A few more favorite things from . . .

8:01:00 PM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 26 comments

. . . my favorite people. I'm going to go "off" here for a minute so bear with me please. I have such a great support group of women in our circle of bloggers. I'm so happy to have such fabulous people to create with. The sweet comments, emails and thoughtful things said and done are a real blessing in my life. Just yesterday I got a simple comment with "xo" from Pam. Such a simple thing but I knew she visited me and was cheering me on.

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These are a few of my favorite things . . .

6:01:00 PM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 36 comments

Instead of 'girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes' hum that tune from the Sound of Music as you look at my sweet Christmas gifts. Sorry it doesn't rhyme.
Matryoshka dolls that are measuring cups
Pink cupcake pin cushion with cupcake stand
Fabulous cook's teapot
Fuchsia wool dot scarf (eat your heart out Jane)with delicate earrings and sweet silver pendant
Quilting books, purse and a very special card
Lovely sewing book and cooking tools (much needed)
Personal Pyrex in my favorite red
Family bingo on Christmas Eve
Sample of Christmas morning (more family on the other

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Boxing Day

12:12:00 PM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 34 comments

Santa visited our house yesterday. It was a nice day. But I gotta tell you, I'm happy to get life back to some normalcy.
At our house Boxing Day means getting rid of boxes and paper, putting away Christmas decorations and taking the tree down. I like to get the tree up at early and I love to take it down the day after Christmas. I know that isn't really what boxing day is but this is how we "celebrate" it at our house.

It is nice to have

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Have a Very Merry and Happy Holiday

6:00:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 18 comments

Merry Christmas to all the new friends I have made in the past year and to all my dear "old" friends and family. It is time to put aside my needle and thread and enjoy a few days with family and relaxation. I hope to catch up with the blogs I'm overdue on reading over the weekend and I'll be back Monday.

-nanette

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Last Minute Christmas Gifts

8:00:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 16 comments

I have been pretty busy this past week - wrapping up the last minute things that need to get done before the holiday.

A co-worker of mine has a crocheted stocking that his grandmother made him when he was a child. It is white, and has his name in green, and features a small train. This is a prized possession of his, that he now displays in his own home every Christmas.

When he got married last her, he and his wife felt a little sad that he had a

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Let's Wrap it Up

9:01:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 44 comments

The big day is almost here. Tomorrow I will just give up and stop sewing. I've still got lots of other things to do for the holidays but I can see the end in sight. And it will be fun to spend time with my family and close the door on the world for a few days. Natalie has been wrapping gifts and I really like her idea for wrapping. She went to the grocery store and asked for some brown bags. And then she used a stamp

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Snow White Accessories

8:00:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 20 comments


A few months ago, I was browsing at Anthropologie and came upon the cutest scarf. It was a long, white scarf crocheted into a spiral. It was so light and fluffy, it looked almost more like a feather boa, or a fur stole. I loved the decadent look of the scarf, so I decided to make a similar one for myself.

I have had in my stash of yarn about 8 oz of a very soft wool lace-weight yarn from Habu Textiles. I had purchased it much earlier this

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FFF and stuff

8:20:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 48 comments

Seriously people I gotta get my act together earlier next year. If we all start Christmas sewing in September (together) then you'll help me be finished on time so I can have some holiday cheer the last week before Christmas. I know I complain a lot.
Here is what was sent from my house. I have more to go but they will be late - New Years gifts maybe? I'm not usually a late type person. My dad was early to everything and it was a good habit to

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Gone Quiltin'

8:38:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 23 comments

Hope you are having a good day my friends. You know what I'm doing.
-nanette

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Applique for Cheaters

8:16:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 45 comments

This is how I figure it. I'll keep sewing right up until Christmas Eve. And what I do get done - I get done. And what I don't - I don't. Isn't that how you do it too? Or am I the only "last minute" holiday sewer?Sherri had this fabric for show-n-tell on her blog a couple months ago. And I really loved it. So I did a search for it online and found it on sale. I bought 2 yards and I've maybe got a scant 1/3

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We have a winner ... or 7!

7:45:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 50 comments

Thank you everyone for playing along with our 1 year blog anniversary and coming everyday to celebrate with us. Everyone left thoughtful and sweet comments. It was fabulous to read them and enjoy the participation of both old and new readers. I know you hear people say "I wish everyone could win" but really - I do! I guess that is why we did a week of prizes so more people could would win. We had over 300 people participate. There is so much bad news this Christmas

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I hope everyone is having a good weekend. It's supposed to snow all day Saturday here in Utah. So it is a good day to hunker down and sew.
Today's little prize is a tote bag. It is made with novelty and vintage fabric. I made several of these bags and then decided the oval bottom was too darn hard to keep making so that is when I came up with my "Mixed Bag to Quilt" pattern.
Lining is in green polka dot with a Freda's Hive label. I learned how to make linings fit a little better after making this bag so I will say as a disclaimer that the lining is somewhat large for the bag. But it is a prize so no complaining! Don't even ask! Nope, this picture above is not up for winning. Forget it. Last night my friend Flora brought me cookies and delicious smelling vanilla as a little care package. There is only one Flora and sorry, she's not a Freda's Hive giveaway prize either! These cookies rank right up there with best cookies ever. She told me she got the recipe at Pioneer Woman (who lives like the pioneer woman?- not me, isn't she is something else?). I can't think of a better cookie to take to friends at Christmas. Unless maybe it is peanut butter with a Hershey kiss. Love those, too.

Happy Weekend. We are done here today. If you don't see me Monday you'll know I'm still counting comments ;-).

-nanette

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Fabulous Fabric Friday and Japanese Fabric for Day 6

8:00:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 171 comments

Hello everyone. Your comments continue to delight, enlighten, and bury me! I am reading them all but I haven't quite found the time to comment back to everyone, but I know you will understand. This has been an insane week but incredibly fun. I am enjoying the party.

So today is FFF, my regular Friday feature. For today's featured giveaway I thought I would put together a charm square pack of some of my favorite fabrics from Japan. If you are a regular here you know I have a

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Day 5 - For Baby

7:30:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 173 comments

I love to design and make baby quilts. I also make prototypes of full sized quilt designs in baby quilt size. When I entered the Fons and Porter Baby Quilt contest I originally sent 5 baby quilts. They are all cute but the Cascading Baby Blocks and Stripes quilt that they kept to use in the magazine was by far my favorite. Today's item up for grabs is a baby quilt I made using the mosaic idea. Each of the 4 sets of squares is unique in color

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Day 4 - Bag Kit, Patterns and Friendship

7:40:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 165 comments

Welcome back to the Hive. Some of you have asked questions or made comments I would normally like to reply to - but several of you do not have email addresses attached to your profile/name listed with your comments. So next time you comment, if you haven't left me your email address, please do. If you win, that way I can get a hold of you. I'm still working my way through comments in no particular order. I can almost hear your voices as you remark and your

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