Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Best Christmas Quilts 2013 - Fabric Giveaway

It's a humid 85° with thunderstorms in my neck of the woods today, but it's never too early to start thinking about Christmas.  Need some inspiration?  Check out Quilters Newsletter's latest special issue, Best Christmas Quilts 2013, on sale now at book stores, news stands, quilt shops and online.

And why, you may ask, am I so keen to promote Best Christmas Quilts 2013??

I've got four reasons:




Reason #1:  Found on page 20 of the issue, is the pattern for my gift-wrapped ornaments.  These very simple, but very sweet ornaments are a snap to make using scraps of your favorite Christmas fabrics.




Here's a closeup of my favorite.


Perfect for the Christmas tree or scattered on your Christmas table!!


Reason #2:  Check out page 40 for my Winter Flowers table runner.  This is a simple quilt that gets it visual impact not from complicated piecing, but from the contrast of the red and two shades of green against the white.


Don't have the time to make a whole table runner?  One flower block would make a beautiful pillow!


Reason #3:  Turn to page 44 and you'll see my O Christmas Tree advent calendar.


I made this little quilt with flannel and embroidered felted wool ornaments.  It was so much fun to make and the possibilities are endless.  Start December 1st with an empty tree and snap on an ornament each day.  By the time Christmas rolls around, your tree will be all decked out for Christmas complete with two gifts...



...and a star on top! 



Reason #4:  Finally, the moment you've been waiting for! And thanks for patiently reading on to get here!  Quilters Newsletter is celebrating the release of Best Christmas Quilts 2013 by showcasing projects on their blog and GIVING AWAY FABRIC every day this week!  So check out QN's blog, leave a comment for a chance to win, and maybe you could have a little Christmas in August... just don't look out the window!




Monday, August 12, 2013

Goodbye Tooth Fairy

Yesterday my youngest child lost his last baby tooth.  And last night as I lay in bed, waiting for the house to fall asleep around me, I thought about the Tooth Fairy.  For more than 10 years, the Tooth Fairy has been visiting our dark, quiet, sleeping house, leaving behind her neatly folded bills and little packages of quarters.  And while she hasn't always been perfect, I'm so going to miss her.

There was the time the Tooth Fairy got caught in a storm in the Midwest and wasn't able to reach my daughter's pillow before she woke for school.  Luckily we forgot my daughter's backpack at home that day.  When we returned home to retrieve it, we discovered that the Tooth Fairy had been there in the interim and had left a lovely note explaining the circumstances of her delay.

Another time, the Tooth Fairy made it to our house and left her gift of money, but neglected to take my son's tooth.  We decided that the Tooth Fairy had a helper that night who wasn't used to finding a tiny tooth beneath a pillow.  My son didn't mind because he got an extra dollar when the Tooth Fairy came back for the tooth the next night.

And finally, there was the morning when my son and I were devastated to discover that the Tooth Fairy had completely forgotten to visit our house.  After the initial shock, we reasoned that although she was magic, and despite her best intentions, the Tooth Fairy occasionally made mistakes.  We decided to forgive her (much easier for my son) and try again.  Sure enough, she came the next night and left twice her usual gift, much to my son's delight.

Late last night, I crept into my son's bedroom to check on him and I sat on the floor in the dark listening to him breathe.  I thought I would be overwhelmed with sadness that this chapter of our lives was coming to a close, but mostly I felt grateful.  Grateful for my three beautiful and amazing children.  Grateful for the opportunity to experience motherhood with all its joys, and yes, its sorrows.  And grateful that although childhood may be fleeting, the memories can last a lifetime.