Santa's Workshop in Full Swing

I have been busy sewing lately, but unfortunately can't show any of it because I've been finishing up some Christmas gifts, and Santa wouldn't be happy with me if I blew the surprises. But since tonight is Thimbleberries Club, and I'm in the Chirstmas Spirit, I made this little quilted gift bag from a Thimbleberries free pattern...just for fun.

I've had the pattern for some time, and am unfortunately unable to find it again online, but check out the Thimbleberries website for some other great Free project patterns. Lynette Jensen also sends out a great email newsletter called Catching Up with Thimbleberries that you can sign up for on her website :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Thanks to Their Sacrifice...

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
Amendment VII
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Amendment 11-27

Say thank you to a Veteran or someone currently serving, and enjoy your freedoms today!

~ Dawn

We Pause this Busy Life for What's Really Important...

This weekend we played in the "weebs". The weather was beautiful, and there was a lot of raking to do...

So outside we went for a little fun in the sun.

Everyone wanted to pitch in, but some of the tools were not quite right.

But Mommy remembered an old kid sized rake we had buried in the shed...

So the real worked commenced.

The whole yard got raked clean,

Major world issues were potentially solved :)

Even the dogs got tuckered out.

Then back inside, Elsie decided that one of my packed up bins of kitchen items looked comfy.

It was time to chill for some, while Lisa made us all grilled cheese for lunch. (That leg standing on the chair in the background was me ~ I got the old wallpaper border completely pulled down, so some work got done inside on the kitchen project too.)

When all of the work was done, it was time for some silliness and some pretend napping. This picture of Elsie illustrates exactly how I felt all weekend having them all around. I hope you are taking some time this Autumn to play a little in the weebs too :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Friday Finds ~ Paper Pieces

Someone on the Jo Morton Yahoo group posted about this little item the other day, and it made me think to show them. These are called Paper Pieces, I found them at a local quilt shop, but you can also find them on the Paper Pieces website and they have all kinds of shapes.

With the diamond shapes that I have, I'm making some 8 pointed stars using Jo charms and scraps. I'm probably going to applique mine onto a background fabric (mainly because I prefer applique to piecing). I'm thinking a brown background maybe...

These are thin card stock templates that you use the English Paper Piecing method with (this method is most often thought of using hexagon shapes). Pin the shape on your fabric, cut the fabric roughly a quarter inch larger than the paper template, and baste the seam allowance around to the back (I work from the front) using a large basting stitch.

Then with right sides together, whip stitch the pieces together. I used a neutral thread and small whip stitches, making sure to pick up just fabric and not sew into the paper templates. The templates can be used several times if you're careful with them and don't chew up the edges.

Additionally, if you are a person who loves to play with color and graph paper there is a link on the Paper Pieces website for Free Down-loadable Design Sheets in many of the shapes that they make (just click on Downloads at the top of the main page). That right there is worth the cost of admission :) Too much fun!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

And So the Adventure Begins...

This is what my kitchen looked like earlier this week. Actually it's looked pretty much like this for the past 20 years (note the wall border from the late 1980s). So we've decided it was time for a facelift. I've been packing, and packing (it's amazing how much stuff can fit in these cabinets).

And now it looks like this. New appliances and cabinets are on order, the floor installation is scheduled, and work is commencing. I'll still have my range and sink for another week or so, and then the real adventure begins. We're doing most of the work ourselves (actually my husband is doing most of it, but I'm a pretty darn good helper), but I have no idea how long this is going to take. There is yet more shopping to do, we have to pick out the sink and faucet, meet with the countertop people, and I'm still trying to decide on a wall color and curtains ~ so many choices, it's mind boggling but exciting! I'll try to get some sewing done in the midst of all of this, I think I'll need to escape to the sewing room for some sanity, and to get away from the drywall dust :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Jo Charms All Swapped and Heading to Their New Homes

Last week I was swimming in Jo Morton charm squares. This is a sampling of the 5" squares that came in during our Jo Morton charm swap. We had seven participants who sent in 61 sets of charms, so I swapped out a total of 488 charms. Everyone was mindful to send a variety of newer and older fabrics, so we had very few duplicate fabrics come in ~ which was amazing! Some have asked what we are doing with the charms, well...

Karen of Quiltsalot blog is making a traditional apple core quilt using the stamp from Cindy Blackburg to mark her fabrics (this picture is on Karen's blog of what she intends to do). Several of the gals in our shop's Jo Morton group indicated that they would like to make this quilt too. Instructions can be found in Jo's Vintage Journey book, and you can get the stamp and pattern from Cindy Blackburg's website. You can also find similar stamps for marking your fabric templates from Kate Ackley on her website ByKate. I can see that there will be enough fabric left from each charm to make up a nice piano key border for some little quilt too.

This is what I've done with some of my charm squares so far. I was inspired from Rita's quilt on Sunday to make a couple more Dear Jane blocks for my little collection. This is C-9 & B-13 made with Jo charm squares from our swap. 5" pieces are great for Dear Jane size blocks. Don't scrutinize the workmanship too carefully, because they are small and portable, I make most of my DJ blocks on the fly and not under "perfect" lighting and circumstances ~ maybe that will give them a more authentic appearance :) (looking on the bright side).

...And I'm making blocks for a quilt in the Nickel Quilts book by Pat Speth & Charlene Thode called Buffalo Ridge. I've joined in a block swap with two of my friends so we are each making three of each block and we'll trade them ~ this is a sneak peek at one of my blocks. A lot of my Jo charms will go into this quilt.

I mailed off the charms to the out of state ladies on October 28th, so they should be arriving, and the local girls can pick up their swaps anytime from the shop :) Let me know what you all do with charm squares!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Reproduction Eye Candy

I spent the afternoon yesterday meeting two great ladies who came with Dawn Burchett to our first Sunday of the month, Civil War Sunday sewing time. Joan brought her pieced quilt top to purchase some fabrics to go with it. She is mainly an appliquer and said that an all pieced quilt is unusual for her. I loved the green/brown combination in this.

For you Dear Jane lovers, Rita brought this beautiful Dear Jane top sashed and bordered in red. The colors just pop in this quilt. These gals have a Dear Jane group that meets and apparently both have Dear Jane quilts. Joan says she is working on quilting hers now, so I hope to see more of them in the future!

Dawn B. continued to work on her Civil War applique quilt top and I worked on making a couple more Jo Morton blocks for my Warm Wishes quilt. If you are in the vacinity of our shop on the first Sunday of the month, stop in between 1:00 - 3:00 to do a little stitching and see some nice reproduction show and tell!
Everyone is welcome and it's free :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn