Christmas Card 2009

Our Christmas card each year is a photo. (daughter creations--23, son creations 21--puppy creations 10 months)  It's fun to look back each year and see how the kids have grown.  Abby wanted to wear my scarf this year.  Now to decorate, finish shopping, wrap, mail, bake, and get the cards addressed.  I'm exhausted already!  Actually one of my favorite things is addressing my Christmas cards--a quiet house, Christmas music playing, and a pot of tea.

~Piecefully, Stephanie

My Sewing Machine is Smokin'

Sherri asked for sneak peeks of  my flannel pillowcases.  I work in color groups so I don't have to keep changing thread.  So here are the pink-ish ones.

And here are the blue-ish ones.  Monkeys on flannel seem to be quite popular right now.   I've made over 2 dozen flannel pillowcases in the last few days.  These and many more are listed in my etsy shop.  Do I really need to go to the flannel sale the day after Thanksgiving?  I don't think it's a question of need, it's tradition.  :o)

Cloth napkins and real dishes.  We're doing our part to reduce waste in the landfills!  Machine wash hot water and tumble dry.  No ironing necessary, unless you love to iron your cloth napkins.  Off to etsy they go.
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I'll be back sometime after Thanksgiving.  Lots of pie baking (and eating) to do.  s
Wishing you a delicious and very Happy Thanksgiving!
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~Piecefully, Stephanie

Dance Party

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Nancy Wolff please click here to visit her site.  She has a blog too.  Her characters have such fun personalities and whimsical names.

Finished and listed in my etsy shop!

Watusi, Mashed Potato, The Twist...love the dances of the 60s.

This is one of the first baby quilts I made not using any pattern.  I think I've progressed!

Yes of course, a pieced flannel back and scrappy binding.
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~Piecefully, Stephanie

Sharing

I really don't want to share because it reduces my chances of winning--sorry but I am being a bit selfish...however, go here for your chance at winning some amazing prizes. 
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Wishing you a wonderful and productive weekend.  I'm trying to find my floor under the stacks of flannel that are slowly becoming pillowcases.
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~Piecefully, Stephanie

Almost Done

Although I'm not officially participating in Jacquie's challenge of getting projects done before the new year I am inspired to pull out some oldies and get them finished.

I LOVE this Nancy Wolff fabric!  So darn cute.  Spring 2007 I made this quilt top and then wasn't sure I like the way it turned out.  It got folded and stored and forgotten about until I moved sewing spaces.  I had the flannel for the back and the binding was already done.  So what was I waiting for?  I basted it several months ago and hung it over the bannister railing.  Recently I was in the mood to machine quilt (which rarely happens) so now to finish the last side of the binding. (I'll share soon.)  I hear quilters speak of dozens and dozens of UFOs.  I have a friend participating in a UFO challenge with another friend...the other friend has over 100 UFOs and counting.  I'm wondering how many years it takes to accumulate 100 UFOs.  I feel overwhelmed with less than 10!  100 would send me over the edge. 

~Piecefully, Stephanie

Monday Things

                                  

I'm not sure I like the new blog editor at all!  My pictures move mysteriously from center to left and then they move from exactly where I want them to whatever order they want!  Surely it can't me my fault!!!

  
Okie dokie...so some pics will be on the left, maybe some centered and one out of order.  You may remember the post I did on my trip to Liberal, Kansas in September...home of Dorothy.  I asked if I should get some ruby slippers.  Well Simone sweetly sent me some ruby slipper fabric (a little story I'll keep between the two of us), very sweet little stickers that are characters from a famous children's book, and a postcard from The Netherlands.  I collect postcards.  Thank you so much Simone.

Jenny hosted a Quick Christmas Swap that was fast and fun.  My partner was Manuela from Portugal.  Yesterday my package arrives.  We were to send 2 Christmas fat quarters, a yard/metre of Christmas-y trim and 2 Christmas buttons.  Manuela was very generous and included some little extras, including a hand stitched Christmas ornament in polka dots!  Thank you Jenny for playing hostess and to Manuela for a fun package.

To show you I really have been crafting...my sister is my best customer.  She asked for Christmas candle mats to give as gifts.  I've made almost 2 dozen for her to pick from.  This is just one stack.  Abby was very cooperative last night while I was sewing.  She got right on her towel at my door and snuggled down for a snooze.  I think she likes the hum of my machine.  A sleeping pup is as wonderful as a sleeping child.  They're angels.

Speaking of Abby...there is a reason we keep the doors closed upstairs.  On Saturday Son Creations informed me that Abby was chewing a spool of thread.  Well she couldn't have stolen it from my sewing room.  I was in there.  When I saw which thread it was I knew the thieving pup stole it from our bedroom.  I've been working on a very special project and have been hand sewing the binding.  This is the perfect color thread.  Mr. Creations had not shut the door after his shower.  I'm just glad this is all she covertly stole.  New thread is on order.  Mr. Creations asked if there was a way to salvage the thread.  What do you think?

Can you keep a secret?  Today I got Abby a stocking stuffer.  I hope it's big enough.  She can eat, yes I said eat, one of these rawhide bones in 5 days!

Abby's in jail--which I where Mr. Creations will soon be if he isn't a more mindful puppy parent!  Actually Abby isn't really in jail--she just looks like she's done something bad while peeking through the stair rails.

This is the out of order photo part--perhaps you've seen lots of designers giving away this magazine?   I won this one from Magnolia Bay Quilts.  It arrived yesterday.  I grabbed a cup of tea and thoroughly enjoyed looking through it.  Don't we all need more projects to start?  Thank you Kim for the wonderful giveaway.

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~Piecefully, Stephanie

Abby and Things

A few of you have sweetly asked about Abby.  Would you look at that face...what's not to love?  Except my right arm is about an inch longer than my left from her wanting to walk me in the morning.  I'm patient and consistent but I think I might have whispered a few bad words under my breath now and then, especially when she plants herself in a yard on our walk and REFUSES to move while she's eating grass, sticks, berries, bugs, weeds, roots, mushrooms, dirt...I can hear the neighbors laughing now!  We're checking into obedience school for her, not me. 

 

My what big feet you have.  The better to dig with.  Fortunately she only digs in one spot--where a HUGE sycamore tree was removed several years ago.  She smells something for sure--roots perhaps--because that's what she finds and chews.  She has been spotted snacking on Mr. Creations precious Japanese maples.  I think they'll be protected by chicken wire this weekend.

My what nice jowls you have.  The better to drip water all over the floor after slurping.  Abby is smart and has the "I can't hear you" mode down rather well.  She's the master of ignoring us and the master of manipulaton by the pitiful face she gives us when she knows she's done "a bad, bad thing".  She came with the "sit" command already learned.  I've taught her to shake and lay down on command--she's very food motivated so it didn't take her long to realize if she cooperated there'd be a tasty reward.  It doesn't work on our walk though.

I  realized as I was packing Jenny's polka dot package to be mailed that I didn't show everything she won.

Inside the polka dot pail were 2 packages of polka dot gift tags, stickers, 2 rolls of ribbon, spotted hankies, buttons, cupcake liners in 2 sizes and...

a mini pincushion ornament handmade by me.

Above is what I recently won at Pink Chalk Studio.  Lucky me...a super cute matroyshka doll kit and a darling little French General bag.  Thank you Kathy!

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*Please have a look at the lovely bag made by Mary on Lake Pulaski.  Thrills!

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*P.S.  The following is the tip Michele sent me about the new blog editor.  "Go to settings on your blog and scroll down to near the bottom, and there is a choice for "Select Post Editor." Choose the new editor. Now you can actually insert photos right where your cursor is. They don't just go to the top of the page to be dragged down. That made me feel car sick! Also, you have a choice right as you are placing the photo of sizes and centering, etc. There is just no spell check option, as far as I can see, in the post toolbar. Please let me know if you spot it."  I've recently discovered that new blog editor does not have a spell check feature.  Some of you have told me about Windows Live Writer.  I'm waiting until my computer savvy daughter is home for Thanksgiving before I tackle this.

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~Piecefully, Stephanie