Giveaway!

Have you noticed how quiet I’ve been for the past week? (Please don’t ruin my ego by saying no here.)  Well I’ve been busy having fun.

Christmas is coming, so I’ve made some of these


and because Christmas is a time for parties, I've done some of thesethen, because every home should have one, I’ve designed some of these






and, because it’s my birthday in January, I made myself one of these

I did all of these using some great software, called MyMemories Suite. This is called Digital Scrapbooking software, but, as I have found, it is so much more than that.  Apart from what I have shown here, you can also use it to make all sorts of great things like photo books (think what a fun way that would be to keep pictures of all your quilts) and you can print all these things as well as having them on your computer, so you could make loads of wonderful personalised gifts for people. I made all of the above with just what came in the original software, although there are loads of other kits you can buy on their website. I have spent a lot of time playing with this software, and have found it really is very easy to use.  I can see a lot more playing in my future!

I showed a banner at the top of this post that might have given you a clue about a giveaway,  so I expect you want to know what you have to do to win a copy of this great software don’t you? Well, the lovely people at MyMemories are offering my readers the chance to win a copy for yourself, and here’s how.  You can have up to four entries by doing the following:

1. visit MyMemories website and have a look round.  Then come back and tell me which kit you would use to make your Christmas cards this year;
2. become a follower on MyMemories’ blog and come back and tell me that you are;
3. follow MyMemories of Facebook and come back and tell me that you are;
4. follow MyMemories on Twitter and come back and tell me you’re doing that.

Now for the small print:
a. the giveaway will be open until Friday 7 December, when I will use Mr Random Generator to choose a winner.
b. it is open to anyone, wherever you live.
c. I must have a means of contacting you should you be the winner, so I’m sorry, but “no-reply” entries can not be accepted unless you include an email address.


 Because they're such great people, MyMemories want to make a special offer to any of you who don't win.  They are offering you a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!)  Just click here to start shopping, then enter the code STMMMS69824 when you get to the checkout.                  

Happy Thanksgiving

To all my American friends.

Calling Holly ...

... Holly you emailed me with a question about the Christmas QAL.  I have not been able to reply as you are a No-reply blogger, but the answer is that you could still join us next month, for the final QAL day, but please email me with any questions.

Everyone needs to watch my blog for a post in a week or so about the final Saturday as it will be a little different to the usual format.

Look what I've done ...

... remember I said on Saturday that I was going to have to make a pieced backing for my Crazy Christmas Trees quilt?  Well, here it is (sorry it needs ironing and I didn't smooth it out on the floor cos my knees didn't want to co-operate).

Since the backing wasn't large enough after I decided to add borders to the top, I had to stretch my backing fabric somehow.  I remembered seeing somewhere that there was a way of doing this by cutting the fabric on the diagonal (John Flynn has a formula for this), but I decided to be clever and insert a strip made up of left overs from the front.  I saw something similar done here, but I couldn't make the instructions work for me.  After an SOS phone call to Bilbo, I knew how to do it.  Thanks Bilbo for giving me the confidence to do something so far out of my usual comfort area. Next stage is to get Mr Fixit to set up Big Bertha, then I can get quilting on this and on my Festive Mystery quilt.

Christmas QAL - post 6

I thought I'd just let you know what I have in mind for next month's Christmas QAL day.  As it's the last one of 2012 I thought it would be fun to do something different.  I haven't thought it all through yet, but you will need photos of anything you have been working on during our Christmas parties, finished or not.  That's all I'm saying for now.

Thank you everyone for joining me this month, I hope you've enjoyed yourselves, and I'll look forward to seeing you all here again next month.

Christmas QAL - post 5

Fancy a bit of music?

I found this - possibly the catchiest, but most irritating piece of music ever made into a Christmas song.



Don't forget, the Linky if you are joining the party today can be found here.

Christmas QAL - post 4

There's always a quiz at Christmas isn't there?  Well, I don't want to disappoint you, so here it is:

1.   On which date is Epiphany celebrated in the traditional Western calendar?

2.   Who are the four ghosts in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol?

3.   What liqueur goes into making a 'snowball' cocktail?

4.   What is the English title of the carol written in 1818 by Austrian priest Josef Mohr originally called Stille Nacht?

5.   The Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway notably) tend to celebrate Christmas chiefly on which date?

6.   Which US state in 1907 was the last to declare Christmas a legal holiday?

7.   What is the popular name for little baked sausages wrapped in rashers of streaky bacon?

8.   Which of the Wise Men was said to have brought the gift of gold for the baby Jesus?

9. The 1954 movie White Christmas was the first to be made using what new Paramount film format?

10. Which river did George Washington cross on Christmas night in 1776 in the American Revolutionary War?

11. What changed in 1752 which caused England to have a White Christmas less frequently thereafter?

12. Traditional in Germany at Christmas, what sort of food is stollen?

13. How many gifts are given in total in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas?

14. The words "Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume breathes of life, of gathering gloom..." come from which Christmas carol?

15. Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean is a territory of which country?

16. Which diarist noted on 25th December 1662, "(Christmas Day). Had a pleasant walk to White Hall,      where I intended to have received the communion with the family, but I have come too late..."

17.  The USA's official National Christmas Tree is in which National Park?

18.  John Callcott Horsley designed what first commercial Christmas item in 1843?

19.  Which popular poem was alternatively known as A Visit from St Nicholas?

20. What animal is Snowball in George Orwell's book Animal Farm?

There's no prize for this, it's just for fun.  If you want the answers, I will post them on the blog tomorrow.

Christmas QAL - post 3

Sky have just started up 2 channels on TV which show just Christmas films, and you know what a sucker I am for Christmas, so I will not be doing any more machine sewing today as I'm about to make a coffee and sit with some hand-sewing.




Just in case you're short of some inspiration I've found a few free Christmas projects for you:

Quilts:
Candy Cane Stars
Christmas Ribbons

Wallhangings:
Jingle Bells
Christmas Star
Santa 
Dear Santa

Other things:
Table runner
Paper pieced Christmas Stocking block
Applique for sweatshirts, etc
Holiday Star ornament

The Linky is here for you to sign in if you're taking part.

Christmas QAL - post 2

Hello again everyone.  It's lunch time here in the UK, so I thought I'd just pop in and let you know what I'm doing.

Remember this?  It's my Crazy Christmas Trees quilt.  Last month I thought I'd finished it, as I decided not to put borders on, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised it needed them.  Now I am adding a narrow cream and then a wider red border, but that gives me a problem.  I had bought the backing already, and don't have enough for the enlarged version, so a pieced backing is what is in my future.  I've never done that before, so I am a bit nervous - no I'm not, I'm actually scared stiff.  Wish me luck.

The Linky to sign in is on the previous post, here, by the way.  I'll be back soon and come visit everyone to see what you're all doing.

Christmas QAL - post 1

Happy nearly-Christmas everybody.

I can hardly believe that it's already the middle of November and there's only one more Christmas QAL day after today.  I'm afraid you're stuck with me as your hostess today, as Janet, who had originally volunteered, had to change her plans.  Anyway, if you think you can cope with coming to the UK instead of a very remote bit of Canada, then please sign in below, and then we can get this party going.

Tomorrow is ...

The penultimate Christmas Quiltalong day.  Can you believe that it's mid-November already?  Anyway, I am the hostess for the day this month, so won't you come and join me in sewing up some Christmas tomorrow?

Word verification

I'm sorry, but I have had to turn on the word verification thingy, even though I hate it with a passion.  I am getting so many comments of the "buy this drug" type that I am fed up with it.  Hopefully, by doing this, "they" will leave me alone again, then I can switch it off.

Lone Star day - post 3

46 done and I'm bored with them and calling it a day.  If anyone ever hears me saying I'm going to add a border of stars to another quilt, please lock me up in a padded cell somewhere.

I am happy with what I've got done, although I had hoped to have finished them, got them sewn into border strips and added this border to my top.  But then, I have always been an optimist.

Lone Star Day- - post 2

20 done ....

a lot still to do.

Lone Star day

whoops, I was thinking it's Jayne's day to host, but it's not, it's mine.  So, without further ado, here is the Linky for you to join us.


I'm off to just put a casserole in the slow cooker, then I am going back to my machine to make 56 friendship star blocks for the borders of my quilt.