Celtic Solstice Step 5 and Christmas Wrap-up

I'm just sort of barely keeping up here, but I think the holiday activity has pretty much come to a close.  There is still all of the "taking down" and "putting away" to do and we have one more Santa trip to make up north (and a few more presents to buy for that trip!)  We affectionately refer to this get-together as "Janumas".  But the pace is slowly returning to normal.

Son #3 spent a full two weeks with us and since he is girlfriend-less this year I had the chance to spend lots of time with him.  I know opportunities like this are fleeting and this may be my last year for such a luxury so I was sure to take full advantage of our mutually waking moments (anyone with teenagers/young adults knows what that means - the time between noon and whenever I go to bed).  I will admit that I had forgotten how much these men eat!  I was able to dust off my cooking skills and put a few old favorites on the table but my skills in "appropriate food quantity" were not so good.  More than once there wasn't a crumb left on the table (and my sister will tell you that in an Italian family that means that you didn't make enough).

So, Celtic Solstice, Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt for 2013....I was not only able to complete step 5 but I also was able to do the cutting for my missing step 1!  I used the easy angle ruler for the first time and I think I like it!  I will admit that occasionally I got a bit lost with all the measurements on the ruler but the blocks seem to be fairly consistent and even actually square.  I found that on my machine it was important to change to the single hole plate when sewing on these teeny triangles to prevent the fabric from getting mashed down into the machine.

I've been back to sewing for several years now and finally have begun to develop some opinions on brands and items that I like or dislike.  So, let me just say that I've come to LOVE Superior Top Stitch Needles and their Masterpiece thread.  I met their representative at a quilt show last year.  He patiently taught me the basics of the differences in threads.  I bought a sample assortment and was impressed.  The thread even feels smoother to your fingers and it sews like a dream.  Then I decided to try these needles.  I won't bore you with the details on the specifics (the web site has all that info) except to say that they are titanium coated and work great.  I get their newsletter and it is always entertaining.  Let's face it, it takes some creativity to make thread and needles entertaining, but these guys manage to do it.  There shipping is very reasonable and the orders come quickly.  If you live in Hawaii Dr. Bob (he's a self proclaimed doctor of threadology) will personally deliver your order for an additional $700, to give you an example of their humor, or you can just pay the regular shipping of $3.95 and let the post office deliver it.  They also run a lot of specials on their web site from time to time.   

Perhaps I need to say that this particular blog has no paid ads or testimonials.  That's just my opinion.

So, I'm joining the linky party on Bonnie's site.  See you there!