FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS

Today is the first day of December.  That means that there are only 24 more days before Christmas is here.  I plan to give several ideas for making gifts that are inexpensive but still be beautiful.  The ideas will not be limited to sewing but it will be various ideas.

The first project is a paper pieced ornament.  I found the directions in the Quilters Cache website.  Here is the link to the site. 

http://www.quilterscache.com/G/GeometryBlock.html

Use whatever colors you want to make this.  You can use Christmas fabric or something to match the decor of the room. 

Have fun!

THANKSGIVING

A good friend posted this on her blog regarding the first Thanksgiving.  May all of you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends.



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PINE CONE PARTY FAVOR

I know that I'm getting ahead of myself with thinking about Chistmas, but I know that if I wait until the last minute, I won't be able to get things done.  I enjoy making things for the holidays, whether it's for Thanksgiving or for Christmas.  So today I started working on one of my projects for Christmas.  For those that are interested, here are the directions to make one.

FABRIC REQUIREMENTS
5" x 5" muslin
3/8 yard of Christmas print for the pinecone scales
4" x 6" green print for the leaf
3/8 yard of 1/4" wide ribbon
Small amount of stuffing for pinecone core and a small amount of batting for the leaf
Templates

CUTTING
Muslin:    Cut 2 of the pinecone core
Christmas print:  Cut 28 squares that measure 2 1/2" x 2 1/2"  (small)
                               Cut 5 squares that measure 3 1/4" x 3 1/4"   (large)
                               Cut 1 pinecone base
Green print:  Cut 2 leaf
Batting: Cut 1 leaf

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Trace the templates to make the pinecone core, base and leaf.
2. Cut 2 pinecone cores from the muslin.
3. Sew the pinecone core pieces along the sides, leaving the bottom opening unstitched.  Turn them right side out.  Stitch a line of basting along the opening of the pinecone core.  Don't cut the thread.  Stuff the pincone.  Pull the basting thread tight and secure with a knot.
4. Place and stitch the pinecone top over the tip of the pinecone core.  This is one of the squares that measures 2 1/2" x 2 1/2".
5. Fold and press each pinecone square in half.  Fold the sides of each scale diagonally to meet in the center and press.
6. With the folded side facing outward, pleace and sew the scales to the pinecone core, starting at the top and working in rows around the pinecone.
7. In the first row, stitch 4 small scales; in the second and third row, stitch 6 small scales; in the fourth row, stitch 5 small scales; in the fifth row stitch 6 small scales; and in the sixth row, stitch 5 large scales.  Stagger the placement of the scales from row to row.
8. Place the leaf pieces right sides together.  Place a batting leaf on one side of the unit and sew through all the layers, leaving an opening at the base of the leaf for turning.  Trim the batting very close to the sewing line.  Clip the inside corners.
9. Turn the leaf right side out.  Close the opening with hand stitches.
10. Turn and baste the edges of the pinecone base to the wrong side.
11. Pin the leaf to the bottom of the pinecone.  Place the pinecone base over the leaf and stitch through all the layers to secure the base and leaf to the pinecone.
12. Tie a bow with the ribbon and stitch it to the leaf.

THE ABC'S OF GIVING

How do you give when your budget doesn't let give as generously as you would like?  You can easily brighten someone's day for little or no money, with just an investment of a little time.  These ideas I found in a magazine.

A    Ask someone to lunch at your house.
B.   Bake a special treat
C.   Call an old friend
D.   Deliver groceries or medicine to a shut-in
E.   Encourage someone
F.   Fix your family's favorite meal
G.  Give outgrown toys and clothing to charity.
H.  Hug a friend
I.    Invite a friend over for coffee
J.   Just do it - when you see a need, try to fill it.
L.  Lend a favorite book or movie
M.  Make a collage of photos in someone's honor.
N.  Nominate a deserving student, teacher, waitress or other worker for a reward.
O.  Offer to organize someone's recipes, junk drawer or closet.
P.  Pick up flowers for someone
Q.  Quench co-workers' thirst - treat them to a big thermos of hot cocoa.
R.  Read nostalgic poems and stories at a retirement center or nursing home.
S.  Send greeting cards to friends and family marking birthdays, anniversaries and more
T.  Take a walk with a friend.
U.  Use every opportunity to find and deliver sincere compliments.
V.  Volunteer at a soup kitchen or panty
W.  Write a letter.
X.  Exemplify extra effort in caring and sharing
Y.  Yield the choice of movie, restaurant, book club selection to someone else.
Z.  Zip through our day with a smile for all you meet.

CARD MAKING

It has been a while since I have written on my blog.  I had to have corrective surgery on my left hand.  Needless to say, any kind of sewing or crafting was out of the question.  Before I left the hospital, the nurse had told me the only thing I could lift with my left hand was a cup of coffee.  Well, she forgot to tell me what size cup and whether it is empty or full.  I learned that the hard way. 

So I'm now back doing the things that I enjoy.  With the weather getting colder, I've been working on getting my yard ready for winter, cleaning windows and getting things ready for Thanksgiving with my family.

The last two days I've been making cards.  Here are some of what I have made.

When I have received a handmade card, it touches my heart to think of the time the sender took to make it just for me.  More cardmaking time is on my schedule.

MOTORCYCLE FUN

My husband and I decided that taking a trip down to southern Indiana today.  We wanted to enjoy the last few days of great weather to be able to ride our motorcycle.  So off we went after church.  Such a great trip and wonderful things we got to see.  We had to take a different route because as we neared Nashville, State Road 46 was shut down due to a car accident.  What a blessing that was for us because we ended up on this very scenic road.

This sign reminded me of the roads in New England where signs were posted alerting the drivers of upcoming curves.  This sign was on a country road. The ones we saw in New England were on state roads.

An old farmhouse with a stone chimney. 

Most of the leave of the trees were gone but I loved the house.

Other motorcyclists had the same idea that we did: ride and enjoy the weather.

We had to make a pit stop to get something to drink and we end up meeting a group of young motorcyclists taking a break like we were.  We were in a very small town called Freetown.  The young people were very impressed with us that we went on vacation to New England on our motorcycle.  We enjoyed spending time with them.

We stopped in Story, Indiana for dinner.  This village was founded in 1851.  The restaurant is called Story Inn it was the general store.  The entire town is now a country inn/bed & breakfast.  The second floor of the old general store used to be a Studebaker Buggy Factory.

The dining area was filled with wall to wall antiques.  I died and had gone to heaven.  Their music was all Big Band which is one of my favorite's.  Our dinner was a delicious salad from local farms, Jorge had a beef soup with mushrooms and we split three crabcakes.  The food was delicious and our waitress was wonderful. 

The potbellied stove

 Jorge and I were admiring the stain glass windows.  These windows were acquaire in the 1970's by Benjamin and Cynthia Schultz, who successfully converted the building from a country store into an inn. They purchased all three windows upon the demolition of St. John’s Evangelical and Reform Church at Sanders Street and Leonard Street in Indianapolis during construction at Southport Road and 31st Street. The left panel (as viewed from inside the restaurant) reads “Y. P. L. 1918” and the right panel reads “Geo. Burck, Family” in apparent reference to the church’s benefactors.

To the left of the three-panel entrance, suspended from the ceiling, we saw two rectangular windows with no markings. These windows were originally in the Central Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Yellow Springs, Ohio, near Dayton. The congregation was founded in 1866 by Reverend Charley Jones. Yellow Springs had a vibrant African-American community and was a stop on the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War. To the best of our knowledge, the windows were installed in 1911, fifteen years after the construction of the new church at Davis and High Streets in 1896. One of the patrons rescued four large windows from the wrecking ball in 1972.

The windows were in rough shape, but an artist and Story Inn employee, Rob Rogers, took the lead in cleaning and restoring all four panels. The first two went on display in the restaurant on Thanksgiving Day, 2005. These elegant windows are of great significance to the African-American community in the Midwest. 

What a wonderful way to end the day. 

TIPS FOR A BLUE RIBBON QUILT

One of my unfulfilled goal is getting a ribbon for one of my quilts.  Now granted, I have not entered many judge quilt shows because the quilts that I have seen in the shows that I have attended are beautifully done.  I always wonder what are the standards the judges have when judging quilts.  So I decided to go online and find out.  So here are the results of my research.

APPEARANCE

1. The quilt is clean, neat and odor free.
2. All stray threads, lint, and animal hairs are removed.
3. Color value (lights and darks) create a contrast.
4. The design commands attention.

PIECING

1. Points on the triangles and diamonds are sharply pointed.
2. Intersections meet precisely.
3. Seam allowances are pressed consistently and they lay flat.
4. Stitching tension is strong and even.
5. The thread color blends or matches the fabric.

APPLIQUÉ

1. Curves are smoothly rounded and points are sharp without bulk.
2. Invisible stitches are small, close, tight and even.
3. The dark fabric does not shadow through the light color fabric.
4. Thread color blends or matches with the appliquéd piece
5. Markings are not visible.

BORDERS AND SASHING

1. Stay consistent in width
2. Long seam lines are straight
3. Lay flat without buckling or waving

QUILTING DESIGN AND QUILTING STITCHES

1. Fits and fills the spaces uniformly
2. Complements the pieced design
3. Beginning and ending stitchs are secure and unobtrusive
4. Knots are buried.
5. Stitches are uniform in size and even back and front.

BINDING

1. Corners diagonal, or sharp perpendicular abutment
2. Corners smoothly rounded or 90-degrees square.
3. Bias fabric not stretched or rippled
4. Batting is firmly and evenly filled to the edge.
5. Stitches on the back are small, close, tight and even.
6. Thread color matches the binding fabric.

With knowledge in hand now, I will make a quilt to be judged.  Now whether I get a ribbon or not, I know that I will learn and improve for the next time so that I can get the blue ribbon.