A Cozy Day at Home

It's snowing! We bought the tree and all the lights are on. We'll get it trimmed later tonight. A small portion of the house is decorated. I've brought out the Chrsitmas dishes and the Christmas cds. Beef stew is cooking in the crock pot. And I have a new obsession - Wool Applique.

 

 

 

As usual, I'm a little late on this craft too. But I'm having fun and now I can do something with all that wool I bought earlier this year. See the pattern for this cute little Russian doll ornament here.   Shhhh! I'm making one for my daughter for Christmas.

 

I'm making my doll in red with a gray backing. Don't have pink for her cheeks yet. Maybe some prettier ribbon trim too? Honestly, I feel like I'm all thumbs. It took me most of the day to get this far . . . .

 

 

I would like to make a few more if only I were a little faster at this darn blanket stitch . . .  I need more practice. But now that I do wool applique I have a few ideas for simpler ones (although this one is pretty simple. You should try it.).

What could be better than a cozy day and night at home?

'Tis the Season

I finished making jewelry for Christmas. The Holiday Craft show was a success and I sold a lot of the items I'd made. Plus, it was fun to do something a little different for a change.

 

 

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When I was at The Quilt Merchant I bought some red and green prints along with a couple of fabric bundles. I wanted to try to make something red and green this month.

I really cannot resist bundles . . . . Such a variety and so many pretty fabrics I just would not buy in yards.

Then, for this month's small quilt challenge, I gave my Yahoo group a pattern for a 5-inch star block to make a Christmas Stars quilt that's perfect for December.

Put two and two together . . . Yes, I am making some Christmas Stars for a small quilt. Instead of a 5" star I tried making a 4-inch star block yesterday to see if I preferred that to the 5-inch one. Still thinking about which size I'll use for the quilt. 

Out of the drawer came my Quilt in a Day Flying Geese mini ruler. I bought both the larger and smaller rulers and used them for the signature blocks I made this past summer. I don't buy a lot of rulers and gadgets but I found this one helpful for small blocks. And the lines on the ruler match my quilt.

 

 

You line them up and trim.

 

 

It seems like I haven't sewn anything in a really long time so it was fun to sit down at the sewing machine again.

Shopping and More Shopping

I know some of you enjoy seeing pictures of my shopping trips. I took a break from my Christmas shopping and visited The Quilt Merchant near Chicago recently.

 

 

Funny - I have a similar antique headboard and footboard in my basement. I found it at a garage sale and have been waiting to refinish it for the last 15 years. Now maybe I won't . . . .

 

 

 

Don't ask me about this quilt -  other than the fact that it is so stunning, all I know is that it was a block of the month by Sue Daly.   Perhaps your local quilt shop can find the patterns for you.

 

I had to buy this pattern and some wool . . . .

 

 

Valerie, the new owner of The Quilt Merchant, is from France and she's a sweetie. If you are planning a visit to the Chicago area, be sure to stop in.  I really love the way she has everything displayed. (But none of my books, I noticed. What's that about, Valerie?? LOL. You really need to get on this one . . . . everyone loves Kathleen Tracy's books.)

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Then, on Black Friday, instead of hitting the malls, I went to that primitive craft sale at my friend Karen's home I told you about. 

 

 

She had so many lovely handmade things for sale.

 

This year Karen asked me if I'd like to display some of my earrings at her sale. Her husband Bill was kind enough to make me this primitive earring display rack! So cool.

 

Before the Thanksgiving holiday I had been busy making jewelry for friends and family. At the last minute my husband signed me up for a small booth at his company's Holiday craft show - which is tomorrow. (Sorry, not open to the public.) So I've been working feverishly in spare moments this past week trying to make enough items to fill a booth. I thought it was cute that he wanted to show off my handmade things to his coworkers. I've done craft shows before (years ago, before I got into the  book writing business) but never one showing my jewelry. It should be fun. If I am able to, I'll take and post pictures. Later this week I'll put some of the things that are left over on my Etsy shop. 

 

 



Be Thankful

 

 

 

"Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude."  ~E.P. Powell

"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough." ~Meister Eckhart

 

"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving."  ~H.U. Westermayer

                                       

             Here's some Thanksgiving history

 

"Thou hast given so much to me, Give one thing more, a grateful heart." ~George Herbert

 

“Reflect upon your present blessings -- of which every man has many -- not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”  ~Charles Dickens

 

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.
 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

I feel blessed to have met so many wonderful quilting friends since I started this blog. And I am grateful for the community we all share. I hope you have safe travels and a wonderful holiday with family!

 

                                           

 

                        Isn't this a cute pilgrim hat cookie recipe?

Ingredients:

Keebler Fudge Striped cookies
Reese's Peanut Butter cup miniatures
Yellow frosting

Directions:

Turn cookies upside down. Frost the top of a peanut butter cup with the yellow frosting. Place the cup face down in the center of the cookie. Draw a square buckle using the yellow frosting.