Bye, Bye Birdies...

 They're finished and on their way to new homes!

This is the tote that Cheryl will be receiving from the Sweetheart Valentine

Giveaway I held last month. I used the Moda Martinique fabric line, sweet

baby birds from Michelle Palmer and I even added ribbon from Moda to the strap.

It's fully quilted, and I designed it myself. I'm very happy with the result, 

and I hope that Cheryl is equally happy to have and use it.

 I made two table runners. One was for Amy (the one on the left),

and the other is for Joyce. The table runners measure approximately

14" wide and 51" long. I hope they have tables or buffets long enough 

to accommodate them. Of course, they could lie across the end of a

bed if one chose, too. The binding on these table runners was applied

by machine and then finished in the traditional method - hand sewn.

 So, I can cross another UFO project off my list! I hope that Amy,

Joyce and Cheryl love their giveaway gifts. I'm really happy with

the way they turned out, and I'm looking forward to their reactions.

I have a commission to finish next, and I won't be able to debut them

for you. That will be the privilege of the recipient. That means that, 

even though I'll be a busy needleworker today, I won't be able to share

pictures tomorrow. I have another subject in mind, though, so I hope 

you'll come back again. I'm also going to start thinking about my next

giveaway. My Fourth Blog Anniversary is just around the corner!

(Actually it's a week from Friday! I can hardly believe it myself.)

Have a great day! I'm off to the studio...

Making It Better...

Linda Edgerton, Artist

I'll be mailing the Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway gifts today and making a

quick trip to Sandy's Quilt Shop to sew a label onto Flo's finished Birthday quilt.

It was a bittersweet weekend. I had so many wonderful blessings to celebrate, 

but I have a little matter that I feel I need to atone for with my Coffee Club friends, 

too. The details aren't important, but the fact that I'm the kind of person who admits 

when I think I've made a mistake and then finds a way to make up for what it is

I'm focused on. I owe them better than I gave last Saturday. Thing is, they're such 

dear friends, that they'll tell me, "It's no big deal.", but it is a big deal to me.

Today, I'll begin to try to make it up to them, and I've made a resolution to

myself to be more attentive and worthy of their great, good friendship.

I'll spend the rest of my day in the studio when I get back from Harbour Heights.

I'll share a bunch of pictures on Wednesday. (Tomorrow is Tag's day, after all.)

Catching Up...

 Today, I'll be working on the gifts from my giveaway.

 I'm making two table runners and a tote.

 Don't these fabrics, paired with Michelle's sweet little birds, make you smile?

I'll take pictures of everything before I send them out so you can see.

I'm also going to make more table runners over the weekend for the Boutique.

Are you planning something creative today?

Giveaway Winners...

 It's time to announce the winners of the

Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway!!

I know you're just itchin' to know who won, so I won't

 keep you in suspense. Winners were chosen via Random.org.

 First number drawn:

#53 - Amy @ Bumble Bee Lane blog

Amy chose a table runner.

Second number drawn:

#61 - Joyce @ Scrap For Joy blog

Joyce chose a table runner.

Third number drawn:

#57 - Cheryl @ Bingle Bears blog

Cheryl chose a tote.

Your items will be created and shipped within two weeks. 

Amy will receive the little cardinal shown. I will use two similar cardinals 

from Michelle Palmer's original art for the remaining winners' items.
Each is custom made and one-of-a-kind.

Winners please contact me with your full name and address.

If you have changed your mind and would like another item, please let

me know when you reply. (Tote, table runner or pillow cover)

Congratulations!

Thanks again to everyone who entered.

 If you didn't win, please check my Etsy shop over the weekend.

I'll be listing up three items created with sweet little cardinals like these!

(My next giveaway will be on my Four Year Blog Anniversary in March!)

Happy Valentine's Day...

© 2011 D. Liljegren

 "There are three things that amaze me—
no, four things that I don’t understand:
how an eagle glides through the sky,
how a snake slithers on a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
how a man loves a woman"

                         - Proverbs 30:18-19

© 2012 D. Lljegren

   "Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; 

for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. 

It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame."

                                                           - Song of Solomon 8:6

My custom-created pincushion by Susan Piloto

"And now these three remain; faith, hope and love.

But the greatest of these is love."

                                                                                             - I Corinthians 13:13

There's still time to enter the Brynwood Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway!

I'll be drawing three names at 11 pm ET this evening 

via the Random Number Generator and

I'll post the winner's names tomorrow.

Click here to enter.

Good Luck and Happy Valentine's Day!!

Oh, What A Relief...

Blocks for our "American Treasures Album Quilt" project

For those of you who are new in the past week...Welcome to Brynwood Needleworks! It's great to have you here. Grab your favorite beverage, put your feet up and have fun exploring.

It's time for an update on our guild project, the "American Treasures Album Quilt". Those of you who have been here for a while, know that I volunteered to be the chairman for the project, and I'm grateful to the talented guild members who have volunteered to help do the work on these blocks along with me. 

When completed, there will be twenty blocks and two borders to create a gorgeous queen-size quilt. Our guild - the Disconnected Pieces Quilt Guild in Port Charlotte, Florida - will then be selling raffle tickets until February 2014, and it will belong to one lucky winner. (Yes, I will be making the tickets available to my readers.)

These blocks are not yet sewn together, and there's been just a bit of revision from the original plan. Last week, I thought there were only three blocks to complete (including the three blocks that are currently in the hands of other stitchers and nearly ready to hand in). I was a little overwhelmed because I knew that I had more stitchers, but I was going to have to do all the set up work to prepare those applique' blocks by myself. 

Then, a bit of panic set in. As my friend, Kathy and I were on our way home from the guild board meeting (I'm also the recording secretary), we realized that there were five blocks - not three - to set up for stitching. (That's including the Connecticut block you saw here last week.) Setting up three blocks would be pressure enough, but FIVE? So it was time to make a few "executive decisions".

More blocks = Thirteen!

I pulled out and counted the blocks that are already done. (Of course, I'm a good blogger, so I took pictures to show you!) A few still need some embroidery work to be completely finished, but they're mostly finished. Thirteen. (Just like the "original thirteen states"! Sorry. I couldn't stop myself.) Then there are the three that are nearly finished. That makes 16. Wait! SIXTEEN?

Our original layout called for twenty blocks. All of a sudden, the light bulb went on. If we have sixteen applique' blocks, we can put a blank block in each corner that will be filled with custom quilting. That would complete our quilt with twenty blocks! GENIUS!

I can stop fretting and relax a bit. (Who am I kidding? It's like taking a huge weight off my shoulders.) I contacted the gals working on those other three blocks and they're coming along fine. I'll have them by the end of this month. Instead of freaking out because I have all those other blocks to make, I can focus instead on getting the embroidery done on the blocks that need some, and seeing the rest of the quilt through to completion. (I'll finish the layout for Connecticut and use that for another project later this year.)

I originally set our deadline to have a completed quilt for April, and if the last three blocks are handed in this month, we'll have it assembled and to our long-arm quilter in March. As soon as she's finished with it, it will be bound and ready to be appraised, photographed and start traveling to advertise the raffle and our guild quilt show next year. What a relief!

So, even though I'll show you the last three blocks when I get them back, you won't see all of them together again until our quilt top is assembled. I can hardly wait!

Don't forget to enter my current giveaway. Click here to go to the giveaway post to find out all about it.

Applique' On The Go...

 Can you believe it's FRIDAY again, already? Where is the time going?

Today, I'm sharing a Christmas gift I received from lovely Brenda in 

our Saturday Morning Coffee Club. She made an organizer for all my 

applique' tools and it's perfect! First...I love the fabrics she chose.

 I don't know if she created this from a pattern or designed it herself,

but it has just the right number of pockets for my tools and supplies.

(I'll ask her on Saturday if it was a pattern and if so, I'll share the name of it.)

I already had my vinyl pouch for all the things that might fall out

of the side pocket, but don't you think it looks like it was made especially for

 this purpose? It just the right size! I'll tell you more about it later in this post.

I managed to tuck quite a few applique' tools into that little pouch...

A fimo-trimmed, glass bottle for my needles; bias binding makers in

three sizes; my indispensable Thread Heaven; a rubber finger sleeve

that I use as a thimble-on-the-go (I don't want to lose my precious silver

one!); Roxanne's Glue Baste It temporary, water-soluble glue and 

Aleen's OK to Wash It permanent glue in little travel bottles.

 I also added a safety pin (I just remembered I got a fancy one from our 

granddaughters that I can use!) to hold my spool of Kimono silk in a neutral 

color. The spool kept falling out of the pocket, so I threaded the ribbon through 

the holes on the spool and then pinned the ribbon to the edge of the pocket. 

It's easy to use this way without unpinning it, too!

 On the right hand side of the organizer are long, skinny pockets for holding 

my applique' & pressing tool and stiletto. When I'm not using the stiletto, 

you'll notice from the other photos that I keep a cork on the sharp end so I don't

hurt myself. Brenda also sewed two little felt flaps at the top to hold needles and

pins. I added my cute, little metal dog which has a magnet to hold it to the flap.

 When I'm sewing, I can park my needle there so I don't lose it.

 I also have a Sharpie™ marker (for drawing my applique' shapes on

freezer paper); my 1/4" stencil brush for applying starch to the fabric;

and another handy tool...it's a convenient refillable glue pen from

Sewline. It's also water soluble and has blue glue that turns clear when 

it dries. The fact that it's refillable was also a selling point for me.

This kit is great! All I have to do is grab it and most of what I need to 

applique' is right in my hands. I really appreciate this wonderful and 

handy gift from my friend. Thank you, Brenda. It's workin' great!

 Now...about this vinyl pocket. Have you seen these before?

Would you like to know how to make your own? It's simple and quick.

Just let me know if you'd like a tutorial and if you'd like to know,

I'll post one for you next week so you can learn how to make your own!

All you have to do is ask!

If you missed yesterday's post, click here to learn how you can enter my

Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway!  There's still plenty of time to enter.

Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway...

 I promised to offer up a giveaway this week, so I decided

that today would be as a good a day as any. I'm calling it a

"Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway"!

 Do you remember the Dresden plates that I made from the Martinique fabric

 last year? Well, I ended up with enough extra blocks to be able to share

some with you! I looked at the blocks yesterday and chose to make

a heart-shaped center instead of the usual circle, and then I added one

of Michelle Palmer's sweet, little cardinals into the middle of the heart.

 I had contacted her a few weeks ago and asked if she'd make up a

few of these adorable birds for me in a Valentine theme and, as always

she graciously agreed. I have some ideas for the others, but I wanted

to use one of them for the project I'll be making for this giveaway.

 The best part of my giveaway is that the winner will get to choose

what they'd like me to make with this block. I'm offering to make

one of the following for the winner:

• A Table Runner

or

• A Tote

or

• A Pillow Cover

I still have more Martinique fabric, so I'll be using some of it to

finish the final item. I'll also add a few additional goodies to the

package when I ship it out...and I'll let you know over the weekend

just how many of these gifties I'm going to offer in total.

  So, here's how you can enter to win...

1) Only public friends/followers (through Google Friend Connect or 
Linky Followers in my right sidebar) can enter. Leave a comment
saying that you follow my blog and you get one chance to win.

(You follow and read my blog - I thank you with chances to win gifts.)

2) Leave a comment on THIS post only telling me which gift 
you'd choose for a second chance to win.

3) Add my giveaway button (above) to your sidebar - linking back

to this post - and then come back and tell me for a third chance.

I'll draw the winner(s) on Valentine's Day 

Next Thursday, February 14, 2013.

Good Luck!!

UPDATE: 11:15 PM 2/14/13 - DRAWING CLOSED.
THANK YOU!

Giveaway Winners on Silver Sunday...

Today is Silver Sunday, hosted by Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal, so please enjoy a cup of tea or coffee from my lovely service. This set belonged to my mother-in-law and although it doesn't sit out all the time, it's a lovely reminder of Handsome's elegant mother. Please be sure to head over to Gypsy Fish Journal and say hello to the other Silver Sunday participants.

So, now that you're all comfy...I'll announce the winners of my two giveaways...

The winner of the Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway is
Libbie
of
The Middlest Sister
All those valentine goodies will be heading to Minnesota!
and
The winner of my 200th Follower Giveaway is
Annie
of
Annie Fannie's Green Acres
All those vintage-inspired treats will be heading to CA.

You can click on their blog titles to visit their blogs, too!

Libbie and Annie - Please contact me through my "Click Here to Email Me" button on my right sidebar (right under my clock) with your addresses so I can get your goodies on their way first thing next week.

Thank you to all who participated in my giveaways. I appreciate each and every comment you left and that you cared enough to want to win the items I was offering. THREE MORE POSTS until I write my 300th message to you. Yup...There's gonna be another giveaway, so please check back to see what I'm offering for my 300th Post Giveaway. I'm looking for more special things to share with you!

Happy Valentine's Day. I love and appreciate you more than words can say.

Fly Away Little Bird...

A little bird on its way to a sweet friend, but

before he flies away -

one more reminder...
Both of my blog giveaways end at midnight tonight.
Tomorrow, I'll announce the winners of my
Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway
and my
200th Follower Giveaway
Good Luck!

Oh, Mr. Postman...

The last valentines are finished and will go to the post office today.
These valentines are artist trading cards,
lovingly crafted in wool with flowers and beads.
I was thinking of those little candy hearts that have messages on them.
Can you see my inspiration? (It's ok...click on the photo. That might help.)

One last peek before they leave Brynwood for their new homes.
Sweet little greetings to friends near and far,

and a reminder...
There's still time to enter my
Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway
and the

200th Follower Giveaway!
If you haven't entered yet,
just click on the giveaway buttons to participate!
Don't forget to check out the other great giveaways in my left sidebar, too.
Good luck!