The Final Finish

Yep...squeezed one in there, didn't I?  This is "Deck the Halls" by The Birdhouse Designs.  I received this as part of my Christmas gift from Anne Marieke.  Of course, it has reindeer and sheep...so you know what happened, right?  I had to start work on it right away!  I had gone to Bears Paw Fabrics yesterday and thought this fabric would be just perfect for the finishing on this.   I put the last button on this cutie about ten minutes ago.  I have a feeling that this is not going to be the last one for me from The Birdhouse!

I can hear it now....

"Well, it is about time!!"  (right, Anne Marieke?)  Here is my picture of my completed Snowbound quilt top.  (Design by Bunny Hill Designs).  I always have such a difficult time trying to get a picture of an entire quilt top.  Now if there was someone here when I am trying to take the pictures, I could get a little help.  Seems like I am always trying to take the pictures when no one is around!  I am just thankful it is not a queen or king size!

He did good!

Usually I have to spell out exactly what it is and where to get it and how much it costs for my Christmas present(s) from DH Dave.  But this year, he told me (and a week before Christmas, too, not Christmas Eve!), he had bought me a "thoughtful" gift.  And then he kept bugging me to try and guess it..of course, saying the whole time I would never guess it in a million years.  (aren't DH's the craziest sometimes?).  I, naturely, took the high road, and said "No...'cause I know you will get upset if I do guess it." LOL!  Well, he was right.  I would have never guessed that he went and got me this without me being there with him.

How great is this?  Of course, it is quite old and does have a little damage to the top surface.  I spent a good two hours yesterday morning cleaning up those screws in the little knobs (which had oxidized black) and generally giving it an overall cleaning and polishing.  You can see on the inside of the drawers where the glue was to hold the dividers for the needle packets.  Unfortunately, none of the dividers are there in either drawer 

This will be a fun chest to hold a few of my favorite stitching treasures. 

I took a few pictures of some of the projects I worked on right before Christmas....2 more blocks for Postcard Cuties for Winter by Bunny Hill Designs and Nine Ladies Dancing by Nora Corbett Designs.

~ Merry, Merry Christmas!! ~

 
A very, Merry Christmas to one and all! 

Sending lots of wishes for wonderful gifts with threads galore, fabrics wondrous and all those fantastic gadgets we all love!

Oh, My!

Look!  Just look at what I have received....lots and lots of goodies from my friend, Anne Marieke, for Christmas.  First, check out the little stitched birdies on the heart-shaped pillow!  Wonderful!  Then how about those little snowmen ornaments?  Too cute.  I put one of the new ornament hangers I purchased yesterday on one, since I cannot wait to hang them on my tree.  Ribbons, buttons and bows..Oh, my!
And the stitchery kit with not one of my favorite things, but two....reindeer and sheep!  Too cute!   and look at all those little tiny green, red and white felt reindeer!  Too much fun! 

Thank you, Anne Marieke, for all your great choices of gifts for me, but especially for the beautiful hand-stitched birdies!

Blocks 4 and 5

Two at once!  Here are Blocks #4 and #5 for Postcard Cuties for Winter by Bunny Hill Designs. 

More of this little snowball guys on the garland....where I realized when taking the picture, I totally forgot to stitch all the leaves!  Ooops!  Have to go back and fix that. :)

Block #5 - I love his little star garland!



Another Snow Angel

Remember my Snow Angel from the Snowbound quilt?  Postcard Cuties has its very own Snow Angel, too.  In fact, Anne (Bunny Hill Designs) may have "borrowed" this one from Postcard Cuties.  These patchwork and applique blocks  have captured me in their simplicity.  Here she is my Postcard Cutie Snow Angel:

And don't you  think that snowball garland is the cutest?  Sorry ;)...I generally am not a person who gushes about "cuteness."  I just cannot help it....the cuteness factors in this quilt are overwhelming.:))

The second postcard!

Block #2 of Bunny Hill's Postcard Cuties for Winter.  Just what I need today ~ a nice warm cup of hot chocolate, or it could be coffee, too!  It's been pretty brisk and windy all day.  The little snowguy is only about an inch and a half to two inches tall!

I have pieced all the patchwork pieces for Block #3.  Now onto the little snow angel and snowball ornaments for that block. :)  

Happy! Happy!

I had ordered Bunny Hill's Postcard Cuties for Winter kit and pattern about two weeks ago.  When it came, I set it aside in the hopes that I might finish another larger WIP.   But...now that the Snowbound quilt BOM is done, I was starting to miss the little snowguys.  Last night I pulled out the kit and looked it over.  A lot more piecework than there was in Snowbound, but it has twelve more little snow buddies!  The other good thing is that the applique portion for each block is the size of a postcard (4 1/2" x 6 1/2").  Quite small, hence the quick finish for Block #1:

(The seams in the block are straight, it is the angle at which I took the picture that makes it seem slanted.)

Too cute, huh?

A visit to Tiny Town

Once again we visit my little Tiny Town.  A little late, but here is Block #5. 

I thought it rather funny that there were two "crafty" type stores, but also one food store...I guess a girl's gotta eat to keep up her energy level to keep stitching!

And the Andirondack type chairs at the top...lots of little pieces, but they did turn out cute!

Last Block

Here she is!! A cute little snow angel all dressed up and ready to go...I am thinking maybe she has her purse 'cause she is getting ready to do a little Christmas shopping! ;)

I am going to miss receiving my little snowbuddies each month from Anne at Bunny Hill Designs.  But, hold on...Anne says she has something in the works for another freebie Block of the Month next year.  

I almost forgot to post a picture of this one, since she has been finished since November. It was just by chance that I saw a little blurb  from Anne on the Snowbound Flickr group that we could request the December block early. Anne had asked that anyone who finished wait until the last block was released.

A little Santa

He is only 9 inches all. Believe it or not...the kit for this Santa was purchased way back in 1993-1994!  Now that is a long time to complete something...but he wasn't a WIP...just never got started on him.  He is a kit by Gail Wilson.  Since this kit was created there have been a lot of new wool felt products.  The red felt is the only thing I changed in the kit.  She had a piece of red flannel that you were to overdye to tone it down a bit.

I looked at Gail Wilson's website yesterday and she has a lot of her doll patterns/kits on sale at 50% off.

I think this one is going to be the last "doll" for a while.  Although fun to make, they do take quite a bit of time.  So back to some stitching or quilting!

H O M E

Isn't it funny what different visions this simple little word can bring to mind?

 Another cute block for my Born To Quilt.....that's three completed blocks!

My nutcracker has a new friend!

My nutcracker looks very happy to have a new friend!:))

  Count me happy, too, with a fun finish! My new Advent Angel by Robin Betterley for Wilmington Fabrics.  http://greatamericanquilt.com/store/choirofangels.html  She starts out as a flat panel of fabric.  Pretty much everything is included, except for her hair, chenille stems, interfacing and stuffing. (A few of the extras are what I visited Joanne Fabrics for yesterday.)   For approximately $15-$20 (I did get the panel fabric on sale for about $7.00), all that turns into this:

She has 24 little pockets to hold candies, trinkets and treasures for Advent.  She is holding #25 made into a little bag in her hands.  She is not a complete doll.  Her lower body rests in the top of a quart Mason jar (which, I am thinking, would be a good place to keep all that extra candy!)

I am thrilled with how she turned out.  Since today is the first of December, I better get cracking and fill her up with some treats! 

Happy December!

Oh, my!

I went to Joanne Fabrics this morning for a few odds and ends.  While wandering down the aisles with all the Christmas goodies, what do I spot?  This guy....

How could I resist a Sewing/Stitching Nutcracker??   Look at all his great accessories...pincushion...scissors...buttons...threads (especially the giant spool of thread for his hat)...the HUGE needle...but it is the use of the thimbles that I love. :)))

Normally, I am not a big fan of Nutcrackers...I have two from my mother that are older which I get out each year...but this one was just too fun to resist.

Baubles

Yep!  That's what they are called....Christmas Baubles....(look like Christmas ornaments to me!) ;)
Designed by Hatched and Patched Designs for wool felt.  These were surprisingly quick to make.

Tiny

These little churn dash blocks are only 3 1/2 inches square!  They will be part of the side border for the first block of Scandinavian Christmas by Lynette Anderson.

My progress, so far, on the first block:



HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! 

Be sure to save some room for dessert!

shhhh....

Can't show any pictures....but I have been busy.  Working on some Christmas presents! ;)

Flying High

I so love this little angel girl!  She was a lot of fun to make.  Here she is overall, with her completed flying geese border:

A close-up of her funny little 'shoes', as well as the teeny patchwork border of her dress:



and my favorite part of the entire block...her little quilted bag...which you know she has to take to the nearest quilt shop and fill with as many qulting goodies as she can:

I was just a teeny bit sorry she was all finished.  However, now there are at least two blocks complete for by Born to Quilt project!

Houses and more...

A little wrinkly...but I was anxious to show it all done!  Cute, cute, cute!  Although not done in time for this year's, it will be all ready to go for next Halloween. :)

More little houses!  This is the Bunny Hill Designs Quilt Aid block...Quilt Aid.  All very cute designs with a heart and home theme.

And....this is my favorite for today:

 Block #1 for the Born to Quilt project I started (I only have one other block, so far).  She is still a WIP, but I was so happy with her progress I just had to show her.  She will be holding a little quilted bag...and of course, that little bluebird will be finished with a wing and eye.  She also has a teeny, tiny patchwork row on the bottom of her skirt (which I still have to do), as well as a strip of flying geese blocks down the right side (which I am working on now!)

Now you can see why there haven't been many posts lately....:)

.....goodness!

Just a quick little blurb...did ya see?  Wow...40,000 visitors!  

Thanks for coming by!

Pictures this morning of a few of my latest projects...promise! ;)

Some new things

A little bit of cross stitch!  It seems like forever since I posted something I have cross stitched.  This is Eight Maids A Milking by Nora Corbett Designs as part of her Twelve Days of Christmas series.  And...two little blocks, stitchery and quilting, Block 1 and 2 of the My Garden series by Lynette Anderson Designs



Block 11

Here it is Block #11 for my Snowbound quilt.  The past eleven months have passed so quickly.  It is difficult to believe that there is only one more block for this so, so cute design. :)

Ta Da!

 Not Friends for Christmas (yet)...Block #3 from my Vintage Valentine which has been languishing away in its plastic bin....Block #3 has been traced and cut out for a while.  I finally decided to work on this block last week and put the final buttons and pearls on this morning!

 I find it extremely difficult to locate a place in the house to lay out the quilt and get a picture (I am not going to say "decent picture", since I rarely get any of those!)  Seeing it all together makes a big difference!  A fun project, even though the blocks were huge!

 

Done!

My Friends for Christmas quilt top is done!!  Big Happy Dance time! 

But wouldn't you know....I left my camera on, now the batteries are dead, and yep...all out of batteries!  Time to stock up again on the batteries.  As soon as the camera is functioning again, a picture.  This one is definitely too big for the scanner! ;)

Would you look at that?

Ove 39,000 views on my blog!  Who'd have thought?  :)  Again, a special thank you to all who come by for a visit.  I know it's not always possible to leave comments....I'm notorious for looking at a bazillion blogs and barely leaving any comments.  However, I do appreciate everyone's thoughts and kind words on my pieces.

And yes, I have been busy (again). Lots of applique happening 'round here! :)) Here's a peek at my Baltimore Bunnies all gathered together in one place finally. I still have all the swags, bunnies and flowers to do for the oute borders.

My Friends for Christmas got a bit of attention this past week, too.  I finally finished the four spindly-leggd reindeer block (of which you can barely see three).  One more to go...the sleigh with a vine of holly leaves and a bag full of presents!  I did add the buttons to the "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree (not called for in the original pattern, but I thought it looked a bit 'naked'.)

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Block 6

Yeah!  This is the last block for my Baltimore Bunnies quilt..... But...there are still 10 swags and fifteen flowers to put onto the outer borders. :)  Teeny, weeny birdies on this one.

Thanks for stopping by! ;)

My Post Office

Here is Block #4 for my Tiny Town!  A little mail box, a mail truck and a cute polka dotted car!  Looks like my blue washable marker showed up in a few spots again....I'll have to go over it one more time! :)

And my Letter R from Merry  Christmas to All.  This is actually the "second" R that was sent.  The two R's for the word merry are the kits for this month.  I just had to work on the one with the cute little mouse and stocking. 

The embellishments are not attached at the moment. There are twenty, that's right, count 'em...twenty buttons to be attached for this block as well as the little jingle bell and bow.

Busy, busy, busy

That's why there haven't been many posts lately.  I finally finished all the little round snowflakes (which  barely show up in this picture) and the outer border for my Robyn Pandolph "Winter's Dance" reindeer....I know it is wrinkly.  I had to lay it all out on the table for now.  The jingle bells and all those red buttons are not attached yet.  They really do add a lot to the overall look, so I wanted to get a picture of them all in place.  They will be permanently attached once the quilting is all finished.

There are also a few more stars in the lower right-hand corner.  I did not add the final outer cream floral border on this one.  I liked it with the brown print and it was getting way too big for a simple wall hanging.

And...I completed two more of my Baltimore Bunny blocks.  One left to go!  I also started work on the piecing of the borders for this one.  No pictures just yet...I want to finish the last block first!

And...I am working on the fourth block from Tiny Town.

And (last one, I promise)  I received two more letters for Merry Christmas to All...Two R's, but assembled completely different.  I have those traced and ready for their embroidery.Whew!  See?  I told you I was busy! ;)

**  Missie - Just so you know...I did order this kit from Shabby Fabrics which included all the buttons and jingle bells.  I also replaced all the white fabric stars with wool felt in both pink and white. **

Rough Layout

A rough layout to see if I liked the fabrics I had chosen for the two inner borders on my Baltimore Bunnies.   So far, so good!  Still have two more blocks to complete, plus all the swags, bunnies and flowers on the cream colored outer borders. 

Snowbound

Block #10!  Wow!  We are almost finished with this one.   Surprisingly, I have kept up with the new block release each month.  Here's mine with one of my favoritie things, too!  A cute, wooly sheep.

Something to show

I know...I know....I can hear you say...well, it's about time she did something. :)  All together and embellished...my Letters M and E from Merry Christmas to All...I just love the peppermint and candy cane on this one.

Plus....hold on...don't fall over...Block #3 from Tiny Town....the little dog is my favorite part on this block, although I do like those little mailboxes, too.

Block #10 from Snowbound is being worked on now...(well, I am taking a little break to post this....;) )

....And.....Block #5 from Friends for Christmas is traced, cut out and ironed in place waiting to be appliqued.  This  is another big one....four of those funny reindeer!

OK.  I hope this update makes up for the lack of posting in the past two weeks!

Once again, I do appreciate everyone who comes by for a visit and also wish to express my thanks for all the lovely comments on my ...ahem...varied and every growing pile of  projects

Yeah!

That's what Klawd would probably say if he could talk.  The feeding tube is gone as of this morning.  Just some gauze and a nice purple bandage for a day or two until the incision from the tube is healed.

As you can see, his appetite is returning.  Klawd is now one happy kitty.:))

**  Edited to clarify how Klawd was diagnosed.**
Well - for a cat who wakes you up each and every morning at 5:30 - 6:00 a.m. to not do it one morning, was the first sign. :))  After that he just would not eat, was lethargic and slept downstairs (instead of in his normal place of choice - the sofa)...were just a few more signs. Since this alll occurred between Thursday morning and Friday evening...a trip to the emergency vet was in order.  After x-raying, bloodwork and his overall appearance, the gallstones were found.  However...only a veternary surgeon could take care of it.  So off he goes to another emergency vet hospital.  He was immediately operated on that day, since it was found that one of the stones was blocking the duct to his intestines...life threatening.   Suffice it to say, he is on the mend. :))  Happy kitty and happy Mom and Dad (who is Klawd's "person").

Geez.....

OK...where did the last week and a half go?  Here's one of the reasons:
Poor baby.  This is Klawd.  No, he is not going to the hairdresser's...he is wearing the latest in veterinary fashion...a soft "cone" collar.  Under that collar is a tube that was put in place to help feed him.  See the little bit of turquoise "sweater" he's wearing.  That covers his belly which had some very serious surgery.  Gallstones...which blocked the entrance to his small intestines....But the good news - he is on the mend and the tube will be coming out tomorrow.  Klawd will be one happy kitty. He is defnitely feeling much better and letting me know just how unhappy he is with all this stuff.

Bits of stitching did get done...here's my WIP on Eight Maids a Milking from the Twelve Days of Christmas from Nora Corbett.  Just her apron and the banner at the bottom to finish her.

A little bit of applique...my letter "E" from Merry Christmas to All.  Oops...I think I forgot to post the finished picture of my "M" for this one.  It still needs the bow to be appliqued as well as all the extra buttons and ribbons to be attached.

There have been a few sporadic stitches on a few other projects.  Nothing really worth showing at this point...but keep watching!