Christmas in July - Sparkling Gold Table Mat

This month the Island Batik Ambassador Challenge

is a little different but such fun.

Island Batik and Accuquilt

teamed with the

Island Batik Ambassadors

to

bring

Christmas in July

to a lot of special someones.

Each Ambassador received a

GO! Me Fabric Cutter Starter Set

to create a small project with Island Batik fabrics

and
then gift both the project made and the

Go! Me Fabric Cutter Starter Set.

Today, I'm thrilled to share my
Sparkling Gold Table Mat story.

My daughter, Trista, has always enjoyed sewing and has shared her time with me on
several occasions to have mother/daughter sewing days.
Right away, I knew she just had to be my "special someone" to receive the
Go! Me Fabric Cutter Starter Set.

She has dabbled with quilting a little, but her time is limited to devote to it.
The Go! Me Fabric Cutter Starter Set is perfect for a new quilter.
She can cut with accuracy and speed.
It's ultraportable, so she can bring it for our sewing days.
(that's a win for me too!)

With Trista's Christmas decor in mind,

I chose to use 2 gold fabrics from

the Island Batik Winter 2019 Collection

Season's Splendor by Kathy Engle

and

an Island Batik Foundation Neutral in Egg White.

The Go! Me Fabric Cutter Starter Set

includes two Go!Dies and I chose the

GO! Half Square Triangle-3" Finished Square (55703)

and had the cutting done in minutes.

Each square was stitched with Aurifil 50 wt #2134 and a Schmetz Microtex (Sharp) Chrome 70/10 needle.  If you haven't tried these needles, they are perfect for the tight weave of the Island Batik fabrics.

It was so fast to stitch all the half square triangles together in a chain

which made the pressing super fast and easy too.

Seriously, I've never made accurate half-square triangles so fast.

All that was left was putting my design together.

I did the quilting with my Handi Quilter Avante long arm pro-stitcher

using Glide Trilobal Polyester 40 wt white thread. 

 Hobbs Heirloom Premium Wool batting is in the middle and

the binding is another fabric from the Island Batik Season's Splendor Collection.

Giving is such fun and what a treat to see the other

2020 Island Batik Ambassadors Christmas in July posts. You can find the links HERE.

Surprising Trista made for a fun day and we enjoyed taking photos.
Here is my favorite!

Maybe soon it will be sewing days for 3.

Leave a little sparkle where ever you go...

Hands 2 Help Quilt Challenge - Sign Ups Start Now!

This will be the third year I have participated in
Hands 2 Help Charity Quilt Challenge
over at
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
and you can join too!



Sign ups start today and go until Saturday, March 21st.

The challenge is to use your hands to help others.
Quilts are made and donated to your choice of 3 charities.
All the details are over at Sarah's blog and you should check it out.
There are all kinds of prizes too!

Hope you had a great weekend!

My BFF from high school came for a visit and spent some time here in the sticks.

We really had a fantastic time.

My babies surprised me with an afternoon of fun over the weekend, too.

So I don't have any sewing to show, but I hope to do a little tomorrow.

A Little Wedding Help? Just asking...



Wedding plans are  really starting to come together. 

 

I need help with a couple of things and I know my blogging friends can help.

 

In case you don't know, my daughter is going to be married in October.

 

 

This quilt block was created for an outdoor flag for the wedding and was part of the Flags on a Stick blog hop back in April.  It is entered in the:

 

AccuQuilt Win the Dream Quilt Block Design Contest

AccuQuilt - Win the Dream Quilt Block Contest

I want I Do to Win the Dream! Vote for I Do and you can win too. Prizes are being given away daily, valued up to $700 per day just for voting!



 

 

My daughter, Trista, with her husband-to-be, Kyle, and their dog, Chief.

 

Over the Easter holiday we went wedding dress shopping and were lucky to have my mom and my son join us for the day. 

 

Me, Trista, Dress Shop Lady, and Randy

Here is a picture of the lady at the dress shop showing Trista the particulars.  My mom took the pictures and, dumb me, I never grabbed the camera to take a shot of Trista with her Grandma.  I won't make that mistake twice....wink.

 

 

Trista really wanted her grandmother and brother there to help choose a dress, but we all agreed on THE one.  It was a "no brainer" when she walked out glowing...

 

Trista and her brother, Randy

The dress will be revealed after the wedding, but I'm so moved when I see the pictures of the shopping day that I can't imagine what THE WEDDING DAY will be like.

 

So here is where I ask for help. 

 

I want to make a recipe book for my daughter (she loves to cook) and thought,

 

"How much fun would it be to have my friends from all over the world help me?"

 

I'm still trying to come up with particulars, but for those who wouldn't mind contributing a recipe by snail mail in their own hand writing I would be so happy to include it in the book.

 

I also thought about doing a linky party and maybe coming up with prizes for contributors and then I would print the posts to include in the recipe book (with permission, of course).

 

Not only recipes, but advice for a new bride could be fun, too.

 

A Virtual Bridal Shower

 

ANY IDEAS?

 

Leave me a comment. 

I think June (the traditional wedding month) would be the month for the linky party.   I've never done a linky party and think this is the perfect occasion for one.

 

If you feel like sending me a recipe card, I would love that.  Just comment and I will give you my address.

 

 

This recipe book is something she will use and cherish, so thank you for your help!

 

 

 



Home and Heart - Flags on a Stick Blog Hop

 

 

With the arrival of spring, it's time to get outside and make our outdoor space ready for

warm entertaining.
 

(The calendar says spring is here.... )

The weather thinks otherwise.

 

 

Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt created a blog hop called "Flags on a Stick" where everyone is to design their very own garden flag.

 I signed up to make a flag
and
hubby jumped on board to make a couple of garden flag poles for me.
:^)

 

A great big thank you to Thearica over at Pig Tales and Quilts for organizing the blogs participating in this hop.

She has done a great job!

Home



Welcome to Duck Creek



 I made this flag to welcome guests to our home.

It represents our home with the cowboys (Dodge City)

and

the ducks (Duck Creek surrounds our home).

 

 

The background fabric is a piece I snow dyed that looks just like a Dodge City sunrise.
Black Kona fabric for the silhouettes.
I wrote the word welcome in chalk at the bottom and then covered the chalk lines with jute twine.
The twine was couched with zig zag in a matching thread.
I put a little fabric glue on the ends of the twine to keep it from fraying.

 

The cowboy sihloutte is my husband's pattern
that he cuts from metal.
There were some very narrow cuts for fabric, but I love the result.
I will have this pattern available soon.

Heart


My daughter is going to be married in October this year.
As the mother of the bride, I'm very happy for her.
I'm also a little sad.
(Is that normal?)
I suppose it is kind of like "empty nest syndrom" in a different kind of way.

 

 

I used this dress as part of the fabric for my next garden flag.

Don't worry, the dress had a few stains and wouldn't have been useable in any other way.

I'm not usually a saver of things, but I have a few special things from when my kids were little.

This is a surprise for her.

 

Wedding garden quilt.   "I Do"

 

We can wave this flag to greet guests at her wedding.

 

 

Then later, it will make a sweet wall hanging for her home.

 

 

 The bride's dress is fabric from my daughter's little dress. 
I used the lining and the lace overlay.
The wedding colors are to be purple and lime green.
Hubby, once again, made the flag holder
and I designed the pattern for the flag.

That is my home and heart.

Be sure and check out the other waving flags of the day.
There will be some beauties with this bunch, I assure you.

April 1st

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Quilt Doodle Designs

Buzzing and Bumbling

Why Knot Kwilt?

Creatin' in the Sticks ME!

Meadowbrook

 

Thank you to the sponsors of the hop,

Flags on a Stick

and

Flag OUTLET

And
thank YOU for visiting
Creatin' in the Sticks.

 

 



Wedding Countdown and Grow Your Blog Winner

My daughter is getting married

and I couldn't be more excited.

 

I spent a little time over the weekend making her a little gift and wanted to share it.

 

Wedding Countdown Shadowbox

 

I had seen a tutorial about making a wedding countdown calendar by Terri over at A Creative Princess and wanted to make one for Trista (my daughter) to sit on her desk at work.

 

 

I used the same shadow box frame as Terri, but I chose these little chalkboards

to mark how many days until the wedding.   The shadow box is hinged in the front to make it easy to access the inside.

All she has to do is erase and mark the new day.

 

The charms, stickers, and frame (every thing) was purchased at Hobby Lobby.

I just put it all together.

 

Trista loves it and that makes her mom happy.

:)

 

 

Now to announce the winner of my Grow Your Blog giveaway.

 

The winner is:

 

Connie!

 

 

 

She knows what a pants bag is now.

 

Congratulations!

I've sent you an email, Connie.

 

Stay tuned for more wedding planning,

 



 

 

 



WIP Wednesday, Can You Believe It?

It's Wednesday night and it is not a day I usually post, but my friend Jen over at Glinda Quilts pointed out today that I haven't been posting much about quilting lately.  She is so right.  Sometimes we need a little push from our friends.  Today I am joining the ranks of the WIP Wednesday with Lee over at Freshly Pieced.



My design wall

My design wall is holding 64 of the 100 blocks I need for a quilt for my daughter.  She chose the pattern out of a magazine and suggested the colors of brown, cream, and green.  I picked the fabric and have been slowly making blocks between projects.

Sweet Christmas Dreams Quilt by Julie Weaver
Quilter's World December 2004

My daughter requested a king size quilt with pillow shams to match.  I have been sewing half square triangles as I make each block.  The HSTs will become the pillow shams.

 

 

 

I only have 36 more of these blocks to go and then I can start with borders.  My goal is to finish the top by the end of August.  I can't wait to give this to my beautiful daughter, Trista.

She has bought her very own house and needs a new quilt to go with it.

 

Be sure and check out all the WIP by clicking on this button.

 

Loving my blogging friends,

Her First Quilt, Making a Memory

When my daughter told me last week she was planning to spend the whole day with me on Mother's Day, I never dreamed in a million years we would spend the day sewing together.  We had made a few clothing items in her teen years but she had never tried quilting before.  I feel very lucky to share this with my sweet girl. 


Trista at the Sewing Machine

Pot Holders Pieced with Half Square Triangles

Today we made some potholders.  Two for her and one for me.  She pieced and quilted all three as I helped and guided her.  She is a fast learner.  We had a blast and I couldn't believe how fast the piecing went with two people cutting, pressing, and sewing.

Today was a first for me, too. We tried sewing the binding by machine and it worked beautifully.  A different decorative stitch was chosen for each little quilt.  I will definitely do this again.

Binding securely pinned and the final look of the backs

Closer look at the machine stitched binding

Every time I use my pot holder I will remember this beautiful day I shared with my daughter, Trista, teaching her a little quilting.  And.....

My daughter, Trista

 we went out to supper at the Casino and we each won a little cash.  Great memories made today. 

Feeling Blessed,