Goal setting for December ALYoF...

I've been able to complete my goals so far for all 11 months for ALYoF.

My December goal is to quilt and bind

the cat quilt I'm sending for the 'I Love Embroidery Challenge'

at the Road to California Quilt Show in January 2015.

Embroidery Artists have been challenged by Bird Brain Designs to show off their interpretation of any of Bird Brain Designs Patterns with any color of Thread on Natural/White Fabric. Artists were encouraged to spice up their clever quilt with glitz and glimmer, reduce or enlarge the designs, combine patterns and finish their embroidery in their own special way. Curated by Robin Kingsley

I combined 3 Bird Brain Design patterns

enlarged one of the patterns and

set the hand embroidered blocks for

a wall hanging.

I'm linking up to Fiber of All Sorts and Sew BitterSweet Designs

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Dhubby is much better...

we are still facing the possibility of brain surgery...

and he can't drive for 6 months.

If you know one thing about me...it is 

I don't like to drive!!

I was 29 years old before I got my license.

We are going to get a second opinion and then make the decision

to remove the cavereous hemangeoma.

He has not had any more seizures with the medication he is on.

A big thank you for all the prayers and well wishes!!

I haven't forgot about the tutorial for the needle keeper.

I'll sweet talk my hubby into taking some photos in the morning.

I'll try for Wednesday...they are quick to make!!

Happy Holidays

ALYoF...November finish

From this 

to this

It is a finish and I'm hoping to have it quilted for the 

Bird Brain Embroidery Challenge 

for the 2015 Road to California Quilt Show.

I will try my best!!

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...you never know when your life will change in an instant...

To keep it short...my sweet hubby will likely be facing brain surgery

to remove the 'little bugger' that is not playing nice.

We will know more after we meet with the neurosurgeon on

December 4...

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I'm linking up with Shanna at Fiber of All Sorts and 

Melissa at Sew BitterSweet

Thank you for hosting ALYoF!!

A bowl full of gold and November's goal for ALYoF...

...yes this is a bowl full of gold!!

I was on the look out for some vintage feed sacks...

while vacationing in French Lick Indiana...

some I got a deal on and a few must be stitched with a thread or two of gold.

One of the feed sacks was still stitched as a sack.  

They are getting harder to find...and the price reflects that.

Now for my November goal for ALYoF

hosted by Melissa and Shanna

I have many projects I would love to finish...

some more pressing than others...so...

I've decided to complete the quilt top for my 

entry into the 2015 Road to California Quilt Show's 

I Love to Embroider exhibit.

I've gathered some fabrics from my stash

 and the nine embroidered blocks are stitched and squared.

 Next step is to decide on a design.  

I hope some inspiration comes to me soon!  

The cat print will likely be my outer border, if there is a border 

or it will be the backing.

It has different shades of browns, golds, greys and creams

 and there is black!!

There is a FQ of green in there...not sure about that one.

Maybe when I decide on the design it will 'come to me'...

it may need a spash of red!

I've joined the goal setting party at Shanna's Fiber of All Sorts blog

and at Melissa's BitterSweet Designs blog.

Happy stitching

My December project for A Lovely Year of Finishes is finished...

December has been a very busy month...had a few stressful days but it always seems to work out.

...I did get my  December project completed for A Lovely Year of Finishes.

I am happy with my quillow.  I am calling it Sunny Days on the Farm.  

I started quilting about 13 years ago...but I was making quillows about 20 years ago, long before I could call myself a quilter...I love the new look of my quillow...it actually looks like a quilt...with binding.  Twenty years ago I would take a print fabric 1.5 yards long x wof and place it right sides together with a plain backing on top of a piece of batting....stitch around the four sides leave an opening to pull the fabric through to the right side...slip stitch the opening closed and sew 1/2" around the outside edges of the so-called quilt.  I would then center the pocket section to the top of the quilt and attach it to the quilt by stitching the top edge of the pocket to the quilt and then stitch the side edges of the pocket and continue stitching the quilt part to the bottom of the quilt...really there was not much stitching to the quilt...only 2 straight lines of stitching to secure the pocket and the print to the solid back...for some reason I always used a plain fabric for the back.

I had originally paired this farm print with a chocolate brown backing...20 years later I changed the backing to a Kona solid, Raffia...how our tastes change.

Shanna from Fibers of All Sorts and 

Melissa from Sew Bittersweet Designs are getting ready to host 

A Lovely Year of Finishes 2014.

I started in October 2013 and finished 3 UFO's

I am joining in again and hope to finish 12 UFO's in 2014...

join in and finish your projects!!

I had a lot of new finishes in December too...many were Christmas gifts...sorry no pictures.  I made 8 Tammy bags, knit 4 scarves, and I have some redwork finishes that I will be shipping to Robin at Bird Brain Design...soon...and with any luck at all they will be hanging in the Road to California Quilt Show January 23 - 26, 2014.  I made a Santa quilt and love it even with the quilting through the embroidery!!  I have a little peek for you...some day I will try quilting without a pantograph...

 ..here is a peek of the back, quilted with snowflakes

I also finished 2 message boards...

I have 2 more projects with dead lines that will keep me busy this week along with family returning for a visit on Tuesday...and I must not forget, I also have a dentist appointment tomorrow!!  

We've had lots of family visiting for Christmas.  My Dsister, DBIL, Dniece and her Dhubby were visiting since Friday, they left mid afternoon today to head back to Canada...they arrived just as our 2 sons and their families were packing up the cars to head back to Canada.  The Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs is on New Years day and our youngest son, DDIL and the 3 grandones are coming back as the boys got tickets for the game...Santa was very good to them...they are about to freeze their butts...they are sooooo excited.  

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday

sharing it with family and friends...

hugs

The last couple of weeks I've been doing a lot of this...

If you haven't heard

Bird Brain Designs is having a Redwork Challenge...

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I've also been working on a Honeysweet project...

making lots of these...

and I'm still canning tomatoes...

last Thursday was the day DH and I made a large pot of chili sauce...with peaches.

...a reminder of my

September giveaway.

 I have a hand embroidered designs by Michelle Ridgway to giveaway.

In 4 more days...

I will pick the winner on September 30th from all comments on my 

September blog postings.

The more postings you comment on in September ...

the more chances you have to win. 

till next time

have a wonderful day!

Happy stitching