Happy New Year!

Hello dear friends, it's been awhile.  As you can see, I'm spending the very last day of the year doing what I love - watching Fred Astaire and stitching.  See those curtains?  I finally made them, I'm so tired of living in a fishbowl for the neighbors to gawk at, and besides it's winter and there is nothing to look at out there, lol.  With the white muslin, I have both privacy and light.  Well, as much light as there is out there, anyway....

I've not felt like blogging, or facebooking, or anything much.  A few days before Christmas we had a family tragedy so it's not been festive around here.  Not going into detail but mum is fine, it wasn't her.  I would really appreciate your prayers for my cousin and her three children.

I received a couple of gifts that blew me away....my dear friend Lyn sent me some spoolholders for my featherweight, hand made by her, how precious is that!

So much prettier than the red felt!

And then my dear friend Jan sent me a box that made me burst into tears, and I mean that literally.

A Quilt of Valor - sorry for the bad pic, my quilt holder is sleeping.  I'm still trying to decide whether to hang it or just hug it.  Her husband quilted it!  I'm still blown away.  Jan and her husband make hundreds of quilts for Quilts of Valor and Project Linus - they are amazing!

The January issue of the Applique Club is going out tonight. Here are the January pictures - 

Winter Blooms

Vintage Flowers Table Runner

Calendar Bird BOM

And a peek at February!

I do hope and pray that you all have a safe, prosperous and healthy New Year.  And please remember that we don't have to wait for a new year for a new slate - God's mercies are new every morning!
(Lamentations 3:22-24) "¶ It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  {23} They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.  {24} The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him."

See you soon - 
Love,
Allie

Happy Little Things BOM - Borders and Finishing + Giveaway!

Can you believe we're at the border and finishing stage of this BOM?  So fun!  I've been doing some big-stitch quilting - 

because my borders have been on for awhile.  I really love how fast hand-quilting with a big stitch is!

My borders are done differently than in your instructions, I decided I'd make a table runner and just added strips of fabric in a willy-nilly fashion, making all blocks the same size.

I wanted a table runner for my foyer table.

As you can see, I'm not done quilting yet.  I used all fabrics by Kim Diehl, love her lines.  No pictures of it on my foyer table - hubby's desk is behind it, and it's never picture-worthy.  MEN.

All I did for my borders was add strips in a log cabin fashion, then stitched the blocks together.  I love it.  It's exactly what I wanted and it fits my table perfectly.  It's a long, skinny table, ideal for laying packages and library books on.

Click here >Jacquelynne Steves< to go see Jacquelynne's post!

And now the part you came for - the giveaway!  The prize this month is a Thermoweb prize pack!

This is open to all, yippee!  As for the rules, just scroll down and click "comments" to add yours - no hoops to jump through!  
Please be sure to include your email with your comment - if I can't contact you, I'll choose another winner.  And that would be sad!

The giveaway will end Sunday evening, December 8, and I will at that time email the winner.  I'll need you to respond quickly, well within 48 hours, so check your email and your spam folder!

This giveaway is open to U.S. and international residents, one prize per person per giveaway.

But that's not all!!!!

You have seven other chances to win!  Visit these other blogs to enter!!!!

A Quilting Life

Podunk Pretties

The Crafty Quilter

Flamingo Toes

Happy Quilting Melissa

The Quilting Nook

Kathy's Quilts

Click on each blog name to have it open in a new window, and leave a comment there to win!  I wish you all the best in the giveaways - and don't forget to show off your finished BOM's on Jacquelynne's facebook group, SewQuiltyFriends!  See you soon!

Love,
Allie

Mornings

Good morning dear friends!  It's so good to be awake at dawn again.

I wish my camera had caught just how pink the sky was.  Last week, I started a new job - and quit the next day.  I won't detail it, suffice it to say it wasn't for me.  I don't mind working the afternoon shift, but I'm glad to be back on my early morning schedule.  

Nothing much is new in Allie-land.  Mum fell a couple of weeks ago, bruised her tailbone, and has had a bad cold - I'm finally getting her out of the house today, I think she needs it!  

Anybody else have trouble waiting for Christmas to give gifts?  It's why I shop last minute - and apparently my son has the same trouble.

I recently starting using mechanical pencils, bought at the dollar store after my expensive pencil sharpener gave up the ghost.  My son had bought me the darker blue pen last year, which I dearly love, it's a vintage Sheaffer.  This year, he bought me the matching pencil - well, the color is different, thank goodness for that, otherwise I'd keep picking up the wrong one!  Isn't it lovely?  It's amazing to me how wonderful it is to use good tools!

My oldest son has a new kitty, another rescue.  They're slowly introducing the new one to the family.

Her name is Cookie.  I can't wait to meet her.  I miss having a kitty - but remembering how heartbroken I was when my Hermione died, I can't do it again.  

I'm currently working on January's patterns for the Applique Club.  I love working with happy colors in the grey days of winter!

And of course, those grey days make it hard to take pictures, lol!  But oh these 30's fabrics cheer me up.

I guess that's all the news worth reporting from here, I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) - I'm off to buy a turkey breast today.  I can't wait.  Thanksgiving is my favorite - family, good food, nobody has to buy gifts.  LOL!

Be blessed - see you soon!
Love,
Allie

(Psalms 69:30) "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving."

Snow Day And Good News

Well good morning dear friends!  It's a snuggle-up kind of day here in Allie-land - record cold temps coming.  I guess I need to find my gloves!

Yesterday was a complete snow day.  I never got out of my pajamas!  We had a record 8.5 inches.  It just never stopped looking like a snow globe out there, from the time I got up to the time I went to bed.

But this morning, the sun is shining, and helping to warm up my sewing room in the bitter cold that's following the snow.

I spent the day playing with fabric yesterday, so lovely.  Especially while hubby and son were out with the snowblowers.  When they came in, they were soaked - even had snow piled up on the brim of their hats!

I'm working on January's patterns for the Applique Club, one will be a red and white quilt - don't you just love red and white?  So crisp, so cheerful.

Here's a peek at one of December's projects - 

Might be one of my all-time favorites!

And now for the good news.  Jenny has launched her new Faith In Hand club!!!!  

You know I love to stitch the word of God - fill my home with scripture - and that's what her new club is all about.  What a blessing!!  She has a wonderful special offer on the club going on right now, hurry on over and read all about it, you won't want to miss out on this!!!!  Click here:

Jenny of Elefantz Faith In Hand Club

Jenny's gorgeous designs, the word of God, what could be better!!!!  

Well, I need to bundle up and go get some groceries - for some reason my family likes to eat.  It really cuts into my quilting time, lol.....

See you soon!

Love,

Allie

Happy Little Things BOM Block 4 And Giveaway!

Welcome to block 4 of Happy Little Things by Jacquelynne Steves!  Click on her name to go to her post!

I must say, after doing block 3, this one was a breeze to put together!  I went ahead and cut my pieces ahead of time, which I prefer not to do as I like scrappy - but it worked so well.  
Also, with the half rectangle triangle units this time, I discovered a better way to cut the freezer paper - iron it to a piece of scrap fabric first, then cut it to size.  MUCH easier!  
Before trimming the freezer paper - 

After trimming the freezer paper - 

As I’ve said before, I’m really not a piecer.  Throughout making these blocks, I kept the instructions right by my side, kept the tv off, and just paid very close attention.  They’re not difficult blocks – if I, who is piecing challenged, can get them done, then don’t be afraid of them!  And for those of you who can do these with your eyes closed, my hat is off to you.  The whole reason I started designing my own patterns was because I have trouble following one, lol.  But I did it, and I’m so glad, I love the finished project – thank you Jacquelynne!!!

I've turned mine into a table runner, and I love it!

And now the moment you've been waiting for, the giveaway - 

Morse Code Quilts by Sarah J. Maxwell, and a sweet package of pins from Just Another Button Company!

This giveaway will run until Sunday November 10, at which time I'll pick a winner by random number generator and email her!  To enter, just leave me a comment with your email address - if I can't contact you, you won't be able to win!  I'll also need you to respond within 48 hours to my email if you win, otherwise I'll have to pick another winner - that has happened TWICE.

Scroll to the bottom of this post, click on "comments" and leave your comment to win!

The giveaway is open to U.S. and international residents!  One prize per person per giveaway.

You have seven other chances to win, you know - visit these other blogs and enter to win there!  Click their names to be taken to their blogs!

A Quilting Life

Podunk Pretties

The Crafty Quilter

Flamingo Toes

Happy Quilting Melissa

The Quilting Nook

Kathy's Quilts

I wish you all the best in the giveaways - and don't forget to show your finished blocks on Jacquelynne's facebook group, SewQuiltyFriends!!!  See you soon!

Love,

Allie

How About A Quilt Show??

Mum and I went to a quilt show over the weekend - they only put this one on once every two years, and it's always amazing.  It's at the most beautiful church - over 250 quilts (no, I won't show you all of them) - craft vendors and a luncheon in the basement.  Just lovely.

I started attending this one for a special reason.  I re-connected with my girlfriend from high school, and found out her mum had started quilting after I knew her.  Not only started quilting, she was an absolutely stunning quilt artist!  She always had a quilt in this show, and after her death, the family donated her bible quilt to the church.  It's always on display.  It was the first thing I saw when I walked in the door - 

I think you can click to embiggen.  Here's the only close-up that turned out....

She used all kinds of fabrics, and it is stunning.  Brought a tear to my eye, because I would have loved to have known her while she was quilting.

And now - on to the show - get your coffee or tea and enjoy!!

Blurry, but it was just darling.

Tiny paper pieced birds!!

Incredibly tiny!!!!!

Mum loved those penguins behind her!

Absolutely glorious bee!!!

Now these two above I just loved so much - one on each side of the altar, I believe they were paper-pieced, just gorgeous and I'd love to make something similar!!  You know I love God's word in fabric!  They reminded me of vintage quilts that are similar, with the words all running together.

Lots of vintage quilts!

The one above won best in show

The show was featuring a prolific local art quilter - I'm not posting names, as some ladies didn't want them known, but this gal was incredible.  Here is some more of her work.

So there ya go - did you enjoy it?  I know I did!  The church is Dearborn First United Methodist in Dearborn, MI, and the facebook page is Festival of Quilts.  They have lots more pictures there, and most of them turned out better than mine, lol.  Not the easiest venue for photography, but fantastic for going in person.  

And now I think I'll go get my jammies on, and relax....my aunt had snow at her house overnight [she's 30 minutes north of me, yikes] so cuddle-up weather is here!  Enjoy your week, my friends!

Love,
Allie