You Win A Few...

I've managed to catch a nasty cold, so I've been sneezing and coughing all weeekend. You know me by now, though. That's not going to keep me down!

I had this project on my 2010 Goals List, and knew that I wanted to use Moda's Pure fabric line for a pretty, new table quilt in the kitchen. No time like the present to get started!
I cut each charm square in half and then sewed them together alternating lights and darks (or darks and lights). I then added a light piece to one end of each light trio, and one dark piece to one end of each dark trio.
Next, I added a white piece of Moda cotton to the opposite end of each set and sewed them into four lines, alternating a light with a dark. This will be the center section for my table quilt. By the time I'd gone this far, I needed to take a nap.
I pay a lot of attention to my dogs, so when I looked at Fezzik yesterday, I knew something was amiss. I gave him a benedryl right away, but he continued to swell after this photo, so I took poor Fezzie to the emergency vet clinic. Don't know what he snuffled, or what perhaps gave him a little sting, but the corgi's face was doing some serious swelling. The vet gave him another half benedryl tablet (I guess I erred on the light side - which is a good thing), and then he got a steroid shot to bring the swelling down.
By the time we got back home, he was ready for a nap, too. Both of us spent the afternoon in Slothville, but I can report that he's looking and feeling much better. I'm hoping for a minor miracle to move this cold out. I'm getting sick of being sick.

Oh, but not too sick to choose a winner for my PhotoBook Creator Giveaway!! I popped over to Random.org and put the numbers into the random number generator, asked Handsome for a little drumroll, and voila!

The winner is:
Shirley C of Shirley C blog

Who said #1 never wins? Congratulations, Shirley! Just email your address to me and I'll have your PhotoBook Creator on its way to you this week.

I'm A Little Late To The Party...

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord...

Nothing like a little musical entry for Silver Sunday!

This is one of Handsome's Rogers drum kits. This one is circa 1970s. He also has another kit that I just love. It has a pearl finish and really sparkles, but that one is packed up right now, as he just finished playing in a band that accompanied a circus in Gibsonton, FL yesterday!
Imagine this set, trimmed in chrome plating over polished brass, a sleek white finish, and Handsome sitting on the stool - sticks in hand. I can't imagine a better way to make beautiful music.

Check out the other participants in Beth's Silver Sunday party at Gypsy Fish Journal by linking here. Thanks again, Beth for being such a great hostess!

I'll show you what I was doing over the weekend when I write again tomorrow - and I'll announce the winner of my PhotoBook Creator Giveaway, too! Good luck to all the participants.

No One Can Make Just One...

More mug mats.

Someone stop me. They're addictive, I tell you.
No one can make just one.

More Heritage fabric with a crow drawn by Michelle Palmer...

and a summery, French Patisserie fabric with
vintage lace and a little tea time tape.

Perhaps something even more feminine?

Vintage lace and twill tape sentiments...

or sweet roses with love notes tucked in the blooms,
embellished with a flowery piece of lace.

I've discovered the joy of this divinely simple and sweet project.
Perfect gifts for special friends...or a swap project!
I'm just having too much fun to stop!

Would anyone like to participate in a Mug Mat Swap?
If so, please email me to let me know.
(Please put "Mug Mat Swap" in the subject line.)
I've been included in a new Etsy Showcase!
It's called "Feeling Hearty" from CarolinaForero.
Thank you, Carolina, for adding me to your
talented showcase. I really appreciate it.

Oh, and there's still time to enter the PhotoBook Creator Giveaway.
Just click here to enter.

Acorns and Owls...

I spent part of Wednesday in the studio, creating larger mug mats for two special people in Wisconsin. My dear friend, Grace (who I call "Mom"), my "Sis" Deb (her daughter), and I always exchange gifts this time of year. This is part of what I'll be sending to them.
I wanted something cheerful to brighten Mom's side table next to her favorite chair. She knows how I adore acorns, and has made more than one quilt for me using acorn fabrics. I wanted to add an acorn to her mat, so I went into my assortment of Michelle Palmer acorn drawings and decided on this one.
Michelle drew this one on a leafy batik fabric - perfect for this purpose - and then she hand colored it. It's one of my favorites. The fabric for this mat is from Moda's Fresh Cottons line. It's sure to brighten Grace's outlook on a gloomy, Wisconsin winter day.
I chose my favorite ivory fabric for the backing, and the mat does have batting sandwiched in between. I used the techniques in this tutorial by Amy Smart (Diary of a Quilter blog) for a table runner, but downsized it to suit my purposes. My oversized mug mats measure 6 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" long, including the binding.
Deb has loved and collected owls as long as I've known her (38 years!!), and I've found more than a few for her in that time. When Michelle offered this one in her Etsy shop, I immediately thought of Deb and purchased it for a future project.
Michelle added the buttons with her artwork, too! This fabric is from Moda's Collection for a Cause - Heritage line. I think they were perfect for a fall look that wasn't masculine.
I have more of this fabric (kitted in this cool metal case) that I'm going to use to create a larger quilt. I'm so looking forward to working with these fabrics again, and I've decided to make this my first major quilt project in the new year.
This case holds all the fabric needed to create a 91" square quilt, except the backing fabric. The quilt pattern is reflected on the exterior of the case, as well as on the front of the pattern here.

I'm back in the studio today and I'm still making mats. I love making these mats, and they're also a great way to use scrap fabric! I've made a resolution to use as my stash for my projects this year. I'm hoping that I won't even need to purchase fabric for backing, as I have quite a lot of larger cuts. (We'll see how that works out as the year progresses.)

Don't forget to enter my latest drawing if you haven't done so yet. Click here for more information.

Lucky Girl...

It arrived a little late, but it's here now! My new serger table for the studio. Handsome asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I told him that if he was going to choose a gift for me (in addition to Fezzik), I needed one of these tables.

Until now, I'd move Evvie from table to table when I used her, but she's a heavy girl and this serger table would make life easier. Handsome told me to go ahead and order the table, so I called the shop where we'd purchased the other Horn cabinets. Then, he still surprised me with the iPad (which I'm loving, by the way!).

Apparently, this table has been discontinued by Horn, but Sheila found one for me - in Wisconsin. It finally arrived last week and I put it together while Handsome was at band rehearsal.
Now, I have a flat surface right next to the serger to support the fabric, and the serger is at a comfortable height for stitching now, too.
Another great feature is that the platform has a hinged lid so that I can store all the serger feet and other accessories on the same table - and have easy access to them. Isn't it wonderful? I'm lovin' it, I tell you! All I have to do now is swing my chair from the sewing cabinet right around to my serger table.

I know, I know...S.P.O.I.L.E.D. Yup, that's me! (Thought I'd save you the trouble, Shell!)

There's still time to enter my PhotoBook Creator Giveaway. Just click here to enter.

Good luck!

Easy Does It...

We decided to take it easy yesterday. Homemade waffles for breakfast (when Fezzik decided to jump into the swimming pool), football games (the Packers won!!), and homemade pizza for dinner.

After patrolling the swimming pool all afternoon, Fezzik finally decided to kick out of gear. This is how a corgi chills out. Makes me giggle every time I look at him. In fact, he's lying like this right now as I write this post. Kes is on her bed and sleeping, too. She's just a little more lady-like.

Check out my previous post if you haven't entered the PhotoBook Creator Giveaway yet. The giveaway title is a link.

I'm itching to start a new project, so I'll see what I can accomplish this week. What creative projects do you have in mind for 2011? I'd love to know.

New Year, New Giveaway...

This post marks my 616th post, and with all the excitement of the holidays, I completely missed number 600! So, let's make up for that now with a new giveaway in the new year, shall we?

Recognizing that not all of my friends are needleworkers or seamstresses (I really dislike the term "sewers"...I always read it as something else!), I'm going to offer something completely different for this giveaway.

Brynwood's PhotoBook Creator Giveaway!

Have you heard about the PhotoBook Creator by Unibind? This binding system makes it possible for you to bind your own scrapbook pages, photo pages or other pieces of artwork in the comfort of your own home.
If you'd like to learn more about the system, just click here to see what Stampington & Company has to say about it. If you scroll down their page, you'll even be able to watch a short video to see how it works.

I'm including an additional small book, too. This kit is valued at over $99, without the extra book. I'm going to give it away to one lucky follower. This is a brand new, never used system.
Here are the rules for the PhotoBook Creator Giveaway:
• You must be a follower to win
• U.S. entries only, please. This box is a bit heavy and it would be expensive for me to mail outside the U.S.
APO Addresses will be included!
• Comments on this post only will be entered in the drawing
• You can enter one time for being a follower
• Leave a second (separate) comment if you blog about or post my giveaway in your sidebar. Feel free to use any of my images if you want to use them in your blog.
• I will close the drawing on Sunday, January 9th at 10 pm, and announce the winner on Monday, January 10th.

Good Luck, everyone!!!

Sunday, January 9th at 10 pm • Drawing Closed