The Stockings Were Hung...or will be soon!

Today I'm making stockings. Ours are very old and I have to admit I've never liked them. I'm using the free pattern from Denyse Schmidt. What a lovely Christmas gift to us all! I'm making mine larger than her pattern. I love things that are oversized and make a statement.

(Picture from Denyse Schmidt's website)

I can't wait to show them to you. Do your stockings need a little update? Santa loves a little surprise every once and awhile!

5 Days of Christmas

This week is all about getting ready for Christmas. There is decorating and baking to be done. I'm hoping to sneak in a little Christmas each day. My plan is to post every day this week with a simple handmade gift idea. I'm hoping to motivate myself to get some gifts checked off my list. Today, it's all about pillows.

I love giving holiday pillows as gifts because you don't need to match someone's decor. A touch of red will brighten anyone's holiday! These pillows were made with machine embroidered panels from Michele. Any quilt block can become a pillow and pillows are simple to make.
This one takes a bit longer, but the personal touch is worth a little extra time. There's a tutorial here to make this pillow, more pillow tuts in my sidebar or use one of your own and you'll have a fab gift in no time at all.
Happy Monday, everyone!

P.S. Modern Relief ends soon...have you checked it out and given? It's a good thing.

Modern Relief

As I shopped for our Thanksgiving dinner early this morning, I looked at all the food in my cart and thought about the bounty of our table. All tables aren't like that. A group of quilters have gotten together to try to help put food on tables. This is a generous community and I'm hoping that our small gesture can make a difference. Read on to see how you might help.

{Modern} Relief is a simple concept. We are Modern Quilters uniting through the holiday season by bringing the warmth of our quilts and the warmth of your hearts together for others in need. This season, 2010, we will be supporting World Vision. We hope YOU will join us in taking a stand against hunger by participating in our fundraising raffle. Please let me introduce to you World Vision.

World Vision is leading the effort to end hunger.

In the next seven seconds, another hungry child will die.

World Vision is on the front lines of the fight against hunger. Today — and every day — we’ll distribute nearly 600 metric tons of emergency food aid, nourishing the hungry. We’ll give local farmers the seeds, tools, and training they need to grow their own food and feed their own communities. And we will plead the cause of the hungry in halls of power all over the world.

Please join us in creating a world without hunger — a world in which no child dies for want of nutritious food. This site offers in-depth information on hunger, its causes, and how it can be stopped. You can learn more about key hunger-related issues and share what you discover with friends and family. Use this link to begin your journey.

Please meet the members of this season’s event and view their donations that they have generously provided to this fundraiser raffle.

Heather from { House } of A La Mode

Amy from Amy's Creative Side


Elizabeth from Oh, Fransson!


Nettie from a quilt is nice


Aneela from Comfortstitching


Brioni from Flossyblossy


John from Quilt Dad


Kate from One Flew Over


Ashley from Film in the Fridge


Katy from i'm a ginger monkey


Tacha from Hanies


Amanda from Sasikirana Handmade


Jennifer & Jessica from Twin Fibers


Nova from a cuppa and a catch up


Ryan from I'm Just A Guy Who Quilts



Julie from Jaybird Quilts


Jacquie from Tallgrass Prairie Studio


Alissa from Handmade by Alissa


The Guidelines:

- To enter this raffle please click on the PayPal button, this will bring you to the { Modern } Relief PayPal account.
- The cost to enter this Raffle is $10.00 per entry.
- Entries are unlimited, so please feel free to give till your heart’s content.
- Winners of the raffle will be chosen by a random generator on December 1st, 2010.
- Each { Modern } Relief Quilter participating in this event will post the entire list of winners for the donated quilts on their blogs during the second week of December and the grand total of our contributions to this cause.
- Additionally, they will also contact their personal winners at that time too.

We THANK you!

Shhhh...The Volume is on Low

I turned the volume WAY down on this new design. I've tried to work low volume before and it's pretty difficult for me. First, low volume fabrics are hard to come by or maybe I should say, I don't buy low volume very often. I'm still tweaking this a bit, but it's coming along.

It always surprises me how values change when placed with different fabrics. The dark gray in this quilt is Kona ash...a pretty darn light gray...i couldn't find a gray solid lighter than that, so the lighter gray is actually a stripe. A friend was over the other day and commented that only I could make prison gray striped fabric look girly.
The whites in this quilt are actually a mix of kona white and kona snow. The subtle difference gives the quilt a little depth that I like. The kona snow almost takes on a pink tinge when it's next to the blush pink.
I love baby quilts that are sophisticated. I think this one fits the bill. I'd sure love to design a nursery around it, it's so soft and understated. Actually, I think it might make a nice big girl quilt too. What do you think?

In other business, the winner of Kajsa's book is Debbie of Esch House Quilts! Congrats! Your book and cards are on the way.

Scandinavian Stitches...You're Gonna Love This!

I can't even say how thrilled I am to introduce Scandinavian Stitches to you. Kajsa Wikman's book is brought to you by Stash Books and this book has it all, great projects, beautiful, inspiring pictures, a bit of whimsy and Kajsa's voice and style. I've admired Kajsa and her art for years and I'm so proud and happy that through this book she has the opportunity to spread her artistic vision and happy voice to a new audience.
The book and projects are organized around the seasons in Finland and how they inspire Kajsa's work.
Kajsa shares the inspirations for her designs and at the same time inspires us. I've always loved her signature birds and I'm so happy they are part of the book.
There are quilts to make....
...and smaller projects. Look closely at that basket...do you see the nest? The details in the designs are extraordinary.
And then there are the tomte. I happen to have some made by Kajsa. In Finland they're like Christmas elves, but Algot, Lars, and Olaf make wonderful sentries to guard my sewing machine! I've always wanted to make them myself and now I can! The book has so many great projects for the holidays and gift giving!
Kajsa graciously answered some last minute questions from me so we all could get to know her a little better.

Tell us a little about Finland that we wouldn't read in our geography books. Is there a Finnish word or two that you think we should all learn?

Well, the most important thing to know must be that there are no icebears here, only wolves; and that we have moose warning signs along the roads. Visitors from abroad usually find that very exotic. I belong to a Swedish speaking minority in Finland (6% of the population). Finland used to be a part of Sweden and then Russia, but has been independent since 1917. Women got the right to vote in 1906 and we have a female president today, a lovely lady named Tarja Halonen. The Sauna is Finnish, so is Nokia, the mobile phones. Finland has a lot of lakes and forests where you can pick wild berries and mushrooms. Many people have a summerhouse by a lake or by the sea.

Sisu (perseverance) is a useful Finnish word that is usually used to describe Finns. So you need a lot of sisu to write a book! Ruska is another useful word. It means the beautiful autumn colors in nature. The ruska is especially beautiful up north in Lapland (where Santa lives) and many tourists travel to experience this every autumn, and even more people fly in to see Santa in December.

Favorite author: Tove Jansson

Finnish design icons: Alvar Aalto, Marimekko, Littala

You describe art for you as "playful and happy." What advice would you give other quilters to help them find their inner artist?

1. Allow yourself to be you!

2. Give it time!

It takes time to develop a style of your own and all artists explore different techniques and styles before they find their own (stitched) path! I used to think that art had to be serious and deep, although I am quite happy and have an optimistic nature. When my daughter was born I felt free to be childish in my expression and allowed myself to dig into my favorite picture books to get inspired. First I used a more muted country palette, but the braver I got the more colour I dared to use! The on-line community of crafters and quilters has been very valuable to me, especially all the positive feedback I got on flickr when I first started posting pictures of my projects. I was encouraged and inspired to go on developing my style.

How much time do you spend sewing every day? How do you balance work and family life?

I try to get all work and sewing done while my daughter is at school and my son at Kindergarten and spend the evenings and weekends with the family. Sewing used to be a hobby, but now I can do it during working hours. How cool is that! This time of year I always end up sewing on the couch late at night, though, but I love my work so much. I can honestly say that I love my work every day!

Kajsa and Stash books are giving away a copy of Scandinavian Stitches and a set of Kajsa's holiday cards to one lucky reader. Leave a comment and tell me what's inspiring you this holiday season. Comments will close Friday morning at 8 a.m. central time. I'll announce the winner on Friday. Good luck!

I wouldn't risk not winning. I'd simply order this book right away. I'm going to snag an autographed copy from Kajsa's etsy store! Thank you, my friend for your inspiration! I wish you happiness and success!

Be sure to continue on the tour for more chances to add this book to your crafty library.

• November 18th – The Sometimes Crafter
• November 19th – Pikaland
• November 22nd – LucyKate Crafts
• November 23rd – Whip Up
• November 24th – PeikonPoika
• November 25th – Patchwork Pottery
• November 26th – All Sorts

Comments are now closed. Back with the winner soon!

Techno

Happy Monday! It's a chilly, windy sunny day here. I love fall days like this! This is a new quilt design again inspired by my sons. My oldest asked me if I couldn't make something with all right angles...no off kilter stuff. He's kinda of a symmetrical kind of guy. It's not symmetrical, but definitely lots of right angles. My other son wanted me to lose the prints...that's not too hard cause I'm really in to solids right now. So, "Techno" came about.
I had some assistance from the wind during the photo session!I'm pretty excited to quilt this one and there's a companion on the way too. I'm working on patterns for both.

I have some giveaway winners too. I'm glad you all liked War of Art...truly an inspiring read.

I drew two winners from the commenters and two more from my list of Quilter Butt participants. The winners from the comments are:

Brenda who said, Amen, sister! I find I can rationalize lots of stuff, but when I go out and just do it, the results are amazing. Like yesterday, I spent several hours making Christmas gifts and finished a whole bunch. It didn't take a lot of time, just a can-do attitude. thanks for a chance at your giveaway.

Rachel's Quilts who said, I think I need to read that book. Thanks for the push to get up and do something this morning.

and the other winners are Krista of Spotted Stone and Sara of A Pirates Bounty. Drop me an email and we can talk about a custom fabric bundle just for you!

In other news, Kajsa's blog tour for her new book, Scandinavian Stitches starts today. Be sure to check out all the stops and come back here on Wednesday for a chance to win her fabulous book. It's a must buy!

A Kick in the Ass

This book has been on the shelf in my studio for about 6 months. I received it from fabric designer Amy Schimler. War of Art is by Steven Pressfield, the author of The Legend of Bagger Vance. While he wrote it from his perspective as an author, it is for everyone who wants to achieve anything. It's about learning why we prevent ourselves from doing what we want to do, or need to do. -
Here are a couple of the many pages that I have dogeared to read again and again.

"Procrastination is the most common manifestation of Resistance because it's the easiest to rationalize. We don't tell ourselves, "I'm never going to write my symphony." Instead we say, "I am going to write my symphony; I'm just going to start tomorrow."

Rationalization is Resistance's right hand man. Its job is to keep us from feeling the shame we would feel if we truly faced what cowards we are for not doing our work. But rationalization has its own sidekick. It's that part of our psyche that actually believes what rationalization tells us. It's one thing to lie to ourselves. It's another thing to believe it.

I don't have time to work out today....have you said that to yourself like I have? I convinced myself to believe it too.

...Never forget: This very moment, we can change our lives. There never was a moment, and never will be, when we are without the power to alter our destiny. This second, we can turn the tables on Resistance.

This second, we can sit down and do our work.

So, this second I'm going to get on the treadmill...and when I get off step into the studio and continue to do my work.

I have the power to change my life.

You do too.

The giveaway...I'm putting together some great fabric bundles. Just comment to enter. I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Disconnected!

Have you gone a week without the internet lately?

Advantages:

1. You turn into the cleaning fairy....bathrooms sparkle, a spotless studio (every piece of fabric has been refolded and stacked).

2. Lady beetles lose their battle (at least we're at a stalemate). Every year we battle Japanese beetles...they look like lady bugs, but they're actually the evil twins. With no internet, I have time to wield my vacuum hose and relentlessly suck those little buggers into oblivion.

3. You take advantage of 70 degree weather in Kansas in November and rid the front porch of mildew....while I was at it I painted all of the trim on the porch.

4. You actually have time to take a day off and bum around the city and buy fabulous fabric. The cuts above are Liberty of London fabric from Betsy's shop in Westport, Bon Bon Atelier. Have you ever felt Liberty fabric? To DIE for. Betsy has an online store in case you want to have that experience for yourself. I'm making Christmas gifts with these. Lauren tells me that if you're making gifts, the fabric purchase doesn't count. I believe her.

5. You actually hang the curtains that have been sitting waiting to grace the windows in the great room. I have curtains for the first time in 15 years.

Disadvantages

1. You're disconnected, cut off, out of the loop. ARRG!

Hopefully the problem is solved and I'll be back to normal around here. Wouldn't want to be blinded by sparkling bathrooms, now would we?

Got an extra minute, today? Check this out. Katie is destashing some of her out of print fabrics. She's got some great stuff in there!

To my "quilter butt" friends. The giveaway will be tomorrow! It's nice to be connected again!

Winner!!

Inger, you are the winner of Elizabeth's book and fabrics. Please email me with your contact information. If I don't hear from you in 24 hours I'll draw another number.

Congratulations!

Inger said, "I'm especially fond of a quilt that has been in my family for a few generations. As a teenager I got ink all over it and not knowing the value of the quilt, its history and sentimental value, or how to clean it, I threw it out. A few years later I was at a neighbor's apartment and saw it in her living room and shared my story. She was very kind and gave it back to me, and the best part is that she had gotten the ink stain out."

Thanks for sharing the stories of your quilts. Proves to me once again that quilts are more than a front and back with something in between!

Yummy!

As I promised I sewed like a banshee this weekend to keep my mind off of quilt market. I was there in spirit though. I was sewing with Aneela Hoey's new fabric line, Sherbet Pips. Oh, it's yummy. It was debuted at market and I'm sure it was a hit!
It has a print with her signature drawing, girls on a swing. Oooh!
Also, some very nice basics. The scarves are cute and I love that there is gray in the line. So sophisticated. The circles in squares are probably my favorite print!
There are more whimsical prints to choose from.
So many possibilities with this fabric! I love possibilities.

I'll be back with the winner of Elizabeth's book. I have some counting to do! Good luck!!