CQI Christmas Cracker Swap

I posted photos of the Christmas crackers I made previously and now it is time to post about the ones I received. So, in the order I received them - here goes!

This was the first one I received and it is from Ritva! I have admired Ritva's exquisite stitching so much, especially the gorgeous seams she does each week for the BAS (Build a Seam) Challenge, so I was thrilled to bits to receive a lovely sample of her work to treasure!

Look at all the wonderful goodies Ritva managed to pack inside this little tube! I especially cannot wait to use the lovely piece of vintage lace.

This elegant cracker came from Connie. The fabrics are so beautiful and it had a tiny bee charm holding the cracker closed. I can't wait to build myself a bullion knot beehive so this little charm can hover above it.

The inside of the cracker from Connie was packed with the greatest goodies - ribbons, lace, silkies, beads, buttons, and the most lucious fabrics! So many beautiful fabrics!

The third and last cracker to arrive in the mail came from Juli. I just love the fabrics she used to piece this block!

So many treasures inside of this cracker from Juli! The contents all matched the Asian theme of the block too! It will be so much fun to use them all on an Asian themed block or two. Juli included a multitude of silkies, ribbons, lace, thread, beads, buttons and fabric. It is all just glorious!

I almost forgot to mention these extra pressies I got that didn't fit in the cracker. This hat pincushion is beautifully made and will sit by my new stitching spot so that I won't be sucking up needles in the vacuum cleaner anymore, lol! The string of beads is great too - I love reds and golds.

I appreciate all the generous gifts I have received and would like to say thank you to all these ladies again! Thank you also to Debbie who ran the CQI Christmas Cracker swap this year and to everyone who participated in it!

Comments

quiltlion said…

Great crackers! Everyone got such great crackers this year! Lyn G

December 27, 2009 at 3:59 AM

Diamond D said…

Kerry....oh these are all so beautiful. I'm glad that you have continued on with embellishing and sharing. It really enriches your life doesn't it? What wonderful cracker sharing you have all done for each other.
Hugs
DeeBee

December 27, 2009 at 10:57 AM

Giveaway Day! (CLOSED)

I am very happy to be joining in the Giveaway Day through Sew, Momma, Sew . I have chosen to share one of my finds from a shopping trip, or treasure hunts as I think of them. This is an antique sewing box - I could not resist it when I saw it for sale! Were you able to guess the item from the sneak peek earlier in the week? The box itself is fairly small, 8 inchs X 6 inchs and 4 inches high (20 cm X 15 cm and 10 cm high). From my research it is of Asian origin. Inside the sewing box is lined with hand-painted silk. The inside of the lid features a neat little needlebook. In the bottom of the sewing box there are more beautiful hand-painted blossoms and an attached pincushion. I hope you are as charmed by this little box as I was when I found it and that you will enter my giveaway. I will be pleased to mail internationally so everyone is invited to enter. To enter, visit my Etsy shop and then come back and leave me a...

BAS - Week 81 - Sequin Flower with Tutorial

This Build a Seam (BAS) Challenge is a little different - not exactly a stitch per se. It is a technique for making sequin flowers which can be a wonderful addition to a seam treatment or motif. You will need cupped sequins for this - flat ones will not work properly - and some seed beads. Mark your fabric with a center dot and five evenly spaced dots around the outside. Bring your needle up through one of the dots on the outside and string on one sequin (cup upwards), a bead, another sequin and two more beads. Take your needle down through the middle dot. Carry on making another leg in the same way on each of the other four outside dots, always going down into the center dot which will be the middle of your flower. This is what you end up with after you have done all five legs - a nice little sequin flower! You can add a bead or two more in the center of the flower if you wish. You can also vary the number of legs depending on the size of t...

BAS - Week 79 - Feather Stitch Variations

I have about the next twenty BAS stitches scheduled and by happy coincidence this week's BAS is a series of Feather Stitch variations which coincide with this week's TAST stitch if you are following. So, we can hit two birds with one stone! These hardly look like feather stitch but they are. They are created by making the "v"'s of the feather stitch vertical on the inside. Very simple to do but a different look to an old stitch. The second variation is created by doing two feather stitches at a time on each side, again making sure the inside of your "v"s are vertical and line up as much as possible. Same thing again in this one except they are in series of three. To me these have the look of stitching on old crazy quilts so they are nice to add to your stable of stitch variations. Hope you enjoy them and have fun!

kerrykatiecakes

Search This Blog