Peek A Who? Blog Hop

Welcome to Day 3 of the Peek A Who? Blog Hop!

I want to thank Marian at Seams To Be Sew for hosting annual Halloween blog hops. 

It is always so much fun to see the craftiness shared by other bloggers.

I love Halloween fabrics, especially the ones that glow in the dark!

This year, I used a few scraps of Halloween and fall fabrics to create fabric postcards.

I also love embroidery and crazy quilting. Each postcard was hand embellished. A few of the threads even glow in the dark. You may click on any photo for a larger image.

The eye and spiderweb fabrics glow in the dark. The pumpkin was part of an earring. And the orange spider was created with glow in the dark Kreinik thread.

Here it is in the dark.

"Boo" was added this Timeless Treasures Glow Ghosts fabric.

It still shows up when the lights are out.

Creating embroidered spiders is always fun!

Especially on Timeless Treasures Glow Webs fabric.

These are even creepy when the lights are out.

This Peanuts fabric in my stash was screaming to be included. I embroidered a bit of a Charlie Brown tree in the upper-left corner and added a few leaves with beads.

Fabric postcards are fun, quick and a bit addictive to create! 

If you want to make your own, I found this tutorial at Patchwork Posse very helpful (there are a lot of ads though), and I generally follow the finishing instructions on this fun fall postcard tutorial at Quilted Delights.

I recently shared a 6-part tutorial to create treasure chest postcards. You may find that and a link to a PDF file for the postcard back on my Tutorials and Free Patterns page found HERE. 

If you make a fabric postcard, I would love to see it!

Do you have a favorite Halloween memory? 

My favorite Halloween memories include trips to the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins with my boys and their grandparents, and the Halloween parties we hosted when the boys were small. Making Mummy Dogs, Spider Cake (filled with green Jell-o), and Graveyard Pudding was always a treat!

The full blog hop schedule and Rafflecopter giveaways are below.


Peek a Who? Blog Hop Schedule:
Monday, October 22, 2018
Just Let Me Quilt / Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats
Words & Stitches / Melva Loves Scraps 
Seams To Be Sew

Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Songbird Designs / Quilt Doodle Doodles
Made By Marney / SewGoldenAChance
Ms. P Designs USA / Seams To Be Sew

Wednesday, October 24, 2018
MooseStashQuilting / Hand Stitched Treasure (you are here!)
DesertSky Quilting / Adventurous Applique and Quilting
Seams To Be Sew

Thursday, October 25, 2018
Just Because Quilts / Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
Patchwork Breeze / Life in the Scrapatch
Seams To Be Sew

Friday, October 26, 2018
Kathys Kwilts and More / Quilted Delights
Seams To Be Sew / Bumbleberry Style

I would love to thank Timeless Treasures and the Fat Quarter Shop for their generosity. The giveaways below run all week long.

My dear friend at DesertSky Quilting did a great job sharing the
Giveaway Rules and Guidelines at the end of her post here.
Please read through them. Thank you!

There is a free pattern available at Seams To Be Sew each day of the hop - each one is available for only 24 hours, so you will want to check in daily to collect them all.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you for visiting.
I wish you a spooktacular day!
Renee

Fractal White Tiger October 2016 Update

This month I added less than 500 stitches to the Charting Creations Fractal White Tiger piece I am stitching for my eldest son. The artwork is by Ricky Barnard.

The colors in this top photo are accurate. Last month, I had a hard time getting a good picture.

This is how it looked last month. I filled in some of the white and finished most of the third stripe on the right.

This piece is a joy to work on. 

I am linking up with A New Stitchy Start.

I am also linking up with Stitchery Link Party #82 at Super Mom - No Cape.

I spent the day making Halloween treats for my youngest son and his friends. 

Pinterest came to my rescue with their last minute plans to watch movies at our house and give out candy to trick-or-treaters. I am so blessed that my boys are friends with such great kids.

Two of my favorite treats of the day were the Oreo pudding dirt cups with tombstones and Purple People Eaters. For the dirt cups, I used the recipe from this pin on Pinterest, but added the tombstones after seeing them in other photos. 

The recipe for Purple People Eaters may be found through this pin on Pinterest. (Due to lack of time, my cups were not as fancy as the one shared with recipe.)

I think the kids enjoyed themselves. I know I did!  Happy Halloween.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Eerie Nights Blog Hop Day 5

Welcome to the fifth day of the Eerie Nights Blog Hop!

If you are new to my blog, welcome!

Special thanks to Marian of Seams to be Sew for organizing

and to Amy of Sew Incredibly Crazy for hosting the hop.

I also want to thank the sponsors of the blog hop:

Timeless Treasures

The Fat Quarter Shop

Aurifil

Quilters Dream Batting

I fell in love with these Timeless Treasures fabrics:

Glow Webs by Gail Cadden, Glow Ghosts and Dark Clouds.

I decided I needed them for the blog hop.

I just love fabrics that glow in the dark.

I began crazy quilting in May of 2012. 

This was the very first block I crazy quilted. 

It has been safely tucked away for more than 4 years.

Loosely following this tutorial I found on Pinterest, I turned the block into a pocket on a tote bag. 

I used Dark Clouds fabric for the exterior, black cotton for the interior and the Glow Webs for the inside pocket.

I have wanted to try making a zipper pouch for over a year.

A couple of blogs I follow have shared this zipper pouch video on YouTube by the Missouri Star Quilt Company. They looked like so much fun to make, but the idea of cutting a zipper intimidated me. 

It was SEW much easier than I thought it would be!

Before you try making one, let me warn you, they are addictive!

I made a second zipper pouch using the Glow Ghosts fabric on the exterior and the Glow Webs inside.

This time, I put pockets inside using a spider print from my stash.

I also added an optional wristlet strap, using the wristlet instructions found in step 2 of this tutorial.

For the tissue-pack cover, I loosely followed the tutorial I discovered through this Pinterest pin.

I must confess...

I was thrilled to see the zipper pouch glow in the dark. 

Seriously. It is the little things in life... 

Picture me finding my 16-year-old and 19-year old sons in the kitchen and insisting they follow me. 

Where? 

Into the hall bathroom, of course! 

There is not a window in there. 

We squeezed into the small half bathroom. I closed the door, turned off the lights and clapped my hands with delight. 

When I turned the lights back on, my boys were shaking their heads and trying not to laugh.

I have another confession. 

I needed to make a second tissue-pack cover. 

Why?

It's a little embarrassing, but last year I realized one of my bags did not have a good place to keep my license, debit card, gift cards, Safeway card, Fred Meyer card, library card, etc. 

Out of necessity, I pulled the tissues out of my tissue-pack cover and stuffed the cards in there.

It was perfect. 

There was plenty of space for the thick pile of cards.

Now I have one tissue cover for my cards and one for tissues.

I have read great things about Aurifil thread on other blogs.

Out of curiosity, I decided to try some. 

I really liked it!

I used the variegated yellow/orange Aurifil thread 

with this Halloween print from my stash to make a glasses case. 

To make this case, I loosely followed the tutorial 

I discovered through this pin on Pinterest. 

(I cut my fabric 3.5-inches by 8-inches to make it smaller 

so my smaller framed glasses would not keep falling out.)

To say I am thrilled to have a Halloween themed bag and accessories is probably an understatement.

(Did I mention some of it glows in the dark?!)

For next year, I may add another (smaller) zipper pouch 

to hold my coins and a second glasses case. 

(I do not want my sunglasses to get jealous.)

For the blog hop, we were asked to share something we already have that we like to use at Halloween. Every October these two tealight holders add some candlelight to our home. 

I do hope you will visit the other blogs participating today!

The Inquiring Quilter

Living My Dream - me

123 Quilt

Craft Traditions

Do not forget to enter the drawings!
(Please note: some of the prizes will only ship 
within the United States.)

Today's giveaway is from Aurifil.

You may enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wishing you all a Spooktacular Halloween.

Thank you for stopping by!

Renee

Eerie Nights Blog Hop Begins Today!

Eerie Nights Blog Hop

Begins Today!

Special thanks to:

Marian at Seams to Be Sew for organizing the hop

and

Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy for hosting us!

There is a giveaway every day

thanks to these sponsors:

Timeless Treasures

The Fat Quarter Shop

Aurifill

Quilters Dream Batting

The Blog Hop Schedule is below!

October 20th

Seams to be Sew

Cloth and Paper Studio

Thrift Shop Commando

Sew Many Yarns

October 21st

Quilting Affection Blog

Life in the Scrapatch

Feather Your Nest

October 24th

Words and Stitches

Just Because Quilts

Sally Quilts

MooseStash Quilting

October 25th

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Jane's Quilting

Just Let Me Quilt

Batts in the Attic

October 26th

Inquiring Quilter

Living My Dream - me

123 Quilt

Craft Traditions 

October 27th

Bumbleberry Stitches

Teatime Creations

Anypattern.com

In the Boon Docks

Seacoast Quilter

October 28th

Pink Doxies

Quilted Delights

Stitches Quilting

MaryMack's Blog

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Snowball Swap with Donna July/August 2015

Last week, I finished up the "snowball" I made for Donna through the Crazy Quilting International Snowball Swap. 

This was the Halloween themed snowball that Donna made for me. I just love it!

Donna requested a snowball with a flower/garden theme or an under the sea theme. In case you did not notice (I am typing with a giggle), I have worked on a few under the sea themed blocks lately. So, I chose the flower/garden theme.

After stitching the fence (with a stem stitch and perle cotton), I added a tiny little line of buttonhole stitches (with 2 strands of green DMC floss.) These were the stems for tiny dandelions growing along the fence line. Using the same floss, I added a straight stitch to each side of the stems to create little leaves. A tiny French knot (using 2 strands of yellow DMC floss) topped each flower. To give you a bit of size perspective, the fence is about 3/8-inch tall. The little dandelions are 1/8-inch tall.

I had a hard time deciding what to do next. Then I saw a sketch of a tree from the book Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection by Aimee Ray. (My mother-in-law gave the book to me for Christmas a couple of years ago and the trees are my favorites.) I used brown Anchor size 8 perle cotton and a stem stitch to outline the tree and fill in the trunk. (Had I planned better, I would not have had to stitch over part of the fence and a dandelion. Thankfully, you cannot tell looking at the finished piece!)

Next, I added English daisies following directions in Embroidery for all Seasons by Diana Lampe. (This is one of my favorite embroidery books.)

Using the same book, I added English bluebells (which I still need to practice) and forget-me-nots.

Tiny chain stitched leaves on the tree, a small purple butterfly and a small white butterfly completed the piece.

I just love embroidery! I am happy to say Donna likes her snowball and it is on its way to her now.

About the books I used: the following links should take you to them at Amazon.com. I am always curious about what books and resources other people use, so I thought I would add these. Disclaimer: I am not associated with the books, but I do receive a small credit with Amazon if you visit their website through my blog and make a purchase. Doodle Stitching is here and Embroidery for all Seasons is here. 

For readers new to my blog, Crazy Quilting International (CQI) is a crazy quilting group I discovered on the Yahoo groups several years ago through their blog. CQI also meets on Facebook now (as Crazy Quilt International.) The snowball swap is a friendship swap that is open to all members in the group. 

I am linking this post with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #18 at Super Mom - No Cape! If you stitch and have a blog, I encourage you to link up. If you do not stitch or have a blog, I still encourage you to check out what others have been up to this week. There is always a free embroidery pattern too.

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

Work in Progress Wednesday 07/29/2015

I am afraid I have no progress to share. In the past 2 weeks or so, I have only had 20 minutes to work on stitching. However, this FUN Halloween block arrived in my mailbox this week. Donna Abrams made it for me and every time I look at it I smile!



July has been a whirlwind of a month and more of an emotional roller coaster than I have ever experienced. That being said, I must admit my heart is full and I am so incredibly thankful to be blessed with such amazing relatives on both my side of the family and my husband's.

The day before my little sister arrived for her visit (it had been 4 years since we last saw one another), we had a death in the family. It was one we knew would arrive within the next few months, but it was still hard to say goodbye. So, I was a bit of a mess with happy tears and sad tears. Making life busier, but more full, we have had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with a Dutch relative that flew out for the services and to spend time with family here in the US. 

Next week, I will have time to sleep and stitch and finally finish up my ICQC 102 class. This month we are spending treasured moments with family we do not see nearly often enough and enjoying every second.

During this insanely busy time, I am incredibly thankful to both Sandy and Donna, as I owe one a UTS block and the other a "snowball" swap, but they have both encouraged me to take my time and focus on family. 

Here are a few close-ups of my wonderful Halloween block from Donna.

I love the black cat!

If you have followed my blog long, you may know how much I love embroidered spiders and embroidered trees. These are fabulous! The moon and eyes on the bat push it over the top!

And I LOVE all things PUMPKIN. (Seriously. It is my favorite food.) This jack-o-lantern is a perfect touch!

After seeing the pictures, I am always surprised to see how small a 4-inch block is. So, I took a picture with a quarter to give a bit more perspective. This is a fantastic tiny treasure and I just love it!

Thanks for stopping by! (Now I'm off to cook dinner for 10. Fun times!)
Renee

Last Week's Goals Week before last's goals:

1. Complete 250 x-stitches on the HAED Santa & the Mouse chart (which is no longer available, but it is a part of this chart at Heaven and Earth Designs.) 

2. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #15 at Super Mom No Cape on July 20th. (If you missed the party on the 13th, you may check it out here!) 

3. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

4. Embellish a snowball to swap with Donna A. in July.

5. Piece a pincushion to swap with the Crazy Quilt Divas on Facebook?

6. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

7. Share pictures of Sandy B.'s blocks from the CQI Under the Sea Round Robin. I told her if she did not want them, she could "return to sender" when I mail them to her - lol! She has plans for these babies! Just wait until you see them... This is the last set for this round robin, which means with the next rotation, my blocks are coming home!!!  Done! - If you missed it the post is here. 

8. Share a TAST Week 2 post on July 21st.

This Week's Goals:

1. Complete 250 x-stitches on the HAED Santa & the Mouse chart (which is no longer available, but it is a part of this chart at Heaven and Earth Designs.) 

2. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #18 at Super Mom No Cape on August 3rd. (If you missed the party on the 27th, you may check it out here!)

3. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

4. Embellish a snowball to swap with Donna A. in July.

5. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

6. Complete and share pictures of Sandy's blocks from the CQI Under the Sea Round Robin.

7. Share a TAST Weeks 2 - 4 post on August 4th.

8. Piece 3 blocks for the next CQI Under the Sea Round Robin that will begin on August 15th. (I have 3 I pieced for the first round robin, but changed my mind and made 6 others, so I did not send them out.)

9. Share pictures of my beautiful Under the Sea blocks that made it home!