Cats New Year's Eve Quilting Inspiration

 Hey quilter's.... It's New Year's Eve....don't know if I should laugh or cry. This year has flown by for me but I'm cherishing the memories, good and bad. For me life is a daily lesson...It's how you deal with challenges creates your inner strength. I'm excited about the New Year approaching...New challenges ahead I'm sure but new days to create special memories. I recently was shown a quilt of a dear friend of mines mother. She had made this quilt with her aunt when she was young. The quilt was old, and they had repaired it along the way but still being used on her bed to this day. Honestly, that gave me the chills.... that's why I quilt. Quilter's do connect the past with the future. A quilt doesn't need to be fancy...it's all about cherishing the memories that you create together while making one. My wish for us all this coming year is to pass on the quilting tradition to others. Let your legacy be cherished by someone in your family by "gifting" a quilt or handmade item from you. I for one hope my grandson Davin will do the same with the quilts that I've made for him. I'm sure he will...I tend to remind him "constantly" to cherish everything that I've made for him :-) Have a safe & Blessed New Year's Eve!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Cats New Year Countdown Quilting Inspiration (3)

 Hey quilter's.... we're getting closer to the New year. Oh, my goodness...if you're like me this year really flew by. I did learn a valuable "quilting lesson" this year & that was not to be so hard on myself. I always try for perfection & that does tend to cause me a lot of stress. Sometimes I take more time on projects due to that and then get a bit upset at myself for not finishing others. In the "quilting world" it's called UFO's...I'm sure you've heard of all the jokes. So, this coming year I'm really teaching myself and others to "quilt w/less stress" or what I like to call it "less-stress quilting." If you've noticed my patterns lately, I've been stating that term quite a bit. My new designs for '22 will showcase patterns that will look difficult but won't be unless you decide to do the advanced stage. Totally up to you! I do believe in quality when it comes to quilting & that is why I strongly advise you trying AURifil thread if you haven't already. Excellent quality & I've never had a thread breakage even with all my applique designs. I am obsessed with the 50# with my projects but if you google their website, you have so many weights and color hues to choose from for all your sewing and quilting projects. So, this year.... let's do something together...we'll try to remember that a finished project is much better than perfect. Remember I'll probably need a "friendly reminder" throughout the year as well :-)

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Cats New Year Countdown Quilting Inspiration (4)

 Hey quilter's...hope y'all are having a great week. I had a great Christmas with the family & already thinking about the New Year upon us. Lots of memories this year, some good & some that I could have done without but as they say, "that's life." I've learned as I've gotten a bit older is to really cherish the good time because you never know what tomorrow holds. I've lost some family members and friends this year and it really makes you think of how short life can be & what kind of legacy I'd like to leave behind. Not to get sentimental but I'm going too.... I asked my 11 yr. old grandson Davin "when Gege goes to heaven what are you going to remember me mostly of?" Well, his priceless answer was.... making quilts for me. Oh my gosh...yes, I had tears. Honestly, I was hoping he'd say that or my cooking. Well then yesterday he asked if we'd make our cinnamon-sugar-toast we do together every Christmas using cookie cutters. Yes, again the tears started to flow. Sometimes it is the "little things" they remember the most. You can never replace a handmade gift.... a pillow.... a quilt or whatever you make cause those memories will always be cherished. I hope one day he finds a great woman to continue his journey in life with that has some sewing or quilting knowledge or at least all the things I've made him last to carry on the tradition. I've learned in life to make my New Year's Resolution's not so difficult, so I don't get stressed. My plan is to pass on the quilting tradition to other's so they can pass on the "Joy "of what a quilt brings to others. It will all start this coming January with fun & easy quilting projects! 

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Merry Christmas from My Gnome to Yours!

 Hey quilter's.... Merry Christmas! I'm up early waiting for the excitement to begin with my grandson but wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. Holidays are special for me when I can be with my family, but it doesn't always happen with everyone's busy schedule. So, no matter what you are doing this Christmas day my wish for you is to have a Blessed one. I was excited this week when I saw the "grinch t-shirt pillow" that I had made for him (instructions in previous post) and he still loves it & uses it. His "grinch quilt" that I made when he was little...you know the one...Grinch quilt kit...oh my gosh that was challenging. I did end up putting my own spin on it. I know homemade gifts can be daunting, but the rewards are priceless. So, enjoy your day & remember this coming year we'll have so much fun together "Christmas Quilting all Year!" Have a wonderful day!

Quilt Blessings from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Cats Christmas Countdown..."Merry Grinch Quilt-Mas Eve"

 Hey quilter's...hope your Christmas Eve is off to a great start & all your quilt projects are finished & you're relaxed & spending time with loved ones. Well, sounds perfect but in "my world" that has never happened. I'm usually scrambling to finish my projects on Christmas eve & praying like crazy I get them finished. That would have been me this year if I hadn't had my "unexpected trip" I'm lucky this year that my grandson loves gift cards to go shopping and pick out what he likes. Well....just remember in 2022 we'll have Christmas all year...that's right, Christmas is my favorite time of year, so we'll have several quilt-a-longs together to finish projects early & no last-minute Christmas Eve quilting. Well, I'll try not too anyway :-) So if you're working on a Christmas project don't put those scraps away 'cause you'll be needing them again real soon. Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas Eve!

Blessed Quilting From My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Cats Christmas Countdown..."AURifil thread 4 Santa"

 Hey quilter's....hope y'alls Christmas countdown is going well. Mine is a bit crazy with last minute shopping but having a great time with my grandson. He's a bit older and it's funny how certain traditions are now changing with his age. I guess this "Gege" will learn to make changes myself as he grows. Just hard...time flies way too fast. Cliche but it's true. Well, if you're still thinking of a perfect gift for Santa, here it is...AURifil thread & Chocolate cake. You can't go wrong with this gift, excellent quality & practical. Plus who wouldn't want a slice of chocolate cake. Right? Well....whatever y'all are doing this Holiday season, I hope you are having a great time. Make memories to last a lifetime. Time really does fly so enjoy every moment. Don't forget... we'll be having an awesome New Year w/my Quilt-a-long soon :-)   Be safe & have a great week.

Blessed Quilting From My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Cats Christmas Countdown..."JOY"

 Hey quilter's....hope everyone is doing well. I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone "JOY." I know that I "blog" about not being stressed with the holiday rush so to speak, so my wish to you is Joy. We are all going through difficult times and even I lately forget to take time for myself. My daughter alway's tells me that I'm no good for others if I don't take care of myself. I get caught up in the "chaos" and get stressed but I need to realize that I'm Blessed to have this chaos. I know sounds weird but it's true. So my wish for everyone is to take a few moments for yourself...read a book...walk in the park or by the lake and remember that "You" are what brings "Joy" to someone's life. Remeber...if you're still trying to find that special gift for someone..."Quilt-it-Forward"....pass your creativity on...to me that's the greatest gift of all.

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Cats Christmas Countdown..."Cozy Tomato Basil Soup w/Cornbread Croutons"

 Hey quilter's ...hope your holiday season is going great. I know day's are getting shorter and Christmas is upon us so I wanted to share a fast & easy recipe w/ y'all. This recipe is so festive with the bright red color and a splash of gold with the cornbread croutons. You can easily double this recipe so it would be wonderful to take along to a "Quilt Pitch-In or Pot Luck." I love this time of year when the weather is still a bit uncertain if it wants to be sunny or cold so this is definately a great soup for a cozy night watching Christmas movies. Pop on over to my cooking blog for this fast & easy recipe. Enjoy!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Cats Christmas Countdown..."More time 2 Quilt"

 Hey quilter's...hope y'all had a great weekend & your Christmas projects are coming along well. I believe everyone knows by now that I took an unexpected "trip" & Christmas presents are a bit "delayed" this year. I saw this quilt humor recently and it really hit home. If I could turn back time is what I usually say but lately it would be wonderful to have more quilting time before Christmas. I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks that...right? Although I have used my "downtime" to design my Christmas Quilt-a-long for next year that I am really excited to share with y'all. My design will be easily enlarged and I will be posting smaller projects along the way as well. I'll be doing mine in Christmas Scraps but you can easily do your own spin on it with the fabrics of your choice. Y'all know me, "One Design...Sew Many Ways." And yes...we'll be Christmas Quilting all year in 2022. Well, I'll be anyway...#lessonedlearned :-) 

In the meantime...here's a little humor below for less-stress-quilting.

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Cats Christmas Countdown..."Quilted Tree-Skirt"

 Hey quilter's...hope your weekend is off to a great start. While searching the net for some quilting humor for some stress-relief, I seriously laughed out loud at the one below. A few yrs ago my daughter wanted a tree skirt for a new tree she was doing in her formal living room. I thought...no worries...I'll make you one to coordinate with your design...isn't that what all us quilter's do? Then...reality hit....all that hard work doing points for a "rounded tree skirt"....and the thoughts of all my hard work being covered up. No way...seriously mentioned to her that thought and she just shook her head. I know she was thinking...my mom! Well...then a few days later she called and said what clever idea she came up with to use as a tree skirt. She bought fabric that coordinates with her theme and scrunched it up around the bottom of her tree. I have to say, what a clever idea! I might one day suprise her with a "Christmas Tree Skirt" but I can definately say it won't be a "Prize-Winning" one like Mrs. Bobbins :-) Oh my goodness...mine would be simple...too much work to be covered up :-) Have a great weekend!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Another favorite below in case you missed it :-) Gotta love Mrs. Bobbins!

Cats Christmas Countdown..."No Ugly Sweater Party Here" :-)

 Hey quilter's....hope y'all are enjoying the Holiday Season. I thought I'd share a little "quilting humor" to get us through the day. I saw this one while searching the net and had to laugh. I'm sure we all have gone to a "ugly sweater party" by now but if you've made it, how can it be ugly. Seriously all the work that goes into quilting much less sewing a garment cannot be considered ugly in my book. But if you are thinking about wearing a "quilted vest" to a ugly sweater party then here's an idea so you don't ruin your original hard work...

First...grab your Christmas Stash pile & "fussy cut" some fun christmas shapes out...you can even use your cookie cutters :-)

Second,,,Pin them to your vest throughout using your "quilting basting pins"...a bit safer and you don't need to worrry about being poked while you're having fun.

Third....have fun & if you're able grab someone to wear matching ones like the pic below. I laughed so hard when I read it and that's what actually inspired my creativity to "decorate a quilted vest" :-) I love Mrs. Bobbins. Who knows...this might stay a "fashion trend" :-)

Have fun & remember...Stress-Free Quilting.

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Cats Christmas Countdown..."Santas Favorite Quilter"

 Hey quilter's...hope y'all are doing well. I had to share this sweet story with y'all. As I was viewing some "quilting humor" for us all, I saw this one and almost cried. A few years ago I had made a Christmas quilt for my grandson...he was about 4ish and he asked me if the elf's helped me 'cause he didn't think Santa Claus quilted. Well you could only imagine my face. Let me back up to the beginning of the story of what I told my grandson and probably shouldn't have. I might have mentioned to him that I was needing a few extra "hands" to help finish his quilt on time. Oh and it was also over the phone. Who would have thought he would have remembered the conversation at such a young age to actually question me when I delivered it in person. Hmmm....never under estimate the knowledge of a "grandson." So....as I was looking at him and he was looking at me wating for my reply....I calmly said yes...and didn't they do a great job. His reply was "cool." 

Every year when I'm spending Christmas with them and I see that Christmas quilt it brings back that sweet moment of when "Gege" realized...."be very careful of what you say." I'm sure we all have those sweet terrifying moments with our loved one's but I wanted to share this story in case y'all needed a little "stress relief." I don't want to remind him of that moment 'cause I'm afraid he might ask more questions now that he's older :-) I'll just wait until he goes off to college or something. Ha! If he's anything like his "Gege" he believes Santa will alway's be forever in our hearts. After all it is the "most magical time of the year!"

Remember no-stress quilting...You got this :-) You have plenty of time...it's only Dec. 2nd :-)

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Cats Christmas Countdown,,,"Gift Inspiration"

 Hey quilter's....well it's here...December first and the Christmas Countdown begins. My anxiety went into overload at midnight. I'm excited but my wheels were spinning for another creative gift idea. We all love a handmade gift but was looking at my "rulers" and was inspired. I have quite a collection from large to small...the basics and then some shapes when I get a bit creative. Rulers are not cheap and they can be used for any type of crafting/ quilting. So I picked out a few that I felt that I could part with and wrapped it quickly before I changed my mind. :-) I'm not a hoarder but I do love my rulers. With my gifts this year I'm writing notes of what inspired me to give the gift I picked for them. I'm actually having fun. I did realize that I didn't have wrapping paper on hand which was a bit frustrating. But....yes I did....I wrapped the rulers in Scrap Fabric. :-) :-) win...win...

Sew...sometimes having to think out of the box can be exciting. I might not be "chilling with my quilting gnomies" but let the Christmas Countdown begin!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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