2 Down, 48 To Go!

Hello again, Here is block number 2 of the State Flowers. These are easy, fun, and are going to look fantastic in my quilt that I make in one year. I figure if I do one a week, I will be done in less than a year. The color doesn't show up the best here, but the background is a nice cream color so I think I can have some fun picking out some neat patriotic fabric to finish this quilt. I will keep you posted.

Happy Stitching! Carol

USA State Flowers

Remember a while back when I posted the patterns of the State Flowers, Birds and Flags that ladies did years and years ago, and are still available.? Well, I decided it would be fun to make at least one of these, because I do love embroidery. But, I decided to change things up a bit, (you know me!) Here is a picture of the first block that I grabbed and it happens to be Nevada. According to the direction I was suppose to pick green, bright yellow and bright blue for the floss colors. I have seen some of the older quilts made like this and they didn't have a lot of floss colors to choose back then, not like we do now. So here is what I did, I changed the background from a white to a cream color, and I changed the color palettte from a bright color to a muted color. I really like the way they are turning out. Now this will allow me to use some of the muted fabric choices we have today to make this into a "stunning" quilt.Actually I am almost done with the second block; these go pretty fast and you can easily do a couple a week. 

So if you want to get on board and do one of these quilts, I would be glad to share my color chart with you.

Also we sell the different color background blocks, either in white. natural, or cream. You get a generous 12 inch block so there is plenty of room to hoop your design and do the stitching. We sell the patterns and the blocks on our Hand Embroidery page at  www.chickadeehollowdesigns.com  I did not design these patterns but I do sell them. I have no idea who designed them, but I think they are pretty and I think we  kind of  lost a genration of people who never learned the beauty of embroidery or the pure enjoyment you can get from doing it. It is very easy, anybody can learn to do it.I really do appreciate all of you who read my blogs and also those who post comments. I love your thoughts and ideas.

Happy Stitching! Carol

Civil War Blocks

Happy Saturday to everybody!. It is humid, plus here in Minnesota AGAIN today! So humid that the windows and doors are fogged over because the inside is cooler and less humid than outside. That has certainly been the norm here lately. Oh and did I mention mosquitos? I have come to the conclusion that they not only breed in water, but they also grow and get fat on water. With our abundance of rain this year, these little guys are fat and hungry for my blood! Some got into the house last night and made for a miserable night.I swatted until about 1:00 am and then either fell asleep or they were done feeding on me.

I had forgotten to share my other blocks I have doine with the Civil War fabrics. I am doing a free BOW on my other blog, "Civil War Stitch Along."  so if you would like to follow along, hop on over there and check it our.

Here are the newest blocks. I am using the Civil War Chronicles Fabric Line from Marcus Brothers on this quilt. I am also trying to find osme block patterns that are older or not so common. Thes are, #1 Underground Railroad, #2 Cobblestone, and #3 Richmond. It is fun to do different blocks and learn the names of them, and of course it makes you wonder about the history of why they were named what they were. If any of you have that information, please share it with us.

Happy Stitching! Carol

Block of the Week #2

Well, I hope every one has their air conditioners running and have groceries in the fridge so you don't have to go out for the next week. We are expecting a heat wave that is suppose to last a week, so I am getting prepared to get lots done in my sewing room. Defintely too hot to go anywheres. Last week I posted the first block of the Block of the Week I am doing just for fun on my other blog,  http://civilwarstitchalong.blogspot.com

I have the directions for each block posted there if you want to follow along. The block this week is called Cobblestones. I really like this block, it is similar to a 25 patch block except it is sewed on point.

I also have something I would like to share with you that I think is going to be a lot of fun, but I will post that for you all later

Happy Stitching! Carol

Cute Civil War Block

                                                                        Double Square

I think this block works up so nice with the Civil War Fabrics. Just thought I would share it with you. I am trying to choose some blocks that are not used real often. This is going to be a sampler of different blocks using all Civil War Fabrics.

 Happy Stitching! Carol

Hand Embroidery Patterns

We will be adding new Hand Drawn, embroidery design this week. The new line is called Carol Louise's Hand Embroidery designs. They come with full instructions for completion, along with a stitch guide and coloring guide. The coloring guide is to help you add color to your design if you choose, either by using color crayons or colored pencils. The instructions are very complete and these are very reasonable, most will be under $5.00. They can be used in many different waysand they can also be resized per copyright instructions. We do ask that you do hot share them, because these are copyrighted.They will be added in the next week. Here is a picture of the first one.

Check them out on our hand embroidery page.I have been working hard all day so I am ready to sit down and do a little stitching myself. I hope I don't fall asleep! Yawning!!

Happy Stitching! Carol

Remember These?

Well, the 4th of July is gone for another year, but we all know that our American spirit lives on through out the year. We love our country and are forever proud of it, irregardless of what is happening in Washington. Yes, times are tough, but we still have so much to be thankful for if you sit down and really start to compare our country to others. We do have freedom, and most of us still have a morality that can only be found in a civilized nation.
As many of you may know, hand embroidery is back in a big way, and many customers are turning to less expensive projects to work on to get us through the tough economical times. I have found the perfect projects to work on that are inexpensive, fun, and would create a great keepsake. Remember these, old is new again.
These are easy, they are all pre-printed for you, so all you have to do is iron them on and start embroidering.

Pure fun! We carry all of these Americana patterns in our on line shop. These come with full instructions and a color guide. Remember we also sell blank quilt blocks either in a good quality white muslin or a off white fabric. The sizes are 12 1/2", larger than necessary so that you can trim then down and center after embroidering. Go check these out on our Hand embroidery page at  www.chickadeehollowdesigns.com

Happy Stitching! Carol

New Blog Design

Good Morning all my little chickadees! Have you ever had one of those nights where you slept so good that you felt like you had a new life the next morning. Well, I had one of those nights.Even though it was a hot, hot night, I slept so good.Of course, we had the air conditioner going. Phew, when the weather man says HOT, he means it. Sounds like it will be cooling down tomorrow though so that is good.
Just wondering what you all think of my new blog design. I am going to do a little contest and see who makes the best comment about the new design and they will receive a couple of my new Hallowen ornaments as a prize. Only one winner though, so make your comment look really good!
More Halloween designs coming at the end of the week, so stay tuned. By the way if you haven't signed up for our newsletter, fly on over to www.chickadeehollowdesigns.com and sign up. We have a new Newsletter debuting this month, should be out around the 15th. I hear my little wren calling me from the sunporch so I better go see what she is up to.
Happy Stitching! Carol

Halloween Ornaments

I am rolling right along on these Halloween ornaments. There are turning out to be a lot of fun. I am trying to make them friendly and fun, as I am not really into the ghoul and gore of Halloween. There is a total of sixteen of them and they would look really cute tacked to the hearth of your fireplace or in a dorrway or on a little Halloween tree.
Check them out on the Vintage Fall Ornaments page. www.chickadeehollowdesigns.com page
Happy Stitching! Carol

Transfer Pens

I have experimented a lot with transfer pens of all sorts. The one that I think work best are the Red Transfer Pencils. These will print to a fabric surface just by using a hot iron. The thing you need to know about these is to keep the tip of your pencil sharp for a nice thin line, if it is too wide, it will be hard to cover the linw with your embroidery floss.  

The Sulky Iron On Transfer Pens work very well. I like to use a Heavy Duty Tracing Paper  to trace my design to, and then flip it over and then with a hot iron transfer it to my choice of fabric. The thing you need to know about these is, you can not press real hard because the line will get too thick, you need to REMEMBER with these a light touch is best. The great thing about these pens is that you can also use them to apply some color to your design, it is best to practice a bit before you do this, but it works very well. The set pictured has 8 different colors in it, Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green and Purple. Althought a little more spendy, they last a long time and work excellent if you follow the manufacturers guidelines.
All of these products are available on our website on the Hand Embroidery Notion page. We also carry two different types of Transfer Paper, a lighter one for use with the Red Transfer Pencils and a Heavy Duty one for use with the Sulky pens.
One thing you need to remember also is, DO NOT use your ironing board to transfer designs. It works best if you use a couple layers of fabric on a hard surface. Smooth out the fabric on the hard surface. Iron it so there are no wrinkles and make sure it is smooth before you lay your fabric and design down to trace, Hold your iron and press down on your design rather than moving back and forth, this can move your design enough so the lines show wider. Again practice so you have a good idea of how it all works before you work on your final design.
All of these items are available at http://www.chickadeehollowdesigns.com/
Happy Stitching! Carol

Meet Glamourellda!

I have never been big on decorating for Halloween, but I decided to do a Halloween line of ornaments, and

today I finshed this wonderful gal. Her name is "Glamourellda." I actually had a lot of fun with her. You all know I love to draw so I tried really hard to make her look ugly like all witches are suppose to be. I am thinking I maybe should make a witch doll now too. My grandson saw me working on it and he said, "her ugly, Grandma!" I just had to laugh, l;eave it to the little ones to just let out their opinions, I love it!  Don't you just love the wart on her nose? By the way, this is her glamour shot that she took before Halloween. I think she will make a good witch! Hmmm, on to the next one, wonder what that will be??
Happy Stitching! Carol

Happy Mothers Day

As I prepare for Mothers Day, I think about my own Mom and wish that she could be here with us yet to celebrate the day. My Mom was very special in many ways, and many times I think about all of our modern conveniences, and how difficult it must have been for her to raise eight of us kids on a farm without  much of anything. She always made this huge garden and spent the summer canning jars full of fruits and vegetables for us to get through the winters. There were hundreds of jars, and many times she would send one of us kids to the basement to count how many jars of this or that she had, so she would know to can more. I know one of my favorite was her garlic dill pickles, I remember the recipe by heart today. There would always be at least a hundred jars of dill pickles. And of course beets, corn, tomatoes, green beans and peas. Do you know how many peas it takes to fill a quart jar? A lot! Do you know how many pea plants it takes to fill a dish pan with shelled peas??A lot! I remember helping with all that. I have done my share of that too, but not to the numbers that she did. I don't know why I am talking about this, I guess it just came to mind as I was reflecting on my Mom tonight and thinking about how much work it must have been to keep all of us kids fed and "in line." God Bless you Mom, I know your life was not easy, but in my heart I know you wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Mothers deserved to be recognized, but those who do the recognizing have no idea what it takes to be a Mom unless they have "walked a mile in her shoes."

I am sharing a picture tonight of one of the designs that I have been working on for my Vintage Autumn line of ornaments. We will start releasing them, a couple a week for the next eight weeks, so stay tuned if they interest you!
Happy Stitching! Carol

Deal of the Week

Windmills & Wildflowers

This pattern free with your purchase.

It's my Birthday this week, and I am celebrating with a super deal. Today we sent out newsletter with a special for you in honor of my birthday. Here is the deal

Buy all three Sew Special Mini Charm Patterns, and get a free Windmills and Wildflowers pattern, plus a free mystery gift.

The Sew Special Mini Charms patterns are the ones featured in the post before this one of the little Christmas tree with all the little quilt block charms.

I can't tell you what the free mystery gift is!

Go check it out at http://www.chickadeehollowdesigns.com/

No special code, just purchase the 3 Sew Special Mini Charms Patterns and the rest of the deal is automatic.
Happy Stitching! Carol

Primitive Quilts & Projects

I had to share this photo, it is the cover of the first Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine. It is a wonderful publication, very nicely done, in fact when I saw it in my mail, I thought well that is strange I didn't order a book that I recall. It looks like a book it is so nicely done. The projects and photography are great. I am almost done re-organizing my studio, and as soon a I get it done, I promise some pictures. Gosh, I forgot how long it takes to move a studio; I am certain there are little gnomes living in there and bringing stuff in, because I don't remember having all this "stuff." But, I have to remind myself that it is not just a quilting room, it contains pretty much all my art supplies, painting, drawing, and all my stitching things. I will never move it again! It is hard to ask for help because I want to know where stuff is at, and I want to be able to throw as I go through everything, however, that pile is pretty small. Oh well, it is my life,so it is what it is..........I hate that saying and can't believe I just used it!

My poor little Honey (my little stitching partner) patiently lays by and moves from one spot to the next about a foot and a half away as I move about going through the next corner. What a trooper, and always there unconditionally. Hoowever, she loses her patience when it comes to about 10:30-11:00 at night; she wants to go to bed, she she sits behind me and lets out a little bark or sneeze every once in a while.

Happy Stitching! Carol

A Christmas Idea!

Sew Special Mini Charms I, II, III

It is never too early to start on Christmas gifts is it? Today I am sharing with you a picture of my designs that I put on my little Christmas Tree. These designs are called Sew Special Mini Charms I, II, & III. They are available at www.chickadeehollowdesigns.com go to Ornaments

and then select Sew Special Mini Charms, Each package comes with 6 pre-printed designs,pre-colored designs. Each one meausres approximately 2" square when they are completed. Decorate them with some of your favorite buttons, hearts, stars, rounds, whatever. We also sell buttons on our website that you can use on these. They are quick, fun easy, and cuter than a bugs ear!! Make a great gift for a stitcher, or for anyone for that matter. Attach one to your Christmas packages, or hang them around the house for some country charm!

It is defintely still stitching weather (it is always stitching weather!) in Minnesota, they are predicting snow and colder than normal here for the next five days, Whoopie!

Grab a warm blanket and snuggle up with your favorite snack, a stitching project, and the remote, (if you can get it away from your husband) and have yourself a great weekend.Happy Stitching! Carol

Will It Ever Be Spring??

My Crazy Summer

Oh my, will it ever be Spring this year? I have had a difficult winter to say the least. It was long, cold, gray, gloomy, no sunshine, lots of snow kind of winter. Had the Influenza B flu, my arthritis was not good, and all of that on top of working around a construction crew. Difficult to say the least, but I am going to be soooo happy with my new space, once I get everything put away and organized. Whoa, a person doesn't realize how much they have until you start trying to find places for it, and try to downsize a little at the same time. I will share pictures as soon as I get everyhting put away. I did find a little time to do some stitching and finished the last season in my Four Seasons little pillows. This is the last in that series. You can see all four of them if you go to www.chickadeehollowdesigns.com and look for the Embroidery page.

I really hope to take some time this summer and spend it at the lake, maybe even doing some fishing. How about you, what are your plans for the summer? Give me some feedback and tell me what you like to do in the Summer. Summer will eventually get here, but because Spring seems so far away, Summer seems like an eternity away! So, being it is so cold out yet, you may as well stitch!

Happy Stitching! Carol

Just Thinking About Thoughts!

Just something pretty to look at!

Do you ever wonder how many thoughts you have in one day?

I know it is crazy to be thinking about it, because as I am thinking about it, I am making another thought!

Today

was one of those days!

Thinking, Thinking, Thinking!

...and now I suppose you are wondering what I am thinking about!

I don't know if it is just creative people who have this mess of thoughts going around all the time in their head, but it does get kind of annoying sometimes.

I have read the book by Eckart Tolle called A New Earth and he talks

about "just being" sometimes.

Seriously, have you ever tried to do it?

I have tried, and it is not that easy,

to sit there and just be!

We have so many things in our lives that are contantly grabbing for our attention!

Cell Phones, regular phones, radios, TV's, door bells, dogs barking,

computers, e-mail, just regular activity, traffic, etc.

It really is a wonder we are all not in the looney bin.

I guess I am not sure where this is going, well I do too!

When you sit and stitch are you able to zone out the world

and really get some peaceful time??

I love my quiet time when I can just sit and stitch and be absorbed in whatever it is that I am working on. It is like the world has stopped around me. I can do that if I am drawing and designing too.

Maybe that is why I love it so much.

It's been a long day!

I hope I have given you something to think about!!

Happy Stitching! Carol

Prayers Please Today!

The events of the past 24 hours have made this a very sad day. Please join me in praying for all the people who have been directly touched by the earthquake and the resulting tsunami. If there are any of you that may know how any of us can help these people with quilts or anything else, please let us know. I would be glad to share the information in my blog.
I know that it is probably too early to even know what kind of help they need, but we need to help in whatever way we can. Sometimes I feel so helpless; I guess that is when we should pray some more.
Just pray for now, Carol

Thinking Positive in The Depths of Winter

House Finch
by Carol L Steffensen

I thought that I would share a spring bird with you today.Are you tired of Winter?? Waiting for the sweet sounds of the songbirds, open windows, flower buds, and the smell of fresh mowed grass? It can't come soon enough for me this year. I think this is one of the longest winters that I can remember . It has been a relentless, cold, and snowy winter. Our weatherman said that most of us have recorded 74 inches of snow this year, and the amazing part is that the majority of it is still piled high. We had a couple of days of thaw, but not enough to make a big difference in the snow plies. We are wondering where the water will go this spring, basically for our whole state.

The winter has definitely given me lots of time to quilt and also to add on to my studio. I am so excited to get moved into my new sewing room. I will share pictures when it is completed in about two weeks.
One of the things that hepls me to get through the long winters is to try to have a positive additude and one of the ways that I do that is by checking out positive places on line. This is one that I recenly found. It is called "The Positivity Effect." Here is a link if you want to check it out:
http://www.thepositivityeffect.com/
It is a fun site and has a lot of positive reading. Check it out!
Happy Stitching! Carol

Spring Is Coming 20% off sale

Just a quick note to let everybody know that we are having a 20% off sale to make room for new items that will start coming out next week.
So hop on over to www.chickadeehollowdesigns.com and check it out.
Watch for new items next week!!
Happy Stitching! Carol