Hello! Have you missed my "annoying" Christmas Through The Year posts? :-)



I hope you're still on board the Christmas Train as we continue our gift making journey. We're chugging our way to our next stop - March 31 (we're beyond the half way point). January and February were very successful months - let's make March successful, too.

To help you make some decisions regarding what to make for your friends and/or relatives you must visit Cheryl's blog - she's posted a wonderful assortment of tutorials. They are all very tempting and would make someone very happy!



If you finish gifts in March and post a link to your blog you'll be eligible to win one of the following tablerunners. One in Spring colors and one in darker reproduction fabrics - the choice will be yours if your name is drawn.

Have a great week - see you next Monday!


"I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year!"

Snippets on the playground!!! LOL I'm playing with lots of "Snippets" today.

I'm taking advantage of huge snippets of time to sew because my sister is here and I've turned my Mom over to her. LOL

Enjoy your Saturday!

In Friendship!

A few months ago I decided to participate in a swap on the Kathy Tracy's Yahoo Board and ironically I was paired with Kaaren of The Painted Quilt. We were stunned but happy! :-)

While searching for 'the' quilt I remembered I had this book from Primitive Gatherings. It only took a few minutes to find 'the' quilt. I'll show you Kaaren's quilt further down in the post.



The small quilt required twelve 1.5" finished 'negative' nine patches. If you follow the method in the book to make nine patches you end up with an equal number of 'negative' and 'positive' nine patches. Negative - the lights are in the corners and center; Positive - the darks are in the corners and center. Easy peasy!



This is the small quilt I sent Kaaren. It's called "Little Red" in the book. You can see I needed 12 'negative' nine patches but now I had 12 'positive' nine patches seriously taunting me. LOL Earlier this week I finally had a plan for the menacing nine patches and then remembered I'd cut enough squares to make more. So I got busy making another set of positive and negative nine patches for two more small quilts.



Here are the resulting three small quilts - the one on the right was made with the 'positive' nine patches I had from making Kaaren's quilt. The other quilts were made with a new set of 'positive' and 'negative' nine patches. Do you see the HUGE error I made? Obviously my mind was drifting but 'it is what it is'. Sigh! ;-)

Which is your favorite?

I'm really having a ton of fun with my "snippets of fabric and time" and find myself smiling :-) everytime I finish one. So, while chatting with a friend the other night I was trying to explain how I feel while making my small quilts ---- the first word that came to mind was GIDDY!!!! Yep, I feel very, very GIDDY everytime I finish one. A grown woman feeling GIDDY is not a bad thing, is it? LOL

Thank you so much for popping in to visit with me! Christmas Through The Year posts will resume on Monday - thank you for your patience.

In Friendship!

It's been a busy week - birthdays, appointments and lots of 'stuffus'.

I have had some "snippets" of time to play with "snippets" of fabric. I found myself smiling with every little project I worked on. I have asked myself why I'm working with "snippets" when I have fat quarter bundles, layer cakes, charm packs, jelly rolls, etc. Simple answer - it's lots of fun! LOL I couldn't stop with just one! A very good friend told me I was bordering on obsessive and needed to step away before I went over the edge. LOL

I discovered a pile of strips (Nine Dots by Carrie Nelson/Miss Rosie's) I immediately trimmed them down to 2" strips without a real plan because I figured I couldn't go wrong with 2" strips.



The on-point 4 patches are 2 inch finished blocks with 2 inch alternate blocks,the half square triangles are 1.5 inch finished blocks and the postage stamps are 1.5 inch finished.




And, then I decided to work with 'snippets' of Hideaway; cut 2" squares, set them on-point and called it done! Not sure if I'll finish it as a pillow or small table topper.

I am on a super tight budget so I can't spend money on new fabric. Yes, there are some I'd love to own. Sigh! I'm learning that I can take 'snippets of fabric', a background fabric and have lots of fun. I have little to no desire to make large quilts but I'm sure enjoying making the small ones during my 'snippets of time'.

Thank you so much for visiting me - come again soon.

In Friendship!

A few days ago I discovered a charm pack of Hideaway by Moda buried in a drawer. I didn't recall having purchased this charm pack and couldn't believe how absolutely adorable it was! I set it by my computer so I could fondle it while I made plans to make something soon.

Then last night (ok, early this morning) I was up because I couldn't sleep. I was looking for some fabric and discovered small yardages of the fabrics shown above - Hideaway. Where did this come from(?) - seriously - was it a kit(?) - if so, where's the pattern(?). I went to bed at 4:30am scratching my head. Seriously perplexed! LOL

I was afforded the opportunity to have a few hours to myself this afternoon so I ran to my "Hideaway" to sew. I kept it simple but I love it! A small quilt for the month of March on March 1. woohoo!!!


I'm feeling a bit smug tonight - 'when life gives you lemons; make lemonade'. Uninterrupted sewing time is blissful.

In case you missed Cheryl's post on her blog - the February winner for Christmas Through The Year is Carrie P.

Thank you for stopping by to visit with me - come again soon!

In Friendship!

Choo-Choo!!!! The Christmas Through The Year Train is pulling into a second stop along our gift making journey. WooHoo!!!!!

I hope you're ready to share a link to show your accomplishments in the month of February! Cheryl and I are very excited and looking forward to seeing all the fun things you made this month!

I didn't accomplish much this month so I don't have anything to show. :-(

I plan to make up for it in March. :-)

Yesterday afternoon I made this little sweet little quilt in my quest to make at least one small quilt every month. :-)

Time to share your link!

Hello, are you stitching and sewing with Christmas in mind?????? Oh, Cheryl and I can hardly wait to see all your pretties and such! :-)

You know you'll be really excited and happy next December when you can sit back and relax!

The Christmas Through The Year Train will be pulling into it's second stop on Wednesday, February 29. I'll have Mr Linky ready for you to link your posts with your gifts and such.


Do you remember the little gift quilts I made in January? I've been a busy girl - they are all quilted and bound! Can I get a woohoo!!!!!

Yes, that's the Little Twister Quilt Sandy R won the end of January - it was in the pile! Sigh - I'm so sorry Sandy, I promise your stocking with the little quilt and surprises will be in the mail later today.

Can you tell I had a rough February? :-(


Hope to see you on Wednesday when I'll have lots more to share with you!

Not Christmas Related! :-)


This week I had fun stitching these adorable bunnies. You know I love bunny wabbits!!!

This is a new pattern from Bird Brain Designs called "Bunny Bunch Table Runner".


Thank you so much for popping in to visit with me.


In Friendship!

Hoop Dreams

My Dearest Grandmother,

Last night I threaded my needle, put my latest embroidery project in my spring hoop and made sure my scissors were handy. It suddenly occurred to me that I owe you for my love of hand embroidery. I don't think I ever said thank you!!!

Let's go down memory lane together, dear grandmother. You always understood my need to play outdoors from sun up to sun down with my friends. Goodness we were all over the neighborhood - giggling, snickering and laughing like the silly little girls that we were. LOL These are such happy memories for me.

Oh wait, there was that certain time of the day when you said the sun's glare was too strong and you insisted I sit in the shade. My chosen spot was usually the front porch of your grocery market that was attached to the house. Sometimes my friends would join me and we played jacks, marbles, etc. Most afternoons you had me sit with an embroidery project in my hands. I don't remember how many pillowcases, dresser scarves, dishtowels, hankies, etc I completed. You had many Spanish speaking customers and I remember when one brought a set of dishtowels with the days of the week written in Spanish for me to embroider. I wonder what happened to all my 'beauties'. ;-)

Over the years I've enjoyed lots of sewing and counted x-stitch but didn't believe I could still embroider. In recent years I took the embroidery plunge and fell in love all over again. These memories have given me a strong desire to embroider similar items so I've been on a diligent search for patterns. I'm really excited about the possibilities!!!

Your friends called you Hope but I called you Grandmother. Being raised by you until my teen years is the best thing that happened to me. I can't believe you've been gone almost 25 years but rarely does a day go by that I don't have you in my thoughts. Especially when I have my embroidery hoop in my hands. :-)

Thank you for letting me share a fond memory of my Grandmother! I plan to share more "Hoop Dreams" in the coming weeks - I hope you'll join me!

In Friendship!

Hello, Christmas Elves!!!!

Here I am shaking my pom-poms and cheering you on!!!!

How's your gift giving Christmas sewing coming along?

We want to be making our Christmas gifts through the year so we're not stressfully burning the midnight oil in December!!! Don't forget to make your list and check it twice ------ you'll be so glad you did!! At this point let's not fret about who's been naughty or nice - teehee!!!

Cheryl is shaking her pom-poms and cheering you on while providing lots of fabulous tutorials on her blog. Seriously you must go visit her blog - talk about inspiration!

On a personal note - I'm finally feeling much better!!! Still the lingering cough but my energy level is up. I threaded my needle a couple of times last week and hope to do it more often this week. I'm so far behind but I'm determined to catch up. woohoo!!!

Thank you so much for all your get well wishes!!!

In Friendship!

In Friendship!

I'm a bit late with this post today but it's not too late for you to hop on board the Christmas Through The Year Train!

Some might say it's too soon to start thinking about Christmas 2012 but it's not. In November you'll be singing your own praises and patting yourself on the back because you'll have a box, basket or drawer full of Christmas gift for friends and family.

Time has a way of getting away from us - look it's already the middle of February! Whew!!!! I hope you've either started working on or completed a gift (or two).

To entice and encourage you Cheryl has made a delightfully sweet organizer as a prize for February. See we're not just shaking our pom-poms, jumping for joy and making up Christmas cheers! LOL

Thank you so much for all the get well wishes - this cruddy bug really hit me hard. I'm finally starting to feel human again - horrible cough is almost gone and I won't disgust you with details about my nose and tissues. LOL

Yesterday my sweet hubby Ron and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary! OK, not much celebrating and partying but we did get out for dinner. I love you, Ron - thank you for sticking with and by me for 35 years.

I can't promise that I'll love you for the rest of your life but I can promise that I'll love you for the rest of mine. xoxoxoxoxo

That's all I've got, my friends, thank you for sticking with this boring blog!

In Friendship!

We're six days into February and before we know it the month will be over! 2012 is a Leap Year so we do have an extra day to finish up our planned gifts for this month. We had some awesome gifts made in January. Doesn't it feel good? A little less stress in December - woohoo!!! Visit Carol to see her finished gifts for February - woohoo! Way to go Carol. :-)

I wish I could say that I've been busy working on mine but sadly this cruddy flu has decided to take up residence in my body and doesn't seem to be packing it's bags to leave. I keep trying to evict it but it's a stubborn bug. Hopefully, we'll part company this week and I can get back to stitching and sewing.

Cheryl is working on the project for this month's giveaway so stay tuned to her blog for a peek. I can hardly wait to see it.

Don't forget that we're also working on projects and treats for our grand prizes at the end of the year. I pulled fabric for the first of twelve gifts - here's a sneak peek. ;-) I won't be using all those prints but I haven't made a final decision yet. LOL

"I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year!"
(Charles Dickens)

In Friendship!

If you've been waiting for a response from me to an e-mail or two you sent my way please bear with me - I'll respond this week. Thank for your patience! And, I promise to post about something besides Christmas very soon. LOL

We made our first stop in our Christmas Through The Year journey and have our first winner!

Sandy R

Please send me your mailing address and your stocking and treat will arrive in your mailbox very soon!

All Aboard!!!!!

We're continuing our journey aboard the Christmas Train to our next stop - February 29th.

January was an incredibly successful month with lots and lots of Christmas gifts made! Woohoo!!!

"I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year!"

In Friendship!

Are you curious about our big announcement I teased you about the past couple of weeks? :-)

We keep trying to find ways to keep US motivated to make a Christmas gift or two every month. We're really excited about this idea and hope you are, too.

In addition to having a winner every month we're also going to have two Grand Prize winners next December. Cheryl and I are going to set aside an additional gift every month. The number of entries you have for the Grand Prizes will be based on how many months you participated. So if you participate all 12 months, you'll have 12 entries; 6 months - 6 entries and so on.

So...............my fellow Christmas Elves will that help keep you motivated to work on Christmas gifts and make your life easier next December?



The Christmas Through the Year train is pulling into its first stop - January 31. We know that many of you have already completed Christmas gifts for family and friends. WooHoo!!!! Cheryl says we're YOUR cheerleaders and have pom-poms; so do you have a mental picture of us jumping for joy just for YOU. (ok, maybe not - LOL)


I've been fighting a cruddy flu bug since Wednesday (it's been a long time since I've been this sick - ugh) however in my stupor I came up with yet another time saving idea for you.

Bearing in mind that this is suppose to be about 'no stress, no pressure just fun with great results next Christmas' I had a lightbulb moment. :-)

We've suggested that you store your finished gifts in a fun container (a pretty box, basket, totebag, drawer, etc) however why not wrap your gift NOW. If your gift is small use those cute Christmas treat bags, plain treat bags found in the cake decorating dept at your local hobby store (make it fun with pretty ribbons, rick rack, etc) or a plain brown lunch bag that you can decorate with fun stickers found in the scrapbooking dept of the same local hobby store. If you don't want to scrunch up the brown bag to tie it then simply fold it over, punch two holes and thread pretty ribbons, etc through the holes. Or, make a special bag following a tutorial you might find on Cheryl's blog - goodness I'm glad she took that on - not my strong suit. Now you just need to find a shelf in your sewing room, hall closet, etc to store your wrapped gifts.

These are my January gifts - not quilted but will be later this week.

I failed to take a picture of the finished January gift but here's a refresher!


I've added Mr Linky to end of this post - please add your blog with a link to your blog to show your completed January Christmas Through The Year gifts. I'll leave this up until Wednesday February 1 and then a winner will be announced.

If you're participating and don't have a blog please send a picture to me or Cheryl! :-)

One more thing - you can follow Cheryl's and my blog via e-mail. Sign up on the top right!

Thank you for having Christmas fun with us!

In Friendship!

Have you jumped aboard the Christmas Train?

We're near the end of January, the first stop in our Christmas gift making journey!

Are you excited because you've completed your January Christmas gift goals? I've heard from several of you who are chugging right along - woohoo!!! Mary completed two Full House Schnibbles projects, Carol has some adorable kitchen towels, Carol completed a pillowcase for her granddaughter - the list goes on.

If you're still struggling with gift ideas please visit Cheryl's blog for lots of wonderful tutorials. And, there's more to come - she's really good at finding lots of terrific ideas!

Last week I told you I'd have a big announcement today! Well, you'll have to wait till next Monday because I don't quite have my act together. teehee!!! I will tell you that it should provide more motivation for you to jump aboard the Christmas Train as we continue our Christmas Through The Year journey.

Next Monday I will provide Mr Linky so you can link your blog to show your finished project(s). You'll have till the end of the month to provide your link and on February 1 we'll draw a winner of the January stocking!

If you haven't started working on your Christmas gifts now is the time to get busy. Remember it's about no stress and no pressure with fabulous results in December!

In Friendship!

Snippets

(a small bit of something)

I've had snippets of time to play with snippets of fabric (12 Days of Christmas scraps).

This box full of snippets probably should be sealed up and put on a shelf but I've been having way too much fun! :-)


Using my snippets of time and snippets of fabric I've created these four little quilts. I've been thinking enough already but I have two more ideas. LOL


Lest you think I've only played with Christmas snippets - here are pink and brown snippets, as well.

Thank you for spending a snippet of your day with me - please come back soon.

In Friendship!

Can you believe half of January is gone?

I hope you've started working on your January Christmas Through the Year gift project.

In case you haven't I'm here to offer a little motivation - teehee!

I managed to squeeze in some 'me time' this evening to piece the January giveaway project. I'll quilt and bind it later this week so I can show you next Monday! Remember your name can be in the hat to win if and only you complete a gift this month!

Before


After


I'll be back with Christmas Through the Year next Monday to show the project finished and a surprise!


Remember no pressure, no stress - just fun with great results next Christmas! Imagine how good it'll feel to have 12 projects ready to give - so start sewing for Christmas!


Cheryl will be posting tutorials and such on the first and third Mondays please stop by to visit with her for more motivation and ideas.


In Friendship!

Shaye's

1st Birthday

already?????

In Friendship!

ME TIME!

Before you read on please know that I'm not here to whine or complain. I'm looking for solutions, guidance, ideas, etc regarding TIME. Specifically ME TIME!

Since my mom came to stay with us in November 'me time' has been non-existant. My days have been consumed by my mom's needs but she's not an invalid (she's suffering from short term cognitive impairment). Sigh I was biding my time until the day I took her back to Texas. As a family we've decided that my mom is staying with us permanently - it's the best decision for her and her needs. This decision impacts me the most so I need your help.

I'm trying hard to find time in a day to work on some projects. I made the decision some time last year to focus on small projects in 2012. Even time to work on small projects has been elusive.

I willingly admit that I crave alone time. I enjoy time in my sewing room - it's really my sanctuary - I feel very at peace in there! In my personal Disneyland. LOL I can't remember the last time I spent time alone in my sewing room - just me and my thoughts. Sigh!

I thought I might be able to find that time in the evening after my mom goes to bed. Guess what? She refuses to go to bed until I go to bed (yes, we've tried tricking her but she figured us out - LOL) and when she finally goes to bed I'm exhausted. I'm an early riser so I've considered enjoying 'me time' in the early morning hours but then Cooper is demanding my time. aarrgghhh! LOL

So, can you offer some suggestions? Please I need help. I have to find a solution - really I do.

In Friendship!

So many have jumped aboard the Christmas Train - welcome aboard!

I've been peeking over some shoulders and have seen Christmas gifts in the making - woohoo!!!

The incredibly talented Kaaren at The Painted Quilted has finished her first gift! I was so excited when I saw it on her blog.

How are YOU doing? Have you picked out your first gift to be made this month? Are you sewing? Have you finished? I'd love to hear about your progress.

Cheryl's been working really hard getting some tutorials for ideas for YOU. I've almost finished the giveaway gift for January. teehee!!! And, I have some planned surprises, as well. :-)

No stress, no pressure just fun with wonderful results at the end of the year!!!

"I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year!"

Charles Dickens

In Friendship!

Welcome aboard the Christmas Train!!!

I'm so glad that so many of you are excited about the "Christmas Through The Year" bloggy club.

This is a fun and simple bloggy club - no pressure and no stress!! I'm going to suggest that you start small (mug mat, pillow case, table runner, etc). If you're ready to start BIG then by all means. :-) We're here to cheer you on. Remember you have all month to get your first gift completed. Cheryl, has done her first post about the bloggy club and has some awesome tutorials for some adorable projects.

By the way, I know it'll be tempting to give your gift away right away...........don't do it! LOL Finish the first gift and put it away in your box, totebag, drawer or basket. It's going to be fun to look back and see your pile of gifts growing.

Here's a little teaser - teehee!!

I'm already having fun - could this be the start of my first gift or the giveaway prize? LOL

I promise this is my last post about the "Christmas Through The Year" bloggy club until next Monday. :-)

In Friendship!