It's Finished!

I finished the quilt for little Lena, and here it is...

It is a 45" square. I used the idea from Bo Peep to add the ribbon border. The purple check is threaded through the border and tied on each end. It is removeable, and put on after the quilt top is finished.

A close up of the little critter.

Also, a close up of her name in the bottom right corner.

I quilted this quilt myself, and I thought I would share a couple pictures to show others how I do it. First I tape the quilt back to the floor with masking tape, making sure that the fabric is smooth with no wrinkles. I add the batting and quilt top. I start at the bottom, after centering the quilt top, using a long needle that is pretty tough - run a basting stitch through all three layers with hand quilting thread, in the same color family (light or dark). You will remove this stitch when you finish the quilting. It is there to hold it all together while you quilt it. The basting stitch is about 2" in length. Each line of stitching is about 3-4" apart. When I finish, I remove the tape and quilt it with my home machine. I think that it holds together well, and the back stays pretty tight with no wrinkles while quilting.

Just thought actually seeing the process may make it less scary to attempt yourself. I had to start this out of desperation. Little projects like this one that have to be finished yesterday, are next to impossible to get to a quilter to quilt being so close to Christmas! It is nice to be able to finish yourself and save the wait time, not to mention the money!

Blessed Twice....

Look at the new goodies I recieved today! These wonderful items are a secret, secret angel gift from Joy Of JoyPatch. In a mix up of angel swap partners, I had the pleasure of meeting the delightful Joy. Her emails were so positive and fun to read, what a sweetheart this lady is! Upon discovery of the mixup,

we agreed to have a little swap of our own.

This generous little lady sent me this package of goodies. How beautiful they are! I even got a copy of her new pattern!

I know...lucky me!

Here is a close up of her beautiful embroidery. I so admire this stitch... the running stitch. I struggle getting this one to look as amazing as this. Thank you Joy!!
You are so properly named,

as I found it such a Joy to get to know you a little.
.
On another note, I have been busy creating this little sweet thing for a friend of mine.

This is my little Porcupine. The little one I am making this for has been called a porcupine by her older brother looking at her from the ultrasound. From what I understand, he constantly refers to her as porcupine. I sure hope she likes this little quilt.

I have really enjoyed making a quilt for an actual little bundle of joy.

Until now, most of my quilts have been made for the unborn....

Something to think about.
.
Off to finish, I am quilting it today.

I will post a picture of the finished quilt soon!

Until then, I hope you find lots of Holiday stitching bliss for the loved ones in your life!

My Angel, Barbara.

Just look at this wonderful collection of goodies!Can you believe they are all for me? My angel did an amazing job on these beautiful projects!
Just look at all of those tiny little stitches...

This is absolutley georgeous!!!

I am so spoiled! I really love this needle case, just amazing.

Barbara, this is so wonderful.

You have sent me some new things to treasure.

I have really enjoyed our emails.

Thanks to you also Helen for organizing this swap.

Hugs to you Barbara, and Thank you so much! I love it all!!!

Pins, pins, and more pins. Did I say pins?

Greetings from Chitter Chatter Land!

Meet the "PIN"cesses... introducing my three daughters.

This is their business....PINS!!!
My girls are busily making lots of these pins for a recent order...
Upon discovery of the pin sets ordered, there was much screaming followed by FEAR.
Needless to say, we are making lots of pins this week!
.

Each set has One PINcess and eight ladies in waiting.

.
This would be a fabulous gift for your quilty girl friends with a wonderful holiday around the corner, and very reasonably priced. They can custom make a set for you.....
any color....
NEXT Week!
.
You can visit their online store here.
.
Keep up the wonderful work girls!

-Love you lots, Mom

This is a BAD show!

Have you seen this movie?

I think it should come with a warning label! I spent the evening crying my eyes out. I didn't expect that out of a children's movie. Without spoiling the movie for others....
Here is a picture of my grandfather, with his penny bottle.
My grandmother is the one reaching over the chair.
Still makes me cry just looking at this picture.



Moral of the story, enjoy your life while you can, and don't miss out on the little things!
If you plan on watching this movie, sit down with a box of tissues.
I miss you Grandma, and Grandpa.

Check it out!

Helen, also known as mother angel, and friend, is having a giveaway! Yes... it is true. If you are in need of some cute gift ideas for someone traveling this Christmas, or looking for a wonderful new quilt project, go check out her giveaway here!

Happy Halloween!

My kids in thier costumes.....oldest to youngest.

.

whew!.... It was a blast! Costume parades at school on Friday, followed by parties, and lots and lots of candy...

Get up and do it all again on Saturday. Trick or treating to every house within walking distance, followed by the traditional Chili and Scones dinner, then we watch movies til midnight and eat candy til we are sick. Wrappers cover the floor, suckers are stuck to the carpet in random places, and tiny m&m's all smashed and scattered everywhere.

Hmmmmm, glad I didn't mop.

Ahhh, I love Halloween!

YUMMY!

Warning.....Danger ahead..... This is going to make you hungry!

.

.

.

You got it! You know what is coming.....

Getting closer......

Can you smell the wonderful aroma?......

Just look at all that oooey, gooey, goodness.....

Now comes the fun part......

Adding the sweetness....

And the crunchy.....

More sweetness.......

And more sweetness, we just can't get enough......

This one is mine I say..... MINE, ALL MINE!

Everyone here is full of Smiles!!!

My Amazing Mother

Today I have to brag a little about this wonderful woman I am lucky enough to call Mom. She is such a creative person. Just look at some of these great halloween displays found at her house...

.

This tree is so cool! It is a sagebrush painted black and has spiders and bats hanging from it! I can't wait to make mine. I will be attempting this today.

Here are some pictures of her wonderful pumpkins sprayed black and silver. Aren't they beautiful? Her house is so amazing, she has such an eye for display.

This is the quilt I am working on for her. She embroidered nine bird blocks. I added the appliqued corners and sewed the top together. After halloween costumes are finished, I hope to finish adding the bows to all four corners of her pretty blue bird quilt.

Just look at this block, with beads, and sparkles.

Here is a close up of her amazing embroidery. Tiny little stitches, and all so perfect. Mother is such an inspiration to me. I have to give her credit for most of my projects, they are almost always a take on something she has already done. Thanks Mom for being such a amazing example to me, I don't know what I would do without you!

A Winner!!!

AND the winner is........

.

****Bev, of Bev's Bits n' Pieces***

she said.."We usually invite friends or neighbors who don't have family nearby to share Thanksgiving. Hope I win one this time! These are just too cute!"

Thanks everyone for participating in this fun giveaway! Bev, email me with your info cori(at)chitterchatterdesigns(dot)com.The winner was chosen using Random. org.

.

My final tip for Halloween Costumes...

Let the kids choose what they want to be.

My kids have come up with the most amazing costume ideas. They are so willing to participate in the process when they are engaged in giving suggestions about thier idea. I just love being challenged by them. I never pass up an opportunity to learn something new. Listening to them gets you out of your box, challenges your skills, and gives you knowledge and experience that you never would have had the chance to discover. My challenge to you.... Don't be afraid to try something new, take on a challenge and don't judge yourself about the outcome. Everthing you do is a step onto whom you will become.

.

Thanks to everyone for reading this little blog of mine, and look forward to some pictures of my new project next week, along with this year's Halloween Costume Challenge!