Bountiful Season

I finished up this pillow from Bits & Pieces just in time for Thanksgiving~~ I thought this design is just perfect for this holiday!!

Pattern: Bits & Pieces by Joan “#270 Bits & Pieces Pillows Set 2 – Fall” Kit
Fabric: Wool, Silk Matka
Size: 8”x 15”
Finishing Date: 11-20-2009

I bought this kit at the San Diego Quilt Show awhile back. Maybe its because of the cold weather, I felt like playing with wools a little bit. Since I don’t know how to knit, wool appliqué will do~ I love the fall colors and the pears and pumpkin and pomegranate!!!

Although I don’t have pears or pumpkin or pomegranate at home right now, I do have these Fuyu persimmons~~ We went to a U-pick farm that grows them a few weeks ago, and picked two full bags home. They are delicious!!!!!!! In our culture, persimmons means good luck, so this one is for you!!!!

May you all have a bountiful season!! Happy Thanksgiving!!

I Have Nothing Exciting…

…to show you this week. It is already Friday, and there’s not a whole lot of progress on my Friendship Sampler. I just didn’t sit down and stitch as much as I would like to. Here is where I’m at right now.

On the other end, the quilt I was working on for ages is finally close to being finished!! I only have 2 more flowers to quilt, then I can move on to binding it!! I spent a whole afternoon making this binding!!! I’ve never imagined so many work goes into making a quilt!!! Even the tiniest thing as binding has so many steps to it!!! I’m so glad that I have a great teacher showing me each step of the way~

After a long time being dormant, my little African Violet is finally blooming again!! It’s very refreshing to see this while other plants are just starting going into a long nap at this time of the year~

I hope your week had been a little more exciting then mine!! Have a great weekend~

Needlebook Exchange~

I have received my TTE needlebook exchange from Sharon this week. Look at this gorgeous little thing she made for me!!! I love the orange and green colors!!! Totally fit for this fall season~ The details on this needlebook are so brilliant as well, with matching buttons, ribbons and a silky inside fabric!! She also included some beautiful threads and ribbons~ Thank you soooo much, Sharon~

As for the one I made for her, I’ve used the design from Plum Street Samplers “Quaker Calendar V” for the cover. I have to say my needlebook was not as near exquisite as the one Sharon made, but I had a lot of fun making it, and I hope she would enjoy it as much as I did with hers. Boy!! I have so much more to learn!!

Pattern: Plum Street Samplers “Quaker Calendar V”
Thread: DMC cotton floss
Fabric: 32ct Belgium linen
Size: 3.5" x 3"
Finishing Date: 10-26-2009

Thank you for your suggestions on my BOAF Friendship Sampler!! I took your advice and use one thread over two on this one, and it does look pretty nice~ Your friendship is truly a very important part of my life!!!

Thanks again for visiting!!!

Stitching, Stash and Fall Colors

After Melissa finished her Friendship Sampler from Birds of a Feather, she decided to sent it on a tour. I was very luck to be the third stop on the list, and even more fortunate to be the first one stitching it. I decided to use the Sampler Threads it called for and 40ct vintage light examplar from Lakeside Linens. I just love the color combination!!!

Now I actually have a question for all of you since this is my first time stitching on 40ct linens. Do you use one thread or two threads when you go over 2? I tried using 2 threads but felt that it was kind of difficult to pull my needle through. Maybe I need a smaller needle??

While I was ordering the threads and fabric for the Friendship Sampler, I couldn’t resist to add a little bit to my stash… Since I was already paying for shipping, a little bit more won’t hurt, right? ;-)

I am also very proud to say that I have been keeping up with my 12 stitches a day plan on the Mary Wigham Sampler. I’ve made quite a bit progress in 2 weeks!!! It’s so much fun seeing each motif coming to life~

Last week my DH told me the Maple Trees on his campus have started to turn red so he invited me for a lunch date so he could show it to me. It truly was very beautiful!!!! Just look at these brilliant fall colors!!!! I can’t resist but sharing it with you~

Thank you for visiting~~~ Have a wonderful week!!!

Learning Something New~

Phoebe and I meet almost every week. I don’t know if you have seen her work yet, but everything she makes is amazing!!! So I have been learning from her, and yesterday she taught me how to make a cell phone bag and a zippered pouch!!

The cell phone bag was originally planned to be an iPod bag, but for some reason, my final product turned out to be a bit too small (How did hers turned out fine?!). My phone fits perfectly, though, so it didn’t exactly turned to waste… (Hum, I totally planned all this, you know… ;-) ). It even has a pocket for the headphones!! How clever!!!

Then she taught me how to make a zippered pouch. I’m always a little bit afraid of making it cause it looked so difficult, but actually it’s not complicated at all!!! This little one only took us about half an hour from beginning to finish!!! Now I can put all my everyday necessities in this pouch and throw it in my bag,  so I won’t have to dig for them every time when I need them~~

Now that I’ve learned these basic, I think I’ll be able to built on it and maybe combine my cross stitch pieces with them. I’m sooooo going to miss Phoebe when she moves back to Taiwan!!!