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Christmas Mini Quilts - Getting the Most From 5 Fat Quarters

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Christmas Mini Quilts Getting the Most From 5 Fat Quarters I've had a stack of five Christmas fat quarters for longer than I'd like to admit. Too many ideas filtered through my head until I finally decided on trying to get the most out of the fabric.  Since the pattern isn't specific to the holidays, this can be applied to any set of fabric. I cut all five fat quarters into four inch strips, and then into 4 inch squares, keeping all scraps to the side.  From this I separated them out first into the larger table runner using 36 squares, and arranging them into a rectangle of 4 by 9.  I decided to go with an angled pattern for the layout, but you could also place them randomly.  The finished size is 13 inches by 29 inches. This one fits well on the coffee table and the dining room table. I then layed out four rectangular place mats using 12 squares each.  I used a similar pattern layout as the table runner.  In fact, I keep this part the s
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Norse November

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Norse November  I'm not going to lie, I've been thinking about this all year, right along side Non Fiction November. And honestly, I don't need an excuse to talk about Norse books, but here I am making one (mostly because I love alliteration).  I've made the joke several times now that 2018 for me is 20-Norse-teen as that has been the main subject matter for my reading and research this year.  Between all the books, articles, podcasts, and random things I've found and loved and laughed over, here are a few of my favorite Norse or Norse inspired books: The Poetic Edda A new translation by: Carolyne Larrington The Vikings: An Illustrated History by Ailbhe MacShamhrain  Norwegian Folktales Selected from the Collection of Peter Christen Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe translated by: Pat Shaw Iversen and carl Norman  Seven Viking Romances translated by: Hermann Palsson and Paul Edwards  Saga of the Volsungs tra
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Non Fiction November 2018

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Non Fiction November - 2018 I love that the categories for Non Fiction November are in pairs: I love a good duality.  The Goodreads page for Nonfiction November is lead by Olive and Gemma. I love Gemma's booktube videos found here . And Olive's booktube videos found here. If you're interested in either, I highly recommend you check out the links. Just a few more video links: Gemma's announcement video found here , and Olive's video found here .  Now, back to the categories, which are:  1. Past time / Pastime  2. Self / Shelf 3. Wander / Wonder  4. Micro / Macro  Category 1: Past time / Pastime For Past time I have a book that is thematic to the majority of my reading this year: Medieval Nonfiction and Folk Lore. This book was actually one of hubby's many college books that I've taken to reading on the subject. Women in Medieval Europe 1200-1500 by Jennifer Ward   For Pastime, of course I've wan
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Tea Themed Mini Care Package

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Mini Care Package Tea Themed For the inside of the box, I cut tea dyed printer paper down to 5 1/4 inches by 8 1/2 inches.  For the top, I wrote "Hello, is it TEA you're looking for?" with some small sketches. On the bottom piece I wrote "Words cannot ESPRESSO how much you mean to me." Rather pun-tea-ful, but I know hubby enjoys it. I packed this little box full of different teas and coffees. For the teas I added British Breakfast Tea, Earl Grey, Nightly Calm, Bedtime, Stress Balance, Dandy Liver Detox, Throat Comfort, and Oolong tea.  I got about 30 tea bags into the box, so that's not too bad. For the coffee, I added these packets that I started to try while hubby was deployed. I really like them and I think he will too.  The varieties I added are Mocha Latte, Sea Salt Caramel Latte, and Frozen Hot Chocolate.  When I was at the store the Vanilla one was sold out - so it'll have to make an appearance in another box s
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Autumn Readathon

Autumn Readathon  by MercysBookishMusings I saw this video a few days ago and got very inspired. I've seen a few autumnal bookish and photograph challenges. This one however, as it's much shorter than many month long challenges and readatons, I think is much more manageable for me. Hosted by MercysBookishMusings runs Saturday 20th to Friday 26th of October. And prompts are as follows: 1. Read a gothic/spooky book 2. Read a non-fiction book that feels autumnal 3. Read a novel set in a cold location 4. Read a historical fiction novel Bonus prompts: 5. Read a short story collection 6. Read an adult novel about a young female protagonist For the first prompt, I have a decent stack of gothic and spooky books that I want to read, however, I think I might go with a classic and try to read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. For the second prompt, G ossip from the Forest by Sara Maitland. This looks beyond fascinating.
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Favorite Fall and Halloween Movies

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Favorite Fall and Halloween Movies Here are some of my absolutely favorite Halloween and Fall themed movies that always help me get into the Halloween Spirit. Enjoy! - Hocus Pocus - Batman Forever (it even has trick or treaters) - Sleepy Hollow - The Covenant - Halloweentown - Romeo + Juliet - Storage 24 - Young Frankenstein - A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - Hook - Ed Wood - Halloween (1978) - The Fifth Element - Interview with a Vampire - Rocky Horror Picture Show - Casper - Addams Family - Addams Family Values - Warm Bodies - Hotel Transylvania 1 & 2 - Beetlejuice - The Sixth Sense - Dark Shadows - Harry Potter (All) Happy creating, and happy watching! For business inquires, contact me at: KristinVictoriaArt@gmail.com To view prints on various items, visit: society6.com/KristinVictoria To view more photos from the studio and my life on flickr, visit: tinyurl.com/kvartflickr Follow me on Twitter, at: @KristinV_Art
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My Top Quilting and Sewing Tips and Tricks

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My Top Quilting Tips and Tricks - Tape on Rulers -   Before I had washi tape, I would use painters tape.  When cutting mass amounts of fabric this helps me make fewer mistakes. It's also one other way to make things a bit more colorful. I still usually keep a piece or two on rules to make those irregular cuts a little easier. - Chain Piecing -   I love this. Seriously. I love this. I almost can't stand not chain piecing now. It saves string and makes the smaller parts come together faster. - Leader Scrap Piece for Chain Piecing -   For smaller pieces, which I've slowly become addicted to, this is wonderful.  It helps on so many levels and aids when chain piecing blocks get down to the last few seams that need to be sewn. - Pressing Seams Open -  I love doing this for small piecing projects, triangles, and anything with a great amount of detail.  I also love how flat the material lays when this technique is used.   - Nesting Seams - O
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