Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!

As promised, these are the two "funkins" that David carved. I think he did a great job!
Funkins are foam pumpkins you can purchase at the craft store. They don't rot and last forever! You use the battery operted tea lights in them.
           Frankenstein
    and the Haunted House

I'm looking forward to next year's pumpkin too. David is going to carve a dragon as next year is the year of the dragon!

May all your candy collectors be as sweet as the candy. ;)  David and I love to give candy to all the kiddo's and see their wonderful costumes. It's so fun!

Happy Halloween!
xx, shell

Friday, October 28, 2011

Where is she?

"Hannah, where's Mama been all week?"

"She's been helping her former boss Harrington. Lots of folks had damage from the hurricane and Mama is helping out with all the paperwork."

"Maybe we can help her and put some fabrics together for her new designs. You know she's gonna work hard all weekend trying to catch up"

"Is there anything pretty in that basket?"

"I've dug through all of these Hannah. I just can't put colors together like Mama does."

"Oh well, we'll just have to sit here and look cute till she get's back to work in Bunnyville."

xx, Harrington and Hannah

Monday, October 24, 2011

So Excited!

I'm thrilled that you are just as excited as me for the new BOM (bunnies of the month) "The Adventures of Harrington and Hannah" coming on January 15th! Thanks so much for all your feedback. We are going to have so much fun!

I spent the weekend and today working on the first pattern, putting wool colors together with floss colors and placing orders for everything so it will be here in time!

So yes! To answer your questions, I will have Valdani 3 strand floss kits, wool kits, fabric for the background, fusible web, needles, and of course, Bunny Scissors! Each block will contain, stitchery, wool applique and a patchwork border. Needless to say, I have a lot of work to do between now and then!

You can borrow this image or the one on my sidebar if you want to use it on your blog and help spread the word. Remember, the patterns will all be FREE!

Hugs to you and have a fun week!
Michelle, Harrington and Hannah

Friday, October 21, 2011

2012 Free BOM Theme

"So let me see if I understand this Harrington. Mama is designing her 2012 Free BOM for all her bloggy friends and she's decided on a theme. The new BOM is going to stand for "Buns of the Month" and it's going to be "The Adventures of Harrington and Hannah."
"Yep, that's right Hannah. Mama is so excited about this new project. It's going to have stitching, wool applique and patchwork! She's working on the designs now and say's it's going to be lots of fun! It's going to be fashioned in Mama's folk art style with colors her friends will love! It's going to be something totally different for her."
"So...does this mean we get a raise?"

Shell here. I can't wait to show you the new project! I would like to know if you prefer the patterns to come out on the 1st of the month or the 15th? Which is better for your schedule?

Happy Friday and have a fun weekend!
xx, shell, harrington and hannah

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

A Birthday Basket

This past weekend, I celebrated the birthday of my good friend, Marie. Her home was flooded during Hurricane Irene. She, her husband, and their two doggies have been living in a rental home while there house is being repaired. Marie loves to cook and I decided I wanted to put together a gift basket of goodies for her birthday.

First, I got this gorgeous linen tea towel from this really great shop called All-Tea-Towels. There were so many to choose from and the quality is fabulous! Hop over and visit them. I already have my eye on a few more for some friends.
Next I got a basket and lined it with the tea towel. I like to line baskets with things that are not only pretty, but can be used again.
I went to the store and got some yummy bread that she can bake at home and some fancy olive oil for dipping. Nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread to make you feel good.
Next I got her these fun heart shapped pasta cause I heart her. :) The colors were so pretty! I got a fancy sauce to go with the pasta.

Then, a bottle of my new favorite wine that my Marie adores too. Red blends are sooooooooo smooth.

I had some of these flowers laying around so I snipped them and added them to the basket for a little extra color. She can put them on the table while she and her husband enjoy their dinner. They're fake as ya know I can't grow stuff.
And viola'! One birthday basket for a special birthday girl. Happy Birthday Marie!


I got this tea towel too. Isn't it pretty? I'm keep'in this one for me since I have this thing for green right now. Fun!

xx, shell

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Peter and Peter the Pumpkin Eaters

Well, it's finally finished and hanging in my dining room! Woo Hoo!

Peter and Peter are Pumkin Eaters is my new Folk Art Fusion piece for Fall. It will be part of my trunk show that I take to teach workshops and give lectures on Folk Art Fusion. I knew I wanted to add the colorful border, but what I decided to do at the last minute was to hand stich the border with my Valdani Floss. I used the same colors for the hand stitching on the wool applique. The shelf was handmade in the USA by some sweet folks. I knew the minute I saw it that it was going to go in my dining room.


I really like how it flows with the Fall decorations in my living room. (ya know the decorator in me has to have things flow! hee,hee, hee).

David carved those pumpkins on the mantel. They are called "funkins" as they are made from foam and won't ever rot! Yippee!! I'll take photos of them lit up later on and post them so you can see how cool they are.

Well, now it's time to start designing my Winter piece. Hmmmm....bunnies and winter..bunnies and winter....I got it! :)

Hugs to you!
Shell

Monday, October 17, 2011

Almost finished and a Winner!

Well, I thought I was done with this awhile back and then another idea hopped in my head and I added to it. Then there was more hand stitching to be done. Now all I have left to do is the binding. Can I just say that I looooooooove this piece!! Stay tuned, you might see a new blog header tomorrow. ;)

Now to the winner of our bunny scissors! Congratulations to Maria of The Knackful Knitter! These cute bunny scissors will be hopping across the country to live with you!

I still have plenty of Bunny Scissors available in my Shop. They really are a cute and and inexpensive gift ($10.50) for Christmas. You can make a little pin cushion to go with them! :)

Hope you have a very fun week. See ya soon!
xx,

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Bunny Scissors

Helloooooooo! hee,hee,hee.

I've had bunch of folks asking me where they can purchase the Bunny Scissors if they don't win the giveaway in the post below.

Well, it's kinda funny as I've had them advertised on my sidebar for almost a year! LOL! I carry them in my Shop along with lots of other stitching and quilting supplies. The Bunny Scissors are $10.50 and make a fun and inexpensive gift for somebunny special on your Christmas list. And don't forget that you're somebunny special too so get a pair for yourself! :)

Click HERE to go to my Shop and take a hop around.

Hugs!
Shell

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

12 of Hearts October Block and Giveaway!

Hellooooooooo there! Are you having a fun week so far? How are all your stitching and quilting projects coming along?

Here's the October "12 of Hearts" Block. Can you believe we're almost done?

Here's a sneaky peeky of what all the blocks look like so far. I decided I would let you see how I chose to finish my wallhanging. Remember, you can sash your blocks if you want to. I decided I just wanted a 2" border and some buttons on mine. The directions are listed on the pattern page. Click HERE to hop over to my SHOP and get this month's block.
The patterns are listed under Free Designs to the left.

Ok, on to our giveaway!

This month I decided the prize would be a pair of Rabbit Embroidery Scissors. They're gold just like Lady Hannah Goldenhare! hee,hee,hee. I love these little things and use them all the time. I even use them to cut tiny shapes in wool for my Folk Art Fusion pieces.

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post. As always, those of  you who follow us on this blog and are signed up on the right as a follower, will get two chances! The winner will be chosen by the random number generator on Monday, October 17th.

Hope you are having a good time with this pattern!
xx,

Friday, October 7, 2011

Wishing you

a weekend that's every bit as lazy and happy as Hannah. hee,hee,hee.

Thanks for your kind and caring comments yesterday. I love you.
xx, shell

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Sometimes when I have self doubt...

While I'm mostly a happy, positive person, sometimes self doubt and sadness get's a hold of me. I'm blaming it all on hormones and this whole pre-menopausal crap! hee,hee,hee.

Anyway, when I feel bad, sad and like I want to pull the covers over my head and give up, I usually seek out things that make me feel better. This was just such a thing.

Enjoy...
xx, shell

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Friendship Stars Tutorial

Friendship Stars is the tutorial I made for my guest post on Sew We Quilt. I decided to post it here on my blog too in case you missed it last month, because it's fun, and well, because I worked hard to write it. hee,hee,hee.

Enjoy!

Friendship Star tablerunner.

I believe everyone is a star with their own light to shine! The Friendship Star block reminds me that we are all brought together by a common love of quilting. In the twenty two years I have been a quilter, I have learned that together quilters light up the world with love, kindness, creativity and their light shines in every quilt they make.

Now thanks to the magic of the internet and blogging, we are are all brought even closer together like one giant quilting guild! Isn't that just the coolest? I decided to teach you not just one block, but to make a  project with the Friendship Stars entwined!

So let's get hopp'in!

Ok, so first you will need some fabric! The three fabrics on the left are for my stars. The black is for my tiny inner border and binding and the two fabrics on the right are for my outer border. 1/8" yard of each is plenty. A fat quarter (18" x 22") for the back and a 13" x 21" piece of batting is perfect. The finished size of this project is 12" x 20".

Using your rotary cutter and mat, cut (6) 2 7/8" squares from your black fabric and (3) 2 1/2" squares. I normally cut a 2 7/8" strip first, cut my six squares and then just trim three squares down to 2 1/2".
Next, you will need (12) 2 7/8" squares from your green fabric.
And (6) 2 7/8" squares from your cream fabric.
Now using a ruler and a pencil, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of all your green squares. You don't have to make it too dark, just so you can see it.
Next place a green square and a black 2 7/8" square right sides together.
Stitch the squares together 1/4" away from the pencil line. My machine has a 1/4" foot, so it's easy.
You will do the same thing with your 2 7/8" cream squares.
I like working in an assembly line, so I just keep feeding them through one behind the other.
Once you have finished stitching down one side of all your squares, turn them around and stitch 1/4" away from the pencil line on the other side. All seams will be 1/4" in this project.
When you are finished stitching, cut them apart on the pencil line. (yes, I use bunny scissors and I carry them in my shop. I'm a crazy bunny lady after all! hee,hee,hee) You have now easily created two half square triangle pieces. Sweet!

Press all your seams towards the green fabric. Trim all the bunny ears off the corners.
"Hey! Whatcha mean trim bunny ears?"
Ooops sorry Harrington and Hannah! Mama means the fabric ears, not the assistant's ears. Oye...
Lay the squares out like this to create the star block.
Now with right sides together and using 1/4" seam, stitch these squares together.

Next sew the remaining squares together.  You will now have three rows.
Press the top row seams in.
Press the middle row seams out and the bottom row seams in.
Now sew your rows together matching up the seams. Voila', you now have a Friendship Star block! Yippee!
Make two more Friendship Star blocks and sew the three of them together. Note: you can also make all your blocks at the same time using the assembly line method. That's what I normally do.
Alrighty then. Let's add the inner border. Sew a 1 1/2" x 18 1/2" black strip to each side of the star set.

Then sew a 1 1/2" x 8 1/2" black strip to the top and bottom. Press all seams towards the black fabric.
Now from your border fabrics, cut a 2 1/2" strip (selvage edge to selvage edge) from each color.

With right sides together, stitch the strips down the long edge. Now cut this strip into (16) 2 1/2" segments. (Note, I don't press them open yet. I find it much easier to cut them into the segments first and then press.)

Next sew 5 segments together for the sides and 3 segments together for the top and bottom. Sew the sides on first. Note the color placement as you sew your borders on.
Well now, all you have left to do is layer your backing and batting with this top, quilt it as you like and apply the binding! Yippee! Happy Bunny Dance!
You now have a 12" x 20" Friendship Star tablerunner! I'm using mine on my coffee table and I'm making some as gifts for friends.

I hope you enjoyed this project.  Remember, you are a Star so let your light Shine!

Hugs and Friends always,

Lady Hannah Goldenhare - Nothing Gold Can Stay

Hello dear friends, It's been a minute hasn't it? My last post was over a year ago. I decided I wanted to stay in my bubble where it...