. It's all ready to quilt!

I have been watching an online class from Craftsy.com, called beyond basic machine quilting, and am thinking about quilting it on my home machine and using some idea's I'm learning from the class. I haven't practiced anything I have learned yet though! Haha! Knowing how I put things off though, I'll probably just pop it on the long arm at the shop and quilt it!  I'm not a great quilter, but I do a mean meander! The quilt needs to be done Friday, so I can give it to the organizers of the Humane Society's "Fur Ball!" they will auction it off, along with many many items our great community here will donate! It's a fun event, with a band and food at our American Legion here in town!

I'll be working on something fun for my Small Quilts Club on Friday, so stay tuned! These pinwheel blocks got me thinking, and I have some left over from the doggie quilt, as you can see on the left side of the picture!  Have a great day!

  Jeni

 

 

Just a little rughooking!

Good morning!
     I just thought I'd show you a little rug I've been working on, and tell you about a fun retreat we will be having through our shop!  The rug came about when I was moving some displays around in the shop and found a skeleton key in one of the old doors we use as a wall! The gal working with me that day, Janice, suggested I work it into a new rug design, so here it is!

Just a little more work on the binding, and it will be done in time for Valentine's Day!

 

Now about the retreat! It is for anyone who would like to attend. In the past we have had quilters, stampers, rughookers, and needlepunchers! All are welcome, and we have such a fun time! This year we will be retreating at the resort at Blackwater Falls, WV! To go to the website and see all the information just go to..... http://woolenwillowspringretreat2013.weebly.com and maybe you will be tempted to come along for loads of fun! My sister Sally has been making all the plans and she is great at organizing these things! I'm very excited about it, because we have two Aunts who come, as well as our Mother "ASK MOM," a niece, a cousin, and of course my Sisters! The past few years we met at North Bend State Park in WV, but this year we wanted a bigger conference room to fit more people easily, so go check it out!!!

  I hope you all have a great day!!

 Jeni

 

 

Fun in the sewing room today!

Today after Church and lunch, I hung out in my sewing room. I have been in there as much as I can lately. My furry friends love to be in there, but the (large) puppy isn't allowed in there because it seems to be the kitty sanctuary! I think I'm going to put a screen door on the doorway though.  De-furring the ironing pad gets old, And I don't think I want the fur all over my fabric. I do love the little furry friends though. They provide me with a lot of comic relief! Here are a few pictures of them, and also of the quilt I am still working on for my class this past Friday! I have some applique still to do in the borders. What I'm working on at the same time that you might see on the cutting table is a pattern by Country Threads that I'm making for the Humane Society's Auction in a few weeks. Our shop donates a quilt each year, and in the past it has been a sample we are not using any more.  The past few years though, I have made special one just for the occasion! I purchased this pattern last year at Spring Market in their booth! It says "don't shop, Adopt!"  So far I just have the pinwheels and half the checkerboard blocks done.  Next will be applique! Thanks Country Threads for the wonderful pattern!
   Oh!! Check out my post from a few weeks ago! I finally was able to post the pictures! I don't know what happened to change the ability, but it did!
     Have a great week!
                 Jeni

This is Grey kitty. She is the star on the cover of the Fall 2011 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine! She belongs to my daughter, Kristen. Kristen says she is now a Diva!

This is Peepers. She is in the Winter 2012 issue. She is "Big Stuff" and is the boss of Chester, below!

Poor Chester.  He  just wants to be their friend. He is only 1 1/2 years old. He carries on and cries to hang out with them!  They hiss at him. Poor baby! This is outside my sewing room. The hallway, no one wants to vacuum. See my TV cable?  I'm married to an electrician! Ha ha

Sorry these were sideways! I forgot to turn them before posting! You get the idea though, I bet!!
    I hope to finish the border applique soon! But I have a deadline for the humane society quilt! Better get busy!!! 
         I hope you get to sew all day tomorrow!!
                         jeni

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fun Weaving Project!

Hello!
   Happy New Year,  first of all! I'm sorry to have been so long posting. I got sick right before Christmas, and well, I just got a little behind things again!  I'm feeling much better now, and last night we had our January Wool Club at the shop!  We made cute little woven mug rugs! I got out lots of strips left over from previous projects and bags of selvages from our hand-dyed wool! A fun time was had by all! Here are a few pictures!!

 

 

 

Remember the quilt I was making for my husband? WEllllllll....... I got it done, and my friend, Sandy put the binding on for me, to help keep the surprise. A couple days before Christmas I decided to wash and dry it before wrapping it up!  I took it out of the dryer, and the fabric I used for the border had disintegrated! Just in spots, but it was just ruined! I cried my eyes out and honey heard me and came running. So he saw his ruined surprise! I was pretty darn upset. But thankfully it was just the border, and I am cutting it off and putting on a new binding. It was just a 2" border, so it won't change the size too badly. Thank God I didn't use that fabric anywhere else in the quilt. It was older fabric from about 15 or so years ago, and a little looser weave than most quilting fabrics. I just loved it, so used it not thinking it would fall apart! Yikes!  I'll post a new picture of the quilt for you, as soon as I figure out why I can't insert a picture! Oh, he loves the quilt any way, and couldn't believe I took the time to make it for him! Yay!
  Okay, time to figure out the picture thing! Stay tuned!
       Jeni

Last minute FREE project for Christmas!

Hello friends!
   I hope you all have been having fun on the Primitive Christmas Blog Hop, put together by Buttermilk Basin! Don't forget to go to Primitive Gatherings blog tomorrow!
  I found a little project yesterday that I had forgotten about! It is one that I offered for my Wool Club at the shop! It's called Gingerbread Boys!  Some of us  made napkin rings out of it, or Pillows or just a cute table mat! I hope you enjoy the pattern! Take a picture and email it to me! I love show and tell!
  Let me know if you have trouble printing it! I'm still learning my new printer and how to do these things on my blog!
   Enjoy!
      Jeni

 

if the link below doesn't work for you, right click on the image, save it (mine said, "save target") to" Documents" in your computer and print!  Sorry for my lack of computer skills! I'll figure it out soon! I'll keep working on it! Check back if you still are having trouble later today or tomorrow!  Thanks!

 

Click to download the pattern! choose to open the document to your computer, then print!
  

Primitive Christmas!

Hello Friends!  I hope this finds you all ready for Christmas! Is all your shopping and decorating done? Would you believe that I have not started shopping?  I did buy one gift for my Daughters stocking yesterday. And I did make my husband a quilt! What is the age when most people don't have stockings for grown children? Ha ha!  I thought I would tell you all about my favorite family traditions!

The first tradition is when I was growing up!  Our family went out to the woods to get a tree every year. I have four siblings, a brother and 3 sisters. We also had a dog, and it was the only time we saw Mom touch the dog! She would pick her up so someone could wipe her feet to put her in the station wagon after running through the woods! Its amazing "Tippy" never ran away at the tree farms, because anytime you opened the door at home, she was gone in a flash! We always sang in the car together, the whole family!  We put out tree up on Christmas eve.  Mom worked in the kitchen making our Ham for after Christmas eve service. After the tree was all decorated, she would come in and put her special cotton spun pear ornament on the tree! She gave me the pear a few years ago to add to my old glass ornament collection. I told her I would only take it now under one condition. That is if she puts it on my tree every year! So when our family all gets together at the next tradition I'll tell you about, she puts it on my tree! Here are a few pictures!

This is Me (on right) and Gretchen (who took this picture?) at Christmas in about 1978! How about those feetsie Pajamas! The doggie was our second pet, Sonny! He was so soft!

This picture, is us three Primitive Quilts magazine owners: Judy on left, Me in the middle, and Gretchen on the right! The baby is Leah, our office manager! She is who you usually talk to if you call the Magazine! Leah is Judy's daughter! How about that sweater I'm wearing! Ha ha! I think this picture was taken around 1985, you probably guessed that by Gretchen's hair and my sweater though!

This is Moms cotton spun pear ornament! I love it, but unfortunately Chester my dog loves it too! When we were shooting the Winter issue 2012 at my house this summer, I had it in a couple shots on the tree's in my house. I had laid it on the table after the shot, and Chester who was just a year old, jumped up and had it in his mouth! Now one side of it is a little yucky. Darn it! I was so sad.  Needless to say, it isn't out at all, until Mom puts it up high on the tree this Friday! Which leads me to the next tradition and my favorite of all now!

About 20 years ago, my sister Sally and I decided to start a tradition our kids would look forward to. Everyone in our family sings and plays an instrument. Mostly guitars! So we had our little kids at the time decorate construction paper song book covers, and Sally typed all the songs up with guitar chords, for every Christmas song we could think of! We use them every year, when everyone comes to my house for the "Annual Falcsik (my maiden name) Family, Potluck dinner, Sing-a-long Christmas party! Everyone brings an instrument, and we sing, sing and eat!  This year is our 20th annual party! Here are a few pictures! I wish they were better!

 

We sure have a lot of fun! Our party is this coming Friday night, and I am really looking forward to it! I'll take some new shots for a new post this weekend!

Okay, on to the ornament pattern for you, and the recipe!

This recipe was given to me by my sister-in-law, Kasondra. Her Mother-in-Law gave it to her! It is now my husbands favorite! The batch I made for the blog hop photo is now gone! I will have to make more this evening for our party on Friday! I hope you enjoy it, and that it becomes your favorite also!

 

YUM!!!!

Now for the ornament! I played around with this idea, and I hope you will like it! It is a cute little sheep ornament made from a Christmas carol scanned onto Cotton fabric to put through your ink jet printer! I have it all scanned and made, you just print it out on Cotton fabric, cut and sew! The song is Silent Night, from a very very old Sunday School book I found at an antique store! After I made my sheep, I aged him with some strong coffee spray!  My sheep is wearing a red wool collar with a tiny key hanging from it! The "key" to remember this season, is the Lamb of God was born Christmas night!

I have another sheep ornament pattern on the Primitive Quilts and Projects website. It is smaller in size, and made from wool. There are also other ornament patterns to download there! Remember to print this pattern out on Computer cotton fabric, and use tiny stitches on your machine, because it is pretty thin fabric, and it will make it easier to turn inside out once you sew it! Save the pattern picture to your computer documents, then print. If you just print from the blog, it will come out smaller. (if for some reason the pattern doesn't download, I'll fix it when I get to the shop today, where Gretchen, will help me!)
Have a wonderful Christmas!!!

Be sure to check out the next stop on the blog hop on Wednesday!  Lisa Bongean, Primitive Gatherings!

Have a Very Merry Christmas!!!
    Jeni