What's Outside Your Attic Windows???

Attic Windows

57 x 67

For my grandson, Jacob, for Christmas

Hey, it's actually a quilt I started and finished all in the same year! So, darn it...nothing gets crossed off the UFO list.  But I guess the point is to NOT have a UFO list.  

Some of the window fabrics are scraps from other projects and some are remnants I have picked up over the years.  I had the quilt top already made and found a Spiderman fabric remnant that would have been perfect for a window.  But it was not meant to be. 

I quilted it on my plain Jane Janome DSM with straight lines here and there hoping it would not ruin the 3D effect. (There is a 3D effect, right)? 

Yes, those are eyes in the dark peeping in in the bottom row.  My grandson wanted me to make him a quilt that just had eyes on it....kind of  a "here's looking at you, kid" type of quilt.  This is as close as I have gotten to that wish so far. 

I used some alien (or monster?) flannel on the back. 

That's what is on my design clothesline (no design wall here) this fine Monday. For other design wall inspiration visit Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. 

Fulfilling some goals:

1, This was my 3rd Quarter goal  (#4 on this post) for the 2015 Finish Along with Adrianne at On the Windy Side. 

2. This was my July goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes (#9 at the goal setting party.)    Link to ALYOF is on my sidebar. 

3. At the end of the month I'll link up to Julie's Binding Blitz. 

Attic Windows

My July Goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes:

Finish the Attic Windows quilt for my grandson. 

I Kind of Spaced Out for a While

I'm making an Attic Windows quilt for my grandson. 

I felt the urge to work on a quick, easy and whimsical quilt. 

These are nine inch blocks and I need several more. 

Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times

Three Christmas Gifts

I took advantage of some time off work to finish up a few lap quilts I'm giving for Christmas.  

Wednesday I did some hand embroidery between some Thursday dinner prep - pumpkin pies with crust from scratch. The pumpkin was from the garden.  Thursday morning I got the  broccoli au gratin (a tradition with broccoli from the garden), deviled eggs, candied sweet potatoes (kids don't like them but grandkids love them), sage dressing (sage from the garden and bread homemade) and mashed potatoes (potatoes from the garden) as well as the turkey ready for dinner with kids and their spouses and grandkids.  I always like Thanksgiving because we use cloth napkins and grandma's china and everyone goes around the table to say what they are thankful for. Even the little ones look forward to telling what they are thankful for which is usually family. And, of course I wish I would have remembered to take a family photo for the scrapbook...but I didn't. 

And, without further ado...here are the quilts I've finished hanging out on the clothesline soaking up that good outdoor smell. 

 "Attic Windows" is for my daughter and son-in-law who love the great outdoors. I used some real looking animal 6.5 inch charms I swapped with the I Spy Yahoo Group last year.  And one square is mushrooms since they are avid mushroom hunters also.

 I wasn't sure how to quilt it so it wouldn't take away from the 3-D window effect. I finally decided on invisible thread for the front and tan for the back and quilted in what I hope are straight lines. I don't see well enough to stitch entirely in the ditch and that measuring bar that comes with the walking foot doesn't work anymore with my walking foot because the plastic that holds it in broke off.  This was also my first time stitching with invisible thread even though I have a couple of spools in my thread drawer that I tried to use for some hand sewing that didn't work out. I also figured out what those little mesh things that come with the sewing machine are for - to put over the unruly invisible thread that kept getting caught on the spool spindle until I used the mesh thingy.

 The back of attic windows - a collage pattern of outdoorsy things.

 "Autumn with a Twist" is a lap quilt for one of my sisters and her husband.  She and her entire family of kids and grandkids come out every Christmas for dinner and we all play games like we did at Christmas when we were growing up.

 These blocks were from a swap on the Mailblocks Yahoo Group. For all participants you had to make one 12 inch block, two 6 inch blocks and six 3 inch blocks in fall colors with cream colored background.

I quilted it with freemotion pumpkins and leaves. I used cream colored thread for the front and variegated purple on the back. 

 "How Sweet You Are" is for one of my sons and his girlfriend. It is a bunch of Happy Blocks with sweet treat centers - candy, cupcakes, suckers, etc.

I quilted freemotion swirls. 

 And I used a soft flannel sheet on the back that I found at the thrift store for $2.50 to make it extra warm and cuddly for my sweeties and granddaughter when they watch TV or cuddle up with a good book.

You will find me at the Sew Darn Crafty linky party. Party on! 
I'm also linking up at Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times (even tho' I don't have a design wall - just a design floor for now). And, finally, I'm linking up at Freemotion by the River. 

Looking Out Attic Windows

I participated in a 6.5 inch animal swap about a year ago that was hosted on the I Spy Yahoo Group. I have lots of 6.5 inch squares - piles of them- so decided to sort through a few of the piles and sort out all of the animals. I ended up with several new piles - realistic looking animals, cutesy kid print animals, small print animals, and "under the sea" creatures. I decided the realistic looking animals would make a nice attic windows quilt for my daughter and son-in-law who love the great outdoors. Only one square is not an animal- it is mushrooms. They are avid mushroom hunters too.

Now, I have one less pile and a flimsy. I'm going to add another small border in white or gray??? and another wider border in black???  and who knows what for the backing. Everything so far has been from my stash. I might have to buy some fabric to finish it up.

And then I will have to figure out how to quilt it. Hmmm....

Linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times and at Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River.