Merry Christmas to all..........

I have a question for you? 

When you unwrap a gift, be it Christmas, birthday, or special occasion, do you gingerly take your time preserving the paper as best you can, or do you bust into the gift like a 5 year old?

I remember when I was very young, my family always got the biggest kick out of watching us kids opening Christmas presents like a tornado.  Bows and wrapping paper flying everywhere!  I also remember when I was about 8 years old watching my great aunt open her Christmas gifts with such care.  When she FINALLY got her gift unwrapped, you could hardly tell the wrapping paper had even been used!  She would then in turn save the wrapping, and reuse it for future Christmas gifts.  (This is also one of the women who had a profound influence upon me concerning quilting!)  I decided right then and there, I would become a Christmas wrap "scrapper."

Here is the proof! 

This box contains years and years of recycled gift wrap!  It probably dates back at least 20 years!  It is chocked full of beautiful Christmas gift wrap in various shades and designs.  It's fairly heavy, and it is where I shop for gift wrap when I need it!

  Here is a little deeper in the box.......

And, deeper still............

Am I alone here?  Surely I am not the only one that does this?  PLEASE tell me I am not the only one that does this!  LOL  And all the while I am wrapping, or sewing these days, this is what I am listening to..........

Vintage Christmas albums played on my Grandmother's old stereo!

Here are three of my favorites from my childhood.

OK, so now for some serious business.......





http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/easy-street-mystery.html



It was Clue #5 for Easy Street on Friday, and the minute I got the clue, I was down in my sewing room working on it, and finishing it in record time!

  This..........

turned into these!

There has been some discussion on Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville blog about the name of these units, but, I suggested they be called "Up on the Housetop" blocks considering it is almost Christmas! 

 Hmmmmmm????????  I wonder?????

I will be travelling to my parent's home for Christmas and will be gone for the next few days.  So I would like to extend my most heartfelt gratitude for every blogger/quilter I have encountered so far along my blogging journey.  I hope you all have the Merriest of Christmas'!

Thanks for all of the encouragement!

Kevin the Quilter

Merry Christmas!









Whew.........

This sure was a busy, BUSY week!  Let me see if I can recap briefly:

Attending my sister's annual Madrigal Dinner!

And you all thought I could just sew quilts!  LOL

This was my niece's first appearance in the performance as she is a freshman in high school.  My sis is a high school choral director and works so hard on this performance.  It is ALWAYS wonderful!

Computer Problems = 1 1/2 days on the phone with incompetent customer service!

(Problems are finally resolved!)

Cooking and cleaning for a neighborhood Christmas Party!

Christmas Tree and Christmas Cat in the office.

AND

Clue #4 in Bonnie Hunter's online mystery quilt at Quiltville called Easy Street!

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/easy-street-mystery.html

Yes, this is the version of the game I played growing up!

Somehow I fit in making all of the required units this week, and here they are!

The Easy Angle Ruler strikes again!  OK, well, I used it again! LOL

You can view other's progress here:
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-4.html

I can't wait to see everything come together with this quilt!  Bonnie promised those of us participating in this online mystery quilt there will be no flying geese units next week.  Hmmmmmm...............I wonder what that sassy little scrapper is up to???? 

Thanks to all of you who have interacted with me during this new experience.  It's been great so far!

Thanks for all of the encouragement!

Kevin the Quilter

Merry Christmas!

I must be doing something right.....

Was anyone else wondering what the key to Easy Street is?  I know I was!  And then, it hit me!  I thought to myself, and I said, "Self.....you KNOW the key to easy street is............"

 

 

 

OK, so, maybe Annie, isn't the key to this Easy Street Mystery?  But, every time I say those words, "Easy Street" I immediately think of the song from the Broadway Musical Annie.  I think I have every word memorized from my childhood, and more recently from my niece's.  I am pretty sure she watched it every day for full year?

 

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/easy-street-mystery.html

 

I have been enjoying my journey on this "Easy Street" thus far.  I think the key to THIS Easy Street Mystery is the Easy Angle Ruler!  I am so pleased Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville introduced me to it through this online mystery quilt.  SO far, the measurements have been very accurate with the Easy Angle Ruler, and SO far everything has fit together beautifully!  Here are the results of step #3:

  Love that Easy Angle Ruler!

All units for #3 completed awaiting a trim.

 

 



 I have loved seeing and interacting with many of the participants of this mystery quilt.  Keep up the good work everyone!  http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-3.html

 

Thanks for all of the encouragement!

Kevin the Quilter

 



 MERRY CHRISTMAS!



On a December afternoon....

I have had a blast reading the responses I got from my last post.  I can see how blogging can (and will) be addicting! 

I am in the process of a very large project that I can't share a lot about right now, because I want it to be a surprise.  It involves my parents, and a particular wedding anniversary..........OK! OK! OK!  You talked it out of me.  I am in the middle of making a quilt for my parent's upcoming 50th Wedding Anniversary.  I am so privileged to be a part of such an incredible and close-knit family, and I am so very proud of my parents for so many different reasons.

Here is a little peek at the fabrics I am working with:

Shimmering gold.....oooooooooooo

 

I have a lot of work done, but, I will hold off showing the pattern, and design I am working on until I am a little farther along.  For those of you concerned about if I will get it done or not, please know, I am over half of the way finished, and this will give my long arm quilter 6 months to finish. 

 

I can't wait for this Friday's clue from Bonnie Hunter for her mystery quilt, Easy Street!

 http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/easy-street-mystery.html 

 

 

This mystery quilt has given me some much needed distraction from my parent's anniversary quilt. 

 

I sure do hope everyone has a great rest of the week!  Enjoy the season!

 

 

Meowy Christmas!

 

 

Thanks for all of the encouragement!

Kevin the Quilter



I'm a little fish in a BIG pond....

In the two days I have started this blog, I have found it to be.............interesting?

I am sure of a few things......

 

I must learn more about how to post photos.

 

I need to learn more of the "ins and outs" concerning posting links.

 

I am NOT as tech savvy as I once had thought?!?!?!?!

 

So, here is one of the real reasons I started this blog.......Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt, Easy Street!



 

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-2.html

 

 

I admit I have only been "serious"ly quilting for about 2 years now, and this is my very first mystery quilt to ever participate in.  I also have to admit I have been lurking on quilt blogs and have enjoyed seeing other's work for a VERY long time now, and am excited to have created my own quilting blog.  We will see how it goes?  

 

I decided to go with a patriotic color scheme as I will be donating this quilt to Quilts of Valor via alyciaquilts.blogspot.com

Here are my 4 patches ready to go! 

 

Here are those perky geese, also ready to go!  I had never used Bonnie's recommended method for making flying geese with the EZ Angle Ruler, and EZ Angle Companion ruler, but, I may be sold!

And before you all think I wasn't completely caught up.....here are the rectangles!

It was Col. Mustard in the lavatory with the candle stick! 
It's a MYSTERY! BWAHAHAHAHA!

 

Thanks for your encouragement!

Kevin the Quilter



In the beginning........

Really?

Seriously?

Are you for real?

Honestly?

You're kidding with me, right?

The answer to all of these questions (except the last one) is YES!  I am creating my own blog!

 

In this blog I plan to feature my creative side.  A side of me that has been waiting to be unveiled for a very long time.  My therapeutic side...................QUILTING! 

 

I would love to have some fun along this blogging journey while I reveal my reasons for quilting, how I got involved in quilting, and other tid-bits of knowledge I have gathered throughout my career as a flight attendant.  You can bet there will be a great deal of Boston Terrier rhetoric as well!  Perhaps there will be posts about gardening, or flea market/antique mall finds?  Who knows? 

 

Anywho, this is the first post in the old record books.  And I want to thank Bonnie Hunter of www.quiltville.com  for spurring me to create this blog post so I can share my progress along with her mystery quilt, Easy Street.  I would also like to thank Alycia of www.alyciaquilts.blogspot.com for recommending that I start a blog of my own.

 

As soon as I learn how to upload photos, and share links, and yadda, yadda, yadda..........I will!

 

Thanks for your encouragement! 

Kevin the Quilter 

 

No Boston Terriers were hurt while taking this photograph!