HAPPY NEW YEAR AND I HOPE THIS ONE IS BETTER THAN 2011

WE  WISH EACH OF YOU A

  BLESSED

 AND

 PROSPEROUS

 NEW YEAR !!

DON  &  MARY

CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS

WE

WISH

 EACH  OF  YOU

A

BLESSED

And

MERRY

CHRISTMAS

                                                   DON  &  MARY

NEW CHALLENGES AND A DISASTER STRIKES MATT MY NEPHEW

Well it is almost Christmas day and there is so much to tell. First the good news ~ I have been accepted in the CRAZY QUILT JOURNAL PROJECT  and TAKE A STITCH TUESDAY challenges for 2012.  I am excited.  I am going to do this. I love to do silk ribbon work, beading, and crazy quilting.  It is so relaxing to me.  I have already layed up 3 squares to start with for the CQJP and I am going to make a cloth journal the stitches.

Now on a totally different note.  Last Wednesday my nephew that lives in Alaska (age 30) and works as a medic on the North Slope was walking to his truck, hit a patch of ice, slipped and landed on his backside.  Unfortunately he fractured several vertebrea, was airlifted to Anchorage for treatment, has had 2 surgeries to remove fragments and may have to have more in the future. He has 2 very young daughters, foster children that the courts after 3 years are finally going to let Matt and Melanie adopt them this Wednesday Dec 21.  Matt will probably never work as a medic again (won't be able to lift patients and stetchers) and now while he lays in bed will get to figure out a new career. When they got the girls 3 years ago they were 6 months and 15 months old.  We have prayed that they would get to keep the precious girls (sisters) safe from their original home. The girls Krina and Gwen don't know anyone else as parents and now when everything was finally coming together disaster struck.  Please pray for them and Matt and Melanie and my brother Owen and sister inlaw Mary Elizabeth.  They need the hand of God to get them thru this. 
I am wishing each of you Warmest Wishes in this Holy Christmas Season.  May God bless each one of you.
Mary

SHOWING OFF SOME OF MY CRAZY QUILTING

I thought I would change pace here from the items I am posting to sell to just some I have made.  I have been reading about the "Crazy Quilt Journal Challenge for 2012".
 http://www.cqjp2012.blogspot.com/

 I am going to try to join it.  Crazy quilting is my all time favorite needle work.  Probably because you really don't have to have fantastic eye sight to do.  I mean 40 years ago I tried counted cross stitch when my eyes were fantastic and gave up. It was too much strain to see the threads to count! Now crazy quilt is really all free hand sewing. I mean the only thing you HAVE to follow sometimes is a seam and you can use your finger to do that! With crazy quilt that line with little lines branching out becomes a climbing rose or honeysuckle or wisteria when you add some flowers or beads and leaves to it.  I mean your imagination can just run free, it is like holding a pencil in your hand and the only thing that limits the picture is you!! So I am going to show you the first 2 pieces I ever did in Crazy quilting.
When I was working at Hancocks Fabrics we got in all this silk ribbon and books with stitches in them  and I just had to try it. I had seen some work in the craft magazines and I thought: "I can do this!!"  And guess what ?? I did. It was not perfect by any means, but it wasn't too bad either, so here goes:

 And then I moved on to the next project tried a log cabin?? style:

In case some of you have not gone way back in the old posts of this blog, here is the front panels from a vest I made my mother a couple of years before she died.  After her death I removed the panels to remake it into a vest to fit me. Mother had an "old ladies hump" (her term) and I had made it to hang right on her.

The next two pics are a close up of the her initials I did. I think (just my own personal opinion) the initials are the prettiest work I have ever done.

 My mother loved crazy quilting, yet even though she did beautiful 'regular' embroidery she never tried crazy quilting.
Well, that is it for today. I hope all of you are ready for Christmas, Don and I are putting up a tree tonite or tomorrow. 
May God's Blessings be on each of you.
Mary

BEEN BUSY POSTING CHRISTMAS PRETTIES ON ETSY

I have been busy posting some pretties on ETSY.  I bought a bolt of fabric with beautiful Christmas cat pic on it in pillow squares.  I was working at Hancocks Fabric at the time, and was stocking the Christmas fabric we had just received. And here was this bolt of cats with such beautiful snowy Christmas card scenes. I bought the entire bolt. That fabric was never put on the shelf.  I have made a couple of lap quilts 45 x 60 inches, and a few pillows. Still have at least 7-8 yards left.  Just don't sew as much as I used to. Or don't have time. Don't know, maybe just lazy. After nearly 40 years of working a full time job, usually putting in a huge garden and sewing day and night, weekends and holidays getting ready to another craft show, I just don't have the get up and go to 'git'er dun' like the guy on tv keeps saying. I have all these ideas floating around in my head, drifting in and out. Just don't get that much accomplished.  These days I think I had rather read a book. The down side is I keep feeling like I am leaving things undone. And time is slipping away.  Three weeks and Christmas will be over for another year.  Time just flies and never slows down for anything. Even to let you draw a breath.
Anyway here are my latest entries for you to take a look at.

The top cat always tugged at my heart, with him (or her) outside in the cold and looking in.  The second one reminded me of some of our cats in the past, curled up dreaming of how much trouble they could get into, playing in the Christmas tree. That's another story for closer to Christmas.
I always loved the old world Santa's.  Mother fell in love with the Angels.  I bought a 100 years of the Angels.  We made quilt, purses, wall hanging, and pillows with that fabric patter. I think I still have about 25 or 30 yards left. So so pretty.
Well that is all for today.
May your days be filled with Spirit of Christmas and celebrating the One who's birthday it is.
Mary