Gift Certificate giveaway continues and a New Site

I decided to lift the restriction for the contest, so that anyone can enter.
Entering contests is fun and I love doing it myself, but sometimes the site that is sponsoring them, is just not for me.
So, if you want to enter the CSN contest, you can do so, without being a follower, but I would still love to know what you would buy, if you win. You can use your gift certificate for their Wall Art and Decor or any other wonderful CSN stores.

I have decided to join CSN with the opening of their new site, Josh & Main.
It's an exclusive private sale site that CSN Stores recently launched. It offers exclusive sales on top brands and designers for the home at up to 70% off retail. Sales only last 72 hours, but new ones are launched daily and all are backed by the high levels of customer service and quality that CSN Stores is known for.

I took a look and found this fun lunch box. It is so cute and it even comes with chop sticks and the holder.
What fun this would be to have for a school lunch box, wish I were a kid again, lol. I was thinking it would make a fun needle and supply box.



I love this chair set, what a unique set. I can't wait to see what else they have, the items change every few days and sell out fast. If you would like to see what they have to offer, you can click on the link above, or use the one in my links to the left.

Wall art for the winter blues: CSN Giveaway

CSN online stores, an online superstore, selling wall art and decor, as well as many other fine items, is sponsoring another giveaway, to my readers. One lucky winner will win a 50.00$ gift certificate, to use in any of their sites.

I know many of you are into the winter blues, with all of this snow. Wouldn't it be fun to do some new decorating for free?
You can shop for wall art and decor or any home store that they host. I am amazed at all of the wonderful products that they offer and quality brand names.

You can order wonderful wall art stickies, the kids would love this or an inspirational saying to put in your craft room.



Lots of great prints too, love this Giclee art.



To enter, leave a comment, letting me know what you would buy would buy with your CSN gift certificate, to redecorate your home. Just visit their wall art and decor to see all the wonderful items.
Entries will be taken until february 4th, 12:00 pm, EST.
The lucky winner will be announced on February 5th.
This contest is open to all, but if you would like to follow my blog, I always love new friends.

Winners will be chosen by a Random Number Generator.
Shipping for this prize is only available in the USA and Canada.
If you have any questions, please free free to email me.
If you are looking for an Easy way to shop, check out the CSN Stores for your holiday shopping.

Blast from the Past!

Today I started cleaning, I say starting because I do that a lot. I start cleaning and never finish, lol.
I went into my storage drawer to see what was in there and found a few surprises.

One item I pulled out was my wool applique quilt, that I started last year. I want to finish it, so the pieces are all out and ready to sew the details and then I have to remember how I was going to piece it;)

Another item I dug out, was this vintage piece, lol. Yes, I made this ugly thing, years ago, in the 80's.
That was when I got my fabric from discount stores and used felt.
It was all done up like this, just needed the border to be sewed to the back, so today I did that.
Have no idea what I am going to do with it, definitely doesn't match my house and definitely cock eyed.
I have been staring at it and wondering if there is something I can do to improve it, but I think it is a lost cause.




And for those of you who need a dose of Moki, here her is in one of his rare moments, sleeping.
I finally moved the christmas things off the chest and the minute I put the kitty rug, my friend Kelley made me, he was on it.
Moki needs space to sleep, that boy is really long. Behind him is another ugly piece I did in the 80's. Had no idea what I was doing, just wanted to make a quilt. And tomorrow is the big day, another great contest, sponsored by CNS.

Valentine Mini Quilt!

Today was a lazy day. We got a lot of snow overnight, so I woke up to a world, blanketed in even more snow.
Sometimes I just can't get motivated, so I thought about what I could do and everything seemed to much to bother with, lol.
I need something that motivates me to begin a new project, so thinking of ideas.

I need to make patterns and finish quilts, but sometimes it seems easier to start something new that I can finish quickly.
I don't decorate much for valentines, but I thought it would be fun to make a mini quilt for my rack.

I used my go cutter and scraps of fabrics and cut out a bunch of squares and triangles.
Then I sewed them together, badly, lol. The cutter cuts off the dog ears, so I have to get used to lining them up.
I usually sew and cut squares, to make my triangles.

As you can see, I sewed them any which way, then added some appliques. The kitty is from a whimsicals book and the bird is from a Cheri Saffiote book. I added my own touches and hearts and now I have a Valentines piece.

I have been asked to do another giveaway for CSN, so that will be coming next.
I have a choice of that or a review, but I like the idea of being able to have a giveaway with a nice price for my visitors.

A Blue Day

We are getting storms again and were told a few flurries this afternoon, but it snowed for hours and dumped a few more inches.
And the real storm hasn't hit yet. The winds are picking up now, so it won't be long.

I took a photo of my backyard with the snow falling and made it into art. I think it has a haunted surreal look to it.
Why am I blue? A dear friend is going through a tough time right now and my heart breaks that I cannot be there for her.

Look for a new piece tomorrow and a new contest coming this weekend.

Wash-N-Gone Test

I was at our Walmart and they still carry things in their fabric department.
I found some Wash-N-Gone on sale, so I bought what was left.

I like to do stitcheries and wanted something that I could use on darker and thick fabrics or wools.
I decided to try my horse, something quick and easy.
I cut out pieces of the Wash-N-Gone to fit the pattern design and drew the design on, with my black artist pen.

I did not find it easy to draw with that and I found it hard to see with the shiny surface of the paper.
I pinned it on and started stitching. I found it harder to make my stitches line up and the paper moved a bit while I sewed, so it came out all cockeyed, lol. I was rushing, so I am sure that had something to do with it;)

I made up three, one on thin wool, one thick wool and one heavy weight ticking.
Here are the pieces with the paper still on.



Next I put them under water. It says any water temperature, but I found I needed warm water to melt off the paper.
The warm water melted the paper away. After that, I put them in my front loader to dry and when they came out, I saw no paper, but I noticed the stitches were stiff, like they had glue on them.



I didn't bother with the dark, heavy piece, you can hardly see the stitches. Next time I need to use more strands or thicker floss. Even with the stiff stitches, it still comes out nicely. I did not have any extra paper to pull off, it all came off in the warm water. So, if you want an inexpensive paper for stitchery, the Wash-N-Gone is a good one to try.

Next time I will try and use some spray adhesive to hold the paper closer to the piece. I also got a new book for felting and it uses this type of paper, so it will be fun to try it for that, too.

Cross Stitch Horse!

I finished the cross stitch piece, with a horse to match the other two pieces.
I wanted it to be simple and it is larger than I planned. I used variegated thread on the horse and a mix, so I had to do single stitches to get a nice look with the variations, so took a lot longer to fill. I would like to do it in a mini version, so I will try one this week.

Now I will work up the patterns and make them into a pdf file, so you can get all three patterns in one file.
I hope you like this newest piece for the set and I will try and get the pattern done before the end of the week.

Life with Moki!

I had one of those days, so I didn't get to finish my new mini quilt, hopefully this weekend.
Besides life's many interruptions, I have to deal with Moki all day. He seems to be in a hyper mood this week and can't sit still.
He also likes to make me crazy and one way is to climb on the dining table, and knocking half the stuff off my shelves, when he jumps to the kitchen cabinet. As you can see, I get the look, he can be quite the smart alec.



And he cannot go find a nice spot to take a nap, no he has to sleep behind me while I work on projects in my chair. And he doesn't curl up, no he has to stretch out and kick me in the head or stick a paw in my face;)

Antique Horse Penny Rug!

I finished my penny rug tonight and hope you like it too.
The punch needle is my version of an antique rug and I made the penny to match, but with a different layout.
I did a little simple stitching on the pennies, I need practice, so fun to try new stitches.

Both pieces will be for sale. I was thinking of putting them on ebay tonight.
I am also making a cross stitch to match and hoping to make a triple pattern from these pieces.



Here is a closer look at the penny rug. I like to keep them simple and primtiive, using recycled wools to give it an authentic look.

New Pieces!

I finished a couple of things today.
First is the antique horse that I was working on.
I wanted to mimic the mix of colors that was in the original.
I am also making a cross stitch and a penny rug with the same design.



And during those times when I don't want to think, just keep my hands busy, I make stitcheries.
This is something I can do without looking for colors or materials. I pick some designs and draw them on tea stained muslim with a washable marker. They are fun to do and make great gifts. Also something that can be done with little cost and the designs were freebies from Primitive Blessings.

Sampler Border?

Today I hit our folk art quilt store.
I wanted something that had a sampler look to it and the sampler fabric, was too large a print for my piece.
I found one piece, that was perfect, but it was a fat quarter and only one.
So, this is what I ended up with, I think the scroll leaves works well with the piece and when I put it on, the leaves will be going upwards. I was thinking of using the coffee stain, blends better with the tea stain, but I do like a the leaf pattern. What do you think?



I found some tans at the sale table, so bought a few yards to add to my christmas hexagon, stash.
The floral fat quarter is the one I loved, but that was all she had.

And thank you all for the kind words. I know what I had in mind and of course, it didn't come out that way. I do still have things to add a theme, so hoping that brings it all together.



On the way back, we stopped at the cliffs to look at the ocean. We just went on the short path to look at the water, too cold and icy to walk far. I love the look of snow on the rocks.



And this was from a zoom shot. You cannot see seals since they stay farther off, so I zoom in and check them when I get home. No seals in this area, but I thought this made a nice abstract.

Adam and Eve

I was hesitant about showing you a photo of what I have done so far.
The picture looks horrid with flask and the whole design is not what I was going for.
But, I decided to show you, so you can see how I create, even if it comes out a mess, lol.

I wanted this to be primitive, but seems a bit cutesy at this point.
I still have more to add and change, so hopefully when it is all done, it will look a lot better.
That and I need to take a shot without flash.
So now you know, it is adam and eve. I got the original idea from a fraktur I have and the rest goes on as I think it up.

I stopped working on it, because nothing I have works for a border. Tomorrow i will hit the fabric store and hoping they have what I have in mind. I still need to finish off my new punched piece and now I am working on a matching penny rug and cross stitch. I want to try a pattern that gives you three versions, so you can hook, punch, sew or cross stitch the design and make matching pieces.

Snow Day!

Today was definitely a snow day, woke up to snow and it didn't end till after dinner, so we got quite a bit.
That and the wind, made for some high drifts and the fact that I could not stand outside to get shots without getting snow blown.

It doesn't look high, except for the fact that the fence is 8 feet high.



In the front, my poor lilac bush couldn't handle the weight of the wet snow.



And here is a sneak peak of my new project, lol. Today I finished sewing on some new things and embellishing some parts.

New Giveaway Winners!

Well, I tried and no answer from the previous winners and no email to write to, so remember, if you win contests, please put your email in your profile, or you could lose out on some fun prizes.

I picked two new winners.......

Winner number one from the US is Linda of the Quilted Pineapple!
Winner number two from Canada is Judith Hogan!

Remember, you can pick a pattern for yourself and have one sent to a friend, any pattern from my ecrater site.

I have been working on a new project. I have been feeling better in some ways, but I really messed my ribs up and still pain, so I work on the couch for now, so I am doing more hand sewing for now. I also have a new punched piece that I will be making into a pattern, so that will be coming soon.

Here is a sneak peak of the new piece, can you tell what the theme is?

Star Hexagon Topper

I finished my star hexagon, finally!
It takes a long time to sew, such a small piece together.
I love using hexagons, but wanted to try something different, so using hexagon paper, I tried different designs with colored pencils and this is the one I liked. I was thinking it would be a nice table topper with a prim tree on it.
I am still deciding on the edge. I will trim it straight and then I was thinking of adding an edging or antique lace.
It measures 21" across. I am also going to leave it as is, and just back it without batting, so it will lay flat for the tree.

Also, I have gotten no response from the winners, so I will be picking new winners if I do not hear from them before my next posting.

New Winner!

SewCalGal has been busy finishing her own projects, so she told me to redraw a name so another lucky winner can get a free pattern. So, I redrew a name and the winning number was 78.... Kimberley!

I have not heard from Margaretha?

Please send me your choice of pattern for yourself and one for your friend.
You can send me their email as a surprise or send one yourself, it is up to you.

Here is Moki, screaming out the winners name;)
He likes to hide behind me on the chair, Dora won't bother him that way.

I finished punching my new piece tonight, so now I just have to finish it off. Also working on finishing the hexagons, so I will have a few new things to show soon.

I have been using the new go die with no problems and even with the cuts and warped mat, it still cuts fine.
There are things that could be improved, but I do love using it. It turns so easily and when I am done, I just fold it back up and put it beside my table.

My New GO Experience!

First of all, I am one of those people who buys something new and am the one person who gets the bad one, lol.
I am beginning to wonder if that is the case with my new Go.

I decided for Christmas to treat myself to a Go cutter by buying the machine and using my reward cards for the dies.
I received the cutter on one day and the dies the next, so was happy that they came so close together. I ordered the hexagons and strip cutter for borders. The first thing I realized is, you need different sized mats for different dies, so remember that when you order dies. Since I only had the square pad, I figured it was good enough to use on the hexagons, since it is a small mat.

I used the mat and it worked fine, but started falling apart. I am not sure if it is from the fact that it is larger than the hexagon die or I got a bad mat? But, the wear alone makes me wonder how long a mat will last. This is the mat, it is coming apart at the ends, don't think that should happen?



I was able to get to the store and get the right sized mat. I used it to cut a few hexagons, to make a small mat. This is what I cut.



This is how the mat looked, after cutting those hexagons. One problem I see is that the die has three sized hexagons on it and I am only using one. Wouldn't it be better if they put more hexagons of the same size on one die? It would be much more efficient, in my opinion.



Then, halfway through I notice my hexagons are crooked?



Now, I did nothing different, was cutting with the good mat and it just went from cutting fine to cutting with one bad side. So I looked at the die and this is what I saw. This happened while I was cutting, so I assume I got a bad die and it went while I was using it.



So, I mentioned it to Accuquilt and they said to call them. That would be fine if I didn't have coughing attacks and hate to talk on the phone. For some reason they do not want to respond to email? So, I emailed the company I ordered it from and in two days I got a new one. Now that was nice of them, since it is the company that usually replaces the item. I was very happy since I could cut again and work on finishing my piece.

So, my opinion about the Go cutter is still up in the air. I do love using it, it is fast and easy, I did not have to read directions or do anything special to use it. I had heard that it is hard to turn the handle and I do have arthritis, but found it turned easily, with all six pieces of fabric, so that is a plus in my book.

My doubts are with how long the mats will last. They are not cheap, so I expected them to last at least a year, we shall see. They do work with all the cuts in them, but I wonder if they will still cut nicely after a lot of use, we shall see on that, as well. I never received a reply from their web support, but they do answer on facebook. I guess I have to call if I want answers and a replacement mat for the first one.

My recommendation if you plan on buying a go is to buy from a local dealer if you can. Then if you have problems, you have someone you can go to. Online, I have a Notion is one place, I would trust for product satisfaction. Kelly also tests all of her products and is happy to help you with your selections. I also have to say, SewVacDirect is where I got my dies from and they replaced my die, no questions asked.

I am working on finishing my hexagon piece, so hopefully I will have it done in a few days. I have enjoyed being able to use the cutter to make a piece and save myself the trouble of hand cutting them.

Giveaway Winners!

I will be nice and not write a long blog and make you scroll for the winnners;)

The first winner is SewCalGal!
Winner number two is Margaretha!

You can go to my ecrater site, link at the left, and choose a pattern for yourself. Then pick one for a friend and tell me which one and where to send it to.

Congratulations to the winners! I will try and have more contests and freebies this year, still coming off the bad flu, so recovery is slow. Today I received a lovely email from Rosa. She is from Spain and made a beautiful christmas pillow with my free reindeer cross stitch. I love to see your work, so please send me photos of your finished pieces.