All we need is Love

This graphic was created and shared by Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt

On Christmas morning our son Andrew shared his thoughts:

I really hope that everyone who's celebrating with friends and family this holiday season truly takes a moment to just reflect on what's in front of them and how special it really is.  Maybe give each family member a hug that lasts a couple seconds longer, or go out of your way to talk to that aunt you don't really like.  There are so many people in this world that don't get to experience this.  So please don't take it for granite and cherish the memories you make now because, they may not be there next year.

I think he said it all. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

Mary

Secret Santa and Door Hangers

Look at these adorable ornaments I received in a Secret Santa ornament swap with an online  "Friendship Block Swap" group.  Cindy made them.  They are so cute.  I love them.

Back in September at the quilt retreat I went to in Racine, Wisconsin, one of the other quilters was making this pattern.  It is a free pattern by Kim Diehl on her website.  I thought they were so cute, that I decided to try them too. Here is my end result. 

I used some of the buttons I have collected.  I think they turned out very well.  I was sewing buttons on them when my husband and I were on our last little trip.  I finally sewed the backs on and finished them last weekend.  The pattern suggests you stuff them lightly.  I quilted them to a light weight batting.  When I turned them right side out, I felt they did not need the stuffing.  Just a thought!

Have a great weekend. Happy sewing if you are still working on projects.

Merry Christmas

Mary

Thursday Sew Christmas Party

Today, Thursday, our Thursdays Sew group celebrated Christmas, by having a little party.  The sad part was not everyone was able to attend.  Nine of us brought in dishes to pass. We could not wait to lunch time, so by 11:00 we were eating.  Even though there were only nine of us, we managed to cover all food groups!  We had appetizers, salads, main course, and desserts. Quilters are definitely great cooks, well all by me. (I brought Subway sandwiches.)

We also had a gift exchange.  Everyone that came brought a gift that would cost about $15.00, and had to be made by you, and be something you, yourself would like to receive.  We each drew a number and got to pick a gift, as long as it was not your own. Worked out fine.  We then opened them in the same over, one at a time.  It gave each of us a chance to admire the handwork, and of course take pictures.

First is Jan holding the gift Karen made for her.  It is a wall or door hanger with two pockets stitched in the front to hold winter decorations. So cute!

Cheryl, received this great snowman wall hanging made by Danette. ( I am so sorry for the blurry picture.) It was Danette's first time doing machine quilting.  I think she did a great job.

Jinnie, receive an adorable pillowcase and fleece scarf with kitty's on it made by Jan.  Jinnie was thrilled. Jan comes up with some of the neatest fabric to make her pillowcases.  (Jinnie is a kitty person.)

Marilyn received this wonderful winter table topper made by Kaye.  Love the stripped binding.

Jo received the great binder made by Jinnie.  Jo just happens to be a note taker.  Jinnie also included a fob for her scissors. Jo was delighted.

Danette received the door hanger and pincushion I made.  She is going to use the hanger as a wall hanging, as she was afraid it might get caught in a door.  Danette also said she did not have an official pincushion!  I am so glad she liked what I made.

Karen, received this wonderful wall hanging made by Marilyn. I hear it is a Patrick Lose design.  It is so cute. Marilyn added some darling Christmas buttons to the tree.

Kay received a framed applique piece made by Jo.  It is wonderful.  Jo is noted for her hand applique.  It is a lovely piece. I think Kay was so please to received this. (Again, sorry for the poor picture quality.)

Last but not least, I received this darling Christmas table topper made by Cheryl.  She did a great job of piecing and machine quilting it. It is going to look great on my table.

My presents, the table topper from Cheryl, Kay made a pot holder with a towel tucked in it., Karen made hexagon wreath ornaments with beads attached, Jinnie made the purple and turquoise stiletto to help my sewing, and Danette gifted  me with Lindt chocolates.

We had such a wonderful day. It is always fun to share with each other.  We enjoy each others company so much on Thursday's.

Merry Christmas to all my quilting friends and their families.

Mary

Christmas Lights, again

I think I have shown this house before (last year). It is located in Elburn, Il.  The owner is a landscaper and for the past several years has decorated his house and put music to the light show. 
Our son Andrew was out for a visit this past weekend.  He finally had a two day off from his new job.  He was game to take a drive and see Christmas lights. 

This is one of our favorites.  We sat in line for 45 minutes watching the lights and listening to the music.  It is amazing how they synchronize the music to the lights.

Another color combination.

It is so beautiful and special.

On our way back home we stopped at a new light show for us.  The campus of Mooseheart has a drive through.  There are several radio stations that are playing Christmas music. You can tune in and sing along and see the lights.

Their lights are static displays. (no animation)

They are so lovely to see.  Several park districts or communities are setting up these displays.  Some charge a fee to drive though, others are by donation.  All have been for good causes.
We love to drive through neighborhoods in the evening and see how the houses have been decorated.  My preference is, more is better.

Hope you are having a wonderful week.
Enjoy the season.

Mary

Easy Street, Bookmarks

I joined in on Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery.  In the pre-clues, she had suggested getting paint chips to use for color selection.  My husband thought I was nuts when we stopped and I picked them up.  It was a great idea.  It did help with a lot.  I have all three steps done!!  I love the color selections.  Monday and Tuesday, I was able to finish up step 3.  I can't wait to see how this mystery is going to turn out.

Yesterday, I worked on making bookmarks with this cool Double Diamond tool.  This batch is all made with batiks. I am part of a committee this making plans for a Holiday Party in January, and one of the things we are doing is making the bookmarks as a favor.  We have completed all the ones we need, so I thought as long as I have the fabric out, why not make a few more!  22 later, I called it quits.

Today my husband is kicking me out of the house.  I have said for 3 days in a row I needed to get my hair cut.  Instead I have sewed!  Looks like we are going to have a decent day to be out and about.

Hope you have the chance to play and enjoy the day.

Mary

Road Trip part 3

Wednesday morning we were up early and on the road. First stop was the quilt shop in Morton, IL.  Let me tell you, it was one of the best I have been to.  The ladies were so friendly and kind.

I was surrounded by fabric and wool creations.  One of the ladies said it was so much fun working there, as they got the chance to play with so many of these great patterns.

They had a full supply of threads, and quilting stencils, wool, towels and specialty fabrics for embroidery.  The quilt patterns and books are fresh from the publishers and fabric the newest from the manufacturers.

The displays are so well thought out.   It was hard to limit my time and money!

We traveled through the countryside to the town of Arthur.  It is an Amish community.  Ron found out about this restaurant, Yoder's Kitchen.  Oh my, the lunch buffet for $8.50 was absolutely delicious.  I ate chicken, Ron honed in on the meatloaf. Everything is fresh cooked, no instant potatoes here! 

This was as close to a barn quilt that I got. It was on the side of a store in the town.  Arthur's slogan is, "Welcome to ARTHUR you're a...stranger only once."
Again we had another beautiful day, a little cooler, but sunny and beautiful blue skies.

Next stop home.  This was the sunset we encountered on our way home.  It was beautiful.  We had such a beautiful two days.  Ron and I do enjoy taking this little trips.  Mom always said you need to explore the area around where you live.  So many people in your own state have no idea of the wonderful hidden treasurers there are.
I hope you did not mind this adventure. Maybe it will give you ideas of places to go in your own area.  We don't spend a lot to do these things, but we sure do have a lot of fun. 

Have a great rest of the week.  Now to get busy on some sewing.
Mary

Road Trip part 2

After we found the turn we needed in Kickapoo, we headed to Hanna City.  It actually was a short distance away.  Our next stop was Wild Life Prairie State Park.  It was in the 60;s, and sunny.  It was a perfect day for taking a walk in the woods.  This park has a lot of facilities to further education and they even have lodging.  We were greeted by these two male elk.  The females were in a different part of the pasture.

We stopped at Hazel's Hill. When you go up to the overlook you are surrounded by a beautiful, peaceful area.  There are signs all around that are Indian proverbs, or sayings.  The brochure said that Hazel's Hill has a lot of wild flowers at other times of the year.  I think the whole area would be beautiful in the Spring.

Ron was fascinated by these "cottages".  These old silo's have been turned into lodging.  We were told they do have all modern conveniences.  There were also 4 train cars that have been converted to lodging.  Some of the rooms have kitchens facilities and some of the rooms are just like a  regular motel.

Here is Ron in the visitors area.

Next stop was East Peoria to see the floats from the Festival of Lights.  On the 17th of November they have the parade of lights.  There are at least 30 floats formed entirely of lights. This is sort of the beginning of the Christmas season.  After the parade all of the floats are moved to a local golf course.  They are set up then for the public to drive through the golf course and view them.  You are allowed to have your parking lights on, but no head lights. 

I think this dinosaur has 35,000 light bulbs on it.

This 57 Chevy is lite with 14,000 bulbs.

The Dussenberg only has 13,000 light bulbs.

How about this of the Clydesdales, there are a mere 90,000 light bulbs. The float, by the way, is life size and 70 feet long.

Star Ship Enterprise has 48,000.  This float has been in the parade for a long time.  We remembered seeing it the first time we came to see the floats about 10 years ago.

I think Rudolph is a newer addition.

They have added the American Flag as a float and a display honoring all the services.  This brought a few tears to my eyes.  Daddy would have loved all of this.

As you cross the Illinois River from Peoria to East Peoria you see this on the side of a hill.  The floats are sponsored by local businesses and organizations.  There is a year round crew that work on these floats.  This is the second time we have been to see the display.  Both times it has been spectacular.
We did stay in Peoria for the night. We headed to Arthur, IL in the morning.

One more post about our overnight.
Mary

Road Trip

First stop was this charming quilt shop in Metamora.  Unfortunately it is going out of business.  I was able to get a couple of fabrics I can use for backs at $3.00 a yard.  Every quilter loves a deal.

As I have written before, we love to travel the back roads.  You never know what you may find.



We needed to make a turn in the town of Kickapoo. We saw this bottle tree, and a sign that said 20,000 Christmas ornaments. The largest selection ever.  That was grounds for stopping.

This is what we were greeted with as we walked in the door.  Floor to ceiling, wall to wall, ornaments.  There was tree upon tree with specialty ornaments.  The ceiling was covered with lights and ornaments.  Every room was like a fairyland.

This little tree was full of vintage ornaments.

Found the Flamingo tree! Little hard to miss.

Check out this ceiling.  Everything was for sale.  Jim Kightlinger, the owner, said they start in October to decorate with the ornaments. It takes at least 750 hours to put everything up.  It will all come down after Christmas and be replace with antiques for the rest of the year.

Here is the outside of their cute shop.

Here are the two signs  that drew us in.  I am so glad we stopped.  It was so much fun to see so many wonderful ornaments. We were at Kightlinger Antiques and Collectibles in Kickapoo, IL.

See you tomorrow with the next stop.
Have a great evening.
Mary