Monday morning going fine...

......and the whole week looks to be interesting with lots of bloggers posting great projects for the holidays and loads of giveaways. I thought I'd recommend one event that you all might already know about ...... but just in case, you might want to go here and visit Gudrun's blog for all the info on the Cross Country Christmas Quilter Designer's Blog Hop.

Lots of Minnesota designers are participating plus even more from across the country! I've printed out the pattern that Gudrun is sharing today and you'll find that here. It's a really "sweet" Christmas tree wall hanging and I immediately thought " I could start this today because I finished three projects this past weekend!" Isn't that great logic for starting something new?! LOL! Plus, since I will have to choose Christmas fabrics, maybe I will finally finish cutting that pile of Christmas prints into charm squares that I have promised to several blogging friends! I might get two projects finished in the next couple of days!

Off to play in my Christmas fabrics. Back later......

Sandi

Good Monday Morning!!

Oh, yes, it's going to be a good Monday because I had a good weekend!! I actually finished some projects......completely.......not one seam left unstitched!! So what did I finish?

This lovely bag which is a pattern designed by Nanette of Freda'sHive. Nanette sent the pattern and kit to me at Christmas last year and it has been at my sewing machine waiting to be stitched. Then I took it along to our retreat this past August where I sewed the strips together and then planned to machine quilt it. Didn't happen. The machine I brought to the retreat wasn't compatible with my walking foot from my machine at home (and I'd only ever used it once on that machine!) so the project went back to my sewing desk waiting to be finished. One day I looked at the panels and thought, "you know, I think I'll 'chunky quilt' the seams with Perle cotton" so that's what I did. My friend, Denise, taught me the term "chunky quilting" and sometimes it's just the right look (especially on flannel projects). In this case, I felt it was just the "right look" on the fabrics that were in Nanette's kit. I goofed, though, when I stitched the layers together. I placed the stitched strips, batting and backing together and proceeded to hand-quilt it. Then came time to add the rick-rack trim and that was when I realized I shouldn't have sewn the lining to the batting. Oh, well, move to Plan B.

As you can see on the back side of the bag and on the inside photo, I sewed a strip of red print along each panel edge, stitched it in place and then added the rick-rack. It worked! No mistake is really a mistake in quilting. You just have to get creative and come up with a different way to correct that mistake. LOL!

I intend to use this bag as my "goin' guilting, lots of fun, maybe some shopping" bag. I plan to see that it gets lots of use! Thanks, Nanette, for the great bag design and the pattern and kit.

So, what else did I finish? Neither of these projects are very big but they are FINISHED and that feels so good! I embroidered the "Time for Tea" design for this potholder and you can find the design here . Then I machine stitched around the heart and flowers to secure the layers of batting, silver heat resistant fabric, etc. I didn't use my walking foot on this one and it worked out just fine. But then I thought, maybe I should give that walking foot a try.....so I did and here's my walking foot project.

This little fabric panel (approx. 7 1/2" x 9 1/2") was in a bag of scraps that I won at a quilt club meeting. I thought it would make a cute hot pad and a good practice piece with my walking foot. And it was! The walking foot works great! I don't think I'd want to quilt large items with my machine but I enjoy small projects more anyway. I just did an outline around the chefs and a little stitching here and there. It went so fast!

So there you have it, my reasons for why it will be a good Monday. Hope you had a great weekend, too, and enjoyed finishing a project or just enjoying time with family or lovely weather. Have a good day now!

Sandi

Seasons of the Heart November and December blocks..

I love the colors in this block...........

This year in Minnesota our fall colors weren't nearly so vibrant as those in the block above. Cold weather and rain quickly turned the usually pretty fall colors to damp leaves that dropped quickly from the trees. It was surprising to me how quickly the leaves fell to the ground! Oh, well, last year was colorful so if I need to be reminded, I can just look back at photos taken last fall.

This is a time of year when we think of "counting our blessings" and giving thanks. I have much to be thankful for even when some days seem like there are too many challenges. I remind myself that there is always someone struggling far more than I am and so, I, count my blessings!!

The block for December is a gift. You can use your imagination and wonder what is inside. The gift block also allows someone to do it in different colors for those who celebrate Hannukah or Kwanza.

Whatever the gift that is inside this box, I know that it is a "gift of love". Most gifts are given with love and Christmas is a special time when we can share gifts with our family and our friends. Some of the best gifts given are those that go to kids and families that are served by Toys for Tots and other organizations.

Note........pdf files of my patterns are posted in my Yahoo Seasons group. Just click on the Snowman on the sidebar and join the group!

"Christmas is for Kids" as the saying goes but kids come in all ages and sizes. I'm my mother's "kid" but I'm 60 years old. I love Christmas. My grandson is just ten and he is hopeful for a certain gift that is on his list. Christmas is a time of hope and giving, love and living. Sometimes things challenge us and the hope and giving, love and living are hard to find. I have a little chance for you to share a bit of that hope and love. My blogging friend, Janice, learned of a little boy who has cancer and wants to get as many Christmas cards as possible this year. You can send him a card by going to this link and you'll see that the story is true and you'll see the address of where to send the card. Mine is going in the mail in the morning. Make it a season for this little boy to "count the blessings" he'll find in those Christmas cards and the gift others will have given him just by mailing those cards. :-)
Night all.
Sandi

Double Snowman Treat!

There's not a drop of snow on the ground here in Minnesota right now but I managed to conjure up the last of the Snowmen for you and here they are.............

This November Snowman is best buddies with this little deer that lives in the woods in our backyard (or so I imagine). He knows just how important friends are and what a blessing they are in our lives! Wouldn't you agree? I was inspired to draw this design by the real deer that wander across our backyard and the "not so real" deer that graced the front yard where my parents used to live. They loved those deer and when the time came to sell their house and downsize, the deer were transported to a friend's yard where my mom can still drive by and see them. Nice, huh?

Inspiration for this Santa snowman was easy. As so many of you do, I have wonderful memories of Christmas when I was a child and when my kid's were small. There was lots of Christmas joy when we awoke in the morning and got a peek under the tree. There was always some special thing we really wanted and the stockings always held a sweet surprise or two. :-)

This pair are the last two snowmen for this year. If you want pdf files of the pattern pages, you'll find them on file in my Yahoo BOM group. Just click on the Snowman on the sidebar and join the group. Hope you have enjoyed these guys and gals! I'm working up another series that will be suitable for Redwork or traditional embroidery and will post more info on that at the end of December. I will be gone in early December and that is why I posted both blocks for you at this time.

In my next post, I'll share the Seasons BOM Applique block designs and patterns, also for both November and December. That's all for tonight!

Have a good Friday!!!

Sandi

An Election Day Block .........

for my "Grace and a Prayer" quilt.........

I actually made this block a few weeks ago so that I would be "one step ahead of the game" and that was a wise move. I made it when I did the block for September 11. It's just another idea for a nine patch block. To make the block, I cut 3-1/2" squares that are then sewn into rows of three and then those rows are sewn together to make the 12-1/2" block. There's a bit of a variation to the center square as I sewed four 2" squares to the corner of one 3-1/2" square - right sides together - then folded the fabric back to create the triangles you see in the each corner of the square. With the block squared up as in my photo, it makes me think of a cross but if put "on point" in a quilt top, it could resemble an "x". The nine-patch block is one of favorite blocks (Churn Dash is my favorite). It's easy and depending on the fabrics you use and if you "fussy cut" designs in the fabric that you are using.......well, you can come up with a lot of different variations from just a few nine-patch blocks. If you want to see other blocks for this quilt that I'm making called "Grace and a Prayer", just click on the label link below and all posts related to that topic will be displayed.
So, I'm "up-to-date" on this project and will have another block in this series next week on November 11, Veteran's Day.
Tomorrow I'll be working on the Seasons BOM blocks and will get those posted soon. I will be posting both November and December blocks. :-)
Time to "turn out the lights"......
Sandi

I can't believe it's really November!

It really hit me today that in only a few weeks it will be Thanksgiving and then Christmas!! Time just goes too fast it seems. I enjoyed getting that hour back this past weekend and because I was preparing to go to Iowa to see my mom, I got all caught up on laundry, cleaned my house, prepared some meals for my husband since I'd be gone, etc. etc. I even gathered some projects to take along to work on while I was there but now it will be a couple more weeks before I go to see her and stay for a bit. She's doing well and I appreciate your prayers.
My mom doesn't have a computer so she doesn't read my blog but she knows that I post my stitching and quilting adventures here and that I talk about her and family members, etc. etc. I'm not sure she'd want me talking about her health all the time, though, so I think from now on, I'll just let you know when a little prayer or kind thoughts are needed. When we get together in a couple of weeks, I'm going to take her to the library and show her my blog so she can see what it is and then I'll let her decide what she'd like me to share.
I am pretty tired tonight so think I will head off to bed. With a clean house and no laundry to do, and no meetings or anything on the calendar, I have the entire rest of the work to work on my own projects. I can work on my Seasons BOM blocks!! I can also work on a new project that I am offering on Wooly Buddies for a 15 month Seasonal Wool Throw. You'll find buttons with links on the left side of my blog that will take you to the groups where the blocks are posted. So, while I can't believe it's November already, it is nice to know I have some extra time to work on projects that I wasn't expecting to have! Hope that makes sense!
Good night and see you all tomorrow!
Sandi

The Day after Halloween........

and the Trick or Treater's have come and gone! There were no tricks, only a lot of kids having fun gathering candy and treats. I always enjoy the younger kids in their costumes but the group that was having the most fun was a group of about ten young girls who were probably in their early teens. They reminded me of a slumber party I had when I was a freshman in High School and how much fun my friends and I had that year on Halloween!

I didn't carve a real pumpkin but had pumpkin shaped candles that glowed in the dining room and kids could see them when they arrived to ring the bell. Then there was this trio in the photo above that were shining in the kitchen. I love the glow of candles and got the smell of pumpkin by using scented tealights (a thoughtful gift from my daughter!). It was a nice evening and I enjoyed every ring of the doorbell!

Today, I decided to pack all the Halloween stuff away but will give you one last glimpse of Halloween at my house. I've shown you several of my miniature gift boxes in the past and almost forgot to share the ones I made for Halloween. Soooooooo, here they are.......little pumpkins, ghosts and candy bars made from Fimo clay, wrapped candy bars created from magazine ads, and tiny "Trick or Treat" bags that I drew and then colored that are filled with tiny treats. Everything is scaled 1"= 1'. The largest box is about 8-9" tall and the tiniest one is about 2" tall. This series was done in 1991 and earned a Blue Ribbon at the Scott County Fair. :-)

Just one last picture to share........it's Kaiser, our beagle. He's wearing his favorite "costume".........his blue blanket that he must be covered with when he goes to sleep. Yep, he's a spoiled dog. He looks so funny when the blanket sticks to him because of static and he walks around like he's wearing a robe or something. LOL!

On Monday there will finally be some answers regarding health issues for my mom and a decision will be made for a treatment plan. When I post next time, I should know more what the next few weeks will hold.

Have a good Monday!!

Sandi