12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop at A Quilted Passion

Hi All! Thank You so much for hopping by!

First things first! Can we get a huge round of applause for the AMAZING Sarah of Confessions of a Fabric Addict for organizing this hop and for allowing me to participate!  So much work goes into organizing and preparing. She also created a Christmas quilt pattern for a daily quilt along for the duration of the hop! There has to be a picture of Sarah in the dictionary next to Wonder Woman.  I don't know how you do it, but from the bottom of my heart...Thank you!

A couple of years ago I made these awesome Microwave Cozies as Christmas gifts for friends and family. 

They were a huge hit! So it became my intention to give practical home made gifts for Christmas going forward.   However, last year, Christmas came and went...along w/my good intention and only 3 peeps got something homemade from me. So I swore to myself that this year would be different!  I would start my gift making in July! And that's exactly what I've done!

This year, everyone is getting these grocery bag holders. I was able to get a wonderful head start on them this month!

I normally sell the pattern in my Craftsy Pattern Store, however for the rest of this hop you can download it for free on this post, along w/the rest of my patterns! Merry Christmas in July to you!


Easy Grocery Bag Catcher
Easy Reversible Microwave Cozy Combo
Easy MicrowaveTortilla Warmer Cozy

I'd also like to share a recipe that was shared w/me several years ago for an easy and delicious Clam Chowder. 

My church family usually does a potluck style progressive dinner around the Christmas holiday.  The first house we visit is where we have appetizers. We then progress/move on to the next house for the entrées,  and then finish w/desserts and coffee at a third house.

This Clam Chowder has been a favorite of many at our progressive dinners.

Easy Clam Chowder
1 can evaporated milk (makes it creamier) or 1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes (it also adds the salt)
1/4 cup of finely chopped onion
2 6oz cans chopped clams in clam juice
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 tsp of Thyme
1/4 tsp of crushed Parsley
1/4 tsp of crushed Tarragon
1/4 tsp of crushed black pepper

Add all of the ingredients into a pot and bring to a rolling boil for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Test the potatoes for tenderness. To thicken, add 1 tbls of cornstarch with 2 tbls of water, mix till dissolved and then add it to the soup. It should thicken rather quickly. Serve hot w/crackers or in a bread bowl!

Alas, I've a confession. I'm also doing a little selfish sewing this month on my 1st Christmas quilt.

I'm using this Sparkle Punch tutorial by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson. 

Elizabeth's creation and my inspiration

I've got a wonderful head start on it as well and am super excited about how it's coming together! What do you think?

Again, thanks for visiting!

Here's the complete line up of the hop. We have a few more days yet.  You can click on the links below to check out the rest of the stops, or to access any you've missed along the way.

July 14th:     Sharon Vrooman @ Vrooman’s Quilts

                    Carole Carter @ From My Caroline Home

July 15th:    Yanicka Hachez @ Finding Myself As An Artist

                   Chris Dodsley @ Made by ChrissieD

July 16th:     Marsha Hodgkins @ Quilter in Motion

                    Leanne Parsons  @ Devoted Quilter

July 17th:     Tonia Conner @ All Thingz Sewn

                    Selina @ Selina Quilts

July 18th:     Lara Buccella @ Buzzin Bumble

                    Soma Acharya @ Whims and Fancies

July 19th:     Joanne Harris@ Quilts by Joanne

                    Suzy Webster @ Adventurous Applique and Quilting

July 20th:     Vicki in MN @ Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

                    Jennifer Fulton @ The Inquiring Quilter

July 21st:     Michele Kuhns @ Crayon Box Quilt Studio

                    Jan Ochterbeck @ The Colorful Fabriholic

July 22nd:     Alla Blanca @ Rainbows. Bunnies. Cupcakes.

                     Zenia Rene @ A Quilted Passion

July 23rd:     Joanne Hubbard @ Everyone Deserves a Quilt

                    Paige Alexander @ Quilted Blooms

July 24th:     Carolyn Jones @ …by CJ

                    Tisha Nagel @ Quilty Therapy

July 25th:     Susan Arnold @ Quilt Fabrication

                    Beth Sellers @ Cooking Up Quilts

                    Linda Pearl @ One Quilting Circle

A Thread for Life
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

WHOOMP There IT Is! #23 - A Productive Week & Craft Sale

This post contains ad links.

Hello and Happy Friday!  No matter what, it'll always be my favorite day of the week!

The past week was as productive as I wanted it to be. AND I've got some pics to prove it!

I spent quality time w/my grands last weekend. We went to the park and to the picture show to see Zootopia, which is a really cute movie.  We had an all around great time as usual.

I was able to finish an Easy Twirl Skirt for my granddaughter in time for her to wear it to church on Sunday. It's a simple and  free tutorial. The hardest part for me was making the ruffle.  I was bummed when I realized I hadn't taken a pic of her wearing it,  but here's a pic of the skirt itself.

It was while I was making the skirt that I realized one of the threads on my serger had come un-threaded.  I was going to do the tying off method but I had no idea where the heck the stray thread came from and where all it wasn't threaded...so, I decided to take ALL of the threads out.  Of course after I did that, I suffered a brief moment of panic.  Then I calmed down, took out the manual and re-threaded the darn thing! I would be lying if I said I didn't drop a few F & S bombs or work up a sweat, but I got 'er done!

My Serger - Oh Susana! 

I am slowly accepting the fact that my eyes are aging and w/it I'm becoming farsighted, which means I can see things at a distance better than close up. I just recently learned the difference between nearsightedness and farsightedness.

Moving right along, I cut out all the strings for my Halloween spiderweb quilt.  There's all kinds of good stuff in this pile 'o strings; Cotton and Steel, Michael Miller, Dear Stella and Connecting Threads.

I even did a test block! It may or may not become part of the actual quilt. One reason is I don't have anymore of this orange fabric. Another is I'm trying to decide if I want the strings that immediately outline the star to be of the same color (not necessarily the same fabric) to make the star more defined. When I look at this star, it appears wonky. Not that there's anything wrong w/wonky, I'm just not going for that look w/the stars on this quilt.  What do you think?

I'm still finishing up some items for the Craft Sale tomorrow.  If you are local, come on by. I look forward to seeing you. We'll be in Glendale AZ at 46th Ave & Bryce Lane, which is just south of Northern from 8a - 2p! Click on the pic to see our Craigslist Ad. There will be handmade lovelies of all kinds to choose from. You won't want to miss this sale!

Craftsy is having another sale! Check out their Sale-A-Bration Alert! For a very limited time, you'll find top designers, beloved brands and much more marked down on Craftsy. With up to 60% off best-selling kits and supplies, you can shop 'til you drop! Hurry, the deals end Sunday!

It's party time!

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Everyone likes to hear "thank you" and know their effort is appreciated.

Spread the Love

The more love you give, the more you get. Pick a number (mine is 5) and commit to visiting and commenting on that many link-ups. Let them know where you're visiting from and ask them to visit you. (This works well for me!)

Direct Link

Use a direct link to a specific post, not your main blog.

Link Back

In your blog post, include a link back to my post/blog and/or grab the WHOOMP There IT Is! button above and put in your post or sidebar. Thanks for spreading the love.

Follow Me ;)

Of course I would love for all you linky-uppers to be followers, but it's NOT required.

Party Hearty! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy National Quilting Day!!

A Thread for Life
We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us, our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work.- Oswald Chambers

WHOOMP There IT Is! #16 - My Binding Evolution

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How do you quilt? Some people quilt by hand, some by machine...and some by check. Check? Yep! I cracked up the first time I heard it...lol! What it means is, they pay someone to do the quilting for them. In most cases it's a long-arm quilter.  Now, some long-arm quilters also offer binding services but...some don't. So I had the awesome idea to offer machine binding services to local quilters who want to bind by check. =)  I'm currently working on a list of services and prices.

When I first started quilting I got anxiety when it came to the actual quilting, but even more so when it came to binding. My teacher wasn't always available so I went surfing and came across Quilting in the Rain. I used Jera's Binding and Blind Stitching Tutorial for awhile.

Before long, I decided that hand binding is for the birds.  I then graduated to her Machine Binding Tutorial. After using this technique for some time, I decided I wanted something w/a less bulky ending.  I went surfing again and found Binding by Machine by Carole at Fresh off the Frame. It teaches a smooth, mitered join at the end. It was exactly what I was looking for!

And then one day, either several months or a year later ( I don't know exactly how long as life is busy and time passes way too quickly), I was visiting my friend jkfreeman13 (IG name). She was showing me quilts she'd made over the years and they were all finished w/a gorgeous and very polished binding that also had an accent color.  She referred to it as Susie's Magic Binding.   It is also known as Faux Piped Binding  and it is AMAZING! I've written about this AMAZING binding before.  In the FPB tutorial, Trisha explains the difference in pressing the seam of your binding and accent fabric one way or the other. The effect is either "stuffed" like piping, or "flat" like a flange. This is my absolute favorite binding tutorial to date and will be an option that I offer w/my services.  Hand binding, on the other hand, will not be an option I offer.

Last week at our Quilters Anonymous Sit & Sew, in spite of excessive socializing, I managed to get all of the squares sewn together for this scrappy lap quilt I've named Lap Full of Flowers.

 Afterward, I came home and made a scrappy Jellyroll Race Quilt top.

And one more thing before I get to the linky, Craftsy is at it again! 

#ad Between the busy holiday season and the first flowers of spring lies the perfect time for creativity. Celebrate with BIG savings on supplies at Craftsy, at up to 50% off! Get great deals on art supplies, fabric, yarn, baking tools and more. Browse the sale prices now before the best products are gone! 

Shop NOW thru 1/31 @11:59PM MT 

So...how have y'all been? I've been seeing lots of fantastic WIPs in blogland and IG but, I'm always thrilled to see more!

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Thank the Host

Everyone likes to hear "thank you" and know their effort is appreciated.

Spread the Love

The more love you give, the more you get. Pick a number (mine is 5) and commit to visiting and commenting on that many link-ups. Let them know where you're visiting from and ask them to visit you. (This works well for me!)

Direct Link

Use a direct link to a specific post, not your main blog.

Link Back

In your blog post, include a link back to my post/blog and/or grab the WHOOMP There IT Is! button above and put in your post or sidebar. Thanks for spreading the love.

Follow Me ;)

Of course I would love for all you linky-uppers to be followers, but it's NOT required.

Party Hearty! 

An InLinkz Link-up

A Thread for Life

And last but not least, GO BRONCOS!!!

A New Fave, Some Finishes and a Giveaway!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that may give me a small commission if you click on a link or ad AND buy.

A friend told me about a binding technique quite a while ago...but at the time, I was too preoccupied w/my current projects to pay it any attention.  Fast Forward 2 years and I was visiting another friend who was showing me piles of quilts she'd made over the years and they were all finished w/a gorgeous, professional looking binding. She referred to it as Susie's Magic Binding. But it's also known as Faux Piped Binding and it is AMAZING!  I prefer the FPB tutorial because it's a PDF and Trisha explains the effects of pressing the seam of your binding and accent fabric one way or the other. 

For a "stuffed" piped look, press your seam toward the accent fabric.

For a "flat" flange look, press your seam toward the binding fabric

I am totally hooked on this technique and have finished several quilts w/it!  I've always preferred machine binding, however my quilts have never looked better than w/this technique.  Thanks Trisha!

This pattern is Modern Lattice by Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts.

This pattern is Hillside Houses by Cristina of Pretty Little Quilts.

 And a couple other finishes...

And one last thing before you go...

A Craftsy Giveaway!   Enter HERE for a chance to win  a FREE class AND supplies for it! It doesn't get much better than this!  But hurry! The last day to enter is September 30, 2015 at 1159p MT!

Until next time, Happy Quilting and God Bless!

A Thread for Life

Great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Psalm 117:2 NIV

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TGIFF!

A Super Quick QAYG!

About a year or so after I learned how to quilt, I started looking online for different ways/options to do things such as binding, basting,etc.  As a new quilter, binding was my least favorite part of quilting.  I dreaded it!  There had to be an easier way of binding than how I'd been taught! 

One of the first sites I came across was Quilting In The Rain. It was love at first sight! Jera's instructional and pattern tutorials are simple and quick. I found her binding tutorials very refreshing.  I stalked her blog many a night and always left inspired.  I've made several of her patterns over the last few years; the latest being one from her book Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern which I won an autographed copy of on an Instagram giveaway!

I needed something that would go together super quick for an upcoming baby shower and chose the Queen Anne Steps pattern. 

It worked perfectly for the 3 fabrics I'd chosen to match the decor in the baby's room and it's a good size; 48 1/2" x 60 1/2".  

It's definitely a pattern one could complete in about 8 hours or so...depending on how fancy you get w/your quilting however,  I did it in about 4 shorter sessions. 

I thought it would be a good opportunity to practice FMQ, however it proved to be difficult for me because I matched my thread to the fabric and couldn't really see what the heck I was doing! Since I did match the thread to the fabric, I sewed all the pink strips first, then the blue and lastly the orange. I did practice FMQ on all the pink strips and quickly switched to simple wavy and straight lines for the next 2 colors. 

I used the leftover strips to make a matching pillow.

In case you didn't notice, I finally made a blog signature! I used this tutorial I found on Val's Quilting Studio  Tutorials page.  Afterward I started looking around on how to make a custom header and came across this tutorial using Pic Monkey.  I've been playing around w/it all week...but my blog header is still a work in progress! Hopefully soon I will get it and my blog looking exactly how I want it. But for now, what you see, is what you get! =)

A Thread for Life

You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast,

because they trust in you.

Trust in the Lord forever,

for the Lord, the Lord himself, 

is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4

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Until next time, Happy Quilting and God Bless!

Goal Reached and Other Things

I pray everyone had a Merry Christmas. Mine was good. My family came to my  house where we ate, drank and were merry. Afterward we went to Glendale Glitters. It was a really good day.

I actually finished sewing my quilted gifts on Christmas Eve. I wanted to give something quilted AND useful. I settled on these microwave cozies.

Leaning Tower of Cozies

 I made...and gave 37 of them. They were well received. I got the idea from this post and Jenn graciously sent me this tutorial.  Thanks ladies!

I've got my new grandson's quilt top together. It measures 39.75" x 47.5".   I basted it last night and will be quilting it this week. I remember Greta saying, as she was cutting out the triangles w/her Go! Baby Accuquilt Fabric Cutter, how the colors and fabrics reminded her of a "gourmet" Iowa spring day.  So I'm calling this quilt; Iowa Spring Day. Thanks Greta!

 At first I was overwhelmed, not sure how to layout all these colors and fabrics. I finally decided to just alternate dark and light triangles in each row. Eventually I started to run out of lighter colored fabrics but then I remembered a trick I saw somewhere...I think it was Instagram.  By turning a fabric over, to wrong side out, it basically looks like a lighter/muted shade of the same fabric. I did this several times through out the baby quilt.  Thank you whoever thought of this wonderful technique!

Middle fabric used as a dark

Middle fabric turned wrong side out and used as a light

This was my first time sewing triangles together. I found/used this tutorial. Thanks Lorna!  Instead of pressing the seams open, I opted to press to one side or the other, alternating rows.

I've also been working on the pattern test I mentioned in my last post. I've got it basted and ditched. I'm calling it Walk Like An Egyptian. I love how it's turning out. I can't wait for everyone to see it! It's going to be a wall hanging above my bed. I'm not sure how I'm going to hang it as I've never hung a quilt before, so if anyone can point me in the direction of a good How to Hang Quilts tutorial, please point away.

I bought myself a walking foot. One came w/my machine when I bought it a couple of years ago, but every time I used it, it bunched up my fabric and put a black line on it.

Anyway, I used my new one for ditching Walk Like An Egyptian and it worked beautifully. I am going to use it to quilt both of these quilt and I'm sure many others to come.

I haven't shared pics of Ivy in a while. She is now 6 1/2 mos.  Look how big and beautiful she's gotten.

I pray this coming year is a blessed and peaceful one for you all.

Until next time, Happy Quilting and God Bless!

A Thread for Life
So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble. Matt 6:34

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