Piecing, Sewing, and a Berry Merry Wreath

I've been in my sewing room nearly every day and I'm happy to report that I'm up-to-date on all three quilt alongs. I've posted quilt along pictures to Instagram because two of them are hosting giveaways. You just have to show proof of your progress.

This is the #BerninaZenChicQAL progress. I've made all eight blocks, and have a total of 55 of them completed.

For the #YearofScrappyTriangles I've made only one block of each of nine blocks, though I also made Leila's bonus block for registering to receive her monthly newsletter.

Fabric arrived for the last two pair of flannel pjs, and I'll have to say that these were the nicest fabrics to work with! The flannel is called "Chelsea," and it came from a Canadian online shop - Fabricville. I paid a very reasonable price for the yardage, and was pleasantly surprised at the nicer quality of the flannel, as compared to Joann Fabrics. I emailed the company to say so.

Dinosaurs on the left; robots on the right.

Grandsons should find these very soft. And this year they're large enough (size 8s), with folded-up cuffs, that they should be able to wear them for many months. The pattern is "Sleepover" by Oliver and S. Oh, and each grandson is getting a coordinating long-sleeved thermal knit top to go with their pjs. Got them all mailed on Friday.

On December 1 my friend and super-talented quilt designer, Anne Deister of SpringleafStudios, offered a pattern for a free 28" X 28" wall hanging called "Berry Merry Wreath." After seeing her simple, yet dynamic design, I was in a rush to make it. It's extra fun to shop from my own stash. For the background I used scraps from my bin of neutrals, and for the greenery (Friendship Star) and berries, I chose solids. All the patches finish at 2-1/2" square.

For quilting I used circular rulers to... well, quilt circles! The spirals were free motion quilted by eyeball.

My favorite part of circles is filling in with FMQ. 

For the wall hanging backing, I used an incongruous print that had some sentiment behind it. It's one of several fabrics I purchased in the United Arab Emirates, when we visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi (our daughter was working there) in November 2005. The print has some silver sparkles, and though it doesn't look that great with the binding I chose, I'm glad to have put it to good use.

The binding is single-fold, and I used my favorite No Tails Binding: Mitered Corners by Machine method. 

This is Berry Merry Wreath that's on my design wall, giving my sewing room a little holiday spirit - the extent of Christmas decorating at our house.

Today, in anticipation of four Christmas parties Monday through Wednesday, I made Crockpot Peanut Clusters as shared with me by my Iowa-Texas friend Patty who found them on Pinterest. I've learned that not all crockpots operate at the same "warm" temperature; ours runs hot. So though I put the ingredients in a crockpot, I sat the crockpot in the oven at the lowest (170-degree) temperature. It successfully melted four kinds of calorie-packed chocolates! I have 97 of these mini cakes, so that should get me through all functions. I plan to remove the papers before I set them out on a serving tray.

The effort of making these reminds me how much I appreciate Dan's work in the kitchen, and that I have greater success in the sewing room. Being in the sewing room makes me a whole lot happier too! Linda