Cathedral Windows tote bag

I said I would make a Christmas tote bag and that I did.
Well this is one of the few I actually have in mind to make before the holidays..
This was not an easy bag to make and I actually had to finish it by hand since the thickness of it kept overloading my sewing machine engine and I broke off several needles.
A cathedral windows by nature is thick but making it into a bag had its challenges.
I could not box off the corners because I did not want to cut off the bottom cathedrals so the bag is not roomy but it is roomy enough to carry my school books.
I had to put the trim on by hand because it was too much thickness for my machine.
Overall I am pleased.
Though I felt that the handle should be a cathedral windows handle, I did not feel like cutting up more squares so I made a quilted handle like the ones I make for my other bags.

Day 1 of 25 days of Christmas

I have been working on these ornaments for the past few weeks for my daughter's first Christmas tree.
I even made some John Deere ones for her boyfriend.
Eileen gave me permission to post this tutorial so if you are interested click on her name for the link. They are definitely a lot of fun and I had to keep a few for our tree.

Advent swap received

My partner Shiree received the package I sent her. I can't believe how fast she got it. I sent it priority to New Zealand and she got it in less than a week. Now that was fast.
I forgot to take pictures because I really wanted her to get it in time and totally forgot about pics.
She was kind enough to post a pic so I could see everything wrapped up.
I am looking forward to receiving mine. Just 8 more days and all the advent swapper will be hopefully sharing their treats in blog world.
This swap was hosted by Fiona
I will be taking a blogging break until my package arrives so I can blog about the goodies I get. I will continue reading blogs though.
I have a few Christmas presents I need to get done so I do not have any new projects to share.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my cyber friends.

Giving Thanks

My daughter and I needed a Thanksgiving wall hanging.
I found this pattern in the "Heart to Art book called Acorn Hollow".
It was just a small mat size so I took it to school and enlarged it God Knows how big on my overhead projector. So it measures about 42x42.
You cannot see the stitchery in the center because of the bright light but it reads "Give Thanks".

Sewing Machine Cover #1

Margo posted a wonderful tutorial on sewing machine covers. Since I need three I figured I'd better get started. So I made one. It will not have the ties on the side because I failed to measure so it fits nicely without the ties. On the next two, I will measure.
I used a quilting design from Leah and I mixed it with a few swirls from Patsy Thompson designs.
Also, I tried a new technique from Diane where she uses a #60 sewing machine needle for silk and embroidery thread. I tried quilting with this new method on the sewing machine cover and I like it.

Some handquilting going on

Now that I am back into the grove of things with my school schedule and routine, I am back to quilting in the wee hours of the morning. It brings me so much pleasure just to relax before heading off to work.

Swaps received

Got home late last night and found these goodies in the mail.
The top is a handmade ornament and card from Tudy my partner for the ornament swap.
I love vintage ornaments and this one definitely fit the bill.
The bottom picture is from floribunda , my 4 seasons swap partner. What a surprise to receive such a lovely quilt to display. She also included a Santa stamp I can use in my classroom and some reindeer microwave grips which I put to use immediately.
Thank you both .