Is it Spring???

Today, when I went to pick up Dad to get a haircut, I was thinking, soon we can start looking for the robins. I could not believe my eyes as I looked out the car window, there were 2 robins sitting in the tree. I was able to get a couple of pictures of them. After I picked Dad up, I was able to show him too. The two robins were flying together. Dad said they were probably scouts. I think they got their directions mixed up. Did they forget to go south, or stayed around.

This last picture is a little harder to see. On the Fox River, on our way into Oswego, we saw one of our resident Eagles. On the computer screen you can see his white head. The battery on my new, longer range Lumix camera, had peetered out after taking the Robin pictures, so I had to use the Canon camera that does not have the long range. I wish I could have taken a better, closer picture. I'll keep trying.

Spring is coming!!!!

Christmas Stockings.

When I was a little girl, a friend to my Mom, made Christmas stockings for my sister and I. This is mine. Every Christmas I have hung this stocking, sometimes by the chimney with care, and sometimes on a door knob. I made sure it was ready for Santa. It is made of felt, and pieces of flannel, and Santa's beard is cotton. This Christmas I decided to make one for our son, Andrew and his girlfriend Alicia. The stocking is felt and all the figures are wool. I had fun adding the little touches of sequins and pom poms, and beads. I used my stocking as the pattern and found images I could applique to the surface. I had a lot of fun working on these too.

I haven't written much lately, as I, too, have been busy getting ready for the holidays. I am cooking dinner tomorrow, Christmas Eve. My Dad will be coming over to spend the afternoon and supervise, while I cook. On Christmas, my Dad, and Andy and Alicia will be stopping by around lunch time, so we will have the "left overs" then. They will be having dinner with her parents later in the afternoon.

Thank you to everyone that has stopped by. I appreciate the messages that have been left. It is a warm feeling knowing I have so many wonderful friends. It has been a wonderful year of making new friends and learning new things.

May Christmas

With it's magic spell,

Make all things happy

All things well.

Merry Christmas

and

Happy New Year

Two Finishes

This is the wool project I was working on from the workshop at Pride of the Prairie in November. I have finally gotten it finished. This is a smaller penny rug I had started this past winter, and pulled it out last week to finish it. I like how it turned out.

It was time to sit in the evening and do some hand work. During the day I have been working on cleaning the house. You know one of those cleaning top to bottom. One room at a time. I have been cleaning out closets and of course my sewing room. Some projects have been dismantled, to maybe turned into something else. The interest has been lost. I can see the floor in my sewing space now. There is going to be a retreat in February and I have bagged up some projects that won't take long to "finish". If I can cut out the patterns before I go, it makes finishing them so much quicker. I have been having fun making "Little Wallet", and the "Cash and Carry" coin purse, and the "Snap Happy" bag. For some reason, I love to make those little bags. You can find so many uses for them.

Christmas Present Received

Look what arrived in the mail on Saturday!! It is a lovely Christmas mug coaster, and a my first Christmas card of the season. They came all the way from Australia. "Aunty Henny", Helen McNaught and I became blogging friends earlier this year. It is so beautiful and so beautifully made. Thank you Helen.
I love that keeping my online journal has introduced me to so many wonderful quilters. These friendships are special. There are so many wonderful and creative quilters. I am pleased to be a part of this great community.

Christmas Presents

I had fun making the "Cash and Carry" by Atkinson Designs, and "Little Wallet" by Valori Wells. The senior community where my Dad lives is asking for prizes to be given to staff members at their Christmas party. So, thought this would be a fun way to share "time and talent", to the wonderful people that help to watch after Dad. Have been working on a present for my Sister for Christmas. The purse is"Little Jelly Bags," by Bunny Hill Designs. I made the "Little Wallet" and a "Cash and Carry" as added accessories. The notebook cover is just strips sewn together. When she visited earlier this year she had seen a cute patchwork purse made with pink and green fabrics. I hope she will like these.

Mug Rugs

This weekend I tried my hand at a few more mug rugs. If you have precut 2 inch squares, sew together, and quilt using some of those fancy stitches on your sewing machine. If you have a bunch of premade half square triangles, they too make a quick and easy mug rug.

This one was paper pieced using Christmas fabrics. The cookies were part of 5 batches that I made this weekend too.