2009 Ornament Series

Vintage Quilt Shop Ornament
Today, I am posting the last ornament of the 2009 ornament series! These have been so much fun to do, and I can hardly wait for next year to start my second series. If you haven't started making this series yet, go to our website, www.chickadeehollowdesigns.com and check them out. We also have a SOM (Stitchery of the Month) option for those of you who would like to save a little money but get all 18 ornaments done in a year. Remeber to click on the View Details option beneath each ornament, it will give you a large colored picture of each ornament that you can print for floss color placement. The SOM option includes the floss pack in the total price. Also,wo do have floss packs available for the entire set for $10.00 I hope you enjoy them.
Happy Stitching! Carol

New Ornaments

It is getting close to Christmas! We are winding down on our ornaments for this year, today, we add two more and the last one for 2009 will be sometime this weekend. These guys have been so much fun for me, and apparently others too, because we have sold a lot of them. Some shops are also going to do them as a SOM (Stitchery of the Month) for the coming year. That is a good way to do them! Most of them can be completed in a couple of evenings. These also make great gifts for your stitching friends.

Happy Stitching! Carol

Needle Magazine Premiere Issue

We are so happy to be a part of this! You can read all about it and subscribe to the online magazine if you choose. Go to the link shown to read. Our ornaments are featured as well as the process I use to create them.
Happy Stitching! Carol

My Favorite Time of the Year

Isn't this just the best time of the year? Getting ready to hunker down for the winter and endless days filled with stitching!! The best birdwatching is in the winter when the birds are no longer able to find food in snow covered fields. I have to admit that I really do like winter. I get a little tired of the lack of sunshine but all in all it is a good time of the year. This week we can look forward the best meal of the year. What is better than a turkey dinner with all the trimmings? My favorite part of the meal is the stuffing and squash. that is the best!!!
I also like the Norwegian Rice with Raspberry Sauce that usually shows up, and of course my daughter-in-laws apple and pumpkin pie. Yum, I can't wait! Remembering to give thanks is also something that I take very seriously. We have so much to be thankful for.

I want to share with you a new ornament today. This is my little ginger bread boy!! There are three more ornaments in this years ornament series, that will be out some time this week, and I will share them here with you.
I have a lot to be thankful for this year and I have decided to pass along some of my good fortune andI am having a contest. Here are the details. I will give away 5 of my ornaments, your choice to these lucky people. 1. The first person to comment on this blog post.
2. The person who answers this question in the best way? What is the one thing that you are most thankful for this Thanksgiving.
3. The last person to comment on this blog post up until 12:00 noon on Thanksgiving Day.
4. The one who says the magic word. (I have chosen a word associated with Thanksgiving
dinner.)
5. What do you like best about my blog?
Get going now and post your comments!!
Happy Stitching! Carol

Designers Are Thinking Spring

Roses For Mom
Even though Christmas is right around the corner, people who design are thinking of spring. You have to be one season ahead of everything in order to design, get photographs, and have your products ready to sell right after Christmas. It is hard to think spring when you are just fiinishing all your fall outside work and getting ready for Christmas, but today I started my thought process. actually I did a while back already because I did purchase some georgous fabric for a spring quilt from Robyn Pandolph's line Somerset Cottage about a month ago. I have the quilt pattern all drawn out on graph paper and am ready to start doing a test block to see how that will look. It should be kind of fun if it works as I have designed it.
The other thing I did was go through my stash of finished embroidered pieces to see if there were some little treasures buried there that I wanted to resurrect. And lo and behold I did find an embroidery that I was working on when my Mom became very ill and passed away. I decided to call it Roses For Mom, and after she passed, I couldn't quite bring myself to do anything with it, but I am at a better place with all of that now and I think I would like to do something with it for this spring. I think Mom would like that. Hmmm, maybe a little verse around the borderwith some little pretties tucked in here and there. we will have to see what becomes of that.
I am curious, do any of you finish little things and then stash them away for awhile until a notion comes about what to do with them? Write and tell me about them if you do. I think it is fun to listen to stories about things that people find in their stash that they forgot they had.
Well, it is the magic hour when it is time to go to bed, say my prayers, and then dream about what to design next.
Happy Stitching! Carol

My Little Chickadees

By Carol L Steffensen

Chickadee Watercolor Painting

Everyday I like to spend a little time watching the birds. Today, as I watched, the chickadees were feeding in earnest. I have always liked chickadees, plus the fact that we have lots of them at our place here in the country. It is also part of the reason I named my business Chickadee Hollow Designs. Long before I started designing quiltng and stitchery patterns, I did a lot of painting and drawing, and of course one of my favorite subjects was birds and other wildlife.
I think the good Lord knew what he was doing when he created the earth and gave us all the beautiful wildlife, flowers, trees and terrain for us to look at. Have you ever thought about what this world would be like if there were none of those things I mentioned. Just think about it for a minute, and look around you and see how many things, tangible things, that would not be part of your world, if those things were gone. Pretty scary, isn't it. Then the other things I think about are like the war riden countries like Iraq, and Afghanistan. What happens to all of that wildlife and beauty? I can't imagine birds stick around when there are bombs going off. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Happy Stitching! Carol

The Needleworks Show....Retail

Reminder!!

Don't forget to check out the first on line retail needlework show at the link shown above. Show starts tomorrow, November 5th and goes through November 8th.
Lots of great items to choose from. Check it out.







Happy Stitching! Carol

58 Days til Christmas, Yikes!!

Yes, I am afraid it is true, 58 days til Christmas; why does it always seem to come so fast? I think the problem is that I just plan too many things to get done before Christmas. I want to thank all of you who are enjoying my Vintage Ornaments. The ideas keep coming and I keep stitching and who knows where it will end. Today I am going to share a couple more with you.The first one is a church, which reminds us what the Christmas season is all about.

The next one is one I really enjoyed making. As you may know, I love cats, like many quilters and stitchers do and I couldn't resist making this little gal. I have three cats, and my absolute favorite cats have always been calico cats. Wonder what will be next? Keep checking in with me and see what my upcoming ornament ideas will be.

www.chickadeehollowdesigns.com

I am also working on a redwork project, if you remember the redwork teapot that I posted aqbout a month ago. I wanted to share it with you, but have temporarily misplaced it. Can you imagine that?? You could if you could see my studio! The worst part of this wondeful job is cleaning up the shop! I need to be in the mood to do it, and they don't come too often, but my husband is going on a four day goose hunt and the weather is suppose to be gray and dreary so I should be able to fit it in sometime in the next couple of days.
I am in the mood to throw a quilt on the quilt frame and do some hand stitching. I haven't done that in a long while. For me, it is very relaxing to to do hand stitching. My favorite kind of hand stitching is to do it with Perle Cotton. I am interested in knowing if any of you also like hand stitching with Perle Cotton.
Well, on to the next project, and remember the countdown to Christmas is on. I will be sharing projects that I am making for my family for Christmas.
Happy Stitching! Carol

We woke up this morning to the most beautiful snowfall. Here is a look out my backyard, about three-four inches here, the earliest snow that I can remember, and apparently there has only been snow this early about eight times since they have been keeping records. Awwwh!, We love it here in Minnesota!!
I finally finished my miniature heart quilt, so here it is Scrappy Hearts & Lazy Daisies!

I've been having some troule with my camera, yesterday we had the big pumpkin carve and I tried to take pictures of all the grandkids and ity didn't work for some reason. But enjoy, and remember you can purchase any of my designs at www.chickadeehollowdesigns.com

Happy Stitching! Carol

A Sign of Things to Come

Redwork Teapot
Today I finished this Redwork Teapot, and I really like how it turned out. It is fun to finish something; gives you a sense of accomplishment. However, this project is far from done as this is just the beginning. I can't tell you what it will become, but just keep watching and I will keep you up to date on the progress.
Can you believe that right now in Central Minnesota, October 9th, we have one inch of snow on the ground.? Well, it's true, if it wasn't dark outside I would have taken a picture and posted it, maybe I will do that tomorrow. We are suppose to have our annual Fall Fun day with our family, do a hayride, carve some pumpkins, eat my daughter-in-laws homemade apple pie. Not sure if the hayride will happen; it is also suppose to be very chilly and windy this weekend. But, we will have fun no matter what we do, hope all the grandkids will be feeling good, some of them have had the flu.
Went for a ride today through the State Park that we live near, on my way home from the beauty salon, the trees are just turning here, which is very late, but some really great color starting, however, with this snow and the freeze warning, there may not be a lot of nice color for very long. I have noticed that the birds are feeding more at the feeder already and they are really picking away at the suet. I love watching the birds in the winter, especially after we have a heavy snow. They come all crouched up to the feeders and sit there like little feather balls picking away at the seeds.
The clock is striking 1:00am so I think I better shut this thing down for the night. Enjoy my teapot!!
Happy Stitching! Carol

Autumn Cherish It!

Autumn Cherish It !
Here it is just as I promised, my new Crazy Stitching. I finally finshed it, and I am pleased with the results. I plan to sew it into a little shelf pillow. I hope you enjoy it. It will be posted on my website later today if you are interested in purchasing the pattern.
Happy Stitching! Carol

Stitching At Midnight & Scary Sounds

Do you like to stay up in the evening and stitch after everybody else has gone to bed? Well, I do. I enjoy the peacefulness of it and just the time for me to reflect on my day and mentally prepare for the next day. Running this business does require some quiet time for thinking! So you can usually find me up at least an hour or so after my husband retires to bed. Well last night about 1:00am, I was stitching in our four season porch which is all windows on three sides; I had a lamp on and soon I heard the coyotes. We live where there is a lot of woodlands, lakes and thickets, but also in a farming neighborhood. The coyotes are plentiful around here and we have sacrificed more than one calf from our beef herd to the coyotes. So I am used to their wailing and noises at night, but all of a sudden I heard this awful noise mixed in with the coyotes that I can only describe as a blood curdling roar that I have never heard before, but sounds like the noise a monster would make in a horror movie. The needle stopped, and I froze, the hair on the back of my neck stood at attention!!! I listened and then I heard it again and again for four times total.
I got so scared that I reached over and turned the lamp off and crept from my chair through my studio and crawled into bed and I actually woke my husband, I was so scared. It has bothered me all day as I try in my mind to figure out what it could have been. Today my husband asked me again to describe it and I said the best way I can describe it is like Sasquatch running through the woods screaming as he was being chased by coyotes. Brrrrrrrrr! So what am I doing tonight; sitting up writing in my blog and it is well after midnight!!
You have seen some of what I call my Crazy Stitching stuff before and I just love doing these things. I have finished a new drawing that I will print to fabric and then embellish with embroidery stitches or other items. This one is called Autumn, Cherish It! It is a collage of sorts
that reflects sights of autumn.

I just love how they look after I apply the stitches to it. Tune in again tomorrow and see what the finished product looks like. I am almost done with the stitching on it and I can hardly wait to show it to you. They are so much fun!!
Well, if I quick close and hurry to bed, I can get their before Sasquatch goes out for his 1:00am stroll!

Happy Stitching! Carol

Rainy Fall Days and Other Delights

It looks like we are headed for a couple of rainys days. I can't wait, I love rainy days in the fall. It freshens everything up and all of the flowers shoot out some new blooms before they get frost. I also get a lot of stitching done! I have some projects I have been trying to wrap up.

Every year about this time we plan a day for the family and we do a hayride and carve pumpkins. we usually follow that with a spaghetti supper and my daughter-in-laws Apple Pie. it is the best apple pie I have ever eaten, hands down! She is an excellent cook , and we all look forward to her apple pie. Of course, the grandkids have fun throwing each other in the leaves and trying to slime each other with pumpkin goo. It gets a little messy, so we do it in the garage and we store our little pumpkin carvers in a drawer so they are handy. The dads usually have to help with making the big hole at the top of the pumpkin, but after that the kids dig in and do the rest. It's great fun, and they each get to take their pumpkins home. We take pictures and just have a lot of fun.

Here is a quick sneak peak of one of my newest projects. Can't give all the details away yet, but you should be able to see it all completed in a few days. Bring on the rain!

Check back in towards the end of the week and I will have some more pictures of my projects for you.

Happy Stitching! Carol

Lavender Roses In My Stuff.

Lavender Roses
I was digging through my "stuff" yesterday and came upon this lavender rose that I had designed a couple of years ago, did the hand embroidery on it and put it in with my "stuff." It certainly deserves a chance to get out of my "stuff" pile and be made into something useful. I will have to ponder that awhile and see what I can make of it. Hmmmmm, I just recently joined a Round Robin group on line, maybe I will use it for my center block and see what can become of it. Do you have piles of "stuff" around that are just begging to get made into something? Being a quilter, stitcher, designer, painter, let me tell you I have piles of stuff around. i wish I could be like some people and be better at discarding things that most people view as worthless, but my problem is an imagination that I think it too vivid and so I can see value and worth in most anything that most people discard. I was raised in a family of eight kids and my parents were farmers, so we grew up ceertainly not destitute or poor in todays sense, but we defintely lived a life of frugality.
Getting back to "stuff," I used to do a lot of hand painting and so I would often search through garage sales, used a bit stores etc. to look for smaller wooden objects that can be refinished and used to paint something on, so I have a room full of that kind of "stuff" in the basement. And, needless to say I certainlty have a lot of sewing and stitching "stuff" around and a good share of it is in plastic storage tubs in my basement and it fills a couple of rooms. But, I do get rid of some "stuff' once in a while. I sent a huge box of stuff to Louisiana during Katrina to a quilter who had contacted me to say she was putting together a group of quilters who had lost their "stuff" during the hurricane. Thats a good thing and I try to give whenever I can to things like that. Well, I guess it is back to my "stuff!"
Happy Stitching! Carol

The Evolution Of An Idea

Printed onto fabric

My Supplies

I decided it was time to take a break from the remodeling we are doing to our house and do some designing. When I am busy working on other projects such as my house, I still get ideas all the time as I am working, so I have gotten pretty good at tucking them in the back of my mind until I have the time to work on them. We are down to two rooms left on our remodel job and most of what needs to be done is "man's work." The cooler, "fall type" weather we have been having is getting me in the mood to work in my studio anyway. As some of you may know, I like designing small things, "putsy" as my Mom used to say. As an artist I like detail so I think that is where that comes from. When thinking of quilt blocks, most people see quilts, big quilts, throw size etc. I do sometimes too, but I always think the block in itself is a design all of it's own, and I like to think of ways to use them in the products I design, not necessarily always a quilt. In the following pictures, I am going to show you how an idea I had comes to evolve into something. First I had to gather my supplies: (See Photo at the top of post

My first drawing is made using a mechanical pencil. This is my rough draft;I then use permanent ink markers such as Pigma or Copic pens in black to go over my pencil lines to make a permanent drawing. Here is where I use an eraser to remove the pencil lines. My drawing is now just a black line drawing. I call that my original.

Two quilt block designs in black pen

Since I want to be able to print this drawing onto a fabric sheet, I prefer to not have block pen lines, so now I re-trace my drawing using a sepia colored permanent ink pen, as you can see in the photo below. They are alittle hard to see in this picture, but in real life they are very clear lines.

Drawings now done in sepia colored ink

My next step is to use my colored pencils to apply the color and shading to my design. First, I lay

down the color where I want it, not necessarily as dark as I want it, but enough so I know where I want what color. I now start to apply another layer of color in the areas where I want it shaded darker. As you know, shading is what gives a drawing form and the form is what gives dimension or perspective. I continue to lay color until I have it shaded just the way I want it. I try to make good use of my paper and supplies by getting ideas about how to use all of the room on the sheet as my plan is to transfer this to fabric, and I don't want to waste a fabric transfer sheet.

Colorplate prior to printing

Ok, I am now ready to print to fabric. If you have never done this before, it does take a certain amount of practice to get everything just right. You may have to adjust the color on your printer, etc. to get everything just right. This is what the finished product looks like after I have added some stitches and tiny buttons to embellish it.

These happen to be miniature Christmas ornaments. Thease are the steps I use for making all of my preprinted designs, so there are a lot of steps but it is worth it in the end.

Also at the top I have posted a picture of what it looks like when it is printed on the fabric. Sorry it is out of sequence.

The fun part is when it is ready to be stitched!

Happy Stitching!

Carol

This world is so crazy, I am blogging from my cell phone!!!

What It Means To Be A Mom

Today I sat in my screen porch in my favorite chair and as usual did one of my favorite things in the world and that is watch the birds. We have an abundance of colorful songbirds who enjoy our backyard. As I wrote earlier ,we have a wrenthat was so impatient to build a nest and start a family that we didn't even have a chance to put the bird house up. I had a bird house on a post just leaning against the corner of my screen porch when she started to build the nest. It didn't matter to her that it hadn't even been nailed upright. I explained to all my grandchildren who were of course very curious that they musn't disturb the nest as she was going to have baby birds very soon. Well, that just made them all the more curious and it wasn't long before the post got knocked over and lay precariously on it's side. Again I warned them to leave it alone as I was afraid that the mother wren would certainly be done with that house after all the comotion. It wasn't long before the mother wren was back and sat very quietly on the edge of a wooden flower pot and cocked her head from one side to the other as she wondered what had happened to her house. She seemed reluctant to go inside but finally did and quickly popped her head back out and did a 360 of her head as you could see her trying to figure out what happened. Well, being the good mother that she is, she continued to nest but I think it took her at least a day and about 100 trips in and out of her house to get it situated the way she wanted it. I was relieved, it looked like she was going to stay! A week passed and one of my grandsons came and he decided that the post had to be uprighted so up the post comes and of course an angry mother wren quickly flew out and lit on one of the nearby branches and very loudly let us know that she was not happy. I always wondered how such a little bird could have such a loud presence. I knew I had to intervene in some way to make this house a little more permanent, at least long enough to bring these babies into the world. I propped the post up into the corner and planted a heavy flower pot against one side of it and then pushed a flower box against the front of the post so it couldn't go anywhere. In doing this, I made sure that the front of the bird house was now visible from my favorite chair. Now I am in heaven, (that is what my sister-in-law calls my screen porch) I can now watch her even closer as she is only about 10 feet from my chair. Now, I can't wait for the grandkids to come and sit on Grandma's lap and watch the birds.As I was sitting there today, being reflective about my special mother-in-law who just passed and thinking about her role as a mother to my husband and watching the mother wren do her job (the babies are here now, we can hear them very plainly) I found myself comparing how we as mothers are much like bird mothers and how much our children depend on us for the things we do.Somedays I look at my house and it seems like it has tipped over, because everything is out of sorts, and even if I get the family to help, it is still me, the Mom who orchestrates everything. When it comes to nourishment, it is me the Mom who initiates the cooking and I am the one who makes sure the meal is balanced so the family is properly nourished. Just like the mother wren, it takes about 50 trips around the kitchen to get it all together and feed the brood. She, the mother wren never seems to tire, as she is always, alert, chirps like she had a swig of serotonin, and flits about like she nevers needs Ibuprofen or Aleeve to get her through the day. And I will bet that she nevers eats the last worm either.She gives it to her kids. Ay least they don't have to do laundry and keep track ofwhether or not the family has any socks left or where that blue shirt is that was in the laundry last week. But I do believe they have good memories, because every year they have to fly all the way back from down south, and how in the world do they remember this weather beaten little 6 x 6 house on the corner of my porch. Can you imagine how many houses they must pass on their way up here? And the other thing that is so amazing, as I have been watching it for years, they always arrive on May 9th. Coincidence?? I don't know or just a darn good Mom keeping track of everything as usual??Mom's are amazing people who have amazing strength and do amazing things for their families. I know I will be keeping close watch on my deck family, I just have to see those babies take their first flight. I have a feeling I will have lots of company, because my grandkids and Minnie (my cat) are very interested in the activity in that little house. This will be my stitching spot for quite a while.
Happy Stitching! Carol

Designing Thoughts

Recently, I was thinking about all the new designing ideas that are starting to fall under the realm of the "Quilting Umbrella." Nowdays, you can walk into a quilt shop and find designs and patterns from anything from little girls dresses to aprons, totes, quilts wallhangings, towels, stitchery and many other items. I think we have the quilting industry to thank for the renewed interest in sewing again. However, also the fabric designers themselves. The selection is overwhelming, and the colors are spectacular. We owe a lot of gratitude to the shop owners also for their never ending willingness to help customers with product selection, demonstration of new products and also classesthat are designed to utilize the products invented and also the different uses of the fabric designed. When I had a quilt shop, I had an older customer come in one day to shop and look around and she finally shook her head and said, "Oh, how I wish I had been born twenty years later." I think that pretty much sums up how a lot of of the older generation of quilters felt.
I am grateful that I have been able to live and see this "renewed interest in quilting and sewing in general. Now we just heed to get our younger generation involved and teach them the newest tricks and techniques.
Happy Stitching! Carol

Fun With English Paper Pieces

English Paper Pieced Ornaments

This month is the last month of our Christmas Club, and we finished off with some ornaments made from English Paper Pieces. They are really a lot of fun to make as well as being very quick, and make the best little gifts to give to that special someone that you just want to remember with something small and home made. I added a few small yoyo's (which I love to make) to the hexagon wreath for berries. You can add to them embellishments if you choose. Hang them from a door knob, cupboard door handle, shade pull, fan pull, of just lay a few in a basket dor a real festive look. These are made with the paper pieces still inside of them to make them more sturdy. A great way to use of fabric scraps as well.

Happy Stitching! Carol

Vintage Basket #2

I finished the second vintage basket that I designed and now I am not sure what I will do with it. I like the colors that I used, and the precoloring really does make the design stand out more and adds to the three dimensional effect. I guess I will just have to let it lie around for a while until one day I will pick it up and finsih it somehow. Does that ever happen to you when you finish a piece and you don't quite know how you are going to use it?

Vintage Basket #2
If nothing else it will look good framed or on a pillow.
This evening I was out watering my flowers, (we need rain bad!) and it was such a beautiful evening, however, the mosquitos were nipping at my ankles and the hummingbirds were circling over my head. I was watering by the flowers that they like to come and have a drink from before they retire for the night. Such minute creatures they are, makes me wonder how they survive out there in predatory country. However, they are no more than an appetizer at best for even the tiniest predator. We have had a bumper and I mean BUMPER crop of army worms this year. Many of our trees in our back yard are stripped. Someone told me the leaves would come back yet this summer. I guess I will have to watch to see if they do.
I am in the process of moving my studio into another room in our house as we are doing a bit of remodeling. This week will be the big move as I will be going through everything as I move it.
What a week it will be, but the move will be well worth it as I will have more space, better light, and a door from it that goes into our four season porch, one of my favorite places to stitch. I am dreading the moving and if anyone could see all the stuff I have packed into my old studio, you would know why. I will try to take some pictures of my new room right before I mess it up with a new project!!
Happy Stitching! Carol