Where do you sign up for the contest?

Hi Debbi - Just post your comment on the Holiday Contest 2009 page, and - if you'd like - add a photo to Flickr using the link in the blog. Jo

Christmas was the best when the kids were growing up. I would stay up all night Christmas Eve, wrapping presents and putting the final touches on each member's Christmas outfit, including my own. Then to see everyone dressed up Christmas morning and the kids anxiously waiting to open gifts after services.

Made Christmas tree ornaments using selvages as tinsel decoration going across the tree. Used quilted flannel for the tree and machine blanket stitched the edges. Used a pretty button for the star. :)

Some of my favorite small gifts are lace bookmarks, made on my Bernina 730. They are small enough to tuck into holiday cards but bring pleasure to teh recipients

I made table runners this year. Some have embroidered blocks while others have appliqued (made with embroidery) blocks. These were very fun. Before this, I'd not done much applique but will do more from here on out. Additionally, it was great to do embroidered quilting blocks with my new 830!

My favorite project is a quilted tablerunner. I was on number 3 last week and my machine died. So now, my favorite project is going to be selecting a new machine. I would like one I can quilt and embroider with... any suggestions?
Newbie with bad machine luck!

Hi Lisa - Sorry to hear about your machine - what a bad time to break down! Tell me what kind of machine you have now, and what you'd like to be able to sew. Then I'll be able to make some suggestions - Jo

I made a mantel scarf from felt. I used blanket stitching and other decorative stitches to embellish the Christmas-themed project.

This holiday season I made some roll-up bags. They can be used for sewing supplies, jewelry, make-up, toiletries, or anything else you can think of! They were pieced and quilted with my Bernina 230 and came out fantastic!

Making red and green log cabin lap quilts that give the impression of a green wreath on a red background was fun. Hand quilting takes a bit of time. I have finished only two of the ten I intend to make. I have pieced three more and have the fabric cut for the other five. All of them are going to my siblings and their children. The most fun in this Christmas project is seeing the joy on the faces of the recipients and realizing the comfort they will receive with the feel of cotton.

I made several tote bags from the Lazy Girl Designs Miranda Day Bag. Made some last year too and they are definately a winner with everyone.

I made several totes. They were a winner with last years recipients so made more this year for others on my list.

I have my mother-in-law's old Bernina. I'd love to be able to sew up some Christmas gifts for next year. I just have to find out how to order a new bobbin case.

Hi Lisa - I recommend taking your mother's Bernina to your local Bernina store and having them to a basic Clear/Oil/Adjust for you, as well as order a new bobbin case. This will ensure that everything is working properly and you'll have a great time sewing - Jo

On the windows that have no or minimal curtains most of the year (because I love the view so much!) I've started making window quilts. An extra layer of thermal batting is tacked onto the back side to prevent sun fade and help keep out the
Vermont winter cold. Now I can enjoy the view during the day and the quilts in the evenings. I'm still working with a no name '70s machine and looking at purchasing a Bernina. I do very basic sewing outside of quilting & not really interested in all the extras. On my wish list would be a wide sewing area for getting the quilts thru, what machine would you recommend?

I have such a big stash, that I love pulling out Christmas fabrics and folding it over my tables and entertainment center as table tops or like table cloths. I also cover wall pictures and add a bow to make presents on the wall. I pouf out fabric for center pieces and add a candle and candle ring. It adds a festive touch very quickly and I don't need additional storage. I just refold it and put it back to the stash when the Holidays are over. The price is good also...a big goose egg. Of course it would be much better if it were all sewn into projects...maybe 2010.

Each year I come up with a different Christmas project for family and friends. This year I decided to make Christmas Sweatshirt Jackets for myself and friends Peggy and Debi I run around with. I began by taking all of my Christmas fabric plus had to buy some. Using my 1 1/2" Strip Die and my Accuquilt GO Cutter I cut hundreds of strips. (I have a paralyzed left hand so to me the GO Cutter has made my life so much easier when it comes to cutting fabric. Then I took our 3 sweatshirts and cut them apart. I began sewing the strips on vertically. I was able to get 2 completely done. Debi decided to spend winter in FL so will get hers done for next year. I guess starting Dec 1 wasn't earlier enough! Hard to say what next years project will be, but will begin much earlier.

This year I made 8 holiday tote bags from christmas fabric I inherited from Mom's stash after she passed away. I wasn't sure about giving these as gifts but you should have seen the oohs and aahhs I got, plus many thanks. The totes were a great hit. I did some fancy stitching on parts of the bags with my new 830 (loving this machine). Already thinking of and looking more new ideas for 2010. Someday want to give monogramed PJ's to my family members for their gifts. May everyone have a great and productive New Year.

I just got a Bernina 830! I can hardly wait to get started on gifts for Christmas 2010. I also plan to make gifts for birthdays and baby showers! Oh what fun it will be!

Just finished my Halloween quilt on my 730. Now I can start something new.

I made a picture quilt for my mother on my Bernia Virtuosa 153. She loved it!

I made several free-standing-lace ornament covers this year. I have Berninas 730 and the new 830. I had both of them going at the same time! Thoroughly enjoying them.

My newly acquired Bernina 440QE and embroidery module inspired me to create a myriad of hand crafted presents this year. I made a oversized lap quilt for hubby on which I attempted free motion quilting for the first time due to the confidence I gained by having the BSR. It came out great and I am ready for more. Embroidered hand towels for my oldest daughter, a messenger bag and fleece throw for a friend...and so much more! I love my Bernina!!!!! Happy New year to all!

Pictures??? Awww, I knew I forgot something before I shipped off the purple faux fur vest and matching creature backpack to my niece (with ears and a tail). Oh, the matching weekend bag set you say, didn't I spend three days on those, and the zipper closures, hidden passport pockets and how I used laminated cotton to line the make-up bag of all our dreams (one that actually can hold a hair dryer, round brush and a flat iron). You know the one with Tania's initials embroidered on it. Certainly you'd have a picture of that. Yeah, I forgot to photograph that too. Hummm, the three snuggle blankets finished with my interpretation of warm sleeves; fingerless gloves, and a big initial applique for each child. One of which was a giant cursive letter that took 30 minutes just to turn inside out. At least the BSR made that easy!!! Hum, how ever did they get into the box before the camera could make them smile? What is wrong with me, I never take pictures of my stuff. I can't help but sew. Thankfully I have a Mom that taught me that, so I can blame her. Look what she did! Yes she made a white fleece coat with a muff (for your hands) OMG!

Don't worry I did take a picture of an apron I made, and I am still finishing that project I made for myself... the one I wanted to learn the BSR on and stopped once I had the hang of it to make gifts for others, but I hoped I'd finish before I made Christmas dinner, yeah that. I've been spending all day hand sewing the binding on after spending the last few days finishing the quilting and binding. I'll post the pictures too. Thanks for the contest. I love a contest. But not as much as I love my relatively new 440QE (and newly acquired) E, and can't wait to learn more about embroidery. Here's to a new decade where I am no longer embarrassed to admit I love to sew, I love embroidery (can't wait to get really good at it), and I love my chickens. That's another topic. Off to pick-up my fresh eggs!

Hi Drew - LOL  You sound just like me! Fortunately, most of the folks I make things for will let me visit my creations and take photos after the fact :) Jo

My favorite Christmas project is to applique simple Christmas shapes (trees, pears, birds, etc.) onto dish towels (get in bundles from Costco), and make matching pot holders in holiday fabrics. They make nice gifts for the family when they come for Thanksgivings. It's a nice treat to see them being used for the holidays. Sorry never thought to take a picture of them all these years. Of course, they are sewn on my Bernina, which is 13 years old, but still sews beautifully. If I were to win a beautiful new Bernina 8 Series, my current machine would go to my 14 yr. old daughter. For whom was the original reason my husband bought me my sewing machine . It was a Quilter's Edition he bought at the Glendale Quilt Show without me knowing! It would be nice to get another suprise Bernina!

I am a new quilter! My husband purchased a Bernina for my birthday. Lucky me!! This year I made quilted pot holders. It was a great way to pratice my quilting without getting discouraged, and everyone loved the homemade gifts!

This year, I made quilted tote bags for several friends and relatives which were a big hit. Last year, I made totes that folded into a small storage bag, and did a "secret Santa" thing mailing them to friends and others that have touched my life. It was fun watching them try to guess "who did it"; some knew right away, and some are still scratching their heads a year later!!!

This year I sewed some quilted sleeping pads for my friend that has outdoor cats. While they have a comfortable place set up in her garage, I thought the sleeping pads would keep them warmer. I inserted three layers of batting and used my walking foot tool to stitch lines across to anchor the batting with the layers of flannel. Then I finished the edges with binding. This is a simple project, but I am pretty new to sewing and quilting. I also sewed some cat toys for my friend's pets. We sew each others pet's toys and I sewed some little balls for my kitten, as it is difficult to find toy balls for kittens that do not include pieces that can harm them. I also sewed a tote from the Purina Cat Food bags that are made with duraweave. I like to recycle. Here is a link to one of my postings.
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf85214922.tip.html
I have purchased some kits to make embroidered quilts and plan to start on those in the near future. A close friend taught me beginner sewing, and I am so grateful, as it has opened a whole new world of creativity for me. I have collected some quilting patterns and books and look forward to all the future projects I can make.

My favorite gift this year was the gift of beautiful emroidery on my Bernina Aurora. My daughter was making custom Christmas stockings and together we embroidered names on over 100 stocking cuffs that went to homes all over the states. Just gorgeous! With the money my daughter earned she was able to purchase a used Bernina 180 so she can step up into this great family of machines.

So my mother loves Elvis and I figured I would make her an Elvis apron. And with my fancy new embroidery unit (thanks hubby for the Christmas present!) I just had to add some text. What could be better than getting an "autographed" Elvis apron???

I don't know how to add pics so I am hoping that Drew can upload them for me. =)

I had fun designing and creating these candy cane holders that were video game characters from my daughters favorite game. They did turn out cute and they were fun to create. The challenge is the steps in which to put everthing in. A fun project all in all.

Hi all and a happy New Year to everyone! I made two throw size quilts for relatives, one flannel and one regular cotton. I also made what my husband calls a "garage" bag for my sister. He figures it looks so big that a car MUST be able to fit into it! It is really a beach bag, made from Loralie fabric that was fantastic. It kind of seemed like a weird present in the middle of winter but my sister loved it! I rarely let any projects out my door without a picture but these projects were all started and done in late Nov./Dec. and it just was crazy time. I will have to try and get a picture of the bag at least! This was all done on my 830.

All the girls in my extended family loved the extra large, personalized make-up bags I made for them this year. I also personalized some coffee mugs with coffee wraps for all the neighbors with the pattern from Art to Heart. It's in several of her books. The wraps I made used 3 strips of fabric, with the center strip used to stitch-out the neighbor's name. I added the coffee mug to the center of a basket and put coffee, creamer, and hot chocolate around the mug. In the mug itself, I added soft melting mints with a chocolate covered marshmellow Santa in the center. They were a big hit with the neighbors.

I belong to a wonderful group of sewing 'sisters' that is called the Fabric Fanciers. We have a sewing challenge project each year. The last one was to make a 12 by 12" piece of embellished fabric in the 'red' color family for each member and then we all made projects from our squares of fabric. I used my squares of fabric to make minature heirloom dresses for a Christmas tree for my sewing room. I used Martha Pullen's book, "A Christmas to Remember" for patterns and inspiration for the little dresses. I labeled the inside of each dress with the member's name who made the fabric since I knew I would forget. I feel like I have each of my friends hanging there on the tree each time I look at it! I would send a picture but don't know how to use Flickr.

I made pieced, quilted table runners for my two daughters. One was for Thanksgiving and the other for Christmas. They were the last things I did on my 200E before getting my 830.

My 5 year old granddaughter loves to play school (she is the Kindergarten teacher, of course!). I made her a floor quilt on which she could play "learning centers" instead of pulling all of her mothers towels out of the linen closet. It is a simple 9 block quilt with a school house block in the center, surrounded by school related prints, and school days fabric for the sashing.

I made small purses for all of my equestrian friends. I had previously made these for all female family members when my niece got married. Made entirely in the embroidery unit except for stitching up the sides. Idea came from Explorations software, but I used Designer Plus software. Am potentially interested in upgrading to V6, but new Bernina dealer does not inspire me with confidence, so may wait awhile.

Will post pictures after I catch up with everyone to take some.

dss

I made a quilt for my grandaughter. It is the first time I have used my embroidery machine, and the BSR on my 830. The BSR was a little hard to do at first, but I am slowly getting the hang of it. I love my 830.

My favorite project I made for Christmas was a quilt for my husband. He always hung a quilt in his office and asked for a new one this year. Well, due to the failure of the economy he lost his job, but I gave him the quilt anyway. He loved it and we will now hang it in our bedroom. I made it using my 430.

I have no grandchildren of my own but the neighbor children are like adopted grandchildren so for Christmas I wanted to do something special for them. I made a knight costume for the 4 year old boy. It was quite the hit. He loved the cape and the shield and the hood. His only question to me was "Where are my knight pants Linda?" Whoops -- I guess I forgot that part. The christmas present was quite loved as he played and slept in it for several days his mother said he is still enjoying the pretend play and the children's books that accompanied the pretend wear about being a "Good Knight!" Through polar fleece, decorative sparkly fabric to flowing cape material my older Bernina 150 performed flawlessly! I love my Bernina!

I am another who took no pictures of the gifts I made. I made semi-circle placemats that folded into the shape of Christmas trees and embroidered a Christmas tree on the upper fold and presents on the lower fold so there were presents under the tree using my Artista 200/730 E.

I made ornaments shaped like potholders and oven mits for cooking friends.

I also made doll clothes for my two granddaughters 18" dolls. For the doll Christmas dresses I used green velvet for the bodices and red and green plaid taffeta for the skirts and bodice linings and red velvet ribbon for the belt and bow. The girls liked the other doll outfits also.

This year the top of the list was a heart table topper for our four children and adopted parents in North Dakota, plus redwork on flour sacks for close friends. I believe that I have done 30 of those towels for friends and family this year. what a great gift.

SANTA BAG! Going green! I made Santa Bags for each one of my boys. On Christmas morning they found their bags full of presents. I didn't wrapped the presents. I simply put each one in a recycled grocery bag. They enjoyed the practicality of the bag. I think I will be making birthday bags as well. I embroidered the name tags and the front of the bags on my Bernina 630.

SANTA BAG! Go green Santa Bag. No need to wrap any presents, just wrap them in a recycled grocery bag and put Christmas gifts on the Santa Bag. My boys thought it was cool, and efficient. My family and friends enjoyed them so much, that I will be making Birthday bags soon.

My favorite project was a holiday lap quilt that I finally finished. It had been a long time UFO because I'd made a mistake in calculating angles so when I sewed the blocks together not a single point matched...this year I 'discovered' rick-rack and had a wonderful time taking this from lemon to lemonade!

I made what I think is an adorable snowman, however other in my house think it is way out of proportion. I said it/s a snowman...the parts don't have to even.

Wow, I didn't read the instructions too well. I posted pictures of the Advent Calendar on the Flicker site but didn't give a discription here. I used a light weight canvas for the embroidery and backed each day with wool felt. I did not remove the cut-a-way stabilizer. I made the banner from heavy red wool felt as the wool felt has more body to it. I separated each day with gross grain ribbon and added buttons to hold each day in placed. Now to make one for our next daughter in line.

I made embroidered some holiday towels to give as gifts. I have posted a photo to the flickr area. I like doing little things as gifts for friends and to use as hostess gifts.

I also posted photos of a couple of purses I made with my Bernina 830. Such fun to make!