Sentimental Stitches

We had quite a bit of snow around here in the last week or so but today it was starting to melt with the thermometer reaching 40 degrees. I thought you might like to see the view from the winter house where we stay cozy and warm with a fire in the wood stove most days. I’m not sure I could get down our drive at the lake house but I’m going to make a trip up there after the first of the year. They had over 14″ of snow during last week’s storm. I’ll be sure to take pictures!

I have most of December’s block patterns in their designated folders but am sending a new file for last week’s Midget Block 13. It’s one of those simple blocks that hits a glitch when you print out the rotary cutting measurements from the Electric Quilt
design program. The program doesn’t recognize 1/16″ (thank heavens!) so it jumps to the nearest 1/8″. If you’re a “perfect piecer” you’ll have a pieced section that measures 2 7/8″ and it’s supposed to match up to a cut square 2 3/4″. That will never do, but I’m not going to try and trim 1/16″ off the edges of the pieced section so………….when you’re sewing that pieced section, make sure you’re taking a full 1/4″ seam. It will take care of the variance in size and match the 2 3/4″ square which is the correct, half block measurement.

I’m working feverishly on the last of my quilt gifts for this Christmas. I’ve got two Disney Pixar Car quilts to finish this week but they’re ready to load on the frame and because I’m babysitting the recipients on Friday, I better make sure they’re finished.

I’ll bet you’re receiving some beautiful Christmas cards in the mail. I’ve taken a few from years past and scanned the fronts and saved them like a picture on my computer. I then printed the image on a 8 1/2″ x 11″ fabric sheet and used it as an applique for the front of a pillow. Chose a beautiful fabric that coordinates and some fancy trim. You’ll have a treasured memory pillow to use at Christmas time or give one to someone special. I keep my blue angel pillows out all year to keep a watchful eye on us.
The Christmas Girl pillow form measures 14″ square and for this one I fused the print to my pillow fabric and added 1/2″ wide lace round it with fabric glue. For the Angels, I hand appliqued the fabric print to the front using a buttonhole stitch and matching pearl cotton. That pillow is one of the rectangular forms. I purchased that beautiful 3 1/2″ fringe trim from Hancock Fabrics. It was in their home dec department. It’s sewn between the layers like you would adding a ruffle to a pillow.


It’s after midnight - time to upload this week’s Midget Block and make a shopping list for cookie baking day on Wednesday. My brother and I are getting together to bake some of our childhood favorites!

Related Pages

• FALL - THE VIEW FROM MY WINDOW
• Shipshewana Day 4
• Baby Its Cold Outside!
• Current Newsletter
• The Grand Finale That Almost Wasn’t