Don't let the difficulties of the present moments overshadow the reality of God's promises. God's promises still stand. And God's promises are stronger than our failures.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Twas The Night!



I love, love, love the holidays!  I love seeing all the decorations....trees and twinkle lights, Santa faces, reindeer, candy canes.  And the scents of Christmas at our house - cinnamon and cloves, cookies baking, a turkey roasting - bring a smile to my face.  That's why I wanted to be a part of this blog hop!  Twas The Night says so many things to all of us, not matter what our faith.  The night before a holiday, the night before a birthday, the night before a wedding - the anticipation of that event makes our hearts skip a beat.

Thanks to you Madame Samm for the creation of this hop and for the way you continue to inspire us and coach us and love us!  This hop was a bit different from others because we included a gift giving part to it.  Everyone in the hop sent a gift to someone else in the hop....and I was so blessed to receive a gift from Cori (Creativity Amongst Chaos) She sent me the most amazing pincushions and the sweetest pins to go with them!


Not just one pincushion but three!  And those sweet pins...made by her daughter!  :)




I tried to pick a favorite, really I did, but I just couldn't!  Cori, thank you so very much....pincushions are something I never make for myself and these are going to be everywhere in my house.  One on my sewing table, one on my cutting table, and one on my chair in the sunroom!  My friends are going to be so jealous.  :)

This hop has inspired me.  Really, it kinda made me crazy!  I kept thinking of all the things you could do in a night, or a morning, or just a few hours....like appliqued tea towels.


I do machine applique using a blanket stitch for tea towels like this since they will be washed many times.  Find a coloring book or look for coloring pages on the net and you'll find a million shapes!


Or fussy cut some fabric and stitch some ribbon around to frame it.

Or make some Christmas coasters with fussy cut fabrics.


Or maybe you like zippered bags.


One to hold a ruler or two, needles, pins, etc. and a matching smaller one for the little rotary cutter.


Or one to hold a pair of scissors.


Now these...yes, there are eight of them....are for sweet sisters of the heart.  My high school girlfriends - go Zebras! - will be getting one of these.


I bought the pattern for my zipper pouches but there are tons of free tutorials on Pinterest.  Here's one I really like at Sweet Verbena.

This might be my favorite thing I made.  Lavender scented drawer liners and sachets.


That's really a lavender bush they are laying on!



I laid my batting on the fabric, sprayed a little adhesive on it, sprinkled lavender buds all over that, and quilted the whole thing.  Yes, quilted right over those lavender buds.  And the scent - just luscious!

I hope my "make it in a night" gifts will inspire you to get started on your own gifts.  I keep a basket in my sewing room with all kinds of things in it.  When a birthday rolls around, or some other occasion like a baby shower or a friend who is down in the dumps, I pull something out and send it off.  It's so nice to have a little stash of gifts put aside.

What's my next project?  Well, this isn't a quick one but it is a fun one.  After 25 years away from it I'm starting a counted cross stitch project.  I bought a kit of Anne Hathaway's Cottage while we were in England.


I do my hand stitching at night sitting in front of the television.  The chair where I sit is in a dark corner and no matter what I do I can't seem to get enough light there.  So here's a tip from me to you...Beam N Read!  :)  See that light right there next to my project?


Just look at how it lights up the whole area!  Most of the time I wear it around my neck but sometimes I clamp it to the side of my hoop with some clothespin type clamps I found at the hardware store.  It is truly amazing!  It's battery operated or you can use the USB cord they include but the battery seems to last forever.  This is actually my second one....the first one I had I literally wore out.  Oh and there was the little incident of forgetting to take it off and dropping it in the dishwater.  :)  If you are interested you can find it here.  It is so perfect for sewing down bindings, a little hand embroidery or sewing on a button.  I bet you'll be like me and wear it all the time.  Just don't forget and go do the dishes.

Thank you so much for visiting and commenting on all the blogs today.  Go see who else is going to make you say, "oh I want to make that!" today.

Tuesday, Nov. 11






87 comments:

Anonymous said...

awesome gifts,thankyou.xx

Anita said...

Lovely projects, Marlene! That cross stitch project will turn out adorable, I do a little of that myself in addition to sewing/quilting.

ChitterChatterDesigns said...

Wonderful ideas Marlene, I love all the great projects you have shown, and I am really inspired to get busy on my holiday sewing! Samm has had me working on another project I can't wait to show, and would be ideal for this hop....but more on that soon since I don't want to spoil it. I am so glad you like the gift, I do love my little stack of these pincushions and use them regularly. Hope you have a very Merry Christmas! xx Cori

Anonymous said...

Marlene, first of all thank YOU for all your work and energy putting this hop together with Samm! Having such great cheerleaders is a privilege! Your pincushions are veery nice, and I also never sew these for me, they are always given away for others. I had to smile when I saw your kitchen towels, I did 4 last week just for us....

Judy B said...

What great projects and I love the idea of keeping a basket handy full of just in case! Thank you for being a great cheerleader. Happy Holidays!!!!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I am loving all the projects and shared links. Now I hadn't thought to stitch in lavendar (rose petals would work too) buds right into the sandwich for a liner or runner - very clever.

Marian said...

I loved seeing all your projects, but that drawer line and sachets is just to cool. I to am going to make me some of those.. Very inspiring,a real "I need to make it" item. :)

The pincushions and pins you received from Cori are also very nice, what a beautiful job she did in creating such a great gift item.

I to want to just say, What a great hop you coordinated with Madam Samm. It's was very well organized and met my needs to a tee. I really appreciate all your hard work that had to be done.

Baa. xxx said...

Great pincushions from Cori and such lovely pins too!

Geta Grama said...

Marlene,thank you for all your hard work you put in organizing this blog hop. Love the pretty Princess Pins and the pincushions and all the small gifts you sewed- I am inspired to start stitching mine!

Shari said...

Marlene...love the pins and cushions you received...and the items you've made are just lovely, BUT I wanna make your lavender drawer liners!!! The only reason I want summer back is now I finally know what to do with my lavender bush (besides stare at its loveliness)...I'll have to start some more plants from seed this spring cause I think I'm gonna need lots and lots of lavender...Thank you!

Vickie said...

What SA-WEET pincushions you got for Christmas! Everything you do is wonderful Marlene....but I love your coasters!! Thanks for your hard work on the hop...it was a great idea !

charlotte said...

What beautiful projects. I love giving tea towels. Always useful and festive. Love your new pin cushions and those princess pins...must find some.

Jeanie said...

Such sweet pincushions and pins! Love all of your ideas for quick gifts. I think I'm going to be on overload before this hop is over... of course.... that's a good thing. Thanks so much for hosting this great hop!

Sparky said...

Ohhhhh my you had Cori...lucky lady....and all of your gems....you know how I love T towels...and bags....wonderful quick projects and all of them great inspiration....

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

wonderful pieces Marlene!!! You made such adorable items...I love the towel.

Catherine said...

Lovely gifts Marlene. Thank you for sharing all your projects!

Dorian said...

What lovely pincushions you received Marlene. And some great, quick gift ideas, thank you!

Elizabeth Coughlin said...

Thanks for all the wonderful project ideas, and the pincushions you received are just beautiful!

Catherine said...

The gifts you received are lovely and thank you for sharing your projects!

Mary Ann said...

Lovely pincushions from Cori. And what a great touch coordinating the pins. Those are darling. Wow, you had had so many cute ideas for us. Gotta say how much I love the drawer liner. That definitely will be a gift to me. ;) Thank you for all the great ideas and all the work you did on this hop. I so enjoy these hops and appreciate you ladies who work to make them happen. Enjoy your holidays.

tink's mom said...

What lovely pins and pin cushions you received. A great gift that keeps on giving as do the lovely collection of gifts that you made. I love your take on the tea towels.

BarbCarol said...

Thanks for the idea of drawer liners, Marnie. I hate those paper drawer liners that won't stay down. Think I will extend the idea to shelf liners, too. Love your new pincushions,too.

Scrapatches said...

Beautiful gifting! I love the pincushion tutorial. I have been looking for a new inspiring pincushion to make and this is the one. I have also been on the hunt for kitchen towed ideas ... thanks for all the ideas and for all you work to organize this big beautiful hop.

I just saw the American Patchwork book on your sidebar. I received this book recently at a quilt show as a doorprize. I read the touching story you wrote about your mother and never realized that this was you, my friend. Congrats on being included in this book and thanks for sharing ... :) Pat

Unknown said...

you have been one busy lady! Great projects...sometimes we need to be reminded how simple treasures can be greatly appreciated....but what I loved most was the idea of having a gift 'stash' for sending off when needed as a gift or 'thinking of you' type gift. I am definitely going to do that! yessewingisfun@yahoo.com

Carol Swift said...

I love those pins and pincushions...beautiful! What a great gift to add matching pins! You've listed so many great gift ideas AND been the best cheerleader. Thank you!

Margie said...

Love all the projects but that drawer liner is one I just might try as I just happen to have a jar of dry buds from my lavender bush. Also going to pin that light on "Moms Want List" and maybe someone will get the hint! Thank You

sew.darn.quilt said...

The pin cushions and pins are adorable!I love the drawer liners, what a lovely idea :)

krislovesfabric said...

Wow, you have some great ideas here, thanks for the inspiration and your lead in this hop!! Love those pinnies and pins :)

Unknown said...

Those are the prettiest pin cushions I have ever seen! I love girls that can sew. Your work is absolutely beautiful.

allthingzsewn said...

Hi Marlene, well it finally got here and boy what a start. Some really cute and new ideas on the first day. I simple love the drawer liners. Now I have to find an herbalist for chamomile and lavender. Thinking for a bed linen drawer.
Thank you for your work and ideas. Now you get to set back and enjoy.
Blessings
Tonia

Bente-I like to QuiltBlog said...

Dear Marlene,
thanks for sharing all these wonderful ideas for cute gifts!
Thank you for beeing a wonderful cheerleader too!
I love the pincushions you got,
lucky you ☺
Liebe Grüße
Bente

Needled Mom said...

Your pincushions are fabulous and I love the pins!!! One can never have enough pincushions.

I love the projects you made too. Those coasters are just wonderful and so practical. The drawer liners are a great idea too as are the towels. I think the gals are going to love their zebra bags. Cute!!!

Linda said...

All of your gift projects look easy and beautiful! What great ideas!!

Nancy said...

Oh Marlene everything you do is just gorgeous!! I sew over Lavender buds, etc. a lot you shall see tomorrow. This hop was such a wonderful idea Marlene, only the first day and I am Lovin it! I wonder if Madame would consider this a annual?? Thanks so much for all your precious emails and for sharing your Wonderful Gifts with us!!
Huggs, Nancy

Brandy said...

So wonderful Marlene, thank you again for cheerleading this hop and keeping up on our toes! I've already been super inspired just by the 3 blogs I've read this morning. :) I'll be sewing every extra minute for the rest of the month now with all these great projects!

~Brandy

Lori said...

what great ideas, thanks for sharing

Kathy H said...

You really made a great bunch of gifts. Wonderful ideas and inspiring to me.

Quilt n Queen said...

OMG Marlene, love the sweet pincushions and pins. I have not made any cathederal window projects but this would be a great project to try. I know there is a lot of hand stitching, which I like to do...I think this could be perfect for me. I love the tea towels and the lavender liners and sachets are perfect. One can never have enough zippered bags. Awesome gift ideas...thank you Marlene, I'm so glad I'm hopping along!! Happy Holidays!!

HeatherK @ A Reformed Heath'n said...

Wonderful ideas; I don't make pincushions,either, so what a treat! Thanks for everything!! Merry Christmas

Anonymous said...

Thank you for organizing such a wonderful hop! Your creations are absolutely beautiful. I love the scented drawer liners and those little sachets. Too cute! Nice work!
-Brittany

Calicojoan said...

What sweet pin cushions. I love pin cushions. You've done so many fun little projects. I think I am going to have to steal some of your ideas! LOL!!

Calicojoan said...

What sweet pin cushions. I love pin cushions. You've done so many fun little projects. I think I am going to have to steal some of your ideas! LOL!!

JuliaP said...

Love your ideas, so quick and easy. Your new pin cushions are lovely. Thanks for sharing.

Wendy said...

What delightful pins and pin cushions! Very pretty and it would be hard to choose a favorite ... at least you don't have to! Very lovely gifts you made Marlene ... thank you so much for sharing and putting together this hop ... I hop you get a rest soon!

Patty said...

those coasters are just beautiful! happy holidays

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Love your towels. I was thinking about making a few for gifts for the holidays.

Joyce Carter said...

Beautiful projects, Marlene. You really have done a wonderful job. Those towels are definitely going on my "to do" list. Thank you for sharing today.

Jane's Quilting said...

What cute projects. I love the idea of appliqué towels and coasters. Your work is very neat.

Mary said...

Great ideas for quick projects. Headed over to see some more!

Gail said...

Your creative energy is inspiring.

Wonderful ideas.

Corrie said...

Such sweet pincushions. Zebra fabric, that is great, I'm sure you're friends will love their gifts. Thanks for all of the ideas!

Carla said...

You really have inspired us in so many ways. Love the gift you sent and the fabric you used. Thank you, Marlene for all you do to spread joy and love.

CeLynn said...

I would not be able to choose a favorite either! They are all such pretty pin cushions.

Will be "borrowing"your satchet idea for sure,thanks for sharing!

the girlfriend gap said...

Marlene, The pincushions would make me do a happy dance. I don't make pincushions for me either. I am always intrigued by the cathedral window. The towels make me smile. My favorite thing you made are the little ornaments. You have been a good little elf :0) Thanks for sharing. Janita

the girlfriend gap said...

Oops ..... guess I should have said coasters not ornaments. The little baby Jesus would look cute as can be hanging on a tree. That is what I was thinking:) Janita

carla said...

Hi!!!! Wow!!!! That is a lot of beautiful quick crafts!!!! Thank You

Bobbie said...

Love the idea of quilting over the lavender- I have never seen anthing like those, I've seen the sachets before but not the "linens" I love it!
Thanks for being a great head cheerer

Leanne Parsons said...

You sure did stitch up a storm! I love the idea of the lavender drawer liners with the buds stitched right in. And your cross stitch looks beautiful. Have fun with it!

Quilting Tangent said...

Your projects are cute, the cross stitch should be beautiful when done.

Mary Pat Callihan said...

Maarrrleeeene....Wow! Wow! Wow! I don't even know how to pick a favorite item...you just knocked me out! The lavender drawer sachet and mat..so lovely, but you could have shown us every one of those coasters as your whole post. By the way, maybe you could spread them out and post a tutorial on them. Seriously, they are beautiful. You were such a lovely, gentle, supportive cheerleader. Thank you for helping me and for making this such a success. Xoxo

evelyn said...

I love my beam n read too! So many projects to choose from. I really like the drawer liners and sachets. We always lined our drawers with paper. This is so much better. Merry Christmas.

Mary said...

Marlene, what a great hop. You did a great job in organizing it, and your giftie ideas are wonderful. The pincushions and pins that you received are gorgeous. Great job on everything.

Createology said...

This is a very helpful and fun hop and thank you for cheerleading. Lovely pin cushions and beaded pins. Great appliqued towels, zippered pouches, lavender drawer liners, sachets and coasters. Great gift ideas. Thank you sew very much for sharing and hopping. Creative T'was the Night Bliss...

Jennifer said...

All the gifts you showcase are such easy, yet meaningful gifts. I esp. like the rooster appliqued towel..that would be perfect for my MIL who loves chickens and roosters! Thank you for all that you have done for this hop!

MoeWest said...

Thanks for the great gift ideas. I've been buying nice tea towels lately for some gift making.

Janarama said...

Loving the pincushions and matching pins! Lots of great gift ideas too. The lavender-scented drawer liner is a brilliant idea!

Doris Rice, The Quilting Queen said...

Marlene, what great ideas for quick and easy gifts. I too have a "gift shelf" in the closet and it's saved me more than once! And Wow, 3 pincushions! Lucky girl! They're beautiful! I learned something bout you being a Pine Bluff grad. We lived in Benton for a few years. Loved it there. Our daughter is a Benton grad. Also Thanks for being such an awesome cheerleader! You went above and beyond!

Marcy said...

Many, many lovely goodies. Hand work items like yours make for true gifts.

Cindy said...

Pincushions are great gifts and the three you got are awesome!
You made lots of wonderful projects. So many good ideas for gifts.

Ranch Wife said...

Oh, this is going to be so much fun! You're starting things out with a bang! Your pincushions are just lovely - useful and pretty make the best gifts! And you've a number of wonderful ideas that anyone would be thrilled to receive!
I will eagerly watch your progress on your pretty cross stitch project - I adore cross stitch although there have been long dry spells. :)

Michelle said...

Those pincushions are just sweet. Your projects are wonderful, love that rooster towel. So many zipper pouches. You did a great job, I am trouble with zippers.

Lovelli Quilts said...

Lavender is my favorite and I love your drawer liner idea!! Truly original!

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures said...

Great projects and thanks for all you have done to make this sew fun!

Shannon Meyer said...

WOW!! That is a lot of quick projects. It really is inspiring to see what can be done in a short amount of time. Have fun with the stitching, that is something I do quite a lot of:)

Kwilt Krazy said...

You got some cute gifts. I really like all the projects you shared. I may make some of those tea towels for gifts this year. Thanks for sharing.

Lisa in Port Hope said...

You were certainly productive. I like the rooster tea towel the best.

gpc said...

Great ideas! I'd better get busy!

Leah said...

I love how you sewed right over the lavender buds. I would never have thought of that. Great projects all of them, and your gifts are wonderful as well. Love the cathedral window.

LJ said...

Holy smokes - or is that holy holidays!! :) You have so many fabulous projects highlighted. You can never have too many pincushions; I have several but they always seem to be across the room when I need one. lol The pins are lovely. The zippered bag made with scissors fabric is neat with the way you attached that lace. Love your idea of drawer liners esp. since you added the lavender, too. Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

Wonderful gifts Marlene and I also love making lavender pouches...just wonderful

Lana said...

WHOA! VERY NICE!!!!! Such great projects...and that light! I love that!!!

Thearica said...

Your pincushion gifts with cute pins is adorable. I have not made that design yet but have seen many that do.

Your quick projects are really awesome. My friend Lindsay would love the rooster towel, and my girls would love the coasters. You can never have enough zippered pouches. I have 3 in my purse at all times. :)

apple blossom said...

the pincushion and long pins are really nice. lovely work to all involved.

Deonn said...

Marlene, thanks for organizing this awesome hop! And what a great kickoff of possibilities - The cute pincushions and matching pins from Cori are sooo cute - how fun. And everything you've showcased - yes, I want to make those too! You grew your own lavendar? How wonderful! Thanks for sharing how you made the mats - great idea! Your high school sisters are going to LOVE their new zipped pouches. Sweet!

Katherine said...

Thank you for the lovely gift ideas, Marlene! You've definitely given me some fun ideas to add to my list of things to sew.

Oh, those pincushions and pins are too darling. Enjoy!

Thanks for organizing and inspiring us, Marlene!

Michele said...

Wow. You certainly gave us a lot of great last minute ideas. They are all great.

Lixie said...

Those pins your received are lovely and you made some fantastic projects. Thanks for sharing!