Today is Laura's birthday! Happy Birthday Laura.

Laura is the best friend and neighbor anyone could have, a fabulous chef/baker, and also a "sometime" blogger (ahem, no post since Halloween!)

In honor of her blog - S'More Cupcakes, I gave her a cupcake pincushion and cupcake stand (from Etsy). Laura introduced me to the flavors of Ina Garten years ago. Laura does not believe in box cakes. And after you've been spoiled by her cupcakes, you wouldn't want them either. But for a rainy day when she doesn't want to make cupcakes I got her this Ina Garten cupcake mix from Stonewall Kitchen. So it's a gourmet cake mix! I got one for me too, so we'll have to see if it lives up to the Barefoot Contessa brand. I hope she had a good day today.

Remember when I got this magazine? I said I'd do a review, of sorts, on what is inside this beautiful publication, Artful Blogging.

Well, most of the magazine is filled descriptions of blogs that are creative, informative and popular. There are all sorts of blogs featured with art, jewelry, scrap booking, cooking, homemaking, photography, sewing, etc. Many of the blogs have Etsy sites or websites, which at this time of year can be helpful for gift giving. I really prefer to give handmade gifts where possible.

One thing I thought was odd was that the URL for the blog isn't upfront and center in the article. You kind of have to figure that out as you go because the paragraphs are titled in bold with words and things that could be thought of as blog names. Kind of confusing to me since I'd never been inside the magazine before. The pictures are beautiful and the articles about each blog are written sort of in a post type format. Many of the blogs are retro/vintage flavored.

I am going to name a few of the blogs in the book that appealed most to me. After all I mostly sew, quilt and dabble in cooking so these blogs are the ones that caught my eye. (I know at this time of year when everyone is so busy we don't need more blogs to look at but you might want to bookmark them for a future skim through.)

Janes Apron - Vintage aprons, sewing and crafting

Homespun Living - A bit of everything - sewing, knitting, children, gift making, cooking, hen keeping, gardening, embroidery. From what I can gather she has a balance of all these things on her blog.

Speckled Egg - Vintage treasures of all sorts but the vintage trim was most appealing to me. She has a website too where she sells her vintage goods.

The Little Pink Studio - A cute blog with pretty things to look at.

There were so many more blogs in the book. No quilts though. Not really any vintage fabric stuff. But maybe next issue? The book is a good idea, especially for someone planning a blog and not knowing where to start. There are tips on photography, blogging etiquette, tips on banners and a few ads. I guess that was one of the things I liked best - not many advertisements. The magazine is a little arty for me but after all it is called 'Artful Blogging'. My style is a little more straight forward. But . . . all in all I'm not sure at this price I'd buy the magazine again.

Happy Birthday again to Laura!

-nanette

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It was Terri's good idea to include a little silver charm in all the packages of blocks we sent out to our 47 participants in the Christmas Cottage exchange. All the charms are quilting/sewing related. My charm is a little rotary cutter. And I really love it. Terri has such good ideas.

So I wanted to get a necklace to wear my charm proudly. I found this little hive charm to go along with it on Etsy and it couldn't be more perfect. It was also quite inexpensive ($3.00) so I ordered it. Then I ordered a longer silver ball chain to hold both charms. I couldn't be happier wearing my necklace. I've already gotten compliments on it and it really speaks to who I am creatively. I figure that little bee over the hive is the queen - Me!

-nanette

Edit - I got my charm here on Etsy and the chain here.

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It was one of those weekends where I just didn't have my sewing mojo so I didn't really get much accomplished. I did make a few more kitchen towels with this cup and saucer motif linen/cotton blend and bordered in a blue dot cotton quilt weight fabric. I made a wide border to change up the design this time. And I pressed and folded the edges to make a clean back side to the cloth. I stitched in the ditch again with pretty good results.
You know when things don't go just as we'd like it is always so wonderful to have friends to fall back on. I have some great friends in my town like Laura and Flora and those two are always there for me. But I have some really special Internet/blog friends, too. Among them is the fabulous "other Nanette" - Nan at Pots and Pins. She's a great girl and I'm proud to share a name with her. Nan is an author, quilter and fabulous chef not to mention mom. She can do it all. So look at what Nan sent me above. I was overwhelmed. Literally. What would a vintage quilt maker want? A vintage Playskool toy sewing box with ME fabric and vintage spools inside. I can't even look at it without being a little overcome.
Get a look at it from top and side views. Could it be any cuter? Seriously - it could not. I have such a hard time accepting gifts but I somehow manage don't I? I've really been a grateful receiver lately and I am thankful for friends and tender gifts of friendship. This would look darling just on the shelf in my sewing room with different fat quarters folded up to match each season. But that probably will not happen. I want to use this! Think about me walking into a class with my Stephanie bag on my wrist and my vintage sewing caddy on the other hand. Now that makes a fashion statement even Posh Spice couldn't make! Thank you Nan. You are a a talented girl I'm lucky enough to call my friend. I will say I may not be rich in $ but I am rich in friends, and children for that matter.

Last week Darlene appliqued 2 dresses from my "All Dressed Up Pattern" and put them on her blog Quilting Daze. I was so tickled to see them. Well Saturday Craft Gossip picked up on Darlene's post and featured it in a blog post on Craft Gossip. That was a little "warm fuzzy" for me.
Another fun thing is going to happen Friday night at American Quilting on 800 North in Orem. Amy, the store owner, has planned a moonlight madness sale for Friday night. The store will close at 4:00 and reopen up at 7:00 for a big party. There will be games, prizes and some presentations. I will be there talking about my "Mixed Bag to Quilt" bag pattern and showing a few other projects. Amy invited me to come pick out fabric for the store to make kits to make my bag shown above. I'm making covered buttons to go in the kits (see above - lots of buttons!) and getting patterns ready. I'm also making a few kits for the bags from my 0wn vintage and "unusual" fabrics. Lila Tueller will be there at American Quilting talking and presenting some of her patterns and her Moda fabric. I believe a couple other designers will be there too. There are going to be some specials and games and have I mentioned prizes yet? Someone has to win them, so any of you local girls, come down to American Quilting on Friday night, bring a friend and come say hi to us.

I am going to start my cottage block quilt this week. So I think if I get going and show you what I am doing, it might spark some of you. And just because you didn't enter our exchange doesn't mean you can't make your own quilt out of the cottage blocks. And it doesn't even have to be out of Christmas fabric - you could start one now for spring, or you could still join us for Christmas sewing. Just be sure to share with me any cottage sewing you do.

-here is to more productive days! Nanette

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In light of the Christmas Cottage Exchange coming to an end and knowing those cottage blocks are going out to 47 women I thought I would share the story of my apple quilt. This quilt is displayed in my family room where I look at it everyday.

A few years ago I participated in a block exchange in my local quilt group. It was my first block exchange. Our local quilt group was subdivided up into smaller groups for the exchange and I would bring 12 identical blocks every month and go home with 12 different blocks. We made the apple quilt from "Quilting with My Sister" By Teri Christopherson and Barbara Brandeberg. That book is one of my favorites and my apple quilt is a treasure.

I remember being nervous about my own block construction and fabric selection because I wanted the women in our exchange to be pleased with my blocks. Of course everyone's blocks were so different, even though we used the same pattern and everyone used red fabrics. There was such a distinct difference in fabric tastes. And to be quite frank, I ended up with a few blocks I wouldn't normally have picked to put in my quilt.After all my exchange blocks were sewn together I still wasn't sure about some of the fabrics. And yes, everyone had a different "1/4" seam and individual construction methods were not identical.

If you haven't noticed I'm a little competitive. I wanted to be the first person finished with my apple flimsy in our whole group. So I was quick to get the leaves appliqued and my get the finished product to the machine quilter, Wren. When my quilt was finished I was delighted. First of all Wren did an amazing job quilting it with a circular pattern in each apple and small stitching around the apples to make them "pop". I bound my quilt in time to take it to our local quilt show and it was a hit. Yes. I was first!

Of course now love the quilt. I love all the different fabrics and textures that each individual woman in our exchange brought to the finished product. I would not have picked many of those fabrics but when they were stitched together those apples made an awesome statement - the differences in taste fell away and the beauty of each block and the person it represented was apparent. It is a great memory quilt and represents women I share a hobby with. It is a wonderful patchwork of personalities. I wouldn't change a thing. I hope our 47 Christmas cottage swappers find the same experience in their cottage quilts.

-nanette

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This is the last batch of Christmas Cottages for the exchange taken to the postal annex near my home. The cottages are all off on their little trip or voyage to their new homes. Terri and I are heaving a big sign of relief. And some of the first cottages to be shipped are even arriving now. Can I just say "YIPPEE!" and "Yawn".

It will be something to look forward to now - to see what everyone does with their blocks. I'm sure some will lay them out and enjoy them and maybe put them away until they have another day. Some of you will jump right in and have them done into a quilt or project in no time at all. Others will be rushing to get the blocks sewn in time to show at Christmas. I think it will all be fun. I'm most concerned that you are pleased with them.
In honor of Fabulous Fabric Friday I show you my fabric to build my cottage streets with. They don't really go together but maybe that is why I like them together. Whimsy and vintage. I think that is the perfect combination to describe my style.
I want to make a new blog header for our blog. I found this really fun border print bee fabric. Put that together with the hive Michele made for me and we'll see what happens. There is the bigger green and bee side on one end. The sign on the lawn says Buzzy the Bee or Bizzy the Bee. It probably is Buzzy but I like Bizzy.
Then the other side is so cute too. "Little Buzzy Bee Whither goest thou?" I like that. I'm not sure which end of the fabric will work best.

Right now is a good time to pick up fabric that you may have had an eye on or for a quilt you'd like to make soon. Prices are down on vintage fabric and everyday I get an e-mail of a fairly good sale for fabric online. I'm always on the look out for kitchen or teapot related vintage fabric. I don't drink tea or coffee but I'm passionate about the shape and gleam of the traditional cup, saucer and teapot. This is my favorite of the little tea scenes designed on the fabric.
This one is cute too, though. I love the colors. Dont you love the pepto pink and the turquoise blue with the touches of gray and white? Classic '50s.
There are little kitchen tools on it dancing around the teapots. The egg beater is my favorite. I bid for this fabric on ebay recently and got it for the base price. I didn't have to bid against anyone and the price was very reasonable for 1 1/2 yards- less than you'd pay for new fabric. I've got ideas 'ya know. Too many of them!

-nanette

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I know the other day I talked about making kitchen towels but I wanted to give you a better idea of how easy they are to make and show you that fabric can make a linen towel special.
One of my ideas is to make the linen/cotton towels, wrap them in homemade bread and give them to friends/neighbors for gifts. I do make bread about once a week and doesn't everyone like fresh bread?
With just plain tan linen, this strip of fabric, and rick rack placed somewhere on the towel makes it special. If you look to the right you can see I bound the towel just like a quilt. And I used left over binding from a past project. Some of the towels have patchwork binding.
This one has 2 rows of rick rack with vintage fabric. This is a special towel because the fabric is special.
I got this idea from my friend (no blog) Flora. (I keep telling her she needs a blog - she is a fabulous quilter! You'd all learn so much from her. Come on Flora, get with it!). She used the Farmer's Market fabric to make a flower by fussing cutting it and I used that idea to make an apple. I machine stitched the apple with a blanket stitch and added a sketch stitched stem and a leaf that was also blanket stitched. I used a fabric stripe underneath to add extra color.
Printed linen is even easier than plain - just cut and bind. As I said before I pressed the binding really well folding it over so I could machine stitch in the ditch and finish the edge quickly.
More of the same. This fabric is one of my favorites. I think anyone would love an extra kitchen towel as a gift.
I talked before about saving dryer sheets to use with machine applique. I didn't take a picture before I tore the dryer sheet off the back but you can tell it doesn't show at all where the dryer sheet used to be.This photo from a past project shows you how to just place the dryer sheet on the back , stitch and remove - tearing it off. Simple.

Okay well share with me some of your gift ideas! I've been going through my books and magazines and I have some ideas but I'd like to see what you are doing. I like things that are fairly fast to make, of course.

(Cottages ship tomorrow!!! waiting for the last ones, dealing with glitches/subsitutions and organizing has taken longer than I thought but they are almost ready to go to their new homes. T shipped some of hers already and we'll both finish tomorrow.)

-nanette

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I am getting so close to dividing up blocks and it really is quite exciting. I received 3 more exchange participants blocks in the last 2 days. I expect to mail by Friday latest. I do still need to organize and divide. Here are Sandi's marvelous blocks from A Legacy of Stitches. They really are so cute. I love the brick fabric. Her embellishments are darling. The one with the Santa on top is for me! Sandi is a special friend.These are Michele's blocks at Calico Daisy. They are very sweet and made with such care. Michele is very talented and does great work. I've purchased from her Etsy shop and love her work.
Look what Michele sent me. She had a little giveaway on her blog a bit ago and she made me some things. I am definitely going to redo our blog header. I have several ideas and they will include one of her great embroideries.
She sent me these cute gifts above, too. Two are quilt labels and then some bees!! for me to make buttons with. I love the pink ones she made for me too. Thank you Michele!
And here are Karen's blocks. Karen lives about 25 minutes from me and I haven't met her but that could change sometime. Her blocks are darling. She did some applique on the doors and they are all really cute. I love the starry fabric in the background. It almost seems to sparkle with soft snow.
Look at the sweet gifts Karen enclosed. She sent buttons, a candle, beads, ribbon, fabric and earrings! How thoughtful Karen. Thank you. I get a little embarrassed at gifts. But I will enjoy them. The candle smells like a creamsicle. It is heavenly. My sewing room smells so sweet.My Artful Blogging magazine came in the mail. I will save it to enjoy when the blocks are mailed out.

-nanette

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