My little herd is complete!

I can hardly believe that I actually finished all 12!

I'm a habitual "never-finish-what-you-started" kinda girl.

But I'm super happy with my little "herd" :)

These darling sheep will become a table topper soon.

Here are the final 2 that I finished last week.

Gratitude and Joyfulness.

Perfect words for the new year! 

Check back tomorrow for all the details 

of the upcoming 

After Christmas Sew Along 2014!

Today's lucky winner is.....

Corrine

Who said:

 "I would love to do a Christmas in July sew along or a Valentine's one and a St. Patrick's one and a Spring Showers one, and Cinco de Mayo one (ok, one every month). Even though I've only done a few small "getting to know my machine's" projects I've enjoyed having that extra push to sew something each week!"

I just want to say "Thanks so much" to everyone who joined

the After Christmas Sew Along!

I had such a good time and it was motivating

to see all your awesome projects :)

I appreciate that you took the time

to let me know if you'd be interested

in the Christmas in July Sew Along.

I am already working on lining up some more  fun prizes!

 

July will be here before we know it!!!

The Winner for Week #4 is........

Shreena5!

Congratulations!!!

Please email me with your contact information

to claim your $75.00 Gift Certificate

to the Fat Quarter Shop!

I so envy you right now!!!!

I can't believe 4 weeks have already gone by!

Thanks so much to everyone who played along!

You made this such a fun experience :)

And a special "Thanks" to all the

generous donors who offered such great prizes

and discount coupons!

Last day of the Sew Along & A New Giveaway!!!

Wow! It's hard to believe that 4 weeks

have already gone by!

Tonight I'll be picking the winner of the

$75.00 Gift Certificate from Fat Quarter Shop!

You have until 10:00pm to post your projects

on the Week #4 Flickr Group.

Also, just a reminder,

don't forget to use those coupon codes

from the very generous etsy shops before they expire!

I hope you guys have been having fun!

I've been so impressed with all the great

projects I've seen on flickr!

You are all so talented!

I'm going to miss hearing from you guys!

I hope you'll still stop by and say "hello" from time to time!!!

My hubby asked me to make 2 more

cup cozies for the ladies who work in his office.

These are super FTS (fun to sew)

so yesterday I made the pink "Hello Kitty"

and the green & brown one for them.

I made the red one for me :)

I do loves me some hearts!

And now for the Giveaway:

This has been so much fun that I was

planning on doing "Christmas in July Sew Along"

as a way to get a jump start on Christmas gifts.

I'd like to know who would be interested in joining.

I also need to know if any of you have taken advantage

of the coupon discounts to the esty shops.

I'll be giving away a cup cozy

very similar to the red one shown above.

You have 2 chances to win it.

#1 - leave a comment and tell me if you would be interested

in the Christmas in July Sew Along

#2 - leave a comment telling me if you used the coupons

from any of the etsy shops during this sew along.

That's it. Easy peasy.

You have until Sunday night at midnight to enter.

I'll announce the winner on Monday morning.

The Winner for Week #3 is.......

Nana's Treasures!

Congratulations!!!

Please email me with your address info

and I'll get your fabric and quilt pattern off to you!!!

The flickr group for week #4

is now open!

I can't believe that we are already

heading into our 4th week!

I hope you guys are enjoying

your time sewing!

Don't forget,

this week's prize is the big one!!!!

Will you win it?

(I know I can't.....dang it!!!)

Good luck everyone!

I can't wait to see what you guys post this week!

What a Fabulous Friday!!!

Today was such a special treat for me!

I went to the Road to California Quilt Show

with my wonderful friend Amy :)

Can you believe the detail work in this applique quilt?

I really want to try to do applique this year...

but certainly not something of this scale!

This quilt was amazing in person!!!

I managed to get a picture of Amy shopping.

I got in trouble twice for taking pictures

in vendor's booths.

I didn't want to steal their patterns,

I just wanted pics of their beautiful work,

but I totally understand why they have to say no to photos.

Amy and I spent some time admiring

the many quilted vests & jackets worn

by the ladies at the convention.

Maybe we should wear some next year.....?

Or not?

I picked up a few patterns

and a couple of templates

and received a free f/q with one purchase.

I had a wonderful time!

So many beautiful things to see and buy.....

but I promised the hubby I'd be good :)

And tonight is the Friday Night Sew In

so I'll be working on my Hideaway quilt.

And just a reminder

that I'll be picking a winner at random

 for Week #3

of the After Christmas Sew Along

tonight at 10:00pm and posting the winner

tomorrow morning!

My Tyrolean Train Wreck

I am finished with stage 1 of my Hideaway quilt.

I still need to sash it and add the borders

and then hand quilt and bind it.

I am using the "Hot Cross Buns" pattern

from the Schnibbles Times Two book.

This Hideaway fabric with the coo coo clocks,

tiny deer, and chalets in the Alps,

 just reminds me so much of Germany.

Maybe that's why I love it so much.

Anyhoo.....

This pattern has made me realize (once again)

that I can not expect perfection.

I've had to embrace the "wonkiness".

*sigh*

My lovely Hot Cross Buns are more of a "hot mess"

or if you prefer...

"My Tyrolean Train Wreck".

I'm showing the photo from a distance

so you can't easily see the severe "wonk factor".

I dream of a day where every intersection

of my quilts will meet........

(it could happen...right?)

In the meantime I will just enjoy the process.

And for some reason I really love

these little piles of fabric goodness

 that come from squaring up my blocks.....

maybe it's just me?

And I thought I'd share this little Christmas house

that I stitched last night :)

And for those of you that are playing along

or just following along with the After Christmas Sew Along,

be sure to check out the flickr group for week #3.

There is some serious crafty goodness happening over there!

I've bookmarked a few fun projects myself :)

Won't you be my neighbor?

I have a few new little homes

 to add to my growing neighborhood :)

I have to admit...they are addicting.

I love that I can stitch them

sitting next to the hubs in the living room

while he watches his "blow them up - everyone dies" movies.

My quilt will not have 365 little houses

and it will only be a lap quilt.

I have it all planned out in my head

and we'll see if it turns out the way I hope it will.

In the meantime I started cutting the pieces

for my Hideaway quilt.

I love this fabric.

Reminds me of Germany

and the co-ordinating gingham just makes me happy!

I'm going to start piecing it today.

I can't wait!!!

I also wanted to mention

in case you hadn't noticed the flashing button

on the right-hand side of my screen,

but I've joined the Craftsy Block of the Month.

It's a free online course and each month

she'll be showing us how to do two different

kinds of blocks.

At the end we'll put it all together

in to one large quilt.

How cool is that?

I'm going to learn paper piecing

curved piecing, Dresden's and much more!

All free! Being new to quilting

I'm super excited to learn new things!

I haven't shown pics of the first 2 blocks

because I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of them.

I'm planning on making my quilt smaller

than the 20 blocks she'll be teaching on.

That way, I'll watch the videos each month

but only make the blocks I really like.

If you want to learn how to quilt

hop on over there and register!

The winner for Week #2 is.......

Suddenly Sandra!

She made this adorable bib :)

Congratulations Sandra!

Please email me with your contact info

to claim your fabric bundle.

I am really enjoying seeing all the great projects

that you guys are posting!

And I love all the new blogs

I've been finding out about because of this sew along!

I hope you guys

are having as much fun as I am!

The flickr group for week #3 is now open!

The prizes for week three are

this super Rolie Polie by Riley Blake

AND this quilt pattern by Cotton Way

Remember, anyone can join in at any time!

You can post pics of any sewing project

you are working on this week.

Please remember to check out

all the great etsy shops

that are offering discounts during the sew along!

For more details and all the coupon codes

for the After Christmas Sew Along click HERE.

Hi...I'm Karen and I'm a fabric-aholic :)

It was a good day yesterday indeed :)

Just look what the mailman brought me!

There is something magical

about a brand new piece of fabric.

So many possibilities!

Sometimes you just want to admire it,

hold it for a little while,

and never really use it for anything

because you're afraid you'll mess it up

and won't be able to get any more.....

or maybe that's just me?

I mentioned to you last week that I found a great online shop

called CottonCharm.com that is having an amazing sale!

Layer cakes as low as $16.75?

Charm packs as low as $4.25?

Jumbo rick rack .72 cents a yard?

Moda yardage as low as $3.44 a yard?

I know right?????

And Kelly, the owner is the sweetest person!!!

Everything in the store is on sale!

I may have ordered twice already......

I may have more in my online shopping cart right now......

How adorable are these snowmen?

Sorry...I bought the last of what she had... 

Besides admiring my new beauties yesterday, I did manage

to finish another basket liner for Evie's room.

I only have 1 left to cover

and I should finish it today.

For those of you who are playing along

with the After Christmas Sew Along

you have until 10:00pm tonight to post your projects

for the chance to win the 1/2 yard Riley Blake fabric bundle

generously donated by Bratpacks Fabrics!

I'll post the winner here tomorrow!

Good luck and have fun sewing!!!!



I'm a Basket Case!

My little granddaughter Evie is 6 months old now

and my daughter bought a group of baskets on Craigslist

months ago for Evies' room.

She asked me to make liners for them

and these baskets (and 2 more)

have lived in my sewing room since then.

Now that the holidays are over

I am finally getting these done for her.

I used scraps of fabric left over from Evie's crib bedding.

Isn't it adorable?

It's Sugar & Spice by Riley Blake.

It feels good to finally get these done

and be able to send them on to their new home

before Evie turns 16!

(2 down and 2 more to go :)

And speaking of getting things done,

how are you guys doing with the After Christmas Sew Along?

Have you been checking out the

 flickr group for week 2?

There is some amazing talent out there

and so many inspiring projects.

And don't forget to take advantage of all the great discounts

available during the sew along from these great etsy shops!

They have added some new items that you don't want to miss!

Who is going to win that awesome fabric bundle from Bratpacks fabrics?

Remember, anyone can join the fun at any time

and it's not a talent competition,

 the winners are chosen at random!

Will it be you??????

Week 2 - After Christmas Sew Along!

Happy Monday everyone!

Have you guys been checking out all the amazing

fabric fabulousness on the flickr group last week?

I'm so inspired!

This week I'll be working on some more placemats

 from the Sweetwater book.

This time the placemats will be for me!

I found this fantastic fabric at Fabric.com.

My dining room is red and yellow so this fabric

was just screaming my name!

It's not your traditional Christmas colors,

but it's perfect for my home!

I can't wait to get started!

It's a new week with new prizes and

a brand new flickr group for week #2.

There are already new posts over there

so make sure to check them out!

The prize for week 2 is that super fun 1/2 yd fabric bundle!!!

Even if you missed week #1

you are welcome to join in at any time!

You have until Friday night at 10:00pm

 to post your pics for this week's random prize drawing.

I can't wait to see what you talented ladies are up to next!

Don't forget to check out the fabulous etsy shops

that are offering discounts for the duration of the sew along!

Also, when you ladies are posting your photos on flickr,

please feel free to add links to your blogs

so that we can visit you and get more details on your projects!

I love discovering new blogs and making new friends!

Most of all....have fun sewing!

The heat is on!

This year for Christmas Eve,

I made Pumpkin Black Bean Chicken Chili

 for 15 people in my large slow cooker.

It was a hit with the family and chili is going to be

our new "tradition" for Christmas Eve.

I wanted to make a large "hot pad" to protect my table

from the heat of the slow cooker.

I had some red and green modern prints left over

from the Christmas Charm swap I was in

and I had planned on simply placing the 5" squares

next to each other and sashing around them....

boring...I know.

Then when I was on the flickr group

 looking at all the cool pictures you guys posted,

I came across the 12 Days of Christmas

made by  "Simonedk"

and she was kind enough to post the link to the pattern!

http://temeculaquiltco.blogspot.com/

It's such a cool idea!

Every block has the same number as the 12 days of Christmas

beginning with 1 piece and ending with a 12 piece block!

So here is my version of a very large hot pad!

I used Insul-brite for the batting

and simple muslin for the backing.

I like the way the stitching shows the details of the blocks.

Don't look too closely at the "wonky factor" of my little blocks.

It's far from a masterpiece, but that's good because

I won't feel bad if someone spills Chili on it next Christmas Eve :)

And you're probably thinking.....

that's great and all....

but who won this week's prize!!!!

The lucky lady is Homeheart!

Please email me with your name and address!

You can find the link to my email if you click on my name

on the upper left hand side of the page.

Congratulations!!!!

The flickr group for week #2 is open!!!

My geese were too fat....who knew?

I really hope you are all having fun

with the After Christmas Sew Along!

It's been so great to see all your projects on the flickr group

and read all the lovely posts of encouragement and praise!

I have to say that the friends I have met through blogging

are truely the sweetest people ever!

Well I've been really enjoying sewing with no deadlines!

I'm so excited that I finished my quilt top yesterday.

I just love this fabric (Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater)

I used a pattern from the book "Schnibbles Times Two".

(just found the book on clearance HERE

and also amazing prices on fabrics as well!!!)

I would have been done sooner,

but it turns out that my flying geese were a bit "fat" shall we say?

They were supposed to finish out at 2" by 3 1/2".

Mine were 2" by 3 3/4".

Being new to quilting, maybe someone can explain to me

what is the purpose is of a "scant" 1/4" seam.

Why not just stick to a regular 1/4"?????

My lovely quilting foot is 1/4"....not a scant 1/4"!!!!

A scant 1/4" sounds to me like you go just shy of a 1/4" seam.

Well that's what I did and my geese were a full 1/4" too wide.

I had to resew 104 seams!

I re-did them at a full 1/4" and they worked out fine after that.

  

I also finished 3 more little houses for my new neighborhood :)

Don't forget to hop over and add your projects

 to the flickr group for week #1.

You have until tonight to enter your pictures.

The winner will be posted here tomorrow!

Good luck and happy sewing!!!

Nähvergnügen :)

Does anyone remember the Volkswagon commercials where

the catch phrase was "Fähr Vergnügend"?

The way they pronounced it sounded like Far Fig-noogen.

What that means in German is the joy of driving.

Well the After Christmas Sew Along is all about

the joy of sewing (Nähvergnügen)!
Thanks to Frollein Pfau for the correct spelling!
I was going to ask my mom, but she didn't answer her phone this morning  :)

I've had some email questions about whether or not

you have to play along all 4 weeks.

Or if this is a talent competition.

Or if you have to complete a project before you post pictures.

Here's the run down.

You don't have to play along all 4 weeks.

You are welcome to join in whenever you like

even if this is the first time you've ever

sewn anything. The prizes will go to random winners,

not the craftiest or most amazing projects.

It's open to all skill levels.

You can post pictures of work in progress if you like.

The whole idea for this sew along

 is to remember the joy of sewing.

To sew because you love to sew.

Make what you want.

No rules. No deadlines.

Just us girls,

getting together

having some fun

and encouraging each other.

So make sure you stop by the flickr group

and leave some comments and share the love.

I'm headed over there right now!!!

How's it going?

Yesterday I managed to get the 52 flying geese units done

 for my table top quilt.

Flying what?????

I know right?

All this quilting stuff is still so new to me

but I'm having fun learning new things.

Gotta love youtube.

You can find out how to do anything there!

And this Countdown to Christmas fabric

 just makes me happy!

Hopefully today I'll have some more time to work on it.

Have you checked out the flickr group yet?

There are some fun projects showing up over there!

Don't forget to add yours!

 You have until Friday night to post your pics!

 A while back I shared a link to a fantastic shop called 

 Crazy Annies Stitchin .

She has amazing deals

on cross stitch charts, floss and fabrics.

 Well, she was having a giveaway on Facebook where you had to let her know what your favorite chart was on her site and if you won, she would send it to you. Well I was 1 of the 3 lucky winners! Not only did she send me the fun chart I wanted from Heart in Hand, but ALL these other goodies too!!! Look at all that floss! And all those charts! I was overwhelmed for sure!

If you love cross stitch, check out her shop.

Her prices are 50% off retail and she has great sales on top of those discounts as well!

Up until recently the only thing I ever won

was "honorable mention" in a poster contest

 at the Library in 2nd grade.

 I just figured I wasn't the "lucky winner" type.

But you know what?

If you never enter these giveaways, you never win!

So get those pictures posted for the After Christmas Sew Along

and it could be you that wins this time!

  

Never give up....Never Surrender!!!

I did it!

I made 2 little houses that are actually 4" square!

The roof lines are good.

The spacing is good.

I actually enjoyed sewing them by hand!

(confession:  I did the sashing by machine)

One of my favorite movies is "Galaxy Quest".

Being married for almost 32 years to a Star Trek fan

 makes Galaxy Quest an even funnier movie.

There are so many references to Star Trek.

You can't watch it and not have the

"Never give up, Never Surrender"

stuck in your head.

It's hilarious!

If you've never seen it,

I highly recommend it :)

So what does that have to do with sewing?

Well I was about to give up and surrender

to these tiny houses.

My 2 earlier attempts were WAY beyond wonky

and were no where close to 4" squares.

If you remember, I made the first one by hand.

I stitched the 2nd one on my machine

and even my hubby asked me

"what happened to that 2nd one?"

You know it's bad when a man notices these things!

I tried sashing them in cute polka dots

 but even that couldn't save them.

So maybe the 2 little houses on Wonky Lane

will become coasters for my sewing room.....

And today is the first "normal" day of the New Year.

The hubby is back at work and my daily life returns to normal.

I have all the pieces cut and ready to go

for my Countdown to Christmas table quilt.

Hopefully by tomorrow I'll have pictures to show you.

Hope you're all getting started on your projects!

I'll be checking the flickr group for pictures.

Week 1 - After Christmas Sew Along

Hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve!

So who is ready to sew?

I know I am!!!!

I'm getting ready to start sewing this table top quilt
from the book "Scnibbles Times Two".
I'm using 2 charm packs of Countdown to Christmas
 by Sweetwater.

Here's the link to the flickr group for week #1.

You have until Friday night to post your pictures.

I will announce the winner of week #1

here on Saturday :)
I can't wait to see your pictures!
Feel free to let us know about your blog posts
so we can all visit your blogs and read about
your progress!

Good luck and happy sewing!!!!



May the blessings, bless us all!

You're probably thinking....

"hey! You're not supposed to start the Sew Along

 until January 2nd!"

Well I can't win any of the prizes,

 so I can start whenever I want....neener neener!

I made a set of 6 place mats for my wonderful DIL out of these

 bright modern prints from Robert Kaufman.

I used a pattern from my new book that I received just this week.

It's Sweetwater's Simple Home and it's 55% off

over at Connecting Threads.

It has 35 projects in it and I'm already trying to decide

which one to do next!

About 15 years ago we were at church one Sunday and a young girl was being baptized.

 Her uncle was there and asked the Pastor if

he could say something after the baptism was over.

So immediately after the baptism, the Pastor had the uncle

come up to the microphone to share what was on his heart.

You could see that this man was not used to public speaking

and that in the emotion of the moment, he had completely forgotten what he wanted to say.

He stood there quiet for a moment and then he said,

"May the blessings bless us all!"

It was so cute!

It was clearly not what he had intended to share

that afternoon, but we liked it so much in our family

that we say it often :)

So this is one of those instances where that quote

comes into play for us again.

My son was doing an estimate last week

and called me to ask me

if I knew who Robert Kaufman was.

Hello? Um YES!!!

Turns out that's where he was

and he mentioned that his mom was into quilting

and the guy hands him this fat quarter "mega" bundle

to give me!

Yeah....40 fat quarters!!!!

My wonderful son brought me this lovely stack

on Friday night and now I've made a set of

Christmas place mats for his little family.

So once again,

the blessings have blessed us all!!!

I wish you all a VERY blessed New Year!