What's on the line?

Apples are on the line today!!! It's harvest time for apples so I just had to share this little quilt..........

It's one of the quilts that I made in 2000 to celebrate the Millennium and it's called "Family Reunion". That name may not make much sense but I was thinking of our family tree when I made this and that old saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree". That saying never made much sense to me but it was usually said when somebody looked like, or did something like, another family member. Hense, the name for this little quilt. It measures about 18 x 22". I like the apples on this quilt so much that I think it would be fun to make a quilt with lots of appliqued apples on it and use all sorts of red, green and yellow fabrics for the apples. And so, there's another project to add to the "longer than I have years left to sew" list. :-)  Of course, I could speed up the process of applique if I would just do it by machine, but I dearly love to hand-stitch. Maybe what I really need is a magic wand so I can "poof" my house clean and have all my time to sew. Riiighhht.........!
Okay, so a magic wand is not going to happen but here's something that did happen...........I won a quilt yesterday!  When I was home to see my mom a couple weeks ago, I bought some tickets for the raffle quilt for the Lehigh Historical Society. I knew it was a store-bought quilt and haven't seen what it looks like, but I bought the tickets to support the historical society. I really wanted to win and so about 4:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon, I looked over at the clock and thought.........."hmmm, I bet they are drawing the lucky winner for that quilt. Sure would be nice if it was me."  And then about 20 minutes later, the phone rings and I see by caller I.D. that it's my brother, so when I answer, I say........"are you calling to tell me I won that quilt?"  And he laughs, and says......"well, yes, I am" and I say.........."you're kidding" and he says "no, you won it". Still I'm not sure he's not joking, so I ask again and yes, I really did win the quilt. And the guy who drew my name was a visitor to the museum who used to enjoy meeting my dad for coffee. Now isn't that cool?!!  I'll get the quilt in a couple weeks when I'm home to see my mom again and then you'll see it here on the line after that.
I have been doing a lot of hand-quilting on a variety of small projects. I'm also trying to make drapes for our bedroom but having trouble staying focused on that project. They are pleater tape drapes and I hate working with that stuff. Luckily, our bedroom is the only room in the house that has a traverse rod and requires drapes with pleats. They will be done by the end of the week as I have a project I want to do and I've told myself I can't do it til the drapes are done. You see, I want to paint my little chair that I sit on the front porch and put my fall pumpkins on. I have a polka dot theme in mind and so as you read this today, I will be sewing those drapes so I can paint that chair this weekend.  :-)
We had really nice weather here in Minnesota this past weekend but I was caught up watching all the coverage of Hurricane Irene. So many people are now being affected by the flooding. Thoughts and prayers go out to all who are affected by Irene and thanks that she lost strength!
Have a good Monday on this last Monday in August. Soon fall will be here and I can hardly wait. I may have mentioned a few times that fall is my favorite season. As summer ends, I expect to get back to more regular blogging and some of those things that I did this summer but never found time to blog about...........well, they will be shared in posts titled......"what I did during summer vacation!" Back soon..........
Sandi

What's on the line?

Something very bright and colorful is on the line today. I've shared lots of pink and green and scrappy quilts but I remembered this one, and pulled it out to share today.................

This is another quilt that my dad and mom bought at a farm auction. The maker put a great deal of handwork into this quilt. If you look at the close-up below, you can see that she appliqued a red heart shaped piece to all four corners of a white block and then added a black blanket stitch around the top edge of each heart. Then she sewed the blocks together and the design forms four hearts together. In the center white area of each block she hand-quilted a flower design. The quilting is very, very nice.

There is no name or date with this quilt but I really like it for the simplicity of design. I could see this done in a whole variety of color combinations!
And speaking of color, I mentioned that I had bought a couple items at thrift shops the weekend that I went to Bonny's Quilt Haven. When I saw these little goodies, I thought......"hmmm, how nice these would look when our deck is finished and we eat our first meal out there."  I spotted that colorful chicken egg holder at one shop and thought it was $2.00 but discovered when I got to the register that all kitchen items were half-price. What a deal! It is hand-painted and was made in Portugal. And then at the next thrift shop..........

I found the blue floral basket and it was marked $3.75 and guess what?.......it was also "handmade in Portugal"! Now I'm thinking somebody must have done some traveling and lucky me.........I got their souveniers!  I also got some tiny teacups that are just adorable and they will pop up in a future post. :-)

The weather was beautiful this past weekend. Temperatures are to climb today and maybe later on there will be a nice rain shower. I hope so. I love sunshine but I dearly love the sound of rain and so I need it, and so does the grass. And if there was a little rain during the sunshine today, then maybe there would be another shower tomorrow!  Here's hoping!

Have a great Monday!
Sandi

What's on the line?

I thought I'd take a break from my vintage quilts and show you what I made this past weekend. My grandson, Jacob, was here for the weekend, so we picked some fabrics and I did some sewing. I've had this football themed fabric for many years (so old that the Tennessee Titans aren't listed) but the Panthers, the Vikings and Jacob's favorite team, The Saints are listed so he asked me to make it into a pillowcase. And I did..............

I was thinking red or blue for a border but he asked for black and I had this black star fabric that worked perfect. I've made several pillowcases for him since he was little so they get good use and are worn out with sweet dreams. Then, I had some scraps that I got in a scrapbag at FireflyQuiltShop and I took the strips that were mostly 2-2 1/2" wide and added some plaid and made a tabletopper...........

Jacob loves football and baseball so this can go on the coffeetable in their basement and he can set his snacks on it when it's game time. He enjoyed a visit to Vikings training camp this past week as the team trained in Mankato. Before he went home, I had his mom (daughter, Collette) take a picture of the two of us............

I wanted the picture because Jacob is getting so tall that soon he'll be taller than me. He is growing up sooooooooo fast! We enjoyed a nice weekend together, although, he had a bit of a cold/cough and was running a bit of a fever. We managed a visit to the library on Friday night but the rest of the weekend was very low key and we stayed home. I knew he wasn't feeling well, because he went to bed early both nights. So did I, as I am still trying to catch up on my "zip" after the busy days of the last several weeks. I may just relax all day today as I picked up the latest book by Earlene Fowler when we were at the library ........"Spider Web". Once I start reading one of her books, I am hardly able to put it down. I have enjoyed every one of her quilting themed mysteries! Bet that as you are reading this, I will be engrossed in the "Spider Web". I have such a long "to do" list that I should not take time to read but ...........sometimes, reading a good book can be just the thing to get me motivated/inspired.
Almost forgot........I was going to share my thrift shop finds in this post but I forgot to take pictures of them. Will do that tomorrow. Have a great Monday!
Sandi

Where was I two weeks ago today?

I was here.........

at Lynette Jensen's THIMBLEBERRIES Studio in Hutchinson, Minnesota. I stopped there on my way to our quilting retreat at Bonny's Quilt Haven. It was a gorgerous summer day, although just a bit hot. Every year when we go to Bonny's, I tell myself that I am going to leave early in the day and take time to meander my way along the 50 mile trip to Hutchinson. It's never quite worked out ........ until this year! I left our house at 12:05 p.m. and I was on my way to a relaxing weekend of quilting fun and time with my quilty friends. And if I saw a shop I wanted to stop at, I did. And if I saw something I wanted to take a picture of, I did. And if I wanted a treat, I stopped for that, too. That would be a bag of Oreo double stuffs in case you are interested. :-) Anyway..........when I got to Hutchinson, I stopped at a couple of thrift shops (goodies I found will be in my next post) and then I found a parking spot at the city square and made my way to ThimbleberriesLand. But.......get this.........I left my camera in my car! So, I shopped and then went back for pictures. I asked for permission so here you go......a little bit of "eye-candy" that will make you hungry for some fabric............

The shop door opens to this view..........

I loved every vignette in the entry so I took close-ups. Isn't that yo-yo heart pillow adorable?

I love the fabric colors in the wall quilt and the little basket quilt.........

And this patriotic vignette is just fabulous!!

As you come around the corner from the entry, you get an overall view of the studio. But........the quilt hanging on the door caught my eye. I think it was my favorite quilt in the shop. I just loved that giant rick rack!

There was a vibrancy and richness in the fabrics that I felt I hadn't seen in Thimbleberries fabrics in the past. I really, really liked what I saw...........

I was wishing I had more spendable income with me!

I wanted reds........

I wanted some blue..........

and all these pretty yellows and golds.............

and tucked in here and there were more lovely quilts!

And then there were bolts of green and I am always looking for just the right shade of green!!

Hmmm........fabric bundles, kits, fat quarters, so much to choose from...........

I wanted some of these for autumn projects and decided I will make a trip back to the shop in September...........

Great inspiration in this vignette.............

I loved the little table in the center of this picture........

Something new..........these large design fabrics that have incredible possibilities!

And then there was the Christmas section...........

There was so much to see! I am so glad I took pictures so I can remember it all!

This chair reminded me that I have two chairs that are similar to this that are sitting in my basement just waiting to be recovered. I never thought of plaid for them but am now thinking they might look great at Christmas time covered in a large red and green plaid fabric I bought long ago. Loved the pillow, too.

I found a gorgeous wool bundle in that basket and it said "you need me, buy me", so I did. :-)

And then, because it was Fat Quarter Friday, I just had to buy some! I think it was.......buy five get five free or something like that. Anyway, the four on the left will go into an autumn tablerunner and the five on the right are for a spring tabletopper..........

and that lone red one is going into the patriotic quilt that I'm making in memory of my dad. I would have bought more but I'll save some for that trip in September. :-)
There was a THIMBLEBERRIES treat waiting for each of us when we arrived at Bonny's Quilt Haven.........a pattern and two fat quarters!! How sweet and thanks to Lynette for the gift!

So, that's where I was two weeks ago at this time.  A week ago at this time, I was on my way back to my mom's after spending most of the week in Iowa City at the hospital. And now I'm home and waiting for my grandson to arrive. It's been such a busy summer that this is the first time he's been able to come for a visit. It will be a fun weekend! Hope you all have a great weekend ahead! I'll be back soon with more catch-up on my summer photos...............

Sandi

And the winners .......and their favorite cookies.....are..........

Gramma Sheri is the winner of Jacquelynne's new book..........

She left this sweet comment...........

"Peanut Butter Cookies! Made with chunky peanut butter, of course! When I was a kid (oldest of 6) I did most of the dessert-baking for the family. I loved to make cakes. And I loved to make peanut butter icing. So...my siblings remember most of my cakes (spice, carrot, chocolate, cherry, white, yellow, whatever) slathered with peanut butter!"

She was very excited to win. I sent e-mails to all the winners and most have replied.

"Ms. Snoodles" left this comment that won her the tablerunner kit in Jacquelynne's fabrics, a charm pack and other goodies...........

"First and foremost, I hope that your mom recovers quickly and easily, and thank you for hosting this stop on the tour! You have such a generous giveaway planned! I love, love cookies with macadamia nuts and white chocolate - I don't know their name, unless it is just "White Chocolate Chip with Macadamia Nuts" but that is so unimaginative! LOL
Thanks for the chance to win!"

There were three winners of Jacquelynne's patterns...........

Laurie left this comment.........

"Hope your Mom's surgery goes well and she recuperates quickly. My fav cookie - gotta be an Oreo or two with a cold glass of milk :)"

Kocanquilt left this comment.......

"My favorite cookie is from a family recipe. We call them spice cookies because they have Cinnamon, Cloves and Nutmeg in them. Nummy! Thank you for the chance to win."

The final pattern winner is Debra from Maryland who wrote..........

"My favorites are my homemade oatmeal cookies. My husband would prefer chocolate chip so I make a lot of those too."

And the winner of the Christmas sampler of Jacquelynne's  "Joy, Peace, Love, and Noel" fabric is Cheryl of Cheryl'sTeapotsQuilting. She left this comment .........

"Cream Cheese cookies are my favorite. Really easy, too."

And when Cheryl replied to my e-mail, she added the easy recipe.........

Cream Cheese Cookies

1 box of cake mix (I've tried butter yellow, devils food,

red velvet, lemon, strawberry and spice so far)
1 stick butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Mix, spoon up ( I use a cookie scoop) then bake

at 350 degrees for approx. 14 minutes.  Enjoy!

Congratulations to all of you that won. I enjoyed being part of Jacquelynne's Book Blog Tour. Interestingly, it kept me connected to my blog last week when I was feeling a bit "disconnected" because I was with my mom at the hospital in Iowa City. Her stay wasn't very long as surgery for kidney stones is no longer as invasive as it was years ago. But after her stay at the hospital, I spent a few more days staying with her at her apartment while she recovered. And one of the things we did was to go through old photos and such. I have a few I'll share in the coming weeks, just because they make me smile.

Once I returned home, I needed to catch up on e-mails and blogging and laundry and sleep. :-)  The laundry is done, I'm getting there on the e-mails and blogposts, and by Wednesday morning, I should be caught up on sleep. While I've been away, my husband has been "holding down the fort" and also taking orders from Kaiser the Wonder Beagle (who missed me a lot as I am the purveyor of biscuits). He's also been watching the crew that is building the deck off our kitchen. It is coming along very, very nicely and I am already planning my first dinner on the deck. But I am straying from what I wanted to share...........As I read the comments that were left on my day in Jacquelynne's Book Blog Tour, there was one that almost made me cry.  Having spent the weekend looking at old family photos and talking about my dad alot with my mom, the comment by Ms. MartinMosaics really captured my dad. Here's her comment...........

"My favorite cookies are Buckeye's, but they are homemade. You mentioned Oreos, so I would say that my favorite store bought cookie would be Softbatch Chocolate Chip cookies or Nutter Butters.
I must tell you, Sandi, that I have been touched by the quote you have at the top of your blog. It really struck me how blessed you were to have a dad like you did. He apparently cherished you girls! He seemed to delight in providing the material for your mother to sew the matching dresses. I'm sure that you girls wearing the dresses together was a beautiful picture of the strong sense of family you all held. A man who "embraces" having girls is a gift few understand unless that have witnessed or experienced a father that loses interest in parenting because he has girls. Blessings!"

My dad really was a wonderful father and he cherished not just my sister and me, but my mother and my brother, Doug. We were definitely blessed with a great dad! I thought of him this afternoon as I baked some chocolate chip cookies for the guys who were working on our deck. He loved chocolate chip cookies and I would bake them and take a batch to him almost everytime I went home for a visit. I took a big plate of the cookies, warm from the oven, out to my husband to share with the deck-building guys. Later he told me that they disappeared in seconds. What is it about a homemade cookie, or even a store-bought cookie that you loved as a kid, that can make you feel good and smile? Wouldn't it be great if all the woes of the world could be solved with milk and cookies?!! I would bake every day if that were the case. :-) 

Thanks everyone for all your comments. I will be replying to each one. Right now, though, this post is making me hungry and ........I think I need to go get a cookie and a glass of milk!

Sandi  :-)

A funny thing happened.........

Yes, that's part of a title to a movie and it fits the little incident that took place as I drove home from Iowa today. I don't have a picture of this so imagine please............

I was just about an hour from home today, heading north on Hwy 169, when out of the corner of my eye...........I noticed a pheasant in some bushes along the side of the road. I watched as the bird tried to "lift off" and I realized that he was not "lifting off" very well and was, in fact, headed straight for my windshield. With a big "THUNK", the bird hit the passenger side window but scooted up over the top of my car. I was sure the windshield might crack but it didn't. I felt bad for the bird and as soon as I could safely turn around, I drove back and looked for him (her). No bird in sight, so I am hoping that the pheasant was just stunned by the impact and is now safely nested somewhere and licking it's wounds. :-)

Interestingly, that's not the only item I've hit on that stretch of Hwy 169. About six years ago, I was just a little further south on 169 and I hit a black rocking chair that had fallen off someone's truck. It was night and until I was almost on top of it, I didn't see it. I swerved and avoided a direct hit but severely damaged the bumper that time. My son and my six year old grandson were with me. My son had just dozed off and was startled by the sound but my grandson loved that adventure because the police checked out the situation. As a six year old, he thought it was all pretty cool.

Sooooooooo, anyway........I'm home again and trying to get caught up. I have many comments to reply to and winners to notify for the additional prizes I offered during Jacquelynne's Book Blog Tour. I'll begin doing that on Tuesday afternoon. I will be catching up on my sleep first. :-)  If you want to know who won the copy of Jacquelynne's book, just check out her blog...... The*Noble*Wife .
Back later today.............
Sandi

What's on the line?

Oh, my! There's another pink quilt on the line!!!!

I have the funny feeling that there is a quiltmaker out there, someone long gone, who may be smiling because I have her quilts to share with you. Among the quilts that my mother and dad bought at farm auctions, there are several that must be by the same maker. Sometimes the same fabrics appear in different quilt patterns. I have no way of knowing what quilts were bought at what auction so their makers remain a mystery. All I know is that I just love each one even if they are worn or a little wonky or not quite my favorite colors.  My favorite color is usually pink and I am happy that some quilt maker long ago also loved that color and that I can enjoy her quilts today! The pattern for the one above would be so easy to reproduce. While the pink looks almost neon in the photo it is not that bright. It was a cloudy day when I took this two weeks ago (knowing I would be gone today) and for some reason it made the quilt look like it was a much brighter pink than it is in person. The pink is what I call 1920's pink and some might call soft bubblegum pink. Whatever shade of pink it is, it's fine with me!

I think by the time you read this, I will be making my way back to Minnesota and if not today, then for sure on Tuesday. My mom has recovered well.  After I get home, get the laundry done and a few other chores, I'll share the photos from our retreat weekend at Bonny's Quilt Haven. We had so much fun and there are fun quilty projects to share. I will leave you with one bit of "eye candy" that I made for my friend, Sue, who joined us at Bonny's for the first time. At least three years ago, I bought a white milk glass candy dish and planned to make a pincushion from it as a gift for Sue. I had some vintage fabric in two of her favorite colors, pink and brown that I knew would be perfect with it. Well, I finally finished that little pincushion and took it to Sue. She liked it a lot. :-)  Just like the pincushion I shared last week, I just made a circle of fabric that was stitched to batting, gathered it up, stuffed it, added a button and glued it into the candy dish. Here it is..........

The nice thing about this candy dish is that the contents of it are "no-calorie"!  However, I was munching M&M's as I made this and as many a quilt knows, quilting and chocolate go "hand in hand". Have a good Monday and a great start to the week!

Sandi

And Jacquelynne's Book Blog Tour stops today at............

my house and my sewing room. Welcome and Happy Friday!!! This is the final day for Jacquelynne's Book Blog Tour for her first book "Fruitful Hands". I am so happy to have been part of the blog event for her book. I "met" Jacquelynne in the summer of 2008 shortly after I began blogging. While we may never have met in person, we have enjoyed becoming blogging friends. I think it's wonderful how the quilty and stitching world connects so many of us in places all around the world! Hopefully, someday, I will meet Jacquelynne in person but until I do, I'm glad to be a fellow blogging buddy and enjoy sharing the joy of our creative ventures.  

I really love the title of her book........"Fruitful Hands".

As quilters, stitchers, knitters, etc., we know that the "fruits of our labors" are the items we create with our hands, and also from our hearts. There is nothing more relaxing for me than stitching, whether by myself or with my mother, my daughter, or with friends. My stress level is at almost zero when I'm stitching. It goes up a bit when I have to rip seams. LOL! Check out Jacquelynne's book and see if there is a project that you can make with your "Fruitful Hands". And there is an opportunity for you to win a copy of the book just by leaving a comment on this post. Read on and I'll tell you the "tiny thing" you have to do to get your name entered in the drawing. The "tiny little thing" could win you a copy of her book but there will be more than one winner because........

Remember the table runner that was "on the line" on my Monday post? Well, I have a kit for it in Jacquelynne's "Sewing Room Social" fabrics. Someone will win a kit for that table runner and the items in the photo above. There's a charm pack of Jacquelynne's "Sewing Room Social" fabrics, and a little notebook where you can keep your quilty plans. Stay in touch with your quilty friends with the pretty little notecards and if you just want to relax with a cup of tea, there's a sweet little book on tea to enjoy with your favorite "cuppa". :-)
They say "good things come in threes" and so here are three of Jacquelynne's patterns that will also go off to three lucky winners. You might even find a fat quarter tucked in the pattern envelope. You never know til you are the winner!

Thanks to Jacquelynne for sharing her fabrics, pattern and fun with me and allowing me to do whatever I want with it. I started working on a large quilt from the bird/flower print in "Sewing Room Social" when I was at retreat last weekend. More on that in a few weeks.

And let's just say.............what if you are not the lucky winner of the book? ..... and you really want a copy, then you can order it here.
And then.......what if you were really wanting some Christmas fabrics from Jacquelynne's "Joy, Peace, Love and Noel" line?  Well, guess what?......I have some of it that Jacquelynne sent me in June. I opened the box from her and here is what I found inside..........

I have a fun Christmas quilt project planned for this fabric and will be sharing it in late August or early September. But before that happens, I'll send one lucky winner, a little sampler of the fabrics. And so now you need to what that "tiny little thing" is that you must do for a chance to win.......and all you have to do ..............
Just tell me what your favorite cookie is! That's all. While stitching lowers my stress level, so do chocolate chip cookies! And for a store-bought cookie, there is nothing that beats "Double Stuff Oreos"! So........leave your name, e-mail or a link to your blog and tell me your favorite cookie! Jacquelynne will announce deadline for the book and the winning name. I'll be drawing names for the fabrics, patterns, etc. and will take comments through noon Saturday for those items. I surely hope I didn't forget anything. I am writing this from a computer in the University of Iowa hospitals where my mother has had surgery and is doing well. My mind has been a bit preoccupied but I know if I forgot anything, someone will remind me of what it is! Leave a comment and tell your friends to stop by, too!!! And for more chances to win.....check out Jacquelynne's blog today....... The*Noble*Wife !!!
Sandi

And now we are heading north to.............

......Ottawa, Canada and Michele Foster's Quilting*Gallery during Jacquelynne's Book Blog Tour.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of her wonderful book then take a trip over to Quilting*Gallery and leave a comment! It's a great book and I have my copy with me while I'm here in Iowa City with my mom. (Things are going well so far......she is in surgery as I write this.) I love looking at the projects and those recipes. Oh, yum! (Just finished a quick meal in the hospital cafeteria and so I am really looking forward to making those her peanut butter cupcakes when I get home). If you want to check out some sample pages from her book and see what you might like, just go here!  Check out her website, too, because there are giveaways going on at Jacquelynne's blog, TheNobleWife. And tomorrow is my day so there will definitely be a giveaway here for "Fruitful Hands" and a little bit more, too!!  Hmmm.....like maybe a little fabric in the giveaway from Jacquelynne's fabric line "Sewing Room Social". Some of you may remember this bag that I made from the button themed fabrics in her line............

I participated in the bag swap at Michele's Quilting*Gallery and the bag I made went off to my swap partner in Norway. I liked it so much that I made another one for me! In fact, I had so much fun with Jacquelynne's fabrics that I made a couple of items to go in the bag......a sewing case wallet and a zippered bag...........

The sewing case/wallet opens up to feature a pocket for needles and for scissors and a flat pincushion.

In early September, I'll be sharing a tutorial for the items above and maybe another item or two made from Jacquelynne's fabrics. Stay tuned! And come back tomorrow for the final day in Jacquelynne's Book Blog Tour!

Hope you all are enjoying the tour and some great sewing time!  I have finished a small penny rug while waiting and am now almost finished with some hand-quilting on a tablerunner. I don't know how people pass the time while waiting for doctors if they don't have some sewing to keep them busy. LOL!
Sandi

Oh, and we are going way across the ocean..........

on Jacquelynne's Book Blog Tour to visit Natalie's blog Cinderberry*Stitches! Check out her blog and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Jacquelynne's new book........

One of the very first blogs I read was Cinderberry Stitches. I loved the embroidery projects that Natalie designs and shared. My mother taught me to embroider and it's a gift I've used all my life. I enjoy sewing but embroidery on cotton projects or stitching on wool and woolfelt penny rug projects really, really soothes my soul and makes me happy. That's why I know that I will do Jacquelynne's wool rug project in her book. I can already see the wool and the colors I'll use in it! Of course, it will have to wait a month or so. This last month has been too hot to handle my wool projects. I figure one more month and the weather wil be crisp and cool and perfect for wooly stitching!

It's not been too hot to work with cotton fabrics, though, and the colors and prints in Jacquelynne's "Sewing Room Social" are just perfect for this summer. I thought I'd share a little project I made as a gift for Jacquelynne. It's a pincushion..........

I wanted to thank her for sending me the fabrics in her line because I had so much fun sharing them in projects at my retreat and with my quilty blogging and local quilting friends. So, over a month ago, I took one of the little candy dishes left from my DayTreat and made this pincushion. I used the Marti Michell ruler that we used for Heidi's quilt class to make one kaleidescope block. Here follows a "sort of" tutorial. I say "sort of" because I have been too busy with family health issues and stuff to take the final photos. But if you want to make a candy dish pincushion just do this.....Well, first you should find a small candy dish/baking dish that will be your base and then gather your fabrics and supplies. :-) Now move on......

Step 1. Make one kaleidescope block and then stitch it to a piece of batting

(I used Quilter's Dream cotton batting).

Step 2. Trim away the excess batting.......

Step 3. Stitch the kaleidescope block with it's batting to a circle of muslin.

Step 4. Using Perle cotton or other strong thread, stitch around rim of the

kaleidescope block as shown in the photo above.

And this is where the photos end but you can finish this just by following these easy steps.........

Step 5. After you have stitched all the way around the block, pull the thread to gather but not too tight yet.

Step 6. Time to stuff the pincushion. Here's how I do it.........I stuff a bit of polyester stuffing in the gathered piece and then I add crushed walnut shells (get them at your local pet store). When I think I have it stuffed just right, I gather the thread tightly and then lay a small circle of batting over the opening to keep the walnut shells from coming out. Then I pull the thread for the final time and knot and secure well. You should have a nice ball now.

Step 6. With a long needle and thread add a button in the center of the top of your ball. :-)

Step 7. Glue the pincushion ball in the candy dish and you have a pincushion!

If you have questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me! I will try to respond as soon as possible but will be in Iowa with my mom this week and will not have immediate computer access. It's summer so I bet you are all at the lake or the pool anyway. :-)
Have a great day!
Sandi

If it's Tuesday........

...... it must be the day to visit Pat Sloan's blog for a chance to win ...............

All this week,  Jacquelynne over at TheNobleWife will be hosting a Book Blog Tour. You can see sample pages here. It's a wonderful book! 
Two projects really caught my eye.......the Pear Make-Do Pincushion and the Heartfelt Home Floor Mat. I am thinking I will give the Pear Make-Do a try. I have been looking in my stash for just the right fabrics that I can use to make the pear. And also, because I have her pattern "A Peck of Pears". I love pears when they are in season and that is right about now! Oh, they are delicious! Yum! And yum, too, for the recipes in Jacquelynne's book. As much as I love pears, I really love chocolate and will definitely be making the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes featured in her book. I know just from reading Pat Sloan's blog that she also loves a cupcake or two, so go check out her blog right now and see if you can win a copy of "Fruitful Hands"!
But before you head over to Pat's blog .........
as I mentioned yesterday, I am in Iowa with my mom, but I packed plenty of projects to keep me busy. I brought along my GO! Baby and the box with the fabrics from Jacquelynne's "Sewing Room Social" line.  I used a lot of the fabric last spring to cut charms for mug rugs for guests at the DayTreat I hosted. I thought I'd like to make some more as gifts and perhaps will want to help make one for Grandma.

And she could also make one for her mom for her desk at work. They are oh, so easy to make!

For a tutorial for making a mug rug, just click Here.

But don't forget to go to Pat's blog to enter for a chance to win "Fruitful Hands"!!!

Good luck and have a great day!!!

Sandi