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Saturday, December 10, 2022

This Creative Week Christmas scraps turned into gifts

 

previous Christmas quilt hanging in our stairwell
Welcome to my creativity round up this week!  This week I took part in a free workshop on creativity with three lectures a day. I love Eric Maisel. 

I spent an amount of time being creative in the kitchen this week, (yep even dog cookies turn into art around here)

cranberry applesauce poodle cookies as a mandala

getting out the Christmas dishes, and kitchen towels, hanging quilts around the house from previous years, and using Christmas scrap fabric to create a few gifts, and soothe my harried soul...

I approached each little mug rug with the same deliberation I do other art projects... this with that, lines, colors, angles, giggles, metallic threads, couched gold cording, iron on crystals... and surprise backings for some people. These will hopefully fit in Christmas cards so I don't have to go to a post office. 

I reorganized all my copies of recipes into two notebooks now, making finding ones we like easier. That meant getting rid of some we didn't like as much, and not one to waste paper, I painted another lady over an apple crumb muffin printout. (The muffins were dry and we found a better recipe)

I really like her, and learn from each drawing. Again I used the stabilo black crayon then pulled the black lines with water brush to form shadows. It's not easy to control but fun to see what happens!

some close ups....click on images to enlarge them further

I am quilting last year's Christmas quilt in large sections, then planning to put it together.... but it's a challenge to get through my small harp on the Bernina 1630

the center will be the hardest, 9 blocks already together, sandwiched with batting and backing and hard to manipulate through the machine. I start with the easiest bits, the top three, bottom three, the side 6, and next to quilt is the right side 6. 

time to safety pin baste! then quilt!
I will sew the quilted tops together pulling backing away to make a solid seam cover after the sections are sewn. I'll do the final stitching by hand to make sure it's nearly invisible. I've done many bed quilts this way.

For RSC, all the white/cream/beige fabrics are neutral scraps, the colored pieces are my kind of neutral scraps. Each octagon center is a special fun fabric collected over the years. 

okay so I collect a half yard and use just this much.... heh heh.... I'm a collector!

wish me luck quilting this!

and now some things you didn't know you wanted...

gifts quilters want this year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O07J_q9UFEU

happy arting y'all 

patchwork Sunday    

 slow stitching Sundays                

design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays 

17 comments:

  1. I have done quilts that way...and the last one I sewed on the ironing board which worked out pretty well. Can't wait to see it! Milo's treats looks great in a mandala - ever the artist.

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  2. That's a whole lot of nice things, you're so creative.

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  3. Your Christmas quilt is going to be stunning. I have made many large quilts by quilting them in sections with great success.

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  4. Super cute Christmas quilts and mug rugs, LeeAnna, and I absolutely LOVE that portrait-on-trash, too!!

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  5. You have so many fun little Christmas minis there! I love seeing how you put things together. Quilting a big quilt in sections is such a good idea. Eventually it will be done!

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  6. Thanks for sharing the link...it is a fun watch! Lots of Christmas sewing happening around your studio and fun Christmas fabrics!

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  7. Hi LeeAnna, I love your rug mugs. Very cute. I really hope to have time to make a few before Christmas. Take care.

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  8. LeeAnna - I envy the time you invest in creativity - of course, I could do the same - it is up to me to change it! Maybe a New Year's resolution!!! Love your lady drawing, especially on "used" paper ... Merry Christmas, my friend!

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  9. Love all your projects! Your mug rugs photographed together looks like an artist installation. Love them so much! Have a great holiday LeeAnna!

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  10. Fabulous mug rugs. So much to look at, so much to enjoy! I love seeing fabrics that are in my stash too! The quilt you are working on will be wonderful. I remember it from last Christmas time.

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  11. The title of your post pulled me in! (Heck, all your posts pull me in...) Great way to use up all those scraps.

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  12. What a lovely pineapple border for your Christmas quilt. You do have an amazing collection of fabrics in the centers.

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  13. Hi LeeAnna,
    Christmas! Your decor looks great !
    Fun to see bits of fabric, doesn't matter how much you have in the stash, in a project :)
    hugs, take care,
    Joanne

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  14. Thanks for linking up to TGIFF! I do love watching the Christmas quilt get quilted. Your mug rugs are so terrific, too.

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  15. Lovely mug rugs, and your quilt is going to be wonderful!

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  16. Hi LeeAnna,
    Your mug rugs are so cute. And a great idea to include one in a Christmas card to a friend. I wrote the idea down to make some next year for Christmas gifts.....this Christmas is coming too soon for me to be distracted by another squirrel project!
    Thanks for linking up with Design Wall Mondays. Your blog is always interesting and makes me think of new things. Hugs, Judy

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  17. Love the idea of a Christmas card with a little mug rug inside! Perfect gift. Thanks for sharing on Wednesday Wait Loss.

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