Crazy quilt horse saddle and Happy New Year's Eve.....

Here's the horse that Michaela got for Christmas. At 12 1/2 years old, I wasn't absolutely sure she'd like getting a stuffed toy, but I needn't have worried. She's a horse girl and probably always will be, and she loved it. I made the saddle and bridle for this horse, and it was way easier than the vests on the bears.


This is my New Year's Eve wish for you: May you rest easy, basking in the warm glow of your Christmas tree, with dear ones nearby. May the New Year bring you health, gladness, and fulfillment in your pursuits.

A Christmas card and some presents!

This is our Christmas card this year. Every Christmas for the last 21 years, I've done an original drawing and had prints made to send as our Christmas greetings to family and friends. Some years have been wildlife drawings, or more religious drawings, and sometimes they're just plain silly, like the year I drew our likenesses as reflected in shiny Christmas ball ornaments. We call those "monkey balls" because they make everyone look a little ape-like. I even wrote a poem to go in the card that year, to explain about "monkey balls". This year I used the boys as models, or I should say I used photos of them. They don't sit still long enough to pose for a drawing. Unfortunately, I don't do well with likenesses in humans, so the little boys don't look a lot like themselves. The dog, however, you could pick out of a crowd. I really captured him, except he's a bit bigger than the drawing would lead you to believe. Anyway, I'm pleased to make this my first ever on-line Christmas greeting. If you're reading this, please know that I wish you a blessed Christmas season and a wonder-filled new year.

This is the third and final landscape cq piece I'll be doing for Christmas. It has a mother of pearl fish, and a school of fish that I made up, or as my grandson would say, I imaginated them. He thought (or hoped) they were piranhas, and when I explained that I'd made them up, he insisted that I make up a name for them,too. So they are "high-finned yellow-bellied sparkle fish". They were made with a small piece of sparkly fabric appliqued to the background (moire taffeta) and then embroidered with the black, yellow, and pink details. They really catch the light and seem to almost swim in place. The lace fan coral is made, oddly enough, from lace, and the sea weed is eyelash yarn. A lot of the buttons in the rock piles are mother of pearl, as are the coin shaped dangles. There are also some real tiny shells in there, and two tiny pewter charms. Can you find the sea horse? He's hiding in the seaweed on the right. There's very little embroidery in this piece; mostly applique and tacking or couching of the lace and yarn, and sewing on the buttons and beads. This one is a gift for my husband's brother and his wife.

This is for me!! It was made by Sharon Rowe. We both participated in the Victorian boot swap on the CQ4N list. I love the snowy white patches and all the colorful embroidery. I think she did an especially good job on the shape of the boot. And it came with 4 baggies full of threads, buttons and beads, fabric, and trims. I am in crazy quilt heaven this afternoon! Thank you, Sharon!

The owl's change of feathers and some hearts

A leopard may not be able to change his spots, but an owl can change his plumage. I very carefully gave the owl a wash of brown paint, then a dry brushing of black/brown. He's no longer a snowy owl and now feels much more comfortable in his summery world.


These are two hearts I received from Lesa, our CQ for Newbies list mom. I love them both. The snowman one is so appropriate for my snowy environment right now, and the pink flower fairies have me looking forward to spring!

Summer scene in CQ

This idea started out with one element; the lone tree. I had no idea what the tree might look like or what else would be included. The mountain to the left looks a little like Mount Garfield, a natural landmark to the north east of our town. As I worked on the tree, it started to resembled a cedar tree (in my mind, anyway), which we have a lot of up in the higher desert areas around us.


Here's a little silk ribbon embroidery rose bush.

And a snowy owl which I think will get a (very careful) wash of brown paint to make him a more suitable color for this area.

Season to season winter block finished...maybe

This is Mary's winter block that I got to finish embellishing. She requested only that it be reflective of winter, without holiday overtones, as she's making a seasonal wall hanging. These colors were fun and challenging to work with.

I did some embroidery and beading, and then thought maybe I was done, but it doesn't have to be back to Gerry (the hostess) until early January. So I put it away and worked on some other things. Then I found a button that is two white doves at my LQS. It just begged to become part of Mary's block, so I added a button cluster with the doves as the center-piece. It may not be done yet; since I have some time, I'll put it away again and see what happens.

Snowy landscape CQ

I tried doing a landscape in CQ, and this is what I've come up with. It's a mixture of velvet (snowy hills and dirt hills), moire' taffeta (pond), cottons (background), and satin (sun). The details are done in DMC perle cotton, size 8, and some of the Sassa Lynne threads that I bought from Susan, with tiny beads and a few buttons.

My next project is also a landscape, and both are intended for Christmas presents, but I really like them and may try to make more for possible sale.

Another craft show....

...has come and gone, and thankfully, this one was a little more profitable.

Lauri and I shared a table at this year's Mesa County Employee Association craft show. Last year was the first time they'd done it, and I did all right. This year, I think more people came prepared to actually shop, not just look, and Lauri and I both did alright.

Lauri's items are the purses (not the squarish totes), which she had in two sizes; a cell phone or MP3 player sized pouch, or the larger shoulder bags. She also made some really cute little denim pocket purses that did very well.

We'll never get rich doing this, but we had a good time, got some good feedback, and were able to sit and stitch for a few hours.