At this time of the year I search for ideas of gifts I can make for friends, teachers, my husband's co-workers, and others who have affected our life in a positive way during the year. As I make the gifts, I am filled with gratitude for them... and hope they will feel it as they receive the gift. My requirements: the gift should not take hours to put together, it must be creative, and its materials must be easily found in nearby stores. This year I made a Christmas wall hanging decoration … [Read more...] about Holiday Decor Tutorial
Quilting with wool
I love the look of wool applique, and have made a table runner, a small wall hanging, and a pin cushion, and have a Christmas wall hanging kit waiting to be worked on. I think I will start it soon, as I have been dreaming of working with wool for quite a while. I am perhaps influenced by my friend Sandi, whose applique quilts are to die for... Until I have a chance to start working on the wall hanging, I have been reading the latest title I purchased for my quilt library: Pennies from Heaven: … [Read more...] about Quilting with wool
Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday…
Last Saturday I went to JoAnn's very early in the morning, armed with coupons and cash. Look what I got: Yep, the entire roll of my favorite batting! When my friend Diana S., who also happened to be there super early with her mom, suggested I buy the entire roll since the price was so good, I listened! I am the proud owner of this roll of 40 yards of Warm and Natural batting, except I feel like a thief who just stole the contents of an entire house but can't pack it all onto his 'bicycle'!!! … [Read more...] about Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday…
Painting wood crafts
What do I do when I do not want to spend time sewing, quilting, embroidering, etc? I paint wood crafts! This one comes from Brazil, and I just finished it, using stencils over an off-white background. It can be used as a caddy for utensils, or as a pencil or gadget holder. My daughter-in-law, Daniela, liked it so I gave it to her. It is very light weight and durable, so I know it will last her a long time. What do you play with when you don't feel like playing with fabrics? … [Read more...] about Painting wood crafts
Table topper
Hmmm... Winter is just around the corner, yet I still favor my spring quilts! My husband asked me why I haven't displayed this one at home yet... so I guess it will make its way to our dining room table soon. I fussy cut the butterfly wings and appliqued them on each corner, as flower petals. So cheerful! … [Read more...] about Table topper
Christmas Stockings
This is the first time I made Christmas stockings, so now my younger boys each have one. They love them! My mom had brought me some cool ric-racs from Brazil, and this one was red and green, perfect for this project. I selected a few different Christmas fabrics for the front, and used one of them for the back of the stocking. We decorate the house for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving, and I am looking forward to featuring the new stockings. The house is clean 'today' (it won't stay this … [Read more...] about Christmas Stockings