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

Look Alikes

Thanks to Michele at Calico Daisy for telling me about the new editor on blogger.  It allows you to size photos and move them about without doing the scrolling thing.
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I don't normally purchase foreign quilt/craft magazine due to the high cost.  When I do purchase one I must love it.  I love the cover of the magazine I purchased today.  While sipping my tea I thumbed page by page enjoying each and every page.  Then I came to one particular quilt project and my eyes do a little buggle!  The quilt looked extremely familiar and I knew I had the book the quilt was in. 
      

Quilt on the left is  from my a quilt book I own copyrighted 2001.  Quilt on the right is in a magazine.  I will not share the maker, book, or magazine of either.  I searched to see if I missed where credit was given.  FYI--I am not the self-appointed blog/quilt police.    UPDATE:  After reading the comments I realized I didn't clarify myself very well.  Neither quilt was made by me.  The  quilt on the left is from a book I've owned for many years. The quilt on the right is in the new magazine I purchased today.  See any similarities?

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I know we all get inspiration from many places and even other quilters/crafters but it's our duty to put our own spin on it and use it only as inspiration otherwise it's not something you can call your own original idea.  No satisfaction to be gained from it.  Please create with care...give credit where it's due and don't claim it as your own.  Stepping down from the soapbox now.  Wow I'm just learning how to use the strike through thing.

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~Piecefully, Stephanie

Winner

Monday 3 of us journeyed to Fabric Shack in Waynesville. Fabric Shack is my most favorite quilt shop of all time because they have something to please everyone; complete lines of just about every fabric collection and they have absolutely THE best prices. And they have very nice ladies working there too. It's a very busy store and they ship all over the world. I not only shop in person but I shop on line too. Lucky me that it's only 1.5 hours away when I'm feeling the need to see and touch the fabrics in person.

I had a budget in mind and I came in under my goal--it was a generous goal I have to say.
I knew one collection I absolutely had to have so I headed there first. Yes, polka dots.

Have you seen this collection? It's Riley Blake Designs Be Merry by My Mind's Eye. I bought every piece they had--they were out of a couple of the pieces. I love snowmen, polka dots, trees, and fabric with words. There is even a line of flannel--I managed to resist, for now. I'm not a rag quilt lover and they had a rag quilt made with the flannel.

Not sure what I'll make yet and it probably not until next year but I spied some coordinating solids. As the lady was cutting my fabric, gosh I don't think I even noticed her name tag, we got talking and one thing lead to another and blogging came up. I said I have a blog and she asked who I was. When I told her Loft Creations she said "I read Loft Creations." Very small world.

Well you know nothing goes together better than polka dots and rick rack. Someone please create some polka dot rick rack!!!

Cuteness. Happiness. I did buy other fabrics too and oddly enough every single piece I bought was all in the same color family.
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Now for the winner of my Christmas Polka Dot giveaway--but first let me just say there are a lot of candy AND polka dot lovers out there! And to those of you who have asked--YES, we have Terry's Oranges in the US and I've never tried one.

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Mr. Creations was my random generator and he chose Jenny of Elefantz. Congratulations Jenny and thank you to everyone who played along. Perhaps a Christmas Polka Dot giveaway will be an annual event! What do you think?

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~Piecefully, Stephanie

Free Spirit Style

I really like log cabin blocks. I've made a few of log cabin quilts early on in my quilting life. What I dislike about them is they never seem to come out square. I have to keep squaring it up each time I add a strip. That's not fun.

I'm so happy that I discovered quilt blogs that do "free spirit" quilting...too many to name but Jacquie at Tall Grass Prairie Studio comes to mind first. I'm embracing the free spirit in me and am quite happy with the not perfect blocks. They've got character! Don't you think polka dots lend themselves beautifully to the free spirit style?

Since our sweet Abby dog is a chewer and it's her first Christmas with us we've decided to get a smaller tree that fits on a table top. So I decided to make some homemade ornaments. In case you're going to ask...the pattern is not my original idea. Do you remember the teahouses I sent my tea swappers earlier this year? I shrunk the pattern to get this cute little size. I still need to stitch around the edges.
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To the Few, the Proud, the Marines--HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

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~Piecefully, Stephanie