Happy New Year!

 Greetings Blog Friends,

As years go, 2020 turned out to be a pretty crappy one!  

Restaurants closed, Graduations cancelled, Sports teams playing to empty stadiums, Runs on toilet paper and Facemasks in public.  A tiny virus bringing the human race to its knees.  Human beings, however, are a resilient breed and we found ways to interact, complete our studies and do our jobs by remote means.  Spring became summer, summer faded into autumn, and now winter is soon upon us.  Time goes on just as we go on.  Human beings have an uncanny ability to hope.  Optimism is innate in us.  We have had to accept and make the best of what is and hope for better times to come.  And now it is that time of year again for New Year resolutions and toasts.  I hope for things to return (as much as possible) to pre-COVID19 days.  Dear friends, please join with me from afar and raise  a glass on New Years Eve and  drink a toast to to getting our lives back…

 

        To Better Tomorrows in 2021.  Cheers!

 

Jingle Joy Christmas Pages

Greetings Blog Friends,

Our December scrapping group met on the 17th and we made our second set of Christmas pages for all those great holiday photos.  The kit is "Jingle Joy" by Close to My Heart.  Designs per daughter and group leader, Kristy.

Winter sewing projects are in the queue!  More on that next time.  Happy New Year!

A Christmas Skate Stocking

Greetings Blog Friends!

I have another great finish to share with you today.  Completed and ready for display is this beautiful felt stocking by Bucilla...A Christmas Skate.  I mentioned this project back in early February and even took her with me to Florida in February.  I worked on her there, but once we got home in early March, COVID concerns and other projects stepped in front.  She spent nine long months patiently waiting until just a few weeks ago, and now she's done.  And, her reward (for waiting so long to see the light of day)...she will grace my mantel all winter long.

I fell in love with this kit as soon as I saw it last January.  I'm so glad she has joined the others in my felt stocking family.

Holiday papercrafts next time!  'Til then... 

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS!

 Blog Friends,

Merry Christmas from our home to yours...

Have a wonderful and Blessed Christmas!

Cups of Christmas Cheer Ornaments

Greetings Blog Friends,

I've been working on a quick and fun hand sewing project...some cute Christmas Cheer cup ornaments:

I purchased this project as a kit from Rachels of Greenfield.  These are from the "Merry Mugs" kit.  These are meant as tree ornaments and measure approximately 3 3/4" x 4 1/8".  

I plan to use them as gifts for some of my pen pal friends and as ornaments on my own tree that features handmade decorations.  

Cheers!  'Til next time...

Christmas Decor FAIL and Re-do

 Greetings Blog Friends,

As crafters, we all have had things that we designed, made, then realized our vision did not translate well to the finished product...aka FAIL.  Well, my Christmas bench pillow project from last year was one of those!  Here's a picture of that:

As you can see, the house doily just doesn't show up well on the light background.  I made a vow last Christmas to take it apart, and redo the background.  Well, the project sat waiting until...you guessed it...it was time once again to decorate for the holidays.  My house décor was complete except for a naked bench pillow!  

I'm happy to report that my bench pillow is now properly and appropriately clothed.  I basically remade the entire cover.  I pulled all fabrics from my stash, removed the house doily from the old cover, appliqued it to the new background fabric, did some minimal quilting to keep the layers in place, and voilá, the new finished product!

My living room décor is now complete!

Another fun hand sewing project to share for next time.  'Til then...

Festive Faces...Christmas Masks for 2020

 Greetings Blog Friends,

Another season is upon us and I've been busy in "Mask" production once again.  This time, an array of festive and holiday motifs are gracing the faces of family and friends.  

Cats, dogs, ornaments, snowflakes, holly and even Santa are on display this month:

My family will be wearing these in good health AND be looking GOOD!

More from Susan's Sewing room next post!  'Til then...

Bucilla Felt Stocking Class of 2020

 Greetings Blog Friends,

I want to share some of the hand sewing I've been working on the past few months (actually since June).  These are the four felt Christmas stockings that I have completed:

Christmas Birds

Classic Nutcracker

Fishing Santa

Lodge Santa.  This one will be an extra gift for grandson Conner this year.  He will be 18 and is still using the stocking I made and gave to him when he was a baby!  He is an avid fisherman, so this one is a perfect fit!  This was Conner's old one:  

I have been making and gifting these Bucilla felt stockings for over 40 years.  My daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren, parents, close friends, husband and myself all have at least one, some of us are on our second one!  Each new member of my family or circle gets one (as well as Betty the cat, Dino Sinclair, the traveling Dinosaur and Morty our resident sock monkey).  No one is left out!

These, along with the quilts that I make, are going to be the legacy that I leave behind.  There will come a time when the grandchildren will get married and have children of their own.  I have started to produce and will stockpile these stockings to insure that the tradition and legacy they represents continues long after I can no longer make them.  I will continue to make them all year round and will share a bit of Christmas with you throughout the year.  

More hand-made goodness next post!

Sparkle and Shine in Manitowoc, Wisconsin

 Greetings Blog Friends,

A few nights ago, Denis and I took a drive to the shore of Lake Michigan to the city of Manitowoc, to take in the sights of Evergleams on Eighth.  It was a clear day and a mild evening (about 40 degrees), perfect for a walk on downtown streets.  On display in storefront windows, we found many examples of Evergleam aluminum Christmas trees.  These trees were made in Manitowoc in the 1950s and 1960s.  Our favorite was one decorated with vintage ornaments.  Some of the store windows were beautifully decorated, too. 

 

We have decided that we, too, want one of these unique trees in our own home.  We already have the vintage ornaments, now we just need a silver tree to hang them on!  We'll be on the hunt this coming year for a tree and color wheel.

Merry Christmas!

Kitchen Towel Decor - Christmas Style

Greeting Blog Friends,

Here is the Christmas installment of my Seasonal Kitchen Towel series.  

This is based on a June Tailor, Inc. project, which includes a pre-printed batting piece as the patterns.  I took a copy of the original batting pattern, and am now making towels from my own fabric stash.  I plan to make towels for all seasons/holidays.  This was a fun, easy-to-make seasonal item that adds some whimsy to my kitchen/dining room décor.  

The Bucilla felt stocking class of 2020 is in the queue for next time.  'Til then...

Home for Christmas Flannel Quilt

Greetings Blog Friends,

Today I would like to share a quilt finish a year in the making.  I first made this quilt top in late December last year in 2019.  By the time I finished the top, Christmas was over and I was already in prep mode for our trip to Florida at the end of January.  So, this lovely quilt top wound up in the hanging file (closet) and patiently waited its turn to see the light of day again.  I'm happy to say that it is now finished and will be in use in my own living room this Christmas season.

NOTE:  I wanted to take this photograph outside on a sunny day and is taken off our backyard deck.  Because the sun is so low in the sky now, the colors have a warm late afternoon hue and a limb of our backyard tree created the shadow you see.

This quilt is based on a pattern I have used before...Switchback by Purple Pineapple Studio.  I love it as a scrappy layout.  The original pattern featured only four vertical columns; I added a fifth to make it a little wider.  This quilt is made from stash fabrics in a variety of flannels that I have had for years and from leftovers from recent quilts.  It’s name is based on some of the flannel prints.  They evoke a strong sense of nostalgia and of “home”:

  

These photos give you and idea of the true colors in the prints.

I really love it as a very welcome addition to our home décor this Christmas.

More Christmas sewing to share next time.  'Til then....

Comfort & Joy Scrapbook Pages

 Greetings Blog Friends,

It is time once again for the holidays and that means getting my scrapbook pages ready for pictures.  These pages were made in our regular monthly Scrap Group last week and use paper and accessories from the Comfort & Joy paper collection by Close to My Heart.  I think they turned out great!  

Page designs are courtesy Kristy Schoon.

Next time, I have a holiday flannel cuddler to share with you.  'Til then...

Quilter's Cottage BOM Month, Part 2

 Greetings Blog Friends,

My apologies for missing a post for last week.  The sewing machine has been humming and I can't wait to show you what I've been working on!   

I have made the next two installments of the Quilter's Cottage quilt.  October's selection was the flower blocks, November's was the picket fence.  

A lot seams and little pieces for both, but very cute when done:

Scrapping group next post.  'Til then...

Quilter's Cottage Block of the Month (BOM)

Greetings Blog Friends,

Have you ever fallen in love with an item or project at first sight?  Of course, the answer is YES!, we all have.  Well, this next project is one of those!  I have seen this project for several months, shown at different times on various quilting websites.  I have always admired, and I'll be honest...wanted it.  Well, I finally gave in to the urge, signed up with Quilt 'N Go (out of East LeRoy, MI), bought the book of patterns on Amazon, and have sewn up my first month's blocks.  The BOM runs through March, 2021.

Here is the finished product (from the pattern book):

Here are my first blocks:

This project is for ME!  It will be too big for a conventional wall hanging, and I have an idea to incorporate it into my sewing/craft room decor.  More on that later.  I'll keep you posted with more blocks as time goes on.  

Until next time....

 

Mittens and Stockings Oh My!

 Greetings Blog Friends,

I've been working on a quick, hand sewing project in the evenings over the past several weeks.  I'm happy to report that I've finished the project.  Here's the details:

I purchased these projects as kits from Rachels of Greenfield.  The red mittens/stockings are from her Christmas Critters kit and the gray mittens are from the Charcoal Mittens kit.  Each kit makes 6 different stockings.  You might notice, however, that I made five different motifs with one duplicate.  I took a little artistic license with this.  Each kit had a motif that I didn't particularly like, so I switched it out for one I did!  These are meant as tree ornaments and measure approximately 4" x 4 1/2".  

I plan to use them as gifts for some of my pen pal friends and as gift decorations.  And, some of my favorites might make it to my own tree.  

A new Block of the Month project is in the works!  More details next time....

KItchen Towel Decor for Fall

 Greetings Blog Friends,

Here is a decorative kitchen towel project for display in my dining room. 

This is the original (first towel).  It hangs from a drawer pull mounted on a block of wood, fashioned by my handy hubby, Denis.  

Here is the Halloween installment:

And the Thanksgiving installment:

The original towel was made from a kit I purchased from Shabby Fabrics.com.   It includes the fabrics and instructions and pre-printed batting from June Tailor, Inc.  I took a copy of the original batting pattern, and am now making towels from my own fabric stash.  I plan to make towels for all seasons/holidays.  This was a fun, easy-to-make seasonal item that adds some whimsy to my kitchen/dining room decor.  

A hand sewing project is underway.  More on that next time...

Quick Finishes

 Greetings Blog Friends,

As I was moving back into my craft room, I also did some sorting of fabrics and projects that have, of course, been waiting to see the light of day.  I'm happy to report that I have finished a couple of quick projects last week:

First up is this pillowcase.  It is an interesting print, very busy, from the Quantum Collection by Andover.  I added a black striped fabric as the contrast.  All fabrics are from the stash and I think it turned out great.  It is going to be a gift for my oldest grandson, who is planning to go into Engineering after high school.  Maybe it will help him with that...all I know is that it makes my eyes hurt!  

I also found this cute little candle mat.  It was a kit from Antoinette's Quilt Shop in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.  The wedges were precut and came complete with backing and center leaf motif.  A quick sew and a new fall decoration for the house!

Here is a quick autumn-themed needlepoint tissue box cover.  It was a kit from Mary Maxim.  Fits well with the autumn decor.

A pair of autumn theme decorative towels to show you next time.  Until then...