The end of 2009 was heavy on the big (take forever to make) bed quilts so I thought it was time to whip up a fun and simple baby quilt.  Just getting started!

2009 was good to me. Quilts, quilts & more quilts, a book deal, casting season 7 of Project Runway, starting the L.A. Modern Quilt Guild, plus endless enjoyment and inspiration from all of you in bloggy/flickr land has lead to a wonderful creatively fulfilling year. So thank you!! Happy new year to you all and may 2010 bring us all great things.

Some of my quilts from 2009.

Very little Christmas decorating going on around here.  We celebrate at my sister’s house and I’ve been busy with other sewing, so it got left behind this year.  Just a photo of festive fabrics for you today!

That and a wish that you all have wonderful holidays this year!  I’ll be back in a couple of days with some of the presents I’ve sewn.  See you then and meanwhile I hope that you all have great food, fun and family time.  Merry Christmas!

Crocheting!

I have never been able to tackle crocheting.  I’ve knit a ton, but somehow couldn’t get my head around crocheting on my own.  But I took a great class with Cheryl Cambras at Home Ec. the other night and for the first time, it clicked!  I might be hooked.  (Oh what a bad crocheting pun!)

Here’s the cute little bird I made! Please forgive those few weird stitches on his belly. I’m not caring seeing as it’s the very first time I’ve ever crocheted. I crochet CRAZY tightly apparently. I literally had to focus on doing it looser. Weird.

Can’t wait to start the next little project but meanwhile it’s back to quilting all day today. That Christmas deadline is looming! Hope you’re all getting your Christmas presents done in time!

I’m finally all caught up on my virtual quilting bees this weekend.  Good thing as I’ve joined two more than start in January.

For Nov. of 12 Squared, three little houses! Megan’s going to be adding the muslin to the top and bottom of them to square them up.

Then Oct. of Sew Connected 2.  The theme was “summer at the beach house” so I attempted a very abstract landscape.  Can you see it?  Grass, beach, ocean, setting sun and sky.  Yeah – well, I tried!

And then finally some fun wonky stars for Nov. of Sew Connected 2.

A happy Monday to you all!

That’s what it’s going to be around here until after Christmas…  You know what happens when you’re working on a book and you also are sewing Christmas presents?  You have nothing you can blog about!

I will show you the Christmas sewing once gifts have been given, but for today, just a picture of some Kona solids.  I can’t post without photo and they are pretty! Plus, some links to stuff I think you might like!

Leah blogs about machine quilting – not piecing, but specifically machine quilting.  Her tips and suggestions are endlessly helpful.  This post from yesterday about how to quilt a big quilt is great.  I agree with her completely that you CAN quilt big quilts in your home sewing machine!  The rest of what you read about it tends to scare you off and I love her “you can do it!” attitude.

Did you see that Rashida, from I heart Linen (and one of the members of the Block Party Bee) has a book that came out?  I can’t wait to get my hands on it and her blog tour kicks off today!  Check it out.

And what? A blog just about what Michelle Obama wears? Love it.

Hope you all have great weekends.  It’s going to be a rainy one here in L.A. which means lots of sewing!

Wow! 872 comments!  Thanks so much for all of your kind words.  Since so many of you commented I decided to pick two winners… here goes….random number generator says:

SparklePetal Says: What a nice idea for a giveaway! I’d choose turquoise, lime and chocolate – I’ve got my eye on that nice piece of Katy Jump Rope in your photo!!

and

Dorothee Says: For this purpose it’d have to blues and greens because I love them and they have been sorely neglected when fabric buying.

Congrats to both of you!! I’ll be digging through my scraps and putting together bundles for you today!

My mother is in town for Thanksgiving and with her she brought me something really special.

A quilt top from my family.  Though my mother had it, it is from my father’s side of the family.  My great aunt didn’t know who had made it (she though her grandmother or great aunt), so it’s from many generations ago. Apparently there are more and I’m going to be getting them over time.  Needless to say, with the role quilting plays in my life, this is incredibly meaningful for me.

See those half blocks along one edge of it?  Anyone know exactly what those are for?  My mother was saying she thinks it had to do with how the quilt would be arranged with pillows on a bed.

It’s got some really great fabrics in it.

And it needs a little bit of repair.

I think that repairing and then finishing this quilt is a project I’m going to tackle. If anyone has done anything like this before, please let me know any tips or tricks you have.  I’ve never quilted anything by hand before, but I think this is the project that will make me do it.  It’s so wonderful to think that I’ll sit and handstitch this project just like my family did before me.

Hope that you all have wonderful Thanksgivings!!  I’m so thankful for all of you and all this blog has brought me so thank you!!

Some very kind relatives gave me a sewing machine this weekend.  An old Kenmore.

It’s heavy as all get out and clearly all metal so I suspect that it’s a workhorse.  But I’m stumped.  It’s got a big 4 on the front (as you can see) so I thought that might be the model. But nope.

It’s in the 158 series, but somehow seems be the Kenmore missing link!  Try as I might, I can’t find ANYTHING online about this specific model.  Lots about 158 10… and 158 12… but nothing about 158 11…!  Anyone know anything about this specific model?  Any help would be appreciated.

I’ve figured out how to thread it and wind and out in the bobbin with no problems but I’d love to find an online manual for it.  Also, it sews really slowly.  Not sure why.  I think a visit to a sewing machine doctor would fix it right up though!