The set of Votive Candle Wraps can be seen/purchased by clicking here.
This set was created by Rhonda. You can see all sets created by Rhonda by clicking here.

General Instructions

These are to be stitched out the same as for applique designs.

Materials :
light weight, easy to tear, tear away stabilizer or opaque wash away stabilizer.

Suitable cloth:
tulle, organza, light weight cotton or any fabric that allows you to see the glow of the candle or light from behinds it.

Colors 1 – 4 can be stitched in the same color

#1 placement outline
remove hoop from machine and place material over placement line
#2 tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut excess material from around the placement line
#3 zig zag tack down stitch
#4 satin outline stitch.

Left and Right side pieces

#5 button hole

when finished, carefully cut center line of the button hole. This will be where you thread your ribbon for tying.

Design Center Pieces

#5 This is your main design. Choose a color of your choice.

Assembly

take the 3 pieces and with a needle and matching thread, whip stitch the side pieces to the center piece.

thread a piece of ribbon threw each button hole as shown in picture

Place wrap over candle and pull ends together and tie in a bow.

You can slide the wrap up or down the candle as you like.

Shown is a small candle jar. The ribbon ties will allow you to adjust the wrap for different sizes of votive jars or small candle jars.

When SewMagical wrote the article “Just Zip It!”, we challenged everyone create a sweatshirt and send us pictures!

I will begin posting these today – and there is no deadline – so if you create a sweatshirt using SewMagical’s instructions – or your own design.  The “Just Zip It” article  – instructions for creating these sweatshirts can be found by clicking here.

And – we begin!

Helen tells us:
In response to the “Just Zip It” article I made 2 sweatshirt jackets.
One is purple with  2 of the violet corners designs on it (using DD Violets and Corners – click here to see the set)

The other is blue with redwork lighthouses on it(using the set RW Lighthouses – click here to see the set)

The Dragon Year is coming, I was searching for dragon pattern but found I had some already on your CD of Fall 2010. I found it is so cute after I finished the project.

I will donate my first one to Kiwassa Neighhourhood House for their Chinese New Year party and trying make some more. I wish my project will remind someone to use the patterns and do not let them over sleep in their collection. (editor’s note:  Rose does not want you to overlook the designs you may already have in your computer!)

Rose used a dragon from Applique Dragon – you can see the set by clicking here.
This set was created by Heidi – you can see all sets by Heidi by clicking here.

To learn more about the Kiwassa Neighborhood House, you can visit their website here.

Supplies:

• Fabric for outside of case (I had some leftover lining fabric)
• Fabric for lining of case (I used the same fabric. You can also use fleece, felt, satin or velvet; anything which will not scratch the jewelry you put inside.)
• Fusible interfacing (This will give your case a little “body”)
• Embroidery design of your choice. (I used the Swirls of Hearts set, available here: http://www.designsbysick.com/details/swirlshearts
• Snaps
• Small pieces of fabric and/or plastic canvas

Start by applying the interfacing to your fabric. Depending on the weight of your fabric, you might want to do this to both the outside and the lining fabric. I was using a light weight satiny lining , so that’s what I did.

Sew your design onto the fabric. The Swirls of Hearts set (http://www.designsbysick.com/details/swirlshearts) stitches out great.

Decide what size you want to make your case. Allow fabric for the front of the case, where the design is, the flap, and the back of the case. I wanted the design to be very prominent, so I used the size of the embroidery as my guide. My fabric piece measured about 6.5 inches by 12.5 inches.

I wanted a slightly curved edge on the flap. I folded the fabric in half, and cut a curved line. Folding the fabric in half makes both sides of the flap the same. (EC 03, 04.jpg) Make sure you shape the end you intend to be the flap!

Cut a second piece of fabric the same size and shape.

With right sides together, fold up the bottom edge and stitch in place, leaving the flap free. Do this for each piece.

Trim your corners and seams.

Turn one piece right side out

and slip that inside the other piece.

On what will be the opening of the case, stitch a short distance the side seam to the center.

Leave an opening in the center for turning right side out.

Also stitch around the flap.

You can do this in one step, or do the front and the flap separately. Your stitching should look somewhat like this.

Remember to trim your seams. and clip the curves on your flap
Start turning your case right side out.

When you have everything turned, it will look a little odd.
Don’t worry, that’s how it should look at this point!

Slip one pocket section into the other, leaving the flap free.
Pin the opening closed

and top-stitch along the edge of the pocket.

Top-stitch around the edge of the flap.
Fold the flap over and attach snaps to close it up.

Here is your finished earring case.

Now let’s make something for the earrings to attach to. Since some folks have pieced ears and some don’t, I’m giving you two different holders.

For non-pierced earrings: Take a double layer of interfaced fabric. I used my regular sewing machine to make a satin stitch edge. Make two small (about half-inch) buttonholes. Slip the earring finding through the buttonholes, and attach to the back.

For pierced earrings: Cut a piece of plastic canvas of a size to fit in your case. Place the earring wires or studs through the holes in the canvas.

Now you can slip your earrings on their holder into the case and let someone know just how special they are!

This is the Applique Christmas Bell. I used  Mylar instead of fabric for the Bell. It turned out beautiful. This is on a Kitchen Towel.

You can see the Christmas Bells Applique Alphabet by clicking here.
The set was digitized by Rhonda -and you can see of her sets by clicking here.

I am usually careful, when I work on my projects, about where I place my straight pins. Either I place them away from my line of stitching, or I remove them as I come to them, before the presser foot and needle go over them.
Stitching over a pin can cause damage to your machine. It can break your needle, and the broken pieces may fly off and hit you in the face, perhaps even in the eyes.
I know all this, yet sometimes I forget, or I just miss removing a pin. That happened to me the other day, and the picture below shows what happened. Yes, the machine needle broke as well.

Protect your machine and yourself. Don’t sew over pins!!

Here is the second part of the needle case project. We will make an accessory holder to go along with the needle case already made. (See: Roll Along Little…Needles?
for that project.)
This accessory holder is done in a fold-over style. It has 2 see-through pockets with zippers on the inside, and a pocket for ID on the outside. It closes with hook and loop tape, and can be attached to the needle case.

SUPPLIES
Here is what I used to make the accessory book.

Left over part of the director’s chair seat
Print fabric for the inside
2 zippers
Lightweight clear vinyl
Hook and loop tape
Decorative ribbon
1 sheet of plastic canvas

I started by folding the canvas piece into a book shape with a flap. I would need a piece of fabric for the lining to fit. I decided not to line the closure flap. (If you decide to line yours, include the extra amount in your measurements). Since I was using a print fabric with an obvious up-and-down pattern, I wanted the print facing the same direction in each pocket. I cut the lining piece in two and stitched them back together after rotating one piece.

Remember this is an optional step, and you don’t have to do it.

I took a piece of clear vinyl slightly shorter then the inside area of the case (not including the flap). I took a strip of the print fabric about 2 inches wide by the width of the vinyl. I folded the strip the long way, right sides out) in half, opened it out, folded the edges to the center, and folded back in half again. I pressed this to get a sharp edge.

I wrapped this binding around one end of the vinyl, and stitched in place. Pay attention to where you place your presser foot; many of them will stick to the vinyl. Try to keep the presser foot only on the plastic. Stitch the binding down.

Take a zipper and place it face down over the edge of the binding strip.

Stitch the zipper down along the outside edge of the binding, then flip it over and stitch again.

Take another strip of fabric and do the same thing with the other edge of the zipper. (This is pretty much the same method I used in an another project. See http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/just-hangin-around-2/ for more detailed instructions.) Apply the second zipper at the other end of the vinyl piece.

Find the crosswise center of the lining piece, and the crosswise center of the vinyl.

Place the lining face up and lay the vinyl piece, with the zipper pulls facing up, over the lining.
Stitch across the center of the two pieces, attaching them.

If you want, baste along the outer edge of this vinyl/lining piece to hold the two layers together.

Fold about one-half-inch to the wrong side and press or stitch in place. If you press, **make sure to avoid touching the vinyl with your hot iron!** The inside piece is now done.

On the canvas piece, decide which side of the fabric will be facing out. At the end of the piece, attach one side of the hook-and-loop tape to the underside of the fabric. Check how much overlap you want, and stitch the other side of the tape at that point on the outside of the fabric.

I stitched out the word “Notions” in the Diana font (available at: http://www.designsbysick.com/details/dianafont) on a piece of the same fabric I used for the lining, and turned under and pressed all four edges. This would go on the outside of the pouch. I put it left of center, to allow space for the ID pocket.

For the pocket, I cut a piece of vinyl, and covered all four edges with some bias binding tape left over from another project.

I took a piece of the lining fabric a little larger than the pocket, and turned under all four edges.

I placed the fabric face up on the outside, to the right of the “Notions” label. I placed the bound vinyl on top of the fabric, lining up the lower edges, and stitched in place.

On the area which would be folding up, I stitched 2 rows of decorative ribbon, matching what I used on the needle case. I left a gap in the middle of each piece, just a little wider than the ribbon itself.

This picture shows the outside of the accessory book, with all the components pinned in place.

Here is a closer view of the ribbons as I pinned them

and of the underside, showing the lines of stitching.

Now it is time to sew it all together. Take the outside of your case and lay it down face up. Take the lining section, with the vinyl pockets, and place that face down.

Make sure the end of the lining with the folded edge is at the top, near the flap. Line up your bottom edge (away from the flap) and side edges. Start sewing at one side by the top, go down, across the bottom, and up the other side. Do not stitch the fourth side yet. Trim seams and corners, and turn the project right side out.

Now, take your piece of plastic canvas and cut it in half. Make sure you trim off all the little plastic nubs so that you have a smooth edge.

Slide one piece into the open end of the case

and slide it all the way down to the end. Run line of stitches across the width of your case, to keep the plastic canvas from slipping around. Slide the second piece of canvas in, and stitch across the opening, along the folded edge of the lining.

Now you can put your knitting notions in the vinyl pockets, Here you see a par of nippers, a yarn needle, some plastic stitch markers, and some beaded stitch markers I made for Kat as a holiday gift one year.

Fold the case up, fold the flap down, and press in place along the the hook-and-loop tape.

The other side of the case has the label and a pocket for business cards or your name and address.

To attach the accessory book to the needle case, slide the ribbon of the roll-up case underneath the ribbons on the accessory book

And now your tools and notions are ready to just grab and go!

I am going to be a  “Great-Aunt”  again

My nephew and his wife are expecting their first child.  The baby shower was right before Christmas.  My nephew is a very good soccer player and his wife is quite the runner.  Using an athletic theme, I made a quilt.  Now I am not an experienced quilter.  I know the basics, so that is what I used.  Squares.  No fancy shapes.  But the embroidered sports kids from DesignsBySick.com make up for it, at least I think so!  We do not know if the baby is a boy or a girl so there is both.
I drew it out on graph paper first.
When I started sewing it together, it grew!
Each square was 6″ finished size, so it ended up being about 44″ wide and 56″ long with the binding.
The binding was the blue tie-dyed fleece folded over the front from the back.

You can see the Sports Kids Designs sets here:

Sports Stick Girls  click here

Sports Stick Boys  click here

My friend Kat is an avid knitter, and enjoys designing and making socks. She uses double-pointed knitting needles to do this. The other day I was watching her sort through her needles to find the set she wanted for a new project. She keeps them in a rectangular tin with a latch, and I asked her why she didn’t keep them in a case or a needle roll.

“I haven’t been able to find one with the features I like”, she told me. So that led to the topic of what features she wanted. After a while, a clear picture emerged. Her ideal case for double-pointed needles would:

• be of a sturdy fabric, that would be hard for needles to puncture.
• have pockets the right dimensions for the different needle sizes. Smaller needles would be in narrower pockets, larger needles in wider pockets.
• have pockets would be labeled with needle sizes
• have an extra pocket or two to carry a crochet hook (for making repairs to knitting in progress)

Some way to keep the needles in place while the roll is being transported.
A separate place for the notions,needed for a project, like yarn needles, stitch markers, or a small nipper.

That conversation led to this project, presented in 2 parts. This is the first part, and will show you how to make the needle roll. The next part, next week, will show the accessory storage pouch, and how it attaches to the needle roll.

This case can be custom-sized to fit your needs and your needles. The sample project has spaces for 4 sets of needles, the ones my friend uses most often.

You will need:
a heavyweight fabric for the case, such as canvas or home-decor fabric
a small amount of lightweight fabric for the labels. The sample project uses the Diana Font from Designs by SiCK. (http://www.designsbysick.com/details/dianafont)
a short length of ribbon for the tie. (For the sample) I used about 15 inches of ribbon)

For the fabric, I took apart the seat from a folding director’s chair. I found this new in a package at a local yard sale. The fabric was heavy canvas, and un-stitching the side edges, where the seat attaches, gave me a nice size piece to work with, with finished edges at top and bottom.

Lay your needle sets out on the fabric, and fold up enough fabric to cover the needles about half-way. Mark where you will create each pocket.

Measure how far apart the lines are, and use those measurements to stitch labels for each pocket. The Diana font (http://www.designsbysick.com/details/dianafont) is a good choice for this. It is a small font (the upper case is about one-half inch) but is readable and  classic. I also made a label for the outside of the roll

Double check your stitching against the needles.

If your spacing is the way you want it

, sew the label strip a single layer of the canvas. Turn under the edges of your label strip so no raw edges show.  Stitch around all 4 edges of your strip,

Mark where the canvas will be folded to create the pocket and top flap. On the right (outside) side of the canvas attach your label. The sample says (Knitting Needles). Stitch in place

Fold the pocket flap to the body, right sides together. Stitch each side seam, continuing past the pocket all the way up to the top edge.

Clip the corners, and turn right side out.

Cut a length of ribbon for the tie and fold in half. On one side edge, fold over the raw  and catch the fold of the ribbon under the folded edge of canvas. Stitch down the edge. On the other edge, fold down and stitch.

Stitch the lines to separate each pocket, going through both the pocket layer and the body of the case.

To use the case, fold down the top flap

roll up the case, and tie the ribbon to old in place! You’re done!

You can download/purchase this set by clicking here.

Supplies:

• Clear water soluble stabilizer
• Nylon netting or similar fabric
• Cord
• Beads (Large enough hole for cord to go through)
• Clear vinyl found in fabric stores (used for covering upholstery, books,etc.)

Instructions:

Hoop 2 layers of nylon netting on top of clear stabilizer.

Stitch design, stopping before the first border. Take hoop out of machine and attach two pieces of 4×4 clear vinyl with tape. One is secured under the hoop
and the other on top of the design as shown here:

Place the hoop back in the machine and stitch the first single border, this will attach the vinyl to the design. Take the hoop out of the machine and trim
off the vinyl on top and on the bottom along with the nylon netting as close to the border as possible. Do not cut the stabilizer – this will hold the design
to the hoop and remain as part of the design.

Place the hoop back into the machine and complete the design. Punch out the design carefully using your fingertip to hold the satin stitch while pulling up
from the bottom as shown here:

Poke the hole in the top of the design with tweezers or a large sharp needle. Run the cord through the hole and pull the cord through the bead as shown here:

Hint:  I used a different colors for the single tack down, zigzag and satin stitch for your convenience so that you can see when to trim around the design.
You can use the same color as the final satin stitch for all three of these.

This project will make use of the leftover pillowcase hem from the walker caddy project from a couple of weeks ago.

Do you ever have to run out to the store, but don’t want to carry a purse?
Or maybe you use public transit and want to keep your fare handy, without having to search through a large handbag.
Here is one answer to that problem.
It is a fabric cuff-style bracelet with a secret pocket to hold your ID, cash, or a credit card.

Supplies:

• Left over pillowcase hem from the walker caddy project.
• Hook and loop tape or other closure of your choice
• Embroidery design (this project uses design Celtic2008 from the Celtic2 set, found at http://www.designsbysick.com/details/celtic2.)
• Basic sewing supplies

Start by opening out the remaining side seam on the pillowcase.

Stitch your design on the wide section of the hem, between the folded
edge and the piping.

The folded edge will have the pocket opening, and the piping will be at your wrist. Keep this in mind when choosing and placing your design. You can probably make more than one
cuff if you don’t place the design too near the end of the strip of fabric.

I measured about 5 and a half inches from the center of the design, making a mark on either side.

My arm where the cuff will come to, is about 9 inches, so the marks give me some room to play with.

Cut off the embroidered section from the rest of the fabric, at the marks.

Fold a small hem down towards the wrong side of the fabric and press in place.
Fold the piece with wrong sides together, matching the folded hem of the pillowcase with the fold you just made.

On my case, there was enough fabric to leave a small amount showing beneath the piping.

Place a strip or 2 small squares of hook-and-loop tape above the design, where the two edges of fabric meet.
Fasten in place.
For this project I used an iron-on product, but sew-on will work just as well.

Make sure the stiffer side of the tape faces outward, and the softer side faces inward.
This will be less irritating if the tape comes in contact with your skin.

Now, fold the cuff in half, with right sides together.
Stitch along each short side and along the top edge.
Don’t stitch in the area where you have the fastener.

I angled the side seams slightly, to give a better fit.
(Fabric is flat, and needs some help to make it go around a 3-dimensional
object like your arm.)
Trim seams, clip corners, turn right side out, and press.

Place a strip of hook-and-loop tape at either end of the cuff to fit your wrist.
Put a line of stitching either side of the design, to create the pocket and keep things from sliding around.

Now, you can go out and no one will know about your secret stash!

Construction options:
Make the cuff longer, and use it as an armband
Sew a zipper along the top edge instead of the hook-and-loop tape.
Make a matching cuff, with or without the pocket, and wear the pair.

You can see the set and purchase/download it by clicking here.
You can see all sets digitized by Rhonda by clicking here.

Materials:

• applique material
• heavy material (for badges)
• tear-away stabilizer
• threads to match material
• washable glue stick or your choice of adhesive

If making Badges, the bobbin thread should match the outer satin stitch.
The top line stitch over the satin stitch outline is just to secure the threads for badges. This is done in the same color, I made it a different color only to give you the option of stitching it or leaving it out.

Basic Instructions:

Badges: follow as for regular applique except stitch the badge on the stabilizer instead of garment or fabric block.

Color #1 can be pre-stitched on paper that is tapped to bottom of hoop so that you can use it as a template.

I prefer to just stitch on material and cut away from the placement line.

Teenpicks_001

Colors 1 – 5 can be stitched in the same color

1. placement stitch for pick
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

2. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the pick.

3. zigzag tack down stitch

4. satin stitch around outside of pick

5. running stitch to secure satin stitch around pick. You can omit this step if you prefer.

6. Heart
7. Letters

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teenpicks_002

Colors 1 – 5 can be stitched in the same color

1. placement stitch for pick
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

2. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the pick.

3. zigzag tack down stitch

4. satin stitch around outside of pick

5. running stitch to secure satin stitch around pick. You can omit this step if you prefer.

6. Letters
7. Star

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teenpicks_003

Colors 1 – 6 can be stitched in white or light color.

1. placement stitch for pick
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

2. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the pick.

3. zigzag tack down stitch

4. placement stitch for flowers
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

5. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the flowers.

6. zigzag tack down stitch

7. satin stitch around flower petals on Right side of Pick

8. statin stitch around flower petals on Left side of Pick

9. flower centers
10. dots

Colors 11 & 12
to be stitched in the same color with matching bobbin thread if making a badge

11. satin stitch around pick

12. running stitch to secure satin stitch around pick. You can omit this step if you prefer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teenpicks_004

Colors 1 – 5 can be stitched in the same color

1. placement stitch for pick
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

2. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the pick.

3. zigzag tack down stitch

4. satin stitch around outside of pick

5. running stitch to secure satin stitch around pick. You can omit this step if you prefer.

6. Music Staff
7. stars

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teenpicks_005

Colors 1 – 3 can be stitched in the same color

1. placement stitch for pick
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

2. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the pick.

3. zigzag tack down stitch

4. stars
5. Letters
6. Letter outlines

Colors 7 & 8 should have matching bobbin thread if making a badge

7. satin stitch around outside of pick

8. running stitch to secure satin stitch around pick. You can omit this step if you prefer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teenpicks_006

Colors 1 – 5 can be stitched in the same color

1. placement stitch for pick
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

2. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the pick.

3. zigzag tack down stitch

4. satin stitch around outside of pick

5. running stitch to secure satin stitch around pick. You can omit this step if you prefer.

6. skull
7. skull eyes and satin stitch outline

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teenpicks_007

Colors 1 – 5 can be stitched in the same color

1. placement stitch for pick
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

2. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the pick.

3. zigzag tack down stitch

4. satin stitch around outside of pick

5. running stitch to secure satin stitch around pick. You can omit this step if you prefer.

6. Hearts
7. Letters

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teenpicks_008

Colors 1 – 5 can be stitched in the same color

1. placement stitch for pick
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

2. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the pick.

3. zigzag tack down stitch

4. satin stitch around outside of pick

5. running stitch to secure satin stitch around pick. You can omit this step if you prefer.

Colors 6-8 can be done in the same color

6. placement stitch for wings
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

7. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the pick.

8. zigzag tack down stitch

9. satin outline stitch for bottom wings

10. satin outline stitch for top wings

11. black antenne
12. butterfly body

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teenpicks_009

Colors 1 – 5 can be stitched in the same color

1. placement stitch for pick
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

2. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the pick.

3. zigzag tack down stitch

4. satin stitch around outside of pick

5. running stitch to secure satin stitch around pick. You can omit this step if you prefer.

Colors 6-8 can be done in the same color

6. placement stitch for hane I love you sign
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

7. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the pick.

8. zigzag tack down stitch

9. satin outline stitch and detail for hand

10. hearts

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teenpicks_010

Colors 1 – 5 can be stitched in the same color

1. placement stitch for pick
remove hoop from machine and adhere material over the placement stitch.

2. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around the outside of the pick.

3. zigzag tack down stitch

4. satin stitch around outside of pick

5. running stitch to secure satin stitch around pick. You can omit this step if you prefer.

I use the “foamies” found at your local discount stores.  I use the star shape and pull one side down so it will temporarily stick on my machine.  I write the size of needle I am using for that particular machine.  When I change to a different needle, then it is easy to run the needle into the foamie and file away if it is still a good, usable needle.  The next time I need that needle, there it is on the foamie with the type that it is.  Has made my life so simple!!

Here is a photo of Old MacDonald’s Farm finger puppets that I made for a Christmas present.
I especially liked how all the puppets fitted inside the barn. It  was the first time that I had made this type of project.

Old MacDonald Finger puppets can be seen by clicking here.
This set was created by Cutie Pie and you can see all of her designs by clicking here.

The response was, once again, overwhelming!  I have included all of the challenges and hope you enjoy reading each and every one…as I mentioned in the Newsletter – get a cup of your favorite beverage and sit back and relax.

An update here – our tradition changed this year – because my other half decided to take a header off the side deck – and ended up fracturing his clavicle.  So, he was pretty medicated for Christmas Eve and  – well, he still is.  So, no “Night Before Christmas” at our house this year.  And, Christmas morning was slow and relaxed – we all made breakfast together and after Dad rested a bit, we opened gifts in the living room – probably close to 2 PM.    (This is also the reason the Newsletter did not go out last Sunday!)

After reading all of the entries, however, I see some I would like to incorporate into our lives (mostly the goodies!) and I know my daughter will do the same as she has read every one and has fallen in love with so many of your family traditions.

Once again, thank all of you for sharing part of your lives with us.

I give you – Christmas Traditions – Near and Far:

Homemade Goodness
by Sue R.

On Christmas afternoon all of my paternal grandparent’s family would gather at their farmhouse for Christmas. When I say all,  I mean 52 of us – Grandpa and Grandma, 14 aunts and uncles and the 36 cousins. Everyone brought food and we would have a full sit down meal then open gifts from the grandparents – we all knew what we were getting but it was still exciting. My grandmother would start sewing in January for the following Christmas.
All the girls got long flannel nightgowns- fancy ones with lots of ruffles and a pocket containing $2.00 (lots of money for a child in the 50′s and 60′s). The boys got flannel pajamas also with $2.00. The women got home made aprons with $5.00 in the pocket and the men just got $10.00. I remember feeling sorry for my uncles because they just got money.
After gifts were opened and the money all turned over to the parents my dad hitched up the horses to the sleigh (if there was snow or the hay wagon if not) and took the little kids for a short ride then all the older kids would go out for a long ride. When we got back we all would change into our new home made pajamas and have hot chocolate and cookies. How I wish there were pictures of all the kids in the jammies but in those days I guess people just didn’t think of doing that.
My grandmother has been dead now for forty years but I have now continued the pajama tradition first with my two boys and now with my 4 grandchildren and hope it will be remembered just as fondly.

Ornaments Through the Years
by Laura S.

My husband and I were married in North Carolina on December 7, 1969.  Bill was stationed at the Lemore Naval Air Station in Lemore, CA, so our honeymoon was a 10-day drive across country to Fresno, CA where he had rented a small house, furnished with a sofa-bed, a stove and refrigerator.
We had all our wedding gifts and other worldly possessions stowed in our Rambler and  arrived in Fresno on December 17, just 7 days before Christmas.  A friend of Bill’s gave us a small live Christmas tree, but we had nothing to put on it so decided to start a new tradition of each person in our home at Christmas time would add a new ornament to the
tree with their name and the date written on the ornament or on a tag attached to the ornament.
We had no idea how important this tradition would become to our lives.  That first year, Bill found a beautiful white ball-shaped ornament with delicate gold trim to symbolize our new marriage.  I, being the crafty one, bought a white styrofoam ball that was hollowed out in the middle and open on 4 sides.  I had saved the little plastic wedding bells and the sugar doves from the top of our wedding cake; so I sewed them in the center of the ball.  Then I sewed leftover seed pearls from my wedding dress around the openings on the sides and added a gold ball on the bottom.  So our tree the first year had two ornaments.
The next Christmas found Bill at sea and I flew home to be with my family.  Before I left, I purchased my ornament for our second Christmas – a lighted ornament with angels inside that was made to go on the top of the tree because our first tree didn’t have anything on top.  When I returned, to my surprise, Bill had sent his ornament home…an angel that was meant for the top of the tree.  Luckily, for our 3rd Christmas we added a gold string to Bill’s angel and hung her on the tree.
It’s now 42 years later and the collection has grown, along with the size of the tree.   We had 2 boys, some foster children, occasionally grandparents or friends and home-stay students from Japan that shared our Christmases.   If a guest didn’t know about our tradition, we took them shopping for their ornament.
The Christmases that we all shared are on the tree, complete with dates and names,  and the memories are priceless!

Holly, Holly Every Year
by Ruth C.

I don’t know if this counts as a typical tradition but in my family, it ain’t Christmas unless…
Back 35 years ago when I was first married, the Christmas decorations that were available were nothing like they are today!
I bought a 9-foot garland to put up in my kitchen archway. It was all plastic! Green plastic stem, leaves and holly with red plastic berries! Then there were 6 each of red-flocked plastic roses and apples spaced along the length. It was pretty nice compared to anything else that I could find!
I used it a few years and then one year the mice got into it during storage and ate the flocking off of the roses and apples! It was getting pretty ragged anyways and I could get much nicer garlands anywhere now so I was going to throw it away but the boys said, “Awe Mom!! Can’t you fix it!?! We love that thing!”
Soooooooooo, I went to the store and bought 6 silk roses and new shiny red apples and
replaced the half-eaten flocked roses and apples on the garland! I even decided to string some colored lights on it to pretty it up!
Well, this thing has somehow become the symbol of Christmas in our house! As I said, it is made of plastic and over the years it has broken in several places and I have had to wire it together! Every year I take it out of the box and have to do more wire repairs as it falls into pieces in my hands!
I had had enough and was going to throw it out but my 2 sons, almost in unison, said “Don’t you dare!!! It’s not Christmas without that garland!” It started out in my kitchen/dining room archway but then, since I wasn’t allowed to throw it away, and it was becoming pretty pathetic looking, I moved it to the dining room/hallway archway at the opposite end of the room and put up a MUCH prettier one in the kitchen since it was such a prominent spot for decorating! I got some grief from the boys but I said, “Hey! It’s up!!”
Then after a few more years, it was moved again – to the bathroom doorway!!! My sons are now 33 & 28 and laugh about it every year that it’s relegated to the bathroom – but it’s up!!!
This year, I had to replace all of the bulbs in the light string as they all blew out for some reason at the end of last season! I couldn’t replace the whole string because the stupid thing is all wired together and the light string is its main support! Besides, they are making the strings on the lights shorter and shorter each year and the new strings aren’t long enough!
At Christmas, I decorate every door/doorway, every window, every tabletop, every nook and crannie in my home! Neither son lives at home anymore but when I decorate the house and they come home for Christmas, the first thing they do is check to make sure IT is up!!!
I think I am going to have to put this thing in my will when I die! They will have to agree to either share it year to year or cut it in half that they can each have half!!!
Isn’t there a story in the Bible something along that line? Where if they truly love it they would not want it cut in half but rather leave it whole and allow the other to have it! Hmmm!  (Yes there is!  King Solomon!Kings 3:16-28)

Ornaments for a Lifetime
by Raelene T.

My Christmas tradition started with the birth of my eldest grandchild 13 years ago. I decided to make her, and any future grandchildren (I now have 8), an ornament for their Christmas tree – until they turn 18. That way, when they leave home they will have a a small box of Christmas memories to take with them into their new home.
The children start asking me mid-November what they are getting, but they don’t get told – it is a surprise.
So far I have crocheted, knitted, beaded, cross stitched, embroidered, used buttons, pegs, and lots of other things, but this year I made machine embroidered decorations!

by Helen M.

Our family traditions are the basic traditions.  We decorate, bake, and make gifts for friends and relative and attend Christmas Eve afternoon candlelight services,

followed by wild rice soup and watching “The Christmas Story”.  As each child was born I would make them a special Christmas stocking that has been used every

year of their life.  As they got engaged, I would make the new family member a stocking as well.  With them I try to blend the stocking with my child’s. And every

year my hubby and I pick out an ornament to symbolize that year, such as an animal when we got a new pet.
But where we get a little different is with our gifts to the children. When the kids were younger, so they could not guess what they were being given I would use

boxes way bigger than their gifts and put blocks of wood or rocks to disguised the weight as well. As they have gotten older it is hard for us to know what they

need, want, already have etc.  So I have been known to make money trees, buy clothes with lots of pockets and hide money in the pockets.  Most recently I have

started making money origami gifts.  I have made floral bouquets, jewelry boxes (to hold jewelry) and baskets filled with gold coins (dollar coins) .

Cookies from Grandmother
By Lucinda  C.

Our family’s Christmas tradition has always been about cookies.
Most of our traditional recipes were handed down by our Swiss Grandmother.
There is the traditional Christmas morning breakfast cookie, a brown sugar based one with raisins, dates and nuts. Another chocolate fudge one, best with black walnuts and frosted with a chocolate fudge icing.The light, one bite snowballs, filled with finely chopped pecans and dusted with a thick layer of powdered sugar.  This recipe came from my godmother.
The traditional Italian pizzelle with anise oil, made two by two and takes almost all day to make.  These weren’t from any specific recipe but my Italian grandmother always found someone to make them for any celebratory occasion – Christmas especially was no exception.
While our family has spread from one end of the US to another, we still cherish the family tradition of making cookies at Christmas.  Any yes, in our house Santa greeted with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.

Don’t Forget Pajamas!
by Sandy R.

I make pajamas for Christmas. Needless to say over the years they have improved. Now they all have at least one embroidery on them. Some even have more than one on them. I still remember the year when my son was 10 I was not going to make pajamas. They had plenty by that time. When asked what kind he would be getting on Christmas Eve. Needless to say there I was in the the early hours of Christmas making him and his brother new Christmas pajamas.

Santa, Please Fill Our Sacks!
By Linda Sue C.

Our Christmas celebration has always been Christmas Eve, an appetizer buffet and opening presents from/with family and friends. That left stockings and Santa gifts only for Christmas morning. This started when the children were quite small and then after a divorce it was always the kids with me and my side of the family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day around 10 a.m. they went to their father’s side of the family.
Another tradition was the fact that Santa didn’t wrap gifts. Both children had giant fabric bags with their names embroidered on then that they set out along with cookies, milk and carrots for Santa’s Reindeer.
I personally gave up wrapping gifts in paper about 25 years ago and all gifts given by me for any occasion come in fabric bags, embroidered FSL boxes or fabric envelopes. I had one friend who asked for her Christmas gift to be a variety of fabric bags in different shapes and sizes for her family Hanukkah and Christmas gifts.
When the children’s father moved out of state we started a tradition of going to the movies (the kids and I) on Christmas Day. I know that sound like a weird holiday tradition but it is fun family time even now that the kids are grown.
The holidays always mean gingerbread too. My son loves my gingerbread and I end up making several batches. However, I must divide them up in tins and hide them or he would make himself sick eating them all at once. He is now 27 and knows better but that doesn’t stop him LOL.
New Year’s Eve is party time for us. Not drinking and dancing or going out noooooooooo. We have a potluck game night. We have board games, computer games, old fashion parlor games from our Civil War reenacting hobby. Everyone eats and plays and laughs and sings and stays up all night. No one leaves. We set up air mattresses beds, beds, couches, even the floor . Then on New Year’s Day my kids help me make a huge pancake brunch and then everyone starts to leave around one of two in the afternoon.

Gingerbread Houses!
by Marrion

I started a tradition with my grandkids after a friend invited me over to do a ginger bread house about 5 years ago. I enjoyed it so much and had so much fun.
It’s a big hit evey with the parents of the grandkids and they wonder why we never did it when they were growing up. I bake the kits and glue them so they are dry and they get to decorate it anyway they like . Then we eat them later.

Chanukah Traditions
by Judy

As we are Jewish, our family traditions are a bit different than many. We always light our Menorah each of the 8 nights. I do hang “too many” Chanukah decorations in our kitchen and family room. Usually on the 8th night we have our lattke fry off. As we have our children, their spouses, girl and boy friends as well as the family members of our children by marriage and close friends, we can be frying patties for 25 or more. I make several brisket pot roasts, my daughters-in-law bring salad and veggies and we grate onions and pounds of potatoes and fry away until all are full. We serve sufganiot (Hebrew for fried, jelly donuts) as we exchange gifts. My children have a name swap but the granddaughter gets spoiled by all.
My husband and I always gave our 5 gifts every nite-small ones except for the last night. In memory of our son, Joshua who perished at the WTC, we give a basket of 8 gifts to a charity for children who might not have any Chanukah.

Expect the Unexpected
By Joyce

As a small group from our church we usually “adopt” a family from the community and provide gifts, clothing, and food per their “list” of requests.
This year we decided to “do” for several in our church who did not submit a list but could use some TLC.
To a widow, we provided a truckload of firewood to heat her home, to a college student who comes home to work each weekend a gas gift card, to a guy  undergoing chemo who can’t work full time a grocery gift card, and to our pastor, notes of appreciation along with a gift card to a local restaurant.
It’s nice to help those in need but nice too to recognize those who are special everyday.

Cherished the Old, Looking for New – Traditions
by Carla

One of our biggest traditions was on Christmas Eve we would all pile into the car and go look at Christmas lights after we would come home drink eggnog and the kids would get to open one gift or sometimes two. New pajamas and sometimes slippers. Can’t have the scruffy looking for the Christmas pictures.. lol
Now all three of my children have grown with children of their own. Christmas Eve has turned into watching it’s a Wonderful life or some other Christmas movie and after opening the pajamas and finishing all the wrapping, everyone tucks into their old room with their family. We all wake up just like they were still small and open presents and spend a grand day together when they go home they get to see what Santa brought to their house.
We moved into an apartment last year and now we don’t have that much room the kids say they will spend Christmas Eve night in their own beds. My grandson will be 12 in a week this will be new for him. Kinda of sad but yet sweet to see how the grow. Now we need new traditions.

Cranberry Pie
By Merry M

One of our family favorites is Cranberry Apple Pie. I make my own crusts, and the rest of the pie is pretty easy. I buy the cranberries in bulk and toss them in the freezer as-is. When I need them, I scoop them out by the cup, rinse them in the collander, and they’re ready to go! The recipe was in the old Betty Crocker cookbook that I got when I was in high school (a few years ago!).

Saving the Memories
By Connie V

Our family goes together to drive around and look at Christmas lights and end with hot cocoa.
I also put together a notebook of traditions with family cookie recipes, Christmas short stories, fun memories. The girls all really love these for adding their own recipes and traditions or Christmas memories.
One memory I shared was our very first Christmas. We did not have much money and I spent $5.00 on a scruffy tree and went to a thrift store and found red and green pipe cleaners and small Styrofoam balls and those became snowmen ornaments and I made construction paper hoop chains and it was my fondest xmas memory which I included in the memory book.

A Tasty Tradition
by Carol

My first Christmas as a bride money was so tight it was practically non-existent. We had a small tree and managed to buy a string of lights. I made an angel for the top of the tree out of a dime store doll that I cut in two. I taped her top to a paper roll. I stitched a dress for her from scraps and remnants of fabrics, her wings were silver feathery picks for a floral arrangement. For the ornaments on the tree, I made and intricately frosted dozens of sugar cookies and hung them on the tree. When the kids came along, they loved the cookies on the tree, so did all their friends!
Now, 46 Christmases later, the same angel is still on top of our tree and we still decorate with cookies. Over the years I have added a few ornaments too, just so it doesn’t look too bare when Christmas arrives and most of the cookies have been eaten. Now the grand kids love the cookies on the tree. As long as we have a Christmas tree, it will be decorated with cookies.

Cookies of Their Very Own
by Pat H.

I am 73 and when I got married in 1959 I received my grandmother’s molasses cookie recipe. We would only make them at Christmas. My daughter and each grandchild gets a batch, plus all of mine they can get before going out the door. Takes 2 days to make and starting the beginning of December they keep asking when I am going to start. They are wonderful with milk. If they did not get any gifts, they would think the cookies were enough if they got their own batch.

Keeping the Home Fires Burning
By Kit J.

We too read the “Night Before Christmas. We also place cookies and milk out for Santa. The kids who are now all teens, or older, still look forward to it. With Dad overseas for another year and missing Christmas with us, it is important to do the comforting traditions that make the Holidays special.

Carrying on Family Traditions
By Judy S.

Christmas eve was always the Polish Custom of the 7 fishes, mac and cheese at Grandmom’s in Philadelphia.
After dinner we celebrate and wish each other good cheer while sharing the “host” with all family members. Then Santa arrives with gifts for each and everyone – the whole alley between Grandmom’s house and the aunts was filled to the brim with gifts. More food was served and we would got the little ones in their Christmas PJs and drive the 30 miles north for 10:15 PM Candle Light Christmas Eve. This custom continues even though grandmom and older relatives have passed, but now at a cousin’s home in NJ the Sunday before the holiday. The grandchildren now enjoy and its always a good time with the relatives.

A Nutty Tradition

By Jill

One year, my ex-husband and I had a bowl of mixed nuts in the shell on the table at Christmas time. When his sister (20 at the time) came over she said she thought that only “rich” people could afford nuts in the shell. The next year we started delivering a bag of nuts on her doorstep, we would ring the bell and run!! Silly her she didn’t know who was doing it (whatever). My daughter had not even been born yet when this all started but we took a break one year when she was 12, the next year she wanted to know why we didn’t do it anymore so we started again CJ (the daughter) is 29 and still delivers nuts to her Aunt Glor every Christmas.

Protecting the Tree?
By Sharon T.

When our kids were little, we would wait until Christmas Eve day to put up the tree.  Cookies and cocoa after dinner.  Breakfast as soon as the kids were up meant we got something in their tummies before the melee of opening gifts began.  My husband always brings in a large trashcan and everyone balls up the paper to toss from as far away as possible.   We attend the last Mass of the day on Christmas Day, usually about 11 AM.  Pretty staid by most standards.
I do recall one year putting the tree in the playpen because our then 18 month old son would crawl out of the playpen and crawl under the tree.  The time it fell over was when it, instead of our son, went into the playpen.  He wouldn’t stay in the playpen, but he wouldn’t voluntarily get in either, no even to play with the tree.
The year I discovered our kids getting up in the middle of the night to open their gifts and then rewrap them so the “parents won’t know” was the last time they were put out early.  After that, it was after we were sure they were asleep on Christmas Eve.
The kids are all grown with kids of their own, but we still have turkey with all the trimmings for dinner with homemade pumpkin pie for dessert.
Now the tree goes up in early December and comes down a week after New Year’s.  We get to enjoy it a bit longer.  The ornaments are ones we’ve collected from the places we’ve been all over the country.  Opening those small boxes up is a treat every year as we remember when…..
Gifts are still opened right after breakfast, although when it’s just hubby and me, we enjoy our morning coffee a bit longer.

Christmas Cake  – With a Kick!

By Geraldine V.

Because I’m Irish and love Guiness, I bake an Irish Guiness Cake, where the fruit is stewed and soaked in Guiness instead of the traditional Christmas cake, instead of the icing I decorate it with slivered almonds on top and top it with some whiskey when it comes out of the oven. The cake is made in advance and the smell is devine, it is not cut until Christmas Day. This has become our traditional Christmas cake in our house and everyone loves it, my friends expect to get some when they come round.

Chocolate Gravy!
By Stacey B.

As small children we’d visit our aunt, my Mom’s older sister, and her many children. She always made homemade buttermilk biscuits and chocolate gravy. My siblings and I loved it, when I was around 13 I got the recipe and it became a tradition for Mom to make it on special occasions but we all showed up at Mom’s with spouses and kids in tow for Christmas morning’s breakfast of chocolate and biscuits. She always fixed something else for the spouses as none of them seemed to care for it. We lost Mom in March of 2009, but this is a tradition we have all continued in our own homes in Southeast GA, and Northwest GA. I can still hear Mom saying, “Keep stirring, mmm, smells good.”

And, Stacey has shared the recipe!

Here is the recipe!!!

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

• Mix all the dry ingredients in a heavy saucepan with a whisk, add the milk.
• Cook over medium heat stirring constantly. Remove the pot when the mixture is thick, it’ll thicken after it starts to boil, don’t let it burn.
• (optional) Add the butter. Stir in until completely melted. Serve over biscuits with a teaspoon of butter dolloped on top.

If you don’t want to make buttermilk biscuits of your own, it’s messy lol, Grands biscuits work great, and walmart’s bag of buttermilk biscuits are good too.

Ding Dong Ding Dong…

By Pamela S.

Christmas Eve has always brought such wonderful memories for me.  All ten of us (and often a few more-Grandma, a friend or other relative) would crowd into our little front room.  We would have a little program with piano/violin playing, songs, nativity (either read or acted out).  One of us kids would be in charge of planning the event.  As we have gotten older, we have gotten sillier.  What I remember most about these nights is the laughter we share with one another.  There is one event that is a staple at these programs…the pipe bells.
One year at a family reunion, we made some pipe bells.  This became the new hightlight of our Christmas Eve programs.  We were so awful at harmonizing with those bells that we always ended up laughing our way thorugh the songs rather than playing them.  We had a friend that came to our Christmas Eve program just to play them!
My parents eventually moved out of state and my husband missed those silly bells.  He made us a set as well as one for his parents.  Now, we play those bells at his dad’s home.  Some years we get to play them twice if my parents are in town.
This year, I am giving a set to my sister who doesn’t live near us or my parents.  She missed those bells and wants her children to enjoy playing them.
Who would have thought they would bring so much Christmas joy and memories!

On the First Day of Christmas…

By Jackie

My husband and I were married 18 years ago and on our first christmas we started a new tradition. We give each other a gift every day for the 12 days of Christmas ending with day 12 being Christmas Eve. This makes the holiday last almost 2 weeks. I really enjoy it, it’s such a treat to check our stockings every morning when we get up. We have different schedules and some days, in lean years, we just get a handwritten note or very inexpensive gift like cheap jersey work gloves since we both work outdoors in the cold and wet weather. Happy holidays!!!

Bushels of Cookies

By Carol Ann M

Our family loved to BAKE, BAKE, BAKE at Christmas, and every holiday for that matter!
I remember my grandmother making “bushels” of cookes for Christmas. There had to be enough for anyone who came calling to take a small dish of cookies home. And let me tell you, that’s exactly how her recipes read…”makes 1/2 bushel” or makes one bushel”. But the funny part is grandmom never measured anything precisely. The ingredients were a “pinch of this” of “a little in your palm”, or “whatever it takes” (usually referring to flour).
The prize question posed to Grandmom every year was, “whatever it takes to do what, Grandma”? Of course, there was never a scientific answer, but she would always respond with my original question….”Whatever it takes!”
I guess she meant whatever amount it took to make a good cookie dough. You had to be able to “feel” the consistency of the cookie dough to know if it “takes” more flour or more butter, etc.
So every year, at Christmas, when I run myself ragged making “bushels” of cookies, I think to myself “Grandma, what does it take” to realize I don’t need to drive myself crazy making all those cookies!?

Some Old, Some New

By Louisa K

I grew up with a lot of traditions but some I changed. On Christmas eve we went with my mother to put flowers on all the family graves here in Hermanus (RSA) and when getting back from the graveyard gathered around the Christmas tree and one of my children would deal out the presents under the tree.
Then to bed to wait for Santa while sleeping.
After all the excitement we go to attend the chucrh service and then have a meal of cold meat and salads where my mum slogged away in the heat to serve a cooked feast.
We do end with my mother’s special recipe of trifle.
Crackers and paper hats a plenty and love and joy.
This year I will be privileged to have all three my sons and their families together for the first time in six years!!!!!!!!!!!

Plum Pudding from Grandma

By Pauline

Our Christmas tradition is the famous recipe of a scrumptious plum pudding I inherited from my mother in law 50 years ago. My family will not eat any other. As I am in Australia I have my Christmas Pudding in any weather as it is summer here, but that does not seem to matter. They love it.

“Deer Me!  What’s for Dinner?”

By Gerry B

We always go to church on Christmas Eve, then come home for our big Christmas dinner…so all the Santa stuff can be enjoyed the next morning! Years ago we started having venison on Christmas Eve…not telling the kids it was DEER meat until they were older. Of course I had to joke it was Rudolph (remember all our kids were grown by then) so one year one of college aged kids slipped a cherry tomato onto the platter & waited. Yes, we all laughed. Now we have grandchildren and again don’t mention just what that meat is, but we still have venison every Christmas Eve thanks to my hunting friends!

The Best Potatoes EVER!

By ibwaitn

My grandmother from Russia didn’t have much money so they made potato fudge. When she past away mom made it and when I married, I started making it and 50 years later I still make it for the family.

Waiting the Arrival of the Baby Jesus

By Cindy B

Here is the custom we have had at our house since our children were little.  I can remember doing this in school as a child and thought it would be a good custom to continue so that our children would learn that Christmas is not just about toys and gifts.
At our house, the nativity scene was set up at the beginning of Advent.  However, the baby Jesus was not put in the manger until Christmas Day.  I had made our set in ceramics years ago.  The original set had the baby Jesus and crib as one piece.  Then a few years later, I found a 2 part piece.  So I bought it and painted it also.
Our children had to do good deeds before Christmas and when they did, they were allowed to take a piece of straw and put in the manger scene to start making a “soft” bed for the baby.  And the baby would be put into the crib after the kids went to bed on Christmas Eve so they could find Him waiting for them in the morning.
We continued this custom until they all left home.  One year, our son was over with this family before Christmas.  That year I was in a hurry when setting things up and had put the baby Jesus in the manger scene.  He saw it and exclaimed:  “Mom, it’s not Christmas yet, the baby hasn’t come.”  He promptly took it out and put it in its hiding place.  Never again has the baby appeared “too early”.

PJs Made by Elves

By Billie S

This tradition was carried on from my childhood, to my children.  And now that they are grown, to the grandchildren.
Every Christmas eve, “Santa” pays a visit to the kids room right before bedtime.  He leaves a present for all the kids.  When they quickly open them they find a fresh pair of pjs or nightgown made by one of his “elves”.  So they get to wear the new pjs to bed.  It is usually without problems, as Santa showed them that by leaving the presents, he is in the neighborhood.

Smorgasbord!!!

By Carol H

My family is of Swedish heritage. Every year my aunt and uncle would hold a smorgasbord on Christmas Eve. We lived far away from each other, but I remember always being intrigued with the idea of smorgasbord. I married a man of Swedish heritage (imagine that!) and told him about my aunt and uncle’s tradition. One year, early in our marriage, we decided to do a smorgasbord for his family on Christmas Eve. Armed with my mother’s authentic Swedish meatball recipe and my grandmother’s authentic rice pudding recipe and recipes from my aunt, I forged ahead and we had the first smorgasbord. It became a tradition and parts of it have carried on over the years, well loved by my children. A few years ago, with both sons, daughters in law, grandsons, and grandpuppy in attendance I became ill and had to teach my son to make Swedish meatballs. We were coming close to full circle. They turned out very well and the tradition continued.

Old Ways Are the Best Ways

By Vivian

We didn’t have much for Christmas when I was a child. Our tree looked more like Charlie Brown’s, but my 2 older sisters and I made red & green paper chains, and our Mother showed us how to string popcorn. We weren’t allowed to touch the glass ornaments, that was for Mother & Dad to put on, with a star on top. It was a real treat to have our parents drive us around the neighborhood on Christmas Eve, to see all the pretty lights people had put up. We thought our tree was just as pretty.
That all ended when our Dad died when I was ten, sisters were 13 & 16. We had to move in with our Mother’s parents, and Grandma and Grandpa helped make sure we had a nice Christmas.
My husband and I would drive around with our 3 kids every Christmas, and we made paper chains and popcorn and cranberry strings on our fake tree we had to use because of one child’s allergies, and it was just as pretty.
Now the kids have moved away, and it is just the two of us again. The town we live in decorates a park for people to walk or drive through, and there is a Christmas train that goes through town before Christmas. It’s so much fun watching the little ones’ excitement, waiting for Santa’s train. The tradition continues with our grandchildren, driving around with their parents, who live too far away for us to visit.

Presents, One By One…

By Anne

Growing up, there were three families, my grandparents, aunt and uncle and their girls, and ours (my brother and I and our parents).  On Christmas Eve, we alternated to each home, where we had dinner, then exchanged gifts from each other.  We went around the room, opening one at a time, so all could enjoy.  On Christmas Day, we always went to my grandparents’ house (even if we had been there the night before) for Christmas Dinner.  Now that I have children of my own, and they have children, we are not able to get together, because we live all over the country.  Our youngest lives closest, so we usually go to their house for the holidays.  And we still go around the room to open gifts.

Gingerbread Rules!

By Rose

When my oldest son was in 3rd grade, the room mom led the kids in a Gingerbread House Decorating Party.  We thought it was so much fun, we’ve done it every year since. This year was our 16th annual party. I have several high school seniors who’ve made gingerbread houses with us since they were in kindergarden-and these are the football and baseball players! My niece is a cop and she brought half of  her squad with her on duty this year! (let the neighbors wonder! :0)
The party started out with just my kids and their friends. Then we added cousins and friends, then neighbors, then as the kids got older, we started adding our friends and their kids. We’re up to about 50 guests and 25 houses the last  few years. We start with graham cracker houses and cement frosting, then add everything we can find that works. A cheeto bit is the nose in a marshmallow snowman, black gum drop bits for his coal buttons and pretzel stick arms. Sugar cones coated in cement and rolled in green sugar for a Christmas tree with red hots for ornaments.
Pretzel logs for log cabins. Necco wafers for roof tiles. Two sprinkles on a starlight mint for the clock in the clock tower. Green gummy Army men for the fort. Pinto beans for the rock chimney. Shredded wheat for straw. Tic-tacs hang off the edge of the roof like icicle lights. A Rollo on top of a Tootsie roll for a coach lamp. Spearmint leaves on top of Tootsies for short trees. Powdered sugar through a sieve for a snow coating at the end!
My only rule is that everything has to be edible. I usually make some basic houses for first timers, and we give everyone an aluminum foil covered cardboard “yard” to work on. Have plenty of extra graham crackers on hand for those creative guests who make things like army forts, castles, space ships, etc. I have the recipe, diagram and directions on a PDF file and would love to share it if you want.

GINGERBREAD FOREVER!

Christmas with Grandparents
By Shari G.

When I was a little girl, on Christmas Eve we would go to my paternal grandmother’s house and open presents.  Since she was a widow, she would spend the night with us or with my uncle rotating each year.  We would take her with us over to my maternal grandparents and open gifts there.  That side of my family was large so there were 20+ kids running around and my grandmother would always have some gift for each of us.
When I turned 13, we moved 3 hours away and no longer went to grandparents on Christmas eve.  It wasn’t until I married my husband when I was 22 years old before we started having the Special Christmas Eve again.  We started going to my in-laws for Christmas eve dinner and gift opening.  Since we lived on the family ranch, our house was only about 100 yards behind their house.  Starting about 4 AM my mother in law would watch out her back window for our kitchen light to come on to know she and my father-in-law can come down to see the kids excitement over what Santa brought them.  Because I knew how much this meant to them, I never allowed the kids out of the room until they were down there (although I am sure when they got older, they would sneak a peek while we were still sleeping).
Then either my parents and brother would come to my house for Christmas dinner or we would go to my parents.
Now my kids are all grown and have families of their own.  My youngest son and his wife would always let Santa come here for their little Emma since their apartment wasn’t big and they knew how much I loved to see the excitement in her eyes.  We would all go Christmas eve too my in-laws or I would have it here, Emma would spend the night and my son and his wife would get up early before she would wake up to come over.  It was wonderful.  My older son and his family do Christmas eve with us either here or at my in-laws and we always have my parents join us and then they go to my daughter-in-law’s family for Christmas day.  My daughter and her husband makes a round to everyone’s on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Last year, our Christmas has changed.  My youngest son was killed in a car accident June 12, 2010 and so his daughter and wife moved back to his wife’s hometown and I no longer get Santa to come here.  They do come over for Christmas Eve and then over to my parents for Christmas dinner and I am thankful for that.
Our traditions are changing as the family grows and changes but one thing is constant, the love and excitement of the holiday season which is the best tradition of all.

Singing Christmas Tree
By Lori

One of the churches in town started doing a singing Christmas tree back in the early ’80′s. We used to go with my mom. After she passed away, I continued the tradition with my nieces and nephews. A few of them have stopped coming with us, but there are still more than a dozen of us that go – it now includes great nieces and nephews.

Carrot Crumbs in the Bedroom!
By Mariann

Now for some of the Christmas traditions and scenarios I set up with my own children…

I often thought about all the questions that pop up when kids see the different store Santas??? gifts with price tags from Macy’s on them??? etc…
So, when I explained Christmas to my own children, I let them know the facts
1. There is only 1 real Santa and he is the spirit of Christmas loving, caring, giving and joy. Of course he’s busy at Christmas time and can’t get around. But, there are Certified Santa’s whom he allows to work in his name at the stores, so that many, many children can get to see what he looks like, and enjoy his presence in the parades and at parties. They are his representatives and  pass on everything said to him. So, he knows what you say. He is magical so he knows quite a bit more without you telling him, but it helps to be direct.
2. He works with parents who pay part of the bill to provide gifts for their families and contribute to those who don’t have enough. The parents provide him with advice for their own families. That’s why you might get a Barbie and one outfit that you parents can afford. Your friend might get the real life $1000 Barbie BMW and her whole set of friends!! (If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?) Your parents help decide what’s appropriate for you and your circumstances.
3. The toy shops in the North Pole make so many toys, but mostly handmade ones. The toy manufacturers also make toys that Santa can buy. Stores like Macy’s, Longs Drugstore, etc. open in the middle of the night if Santa wants to shop to add to his collections. He pays and also buys their wrappings, just like parents do. So the wrap may be the same as at home.
4. Of course the reindeer bring him all over…time is different on Christmas Eve so he can get to everyone. Children provide cookies and milk since it is such a LOOOOONG trip for him. Our family decided to provide carrots so he doesn’t get sugar shock and he can share with the reindeer. Oddly, each year, the reindeer seem to come upstairs of our house, probably to see what sleeping children look like and they always seem to drop carrot crumbs in the bedrooms. You can be sure they were there!
5. Santa is VERY happy if you decide to share one of your toys with someone who doesn’t have as much – that’s the true Christmas Spirit.
Now as the children age and started questioning Santa…the answer is always the same – Santa is the spirit of Christmas and that is always true, you can see it everywhere. Besides, if you don’t choose to believe – well, it seems he stops bringing presents to you as to not offend. But Mommy and Daddy will always believe!

By Kelley P.

When my three children were small, I wanted them to have something to carry though life with them long after I was gone. So, I decided I would get them each a new ornament every year. By the time they were young adults ready to move on their own, they would have enough ornaments to start their own tree.
Those years were very, very lean, I can tell you. We lived in income based housing and never had two nickels to rub together but those kids always had their ornaments as one of their gifts on Christmas morning. Some where home made, not the greatest either, some were store or craft show bought. When the morning came, they would leave their stockings until last to open. That is where the ornament always was.
Now, to this very year, the ornament is in their stockings and they each have their own home, their own tree and their family Christmas tradition.
I have now started it will my grandchildren. Hopefully they will grow to realize that the memories created by these ornaments is what the world is made of…love, giving, Christmas cheer and memories!

Sweet Traditions
By Dee Dee

My younger sister and I created a tradition that our children and grandchildren enjoy one way or another.  We start getting together just after Thanksgiving and start making our Christmas candy.  We do ‘painted’ molded chocolates, peanut butter balls, fudge, different flavors of crunch (peppermint, peach, toffee and/or lemon), and I usually do several kinds of cookies (peanut butter crunch and chocolate chip are done every year!) and sometimes nut rolls.  Some like to help make them and everyone likes to help eat them!  We make enough for family and to give as gifts.

Here is  a picture of a baby quilt with your applique baby font that I will give my niece who will have her baby in March, 2012.

My niece married 6 years, she and our whole family were expecting she will be pregnant. Thanks God, she will have her baby soon. Her mom was passed away many years ago, being her aunt, I was trying to make something special for her.
I love the pattern of baby font, both embroidery and quilting took me a lot time, I believe my niece will be happy with my gift that with the value of my love.

The Baby Alpha can be seen by clicking here.

Don’t know if this is helpful or not but it sure worked for me!
I live in Georgia where the humidity can get UNREAL.  Using WSS (water soluble stabilizer) is very challenging at times; ESPECIALLY when making Lace!
I was NOT having any fun until I got the idea to use plastic mesh screening (bridal tulle).  I hooped the heavy WSS on the bottom, the screening in the middle & a lightweight WSS on top.  The result:  NO MORE DRAMA.  No tearing, NO shifting & NO ugly flowers!!!.
I find this is also helpful when I’m too cheap to throw away the bits of fibrous WSS that are too small to hoop alone but too big to throw away.
A WSS sandwich with screening in the center works like a charm.  Once the WSS is out, fussy cut the edges & you have a GORGEOUS piece……..and it’s VERY durable.

Below:

BEFORE
Single Layer WSS
Double Layers WSS
Thread pulled WSS
Project tore

AFTER
Single Layer WSS 4x on bottom
Double Layers Bridal Tulle in the middle
Single Layer WSS on top

Threads are NOT pulled by WSS

If you have a friend or relative who uses a walker to get around, you can
make them a gift which they can use every day. This project uses both
the embroidery machine and the regular sewing machine. The size can
be adjusted to fit the particular walker, and you can choose the size of
pockets you add to meet the needs of the recipient.

Most of the caddy is made with a simple king-size pillowcase, plus a
couple of buttons. If you don’t have a pillowcase, you can use 1 yard of 45-
inch wide fabric.
Optional items, depending on the construction method you choose, would be a D-ring or hook-and-loop tape and ribbon.
Of course you also need the usual embroidery supplies (thread and stabilizer)
and sewing supplies (pin, thread, marking and measuring tools).
I used the design “ElegantLinenBorders_002” from the set Elegant Linen Borders
(find it here: http://www.designsbysick.com/details/elegantlinenborder)

Here’s one way to make a walker caddy.

CUTTING AND MEASURING

Lay your pillowcase flat. Find the closed end, then the edge with the seam.
Start your measuring from that point.
Measuring along the seam edge, make a mark 16 inches from the end.
Make a mark about 7 inches from the first, and a third mark 7 inches from
the second.
Measuring down from the closed end, make a mark about 12inches from
the seam side. Bring a line from that mark all the way down to meet a line
coming from the 3rd mark you made. Draw lines from the first and second
marks to meet the line you just drew. This 3 pieces will the body and front
and back pockets of the caddy. Each section will be 2 layers thick.

From the remaining fabric, cut 2 pieces 1.25 inches wide by 13 inches, and
2 pieces 1.25 by about 5 inches, and 2 pieces 1.25 by 2 inches. These will
be straps and button loops. (Try not to cut the pillow hem section. This can
be used for another project, coming up soon.)

on the inside. Stitch close to edge , starting at the short folded-in edge,
then along the long edge. Set aside for now. One the 4 shorter pieces, fold
under long edges by one-quarter inch,

then fold in half and
stitch.

Set these aside also.

Insert the top button loops.
The closed edge will go over the top rail of the walker.
Open this seam in two spots as follows: starting about 1 inch from each edge, open the seam for about 1 ½ inches.

Take the 2 5-inch button loop pieces, and fold them around the buttons you plan to use. Add about 1 inch to this measurement,

and cut the strips to this length.
Fold the loops in half, and insert into the open spots in the seam, with the raw
edges of the loops even with the raw edges of the fabric

Restitch the seam, using a half-inch seam allowance.

Make the pockets
Take one of the pocket pieces, and decide how many pockets you want to
make.
Mark one layer of the pocket with your stitching line,

and embroider your chosen design, centered on each pocket area, on a
single layer of fabric.
Fold the two sides of the pocket right sides together, and stitch the top seam with a ½ inch seam.
Turn the pocket.
Repeat for the other pocket.
I decided to add some decorative stitching to the back pocket, rather than a design. I took a strip of cut-away stabilizer, and put it on the top inside, next to the seam allowance.

I used one of the decorative stitches on my machine to stitch along the edge.

Assembly
Open side seam on the body piece, going up about 7 inches from the
bottom. On the right side of each body piece (single layer), place one
pocket piece, embroidery side up. Pin in place and machine baste the
edges, Stitch the lines to form your pockets,

(Author’s note: It was about this point in the construction process that
my four-legged fur-baby, Gypsy, decided she wanted to help.

(Gypsy in half, raw edges even with the pocket. )

Baste in place
On the other side edge, place one of the straps, raw edge even with the
pocket.
Baste in place.

Repeat at the bottom of the other pocket.

Stitch along the sides and bottom, leaving an opening for turning.
Make sure you do not catch the long ends of the straps in your seam.
You might want to reinforce the point where the loops and straps are attached, by
stitch back and forth over the area a few times.

(Sewing hint: To help make the corners sharper when the caddy is turned right side out, take a couple of stitches at an angle when you reach the corner.

Finishing up

Clip the corners of the caddy, to reduce bulk.
Turn the caddy right side out and press. Stitch the opening closed, either by hand or machine.
Place the caddy over the top rail of the walker and mark where the buttons should
go. (If you don’t have the walker available, fold down about 4 inches and
place the buttons under the loops at that point.)

To attach the caddy, place the top end over the top rail and button in place.
To fasten the bottom in place, place the strap around the leg of the walker,
through the loop, and tie off on itself.

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE
When you give the caddy to the recipient, warn them not to put very heavy
items in the pockets, or to overload them. Having the pockets too full can
make the walker easy to tip over, and a heavy walker can be more difficult
to move.

OTHER CONSTRUCTION OPTIONS
Use ribbon for the straps and loops, rather than fabric ties.
Use two straps and tie them together, rather than a loop and strap.
Attach hook-and-loop tape to the strap, and have it fasten to the bag..

Make the straps wider, and use buttons and buttonholes for the legs
fasteners.

Hi Rob, I told you I would send you a picture of the quilt I embroidered when I bought 20 spools of #843 thread. I didn’t need that many but it never hurts to have extra.
The quilt is a queen size and the color is a tone on tone. The quilt and pillow are made from crepe backed satin.
The DesignsBySick Polyester thread has such a satin look and finish to it that it was a beautiful match for my quilt. I love using your thread,  it is just so smooth running in my machine.

NOTE:  All Designs By SiCK Threads are ON SALE (50% OFF!!!) until Monday night (12/12/2011)!

I cut a slit in the side of the bag long enough to accommodate the width of the stabilizer and fed the end through the slit and TAADAA!  Neat and clean and contained.

With all of the interest in stitching on cards and the questions surrounding this technique:

• How is it done?
• What kind of designs should I use?
• I want to make cards for all occasions, what should I use?

Rhonda has created a set of designs JUST for stitching on card stock – so you can create your own cards and embellish them the way you want!
This set is sure to pique the interest of those embroiderers who have dabbled in scrapbooking and those scrapbookers who have an interest in embroidery!

So, read the tutorial and then raid your craft corner (or the arts and crafts of your children and grandchildren) and see what you can come up with !

Rhonda’s Do It Yourself Cards Design Set can be seen here.

Basic Instructions:
Step 1: Hoop a light tear-away stabilizer.
Cut a piece of card stock in half, then fold card in half again so that you will now have the front of the card.

Step 2: Mark the center of your stabilizer. Center the card stock in the center and tape down.

Step 3:
Stitch out the design. Remove from hoop and gently tear off the stabilizer being careful not to tug at the stitches.

Step 4: Mark the circle with a glass or any round object. Cut the center out of the card.
You can now embellish the card how ever you want to. You don’t have to cut out the center, that is your choice.

Happy Card Making, digitized by Rhonda for http://designsbysick.com

I would like to submit photos of a few of little cushion covers which I made for my Grandson.

I took the filler out as they photographed a lot better.

I used the Sunbonnet Mylar Boys embroidery designs from Designs by Sick and then played with them to end up with two little cushions for my Grandson, Barton.

On one I added a few ‘B’ things such as butterfly to the boys hat and a basket, bee etc.

I had fun and really loved the designs.

You can see the Mylar Boys Set by clicking here.
You can see all sets by Heidi by clicking here.

Marlene has created another calendar for us!  This time, her Hanukkah Calendar is center stage!

These quick to stitch designs follow the same instructions as the Advent Calender posted here:  Advent Calendar

With 10 designs (plus the pocket design) you can create different calendars.

You can download/purchase the set here.

I would like to submit photos of a few of little cushion covers which I made for my Grandson.

I took the filler out as they photographed a lot better.

I used the Sunbonnet Mylar Boys embroidery designs from Designs by Sick and then played with them to end up with two little cushions for my Grandson, Barton.

On one I added a few ‘B’ things such as butterfly to the boys hat and a basket, bee etc.

I had fun and really loved the designs.

You can see the Mylar Boys Set by clicking here.
You can see all sets by Heidi by clicking here.

I keep a dry erase board near my embroidery/quilting/sewing machines so I can write down the needle type in each machine as I work.  My brain is getting too old to remember from one day to the next……

My supersize sewing room storage project!
I read the article in your newsletter on sept 25th “Sharon’s Husband is Not For Sale or Rent” and it inspired my storage solution.
My embroidery area is really small. It is in my bedroom at the foot of my bed. I use an
old entertainment center and a plastic dresser with drawers. The dresser was perfect
it kept all my thread that I had in just the right size drawers. But as time went by the
plastic got weak and I had to pull up on the drawer above to pull out the drawer I wanted.

I have been looking for something to replace it for almost a year now. The problems I ran into were:

• too expensive
• not the right size to fit the space
• not the right size or number of drawers that I needed

After I saw the storage unit that Sharon’s husband made for her, I had my
“ah-ha” moment. My husband Jim had made us a DVD unit a few years ago so I know he could do what I needed. (I just had to butter him up)

I kept the plastic drawers from the old unit and designed the new unit around those.
Then added a few more shelves for more storage.

Here is a photo showing it just after he finished. My daughter, Jasmine is holding a
5’ ruler to show the scale of it. The total cost of the materials was less than $50.

Here is the unit in place and filled. It is so much easier to find what I want.
I can’t wait to get started on more embroidery projects.

(personally, I want to thank Jody for having the courage to show us pics  of the “before” – as not too many of us share that aspect of our lives with others.  I still think I saw the producers of “Hoarders” in our little town, asking for directions to my house! ~ rob)

Here’s my latest thought… I just knew there had to be another use for the tray the carry-out sushi came in.  My bobbins fit perfectly, and the snap-on lid keeps them in place.  One less item for the landfill.

You go online and browse through the array of sites offered by http://www.DesignsBySiCK.com

You have:
1. Forums where you can confess your embroidery addiction or introduce yourself
2. Forum albums to see projects by other members
3. Stitch chat is a great place to meet and greet other DBS members
4. Chat on DBS – live chat with your fellow embroidery buddies
http://www.stitchchat.com/
5. Yahoo group is where you get daily messages and notifications. (This is my favorite!)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SiCKDesigns/?yguid=248406911
6. Facebook fan page to post pictures of completed work, get freebies and show your
support!
http://www.facebook.com/DesignsBySiCK
7. Face book embroidery application to get for your SmartPhone!
8. Thread chart information, colors, choices, and so on. (http://www.threadchart.info)
9. Hourly hunt for the free design. This changes every hour.
10. Find the hourly dollar page and buy some designs on the cheap!
11. Review the most popular designs. (I just checked, I have them all hmm… must be more
to do ..)
12. Review products sold on the website. I bought the thread pack a while back. Check out
solar thread ideas and stabilizers.
13. Got a stabilizer question? See the stabilizer guru on the forums!
http://www.embroideryforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/46-Ask-the-Stabilizer-Guru
14. Browse through the Articles, Tips and Customer projects on the website!  Decide which of the projects you have created using a designs from Designs By SiCK you can  photograph and send to Rob and receive a set of your choosing if it is published!
15. Finally, browse designs!

(St. Lucia Day)

Do you have one which you have continued from your childhood and continued with your own children?
Did you discover a new one on your own and make that a part of your holiday celebration each year?
Were you so excited to learn a new one from a friend or in a book  – you made it your very own?
We want to hear about them!  As always, winners will be published and receive a set of their choosing.

Now for mine – Each year since the very first Christmas with the very first baby, my husband (known to most of you as the Big Biker Dude) has read “The Night Before Christmas” to our children on Christmas Eve.

As the children got older, Dad would make up some silliness in the middle of the story to the delight them and make them smile.  Once he even “rapped” the story to the children.

The kids, now past their teen years still love to gather around dad and listen as he reads – only now the oldest (who flies in from Los Angeles where he works as a writer/director/editor) develops a newer, more up-to-date version of the story for Dad to read. No one can keep a straight face as he reads about the trials and tribulations of Santa who experiences technical problems with his high-tech sleigh and how he manages to pull off the night’s events in the long run.

The story seems to grow with the family and has become more about the love and closeness of family rather than the ribbons and festivities.

YOUR TURN!!!

Please EMAIL them to me – rob AT designsbysick DOT com

Subject: Christmas Challenge 2011

Re-purposing this give-away blanket was easy.

I just embroidered over the existing embroidering and

Viola!

A lap blanket donation.

Lucinda used design #4 from the Tropical Fish set.

You can see the Tropical Fish set here.
This set was created by Corky – you can see all of his sets by clicking here.

There is something for everyone!

You can use these as Candy Cane Toppers, Pencil or Straw Toppers, or Finger Puppets!

These Candy Cane Covers use the same directions as the Halloween Pencil/Straw Toppers and you can see the instructions here.

The Halloween Pencil/Straw Toppers instructions have been included in each set of the Candy Cane Toppers.

Marlene used a miniature pom pom for the hats.

In the quilt pictured, there’s a long story there… I have been sewing for about 40 years now. My lovely grandmother taught me on her old treadle machine when I was little. I made doll clothes and little blankies or my stuffed animals when I was about 5. I never let her church clothing scraps go to waste!! I did not try quilting until later in life, I was afraid. Why? I’m a perfectionist. I was afraid I’d never ever finish a quilt, because I’d be too fussy with it, always “fixing” something.

So one day on a personal challenge, I dared myself to prove I could do it, knowing nothing. Its just math, right? So I used my math knowledge and started to make a quilt. I knew nothing about 1/4 inch seams. I knew nothing about the 7/8ths rule for HSTs (half square triangles). I knew nothing at all about quilting, yet I designed that first nightmare on point ~ WHAT was I thinking?!?

Needless to say, while it did not turn out too bad, it is totally yuk compared to what I create now. So that original “top” sat on my shelf, staring back at me, saying “ha ha” for years.
My husband caught me trying to throw it away one day. “Oh, NO you don’t!” he said. If I didn’t want it, HE did. So again it sat. Then I saw it last week, and as a personal joke, I finished it (LOL “I’ll make him eat those words!” I thought).

Needless to say, that horrid math-lets-make-a-quilt-oh-my-this-is-terribly-bad quilt is now on his recliner, and he and my kids love it to death. Ewwww.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BINDING TOOL INSTRUCTIONS:

Items needed:
Small link chain, or 18-20 inch necklace or length of yarn
4-inch section of tubing* (or a toilet paper tube works in a pinch!)
Scotch tape
length of binding for your quilt
quilt
(ha ha ~ don’t forget the sewing machine and thread and and and LOL)

* I save the remaining core of larger spools of threads, the ones that don’t have a lip on them, and the cardboard core of tulle spools work great too!

1. Make your quilt top as usual, sandwich, and quilt your pretties…

2. Measure your binding as you normally would, and create your length. Iron all 45-degree seams nice and neatly. (I always fold in half and check against my quilt before rolling to save frustration later of having to add one more strip).

3. Roll your binding neatly and uniformly, RSO (right-side facing out) on your tube. You can just put a small piece of Scotch tape on the end to secure it to your tube)

4. Thread your chain / yarn thru the hole of the tube to make a “necklace”.

5. Put your necklace on with the flap rolling out the UNDERSIDE. This will feed your binding onto your quilt edge RSD (right side down). Start sewing 9-12 inches from the edge, so you can miter that last edge once you’re sewn all the way around your quilt. The binding will AUTO FEED as you need it!

6.  Smile because you didn’t have a pile of strips at your feet that could get caught under your chair wheels, or stepped on while sewing!

7.  Fold over binding and hand-stitch to backside, and voila, you’re done!

~~~~~~~~~~~
TIME / SANITY SAVING TIP:

FYI: for a “fatter” binding (I like a meaty wider binding than normal), I use this little trick:
1. figure out how fat to make front edge of binding
2. apply scotch tape “flap” onto right edge of foot for a visual marker

3. don’t forget to measure that width, then multiple x4 and add 1/8 inch ~ to make your bulky binding the right size!

Here’s what the foot looks like:

****  Check out the “prize” my daughter won at the quilting retreat we attended in September – A BINDING BUDDY!  Just add “string”!!!  (she read the article and said, “You know, Mom, I won one of those at the Retreat!”

Every Sunday, you receive this Newsletter. It is a wonderful combination of instruction and inspiration. It draws your attention to a few  of the many sets available at Designs by SiCK, and some of the ways they can be used. You may have even  thought to yourself, “I could never contribute something like that!”

Well, here is another how-to article. . .  on writing a “how-to” article.

Everyone has their own style of writing, and their own method of developing an article. What works for me may not work for you. That’s fine. With a little practice you will discover what does work for you. Then you can contribute articles and see your name on computer screens around the world.

Here are things to think about as you write your article:

• What are you giving instructions for? A description of the item or technique will help your readers know what to expect.
• What supplies are needed? Include a list of what goes into the project. Include measurements if they are important to the size of the finished item. Mention any special points to be aware of, like fabric weights to use, or to avoid.
• What steps need to be followed? Do they need to be done in a particular order? Give a description of each step, going into detail if needed. Doing a straight seam is likely to need less specifics than inserting a zipper, for example.
• Keep your instructions to the point. Break down the process into bite-size chunks, and give each portion the space it needs. Having too many steps in one paragraph can be hard to follow, especially if the technique is new or unfamiliar.
• Try to include pictures. Some people learn by reading, others need to see illustrations. A good tutorial article includes both.
• Give credit where it is due. If your project is inspired by something you saw somewhere else, say so. If the pattern is your own creation, don’t be afraid to say that, too.
• When you are finished writing, proof-read your article. While the built-in spell checkers in today’s word processing programs are great, they do have limits.  For example, if you use “sight” instead of “site” when talking about a location on the Internet, your program may not pick up on the error.
• As a final step, you might want to have someone else read your article and see if they understand the steps. This can make you aware of anything which is not clear, or if your phrasing can be improved.

It’s my turn to give credit to someone else, now. As I was sitting trying to think of a topic for an article to share with all of you,  my friend Kat said ”I like the way you give instructions. Why not write something on how you come up with an article?” This article is the result. Thank you, Kat!

(Note from Rob – please do not worry if English is not your first language or your grammatical skills are not the best.  Your talent as a crafter/embroiderer/quilter, etc far outweighs the need for perfect grammar!  Use SewMagical’s tips to make sure you include the important steps in writing your tutorial or article, but do not hesitate to share your talents because you are shy!  And, everything is proofread before it goes online – so – NO WORRIES!
Additionally, you can see other “Guidelines” for writing articles by clicking here.
Remember – we want to see your projects, read your tips and see what ideas you have!)

This quilt was made to be auctioned at a Cancer Awareness benefit.  In each block the ribbons are a different color that represents a different type of cancer.  The log cabin fabric colors also match the ribbon colors.  The purple represents cancer awareness.

I only started to quilt one year ago.  I love the effect embroidery makes on a quilt.

You can see the Breast Cancer Awareness designs by clicking here.

I have a tip for you.
Any time that you make a design where you will be using WSS (water soluble stabilizer) then why not add a tiny charm design to your hoop?
That way you waste less and you can always use a charm to add alongside a ribbon when you give a gift! It makes a very pretty addition to your gift package and it never hurts to have an extra little something around when you unexpected need a gift!

This is a most unique set Rhonda has created!

While it is only ONE ladybug (drawn by Rhonda) – she has created 11 different ways it can be stitched:

1 applique (3.24″ x 2.43″)   – perfect for stitching on anything (shirts, towels, onesies)
1 small applique (1.91″x 1.49″)  – perfect for socks, doll clothes, baby items)
1 filled  (2.88″ x 2.04″)
1 small filled (1.35″ x 1.91″)
1 FSL bead (1.15″ x 1.07″) you can lace these together with ribbon to become bracelets – or lace on elastic for a baby headband, they would even look great on ribbon around a lampshade!

5 FSL bead in 1  – stitch 5 beads out at once to shorten your stitching time
1 fsl motif  (1.15″ x 0.8″)  – glue these on earrings, shoelaces, barrettes
These tiny little FSL patches would look so cute glued to phones, shoelaces, anywhere a ladybug might want to be!
5  FSL motifs in 1 stitch 5 motifs at one time
1 FSL charm (1.35″x 1.80″) add to bracelets, necklaces, or add to hoop earrings
5 FSL charms in 1  – stitch 5 charms out at once
1 FSL medallion (3.52″ x 2.56″)  – the medallion is done in red tulle – it can be used as a necklace, an ornament, etc

Instructions
Colors 1 – 4 can be done in the same color

1. outline stitch
remove hoop from machine and place material over applique area
2. tack down stitch
remove hoop from machine and carefully cut around applique area
3. zigzag tack down
4. black, head, body, dots
5. red satin stitch around wings or applique area.

Ladybug Bead
Free Standing Lace Design
use stabilizer for free standing lace
Bobbin thread should match Top thread

1. black, body
2. red, wings
3. black dots

Ladybug Bead5
this is a group of 5 beads in 1 hoop.
stitch as for Ladybug Bead

Ladybug Charm
stitch as for ladybug bead

Ladybug Charm5
this is a group of 5 charms in 1 hoop
stitch as for ladybug bead

Ladybug md
(filled design for fabric)
1. red
2. black

Ladybug Medallion

stabilizer: opaque wash away for Free Standing Lace.

1. black with black bobbin thread
head, top loop and bottom black.

2. red thread and red bobbin thread until otherwise noted.

Outline stitch for applique
remove hoop from machine and place applique material over area.

I used 4 layers of red tulle for the example.

3. tack down stitch
remove from hoop and carefully trim around the applique area.

4. tack down stitch
5. tack down stitch
6. stitches to secure and strengthen and satin border stitch

7. black thread and black bobbin thread
black dots on applique area.

Ladybug Motif
these can be glued on to anything like a mini patch.
stitch as for Ladybug Bead

Ladybug Motif5
this is a group of 5 motifs in 1 hoop
stitch as for ladybug bead

Ladybug sm
filled design for fabric
1. red
2. black

Can you think of more ways to use these Ladybugs?

We want to hear!

You can see the set here.

Hand towels I made for my beach themed bathroom!
I just love the Jacobean designs.

Lucinda used designs from Jacobean Sea Friends by Bonnie – you can see the set here.
You can see all sets by Bonnie here.

STOP!  Don’t buy those sticky tags for your Christmas gifts!!  Rhonda has created a wonderful way for you to personalize each gift this holiday season! I can see piles of gifts sporting these beautiful new Christmas Tags this year!  At the bottom of this article, Rhonda gives more ideas on how to use these wonderful tags!

Instructions

Every design will follow the same colors and directions

Hoop a tear-away stabilizer

With a glue stick, place a piece of your main fabric choice over the design area.

1. dark color for letter
2. light color for letter
3. green holly leaves
4. red holly berries

The rest of the colors can be all done in the same thread color. The color changes are just for machine stops.

5. outline stitch for tag.

Remove hoop from machine and glue another piece of fabric to back side of hoop covering the stitch line

6. tack down stitch

Remove hoop from machine and cut around the outside of the stitch line. This will be done for both sides of the embroidery.

7. Zig zag tack down stitch

8. Marking stitch for back piece.

9. Outline stitch for tag hole

Remove hoop from machine and place a piece of clear plastic, or a folded piece of fabric over stitch line. pin in place being careful to keep pin away from stitch line, or you can tape it down with regular tape.

Carefully cut out the inside of the hole area.
Return hoop to machine

10. Tack down stitch for back piece.

Remove hoop from machine and cut around the 3 sides of the back piece.

11. zig zag stitch around tag hole

When doing the Satin Stitch outline, the bobbin thread should match the top thread.

12. Satin stitch around tag and tag hole

Remove from hoop.

Ideas:

The back pocket can be used for a gift card or when using clear plastic, a To: From: card can be placed inside.

You can omit trimming and when finished, use decorative scissors to cut around the design.

To see/download/order the ITH Christmas Tag Alpha set, please click here.

When I make FSL (free standing lace), I like it to ‘SPARKLE’.
I do not ever throw away a scrap of the stabilizer.  When I get ready to melt away the stabilizer, I use a glass bowl, put extra stabilizer scraps in the water, then I add some Ultra Fine Glitter.  You can get it at any craft store.
It adds sparkle to all your FSL.
You can also paint it on. If you are a non-believer, you can take a small amount of permanent fabric glue and add a little of extra stabilizer water, and paint it on any fabric that you want to sparkle.  It is great for Christmas tree trimming that you have had for 50 years and looks a bit frazzled.  They will be better than when they were new.
The key is Ultra Fine Glitter.
Children love to make things SPARKLE.
Have fun!!

Hand towels I made for my beach themed bathroom!
I just love the Jacobean designs.

Lucinda used designs from Jacobean Sea Friends by Bonnie – you can see the set here.
You can see all sets by Bonnie here.

While we are part of an on-line community of embroiderers and needle-crafters, we may not have anyone living near us who shares our passion for this wonderful art. I’m pretty sure we all have times when we wish we could tell someone about the wonderful design we just stitched out (purchased from Designs By SiCK, of course!).  Or maybe we want to talk about the tension problem we are having (on the embroidery machine, not us, right?). But there is no one around us who would really understand when we complain about a bird’s nest.

Ah, ha! That’s where you are uninformed, my friends!

There is such a place, and you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your computer. Designs By SiCK has a sister site, called StitchChat, located at http://www.stitchchat.com/ You can even reach it by going to the menu bar at the top of any DBS page, finding the link that says “Socialize”, and clicking “Stitch Chat” on the drop-down menu. There is a weekly chat which takes place on-line each week on Monday evenings at 8 PM Eastern time, although the chat room is always available.

An on-line chat can be a great place to meet others who share your interests. You can often find help (or perhaps give it) with stitching related problems. You can share in others’ successes. Conversations in a chat room, just like in real life, will wander back and forth, and twine over and under each other. It can be a lot of fun, but, if you are not familiar with it, it can be intimidating at first.

So let’s learn how to use the chat room.

The first time you go to the Stitch Chat site, you will need to register with the site. This is a separate log-in from the one you use for the Designs by SiCK site, but is very easy to do, and it is free.

Once you have registered, the home page will look something like this:

On the right hand side, near the top, you will see your log-in name. Since I used my page for this picture, it says SewMagical.  On the top left, I marked a red circle (#1) around the notice about the chat. Even though the page says 10 PM Eastern, we have been meeting earlier, around 8 PM Eastern time. At the lower right hand corner, you will see another red circle (#2). This shows you how many folks are already in the chat room. To “enter” the room, just click on the bar where it says “Stitch Chat Chat”.

The chat window will open, and look like this:

There are 3 panes to the chat window. On the right side, you will see a list of everyone who is in the chat room with you.

The left side has 2 panes, one below the other. If you place your mouse cursor in the lower pane, you will be able to type what you want to “say”.

Once you hit the “Enter” key, your text will be sent and will appear in the upper pane

Other people in the room read your words, and respond in the same way. And guess what…you’re chatting!

I have always found the folks in chat rooms to be very understanding about things like grammar and fumble-fingered typists. It doesn’t matter if you make a mistake or two along the way…we’ve all done that!  If someone doesn’t understand what you are trying to say, they will ask.

So if you are feeling alone in your love of embroidery, or just want to meet some new, fun, interesting folks, come join our Monday night chats!

See you there!

My great-granddaughter is 3 and Halloween is turning into a wonderfully fun adventure for her.  She found an old Halloween vest that I made her grandmother about fifteen years ago from one of the craft panels.  Of course, it hung to the floor, but she wore it all day.  I couldn’t have her possibly tripping over that or looking less than perfect when she went out, so I looked through my stash and found another old craft panel that I had bought years ago because I loved the tiny pumpkin print that was part of it.  A little freezer paper (to make a pattern), some careful cutting and piecing, and of course a quick trip to Designs by Sick and now she has her very own Halloween vest.  The design set is named Pumpkin Friends and I used #4 and #9.
Spoiling great-granddaughter is so much fun!

You can see the Pumpkin Friends Set by clicking here.

I know that many of you do quilts and some of us are relatively new to this hobby as I most certainly am.
I have decided to have a go at an attic window cushion that the  single bed quilts can be folded into during the day time for our little  motor home.
To get the sections joined together you have to stop 1/4 inch from the end of the one block and  then place the next on to it.
NOW -  how could I get that vital 1/4 stop so my eyes can see it??????
With the wiring of cogs and the flashing of lights my brain cells started to work.  The little man in my head shouted out it was so easy to do.
So,  how is it done:
Take a sticky backed address label and using your quilting  template, you cut the label into 1/4 inch strips.
Next all you need do is stick one strip at the end of the pieces of fabric where you have to stop at 1/4 inch before the end.
With the labels being white,  I can see them easily and they will lift off with no problem at all.
Here is as promised, the completed  cushion showing the Designs By SiCK wild animals (from the Realistic Wildlife set)  in the attic window. I have had such fun creating this  first set of attic window blocks.
Now to go hunting for another set to  sew to show through the attic windows.

(The Realistic Wildlife set can be found by clicking here)

Once again Marlene has created a quick-to-stitch, in-the-hoop project for you!

These earrings are a little different than the other as they are NOT   Free Standing Lace.

Marlene uses a lightweight vinyl for stability in this project.

Supplies

• Clear water soluble stabilizer
• Very thin vinyl found in fabric stores (used for cover chairs, book cover etc.)
• Earring hooks and rings
• 6mm beads

Hoop 2 layers of clear water soluble stabilizer, stitch first color then cover with clear vinyl and stitch the rest.
Carefully tear off the vinyl.
Lightly spray or dampen the back of the design to remove the stabilizer. There is no need to soak the earring.
Stick a pin through the back of the holes and put the earring together as instructed in my Heart Earrings.  (You can see those instructions by clicking here. )
The beads or pearls are attached by threading matching thread through the tiny holes.

[editor's note:  I have no sense!  I cannot believe I forgot the link to the set...  <slapping forehead>  SORRY it is below!
huggers,
rob
editor]

HOOP EARRINGS ARE:   HERE
All sets by Marlene are:  HERE

You can see the set here.
You can see all sets by Heidi by clicking here.

Have what you think is embroidery disaster?
I DID!!!
I purchased some new legging outfits for my new and beautiful granddaughter.
Somehow my machine started eating the fabric and it skewed everything out of place.  I thought it was ruined.
I painstakingly cut all the stitches loose, pulled them out and pouted.  I tried doing it again, but it just didn’t look good enough for my little angel to wear.
How to fix it?
I embroidered the same pattern on water soluble stabilizer, sewed it over top of the bad one with a bit of ruffled trim around the edge to cover up any remaining spots that might have looked picked.  And now it almost looks as good as the other one I did with butterflies.

SewMagical has delivered this wonderful project as promised!
I can see wonderful zippered sweatshirts wrapped as gifts in all shapes and sizes this holiday season!
Take a moment and start thinking…  children, adults, men, women, friends…
How about one for your dear friend who loves to garden and they are always outside in late fall and early spring preparing the soil?  Not cold enough for a jacket (plus they are bulky) – but a lighter weight sweatshirt, embellished with their favorite flowers would be wonderful!
Have a bird watcher in your family? There are more designs than you can stitch on this page:   http://www.designsbysick.com/search?firstword=bird
Think of the dog lovers in your life!  Sometimes when they walk their dog, it is just a bit too chilly for a sweater – and not quite cold enough for a jacket!  The designs found here will surely add to a homemade sweatshirt cardigan!
http://www.designsbysick.com/search?firstword=dog
The list goes on and on – cooks and bakers, those who like to grill outdoors when there is a nip in the air, something to wear when you watch your children or grandchildren playing sports or just at the park, how about the mechanic in your life (or his pint-sized sidekick) who might appreciate something more than the plain drab gray sweatshirt that has to be pulled on and off over his head?

I would love to see what you come up with!..  If you create one of these lovely sweatshirts using designs from Designs By SiCK – send a picture to me and you will receive a free set of your choosing!  I will have a special page for just these projects with a link from this article!  Email me and make sure you put “SWEATSHIRT PROJECT” in the subject line.  EMAIL:  Click here to email rob

Now – onto SewMagical’s awesome step-by-step instructions (After reading these, I even think *I* can make them!)

With the cooler weather arriving in my area, I like to wear cozy fleece sweatshirts. They are inexpensive, warm, durable, and can be found in many different colors. One thing I don’t like, though, is putting them on and taking them off. Pulling a sweatshirt over my head can mess up your hair or catch on those dangly pierced earrings. Ouch!

Rather than give up my sweatshirts, I came up with another solution: put a separating zipper in the front, and turn it into an easy-on, easy-off cardigan style.

There are 3 sections to the method I used.

1. First is applying a binding to the bottom replacing the knit hem.
2. Next is applying the separating zipper to the  center front.
3. Finally, the fun part of embellishing with machine embroidery and machine applique.

Here are the steps.
THE HEM
1.    Mark the center front of the shirt with tailor’s chalk. You can find the center by folding the shirt in half, matching the neckline edges or armhole seams.

2.    Make sure you use the right type and size of needle for the job. A ball-point needle is designed for knits, and will push the threads of the fabric aside, rather than piercing them.  A size 90/14 needle is suggested for fleece. This information is usually on the needle package.

3.    Place a row of machine basting stitches about ½ inch either side of your center line. Do the same thing around the hem, about one-half or 3/8 inch about the seam line where the ribbing joins the body of the shirt. These lines of stitching will help keep the shirt from stretching as you work with it.

4.    Carefully cut between the two lines up the front, and around the hem, between the seam and your stitching.

5.    I wanted a fairly wide band around the bottom, with a little bit of “body”.
I cut a strip of fabric about 4 inches wide, and long enough to go around the hem.
Fold this strip in half, right sides out, long sides together, and press.
Open the folded strip and press each raw edge to the center fold.
Press again.
Fold the strip in half, with the folded edges meeting, and press again.

6.    Start at one of the center front edges. Open out one side of the binding, and place the RIGHT side of the fabric against the WRONG side of the shirt. Have the raw edges even. Pin in place

Stitch along the fold line, which will be about 1 inch from the edge.

7.    Fold the binding strip up and over the raw edge. The folded edge of the binding will be on the right side of the shirt, covering the line of stitches.

Pin in place and top-stitch close to the folded edge. If needed, trim the ends of the binding to be even with the center opening edges. This finishes the bottom hem.

THE ZIPPER
8.    The band on the center front edge is a strip about 2 and one-quarter-inch wide. Fold under on long edge 1/2 inch, then 1/2 inch again.
Press and, if desired, stitch in place. (I stitched mine).
Pin to the center front edge, with the  WRONG side of the fabric against the RIGHT side of the shirt. You can baste the edge if you like, or just leave it pinned.
At the hem, fold under the edge of the band to give a neat finish.

9.     Prepare the strip for the inside facing by taking a piece of fabric about 1 3/4 inches wide.
On one long edge, press under about ½ inch.

Starting at the hem, pin one side of your separating zipper face down, with the edge of the zipper tape meeting the center front edge.

Pin the facing strip face down over the zipper. Your front edge now has several layers.

Starting from the bottom up, you should have:

• Your shirt, face up
• The front band, face up
• The zipper, face down,
• The facing strip, face down.

10.    Using a zipper foot, stitch through all layers about one-half-inch from the edge  moving the zipper slider if needed.

11.    Put the shirt WRONG side up. Open out the front band, so it does not get caught. Stitch alongside the zipper teeth, through the facing and the shirt, enclosing the seam allowance.

Now, fold the front band back into place, and top-stitch from the front.
Using this method, there is only one line of stitching showing on the front, unless you stitched down the hem of the band (as mentioned in Step 8 above.)

12.    Getting the two halves of a separating zipper to line up can be tricky, but I think this method will make it a little easier. Start by preparing the front band and facing strip as above (Steps 8 and 9), and attach the front band to the center front edge.

13.    Join the two sides of the zipper.

14.    Place the RIGHT side of the zipper tape against the RIGHT side of the center front edge, matching the two sides of the jacket at the hemline, and pin in place.

Now you can (carefully!) undo the zipper, and pin the facing stip to the zipper edge.

Follow Steps 9, 10 and 11 to finish attaching the zipper.

15.    Sew down each side of the front band to fasten it in place. This will also catch the facing underneath.

16.    Tuck in the ends at the neck and hem to give a neat finished look, and stitch by hand or machine.

EMBELLISHING
17.    Since a sweatshirt stretches, I did not want to do a heavy, dense design. I decided to use machine applique and redwork to decorate21.j my shirt. I chose Applique Leaves (http://www.designsbysick.com/details/appliqueleaves) and  RW Fall Leaves (http://www.designsbysick.com/details/rwfallleaves) since both sets would coordinate nicely with my binding fabric.

18.    The Applique Leaves, I soon realized, were a little too big for my embroidery field.

I used my machine’s software to reduce the size.

19.    Once I had the design the right size, I was ready to start my stitching. I hooped some cut-away stablizer. (Using tear-away stabilzer on a knit fabric would allow the design to shift as soon as the hoop would be removed.). I used a small amount of temporary spray adhesive to attach my shirt to the hoop.

20.    The first color in an applique design is the placement line. This shows you where to place your applique fabric.

21.    The machine stops to allow you to place your fabric. Make sure your piece covers the entire area of the placement line, without any gaps or missing areas, like here.

22.    The next color is the fabric tack down line. This holds the fabric in place. If you want, you can use some more temporary spray adhesive to make sure your embellishment fabric stays nice and smooth.

23.    When the machine stops again, remove the hoop from the machine, but do not remove the shirt from the hoop. That is important, so I’m going to repeat that: DO NOT REMOVE YOUR SHIRT FROM THE HOOP!!

24.    Carefully trim the excess fabric away, close to the tackdown line. Use a sharp scissors with fine points, and work slowly and carefully.

25.    Place the hoop back on the machine, and stitch the vein details

the stem

and finally, the satin stitch border

Take the hoop off the machine, and remove your shirt. On the back, trim away any excess stabilizer

26.    Repeat these steps for each applique design you are using. I used 3 different leaves, and place some of the redwork designs (which don’t show well in this picture) between the bolder designs.

27.    Wear your finished project

and enjoy the looks of amazement when you tell people “Yes, I did this myself.”

Other design variations:
You don’t have to use a zipper. There are lots of other closure methods you can use
(see http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/closing-up/ for some ideas).

If you don’t want ribbing on the cuffs, you can use the same method used here on the hem. Mark how long you want the sleeves, and do your stitching at that point, cutting off the ribbing and the excess sleeve fabric.

Remember that you don’t have to use the applique designs as applique! Just leave out the fabric to give the same pattern a new look.

***  For a PDF file of this project, please click here:     Just Zip It 10 23 2011

You can see/purchase the set by clicking here.

SUPPLIES:

• Flannel or Cotton(cut to 8×10 for the 150x240mm(6×9) hoop & 10×12 for the 200x260mm(10×12)
• Thread of your choice
• Tear Away Stabilizer or starched muslin
• Air Soluble Marker

When I used tear away I removed the stabilizer from the bib then I marked and trimmed it as in directions below.  When using the muslin I didn’t trim it away before cutting.  I cut it and ragged it with the rest of the bib.  I like both ways so it is up to you as what you prefer.

CC – means color change

1 – Hoop stabilizer or muslin.  Place hoop on machine and and stitch first CC this is a placement stitch.

2 – Center fabric over placement and stitch tack down.

3 – Then go on to stitch design.   Once design is finished, remove hoop and using masking tape, tape fabric in place on bottom of hoop with right side facing up or you can use temp spray or just slide fabric under hoop with right side facing down.  Whatever way works best for you.

4 – Stitch 2nd to last CC (this will tack back in place).  Next stitch last CC, this is the decorative stitching around the bib.  Remove bib from hoop and remove tear away stabilizer from in-between the front & back fabric as pictured.  The stabilizer will not rag so it must be totally remove from the area.

5 – Lay bib out and using an air soluble marker, mark about 1/2” away from decorative stitching all around bib.  Then trim on this line.

6 – Next rag your bib buy clipping into the fabric close to the decorative stitching being careful not to clip the stitching.  I used my chenille brush to rough up and fray the edges, it works really well for this.

7 – Add a snap at the back of neck and you’re finished.  X-large bib (10×12) is about a
13 ½”  opening and the Large bib (6×9)is about 12-121/2” opening.  These are big enough for real babies not just stuffies and dolls.

I had purchased the Closet Dividers and had not yet had an opportunity to use them. I thought, “Well, this is not someone we are close to, but I would like him to look good when his gift is opened.” So, since we knew this was going to be a boy gift, I made blue gingham dividers and re-arranged the designs so that there were only “boy” things.

Just before his gift was opened, the mom-to-be opened a package of tiny hangers. She said, “Oh, this is perfect. I am such an organized person that I will get a lot of use from these.”  My husband is thinking, “If you liked this gift, you will LOVE mine.”

Sure enough, his gift was the absolute hit of the shower. I added a door hanger in blue gingham that said, “Sh-h-h-h  Baby is sleeping”  My husband – the hero – now thinks that I just might be about half smart….and it only took him 40 years to figure this out.

Debby used the Closet Dividers  – which can be seen by clicking here

Designs by SiCK has a different door hanger   – which can be seen by clicking here.

OK, folks. I know it’s only the middle of October, and Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yule are still roughly 9 weeks away.  I also know that some folks are already making (or have already made!) their holiday gifts. But I also know that some folks are sitting there, scratching their heads, thinking “Gee, I have a holiday  invitation. I want to make something really nice for the host/hostess. What can I make that will not only look nice, but be useful too?”

With that thought in mind, I’ve put together a list of gift ideas, using designs available here on Designs by Sick.

** Make a Freestanding Lace centerpiece and then embroider a set of napkins with a coordinating design. As an example, the 3D Christmas Bells design 7 (http://www.designsbysick.com/details/bell)
and the Christmas Ornament Lines design #6    (http://www.designsbysick.com/details/xmasorlines) would match up nicely.

**Help decorate the tree by making a set of FSL Ornaments http://www.designsbysick.com/details/rsfslornaments These would be great for homes with young kids/pets – no breakage or glass fragments to worry about.

**Made some Borderless Ornaments (http://www.designsbysick.com/details/borderlessornaments). Add a pin back to make a brooch.You can find pin backs in both sew-on and stick-on styles at your local craft store. You can also attach stick-on magnets to make refrigerator magnets.

**Make Napkin Rings http://www.designsbysick.com/details/fslnapkinrings, then attach a Borderless Ornament. To complete the set, make napkins with similar design. http://www.designsbysick.com/details/simpleborders

**Use design 03 from simple borders  http://www.designsbysick.com/details/simpleborders to make napkins, then use http://www.designsbysick.com/details/rosebowl or http://www.designsbysick.com/details/rosebowl2 to make a set.

**Use corner designs from  http://www.designsbysick.com/charts/jnrosebordersminiset to decorate napkins, then stitch border designs from the same set on fabric, and make napkin rings.

**Get a plain solid color mug from the dollar store, then use http://www.designsbysick.com/details/coffeearomas to make a Coffee cozy with mug mat. If you get a mug with a design on it, match that design to  make the mat.
For both of these ideas, you can include some tea bags or coffee singles to make the gift extra special.

**Sometimes it can be hard to make gifts for men. Why not decorate a sweatshirt to match his interests?. You could use cars (http://www.designsbysick.com/details/americanhotrods or  http://www.designsbysick.com/details/rwconvertibles) military (http://www.designsbysick.com/details/MilitarySilhouettes) or dogs (http://www.designsbysick.com/details/dogs, or http://www.designsbysick.com/details/malamuteshuskies as an example.

**Maybe you want to make a gift for kids for some quiet time. Try:  http://www.designsbysick.com/details/appliquetictactoe.

I hope these ideas will help you get started on your gift making. Go, sew, and make something wonderful. And by the way…..Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate!

[editor's note:  And - you can get a cup or glass of your favorite beverage and settle down to peruse the many, many ideas others have used in the Projects area of the website - their creativity never ceases to amaze me]  :

http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/category/projects/

Here you will find such ideas as a basketful of scrubbies
http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/basket-o-scrubbies/
A cover for an electronic book
http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/this-is-not-your-mommas-bookcover/
A quick and ease dog coat (with pattern!)
http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/quick-and-easy-dog-coat/
Photo Album cover
http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/photo-please/
Tissue box cover
http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/snow-globe-tissue-holder/
A Steering Wheel Cover
http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/got-ya-covered/
Bell Pull
http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/ring-my-bell/
A Homemade Book
http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/a-book-from-grandmother/
How a Kanji Design turned into a family affair!
http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/well-i-saw-the-neat-kanji-design-and/
A gift for Grieving Parents
http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/an-angel-never-forgotten/
Kanjii in the Kitchen

http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/kanji-designs-a-unique-use/

Storybook Quilt
http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/max-and-his-blanket/
Something from a beginner
http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/beginners-project-a-sweet-idea/

(Hint:  There is another puzzle coming soon!!!  This will be perfect for the small ones in your life!)

The same instructions are used for this set and you can read them here.
They are also included in each set.

“I USED POTHOLDER 10 FOR ME
I USED POTHOLDER 8 FOR MY HUSBAND”

~ Fernandez is known for his style of singing known as ranchera – which represents Old Mexico  – depicting the life of ranches and caballeros. You can read more about Vincente Fernandez by clicking here.

I have found a real rationalization for leaving my ironing board up all of the time in my sewing and embroidery studio!
The little darling baby bloomers are always so popular for embroidering on the “bum” of the bloomers.
Well, not only are they tiny, they are also gathered!  Very tough to put the stabilizer on and the template, too, for those who use them.
I found it SO much easier to stretch the baby bloomer over the small end of the ironing board.  It fits around it like a shower cap and allows me to attach the paper template I like to use onto a flat surface!
I use a light spray of 505 temporary spray on the back of the template.  I also use it for the tear away stabilizer that I tuck inside, while the bloomers are still stretched onto the ironing board end.
I’ve used pins, too, outside of the embroidery field.
I smooth it all out and pop it off of the board and take it to my machine.
I also use this technique for all of the totes and bags I do!
I do hope this tip helps someone else.

Halloween is approaching, and stars and magic wands are all over the stores. If you look up the word “magic” in a dictionary, you will find several meanings, as both noun and adjective.

Magic: (noun): an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source; something that seems to cast a spell; any extraordinary or mystical influence, charm, power, etc.; the art of producing illusions by sleight of hand (adjective): giving a feeling of enchantment.

So, by those definitions, an activity which can make one lose track of time, create items which are charming, or which create an illusion, is magic. I suggest, therefore, that all of us who sew and embroidery are magicians.

For many of us, needlecrafts (of whatever flavor) are a wondrous hobby, casting a spell over our imaginations and our creativity, where we can lose ourselves for hours, whether we are wandering through aisles of fabric, dreaming over pattern catalogs, or listening to the whirring noise of our sewing machines.

Charming? Just think of delicate little christening dresses, with white lace and smocking. Or a young girl’s holiday dress, of rich dark velvet and sparkling trims.

Illusion? That’s easy. Hide a small stain on a blouse with a bright embroidered patch. Make a garment designed to draw the eye away from a figure flaw. Or make a cover to fit a storage shelf, hiding from view the clutter it contains.

Yes, Sewing is magic. It inspires, transforms, and challenges me. I hope it does the same for you. And on our magic (World Wide) Web, we can share our magic together.

(be sure to watch for an upcoming article by SewMagical when she transforms an ordinary sweat shirt into a zippered cardigan!)

This is the case for my laptop.
I actually got the case at a thrift store for $2.50 but it  had big red letters on it that said NEW YORK TIMES. (not for me)
So, I had a pair of black slacks of my husband’s (who had recently passed away) and I embroidered the Mylar Butterflies on a piece of them, cut it to fit the case and glued it on.
It didn’t need brightening up (via the rick rack) but I had the purple trim and the purple rick rack covered up my not-so-perfect placement.
Viola!
I get a lot of compliments from whoever sees it.
My machine is a Babylock Elegante.

You can see the Mylar Butterflies set by clicking here.
Heidi created the Mylar Butterflies – you can see all sets by Heidi by clicking here.

One accessory I have seen a lot of lately are small purses that hang from the wrist. They are perfect for holding a few items when you need to run a quick errand like keys, your ID, and a little bid of cash or a credit card. An Internet search will turn up many ways to make these useful little bags. Here is my method. This pouch has a zipper closure with a centered placket and a contrast band at the bottom.

Supplies:

• Print fabric: 1 piece 6.5 inches by 6. 25 inches (for back and contrast strip)
• Print fabric: 1 piece 3 inches by 10 inches (for strap)
• Solid fabric, 1 piece 6.5 inches by 4.75 inches (for front)
• Zipper: 7 inch
• Embroidery design of your choice. Sample project made with design 03 from More Fun Shapes (http://www.designsbysick.com/details/morefunshapes)

How I Did It:

I started by stitching out my design on solid black fabric, then trimming it to the size listed above. Doing it this way made it easier to get the design in just the place I wanted. Trim any jump stitches, remove excess stabilizer, and press your design, if you want to.

SewMagical used a design from More Fun Shapes.  You can see the set by clicking here.

Pin the front and back together along the 6.5 inch edge.
Using a three-quarter inch seam allowance, stitch the edges in the following manner:

• Starting at the edge, sew for one inch with a normal length stitch (whatever setting you usually use on your machine).End with a lock-stitch or back stitch.
• Change to a basting stitch (the longest stitch length on your machine). Stitch for 4.5 inches. Change back to a normal length.
• Start with a lock-stitch, then stitch to edge of fabric (the remaining inch).

Place a pin in one layer of fabric at each of the places where you changed stitches. Use a seam ripper to rip a couple of stitches along the basing. This will make it easier to remove later.

Press the seam flat, then press it open.

Place the zipper face down on the seam. Center the teeth on the seam line. Make sure the top and bottom stops are not within the basted area, using the pins you placed earlier as guides.

Change to a zipper foot. Stitch down one size of the zipper tape.

Move the slider to the center of the zipper.

Starting at one end, stitch across the end of zipper, down length of zipper, and across other end. I recommend going back and forth across each end a couple of times. This will reinforce the opening. Try to have your stitches meet each end of the first line of stitching you did.

Carefully use a seam ripper to remove the basting stitches, revealing your zipper.

Trim the excess zipper from the end.

Stitch the other end of the front and back together, using a half-inch seam.. The fabric will not lie smooth, because the two pieces are different lengths.

To make the strap:
Fold the strap in half the long way, and press.

Open out and fold one long edge into the center and press.

Repeat for the other long edge.

Fold along the center crease and press again.

Stitch close along each edge.

Fold the bag in half, right sides together, with the zipper at the top.
Fold the strap in half with short edges together.
one edge, insert the strap with the raw edges of the strap and the pouch even.

Make sure the zipper is at least partly open before you stitch the side seams.
Stitch each side seam with a half-inch seam.
Back stitch over the strap a couple of times to reinforce it.
Make sure the strap is tucked in the pouch, well away from the seams, so it doesn’t get caught as you sew.

Trim the upper and lower corners.

Turn the bag right side out

and….

You’re done!

Marlene has created a sugar-free treat which will satisfy all of the little ghosts and gremlins, princes and princesses this Halloween!

These all fit the 4×4 Hoop

Supplies

• Felt
• Tear-away or permanent stabilizer

Instructions

1. Hoop fabric and tear-away or permanent stabilizer along with a piece of felt in a 4×4 hoop.
2. Stitch the entire design up to the final column stitch.
3. Take out of the machine and attach a small piece of felt under the hoop covering the design. Place the hoop back in and continue stitching out the design.
4. When finished, unhoop and trim close to the design.
5. There will be an opening at the bottom to insert the end of a pencil.
6. If you would like to use these as straw toppers, it’s best to insert a pencil or pen in the opening first to shape it for the straw.This will help prevent the top of the straw from bending when you put it into the topper.

I used white felt but you can use your imagination and use any color you thing would bring out the design.

You can make glue to stiffen up FSL items that become limp.
Add water soluble stabilizer to jar & add small amounts of water till the mixture is thin enough to paint or dip the FSL item. Just drip- dry or iron item with press cloth and Teflon sheet to dry the item.
Store unused mixture in sealed jar.

Several years ago, a friend came to me with a request. She needed to carry a rescue inhaler to treat her asthma, and needed a way to carry it that would keep it handy, yet not be obvious. Did I have any ideas for her? After thinking about it for a while, I came up with a pouch she could wear around her neck. It had a red flap, to make it easier to find in a hurry. Here is a picture of it:

That was a long time before I had my wonderful embroidery machine, of course. So I decided the idea needed updating. Now it is easier to make the finished product suitable for anyone: adults, teens, even children.

Here’s what you need to make a similar pouch for yourself.

• Fabric A, for pouch section
• Fabric B, for flap
• Cord or ribbon for neck strap
• Closure of your choice (for ideas, see the article here: http://www.designsbysick.com/articles/closing-up/

Step 1: Stitch your design. I used one from the Cool Dude Tattoos set, here: http://www.designsbysick.com/details/cooldudetatoo

Step 2: For my pouch, I trimmed the fabric to 3.5 inches wide by 8.5 inches long, with the embroidery placed near one short end. On the other short end, turn a small hem to the wrong side of the fabric, to give a finished edge. I usually fold under twice.

Step 3: Cut the fabric for  your flap. I cut a piece 3.5 inches wide by 7 inches long. Turn under one short end and stitch. This end you only need to fold under once.

Step 4: Stitch the pouch fabric to the flap fabric, with right sides together, at the raw edges.

Step 5. With right sides together, fold the turned over edges to meet each other at the seam. This picture has the edges slightly turned back, so you can see how the edges meet.

Step 6: Stitch along each long edge. Trim the corners.

Step 7: Turn the pouch and the flap right side out. Place your neck strap over the folded edge of the flap on the inside, and stitch in place.

Step 8: Fold the flap down over the pouch, and use your favorite  method to close it.

You now have a necklace pouch! You can adjust the size to fit your needs. Possible uses include: rescue inhalers, pill bottles, a small amount of emergency cash, or anything else you can come up with.

Enjoy!

My daughter just loves turtles and even says she is a turtle, so when I saw your adorable Springtime Turtles I knew what I had to do……Make a quilt of course.
I decided to use my Bernina embroidery Software as it has a quilt program within.  I could bring in each turtle (I put some echo stitches around each turtle prior to sending them to machine) auditioning its location on my block that I created also in the software then print out and sew with no surprises as I could see it on the computer before I made it and it looks even better.
There are two borders one 5cm black and then a 10cm dark blue around the outside plus I put a label on the back.
For the blue diamond blocks I went back to the computer and digitized the flower shape trying to keep it in a diamond shape and then hooped each and embroidered them in a matching thread. I am not a skilled free motion quilter though I love to practice so I did a free motion shape on the black border which also had extra batting just for fun.
My daughter has not seen this quilt yet as I decided it would make a special Christmas present.

[Note from Rob - All Sharon did was send in her tip.  I created the title just to ward off any battles over who gets to take her hubby home with them....  <grin>]

I read the article about thread storage “What Are You Doing With Your?” by Kathy and thought about my own thread storage.  I have some thread racks on the wall behind the closet door.  I have thread in wire drawer units. But the thread I use for embroidery is all nicely put in numerical order in thread boxes.  The problem was trying to find the spool I wanted.  I would lay them all out on the pool table, until I moved upstairs to a bedroom left after becoming empty nesters. Then I was putting them all over the guest room bed.  My cutting table is always set up for convenience sake but on the front side (to me), the table end was starting to sag.

My husband came up with the idea to build a unit to hold all those drawers and at the same time, give support to the table.

Since I usually pick my colors from a color chart which has the colors shades together, I can just pull out the appropriate drawer,

pull the spool I need, set it on the table end, and continue until I have all the thread for the project I am working on.  That led to another idea. I needed a bit of storage to put those long, short items used all the time in my sewing room….such as the 24 X 6 inch clear ruler, sleeve board, various scissors, etc.  I now have another small cabinet sized to fit just under the side of the table within easy reach.

He used a high grade plywood and I chose not to have them painted which made his job a bit easier.  He enjoys working with his hands when he can and more so when what he makes is used.

[Another note from Rob  - See? Now you know why I came up with this title!]

You can see the entire set of Halloween Blocks and Coasters by clicking here.
You can see all sets created By Rhonda  by clicking here.

How to make an ITH Coaster

General instructions: all of the designs for this set will follow the same instructions.
Supplies:

• 4 pieces 1 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ strip of material 5″ square for top fabric
• 5″ square of batting
• 5″ square for bottom fabric

These are 1 color designs, the color changes are just to make stops for the machine. You can use matching bobbin thread or color of choice. Only the last 2 color changes will be shown on the bottom of project.

Picture 1 #1 fabric stitch line remove hoop from machine, place material across stitch line over lapping 1/4″ with fabric laying across the majority of the design.
Picture 2 #2 tack down stitch remove hoop from machine and fold it over the line towards the edge, secure fabric with glue or tape (As shown in picture 3)
Picture 4 #3 decorative stitch, this stitch will make the piece look quilted.

#4 though #12 repeat these instructions for all 4 fabric pieces.

#13 is the design area

Picture 4 #14 outline stitch for back remove hoop from machine and turn over so you can now add materials to the underside of the hoop.
Picture 5 and Picture 6 Tape a layer of batting and then top of that, tape a layer of material. Return hoop to machine carefully not to dislodge the taped material under it.

#15 stitch tack down

#16 outline blanket stitch
Remove hoop from machine, remove project and with pinking shears, cut around the design area leaving a 1/4″  or so around the stitching.

While waiting for my 61 new Brother threads to arrive, I kept wondering where I was going to store them.  Then it came to me.  I have a silverware chest packed away that I am not using.  With a little remodeling it became the perfect lined box to put all my beautiful new threads in.  My old silver chest became my new treasure chest.

My very best friend who I have known since I was 3 years old had tried for 20 years to get pregnant.  After several IVF ( In Vitro Fertilization)  attempts, she finally got pregnant and had a beautiful daughter.  I am the ‘adopted’ godmother to this child and crocheted a Christening Gown and matching blanket, bonnet and booties. That was 22 years ago and I have switched to quilting by machine after too much crocheting and carpel tunnel problems.

Two years ago, this wonderful, miracle child got married and last year gave birth to a beautiful little girl.  My friend has now enjoyed the wonderful ‘full circle’ of parenthood that I have known for over 40 years!  Her granddaughter was born in December 2010—a very cold month – so I made my very first fleece quilt, using the rag edge method ( but because I was using fleece, I used a scalloped rotary cutter blade) and quilted the embroidered squares with my embroidery machine.  I used pink, blue and cream colored fleece squares on top and cream fleece on the back (no batting necessary) and three machine embroidery design packs by Lindee Goodall for the company she founded, Cactus Punch.  They were Snowah’s Ark , Angels, and a Quilting set.  I put my version of a birth announcement in the center with a heart surrounding the baby girl’s name, parents’ names and baby’s vital statistics.  I was reminded about the story of Noah’s Ark and the Promise the story conveys.  I wanted the baby’s mom  to realize that Angels will always watch over her much loved child.

My youngest daughter also was married the same year as my friend’s only child and a year later gave birth to a son, 8 weeks early but very healthy.  I made my grandson a quilted wall hanging out of Winnie the Pooh fabric and Winnie the Pooh Embroidered designs. Next came the Flannel and Fleece Turtle Story Quilt because they have a turtle and Max says good morning and good night to the turtle. I used two different turtle design sets from Designs by Sick for that quilt and some tips I learned from attending an Anita Goode Design Seminar using ribbon between the squares.

(You can about “Max and His Blanket” and see Claudia’s lovely turtle quilt by clicking here.)

Finally, my latest quilt for Max is a Primary Colored solid cotton backgrounds and  Winnie the Pooh alphabet and Piglet numbers quilt with a small printed backing that can be used for an “I Spy Game”. This was for his 1st Birthday.

Brother sells the Disney embroidery cards and if you look on their site, you can find the Winnie the Pooh alphab