Christmas Cross Stitch

I recently found this Prairie Schooler cross stitch of cardinals I made years ago, tucked inside a book, of all places. What a nice surprise! I had forgotten all about it since I became addicted to quilting. This is something I might actually be able to finish rather quickly someday soon. Wouldn't it look lovely made into something with this berry fabric? A small pillow perhaps? A quilted wall hanging? The red fabric below has feathers in it and there's that poinsettia print again. Hmmm. . . .

I used to love to cross stitch and probably have most of  the early Prairie Schooler patterns that were published in the late '80s and '90s. Now they're out of print and hard to find. I especially love the ones with birds and Santas. I've started quite a few, but don't ask how many I've competed . . .

I never cared for the way I framed this Santa -"Up on the Housetop" - cross stitch. I'm wondering if I should take it apart and do something else with it, like maybe use it in the center of a quilted wall hanging? Would that work or ruin it? Maybe I should just get a better mat and a different frame.

While I was decorating the house, I remembered how much I love my cross stitch pieces and so I took out all of my old Prairie Schooler patterns, looked through them and decided to try to get some cross stitch projects going again next year.

Waaay too many patterns . . .

Remember what I said about quilters having their fingers in a few too many pots?? Who knows if I'll ever get around to making any of them but it's fun to dream isn't it? I may even have to buy a few new ones here. Check out their free pattern for a Snowman cross stitch.

Don't you  just love cross stitch too? This one has the place of honor in my bathroom!

Let's See Your Quilts

I know it's a busy time of year, but today I started a Flickr group to allow some of you to show your photos of quilts you've made from my books. While I design the quilts and write the books, I often wonder if anyone really makes the quilts. Don't feel bad if you haven't - I myself have so many quilting books by so many talented quilt designers but have not made the quilts in them, although they are bookmarked for "someday."

You can access the Flickr group here - I'm calling it "Quilts Designed by Kathleen Tracy."

I added a few photos of my own quilts to get things rolling:

This little Signature or Friendship quilt is one of my favorite quilts from my book Prairie Children & Their Quilts. It's a perfect quilt to make for a friend or to celebrate an occasion. You can put names of friends or your own quote in the blocks or use the one I wrote that's on the quilt. Signature quilts were often given to friends who were leaving their lives and family behind as they traveled west during the 1800s.

It's sad to have to say it, but this book is now going out of print. : ( 

Prairie Children was published in 2006, sold very well at the time but, according to my publisher, the cost of reprinting more copies is too prohibitive, sigh. Another one bites the dust! Unfortunately, in the publishing world, it's rare for quilting books to stay in print for a very long time because most quilters don't want to buy "old" books or books that are more than several years old and so they stop reprinting them when demand is low. There are too many new, fresh books out there every month to compete with the older ones. So, if you see a copy, grab it because, like American Doll Quilts, my first book, soon it will no longer be available in hard copy. I bought some from my publisher before they ran out and so I still have plenty of copies available on my website.

Another little quilt from Prairie Children

Friendship Star quilt

But back to Flickr. For those of you who are not familiar with Flickr, it's a photo sharing application by Yahoo. Here's some general info about Flickr. Get your questions answered  here. You need a Yahoo account to join Flickr but it's very simple to sign up and if you're in one of  Yahoo's many groups (like mine), you already have a Yahoo ID. Anyone can go to the site and see photos. You do have to join the "Kathleen Tracy" group and become a member to add photos of your quilts, however.

I think this will be very inspiring - and a great way for all of  you to show off your quilts. Won't you join us?

Naughty or Nice?

I know, I know - innocent until proven guilty. But this looks bad, real bad. Especially right before Christmas. . .

Wait a minute, am I mistaken or did I see a flash of black fur? Could it have been a set up??

The evidence mounts.

Looks like whoever did this made a quick getaway but left a few tracks.  Thank goodness for snow . . . . I'm on it.

Aha! There's the culprit!

Whew, the accused is reprieved! This time . . .

Santa's coming - better watch out, guys . . .

Christmas Stress Got You Down??

I love Christmas. Why is it that so many people are so cranky at this time of the year and dread the holidays? I read that more than 20% of Americans find the holidays more stressful than enjoyable. According to surveys, Christmas is right up there at the top of the list, after financial worries, of things that cause us stress. It's not difficult to understand stress that's caused by the loss of a job or a loved one, divorce or health issues. But stress just because it's Christmas?

The Christmas season is my favorite time of the year but over the years I've learned I need to set priorities in order to enjoy it more. Sometimes you have to or you'll go nuts. I wish I'd been able to do this years ago when my kids were young. Those were stressful Christmas years, trying to get everything in and create the perfect holiday for my kids. I've since learned that no, I sure can't get everything done. I can't always have everyone over, the cookies may be eaten before Christmas gets here, the gifts may not be perfect, the store may be out of that special item because I put my shopping off too long, the cards may be late and all of the decorations may not get up.

I'm no authority, but here's what I do to try to control it a little: I pick just a couple of things to do that make the season special. Not too many or you'll surely feel stressed. We used to get dressed up and go to see the Nutcracker every year (until the "boys" in my family started bowing out, pretending to be sick . . . ). Or we'd take the train downtown and stand in line forever to have lunch in front of the tree in the Walnut Room at the old Marshall Fields downtown. Nice, but crazy. Worth the stress?

Now that the kids are grown, I still try to find a Christmas concert or other event to go to to get into the spirit - just one at least and it doesn't have to be fancy. We went to a service at our church a few nights ago and sang carols for half an hour. It wasn't exactly the Nutcracker, but it felt really good. We also get together with friends at a restaurant around the holidays if neither feels like entertaining. I always get together with good friends to exchange gifts and if it happens after Christmas, so be it. We never miss, though.

Decorating can sometimes cause stress. Wouldn't it be nice to have the perfect Christmas house, decorated by Martha? No time, money or room for a tree? No excuse, get some poinsettias and place them around the house. Or put a wreath on the door - so you can see it every time you walk in. No energy to get out ALL the Christmas decorations? Pick just a few things and be done.

I still have 2 boxes of decorations I haven't touched, but I did put out a few of my favorite ornaments and Santas. No one helped me this year, everyone else in the family was too busy or stressed (or lazy perhaps??). I could have just let it go, too much work. But it REALLY makes me feel good to have the house decorated even just a little and I know my family appreciates it. So, last week, I put on some Christmas music and went at it. Even at 17 and 22, my kids got into the spirit really fast after that and I could see their faces light up the way they did when they were young. A little decorating helps a lot to bring some Christmas spirit into your home.

Christmas is supposed to be when you make time for others but try to make time for yourself as well. I like to go for a walk in the snow if the temperature permits. I get some exercise and the cold air clears my brain. When I do go out shopping I always get something for myself too, LOL. Nothing expensive, just a little something. Sometimes I stop everything and take a little tea or coffee/cookie break.

If you need to worry about finances (don't we all these days), stick to a budget - don't let the media make you feel like you're disappointing people if you don't get them the things that are on Oprah's Favorite Things list. Gifts don't always have to be perfect or expensive to bring a smile to someone's face. Or, give special, homemade gifts. The year I made Ingrid the pom-pom to replace the one that the dog chewed off her hat still makes us laugh.

I can hear my family and friends now - Oh no, more homemade gifts - Kathy's making us earrings again?? Why can't we just get a quilt?? Hint: it won't fit in the cute little box.

If you hate shopping, avoid the crowds if you can. I rarely shop on weekends - it gives me a headache. On weekdays, if I'm busy during the day or working, I make a quick supper (can you say frozen pizza or soup??) and then head out for a few hours in the evening before the stores close. No crowds and I can take more time to browse. Or, shop online - I did some of that this year. Many stores offer free shipping during the holidays.

Christmas dishes always perk me up.

I bring out our everyday holiday dishes and use them for a few weeks during the season. Every year I want to buy new ones but I'm still not tired of these Debbie Mumm plates I bought at Target years ago. They make me smile. Even if I'm just serving grilled cheese sandwiches . . . .

What else helps to get into the Christmas spirit and ease the stress? I was reminded of this one at church: Is there a relationship in your life that needs mending? Making the effort to resolve that with forgiveness and loving thoughts can sometimes go a long way toward easing the stress you feel inside.

Finally, I can usually get into the spirit by making time for music, reading an inspirational book, and watching my favorite Christmas movies. So slow down and don't let stress and irritability get the better of you - let's bring back Christmas as that "most wonderful time of the year."

                                                 Merry Christmas!

The Weather Outside Is Frightful!

I ventured outside for a little bit this evening - I already told you that I loved snow. Well, cold is another story altogether.

I've been ready for the snow with my new boots! I'm no wimp. My daughter said I look like I'm headed for the North Pole, LOL. It's cold here! 19 degrees and falling. Wind chill - 1 degree.

 Nobody's out but the two of us . . .

Our goal - can we make it down to the end of the block??

I lasted about 3 minutes. Brrr! I guess I am a wimp.

It's enough to make you run inside and hide under a nice warm table. Maybe someone will take pity on you and feed you . . . .

Let It Snow!

We're expecting more snow in the next few days. I am one of those people everyone loves to hate in the winter. I love love love snow. I don't even mind driving in it, I just slow down a lot. When we get even a little sprinkling of it, I feel my heart lift up. To me, there's nothing like waking up in the morning, looking out my window and seeing that the ground is covered with the glorious white stuff. True, my husband does the shoveling . . .

When I was a kid, I used to get a lot of colds and always had trouble with bronchitis in the winter and so my mother, bless her heart, would keep me inside when it snowed because she thought it would keep me from getting sick. I remember spending much of my childhood winters with my nose pressed against the window, watching the other children play outside while I nursed a cold. Over the years I guess I built up my immune system and so now I can go out and walk in it any time I like! Which is a good thing since I have dogs . . .

I'm not the only one who loves being out in the snow. . .

Or at least being out and then coming in  . . . and going out and coming in again, all day long.

I also love the cozy feeling of being inside, warm, when it's freezing outside. One of my sisters hates winter (actually all of them do, come to think of it) but I never see her wear a scarf, hat or gloves. And she never has boots on. Of course her feet get wet and she's always cold, duh. If you dress for it, it isn't so bad . . . honest.

  

I have a hard time Christmas shopping or even getting into the spirit until it snows. The area we live in is pretty  urban  but sometimes I take a longer, less-travelled route to get to the mall so I can feel like I'm out in the country a little bit. To me, Christmas would just not be Christmas without snow. I remember the year it was 60 degrees and balmy in the Chicago area - a very depressing Christmas for me! I should probably live in Minnesota or Maine. My husband doesn't think I'd make it past one winter but I'd  like to try. C'mon, it's not like Chicago is Florida and I'm spoiled by nice weather all the time.

Remember to make sure your feeders are filled!

It's also so much fun to stay inside and quilt in the winter when it gets too cold. (I said I loved SNOW, not the cold). This year I'm making some little gifts for people and if most of them did not read my blog, I'd show you. I have to keep the surprises surprising.

This fabric reminded me of poinsettias and will look cute paired with reds and greens, don't you think? I liked it so much, I bought it twice, at 2 different shops, on two separate days, without realizing it. That's pretty dumb, isn't it? Someone has too much fabric . . . But at least now I'll be sure to have enough, LOL. I need a good snow day to calm down and think about things.

I'm looking forward to the next snowfall. So please don't hate me for loving snow or call me that crazy lady if you see me out walking in it at night wearing my fuzzy mittens and sloppy snow boots while it's coming down, LOL. I'm just reliving the childhood fun I missed . . .

It's a Book, Finally!

Last week I got my advance copy of The Civil War Sewing Circle! I've been talking about it for almost a year and even though all of you must be so tired of hearing about it, I can't tell you how exciting it is to see it in REAL book format, finally. Yay!  Available at quilt shops on or around January 10.

After working so hard on a quilt pattern book -  designing the patterns, making the quilts, sketching the illustrations, researching, writing the text, you begin to lose a sense of how it will all turn out in the end. I had the title and idea stuck in my head since 2008, after I finished Remembering Adelia, but didn't actually begin working on it until July 2009. When you turn in the manuscript for a book, you wait for what seems like an endless time to see the finished product. Will the quilts look nice in the photos? Will the design be pleasing? Will all the effort and research I put into it be appreciated? Most importantly, will anybody like it well enough to buy it? Essentially all out of my hands.

I tried to make every quilt in the book inspiring in some way and that wasn't easy. I wanted the quilts to be simple enough for beginners to make and yet also give experienced quilters patterns that are, if not exactly challenging, at least interesting. Some designs got cut and others filled in at the last minute. Some I wish I had had more time to plan.

It's a lot of work on the author's end that needs to be completed in a relatively short time so that the publisher can put it all together and get it on a publishing schedule. But, all in all, I think most of you will like most of the quilts, if not all of them.  Heck, I rarely like every quilt in my books myself and after I'm done often wish I'd changed my mind about the fabric or the setting but there's never time to switch and substitute another right in the middle. Sometimes decisions have to be made quickly and there's no going back.

If you haven't heard, The  Civil War Sewing Circle contains patterns for 8 doll quilts, a few larger quilts and a couple of sewing accessories. And lots of old photos to entice you even more. Here's a little preview.

The flat shots of quilts in most books don't really give you a true idea of what the quilts really look like, in my opinion. This quilt, for instance, looks much nicer up close than it does in the photo, where you can't really see the lovely (and lively!) border fabric.

This is the Friendship Album signature quilt that contains blocks made by my SmallQuiltTalk yahoo group. So special to have signatures of many in the group. I love how it turned out.

Pretty  little hexagons!

I sort of hated this quilt after I made it - too dark, I thought - but now it's growing on me . . . and I think it's actually good. Again, the photo in the book does not do it justice.

It's fun to see the pages with old photos and text, excerpts from letters written during the Civil War.

After my last blog post on gifts for friends, here's a shameless plug - I would like to say that this would make another really great Christmas present for a special friend, but unfortunately, it won't be available until January. Darn! Ask your friends if they mind getting their gifts late . . . my friends are used to it, LOL. You can always pre-order a signed copy here and hope for the best and I'll get it out to you as soon as my books come in from the publisher. Better late than never. And possibly, just possibly, a teeny bit early.