Fat Cat Quilts

Not a Chevron Quilt

 

Last night I finished up the half-square triangle zig-zag quilt. I refuse to call it a chevron, because I am so tired of seeing that word everywhere. Every. Where.

You can see bits and pieces of the blue and brown BYU print, which is where I pulled the colors for the fabrics. I'm using it for the backing, but snuck a few pieces of it in the top here and there.

I debated for a very long time whether or not this quilt needed a border. In the end, I decided I liked the edge to edge pattern and am opting out on a border. This decision has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it is was nearly one in the morning and I want to quilt it tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, this is what the fine folks at weather underground say is coming our way tonight and tomorrow. Awesome. I especially like the part about serious threat to life already occurring or imminent. So I've loaded up on firewood, I'm going to make a pot of soup, and hunker down with some more quilting and Gilmore Girls DVD's to keep me company. It should be a productive night. As long as the power stays on. 

 

Here Came Santa Clause

Skagway really does it up for Christmas. It's a month long affair, with a winter ball, craft bazaars, the annual quilt show, open houses at local businesses, a gingerbread house contest, movies (this is a big one for us, since we don't have a movie theater)...

...and the Santa Train.

The Santa Train is where it's at for holiday fun. The railroad where I work puts this event on every year, and hundreds of people come from Skagway, Juneau and the Yukon to see Santa arrive on his special "sleigh" and then go for a ride up the snowy pass. The depot is decked out in twinkly lights and fun holiday vignettes, there's cookies and hazelnut hot chocolate, and festive carols that kick around in your head all afternoon. It's my favorite weekend in December. 

 

This year, I went up with the crew in a couple engines the day before as they cleared the tracks of snow and ice. It was a clear morning with frigid temps that stole all thoughts right out of my head. It was a fun adventure, for sure. 

The next morning, we decorated the train so Santa could arrive in style.

We got a little sidetracked with the garland...


Santa arrived at the depot to visit the kids (big and small) and passed out goodies and then everyone piled into the cars for the hour ride up the pass. Of course, Santa came along to spread holiday cheer on the train ride. He's such a busy man, but always finds time for us here in Skagway and we're so grateful. 

I also got some sewing in. I'm burning the midnight oil trying to finish up some projects before I leave this weekend. Remember that pile of blue and browns I pulled out? Well it's now 252 half-square triangles, which I am sewing into rows to make a zig-zag quilt. 

I have ten of the eighteen rows assembled. I guess I should have laid them all out to see them together, but Clifton takes that as an invitation to search and destroy and I hate to encourage the beast. I'll have the brown rows done tonight and then I'll put them all together and load it on the machine and quilt it. Speedy fast! This is the second of three quilts I'm trying to finish before I leave. The red and white star one is ready to be quilted, this zig-zag one is just about there also, and then the third one is just a pile of partially finished blocks right now. It should just take a day to get that one ready to quilt also. That'll be my job Wednesday afternoon. Then I'll quilt them Thursday, attach the binding Thursday night, and hand stitch it down while I'm on the ferry to Juneau. It's a seven hour ride, so I should be able to get some good binding time in. I'm cutting it close, I know. It's been a busy month and I may or may not have bitten off more than I can chew. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plaid Tidings

My friend asked me to make her some new Christmas stockings for her family of five. She had a gorgeous decorator-weight Christmas plaid with a coordinating woven burgundy and cream. And tons of fun ribbons for embellishments. We got together in the evenings after her kidlets were in bed dreaming of sugar plums, and got to work. She made the bodies of the stockings while I worked on the cuffs. We didn't have any patterns; just some pictures we found online as ideas. A couple of them were pretty challenging. Particularly the logistics of putting it all together with no seams showing. I think we rocked it!

 

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday. I had a wonderful time. Excellent company. Fantastic food. And a great post-dinner hike to stave off the pumpkin pie coma.

I love this time of year. All the sparkly decorations. The yummy smells. Friends. Family. Utah. 

Yes! I said Utah! I'm headed to my favorite place in the entire world in just two weeks! I can't tell you how excited I am. We already have a board on Pinterest of recipes and crafts we're going to hit while I'm down there. And since it's been about -30 with our wind chills this week, two weeks can't go by fast enough!