Halloween, Thanksgiving, Almost Christmas

With Thanksgiving behind us the mad rush towards Christmas begins!  I already have the stockings hanging from the mantel and expect to get our tree very soon.  Christmas will be here before you know it!

Today however, it felt like Halloween.  I picked up the mail and was excited to see that Amy's Halloween exchange arrived.  It's a beauty....

2013 HOE Halloween Ornament Round #1

Designer: Lizzie Kate

Design: Boo To You
From: JCS Sept/Oct 2012

Stitched by: Amy

This is such a great design with the perfect finish.  I love the ruched ribbon trim and, having recently ruched 10 yards of ribbon, I can appreciate the time spent on this exchange.  

Thanks again Amy, your wonderful ornament look great on my Halloween tree!

Here is a pic of the Ornament that I sent to Lily...

2013 HOE Halloween Ornament round #1

Designer: Prairie Schooler

Design: Trick or Treat

Finish: Small Treat Bag

Stitched For: Lily

I decided to finish the ornament into a tiny Halloween treat bag.  

I recently posted Halloween Ornament Round #2 sign ups on the HOE blog so check it out if you are interested in participating.

Each Thanksgiving my family spends the holiday with my relatives.  I always try to stitch something to share with them.  This year I decided to make these candle mats...

2013 Thanksgiving Gift

Designer: Carriage House Samplings

Design: Autumn At Hawk Run Hollow ~ Block 12

2013 Thanksgiving Gift

Designer: The Primitive Hare

Design: Give Thanks ~ Freebie

When things settle down I would like to spend some time making a few for myself.  Scented candles are often burning in my home so I could use a few candle mats and I really do like the idea of combining cross stitch and quilting.  They do not require very much fabric, they are relatively quick to make, and, unlike a large bed quilt, these are small enough to machine quilt with my Bernina.  

Thanks for stopping by and...

Until Next time ~ remember:

Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.

-Marianne Williamson

My Joy

It's A Challenge

I attended the Quilt Challenge reveal luncheon where I saw some very pretty and creative wall hangings, table runners, and a bed quilt.  My local shop hosted a Dresden Plate quilt challenge so I decided to sign up and spent the past few months in my sewing room.

The Dresden Plate pattern was first published in 1920 and became extremely popular through the 1930's.  The design was known by several names:

Dresden Plate 

Grandmother's Sunburst 

Friendship Ring

Aster

Dahlia

Sunflower

Some are made with the a smooth outer circle...

But more often you see the blocks with either rounded petals....

Or pointed petals....

Not sure what to stitch, I searched the Internet and found a picture that inspired me.  Here is an in progress picture of the wall quilt that I made...

My search for "just the right color" of Ric Rac left me in a quandary, I managed to find the right color but it was not the right size.  What would I use for the stem? Given the large selection of ribbon in the store I managed to find what I needed and set out to do some Ruching...approximately 10 feet for the stem work. 

After many weeks I successfully completed my entry just days before the Quilt Challenge Reveal and here it is...

2013 Dresden Plate Quilt Challenge

I attended the luncheon at the quilt shop where I met some nice ladies, saw some wonderful quilt entries, tasted some delicious food, and had my entry judged. 

So, how did I fair in this challenge?  

I took 2nd place and was awarded a $75.00 Gift Certificate to the quilt shop.  

First Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

As you can see there were many beautiful entries! 

For those interested in making a Dresden Plate block or quilt, HERE is a good tutorial. If you prefer a YouTube video I found one HERE.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until Next time...

A truly Generous Friend

As I stated in my previous post, Blogging friends are the BEST! Here is just another example...

My dear friend Vonna, who is the person that helped me when I first started Blogging back in 2007, did a beautiful job stitching Midnight Ride.  I contacted her about the pattern and days later I received an envelope from her that contained not just Midnight Ride but also Forget-Me-Not Sampler by Country Stitches.  

Look closer, do you see all the WDW? Yup, she sent that as well! 

I wanted to return the kind gesture so I stitched up this candle mat...

Designer: Pineberry Lane

Design: Fancey's Sunflowers

Fabric: 32ct Linen over 2

Floss: Victorian Motto Sampler Threads, Threadworx

And this little treat bag...

Designer: Drawn Thread

Design: Spiders 'N Bones

Thanks again Vonna...As always, you are the BEST!

Until Next time...

Spooktacular Surprise

Blogging friends are the best, truly the BEST.  I received a package from Julianne today that certainly put a smile on my face.  I have been "blogging friends" with Julianne for many years and am blessed to have a number of treasures stitched by her.  When I think of Julianne I think of Prairie Schooler, this is one of her favorite designers.  She is so very sweet ~ she sent me this spooktacular gift!

2013 Gift from Julianne

Designer: Prairie Schooler

Design: Boo Moon

Stitched by: Julianne

How awesome is that? This great design is such a wonderful addition to my Halloween Tree. 

Julianne also included a bag of the most delicious candies.  Hmmm, I am wondering if she made these?

The Halloween Ornament was a joint effort, Julianne stitched it and her DD did the finishing and mailed it off to me.  Great job on the finishing "J" ~ I love the braided trim!

A huge thank you to Julianne and her DD for this RAK; your package brightened my day! 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until Next time...