December Elfing Finished~

It was fun being a sewing elf and 

making this basket for Christmas.

I used a combination of two inspirational online tutorials,

Bryan House Quilts

and another at 

Sew Mama Sew,

then added some of my own ideas.

There is room in the bottom to store some fabrics,

and vinyl pockets all around 

to see and keep her supplies organized.

I included cute little scissors, a pin cushion, tape measure,

clips, pins, 

and a seam ripper. 

The zipper is a 26" from Zipit.

Fabrics used were Sew Pretty by Laurie Wisbrun (RK), 

Polka Dot Stitches by Lori Holt (RB),

and a piece N2BU.

This is my December Finish

for the 2013 Lovely Year of Finishes!

Shanna and Melissa are gearing up for 2014 already.

Check it out their plan and set your goals to get those projects finished!!

Thanks everyone!

See you next year.....

A Creative Introduction~

I have been wanting to do this for a while...

introduce this multi-talented,

creative person.

She was one of the first people I met 

when we moved to Oregon.

We were both in the fourth grade.

Both had sheep in 4-H ;-)

and she has AlWayS seeped creativity where ever

she goes.

In high school she painted store windows,

and detailed cars.

Yup, I always was in awe of her work,

and her laugh!

Here are some recent pen drawings

on garage sale finds..

A hard-sided suitcase..

A once boring, white standing mixer..

completed with sharpies. 

She also works with adults with disabilities.

Together they completed this mosaic Tree of Life for their local area.

Just recently

her scroll saw ornament pattern was recently published in the 

Scroll Saw Magazine

You can check out more of her patterns at her website.

She is a VeRy talented lady!

If you follow Dexter Days you might recognize one of the little guys.....

For The Love of Hand Embroidery - December~

In this treasured quilt each block was embroidered,

then hand-stitched together.

I need to find some a little yellow to

repair some of the worn parts especially on the binding.

It is  backed with a thick, cozy flannel sheet 

which is doubled for warmth!

My Grandma Bea made one of me

and one for my sister.

It is very old and fragile, so I didn't force the iron--

but, through all of these years, her artwork still remains!

Only two more weeks before Jane's

Embroidery Ladies are finished showing 

their work.

Happy Stitching.....

Learning Something New~

Because it is the season of busy and I need something else 

to do...,

I am taking a class and learning something new.

Felting and wool have always interested me,

so when the local  UAF campus offered a course

in wet and dry felting,

I signed up.

The instructor is from Finland

and has a shared position between  their  college

and Alaska's universities.

She is also the Rangeland Management professor

who teaches courses relating to raising reindeer

for profit and subsistence.

The first night we talked about the process

then practiced on some little projects..

Wet-felted wool balls

and a needle-punched ornament ? tag?

work-in-progress??

I might need a little more practice,

but it is was a fun evening with good folks.

Can't wait to see what we try next.....

December Goal- An Elfish Finish~

It is the 'elfing' month-

For December I have a whole list of things to finish..

as most of you do, I am sure!

At the top of my list is a little organizing help

made with these crafty/sewing fabrics.

I need to keep it a bit of a surprise, but I am 

running out of days to get it finished!

What are you working on these days?

This monthly finishing idea has been such a mOtIvaTOR..

I really appreciate everyone involved!

Fly on over here to see what everyone else is working on-

Happy Elfing.....

November Finish~

'Tis the season

of believin'..

and I believe I have my November Finish!

Charlie Brown was always a true believer.

He and his Christmas trees are special.

Maybe we need more people like him and Linus?

All of the fabrics in the top are from the Schultz line,

and for the back I was lucky to find

a Peanut's fabric for the back.

There was one fabric I ended up not using on the front so wanted

to include it on the back...

I watched to be sure everything and everyone was right-side up,

so imagine my surprise when I finished the

quilting and saw the edge.

I decided to leave it, because it just makes me laugh

every time I see it.
We will be glad to have a new quilt to hang up for the holidays.

Charlie and Linus would approve don't you think.....

For more fun ideas, check out these links-

and

Finish It Up Friday

at

Crazy Mom Quilts

Have a Blessed Day~

I hope you have a Blessed Day!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.....

For the Love of Hand Embroidery~

Here we are and it is almost December!

Besides the holidays to enjoy in the next few weeks, 

it means we are almost at the end of 

Jane's weekly visits from her

For the Love of Hand Embroidery.

I hope you have found ideas to inspire you!

I know I have.....

For the Love of Hand Embroidery~

Another week of surprises and pretty work

can be found at Jane's today.....

November Photo Workshop~

Another lesson to improve my pictures.

Or attempt anyway ;-)

This month's assignment was using the White Balance Control

and adjusting it as needed...

First I went outside and used the auto everything.

My camera is so smart!

Then I started playing.  

I switched to Direct Sunlight since that is where I was.

A bit of a wipe-out at 1250 sec f/2.5 100 ISO

A little more visible at 125 sec

One more try at 250

 I then attempted a custom setting using a grey card 

included in my book..

I think the custom turned out better than using an auto correct in the computer 

after the shot.

 But I still need to practice...a lot.....

Check out others who are working on their pictures as well!

You can join in anytime.

The next assignment will be January!

For the Love of Hand Embroidery~

Skip on over to Jane's to

check out a new 

For the Love of Hand Embroidery.....

For the Love of Hand Embroidery~

Skip on over to Jane's to

check out a new 

For the Love of Hand Embroidery.....

November's Lovely Year of Finishes Goal~

I have had this little WIP that I would really like to finish 

up this month.

Charlie Brown Christmas trees hold a special place for me and the Pilot Man.

This year, I want to add a small, finished piece

to our holiday traditions.....

Check out the wonderful WIP's being finished up

this month here-

Halloween Stitching~

One day I was stranded waiting for a car,

so went across the street to a cute little quilt shop,

Something To Crow About.

The rental company ended up taking much longer,

so I had more time to wander ;-)

A few minutes turned into an hour...several hours, etc...

You know how it can be sometimes!

The kind folks ordered me lunch

with theirs, 

and showed me how to make 

a quilt pattern I had been looking at..

It was one of the nicest afternoons I have ever enjoyed!

I left with this easy little kit which included the dyed wool 

to continue the smile long after I left the shop.....

(and of course I bought the tools for the quilt I had been eyeing also!)

October's Project in A Lovely Year of Finishes~

At the beginning of the month I decided to finish a bag

from fabrics I bought last spring for 

my nephew.

He loves to bike like his dad and he 

began school this year so I wanted something he could

pack around.

This bag is big enough to stuff,

closes with a zipper on top,

and the crayons are six open pockets around the outside.

Inside there is also a hidden zippered pocket

for special treasures!

I made it soft, pillow-ee,

and washing machine friendly ;0) .....

If you want to see some great ideas for your project list, head on over to 

Fiber of All Sorts or Sew BitterSweet Designs

I am linking up here with this finish.....

September's Photo Workshop~

Yes, you read that correctly.
 This is September's assignment...

and, yes, we are at the end of October ;0)

This month we were given phrases or words

to illustrate with our pictures.

Things that make me smile

My style

Peaceful, relaxing

One of my all time favorites.....

I missed my link up date here,

but you can check out the others who were more timely!