Gifts for twin neighbors

These are 2 stuffed dogs that I made for my twin sister neighbors back in February, for their birthdays. The ladies are in their '70's, and are so friendly and kind. At first, it was not easy to tell them apart, as they are identical twins. Being a twin myself, we also have that in common. One of the twins is also married to a man who has a twin, so we are "twins central" over here, ha ha. These dogs are made from a free pattern at: Tilda's World.com, and are called Dapper Dachsunds. Each finished at approx. 18" long, and their underbellies are made of the same printed cotton fabric as their ears. Their bodies are made from cotton flannel in a dark brown color. 'Had a difficult time posing them for their photo shoot, but think this worked well. Now I want to make one for myself! Isn't it an adorable pattern?

Remembering Janice 2020

Remembering my late twin sister, Janice, on our birthday. God help us all to just get through this day. Please pray for our family, especially for our mother. Blessings to you all.

Granddaughter's birthday gift: 2019

Happiest 8th birthday wishes to my adorable granddaughter! This is the outfit that I made for her. She loves anything with the Eiffel Tower on it. The blouse is Simplicity 8661, and is really easy to sew. The back closure is simply a loop with two ties made of the blouse fabric. All of the full-sleeve gathering really makes this blouse cute. The shorts are just a made-up pattern, with an elastic waist. See the matching hair bow? 'Love the teal quatrefoil fabric. Of course, there are more gifts, this is just one of them. Do you think she will like this? Wishing everyone in this hemisphere a happy first day of Summer also. 'Giving this blouse a Pattern Difficulty Rating of:

Beginner

Another raggedy doll

'Just realized that although I thanked her, I never blogged about this darling raggedy doll that Diane of: Lavender Dreams sent to me back in 2017. What a wonderful birthday gift! She is sitting in a little wood chair that I actually found at a local thrift store. Perfect fit! The doll's green frock is my favorite color too. Oh, and one more thing: how do you all dye the fabric black for primitive black crows, dolls and such? Acrylic paint dries and forms kinda a hard plastic shell. 'Difficult to sand without ripping the fabric. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Yay! It's our birthday!

Goodness, how time seems to fly. It is my twin and my birthday again. This is the blue cat pillow that I made for her. 'Made it up myself. As children, we had a white cat with blue eyes, so this is a throw-back to him. The quilting is straight line walking foot, and the pillow measures 16" square. Actually, it is a pillow cover with an insert inside. The backing is envelope style. Blue is her favorite color, so she should love this pillow. Mother, sister and I will be having our "bash" on Tuesday, though, due to sister's husband's work schedule. People often ask me what it is like to be a twin. It is truly unique and special for sure. We are fraternal twins, born about five minutes apart. Happy birthday!

Happy Halloween from our family!

Happy Halloween to all from granddaughter Macey and our family! Lucy is wearing her witch ensemble, made by me. The dress is just made on-the-fly with a black tulle lining, and the scarf is a dollar store item. She also has purple and black striped stockings (made from dollar store adult socks) and some black shoes. Even a treats bag! The witch hat, how was that made? Well, actually it is created from a dollar store headband. Repurposed, you could say.

Carefully remove the headband from the hat (it was hot-glued). The brim is made of black craft felt. Hand sew in two ribbons, and whip-stitch around the circular area where it was hot-glued. Finis! Plus, now you have a headband that can be used for another project. Not bad, two projects for $1.00, right? The hat is the perfect scale size for the 18" fashion doll. Sending happy birthday wishes to my BIL today as well. You all please remember to be careful and safe if you are out-and-about tonight.

Ruffle-top dress ensemble

In about two weeks, my granddaughter will be seven years old. Yes, she is very fashion-forward and has won many beauty pageants. Keeping that in mind, these clothing items should please her perfectly. They are a deep magenta, and her favorite colorway is pink/purple. The off-shoulder ruffle dress is from a free pattern by Jamie at: Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom. Please cintinue reading for more, and for comments.

Another win and birthday gifts

Good morning friends. Wow, another giveaway win! Recently, I participated in the Splash of Color Challenge that was hosted by Myra of; Busy Hands Quilts. I won the book Splash of Color, written by Jackie Kunkel. She personally autographed the book, and included a cute bookmark. Earlier in the event, I also won two free quilt patterns from Myra. How lucky and blessed am I? Also pictured are the birthday gifts from Diane of:Lavender Dreams. Diane sent a book titled Patchwork of Love written by Heather Harpham Kopp, plus some really nice card-making elements. Sending many thanks to Myra, Jackie, and Diane. Thank you all so much. These gifts are really perfect, and are appreciated. Prim blessings.

It's our birthday!

Happy birthday to my twin sister, and myself, today! We are "50-something..." again, lol. The little zippered pouch above is one item that I made for her this year. It is made of her favorite NCAA team, Alabama™, fabric. Please continue reading to see more detail.

Heirloom restoration project

Here it is: a forty-something year old restoration project for my granddaughter. This doll crib was mine many years ago. Originally it was two stacking doll beds. I have refashioned it into one and am adding fancy finials to the corner posters. A ton of sanding + new coats of satin white paint and matte clear coat finish are needed. There will also be a new platform with foam mattress, as well as new bedding. This was my first go at constructing spindles, which went very slowly. Wishing that this doll furniture would have been found years ago. It was stored in mother's utility shed, to our surprise. Who would have known? Using the word "heirloom" might be a bit presuming, lol. Let's see if it even looks good when completed. Stay tuned for future progress. Have you ever restored any of your old toys for your grandchildren?

♥Sending happiest birthday wishes to my lovely daughter, Amanda♥

Yankee Diary QAL: May block

Still behind on the Yankee Diary QAL hosted by: Civil War Quilts Blog. Finally, here is my May block A Union Basket. The fabrics are all from my stash. My appliquéd letters are a bit smaller than the instruction's, but thankfully still readable. This QAL is educational and fun. If possible, why not join in on it? The Summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere has also arrived. It's good to be looking forward to warmer days.

♥Sending happiest birthday wishes to my adorable granddaughter, Macey♥

Hands 2 Help Challenge 2017: completed quilt!

Good (rainy) morning to all. Pictured above is my finished quilt for the 2017 Hands 2 Help Challenge. This charity quilt measures 50"X52", and has Warm N'Natural© batting. The fabrics are all 100% cottons. The stitch-in-the-ditch and meandering quilting is all done on machine. This quilt will be going to: Em's Scrapbag- Happy Chemo. It is always a pleasure to quilt for this yearly event. Be sure to visit the link party link below to see many more Hands 2 Help 2017 quilts. To see the back of my quilt, please comtinue reading.

~Linking-up with: Hands 2 Help Challenge 2017 final link party~

Birthday gifts 2017

What a grand "50-something" birthday twin sister Janice and I had! We and our mother, along with Janice's son, really celebrated. My daughter called, and the day was awesome. Pictured above are my gifts. The batik table runner (an unquilted top now) is made of fabrics won from Connie of: Freemotion By The River. 'More photos when it is completed. My daughter Amanda is going to bring my gift soon, as she lives in TN and was afraid it would get broken via the mail. Mother, Janice and family all gave me fabric. Oh yeah, we know what that means: fabric for the quilt-alongs. The cute fabric purse and mug coaster are from Diane of: Lavender Dreams. She also included a cute 2017 calendar. Wow, all such perfect gifts. Sending heartfelt thanks to you all. Family and friends are most important of all, and the gifts are excellent extras. Prim blessings.

Happy birthday to my twin sister

Sending happy birthday wishes to my twin sister, Janice. Let's just say that we are "over 50", lol. The lovely butterfly in the photo above is called a Blue Morphofalter. 'Just think the photo is gorgeous also, don't you? Janice and I are fraternal twins, but have totally opposite tastes in clothing, food, and other preferences. Her favorite color is blue, and mine is green. We do both love butterflies though. Janice, mother and I will celebrate later today. Prim blessings.
image: Meli 1670 | Pixabay.com

Halloween purse

Happy Halloween to you all. 'Not a holiday that we celebrate as such, but many people do, including my daughter and her family. This is a little ruffled purse with shoulder strap that I made-up for granddaughter last year. The purple fabric has witches (her favorite) printed on it. 'Just a quick little project that she did love. That girl loves her some purses, lol. See, clipped to the front of the purse, is a black & orange pumpkin print hair bow also? So, what about 31st October is so special to our family? My brother-in-law's birthday, that's what. Sending many happy birthday wishes out to the best BIL ever- Wendell. You all be safe while out trick-or-treating. Prim Halloween blessings.

Amanda's birthday purse

My lovely daughter's birthday was 29th June, and the purse pictured above was part of her gifts. I made it from a New Look pattern from 2004. It is #6435. The fabric is upholstery grade, and is lime with grey and white accents. 'Added a magnetic closure on a tab that the pattern does not call for. This does seem to modernize the pattern for today's age, doesn't it? A local shop monogrammed the initial "A" in my daughter's favorite color, pink. Inside the purse is fully lined, including a smart phone pocket and a keys pocket. The pattern also called for round wooden handles, but the shoulder strap is a feature that my daughter likes on her purses. Yes, she does love this purse. Have you ever made a purse or tote? They are fun, and make nice gifts.

Treasures from Grandma Pearl

Hello everyone. 'Hope you are all doing well. Today is all about family. It is mother's birthday, and my twin sister and I have festivities planned especially for her. Speaking of family, pictured above are two treasures from my daddy's mother. She passed away in the early 1950's, and my mother had these items in her own jewelry box. My mother had the pleasure of knowing Grandma Pearl, who was an excellent seamstress and quilter. Daddy's family was from the rural northeast Mississippi area, and quite poor. Daddy had nearly a dozen siblings on the farm. Mother's family was from Mississippi as well, but they were "city-dwellers".

The pin appears to be made of silver, but has no markings. It is also quite heavy weight. The stones may be genuine? 'Do not know. The pack of German-made Dix and Rands High Grade 3/9 sharps contains 7 needles that are in quite good condition. Mother decided to give these to me as a momento of Grandma Pearl. There was a matching silver pin, identical to the one pictured above, that mother gave to my twin sister. It is so special to have something that Grandma Pearl actually owned. Don't you just love items like these?

Birthday win from Victorian Motto Sampler

Oh my goodness. Somehow, I overlooked the post that listed me as the winner of Victorian Motto Sampler's Birthday Club for January. Due to some issues, I was offline a lot in January. After emailing Nancy, she sent my gift right along. Look how beautiful! Seventeen strands of her gorgeous hand-dyed floss! Now I can cross-stitch forever, lol. Nancy is always so generous and giving. She also has many pretty goodes in her Ebay store. Be sure to go check out Nancy's blog: Victorian Motto Sampler and Ebay store. Thank you so much Nancy!

We are 50-something... today!

Yes, it's that time again. Fifty-something years ago today (OK, 52), my twin sister and I were born. Earlier today, mother and I drove over to sis's house, where sis had prepared a tasty birthday lunch. Sis gave me a 3 DVD set Finding Bigfoot for our birthday. So thoughtful, and much appreciated. Pictured above is the baggie holder that I made for her. There is a pocket on the apron to hold coupons and a pair of scissors (for those of us who still clip paper coupons instead of scanning with the smartphone, lol). She loves cats, so this is a perfect choice for her. Do you ever search through your many years of stashed patterns to find just one? Well, that is what happened here. Way back in my stash was this now OOP McCall's 9120 pattern. Some pattern pieces are missing, so I had to improvise a bit. Sis loves the color blue, and her kitchen is blue & yellow. It is truly so wonderful to have a twin to relate to. Twins are actually quite common, and some of you are twins or have twin sisters/brothers. How special is that?

Guess what- my daughter and granddaughter also came to visit me today! What a wonderful birthday it is! They arrived earlier this morning, and brought a cake for me. A girl could get used to being spoiled like this. There were also some birthday cards in the mail for me, so thank you to the friends amd family who sent those. Being 52 really isn't going to be so bad after all. Prim blessings and thanks to you all.

Baby shower quilt

'Remember the Lovey Giraffes crib quilt for that baby shower on 18 October? Pictured above is the happy mother at the shower. Stevie is a good friend, and we are all so proud of her. She and her husband also have a 2 1/2 year old daughter. Stevie recently graduated, and is now a nurse. My twin sister and I went to high school with both of Stevie's parents, back in the day, lol. The whole family is near and dear to us. Looking forward to baby Ryder's arrival. Don't you just love sewing/quilting for people like them, who really do appreciate it? Also sending a happy birthday wish to my BIL Wendell today. Y'all have a safe Halloween.