Goodbye 2010!

Well I must say, 2010 turned out to be a very productive year for me! I finished at least 10 quilts that I can think of, everything from doll quilts to bed sized quilts. Here are four of my favorites: Clockwise from top left: Steve's college quilt, autumn wall quilt, Life as it Should be quilt and Welcome Little Lamb quilt.

As usual there were lots of bags made this year. Here are just some of those:Hexagon project bag, Christmas charm square bag for swap, My charm square bag and GREAT BIG bag for our quilt guild raffle quilt.

The charm square bag will be available as a pattern in my shop in the next couple of weeks! I really wanted to get it done before Christmas, but, well... you know how those things go! So that will be my first completion of 2011.

This year I also really enjoyed hand sewing with wool felt. Lots and lots of ornaments for Christmas gifts and some other fun things.....

felt flower pins, penguin tree ornament, more ornaments, felt coasters

Add to this, embroidery & crochet projects, wow. I've been really busy.

What a fun year I had! And productive now that I think about it. I enjoyed looking at what everyone else was working on this year too. Your blogs have inspired and motivated me. I have checked lots of projects off my todo list.... and added many more! But that will wait for another post. For now, I say, goodbye 2010, you've been good to me.

Happy New Year bloggy friends!

Christmas day at ellyn's place

Today was our family Christmas day for this year. We were waiting for this girl to come home from Arizona..... We had a great day! I even cooked my first prime rib roast & it was DELICIOUS! Now I can show you what I made for Leigh Anne. I only promised it to her three years ago. Her t-shirt quilt!

Oh, & I crocheted Steve's fancy hat too. He hasn't taken it off since this morning! Here's a block that I embroidered for Leigh Anne's quilt....

Many of her t-shirts are from dance companies & competitions she attended growing up. She was surprised & happy to get her quilt today!

AND..... she wasn't the only one who was surprised! My hubby shocked me when he gave me an Ipad! Wow. I totally didn't see that one coming! So guess what I've been playing with all day? Merry Christmas friends. Now we get to spend the next three days with Leigh Anne before we send her back to school & work in the desert.

visitors

Last night the owners of all of these shoes (& a few more pair!) celebrated Christmas at our house. Everything from dainty small shoes to big boat tennis shoes..... we had the Junior and Senior high kids from church for dessert & a white elephant gift exchange at the end of their progressive dinner. What great kids they all are!

The gift exchange was hilarious.... a day old taco, Justin Beiber poster, Mrs Potato Head, to name a few of the gifts. Everyone was laughing & went home happy. Oh, & they took their shoes with them! But the bright pink ones stayed. They live here. And the black Nikes too... So glad my kids get to be part of such an awesome group!

special mail!

Today this beautiful ornament came in the mail from my friend, Lynne. So special with our name on it & everything! Thank you Lynne! We do an ornament swap every year with the gals in an email loop I am in. I have all of the ornaments I have received from these gals over the years hanging above my sewing machine. I just can't bring myself to put them away. So that's where this one will go after Christmas too!

I've been quiet here lately because I'm working on some last minute Christmas gifts that I can't share just yet. I will tell you there was one project in my head that involved paint & modpodge & well, let's just say it didn't pan out the way I had hoped! I have never been good with a paintbrush, I don't know what made me think it would be different this time? Not so much. So, into the trash it went... & no, I didn't take any pictures. You'll just have to believe me, it was BAD!

Is everyone else still sewing madly? Please tell me I am not the only one???

doll bed pattern review

The other day, my friend Kelly & I made a dollbed for her daughter's American Girl doll for Christmas. We had been searching for an unfinished wood bed for ages, but there were none to be found. Then I found Butterick 4538, a pattern for a bed and bedding & we decided to make it ourselves. The bed is made from foam core board! genius. Kelly said it was a bear to cut. I let her handle that job! Nice, huh?

We followed the pattern "loosely" & the bed came out terrific, very sturdy & good looking.

Kelly is working on a dust ruffle & mattress & I chose to do the quilt & pillow. The pattern has several quilt patterns in it, but you know me, I did my own thing.....

Also, the pattern had a pillow with a sham on it. Nah. We need a pillow for SLEEPING ON! Silly pattern designers. So I made a pillow and a pillowcase. I made the case the way I make big ones, using the "hot dog" method (have you done that? So easy & all finished edges!) I just scaled it down. It was tricky to flip that tiny pillowcase right side out, but I am so happy with the finished product!

It was fun to help play Santa this year! Since all my little believers have grown up (boohoo!).

All in all, a good pattern! I recommend it. Happy Saturday friends!

welcome December!

I'm so thankful that November is over. Have you heard of "No Shave November"? Well apparently the High School boys in our town embraced it this year. Including my handsome son. He was starting to look a little bushy by the end of the month! Here's a before & after yesterday morning when he finally shaved. Ah much better! Thanks Steve.