snowflakes and snowmen . . .

Last week we had snow overnight . . . this week we had tornadoes.  Weather in North Alabama is always a bit crazy.  We were very lucky and didn't experience any storm damage, and we were able to ride out the warning in the storm shelter under the new cabin in the campground.  It's the first time we've needed to put it to the test since it was build this past spring.  And the first time in the ten years we've lived at the camp that we haven't had to leave the premises to find shelter!  Phew!

I haven't really had much time to do much of anything besides go to parties and wrap presents.  I know, poor, poor, pitiful me, right?!  LOL!  I got a couple of minutes in to stitch on my Christmas snowflake:

I can't decide if I like the Sulky Stick 'n Stitch stabilizer yet. It's probably user error.  Anyone have any experience with it?

I can say that I love this in the metallics!  I'm using DMC's Diamant metallic floss for this one.

I love the green and the red and the shiny!! It's eye candy . . . hence the candy bowl.  Purdy! ♥

Joc has lamented on the lack of 'homemade' ornaments of Edith. She's the only one that hasn't gone to/needed to go to preschool, where they do those things!  So I helped out a little . . .

These will look sweet on their family Christmas tree!  I love playing with the die cuts and the laminating machine!

One party I'm really looking forward to is our annual Christmas Dessert Social at guild! 

This is tomorrow night -- and for the first time in forever, since I'm not on the board, I just get to show up!  (The board members provide the desserts.)  Plus I'm planning on bringing the three newly finished Christmas lap quilts in for Show 'n Tell!  Whoop!

Finally, I have a winner from last week's snowman giveway!  

The winner is Barbara Black, who commented, These are adorable! I would love to add a snowman to my quilt-y tree. So she totally will get to add it (the pink one) to her quilt-y tree!  Thank you to everyone who participated and especially those who became Pearl's Pegs followers!  :)

It's hump day ... yay for that!  Have a great rest of the week!

:)

a stitch in time . . .

I haven't done a design wall Monday post in FORever, but I made such great progress on my Noel doodle tree yesterday, I didn't want to not post a pic!

I back stitched all the silver and then whipped stitched those stitches to (1) make it stand out nicely and (2) to help hide my pattern lines.  I love the look!

With the green, I'm either stem stitching or outline stitching, depending on which side of the letter/curves of the letters I'm working on.  Yes.  I use the two stitches interchangeably, depending on my need.  Don't tell the embroidery police on me. Ha!  Now that I'm seeing the word stitched in part, I think the NOEL will stand out quite nicely.  

My big problem (and where the design wall comes in) is what to do with this little stitchery once I've finished it.  I worked a red and green patchwork frame for a stitchery design I sketched out last week (based on the same design I used for my November cornucopia piece, last year) . . .

Here's the stitchery colored . . .

I'll probably raw edge applique the words and stitch the heart, manger scene, star and holly.  And gosh, the patchwork frame works rather perfectly for that, so I hate to use it for the doodle tree.  Plus I don't think it's the right shape.

Which brings me back to, "What do I do with it?!"  Hmmmmm....I may have an idea.  Just maybe. Just. Maybe.  Linking up to Patchwork Times.

Have a GREAT week!

:)

things november . . .

It's been a dreary, damp, chilly day . . . the kind of day that makes for the perfect backdrop for inside chores and projects!  I finally got around to pulling the few jack-o-lantern and candy corn pieces I had out and replaced them with more seasonally appropriate pieces . . .

Oh, and I baked my first apple pie of the season, too.  It was *quite* yummy -- and hopefully will continue to be for the next several days.  I love apple pie for breakfast -- especially with a slice of melted cheddar cheese on it!  It's my Yankee roots.  :)

Earlier in the week I finished my little pumpkin stitchery.

It's very sweet -- I really enjoyed stitching that particular pumpkin pattern and may stitch it again. But I'm tired of stitching, crafting, and baking pumpkins (I can't believe I just typed that!!!!) for the time being, so my goal was to find something more Christmassy to work on.  I rooted around in the RV's basement space (after going through every storage tub and drawer in the Nook) and finally found the jackpot of wool projects in various stages of completion . . .

Mostly wool, anyway - the project on the far left is a reindeer dish towel.  The rest are wool snowmen!  Yessssss.  I'll be working on several of these over the next few weeks.  I've had 'em for ages (seriously -- since 2007) and it's time to get 'em finished!

But that's not what I'll be working on for my slow Sunday stitching . . . instead, I'll be working on a little stitchery of a doodled Christmas tree I saw on pinterest . . .

But instead of the solid, bold lines making up the right side of the tree, I wanted to put the word, "NOEL".  Not in your face, but a subtle gliding word down the side.

I think I've got it!  I'm stitching the 'doodles' in silver and will stitch "NOEL" in a bright metallic green.  I'm not sure about the stars, but I'm thinking gold.  Or a satin stitched yellow.  And the dots will be in red.  

I'm not sure how I'm going to use it, in fact, I'm not sure that it will finish out on fabric like I saw it in my head. But I wanted to stitch a little Christmas whimsy, and this seemed to fit the bill! Plus something about working with things that sparkle just makes my heart happy. 

My stash report remains unchanged.  Again.  For real.

What can I say?  I'm evening actually thinking of clearing out some of my stash.  I need to do SOMETHING with what I've got sitting there.  Seriously.  It's not stitching itself together.  Where are the cobbler's elves when you need them??!

Linking up to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts!  Enjoy the remainder of the weekend -- you know what I'll be doing!

:)

finally, a [stash] report [#50] worth reading . . .

One of the last things Todd and I did on our day out this past week (the one that started as an innocuous trip to Tractor Supply) was stop by my favorite LQS in Fayetteville, where she was having an inventory reduction sale.  What, what?! How can I let that go? I did a little shopping in the form of . . .

Metallic prints.

Things that caught my eye prints and blenders.

Batiks.

And in honor of the new, dotty black boots I'd *just* purchased, the pièce de résistance:

LOL!  I mean really, how could I pass that up?!

Combine all that with the Christmas fabric I got on sale at Hobby Lobby even earlier in the week, and it makes for quite the enhancement, as my darling friend Teresa, of A Quilt and a Prayer, has taught me to believe.

Used/donated this week: 0.0 yards

Used/donated year-to-date: 49.5 yards

Purchased/added this week: 11.0 yards

Purchased/added year-to-date: 183.75 yards

Net used/donated for 2012: -134.25 yards

Be sure to head over to Patchwork Times and check out the rest of the stash reports for this week, and then be sure to head back over here later on this afternoon for a posting of the big giveaway winner!!

:)

nothing to [stash] report (#49) . . .

While we had a fabulous, fabulous time giggling and shopping yesterday (more giggling than shopping, trust me), a stop at my LQS didn't factor in, so my stash report remains very, very, VERY boring . . .

Used/donated this week: 0.0 yards

Used/donated year-to-date: 49.5 yards

Purchased/added this week: 0.0 yards

Purchased/added year-to-date: 172.75 yards

Net used/donated for 2012: -123.25 yards

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so to speak.  But can you believe that this is week 49?  Only three more weeks to report in this year!  Has it flown by for anyone else?  Be sure to head over to Patchwork Times and check out the rest of the stash reports for this week!

And as for my stitching this Sunday afternoon, I got this darling tree in my Sew Beautiful newsletter this past week.  

Isn't it beautiful?  I can't wait to put floss to it!  I'll use all my pretty sparkly, glittery flosses!!  Linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching!  And don't forget to check back in this evening for a Happy Birthday to Quilting Gallery party!!  I gots a giveaway!!  (In the meantime, there's a new book review/giveaway HERE.)

:)

roundabout . . .

I'm *so* pleased with the way my round topper turned out!!  After showing the sampler piece to Todd, we both agreed that it should be quilted with invisible thread, so that the fabric could remain the 'star'!  

I love how it turned out!  I left it in a square piece to quilt, then trimmed it down when I was finished.  It was easier that way.  I'll also need to wash it as soon as it's bound, to get rid of my tracing marks!

Once the quilting thread was selected, the only other decision was what to back it with.  I like making my toppers 'reversible' (so to speak) so after ruminating through the fabrics on hand, Todd and I decided to go with this one . . .

I figure it will be pretty under my pretty glass teapot and service, come spring!  I was a little worried that the spiral quilting would be distracting on this side, but it's really not noticeable.

All I have to do now is bind it . . . anyone have any tips or suggestions for binding a round piece?

Also . . . in case you haven't heard . . . something wicked this way comes!

As in the WICKED blog hop!

I've signed up ... and my understanding is that there might be a few more slots available!  Click HERE to get the wicked scoop!!

:)

sparkly threads and birthday candles . . .

Yesterday was the perfect stay-at-home stitching kind of day!  I made good progress on my color theory blocks . . . 

And got the last part of the lesson traced out and picked my flosses and am nearly finished with the stitching, too.

I also got the spiral traced onto my pretty metallic batik for my mat.  One of my sweet bloggy friend, Cathy, made the comment that she liked what I'd done with it ... that I should let the fabric, "be the star".  And that got me thinking.  

Originally I'd thought that I'd quilt it in the silver or the silver shimmer.  But if the fabric was the star of the show, would the silver quilting thread compete?  Did I want the quilting to stand out or did I want it so melt into the fabric, so to speak?

There was only one way to find out.  Quilt a sample!  I took a section off the end of the FQ, backed it with some muslin and a leftover piece of batting, and pulled out six different spools of thread . . . 

You probably can't see the results as nicely as I can, but I'm glad I did it.  The first two it's hard to tell a difference between.  The first is a silver metallic tinted with pink then blue . . . 

And the second is the plain metallic silver . . .

The third is an opalescent shimmer . . . 

The fourth is invisible thread (I did double the lines in this one) . . . 

The fifth is the polyester silver . . . 

And the last one is the holographic shimmer, which I threw in just for fun . . .

It cracks me up how much green is in that one ... and the opalescent, as well!

As I said, I'm glad I went through the exercise.  I think I know what my preference is, but I'd welcome any feedback.  I'll probably let Todd be the one to make the final call on it!!

I also finished up my Magic Needlecase challenge a couple of days ago and wanted to share it:

Another one of my StitchMAP challenge projects!  It was fun to do.

Today?  Today we celebrate the 25th anniversary of my darling son's birth.  He's grown into such a handsome and godly young man -- not to mention he's a terrific husband and daddy.  I'm very proud of him!

Happy birthday, James!

And happy Tuesday to the rest of y'all!!

:)