Fat Cat Quilts

Tuffetry

 

Just in the nick of time.

I ordered my Tuffet pattern quite some time ago. It seems it has gone the way of a wayward reindeer, as it has yet to make it to my house. I suppose it's having a real good time somewhere with my parent's Christmas presents, also having not yet made it to our house. Merry Christmas from the US Postal System.

In the interim, I have made do.

Behold, my wannabe tuffets. They're cute. They're sassy. They're my leftover scraps from my September Schnibbles quilt. And because my leftover scraps were wovens, my tuffets are soft and cozy. I just want to rub them on my cheek. Ok, maybe I have. Just a little.

 
Since I didn't have a pattern to go by, I winged it on my own. Winged? Wung? I really wanted to add a little piping around them, but couldn't find a cording the right size. Small-town living rocks! But believe you me, I will be shopping online for some fancy piping cording, because I think it would look adorable. And I WILL be making some more of these. After all, I still have the pattern coming. So for now, I made a little flange-type thing around my tuffets to make them extra cute. I think it worked. They're so cute, I could just eat them up with a spoon for a New Year's Eve snack!

I really want to thank Sherri and Sinta for having the kindness and forethought to pick something as small as these itty bitty Tuffets for December's Schnibbles challenge. These were all I could eke out, amongst the self-inflicted chaos of December. I thank you. My sanity thanks you. And believe me, anyone who crossed my path thanks you too.

Round Robin Round 1

Last week I posted about the Round Robin I was participating in with some out-of-town friends. I sent my center off and I had Janie's center to work on first. She did up this gorgeous embroidered center with tall flowers in soft colors.

 

I wanted to do something soft around it that wouldn't take away from the center. This is what I came up with. I was really pleased with how it turned out. I ruminated for WAY too long on whether or not I should start with dark and work out to light, or go with the light and work out to the dark. I decided on the light out to dark and I think it frames it nicely.

 
I was able to work on a few projects over the holiday weekend. I finished the above RR and worked on Jane's (not to be confused with Janie's) next. I'm just about done with hers. She used some wintery blue batiks and I'm having alot of fun working with them. I also did a little Tuffetry....I can see how it would be easy (and addicting!) to make one of these with the scraps leftover from each month's Schnibble. I might very well have a whole collection of coordinating Tuffets at the end of the Year of Schnibbles.

This week, my plan is to make a big dent in my pile of red and white snowball blocks. I was browsing around online last night and found that American Quilting, the store I saw the snowball quilt in, has now kitted it. Actuually, they did it way back in November. What can I say, I'm behind the times. I live in Alaska. We're like that. You think that's bad, you should see how far behind we are in fashion. Woo wee! That mean lady in The Devil Wears Prada would have a whole year of fodder if she saw how most of us are decked out in mismatched scarves and last year's down parkas. But about those snowball blocks..go HERE to check out the original that I took that picture of back in October. Back then, it was just hanging over a stool. But here it is all spread out on the wall in all it's red and white glory, and it's a BEAUT! 
 

Holiday Wishes

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

 
Be safe.
Be warm.
Be joyful.
Be merry.

And don't be a grinch like this guy!

Regarding Colby....

I am a quilter.

I am also a Survivor fanatic.

What do these two have in common, you ask? Nothing. I'm just segueing. Poorly.

Sunday night was the season finale of Survivor. This is one of the most exciting nights of TV for me. I'm not much of a TV watcher actually. I have my little collection of chick flicks that I put on for background noise while I'm quilting. I've seen them over and over and they're mindless company while I sew. But as far as TV goes, I really only tune in for Survivor. And for the couple months in between seasons, I don't know what to do with myself from 7-8pm on Thursday nights.

I never miss Survivor night. Meetings are not planned on Thursday nights. No family dinners, no extra-curricular activites, nothing. Thursday night is Survivor night, and we get pizza and devote ourselves to CBS for the whole hour. I get very emotional about it too. I yell at the TV during tribal council, I cry when others cry. (Remember in Palau when Stephanie LaGrossa was the last tribe member standing and finally got to merge with the other tribe? "I'm going to have friends again!") I bawled. I fall in love with the players, and for 16 weeks, they are my best friends and extended family. So I take it really personally when my favorite players get voted off. Those are my FRIENDS, man!

Sometimes, I really strongly DISLIKE a player and they force me to yell at the scream and wish evil things upon them. I'm talking about you, wannabe "dragonslayer" Coach Wade. I mean, are you for real? Karma is not something you want on your bad side. And then there's Jerri Manthey. One word: Ewww.

 

Tonight's finale went exactly how I had wanted. Evil Russell didn't win. That's all I wanted. I love that Natalie won! I liked Mick, and wouldn't have minded if he won, but I love that Natalie won, and especially that Russell did NOT win. It frustrates me when the jury scoffs at someone who flies below the radar to win the million, presumably because they don't have any kind of strategy. I'd say keeping my mouth shut and letting other people take the hits is a fantastic strategy. I liked alot of Russell's thoughts and strategies, and ordinarily, he would have been a great player in my eyes. But he really is a poor sportsman. I didn't even see him once congratulate Natalie for winning. All he did was offer to buy her title. (!!) And what was with that anyway?

And I am so excited about next season! I love the seasons when they bring back past players. I can't wait to see who they've cast. Heroes vs Villains is going to rock.

Dear Santa,

I know you're really busy, and I've already written you plenty of other letters. No need to disregard those previous requests, but if I might add a few more. Please bring back Beautiful Colby, Super-Cute Stephanie and Hilarious Cirie to Season 20 of Survivor. I know you can do it!

Your friend,
Allyson

 

Christmas Stockings

This week, I finished four Christmas stockings for my friend Chamaine and her family. I made all four of them with fabrics from two of Moda's Christmas lines from a few years back - Holly Jolly and Merry & Bright. They both coordinate together well enough that they could pass as the same line. Chamaine's Christmas decorations are in merry reds and retro greens, and I thought both these lines fit the bill.

 
I used Eleanor Burns' free Strip Stocking pattern found HERE. It's fast and super simple, and offers lots of room to add your own flair. In my case, the only flair I added was about ten inches. Really, who makes 9" stockings anyway? Those puppies need to be big, so they can hold lots of loot! The nice thing about this pattern is that all the seams are hidden. It makes for a very nicely finished stocking. 

The stockings are actually brighter and cheerier than they look in the photo. I took the pictures late at night when I finished them up, and then boxed them up to send off in the mail early the next morning. Butters slept through the whole thing. (That's how late it was.) Do you find you get your best sewing done late at night? I am so productive from about 10pm to 2am. I think it's because there's nothing on TV to distract me, none of the phones are ringing, the cat's have conked out somewhere...life is good at 2am. Those are my golden hours of quilting.

  

Oh Christmas Tree

 
Since everyone else is doing it, and far be it for me to jump off the bridge alone, I'll share our Christmas tree. We have two themed trees. Not all at once. We alternate from year to year. This year is the star theme. I love stars. Remember my star-themed fabric sprees from my early days of quilting? Well, it bled over to my ornament collecting as well. And after years and years of snapping up anything star shaped from wherever our travels or my online forays took us, the end result is a glittery, sparkly and perfectly ethereal celestial system all our own. I love it! Each and every one of our stars makes me smile. And let me tell you, some are down-right ugly. I'm all about equal-oppurtunity stardom. As with anything that one collects, once the friends and family tuned in, multitudes of star ornaments came our way as gifts. That's what makes them so special, even the "special" ones. They all come attached with stories of their own. And we are so lucky to have them on our tree every other year.

Do you like how disrupted our tree skirt is? Yes, that is the fine artwork of Tiggers and Butters, who are very grateful we've provided them with a new toy. I straighten it daily. Several times, daily, in fact. And the good news is, while I'm down on my knees tugging and pulling, I can also refill the water base, since Tigger thinks that's his new water bowl. We are so blessed.

Round Robins Spin Me Round

Our quilt group has done several Round Robins throughout the years. I've really enjoyed participating in them and seeing what happens when six quilters all have a go at my quilt. My two favorite RR quilts happen to both be winter themed. One is the Christmas one I showed you the other day.

This was actually the first RR I ever participated in and I was thrilled with the outcome.  I started out with the little 12 inch sawtooth star in the center, and then it grew bigger and bigger as others added borders. I love the little paper pieced cardinals. Aren't they just the cutest? I get alot of people asking me where the cardinals pattern came from. It's in this book:

The other RR I just love is a snowflake themed quilt.

I started with a 24" paper pieced center. And the snowflakes just kept on going. This quilt is backed in a pale blue Moda snowflake flannel and is so warm and cozy. We bundle up in it on the couch while watching TV.  

This winter, I am participating in another round of Round Robining with three friends who come to Skagway in the summers, but live elsewhere in the winters. We just began this month, so not much to share yet, but I'll be sure to keep you updated as we go along. This is the center that I am starting with. Do you think I have a thing for red? Between this and the Red and White Snowball Challenge, I'm well on my way to a charming collection of Christmas quilts. It will fun to see what I get back in the Spring.

 
The first one that I am starting with belongs to Janie. She has an embroidery machine and makes some beautiful things! This is her center.

I have yet to decide what to do with it. She has so many soft colors in her piece. It will be fun to pull them out and do something special around it. I'm open to advice and ideas, should anyone want to share.

Letter to Santa

 

Dear Santa,

I know you are so busy,
But I want to give a shout
To thank the Jolly Jabber
For helping Santa out!

This time of year is hectic,
And we all have many lists
Of things we love and stuff we want
And things that make us wish!

I sat and thought for quite a time
Of what would make me smile
World Peace, of course, would top the list
And we've been wishing for a while!

So my second pick would have to be
A bundle old and bright
Of vintage reproductions
And Barbara did it right!

Say hi to all your reindeer
We'll leave them out a treat!
For you, milk and cookies,
Sweet carrots for them to eat!

Love,
Allyson

Have you written your letter to Santa? Go here to find out more.
 

Santa Train!

Every year, the WP&YR runs a special train just for Santa. It's quite the stylish way for Santa to arrive, wouldn't you say? Who says you need reindeer? Um...just kidding Santa! *gulp*

 
The Santa Train is part of our annual Yuletide (long) Weekend. It used to be called Yuletide Weekend, but it's gotten so big, that they've spread it out through a couple weekends. The festivities include an array of small-town delights: craft bazaar, quilt show, annual tree lighting ceremony complete with decked out fire trucks, movie showings, caroling, open houses, the Yuletide Ball, and of course, the train ride.

This is my first Santa Train. I've lived here thirteen years and this is the first year I've gone. We're usually down south for the holidays and miss the train ride. But this year, we're here and we didn't miss it! I rode in the engine with some friends and had a birds-eye view that was amazing. I've ridden this train hundreds of times in the summer when I was a tour guide. But nothing prepared me for how beautiful it would be with snow. I'll be honest, nothing prepared me for how awesome it would feel riding in the engine with the engineer! Does it get any cooler than that? I even got to blow the whistle!

 

Once Santa arrives, he spends about an hour inside the depot with kids on his lap listing off their wants and needs, and passing out candy. Then we all head out to the train and we're off for a one hour ride up the pass. 

 
 The side of the mountain was covered in frozen waterfalls. 

 
 On the left side, we were this close to the mountain...

 

And on the right side, well, you can see it just drops off...not for the faint of heart.

No quilty action this weekend. Too busy telling Santa what I want under the tree this year! I hope he wrote it all down.

 
 

Quilt Show bits and pieces

This has been a busy week so far! Too many projects for the holidays, I tell you. I thought I'd take a breather once the quilt show was done, but nope, still haven't sat with my feet up and a box of chocolates. Ok, maybe there's been some chocolate. I know for certain there's been homemade chocolate chip cookies. We're practicing for Santa.

Here's a few photos of this weekend's quit show. Enjoy!

 
 
 

 

 

This trip around the world quilt was huge. It was done in almost solid batiks and very striking. The picture doesn't do it justice.

I'm off to work on my red and white snowballs today! How's everyone doing on those?