Deep Freeze

Brrrr! It's pretty cold here in Chicagoland. 8 degrees F right now. It was only 6 degrees this morning when I went outside to fill the bird feeders. Please don't stop feeding the birds in winter. It can be a difficult time for our feathered friends and they need the sustenance in extreme weather in order to survive.

 

                                         

 

Beautiful Lake Michigan

 

 

 

Last weekend my daughter and I went to see the movie Frozen. We both loved it. What perfect timing too, what with the freezing weather and all. It was loosely based on The Snow Queen, one of my favorite childhood fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. The animation was fantastic and the music was wonderful.

 

 

So, the reindeer are out around the house. It's almost time to bring out the Prancer  video too . . . . probably my favorite Christmas film ever since my kids were little. It's a tradition in our family now. I know I tell you this every year, but watch it if you haven't seen it and tell me you don't feel the magic of Christmas like a kid again.

 

I am almost finished with the felt ornament for my daughter but my fingers needed a rest - they're cracked and chapped no matter what I do. Sewing is a little painful and I hate wearing a thimble. I became so caught up in the ornament thing (as I do every year about this time) that I even pulled out my Prairie Schooler Santa and Christmas patterns. If my fingers heal in a day or so I may get some cross stitching finished too. But it will probably be this small reindeer ornament, not the Christmas Village I started in 1999.

 

                            

 

 After all these years, I still love almost every single Prairie Schooler pattern. I WILL make them someday.

 

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Have a good rest of the week and weekend. On this coming Tuesday, December 17th,  there will be another nice Andover fabric giveaway here (if I finish the project in time! I'll be working this weekend . . . . ) so make sure you hop on back to take a look at what I've come up with and to see what you can win.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Cozy Day at Home

It's snowing! We bought the tree and all the lights are on. We'll get it trimmed later tonight. A small portion of the house is decorated. I've brought out the Chrsitmas dishes and the Christmas cds. Beef stew is cooking in the crock pot. And I have a new obsession - Wool Applique.

 

 

 

As usual, I'm a little late on this craft too. But I'm having fun and now I can do something with all that wool I bought earlier this year. See the pattern for this cute little Russian doll ornament here.   Shhhh! I'm making one for my daughter for Christmas.

 

I'm making my doll in red with a gray backing. Don't have pink for her cheeks yet. Maybe some prettier ribbon trim too? Honestly, I feel like I'm all thumbs. It took me most of the day to get this far . . . .

 

 

I would like to make a few more if only I were a little faster at this darn blanket stitch . . .  I need more practice. But now that I do wool applique I have a few ideas for simpler ones (although this one is pretty simple. You should try it.).

What could be better than a cozy day and night at home?

'Tis the Season

I finished making jewelry for Christmas. The Holiday Craft show was a success and I sold a lot of the items I'd made. Plus, it was fun to do something a little different for a change.

 

 

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When I was at The Quilt Merchant I bought some red and green prints along with a couple of fabric bundles. I wanted to try to make something red and green this month.

I really cannot resist bundles . . . . Such a variety and so many pretty fabrics I just would not buy in yards.

Then, for this month's small quilt challenge, I gave my Yahoo group a pattern for a 5-inch star block to make a Christmas Stars quilt that's perfect for December.

Put two and two together . . . Yes, I am making some Christmas Stars for a small quilt. Instead of a 5" star I tried making a 4-inch star block yesterday to see if I preferred that to the 5-inch one. Still thinking about which size I'll use for the quilt. 

Out of the drawer came my Quilt in a Day Flying Geese mini ruler. I bought both the larger and smaller rulers and used them for the signature blocks I made this past summer. I don't buy a lot of rulers and gadgets but I found this one helpful for small blocks. And the lines on the ruler match my quilt.

 

 

You line them up and trim.

 

 

It seems like I haven't sewn anything in a really long time so it was fun to sit down at the sewing machine again.

Shopping and More Shopping

I know some of you enjoy seeing pictures of my shopping trips. I took a break from my Christmas shopping and visited The Quilt Merchant near Chicago recently.

 

 

Funny - I have a similar antique headboard and footboard in my basement. I found it at a garage sale and have been waiting to refinish it for the last 15 years. Now maybe I won't . . . .

 

 

 

Don't ask me about this quilt -  other than the fact that it is so stunning, all I know is that it was a block of the month by Sue Daly.   Perhaps your local quilt shop can find the patterns for you.

 

I had to buy this pattern and some wool . . . .

 

 

Valerie, the new owner of The Quilt Merchant, is from France and she's a sweetie. If you are planning a visit to the Chicago area, be sure to stop in.  I really love the way she has everything displayed. (But none of my books, I noticed. What's that about, Valerie?? LOL. You really need to get on this one . . . . everyone loves Kathleen Tracy's books.)

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Then, on Black Friday, instead of hitting the malls, I went to that primitive craft sale at my friend Karen's home I told you about. 

 

 

She had so many lovely handmade things for sale.

 

This year Karen asked me if I'd like to display some of my earrings at her sale. Her husband Bill was kind enough to make me this primitive earring display rack! So cool.

 

Before the Thanksgiving holiday I had been busy making jewelry for friends and family. At the last minute my husband signed me up for a small booth at his company's Holiday craft show - which is tomorrow. (Sorry, not open to the public.) So I've been working feverishly in spare moments this past week trying to make enough items to fill a booth. I thought it was cute that he wanted to show off my handmade things to his coworkers. I've done craft shows before (years ago, before I got into the  book writing business) but never one showing my jewelry. It should be fun. If I am able to, I'll take and post pictures. Later this week I'll put some of the things that are left over on my Etsy shop.