Merry Christmas!

The Christmas sewing is finally finished- hooray! Pics after Christmas- can't spoil the surprise!  Now I just have to do some wrapping and a little baking and we'll be all set.

I am looking forward to spending time this week savoring this special season with my family and enjoying the magic and wonder of Christmas.

Wishing you, all my sweet friends, a wonderful holiday full of JOY, LOVE, HEALTH and HAPPINESS.

Merry Christmas!

xo,
Jennifer

And the Winner Is....

WOW- 1596 comments! Y'all rock! Seriously!

A big congratulations goes to Kristen, #420:

20 

KD-Quilts said...

I am a new follower!

December 12, 2011 11:24 AM 

Now my comments are numbered but repeat after 200 so #420 is #20 on the comment page of 401-600. 

Yay Kristen! I'll be sending your box of goodies on Monday. 

A huge thank you to all of you that entered and those of you that are new followers. We have lots of fun around here. I think you'll be glad to stick around. 

Off to do a little more holiday sewing today and then some last minute shopping this weekend. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you all! 

xo, 

Jennifer

Easy-Peasy Table Runner

In case you missed it the other day, here is my table runner tutorial that I shared at Sew We Quilt.

Perfect for Christmas but the pattern works with any fabric, any time.

(If you are looking for the Great Big Giveaway, click HERE.)

Each Christmas eve my family has a special hors d'oeuvre dinner- all yummy appetizers such as ham biscuits, chicken nuggets, spinach-artichoke dip, asparagus bites, fruit dips, pizza bites, potato skins.... you get the idea. Lots of food- none of it particularly healthy but all of it delicious. It started as a tradition when I was a little girl, and is something we continue and look forward to each year. This year we are hosting and my parents and brother and sister-in-law will be coming to our house for dinner before church. It should be lots of fun and excitement with my children all excited about Santa and Christmas eve!

So I decided this year to make a holiday table runner for our Christmas eve spread. This one was easy to put together and will be something fun to bring out each year.

This project is so easy and quick, you could put one together in plenty of time for Christmas too. The design is versatile and can be used at any time of year.

Let's get started!

Easy-Peasy Table Runner 
Finished Size: 55" x 16"

Materials:
6 different Christmas Fabrics: 3 half yards and 3 quarter yards
2 yards of white fabric
1/8th of a yard of red fabric
1/3 yard for binding
backing: pieced using leftover fabric from the front
batting 60" x 20"
12.5" x 12.5" square up ruler

You will be making 4 picture frame blocks with sashing.

Cutting the White Sashing:
1. Line up your selvages (hold your fabric in the air to do this) then press your fabric. You will be pressing out wrinkles from when it was on the bolt.

2. Fold your fabric in half so that you have 1 yard on top of 1 yard with the fold on the left side and the selvage along the bottom of the cutting mat.

3. Fold again so that you have 18" showing and the fold is on the left and the selvage is along the bottom of the cutting mat.

4. Turn your fabric (or your mat) so the selvage is vertical (on your right) and trim to remove the selvage.

Now spin your cutting mat around so that your selvage side is on your left.

Now cut a 3" wide strip which will give you two pieces of sashing. Put them aside for now.

Cutting for the Blocks:
1. From your center fabric, cut (4) 6.5" x 6.5" pieces for the middle of the squares.
2. From the white fabric (border 1) cut (8) 1.5" x 6.5" and (8) 1.5" x 8.5" strips and (2) 3" x 12.5" strips (for sashing.)

3. Now choose fabric for border 2 and cut a 1.5" x WOF strip and subcut into (2) 1.5" x 8.5" pieces and (2) 1.5" x 10.5" pieces. (Repeat for other 3 blocks.)

4. Now choose fabric for border 3 and cut (2) 2" x WOF strips and subcut them into (2) 2" x 10.5" and (2) 2" x 14" strips. (Repeat for other 3 blocks.)

5. Cut (1) 2.5" x WOF of red fabric for sashing and subcut into (3) 2.5" x 12.5" pieces.

Whew! All of the cutting is finished.

Assembly:
Assemble your blocks by adding borders to the center squares, adding top and bottom pieces first, then the sides. Add border 1, then border 2, then border 3.

After each addition, press your seams flat and trim any excess fabric. After sewing on the 3rd border, square up your blocks to 12.5" x 12.5."

Design Tip: Mix up your fabrics in combinations you like to make each block a little different.

Next, lay out your blocks as you wish and add the red sashing between the 4 blocks. Press. Now add your 3" x 12.5" white sashing strips to the end of your row of blocks. Press again.

The last steps are to sew on the top and bottom row of white sashing strips (3" x WOF)  onto the row of blocks. Trim excess and press.

Now, baste as you wish (I spray baste) and quilt as desired. The 1/3 yard of fabric for the binding is for (4) 2.5" strips. Add the binding and you're done!

Now you can enjoy a festive table runner this Christmas or make one for any other time of year.

Now, if you enjoyed that tutorial, you should check out my Christmas tree block tutorial, my placemat tutorial or my sewing machine cover tutorial. You can see all of my finished quilts HERE. I'd love for you to stop by.

I also have a GREAT BIG GIVEAWAY going on right now that you don't want to miss! Click HERE to enter.

Thanks again to Madame Samm for having me visit again. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

xo,
Jennifer

Super Swap!

OK, so I am a swap newbie. I'm also a Twitter newbie so I decided to get my feet wet by joining the #ssswap- a twitter only swap for Christmas.

Well let me tell you, I lucked out! This was a great swap- dreamed up by my friend Amy (aka Sukie) - and I received the best swap package ever!

But first, some details. This was a Christmas gift swap with a $15 limit. The items could be purchased- nothing had to be handmade and we had a few hints and suggestions to go by for our partners. I was assigned Mo Bedell, a fabric designer for Timeless Treasures. This is what I sent Mo.

Some Joel Dewberry Heriloom and tucked inside the zip pouch was some Aurifil.

I will admit to feeling a bit of pressure- but she sent me a note yesterday saying she loved her package of goodies so I was most relieved.

Now, I really lucked out as I got a fabulous box of goodies from Thomas Knauer.  He is the fabric designer of the line Pear Tree. I'd been following him on Twitter and hoping he'll make a swing by Charlotte on his fabric shop/guild tour (wouldn't that be so great for a CLT MQG meeting?!) but had no idea that he had my name for the swap.

So imagine my astonishment when I opened the box and found all of this!
Fabulous Pear Tree Fabric:

A Copy of the Field Guild to Fabric Design (something on my wish list.)

and, can you believe it? A QUILT!

Holy Cow! Yes, indeed it was a happy mail day, and I think I had the best newbie swap experience ever! Thank you Thomas!

It was so much fun that I have a feeling this is only the beginning of swaps for me.

What about you? What kind of swap would you want to do?

PS: You can find the Great Big Giveaway HERE.

Quick and Easy Table Runner: A Tutorial

Have you made a table runner before? I decided to whip one up last week for my tutorial for Madame Samm's Comfort and Joy series at Sew We Quilt.




This one is super easy and quick which means you can put one together before Christmas too! 
Pop on over to check out the tutorial! And be sure to enter my GREAT BIG GIVEAWAY (part of Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day) too! 
Have a great day! 
xo,Jennifer

Great BIG Giveaway Day!

Woo Hoo! It's Great Big Giveaway Day!

Sew Mama Sew is hosting a fabulous link party of giveaways all week so after you enter here, be sure to pop over there to check out and enter all the other great giveaways.

And this time you have a whole week to enter to win so be sure to check out everybody's blogs! Not only will you have a chance to win some great prizes, you'll likely find some great new blogs too!


For all of you that are regulars here- hey friends! :) Love that you are part of my blogging world, and I appreciate each and every one of you. 


For all of you that are visiting for the first time, welcome! Pull up a chair and stay a while! 

I'm Jennifer:  a Southern girl, a former teacher, and now a Home Engineer (aka Mama.) 

I’m a mother to two precious young children, a girl and a boy, and wife to a super supportive husband that understands and encourages my creative pursuits.  I’m a self-taught sewist and quilter, slightly obsessed with sewing, design, and modern fabric.  I'm driven by a need to express myself visually, a love of fabric and design, and the thrill that comes from creating something beautiful from a sketch and an idea.

Before I became a Mama and an obsessed quilter (only kidding-kinda,) I was an elementary school teacher.  I've always been crafty but I've only been sewing and quilting for a little over a year.


My obsession passion hit me hard and boy did I jump in with both feet! I hosted my first quilt-along this year with my friend Sarah as well as a really fun Christmas Gift Tutorials Blog Hop. (Check it out, there is still plenty of time to make any of these great gifts.)

Here are a few of the things I've made this year: 

I also have a bunch of tutorials you might like to check out including the fun sewing machine cover above, easy placemats, and a modern rainbow star quilt block. Come back tomorrow for an easy and quick table runner tutorial. 


Now, on to the goodies!

This past October I attended the Sewing Summit (which was AWESOME btw) and Elena and I hosted a small dinner for some bloggers we wanted to meet. On a whim we decided to put together goodie bags of sewing swag and boy oh boy did we have a great response! The generosity of the sponsors was overwhelming!

So today I am super excited to be sharing that swag with you!

That's right, one lucky winner will get everything you see here.

Woo Hoo! Patterns, notions, fabric.... think of it as an early holiday gift to you!

It's an almost embarrassing amount of stuff- and not my normal giveaway for sure- but I am thrilled to be sharing it with you. 

Want to enter to win? Well of course you do! 

1. To enter, leave a comment with your favorite word. That is it! 

2. For a second chance, become a follower and let me know in another comment.   For those of you that already follow, leave a comment saying so. 

Wait! Be sure to leave an email address in your comment so I can easily contact you. If I can't reach you, I'll choose another winner. The giveaway will close on Friday, December 16 and the winner will be announced on December 17. 

BTW, my giveaway is open to international readers. :) 

GOOD LUCK and thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll come back often. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! 

This giveaway is now closed. 

Congratulations to Kristen of KD Quilts! She was the winner of the swag! 

Follower Spotlight: Meet Nicke!

It's been a bit busy around here, and I haven't had a Follower Spotlight in a while. Sorry about that!

Today I am thrilled to showcase a super fun blogger who often makes me laugh. She is a really kind and creative person too. (Such a great combo!)

Meet Nicke!

Stats:
Name:  Nicke,  (as in nikki, nickie, nicky...)
Family:  hub spencer, miss S (almost 4), mr. H (1 ½)
Location:  Idaho
Blog:  http://kisskissquilt.blogspot.com/
Flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/51163828@N07/

What is your favorite:
place: anderson ranch reservoir in pine idaho it is a beautiful place in the summer and the winter.
sound: the ocean
movie: the big lebowski, the town, forrest gump
book: pride and prejudice, atlas shrugged
word: smooch
article of clothing: my bras.  after two kids they help... a lot.
food:  mexican.
dessert: pie... oh how i love pie!

fabric: kona white... and hope valley.  hoping for some hope valley from santa.
sewing tool: my babylock “grace” and extra needles.  lots and lots of needles in a variety of sizes... oh and oil for my “grace”... she sure likes to be lubed up!
thread: loving sulky right now.  and gutermann
color: go ahead and guess.... blue of course.

completed sewing project:  wonky stars for captain eric.  i made this quilt for my little nephew.  we were so excited that he was coming.  this quilt was a plethora of firsts for me...  my first wonky star, my first completely improv quilt, my first go at random straight line quilting, and my first dance with this lovely remix fabric.  i loved everything about the whole process.  and since he lives quite a far away from me so i wanted him to have something from me, from us.  something that would make him warm, something that i could pour all of my love and happy thoughts into just for him.  so that when he is wrapped up in it, even though we are not near him, he can still feel our love.

quick finish sewing project:  christmas pillowcases!  they were so fun to make, sooo easy, and my kiddos love love love them.

coffee or tea:  tazo tea... passion and wild sweet orange.
coke or pepsi:  cherry coke
chocolate or vanilla:  chocolate cherry cordial hershey kisses...  i admit i have already eaten my way through a bag of those little delights!

mountains or beach:  both... see the link to anderson reservoir above...
football or baseball:  baseball, for sure!
dog or cat:  cat.
minivan or suv:  SUV!  i told my husband before he asked me to marry him if he ever would make me have a minivan i would tell him no.  this was the conversation... you will say, “my dearest nicke, will you marry me?” and then i will say “will i ever have to have a mini van?” and then you will say “NO!!!” and then i will say “YES!!!”  i am pleased to say he has held true.  i am driving a 4-runner that i love!

What is your day job?  i have a full time take care of my two kids job that i love.  i also have a part time job as a hospice social worker.  i provide bereavement support to all of our patients and their families.  it is a great job and enables me to have some adult time.

What is your dream job?  i would love to be a long arm quilter.  someday!

What is your favorite time waster?  Pinterest! but i like to think of it as an organizational tool, not a time waster! ;)  who am i kidding right!

See, she's great, right? Knew you would like her. Now go pop over to her blog and have a look around and say hello!

Be sure to come back Monday for the great big Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

Sneak Peek for Monday's BIG Giveaway

Monday is the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day and I'm super excited about the stash of fabulous stuff I am giving away. I've been waiting for the perfect time to share it with you and this is it!

Back in October, Elena and I hosted a small dinner at the Sewing Summit for a few friends and on a whim put together some swag bags.  We were overwhelmed at the response of the donations! (We seriously had NO IDEA we would get so much stuff!)

I'd like to say a BIG THANK YOU to these folks for their generous donations:
Amy Butler Patterns
Clover
Tri Rec Rulers
The Twinery
Grabaroos
Add-a-Quarter Ruler
Remember Wynn
Riley Blake Designs
Michael Miller
The Needle Shop
Aurifil Thread
Denyse Schmidt Patterns
Snap Source
Zipit
Olfa

Excited yet? Hmmm, you have to wait until Monday!!

xo,
Jennifer

Word Verification Update

Edited and Updated....

I've heard back from a couple of you that have had problems with spam once turning off word verification. I am really sorry that has happened to you! 

So how about this? Can we place the word verification box directly under the comment box so that it can be filled out at the same time as the comments? 

I think the frustration with word verification comes when the comment is entered and you think you've left a comment only to find that you now have to leave a verification word - sometimes you've already moved on before you realize this and your comment is not saved- all that comment love doesn't show up. :( 

That being said- I totally understand that this whole word verification thing is there to prevent spam so have a go without it- see what you think, but if you get spam, then by all means, turn it back on! :) 

xo

Feeling Christmasy

Doing a little holiday sewing today. What about you?

Here's a little Pinterest inspiration to spread some holiday cheer!

Source: Uploaded by user via Jennifer Mathis on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Jennifer Mathis on Pinterest

Source: agefotostock.com via Jennifer Mathis on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Jennifer Mathis on Pinterest

Such a cute idea:

Source: picadillyandcompany.blogspot.com via Jennifer Mathis on Pinterest

Source: thelifeofmrsmartinez.blogspot.com via Jennifer Mathis on Pinterest

Have a great day!

xo,
Jennifer

Techy Tips- Word Verification

I've updated my thoughts on this post.

Edited and Updated....

I've heard back from a couple of you that have had problems with spam once turning off word verification. I am really sorry that has happened to you! 

So how about this? Can we place the word verification box directly under the comment box so that it can be filled out at the same time as the comments? 

I think the frustration with word verification comes when the comment is entered and you think you've left a comment only to find that you now have to leave a verification word - sometimes you've already moved on before you realize this and your comment is not saved- all that comment love doesn't show up. :( 

That being said- I totally understand that this whole word verification thing is there to prevent spam so have a go without it- see what you think, but if you get spam, then by all means, turn it back on! :) 

xo

Original Post: 

OK friends. I would like to make a suggestion.

We all blog to share ideas, inspiration, good news and creativity. And we all want to make connections- so wouldn't it be great if it was super easy to leave a comment?
Might I suggest we do away with word verification? Or at the least, make it so that you can type the word in at the same time you comment.

Come this way- you'll see- it's super easy.

Take a look at your comments settings in Blogger.

Go to:
Dashboard
Settings
Comments

Now, scroll down to the section entitled Show Word Verification. 

Now, change your settings to NO on word verification and everyone will be able to leave you comments much more easily. Then go down to the bottom of the page and click SAVE.
Done!

Try it out and let me know what you think. And if you don't like it, you can always change it back, easy as pie.

Oh and while you are tweaking things, perhaps you might like to check to make sure you aren't a no-reply blogger as well. If you are, I bet you have no idea! You can find out how to check if you are, click here.

A Giveaway Sneak Peek

Next Monday is the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day and I can't wait to participate again! Are you joining in? 

If you have a blog you can host a giveaway too then link up to Sew Mama Sew on Monday, December 12. It's a great way to draw some traffic to your site. 

For several days everyone (bloggers and readers) can hop around, check out all the giveaways and enter to win some awesome prizes. 

Last year I won $50 to Venezie Designs. Thanks Karen! 

I've got some fabulous things to share with you... but I can't show all of them to you yet. Here's a sneak peek: 

There's lots more- you DON'T want to miss this! 

xo, 

Jennifer

Do you Buble?

Do you Buble?

I ♥ Michael Buble. I've been a big fan for years.  He is the consumate entertainer- born to do what he does.
Did you see his interview on 60 minutes last night?

My sweet husband surprised me with 3rd row tickets to see him 5 years ago at a small venue- it was fabulous. We followed that up with a large arena concert a few years later and that too was lots of fun. 

I am totally digging his Christmas album. Have you heard it yet? You can hear all of it for free on Spotify. 

Watch this video - Christmas spirit- that fabulous voice- Mr. Buble,  it's all good. :)

He's got a Christmas special on NBC tomorrow night- I think at 8:00. I am definitely tuning in.
What about you?

xo,
Jennifer

Kona Solids Challenge

Are you a member of a Modern Quilt Guild?
Last summer I started the Charlotte chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild, and we have 30 great members. This is what I love about our guild:

• The people: they are all so nice, enthusiastic, encouraging and fun.
• The love: they all dig modern quilting and embrace everyone's interpretations.
• The talent: boy is there some talent in this group! 
• The diversity: we have all ages and all skill levels. 
• The fun: we are a relaxed, informal group. 

Last Thursday night we had our Kona Solids Challenge Reveal at a local cafe.  We sipped wine and coffee and nibbled snacks as we had a chance to chat and visit before we had the reveal. 

This is my Kona Challenge Quilt. 

the front

Looks familiar, right? (The tutorial for this block is HERE.) 

I love the way it turned out- feels modern and fresh to me.

the back 

It's 22.5" x 29," and I think it might become a wall hanging in my sewing room or else I'll let my daughter use it as a doll quilt. 

The other Kona Challenge quilts were so creative and diverse. You can see them all in our CLT MQG Flickr group. 

Such a great group of ladies! I am looking forward to lots more CLT MQG fun in the new year. If you're in the Charlotte area, we'd love for you to join us!

If you have a Modern Quilt Guild in your area, you should check it out. If not, why not start your own? 

xo, 

Jennifer

Funny, Funny

I'm not sewing a thing- sitting on the couch- playing on the computer. (I did sketch some quilt block designs tonight and am excited about them but I digress.)

Saw this on a friend's Facebook page and it made me laugh. Thought you might like it too! Make sure your sound is on.


xo,
Jennifer

Yay!

And the two Lapel Sticks go to....

30 

twelfthzodiac said...

Mashed potatoes. Yum!

November 30, 2011 10:40 AM 

and 

139 

iluvmybugs said...

Chocolate!
cwayons(at)yahoo(dot)com

December 1, 2011 5:02 PM 

Thanks for sharing your favorite foods with me. Those were fun to read!
Have a great Friday!!

xo
Jennifer