Check One More Off The List!

Well, this long weekend we went back home and while we were there, I finished my Christmas stocking! Sandy was asking me when I started the stockings (remember now, her stocking and Markley’s stocking have been finished for a while now—pics of them tonight). Let's see, I remember working on them when Markley was at MD Anderson in July 1998 right after we were married. And I know I bought them at the old Wal-Mart in Canyon after Christmas one year. So that puts them at least 6 months older than that, but they could be as old as January 1996 which is right after my first Christmas in Canyon.

I am so excited about getting things finished up this year! My next project will be a cute little tote for my supervisor Charlotte. Then on to the watermelon bull’s eye quilt. I have attached the top and bottom of the first inner border already; just need to finish that; add the second inner border; the outer border and send it to Country Corner Quilt Shop in Arkansas to have it quilted. I know that sounds so cheesy to only need to add the borders, but it’s the truth and it’s sad.

Happy Short Week!

C :)

A Finished Quilt, Ghosts of Crafts Past, and Unfinished Projects

First, let's start with the finished quilt. This is Mary’s Christmas quilt. She brought me the fabric in JULY (didn’t she buy beautiful fabric!!) when we sold the Canyon house. I finished the quilt Christmas Day. It’s a rag quilt, but it’s not clipped in this pic. I love this pattern—it reminds me of a cross-stitch pattern. Lots of little blocks of color going together to make a picture. My third quilt ever was this pattern and I made it all by myself, no class.

Now, on to ghosts of crafts past. Y’all know my first craft was cross-stitch. I have about 6 framed and 13 unframed FINISHED cross-stitches at home. Then there are the 3 that needed to be finished (we aren’t going to talk about the 35 that I want to do). The first one is the SHAWN cross-stitch designed by me. Shawn was my high school sweetheart and I finally decided that even though I designed it, it needed to be tossed. And it was last Friday. I call that finished.

I started the wedding couple in 1998 for my wedding…and it is now finished! I’m going to make a pillow out of it for the guest bedroom. I have my wedding flowers, candle sticks, and cake topper in the guest bedroom, so why not add this? I can always use new pillows. Also, Markley bought me the actual figurine for my birthday that year and it’s in there too.

The last cross-stitch is my Christmas stocking. I finished Markley’s and Sandy’s years ago. Mine has hung by the chimney w/o a name. Luckily, Santa knows that I haven’t finished anything. But, now, I have finished drawing the pattern and picking the DMC thread and it’s in my desk drawer to work on each day at work.


Now, the multitudes of unfinished projects. I have 17 (two aren’t pictured). My goal is to finish all 17 projects THIS YEAR, 2010. So, here’s the list (pattern or name; fabric line or store)
1. t-shirt; Hard Rock Café & Planet Hollywood t-shirts (not pictured)
2. ugly color quilt; various (not pictured)
3. Bull’s Eye; red, pink, and green to look like watermelons
4. Bull’s Eye; bright colors on black
5. Folk Art Log Cabin (Thimbleberries); various Alco
6. Cake Stand; carnival blooms
7a&7b. Watermelon Log Cabin; various Sisters’ Scraps
8. Christmas Table Attire; Holly Jolly—bright
9. Crazy 9-Patch; French Gardens
10. Crazy 9-Patch; Garden Market
11. Lucky Stars pillow shams; Wal*mart
12. A Slice of Summer; A Slice of Summer
13. sun glasses holder; Cherished Teddies
14. Crazy 9-Patch; Figgy Pudding
15. Crazy 9-Patch; pacific point, wild wasabi, sahara sand colors
16. Texas flag rag; various Sisters’ Scraps
17. Crazy 9-Patch; Debbie Mumm gardening

P.S. This doesn’t count the ones that I have fabric for but no pattern. Or a pattern and no fabric. Maybe I will look at these next time or maybe I should just think about the 17 above.


Happy New Year!


C :)

So, Where Did I Start?

My first crafting was crochet and simple sewing taught to me by my Grannie. And she could sew! She could just look at a store-bought doll dress and whip one up. And not just a plain one. She always added fancy stitches and some kind of lace or ribbon. But never buttons or snaps. I'm not sure why.

Next, I moved to counted cross-stitch--7th grade homemaking. Guess who that first cross-stitch was made for? My sister, Carla, then bought me my first Precious Moments cross-stitch book and even had my first PM project, We Are God's Workmanship, framed. It hangs in my guest room still.

This began my love for crafting. So much so that my first job was at Ben Franklin Crafts. And with that first paycheck I bought pink aida cloth. I still remember it. I made these six cross-stitches in college for my future house. I loved the country style of them. But now, that's not quite my style. So what to do?

At Sisters' Scraps, they have a wonderful quilt with hand embroidery patches in it. BINGO! I know what to do now! But to work these sizes into that quilt...but then while on vacation last month in Alaska I found the perfect pattern:
All I need to do is put in cross-stitches where the animals are and change the colors to country (eek, I know) and I will have it.

C :)