'Twas the Night...

It snowed this morning!  Really puts me in the mood to start thinking about the holidays ahead, and the perfect setting for my stop on today's "Twas the Night..." holiday Blog Hop.  

Madame Samm @ Sew We Quilt has organized this inspiring hop, and sweet Marlene @ Stitchin by the Lake has been our wonderful cheerleader.

This hop has been something special - not only have the ladies all shared fabulous ideas for quick projects for gifts, but it's also a "Swap Hop"!  

Let me first showcase the amazing gifts I received from Jane @ MooseStash Quilting!

Lindt Chocolate Truffles ~ oops, (not pictured)... nothing left but a few wrappers...

Fat Quarter Star ~ sweet holiday fabrics

Embroidered hand towel ~

 Jane embroidered this and added the cheery accent strip to the bottom.

Cupcake Pot Holder ~ Sew cute!  And I've used it already!

Pie Plate holder and wide rimmed glass pie dish ~ Beautiful wrapped cord in a star design; amazing!  

(Are you sure it took just an hour or so, Jane?)  Even my husband was duly impressed.

But then, I needed to fill the dish. You know, for the pictures.  

I haven't made a pie for ages, but my Momma had some amazing recipes, including the best. pie. crust. ever! Mmmmm!  Hop over to my family blog at 3rDegree Bakery if you'd like the recipe for a fabulous All American Apple Pie and Luscious, Tender Pie Crust.  Or just to drool over the pictures.

Now for some ideas for gifts that take just a few hours or an evening to whip up:

Dishtowel Apron

This is my go-to gift ~ I've made dozens.  

I use a glue-stick to position the rickrack and speed things along, 

And isn't my niece a cute model?!

Stained Glass Applique' Tree Pot Holder

Use a single quilt block, about 8" to 10", quilt it up with 1 to 2 layers of cotton batting 

and a layer of heat-reflective batting such as Insul Bright, then trim square and bind.

 

Use a 2 1/4" x width of fabric strip for binding.

1)  Begin at a top corner, align raw edges at top and sides, 

then stitch binding to the back of the quilted hot pad using 1/4" seam allowance.

 2)  Miter the remaining three corners, same as on any quilt.
Stop 1/4" from the corner, backstitch, remove from machine and clip threads.
a)  Fold binding at a 90-degree angle to create the miter.

2.b)  Fold binding back to align raw edges; fold is even with top quilt edge.

Start sewing at the edge and continue to the next corner.  Repeat.

 3)  Pin or glue-baste beginning edge of binding around to the front;

Stitch over beginning corner.  Remove from machine and clip threads.  

Leave a 6" tail of binding at the end.

 4)  Fold binding around to the front side of the pot holder;  

miter the corners, then pin or glue-baste in place.

 5)  Fold leftover tail into thirds, then edge-stitch the loose section,

continuing to edge-stitch binding into place on the pot holder,

pivoting at corners and backstitching at the end.

6)  Form a loop at the top, turn raw edges under and machine-stitch to finish.

And, this season, I'm all about this little Birdie.  

He's a great little pincushion #littlebirdiepincushion (see >>TUTORIAL<<),
but he'll also make a sweet little ornament or sachet.
It takes just a couple of charm squares and bits to make.

Paint around the eyes and you've got a sweet little Christmas Cardinal.

My gift went to Elizabeth - she's a pattern designer and works mostly with wool.  You can see her designs in many issues of Create & Decorate, and she sells patterns on her Etsy and Craftsy stores.  Trying to think of what she might like, I used one of her own patterns as inspiration for a little quilted hot pad.  I've also learned a few fun ways to fold fat quarters and will share some of those techniques in a few days.  

I absolutely love love little projects that can be made with just a couple of scraps from the sewing room.  A needlenook, a little scissor pocket, a tissue cozy, and many more gift ideas and free tutorials can be found here on my Snippets page.  

Would you like a Little Birdie pincushion of your own?  Leave a comment below and I'll choose a winner on Nov 21st at 5pm when the hop is over.  For a second entry, leave a comment over at 3rDegree Bakery, too!  Meanwhile, if you've missed any of our previous hoppers, see Marlene's master list HERE.  And also, Mdm. Samm is collecting pictures of everyone's projects on her Pinterest page HERE.

Be sure to visit the rest of my quilty sisters on today's hop!

Quiltscapes  << So glad you stopped by!

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Stitch In Time

Kris Loves Fabric

Life In The Scrapatch

The Days Dewings

P.P.S.  UPDATE:  GIVEAWAY over and winner has been notified.  Thanks for visiting - see you again soon!