Merry Christmas to all

Our Christmas gathering on Sunday:

 Decorating cookies

 For some reason they wanted to gather under the table...

..... Robert, Angela, Rhett, and Ashlynn

 Elizabeth, David, Lily, and Elise ....

12 Days of Christmas swap

Our 12 Days swap has wrapped up, so here are the pictures.   I made totes and tea towels, and one mug rug.   Along the way, I was able to use up some of my odds and ends of fq's and fabric. 

I like how they all turned out, but I must say I really like the little mug rug with the ducks.  They are surrounded with nature fabrics, and flying geese overhead.  Almost hard to let that one go, but I know I can make another. 

I received some wonderful gifts in return.  I've said it before, but there are some talented ladies on the HGTV Quilting & Needlework Forum.     Elise was my helper in opening the daily packages, so here she is as we opened the box.

This shows:

Quilter Jen:  a roll--up tote, great for shopping
KaylaQuilts:  a knitted drink cozy
JoyfulSewer:  a fabric box (great for a thread catcher when you're hand sewing
LilacSue:  a Santa ornament
PatV82:  a coffee cup organizer (I bought a pattern a few years ago, and never made it...so glad she did!)

Quilter Chris:  bracelet
Patricia Anne:  4 coasters
Motqltr:  zippered bag, knitted/crochet scarf, trial size paper piece quilt block, and novelty mini-
clothespins
LynnSews:  hand sewn felt needle case
KarrieLynn:  wine tote bag

(and KaylaQuilts' knitted drink cozy made it into this picture too)

Gemsq:  colorful bag (I have a feeling Elise will want to claim it, but it's mine!)
DJillm:  kleenex holder, great to tuck in your purse or pocket










This is the third year I've participated in this particular swap.  I hope we do it again next year.

Stay tuned, tomorrow I'll get back with some Christmas pictures of the kids.  :)  

Hope your days are merry and bright....

December happenings

I think I mentioned earlier that I was keeping my eyes open for a chenille spread for the twin bed.  I originally thought I wanted a lavender or purple, but had a hard time finding one.  Let's face it, not that many places sell chenille spreads anymore, it's pretty much comforters.  I found one at a garage sale that I thought might work, even though it was queen size.  In my excitement of finding it, and the bright sun, I thought it was lavender...turns out it was a blue.  No problem, my friend Linda was glad to take it. 

Then I got the bright idea to look on Ebay.  Lo and behold, there were chenille spreads!  Granted, you can only go by the pictures and what the seller has to say.  But as I thought about it, being previously owned was not a problem for me.  The bed is in the toy room anyway, and won't get everyday use.  And even if it gets dirty, it can go in the washer.  I decided on a white one, which the picture showed to be in pretty good shape.  The seller disclosed it has a couple of pulls on the tufts.  For $10 plus shipping, I decided to give it a try.   It shipped immediately, I washed and dried it upon its arrival, and here it is.  Not bad at all.

Getting into the last days before Christmas, I've visited a few stores here and there.  Last year just a few days before Christmas I bought my Kitchen Aid mixer.  This year, I happened to see something that I've kind of been needing, and just splurged and bought it.  I'm glad I was able to help the economy.  :)   It's almost sad when there's nothing you really need, but little things give me pleasure.

My friend Linda and I finished the t-shirt quilt for a mutual friend.  I'm really pleased with how it came out, and she liked it too.  I asked her to let us know what her son thinks of it.

When I bought my little Janome sewing machine a few years ago, it was because my Singer had been giving me problems.  The Singer has since been sitting in a closet.  A few weeks ago I decided to get it serviced.  After having  it serviced, I decided to sew a project on it.  Well....it didn't take long to realize my Janome is my preferred machine, and the Singer will remain a back-up.  I admit it, I've gotten spoiled to choosing the needle-down position, and to having an automatic needle threader!

That's all for now.  I plan on being back before Christmas, but if I'm not,  Merry Christmas to all.

Friday favorite again, among other things

Brrr!   It's cold outside!  But that's helped me get a bit done, so I'm fine with it.  Especially since I was able to stock up on a few groceries ahead of time, and my electricity has stayed on.  Not everyone one was so fortunate, and many have been without power.  

Earlier this week Elise let me know she wants to sew.  She liked the idea of sewing a quilt top for her Sarah doll, so, she chose some fabric, layed the squares out in an order she wanted, and did the footwork on my sewing machine while I guided the fabric through.  Together we tied it off.   I think I now have a helper for whenever I sit down to sew.  :)

I haven't done my Friday Favorites in a long time, but looking at my sewing bag, I realized I needed to put it on here and tell it's story.   Many years ago, probably about 34 since I think I was pregnant with Elizabeth, Mom was in town for a visit.  We were browsing through the local 5 & 10, and I really liked a piece of fabric that was a lush green jungle print with a tiger on it.  It wasn't suitable for clothing, but Mom had the terrific idea of a sewing bag.  She sewed it together that afternoon, and I've been using it ever since.  I'm sure she never realized the pleasure I would get out of it.  In fact, each time I pick it up and use it, I think of her.  I'd say that in itself makes it pretty special.  In it's early years, it carried counted cross-stitch projects that I worked on during my lunch hours,and as years rolled by and interests changed,  embroidery and quilting projects were occasionally toted to work.  Since I'm retired, it can usually be found next to my easy chair, and going off to my QB Saturdays.  Who knew that a simple sewing bag could bring such pleasure?

Remember my gnome ornaments I told you about last week?  I finished up the other 5.  Two of them went to Lily and Elise's tree this past week.

 And these three will go to my little neighbor girls.

Guess that's it for now.  Stay warm, and stay safe.