For the Granddaughters

These are little beaded crochet amulet bags to wear around the neck.  They can hold all the magic, amulets, charms etc. a girl possesses...or maybe they will hold some spare change and/or a dollar bill and some chap stick.  Who knows? They are Christmas gifts for the two granddaughters.  

I also bead crocheted a couple of wrap bracelets with button closures for them. 

They are the ones who like to dress in black now. I would rather have made them in all sorts of colors but they aren't for me. 

And I finished crocheting another hat for the hat pile. 

This was goal #18

for Finish-A-Long 2016

I finished one in purple/gray for the other granddaughter quite some time ago. 

A Hat. How About That!

I finished yet another hat for one of the granddaughters. The granddaughters love hats and will get quite a variety from this granny for Christmas. 

This was my goal #17 

for 

Q4 Finish-A-Long 2016

Grab Bags

I just completed two "Grab Bags" for Christmas gifts for the granddaughters.  They are pre-teens (one turned 12 on Halloween and the other will be 12 on Dec. 7) and suddenly have abandoned their somewhat Bohemian style for the Goth look. I think that style is called something else now but just the same the color black dominates in their clothing choices and accessories.  Maybe they played with too many of those hideous Monster High dolls after ditching Barbie a few years back. Who knows? I just go with the flow.   They are still the same giggly girls with good grades and good manners I've always known.  They just look a little less colorful. 

I made these Grab Bags from some glow in the dark skull fabric and used the free pattern at AllPeopleQuilt.  Hopefully they fit into their "style". 

For the lining I used some black cat fabric and made pockets out of some spiderweb and eyeball fabric.  Kind of creepy, I know. 

You close them up by putting the side with the longer handle through the shorter handle.  

Of course I had to label my work but didn't figure a "made for you with love by grandma" label would be too cool. So I made up my own label or is it my brand name? - "Cat's Meow"...get it? My name is Cathy (husband calls me Cat) and these Grab Bags made by me are definitely The Cat's Meow! (Corny, I know, but I think the girls will get it kick out of it). 

I experimented with making the labels. First I used 100% polyester twill tape but the ink smeared too much on them.  Then I found this 100% cotton twill tape and it worked a lot better. I was digging around for some pens in my scrap booking stuff and found this little cat stamp and decided to try it too for a little fun.  My ink pad was dried up so had to buy a new one but that's okay because I think I see more Cat's Meow labels in my future. 

These two Grab Bags were goals 24 and 25

for Q4 Finish-A-Long 2016. 

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Moving it Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag

Bag It! at Elm' Street Quilts

When It Is Too Hot to Hand Quilt Sometimes I Crochet

My eleven year old granddaughters (soon to be 12) love hats. So for Christmas I thought I would crochet them up a bunch of different hats.   I had the girls look through the pattern book and pick out a favorite (but I didn't tell them I would actually make them their favs).   This was Kayla's favorite - bear cub beanie.   I previously posted a finish for Isabelle's choice called Pixie Hood. 

I'm going to make another one of these so each of the girls gets one. 

And I need to make another one of these so each girl gets one.  I like the granny squares around the rim but I didn't like making so many of those darned little things. 

They each get a Cabled Beanie. I'm shocked I actually made the cable turn out because I had a difficult time understanding the directions.  While the directions were fresh in my mind I decided to start right in on the second one. 

All of the patterns were found in this book. 

I supposed I had better make my grandson a couple of hats too.  I know he will be jealous of theirs!! 

Finished

Jack's Chain

66 x 80

Hand quilted

I used lots of bright little 3 inch 9 patches. Some were swapped.  I've grown to love these little 9Ps. It's amazing what will sometimes show up in a little 1 inch square. 

I used lots of different colored threads and several size 10 quilting betweens. 

I quilted an X in the 9 patches and quilted about 1/4 inch around the inside of the triangles and in the ditch around the hexagons - all in navy thread.  I used a quilt stencil, white marking pencil and those different colored threads...

... and hand quilted in the center of those hexagons.  I'm thinking I should have stitched in the ditch around those triangles too because they kind of poof out around the edges but really don't see any sense in spending hand quilting time stitching a lot in the ditch where no one will see.  So poofy it is and poofy it stays. 

This quilt was a challenge for me in several ways. But I'm pleased with how it turned out. I was especially worried about the binding around a quilt like this but I persevered and got it done. 

This is the back.

This will go into the hope chest as a wedding quilt for my grandson. He's only 7 but he will get a quilt from me for his wedding no matter what.  I always like to plan ahead. 

And that makes 3 wedding quilts for my 3 grandkids.  They were all challenges for me and all hand quilted.  There's a Pickle Dish for Kayla (age 11) , A Double Wedding Ring for Isabelle (age 11) and a Jack's Chain for Jacob (age 7). 

Now, I need to buy a hope chest!

This was my goal #12       for the     Q1 Finish-A-long

I'll be busy with grandkids tomorrow so later in the day I will link up to:

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.

Jack's Chain

Jack's Chain is still in the hoop and probably will be for awhile. It's a large quilt. 

Right now I'm  using navy thread and just quilting x through the little 3 inch nine patches and quilting 1/4 (eyeballed) inside the triangles and quilting in the ditch around the hexagons.

Later I will quilt this motif in all of the hexagons in different colored threads. 

Since there's a whole lot of slow stitching going on in this thing I'm linking up to:

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

And since there's a whole lot of scraps in this quilt I'm linking up to:

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

It's a Wrap!

Well, actually, it's a shawl...a finished shawl. 

This is a Christmas present for my granddaughter, Kayla, the pink-lover. 

I've been crocheting it during my lunch breaks. 

The yarn is Caron Simply Soft.  

The pattern was from The Prayer Shawl Companion. 

It's a finished shawl. It's a wrap. 

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Hand Quilted Pickle Dish

Pickle Dish

67 x 67

Pattern from Kaffe Fassett's book Quilt Romance

This is a wedding quilt for my granddaughter's hope chest.  (She's only 10 years old now so it will be a few years before she sees it) 

It is hand quilted.  I used stencils to mark some of the quilting and in other sections. 

I'm still working to perfect my stitches. Right now I'm trying for consistent size. Later I will try for smaller and smaller stitches.  I love hand quilting. It is so relaxing and gives a quilt a lovely texture.  And somehow I think it puts me in touch with my ancestors. 

As with most of my quilts...this was a learning experience...curves, paper piecing, hand quilting...I'm hoping I'm still alive when my granddaughter gets married but if not I will be there in the spirit of this quilt. 

This is my entry for the Hand Quilted Category at 

Blogger's Quilt Festival at AmysCreativeSide.com

Guess What!

It's Finished!!

Pickle Dish

67 x 67

A Wedding Quilt

For the Hope Chest of my Granddaughter, Kayla, age 10

Hand Quilted 

 I enjoyed every minute of making this. It's an old friend. 

I hope I'm around when my granddaughter gets married and receives this quilt. But, if not, I'll be there in spirit. 

This is my second wedding quilt for one of the grandchildren. The first was a Double Wedding Ring for Isabelle.  Now I need to work on my Jack's Chain quilt - a wedding quilt for my grandson, Jacob. 

This was my goal #4 out of 11 for 2015 Finish Along

Also linking up to:
Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

And, finally, linking up to Julie's January Binding Blitz. 

Almost

The Pickle Dish

I've finished hand quilting the "pickles" and the centers.

I guess you can see the (attempt at hand) quilting better from the back. 

And I've finished hand quilting the hearts in the 4 patches.  (It is a wedding quilt). 

The hearts on the back. 

All I have left are the borders! More hearts! (It is a wedding quilt). 

On the back. (That's a stray little thread over there on the left and not a long stitch in the middle of nowhere. 

I'm almost at the finish line! 

And when I'm finished this will go into a hope chest...a wedding quilt for one of my granddaughters who just turned ten.  (Hey, I'm not getting any younger!! Just planning ahead!)

WIPs Be Gone at A Quilting Reader's Garden

Can I Get A Whoop, Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Hmmmmmmmm...

I've finished hand quilting (I know...to some of you it might look like I've finished basting) the melons and arches on the Pickle Dish quilt for the hope chest of one of my granddaughters. 

The center section of the Pickle Dish is smaller than the Double Wedding Ring I made for the other granddaughter so I can't use the same stencil.   I never know exactly what to quilt. So, maybe I'll use this heart design for the centers...

...as well as for the four patches. 

It is a wedding quilt for the future for a pink-loving girl so I guess I can go lovey-dovey with the hearts. 

Doing any hand stitching today? 

Join us for Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts