Colonial Christmas Sampler

As I write this post it is 39* in North Carolina. It is rainy and damp. The weather man is predicting snow this afternoon. We have the wood burning stove going for the first time this winter. I have only been working on two things since Thanksgiving. One was the quilt you saw in yesterdays post and the other was this little sampler designed by Kaaren. She just posted her newest free design. Go check it out. Thanks for sharing Kaaren.
I embroidered it on a fabric called Sandcastle. The fabric looks quilted. I think I will probably make a pillow but have not decided the design yet. At least I got the stitching done in 2009. I used DMC rayon thread and here are two tips when using this thread. Don't use it in the winter time if your hands get really dry like mine. The thread was catching on the dry places and would fray a bit. Jovita sent me an email with a tip. She recommended holding the strands of thread and lightly mist them with water. This will control the slipperiness and twisting. I did this and it works but having rough hands can still be a problem.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Christmas! the very word brings joy to our hearts! Joan Brown

Christmas Giveaway Winner!

I know you all want to know who the winner is of the giveaway so... Lynn of Diary of a Mad Quilter has won. Congratulations Lynn.

When we went to get our Christmas tree we stopped at an antique store and look at this crochet tree pot holder I found. I have seen lots of different patterns of pot holders in the stores but I just never bought one until now. I love trees and this one is just perfect for Christmas but it will probably stay up all year.

I also found these two great jars to store my vintage buttons in.
Remember I told you I was working on some binding? Here is the quilt all done. I know you think this might be funny but I washed it. This is the first time I have done this. I would read on other blogs how you all do this when you finish a quilt so I did it. It is all ready for my daughter to wrap up in it. It is the Yellow Brick Road Pattern. The story behind this quilt is that my daughter made the top last spring and it has been sitting in one of her fabric boxes. Yes, she is a quilter too. So for Christmas I thought I would make the back, get it quilted and bind it for her. I know she won't mind because the backing and binding are not her favorite parts of quilting. So she will be surprised when she opens this present for sure.
This past summer I participated in a Christmas in July swap. Finally I get to pull out the things that Deb made for me. You might remember them from when I showed them in the summer but just in case you don't, here is the little table topper Deb made for me. Look at all the fine embroidery she did.
Deb also made this bag which was filled with all kinds of goodies and I wanted to display it somehow so I filled it polyfil and made a pillow out of it. Thanks again Deb.
You can also see a wall hanging Deb made for me which hangs in my sewing room on this post.

Thanks for all the comments about the lights. It really is about even between white and colored lights. Some of you use both. What ever you use make it a Jolly Christmas!

With Passion,

Carrie P.

What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other. George Eliot

Christmas Time Is Here!

Yes, Christmas time is here and I have been very busy. This past Saturday my husband and I, our daughter and #2 son and his fiance drove up to Sparta, NC to get our Christmas tree. It was a fabulous day. Look at this view.
I just had to show you this picture. We see these family of churches on our way to the mountains. It reminds us of the story of the Three Bears. Papa Church, Mama Church, and Baby Church.
The tree is up and decorated waiting for Santa to make his visit. I think I have all been pretty good kid this year.
I participated in Quick Christmas swap that Jenny was hosting. I finally got mine from Dolores who lives in Ontario, Canada. Can you believe it took 20 days to get to my house here in North Carolina? Well, Delores sent me a great package as you can see. Two very cute fat quarters, 2 buttons and some trim. Thanks so much Dolores. I forgot to take a picture of what I sent her.
Since it is Christmas time and it is a time of giving, how about a giveaway? You could get this book which I love and own one also. It is full of all kinds of projects. I am going to include the floss and buttons to get you started on the advent calendar on the front of the book. You will also get some pieces of Christmas fabric and some gingerbread men and house buttons too. Here is what you need to do to have your name in the giveaway. Tell me whether you use white lights or colored lights on your Christmas tree. I will have my daughter pick a name and I will announce the winner on Friday.

When I first got married we used the colored lights on our tree and our house but with the change in trends we went with the white lights. We have used them for years now. We don't put lights on our house anymore just because you can't see our house from the street.

Now I am going to go read some blogs. Come back Friday to see who the winner is.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Celebrate the simple pleasures. Rejoice in small miracles. Smile at a stranger. Hug the one you love. Be good to yourself.

Happy Thanksgving!

Thanksgiving is almost here and I am sure that quilting and crafting have slowed down at your house as they have at mine. I have started working on Kaaren's latest design. I traced 2009 on it so I need to get it done this year. I considered using variegated thread like she did but I could not find any. I saw this shiny floss and I thought I would give it a try. It is 100% rayon and it is very slippery. I like how it looks but is is a little tricky to work with.
Here are two more siggies that I got in the mail recently.
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I would like to wish you all a Blessed Thanksgiving! As our country is going through a lot of stuff we still have so much to be grateful for in our lives. I was reading a devotion this morning and it talked about how researchers found that grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, more satisfaction with life, and more vitality and optimism. So take time to count your blessings and you will have a grateful heart. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and I will talk to you in December.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

Another Sewing Caddy

Look what I whipped up this weekend. I made another sewing caddy on Saturday afternoon. I made this for my future daughter-in-law for Christmas. She doesn't sew but I think a person could use this for a variety of things. I am going to fill the pockets up with little goodies so she will have to search the whole caddy for little surprises.
Some of you might remember this yellow milk glass cup and saucer I found at an antique store this summer. This will be going in the caddy too. You probably figured out that my soon to be DIL likes bright yellow.
So now I need to go shopping for more goodies.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Half an hour's meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed. St. Francis de Sales