Happy new year! I cannot believe that it is already January 18, 2023. It seems that the holidays were right around the bend and now they are in the rearview mirror. Like many crafters, I have arranged my plan for the new year. I am trying to finish some 2022 projects first but there are so many new ideas out there. I have already started something new. You too? 

What are your plans for the 2023 quilting and crafting season? How are you getting ready? If you are like me, you already have that list of new techniques to try and new colors to add to your work and new fabrics as well. 

Here  are some things that are on my list in no particular order:
1. I really want to make pillowcases for our new pallet village that was built for the homeless population near me. I think that it would be nice to have a cheery fabric greet them in their temporary homes. I am hoping to enlist some of my quilting guild friends in this endeavor. 
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2. I went to a retreat recently and saw something that I decided that I must have. A friend had made these wheels for a chair in a hotel. Most ballrooms have four legged chairs that are not very comfortable and do not move well. Her husband made these so that her chair would glide across the carpet and give a big of added height. 

You will need four of the leg dollies and four tennis balls. The balls are cross cut and bolted to the leg dolly. You can even be a bit more stylish than I was and order tennis balls of all colors and patterns. I found tiger striped, cheetah, zebra striped, etc. Who knew? They don't use those at Wimbledon!

3. I picked up a book by Karen Eckmeier at a craft sale called Happy Villages. I know that this book and pattern was released in 2007 but I had never tried it. I have done other fabric collage techniques but never one of these. So as my first official start of 2023, I embarked on the "happy village". Needless to say, my first village was not very happy. There is a learning curve to this process but I persevered. My first attempt is on the left and my second is on the right.

The one on the left was overwhelmed by the dots. I thought that the texture of the grunge fabric would be great but the dots were definitely not working for me. So I scrapped it and started over with solids which is what she had done along with some batiks. I was much happier with the result on the right. I did this last week at retreat. It was very liberating to use only my scissors and a glue baste bottle as well as my imagination. It was like being in elementary art class with lots of bits of colored construction paper. If you keep looking, you will see little details that I have added. I am not done as I want to add a few more surprises. This was a fun project. When it is finished, I will share the photograph. 

4. My third goal is to really use my stash of fabrics. I am sure that we say that every year and I really do make a run at it. I am hoping to do better this year. Although I have received gift cards for my local quilt stores and I live so close to Lancaster, PA that it is very difficult. :) To do this, I am hoping to step outside the box a bit and try something really different. Any suggestions?

​5. Finally, I am hoping to share more of my patterns with all of you. I am in the process of formatting them better. A new laptop will definitely assist in that. 

So, what are you goals for the 2023 sewing season? I am getting in shape by cleaning my sewing space a bit and stretching my imagination. Please leave a comment to let me know what you are prepping for this season. 

Until next time,

Trisha

So, another Christmas Eve has come and I am sitting at the computer in my son's office in Georgia keeping Mozzarella company. Mozz (as he is fondly called) is a lovely cat. We are visiting for the holidays and it is pretty cold outside for this far south so I was thinking of things that keep me warm. 

I am very much into Christmas swapping on Instagram. I got started a few years ago with a lovely lady from England. It was a 12 days of Christmas swap. The task was to create 12 gifts for an assigned partner. I was given some clues into their likes and dislikes which would make it fun to create and buy some gifts. This was completely new to me but I thought it would be fun to do something different. Little did I know the amazing world network of friends it would open to me.

My first partner was someone in California but she was from my home state of NY. It was such fun to try to search her posts to find the clues to the gifts that I would make. I got to wrap them and write a little clue and send them off in time for opening day. While that opportunity opened a swap friend, it has become so much more. She encouraged me to pick up the cracker swap last year and that has been a blessing as well. We continue to keep in touch and while we have not met in person, we have shared some life events, both happy and sad. It would not have happened without the first swap.

The organizer of that first swap has become a good friend even though we are so far apart in miles. Several years ago my husband and I traveled to the UK and spent the day with her and her family. It was such a blessing to be able to meet face to face. We continue to communicate often and share a swap at Christmas. 

While in the UK, I was able to spend time with another IG friend. We met through postings and messaging as I was up late and so was she. Turns out our birthdays are one day apart. We took the train up to her home and spent a day with her and her family. I was so happy to be able to see her as well. She is an amzing cross stitcher and has tried to encourage to try it. I have tried but I do not have her patience and talent for that craft. I have a cross stitch of our greyhound, Bugsy that she did. (see photo below)  I have found true friends.

Another IG friend has encouraged me to try knitting (I am trying) and it is fun too. We share a love of dachshunds as well as sewing and crafting. Would not have met except for the swap as she lives a thousand miles away. Another blessing!

I could flood the page with pictures of the lovely and thoughtfully made gifts that I have received. This year has brought another batch and now friends from Scotland and Norway to go with Germany and Canada and the US. The gifts are amazing but the real gift for me is carried in my heart. Especially during COVID, I was blessed to be able to have these friends to share with, commiserate with and celebrate with. There are so many others that I have been blessed by through other swaps all year long. 

Do you like swapping? Have you ever tried to do it? Do you organize one? I know that not every swap is perfect. Peoples' lives are all different and we experience different events. But I have found that the adage  "tis better to give than receive" rings true. 

This past Monday, I worked with some lovely crafters at the Milton Art League in Milton, DE. We made the angels and the Danish stars that you see above. These are two of my most favorite ornaments to make at Christmas.

Ornament making has been a big part of Christmas for me since my kids were very small. Every year we would make ornaments together and hang them on the tree. Later as my sons grew, I made them and they each got a new ornament to add to their private collections. They are now living in their own homes and those ornaments live in upstate NY and Georgia now. Some of the ornaments that we made are below. The hexie was from a Quiltmaker magazine and the cork reindeer was just imagination and a lot of wine LOL! The Santa's list was something that I did later and I printed the list so that my sons' names were on it! The snowman came out of lots of frozen juice can lids. I had saved them and used them as the foundation. 

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I certainly miss those days but there are so many crafters that want to learn to make new ornaments and I have been able to share and learn from them. The angel and danish star directions are included at the end of this paragraph if you would like to give them a try. I promise that you will want to make more than one of each. They make great additions to Christmas gift packages also. By altering the fabrics, they can be made for any celebration. Birthday angels! Anniversary or Valentine angels! Stars for Easter, Valentine's Day, Fourth of July! The possibilities are endless. 
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Over the years I have been gifted many ornaments but I do have a favorite. I belonged to a quilt guild in upstate NY many years ago and there was a lovely lady named Enid. She was a German lady who was an avid quilter and crafter even as she aged into her 90s. One year she made 25 knapsacks for her daughter's kindergarten class so that all of the children had one. Just an amazing human being. But I digress.

One year the guild did an ornament exchange. If you brought a wrapped ornament, you got one. I chose this small squishy package and I was so happy when I saw the little teddy bear inside.

Enid had hand sewn each part of the bear. She carefully stuffed each limb and the body and the head. Even the little ears had some stuffing! She put a silver floss hanger and a silver bow tie. I could not have asked for a better ornament. That was circa 2002 and every year the boys would tussle over who would hang the bear on the tree. When I hang it now, I remember Enid fondly. She passed away just a few months after my own mom in 2012. The bear reminds me about her big heart and how she put a lot of her love into this little bear. What is the story of your favorite ornament? 

Well, that's all for this time. I do hope that you are enjoying your holiday preparations no matter what holiday you celebrate. I am getting ready to bake and wrap some gifts. Still have a bit of shopping to do and a few gifts to finish sewing. I know I had all year but I guess I like the bustle of finishing in December.

Happy holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy Kwanzaa! 

Peacefully,
Trisha

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I find that this year I am grateful for so many things as always. I remember also that I need to be thankful daily and not just tomorrow.

​As a quilter and crafter, I have several new events in my life that are very exciting to me. I am very thankful for these.

I have been a Spanish teacher all of my adult life until recently. Once a teacher, always a teacher. So, I have been looking for a way to continue to teach but now to teach my passion: quilting and crafting. And now after some patience (which is difficult for me) my dream is coming true. 

I was given the opportunity by a dear new friend that owns a local quilt shop. She has had me teach several classes and they have gone very well. I am very grateful for her confidence in me as a "new" quilting teacher. Thank you, Nancy! 
Here are some photos of the table runners made at one of the classes from my new pattern.
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In addition to continuing to teach from Nancy's shop, I have been contracted to teach from a lovely shop across the bay in Annapolis, MD called The Crabby Quilter. I will be teaching in January, February and March 2023 once a month. I am excited because I will be teaching my own patterns for two of the classes. Cathy has given me a tremendous opportunity to meet people from the other side of the bridge. (The Bay Bridge is not my favorite but I will brave it for this!)

In March 2023, I will also be doing a lecture/ trunk show for the Valley Forge Quilt Guild. I am new at this in the quilting world, but used to speaking in a group so I am very grateful for this opportunity to share my ideas and almost thirty year journey in the quilting world. 

I was also given an opportunity to do make something that I had never made before. I was given a very large burgundy colored terry cloth bathrobe from a gentleman who had passed away. She wanted to have three baby bathrobes made from it. There really was not enough fabric in it to do that so I suggested a baby towel wrap with a hood. I had no pattern but I thought that it is just a couple of squares, right? I added some grey terry cloth to be able to make them big enough and backed them with flannel with a flannel hood. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to work with terry cloth. Although my machine needed a good cleaning! 
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Most of all I am grateful for my family. Tomorrow I will be in NY visiting my son and daughter in law and her family as well. It will be a lovely day. I am already receiving celebration pics from the Atlanta kids and visiting family there.

I hope that you are finding the kind of opportunities that you are seeking whether teaching, crafting, quilting or whatever your passion is.  

I hope that you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving however and wherever you celebrate. 

Until next time.
Piecefully,
Trisha

Hello everyone! Can you believe that today is the last day of October? Halloween is here again which means that Thanksgiving is just around the bend and Christmas and Hannukah are waiting in the wings. 

At this point I am always looking for some last minute gifts to make.  So this blog is dedicated to some of my favorite "quicker" gift options. 

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I love my sixty degree ruler from Missouri Star quilting. I use this all the time to make quick and pretty placemats. All you need is two different fabrics, backing and a piece of batting. I cut three of each fabric and do a quick turn. I quilt them around the triangles since you can do it in one turn without stopping and starting again. I also like to finish the edge with a 1/8 " seam allowance to catch the opening. 
I have also made these two-sided. You can make one holiday/season on one side and another on the flip side. The possibilities are endless. And you can make some napkins with some rectangles of leftover fabrics. Sew them right sides together and quick turn. Sew around the edge to close. 
I love these placemats. I finally made some for us this year LOL.

This is a wallet pattern by Jessica VanDenburgh of sewmanycreationsny.com. I met Jessica many years ago as she was a vendor at our quilt show. She was just getting started and this wallet caught my eye immediately. It is a lovely gift and now she has several versions that are smaller and bigger. 
One of the best parts of this pattern is that it requires only 2 fat quarters although you can always add more. It does need some Pellon Decor bond and a closure. I have also made a different closure out of need. 
I was meeting my son's girlfriend for the first time in NYC very near to Christmas and I wanted to bring her something. So I started to make this the night before. It really only takes about an hour to sew once all of the pieces are cut. (I have made many of them so you may need a bit more to start.) When I started to put the wallet closure on, I quickly realized that it was too small. I had ordered some frames on line and they were 1/2 inch too short. So, that was the night that I got acquainted with my new machine's button hole attachment. Necessity is the mother of invention after all. She never knew till now LOL. 

Another 2 FQ gift! This is the Runaround bag by lazygirldesigns.com and can be made very quickly. I have made a hundred of these over the years and is one of my go to patterns when I need a fast finish. A nine inch zipper to match and some extra decorations if you wish are the other ingredients. The pattern maker has asked you to create a very skinny strap and I have changed that. I buy the cotton strapping and cover it with fabric to match the bag. If I can purchase the color strapping to match, then I just use that. If I have the one inch strapping, I cut a 3 inch wide strip and wrap it around the cotton strapping and stitch it down. 
When I am looking to save time, I feel like a river looking for the path of least resistance! Do you do that too?
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Last but not least...the ten minute table runner! Two pieces of coordinating fabrics sliced across the width of fabric. I like to slice mine at 18 inches wide x WOF and 12 inches x WOF. With right sides together, sew the length of the runner fabrics. Then turn it right sides out and press. Fold the unit lengthwise with the backing to the inside. Sew a 1/2 inch seam at each end. Press the seam open, turn it to create a triangle at each end. Add a button or decoration to hold the triangle down. VOILA!  The first ones may not be ten minutes, but you will speed up with each one. I made 25 of these for school gifts for secretaries, etc. 
You tube is filled with videos to help you along. Here is just one.
​ www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi4Qgq0KKJQ

So that's it for now. I hope that I have been able to give you a few ideas to spark your creating for the holidays. If you have a great idea that you love to make as a quick gift, I do hope that you will share it!

Piecefully,
Trisha

Hello from Georgia! I am visiting my family here and working on learning more about blogging! The site above is one that has so many wonderful posts to follow. It was recommended by a friend and I would also like to tell you about her blog. The stitching grandma. The web address is stitchinggrandma.wordpress.com

More later as I am being eyed by my grand dog Cannoli to play!

piecefully,  
​Trisha

Do you have favorite subjects when you are creating a wall hanging? Flowers? Landscapes? Mountains? Seascapes? Geometrics? I have discovered in my quilting journey that I am at my best when I have a subject that interests me. We all have a project occasionally that we have to finish for someone else that just doesn't grab us. I find that I can do those when I know that I have one of my favorites to return to afterwards. 

The photos above are several of my favorite subjects, DOGS! Especially the pups in my life. Like you(if you are a pet person) I probably have countless pictures of my pooches on my phone. They are so expressive and just plain fun. I was struck by this even more so as I watched the Queen's funeral this week. As the royal hearse carrying her body reached Windsor Castle for the commitment service, there were two of her staff standing outside the castle holding her beloved corgis. I read that over her life she had thirty different corgis beginning with her first when she was just seven years old. There have been several cartoons honoring the queen showing her corgis and their lament at losing their royal mum. 

Long before the funeral I had been making simple raw edge likenesses of dogs in my life. I watched a zoom lecture by someone who suggested using batiks to make these as raw edged batik does not fray as much. So I began making Bugsy who is top left. Her ears make me laugh so I made the "fabric" Bugsy have ears that are a bit exaggerated. I made a simple paper drawing and traced it on to freezer paper. I cut the pieces and sewed them on using a thinner pearl cotton about 1/8-1/4 inch from the edges. I fussy cut the flowers from a batik I liked and did not really have a pattern. Same for the leaves. I layered with batting and backing and created a hashing in the background again using the pearl cotton. It was freeing to be without creating EXACT measurements. 

​After Bugsy, I decided to try to make Einstein. 

In March 2022, this beautiful 15 year old pup passed away. I wanted to capture this picture of him as a gift to the kids. I decided to try something different to make Einstein. I pulled out some white grunge fabric that I had and thought why not? 

I used the same freezer paper process as with Bugsy, but I wanted to be sure that fraying would not occur. I bought some inexpensive children's paintbrushes at the craft store. I used some fray stop around the edges applying it with the brush. It dries clear so it was not even noticeable. The result is above in the center. I made Christa cry for sure. This time I also added some additional simple embroidery to create some "fur" on his head. 

For Floppy, I am mixing the fabrics up a bit. I am still working on her and hope to finish her by Thanksgiving when we visit the kids. 

Working on these subjects makes me smile every time. Lately with the world news, it has been hard to find subjects to smile about very much. That is one of the best parts of any crafting, be it quilting, drawing, writing, painting, etc. I can go to my sewing room and be in my world of creativity. I am grateful to have found this art and all of the wonderful people that share my love of fabric. 

What are your favorite subjects? What is your muse? Write me and tell me. I would love to hear what you are working on. 

I will leave you with my very first dog quilt. I made this to remember our first greyhound, Fonzi. It is hand appliqued and embellished to celebrate all the months of the year. I created each block individually and my best quilting buddy, Barbara, did an amazing job finishing it off for me. I still miss him so very much. But I pass this quilt everyday to remind me of his sweet face.

Piecefully, 
Trisha
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August 19, 2022
Here is a complete photo of my very first quilt. I decided to make a heart quilt for my parents' 48th wedding anniversary in 1994. My mom had no idea that I was following in my nana's footsteps since I lived in the Hudson Valley of NY and she and Dad were in PA. 

No one told me that applique was supposed to be difficult. Especially those inner curves and points of the hearts. So I jumped in. I used muslin which was probably pretty inexpensive since I had two sons and I was stay at home mom. I used fabric that my sister in law had given me. It was scrappy and I liked it that way. I traced the hearts with a wooden heart from a craft store.  I traced each heart and cut it out by hand. (No Accucut back then!) I used 9 inch squares and began the task of appliqueing all of those hearts. I do not remember how long it took but I made the anniversary deadline in November. 

I used my evenings to sew while my husband was either coaching late or scoring science labs, etc. I pieced them on a $50 Singer sewing machine that my mother in law had purchased for me. No quarter inch foot but masking tape sufficed. I put them all together and was it square? Absolutely not! Not in the least but I had tried. 

I did not understand the concept of squaring a quilt yet. So I added some muslin borders and set about cutting two inch squares for another border. Well, I had a problem because I did not realize the importance of that squaring up step. 
When I began to add the squares, they were too long on one side. As you can see on the center picture above, I simply folded it over and stitched it down. I knew Mom and Dad would never even see it!

I added the outer borders and began to hand quilt it. That was a long task but one that I found that I enjoyed. It was very relaxing for me. I know that today I do not do that much anymore but I felt then a connection to my nana and great nana. Each stitch had a bit of me in it. 

After binding it, I wrapped it and was off to the UPS store as I was not prepared to give this to the postal service. They did not have all of the tracking that they offer today. When I went to the counter, there was a lovely man and he took all of my information. I wanted it to be there the next day which was easy as we were only three hours apart in distance. No air travel, only ground. I had put my heart and soul in this quilt and I wanted to be sure it would arrive. He understood that he had a crazy quilter in front of him. He guaranteed me that unless the world ended, my quilt would arrive the next day safe and sound. I relaxed for a moment. Then he said, "how about insurance?" I said, "INSURANCE? You said it would be there!" I was a bit overwhelming to him I admit but I did take some just in case. He had a story to tell his wife about a lunatic he had in his store that day. I like to think that she was a crafter and completely understood :). 


The next day, Mom and Dad phoned to say that they had received my first quilt and how happy they were. I was extremely happy. I wanted to go back and hug the UPS man but I restrained myself. 
I was so pleased to be able to surprise them and to channel a bit of the Cramer/Chilcote women in my life. 

What is the story of your first quilt? Do you still have it? I was fortunate to get mine back and I cherish it. A lot of lessons were learned from that experience and each time I make a new one, I learn something else.


Piecefully,
Trisha
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I am a foI am a fourth generation quilter but the third generation was skipped. My mom never picked up the craft as she had too many other activities filling her plate including being a full time wife and mother, grandmother helping to raise three granddaughters and a full time RN. How she even did all of that, I am not sure. I think my mom was sleep deprived for many years and  I am grateful for the opportunities that she and my dad gave to me.

My grandmother, Flora and her mother, Arletta (my great grandmother) were the quilters in my past. My mom said that she remembered tracing and cutting out triangles for pinwheel blocks. She also said that she never wanted to cut another triangle LOL. 

As one of the three youngest grandchildren, my nana did not teach me to quilt but she did try to help me to learn clothing techniques. They did not stick to me but skipped to one of my very talented nieces who sews like the best designer out there.

I credit my sister in law, Judith, with my beginning to quilt. She gave me some books, some fabric and lots of encouragement. That was all that it took! I was hooked!

The quilt below was made by my great grandmother in the 1930's. There are all types of fabrics here: serge, upholstery, dress, etc. My mom said she could pick out her grandfather's suit as well as curtains and slipcovers. The center picture is special to me but I did not notice that fabric until after my mom passed in 2012. I was working on a portrait quilt of my mom's high school graduation picture.  My grandmother made the suit that she wore and a scrap of the fabric is in the photo in the circle. I was very emotional about it for some reason. I found a direct link to my mom in this quilt beyond the fact that it was a wedding gift to my parents in 1946. That touched me deeply.

While my nana was a traditional quilter and hand quilted her other quilts (which did not survive, unfortunately) she would have been first in line for a rotary cutter and ruler when they became available. She was always ready for change and she would be amazed by what has changed in the world of quilting. 

I am amazed myself when I look back at my 28 years of the craft. I look forward to what tomorrow will bring.

Dulcemente, (sweetly)

Trisha
​urth generation quilter but the third generation was skipped. My mom never picked up the craft as she had too many other activities filling her plate including being a full time wife and mother, grandmother helping to raise three granddaughters and a full time RN. How she even did all of that, I am not sure. I think my mom was sleep deprived for many years and  I am grateful for the opportunities that she and my dad gave to me.

My grandmother, Flora and her mother, Arletta (my great grandmother) were the quilters in my past. My mom said that she remembered tracing and cutting out triangles for pinwheel blocks. She also said that she never wanted to cut another triangle LOL. 

As one of the three youngest grandchildren, my nana did not teach me to quilt but she did try to help me to learn clothing techniques. They did not stick to me but skipped to one of my very talented nieces who sews like the best designer out there.

I credit my sister in law, Judith, with my beginning to quilt. She gave me some books, some fabric and lots of encouragement. That was all that it took! I was hooked!

The quilt below was made by my great grandmother in the 1930's. There are all types of fabrics here: serge, upholstery, dress, etc. My mom said she could pick out her grandfather's suit as well as curtains and slipcovers. The center picture is special to me but I did not notice that fabric until after my mom passed in 2012. I was working on a portrait quilt of my mom's high school graduation picture.  My grandmother made the suit that she wore and a scrap of the fabric is in the photo in the circle. I was very emotional about it for some reason. I found a direct link to my mom in this quilt beyond the fact that it was a wedding gift to my parents in 1946. That touched me deeply.

While my nana was a traditional quilter and hand quilted her other quilts (which did not survive, unfortunately) she would have been first in line for a rotary cutter and ruler when they became available. She was always ready for change and she would be amazed by what has changed in the world of quilting. 

I am amazed myself when I look back at my 28 years of the craft. I look forward to what tomorrow will bring.

Dulcemente, (sweetly)

Trisha

I am a fourth generation quilter but the third generation was skipped. My mom never picked up the craft as she had too many other activities filling her plate including being a full time wife and mother, grandmother helping to raise three granddaughters and a full time RN. How she even did all of that, I am not sure. I think my mom was sleep deprived for many years and  I am grateful for the opportunities that she and my dad gave to me.

My grandmother, Flora and her mother, Arletta (my great grandmother) were the quilters in my past. My mom said that she remembered tracing and cutting out triangles for pinwheel blocks. She also said that she never wanted to cut another triangle LOL. ​