this and that Thursday

Looking for the Sew Mama Sew giveaway post? Here it is!

It's been a busy week here! I am getting the house ready for some Christmas entertaining this weekend. Still need to get to the grocery store.... yikes! I'm running out of week! Meanwhile I had some things to share. This package arrived this week all the way from Australia...

 Maria is so on the ball! Her Christmas gift is still sitting here in my sewing studio. It's time to get my act together and get to the post office! Hope it's not too late to get it to her by Christmas! This gift is tucked under the tree for happy opening on Christmas day.

A couple of weeks ago I won a gift card to The Rusted Chain on Facebook! They have so many wonderful choices on their website and many of them were on my Christmas list. It was hard to choose! I finally settled on this beauty which says "dream God sized dreams". A wonderful reminder! I love it.

 And yes, I have been crafting. I had a candy pack of Marmalade that I won at Bring n Brag and I made it into a little stitched wall hanging. It's for my guild secret pal.... she'll receive it at our holiday brunch on Saturday.

What have you been working on?

giveaway day!

comments have been closed on this post. Thanks everyone for entering.

Today is giveaway day at Sew Mama Sew! I love to join in the fun. If you got here through a link on their blog, welcome to ellyn's place! I hope you'll come back often. If you're one of my regular readers and you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about, you'll want to hop on over to Sew Mama Sew and check out all of the awesome giveaways happening this week! Prizes galore. So, I know what you're thinking. Quit babbling, Ellyn, and get on with it! What can we win?

Here's a fabric basket filled with goodies for a winner to enjoy. What's that you say? You can't see what's inside the basket? Sigh. Ok, I'll show you...

 Some fall colored treasures to help you hang onto the last days of the season! Some are handmade items by me (the basket, a colorful pot holder, a crocheted dish cloth and a little pear pincushion.) Others are supplies for you to make your own crafty items (a bundle of fall colored fabric squares tied with fancy fabric ribbon and some ellyn's place buttons with fall leaves on them). I'm sure some other treasures will find their way into the package too.... surprises as it were!

So, how do you win? Simple! Leave me a comment on this post telling me the most fun thing you did this fall! Or the coolest thing you made this fall. For a second chance to win, become a follower of my blog. Just leave a second comment telling me that you're a follower. Make sure I have an email to reach you by. No-reply-bloggers who don't give me their email will be disqualified. Boo. You do not want that to happen to you!

I will close the comments on Friday evening and announce a winner on Saturday.... and I will ship anywhere so overseas comments are most welcome.

What are you waiting for? Come on! Leave me a comment. You know you want to! And enjoy visiting new blogs this week and checking out their giveaways. I know I will!

learning to sew... the ongoing story

The girls came over for another lesson today. One drawstring bag needed to be finished up...

 And then we played with Shrinky Dinks! They had seen buttons and pins I made with shrinky dinks and they wanted to do it too. So we did...

 Wait, what is that she's making?

 ah, it's Justin Beiber! Of course! I'd know him anywhere!

 Somewhere on Pinterest I saw someone suggesting you stick straight pins in a potato when you put them in the oven to shrink. Genius! It worked like a charm. The girls straight pins were so creative and cool!

Next time they come, we're going to make pretty patchwork pincushions so they can display their awesome pins. Stay tuned!

Also, did you hear? Monday is Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! I'll be playing along for sure. Check this space on Monday for goodies you can win!

a prayer quilt finish

I've been working on a prayer quilt for a beautiful lady at church who is battling that demon cancer. I had one more batch of my green and grey swap blocks left and I thought they would make a cheerful quilt for her as she goes through her treatments. Yesterday, I recruited some helpers to tie the quilt and pray for their friend...

 The ladies in the Mary Circle at our church are the dearest women I have ever known. They laugh a lot, pray for our church and for each other and support each other. They are a wonderful example of what Christian women should be. I always enjoy being in their company and learning from their example.

 Today I finished sewing on the binding and the label so the quilt can be delivered.

 A beautiful fall day here in Texas (look at that blue sky!)

I pray our quilt brings her comfort and healing.

learning to quilt

My friend Lori came over to sew today. She wanted to make 2 baby quilts for a friend. Lori sews but has never made a quilt. We had such a good time! She had brought some cute baby prints she bought and we cut them into 6 1/2 inch squares (a size that worked well with one of the prints that was divided into squares). Then we dove into y stash and found some solids and polka dots that played nicely with her prints. She laid the patchwork out in a cute scrappy style and we sewed them together as a team. I must say, we're a pretty fine team! Here's Lori's very first quilt top....

She's coming back on Friday so we can sew the second one together. I think she did a terrific job, don't you?

decking the halls....

I love when my house is decorated for Christmas. I guess that's why we always do it the day after Thanksgiving! And this year, with Thanksgiving so early, I have even more time to enjoy it! Today I got home from shopping (just the quilt stores for me on Black Friday! I'm not crazy. Ok, maybe I am.) and my sweet hubby had the tree up and decorated! He's a keeper. Ally even posed for me...

 One of my favorite Christmas decorations is this adorable gingerbread family that my friend Tracey made for me years ago. They hang in my dining room, underneath our family photo wall. I have little tiny 3m hooks tucked under the bottom shelf that I just leave up from year to year because nobody can see them! How did we ever decorate before those hooks? And no, they aren't paying me to say that. I'm just a fan.

 When Mom & Dad came to visit this year, she brought me this adorable Santa quilt she had made for us! It's hanging in the hallway where we'll see it all the time.... but it's hard to get a good straight on shot there! Thanks Mom, I love it!

Over the years I have gradually been trading in some of my "cutesy" decorations for more formal ones. This year it was the mantel's turn to get spruced up. Ally & I went to Hobby Lobby and bought lots of sparkly things, garland, candles, ornaments, bells even "funky gold twigs" for my vase. If you look really close you'll see that I even have gold stars dangling from clear thread. Ally declared our theme "gaudy not cheesy" and I do think we pulled it off!

 We had a few red ornaments left over and decided to show them off in a pretty crystal bowl.

If you need me, I'll be curled up on the couch listening to Christmas music and enjoying all of the sparkle!

patterns

I haven't stitched up one of my own patterns in ages! But I had a request for a Nantucket bag, so I stitched it up today...

 Believe it or not, I had to dig out a copy of my own pattern so I would do it right! The Nantucket Market Bag was my first self published pattern. It makes a terrific grocery bag, or just a big tote when you have lots to carry. I also have an over the shoulder sling bag (the NYC Hipster Bag) and a cute small tote that works as a purse (the Town Square Bag).  I've restocked all three of my patterns in my shop if you'd like to make one too...

On to the next project! What are you making today?