Yesterday, my friend Inge stopped by and gave me one of the most beautiful gifts ever:  an oil painting she made of my Mother as a young girl.  Is she not an amazing artist?  God has blessed me when he gave me Inge as a friend, that’s for sure.  My mother has always been an inspiration to me in all my sewing and home making.  When she left this world to be with the Lord, I had lost my best friend and I still miss her.  Inge thought I needed to have her with me in my sewing room.  So, there she is on the wall, watching me digitize and sew.  She would have LOVED an embroidery machine.  She did so much embroidery by hand and all of her children (there are 5 of us) still have something handmade by her, reminding us of her love for us.

Thanks for letting me share my joy.

Monika

Yes, I have to admit, I am highly distractible and get easily side tracked.  Haven’t spent much time with my “little cowboys” but instead have been working on birthday gifts for Saarah.  I am showing you two of them below.

The towel is a super soft towel, high loft, from K Mart.  I cut off the bottom edge and scalloped it and then applied a thin binding to the bottom.  Had this special “ruffle” ricrac lying around for a while and decided that it would look good with it.  The lettering is my upcoming new applique as well as satin alphabets called “Anna”.  The lettering is especially digitized for toweling or other thick napped fabric.  Also, the applique edge on the lettering is not quite as dense as usual to allow for better writing over it with the satin lettering.    The little butterfly is applique and stitches up very well and quickly.  Look for it in the store soon.  (I don’t know why the towel lettering shows up as orange – it really is a pretty peachy kind of color.)

Then I made Saarah her own version of the 10 Commandments for kids.  She loves, loves, loves butterflies and flowers.  So that’s what this design has.  Specially digitized for Saarah.   It, too, should be in the store sometime soon…. unless I get side tracked again.  Sigh.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention.  I got a neat miniature quilt hanger from here:

http://www.lorieslittlequilts.com/Quilt_Hangers_Mini_Classic.htm

You can’t really see the hanger very well in my photo, but if you ever need high quality quilt hangers, for miniatures or large, this place is great.  I like the way this hanger clamps on and how the sides are covered.  You can also get their hangers with a shelf on top.

I need to finish a couple more things for Saarah’s birthday – a dress and a purse – before I can get back to the cowboys.  But I will do so as soon as I can because little Effie’s room walls look pretty bare…..

Talk to you later.

Monika

I have to say that these little buckaroos are keeping my brain active.  These are not “simple” applique, as far as the digitizing is concerned.  It’s like putting together a big puzzle trying to figure out what piece goes before what other piece.  But I do like the way this one stitched up, too.  I have just a few more changes to make – but he’s almost there.

Maybe I can start on number 3 this weekend?  We’ll see what the weekend holds.

Just wanted to share and hope you like him.

Monika

Wish I could say that cowboy number two was done, but that little fellow is still in the making.  He is going to be so cute, sitting on a rock, playing the banjo.

I kept busy today getting my next free design together.  Since I manually digitize all of my designs (no autodigitizing here) and then test stitch the design over and over again, it’s rather time consuming, but I think you will like the new design.  This one is for baby girls.  It’s an applique onesie to be placed on baby blankets, diaper totes, center of wallhangings, towels, etc.   As soon as Paul gets a chance, we’ll be putting it up.    I learned a few things from doing this design – one of them is that when you stitch on interlock, it’s a good idea to interface it first and have the grain of the interlock going crosswise to the knit interfacing’s.  Also having the ribbing of the interlock knit  go crosswise helps to make sure lettering doesn’t “fall” between the ribbing.  Yes, I did use Solvy on top as well.

Here is a photo of a tag that’s part of the for sale design. The free design will be the 4×4 version only,  without the instructions and eyelet for the tag.

We’ll be announcing in the yahoo group as soon as the free design has been uploaded.

Well, I had hoped to be posting my progress yesterday, but Cowboy Effie wasn’t too cooperative.  I got him finished this morning and I think he is sooooo cute!  What do you think?  I have several more designs to go but just wanted to share.

I stitched him out on light beige Kona cotton.  He is part applique, part fill design and I can’t wait to get the others digitized.

Talk to you soon again.

Monika

(Click on photo for larger view.)

I am going to start a quilted wallhanging for our youngest grandson, Effie.  Mom and Dad requested a cowboy theme, so the Wild West it is!!  I have purchased exclusive clipart from http://www.sugarbeargraphics.com and it is soooo adorable.   I thought you might want to watch my progress as I first digitize this set and then assemble the quilt.  So every now and then, hopefully daily, I will be posting my progress and you can comment and give me your feedback.  Eventually, I will make the set available for sale and post the instructions under tutorial.

Here is one of the panels I have digitized – these particular graphics are not from sugarbeargraphics but from Cupcake Cutiees at www.mygrafico.com.

I see a possible set of cowboy minis out of this.  What do you think?

Talk to you soon.

Monika

Last Wednesday was a very special day in the life of our daughter and her family.    Kristy’s husband officially adopted all three of her children from a previous marriage.  We all went to court and listened to the Judge, a folksy kind of person, talk about the value of family and the need to support each other through “thick and thin”.   In an effort to learn “who’s who” in the Brock family, he was asking who “Sarah” was – she was quick to let him know that her name was “Saarah” and then proceeded to spell it for him.  He laughed and said “I stand corrected, little lady!”  Both sets of grandparents were there and even little Louis, a cousin.  We were surprised to learn that time would be “turned back” as it was through the adoption and that all documents would reflect Brian as their biological father and that legally there would be no trace left of their past.  It reminded me of what Christ does for us when He adopts us into His family.  The past is gone – all things are new.

We are so thankful for God’s leading in our Kristy’s life.  Someday I will need to write it all down.  God has taken all the broken pieces of her life and made them whole.  So much to be thankful for!

On the sewing side, I have been very busy digitizing.  I have just finished some baby quilt block designs and they stitch up quickly and look great.  I hope you will like them.  I am intending to make a rag quilt for Effie with them.  Cherrie Bell, one of my test stitchers, sells some vintage chenille 6″ precut squares and makes the most gorgeous rag quilts you will ever see.  I will be posting some of her work in our yahoo group soon.  So inspirational.  If you would like to see her vintage chenille at reasonable pricing, you can find it here:

http://www.artfire.com/users/cherrieblossomquilts

I am also working on a set of exclusive Prayer Cuties that will be great for children’s quilts and prayer cloth books.  Coming your way soon, I hope.

Just thought you might like a little update about what’s going on here with us in Ohio.

Always enjoy hearing from you all, too.

God bless.

Monika

As you may know, I have been working on different embroidery versions of the 10 Commandments for children.   I have really sensed a great need to do this being that the 10 commandments have all but disappeared out of the public eye.

This morning our daughter Kristy told me a story about her Saarah.  Kristy and family have just moved into a new home – it’s a lovely home, about 5 yrs old. The children love their new rooms and beds but Saarah was unhappy that her sister had a different and more “puffy” looking mattress.   After listening to her complaining for a while, her Daddy took her aside and talked to her.  He told her that there are many homes fancier than the one they had just moved into but that he, Brian, wasn’t going around complaining about not having one of those homes but rather that he was thanking God for the lovely home He had given them.  Saarah became quiet and suddenly said “Wait, Dad, isn’t that one of those of God’s rules that Grandma showed me on her wallhanging?  The one about envy?  That means I sinned and I better ask  God to forgive me.   And with that she went to her room to do just that.

I want to encourage you to teach your children the 10 Commandments while they are young.  Scripture tells us that we should “train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he grows old he will not depart from it”.   Give your children and grandchildren a moral and spiritual basis for living while you can.   Of course, you don’t need my embroidery design to do that with.  They are just one of many tools available to you to teach your children about the things that matter in life.

Thank you for letting me share this story that has touched my heart this morning.  I hope it touches yours, too.

It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog entry.  Life has been so very hectic, as many of you can relate to, I am sure.  It has been weighing heavily on my heart lately that so many of the children today will not know the 10 commandments and I have felt a sense of urgency to put out an embroidery design that would help children remember what those God given commandments are.  I had just fnished stitching out the design, when Saarah came and sat on my lap.  She admired the design and wanted to know what it was.  I explained to her that these were the rules God had given to mankind to live by.  She immediately said “Then I need one of those wallhangings in my room, too, Grandma.  I want to know what God expects from me.”  What wisdom from a 7 yr old.  And, yes, I plan on making wallhangings for each child – matching their room theme.  We then went over each commandment and she asked questions as we went along.  What a great teaching moment.

I love the fact that our grandchildren live close to us and that we get to interact on so many levels.  I haven’t written much about Siddiq anymore.  He is doing well, except for the great loneliness that so many Aspie children and adults experience.  They know that they are different and so desperately would love to “fit in” – or at least know that they are accepted and appreciated for who they are.  We as a family, of course, do that but it’s hard to find peers that do.  There is a poem  on “Autism Speaks” that was written by a 9 yr old boy with Asperger’s.  It could have been written by Siddiq.  He has expressed all of those feelings at one point or another.  If you get a chance, please go and read it.  It will help you gain a deep understanding of these children.  It brought tears to this grandma’s eyes.

http://blog.autismspeaks.org/2010/04/28/in-their-own-words-herrmann/#comment-1194

Thanks for visiting Oma’s Place.  I promise I will try to write more often.

Monika

Here in Ohio we have had the first signs of spring and it is so refreshing.  I have been able to take the grandkids to the park the last two days and it’s been so wonderful to see crocus pushing through the ground and we found some snowbells blooming.  It feel so good to be back outside again.

I have been busy digitizing and making outfits for the grandkids for Easter.  I took some photos of Saarah’s dress which she loves.  Yes, I have to admit it, it’s another Feliz dress.  I just don’t seem to stay away from that pattern.  I just love the way it looks and I had a hard time convincing Saarah to take the dress off.  She said “it’s so comfy, Grandma”.  I think that means she might actually wear it!

Here are some photos of Saarah in her new dress.  It’s long – she wanted it that way.  I would have put the pocket up higher, but she had a request for a pocket, after I had finished the front of the dress and she wanted the pocket where she could easily reach it.  So, there it is.  A little lower than usual – but Saarah is very happy with it.  And that’s what counts!

The designs used on this dress and on Eliana’s will be up for sale shortly, plus some that I did not use for the dresses but that were a digitizing “by-product”.  The set’s name is:  Daisies and Sweet Flutterbies and will have 10 designs in it.  Look for it to go up soon.

Have a wonderful Spring – or whatever your upcoming Season might be.And should I not be blogging again before Easter, have a blessed Easter.  He is Risen.  He is Risen indeed.

Monika

I am hoping that for most of you, if not all, the New Year is off to a good start.  Life has been very busy here at Oma’s Place, with many new designs in the making.  Since I do most of my own testing, it will take me a while to get them all up for you to see.

Our youngest granddaughter loves the color purple.  If it was up to her, the whole world would be colored that way.  Her brother recently broke his arm and had a cast applied.  The very first question Eliana had for her brother after she saw him with the cast was “why didn’t you pick purple for your cast”?  He had picked blue.  -  I found this great velour at JoAnn’s recently and was very happy that  they had it in purple. It is incredibly soft.   So I decided to make Eliana a hooded shirt by Farbenmix called “Jule”.  I love this pattern.  I am beginning to realize though that most of the Farbenmix patterns seem to be running a little on the small side for our grandkids.  You want to be sure and take and compare measurements before cutting out these patterns .   Here is a photo of Eliana with her new shirt, matching leggins and my applique ricrac rose embroidery.

Wishing all of you a great and blessed 2010.

Monika

I just thought some of you might enjoy seeing what I did with some blanks from www.allaboutblanks.com.  I just love Susan’s high quality blanks and fast service.   This blanket is a cotton velour and the bear, too, is made of velour and both are super, super soft and cuddly.

The design is mine and should be up for sale sometime soon.  Just wanted to share in case you needed another idea for your Christmas stitching.

Monika

Have you ever sewn with oil cloth before?  I hadn’t and decided that it was time to use the fabric I had bought several years back.  I made a little carrying tote for my little grandson and I think it turned out really cute.  I was glad though that I had read some tips about sewing with oilcloth at a number of sites.  One of them was particularly helpful and you might want to check it out:

http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=5

Overall, I found it a very pleasant experience.  It’s great that you don’t have to finish off the edges.  That came in particularly handy when making the handles.

Give it a try – I think you will like it.  I certainly did.

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, it’s time to decorate “the halls” and work on Christmas gifts.  I am finding there are not enough hours in the day and I am sure some of you feel the same.   I just finished a couple of gifts for the grandkids and thought I would share some photos with you.  I used my new Boy Add On Sets as well as the applique Font and I think they turned out well.

You can look for a satin alphabet (1 3/4″ ) to match the applique alpha soon.  Also am working on a 3/4″ satin alphabet as well.

I love doing those pillow cases.  Quite addictive may I add.  They come together so quickly.    I used the Sausage Pillow method that I had heard about on AllBrands’ SewForum.  There is a video on YouTube demonstrating how to do it – it’s great and fast.  You might want to check it out if you are not familiar with it.  And my boy add on designs work well for them, as you can see.

Here is the link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLnrC9yo8tY

Are you pleased with the way your gifts are turning out?  Why not come and join our yahoo group and let us see your projects.  It’s so fun to see what others are doing and such an inspiration.    By the way, Yahoo group members get special little gifts (see one below).

And while we are busily running around buying and making gifts, getting ready for Christmas, let’s not forget why we celebrate this Season.   Take some time to reflect on His birth and the great gift of salvation.

Wishing you deep joy and contentment this time and always.

Monika

Just wanted to share with you our joy over our new grandbaby.   Effie Gabrian Brock was born this morning by scheduled C-section and weighed in at 10 lbs 2 oz.  The nurses kiddingly talk about the “toddler” on their unit!   It was a difficult pregnancy and we are all so happy he made it here and is healthy and beautiful.   To celebrate his arrival, there will be some free designs posted in the yahoo group as well as sent out with the upcoming newsletter.  So if you aren’t signed up yet, you may want to do so before the weekend.  (Different designs for the two groups.)  Here is part of what I am planning.

Talk to you soon again.

Monika