My White Elephant Gifts

We have an RV Rally coming up next month. 

 Our Pleasure Way East Coast Club meets in Hershey PA while the Hershey RV Show is going on. 

We usually have a "White Elephant" Gift Exchange at our Potluck Dinner.  

That's when you bring an inexpensive item you already have at home and exchange it with the club members.  

I had some plain white hand towels on hand and thought it would be cute to embroider them with an RV theme to be my gift exchange. 

For those of you that don't know... small travel vans, like the Pleasure Way, are known as "Class B" motor homes.  

So, of course, we all love our "Bees"!

I also downloaded a clip art of a camper van and converted it into an embroidery design.  

It was the closest graphic I could find that was sort of similar to our Pleasure Way vans. 

This design converted with 32 colors in it and took awhile to stitch out. 

What do you think of my "White Elephant" gifts?

We are having travel van withdrawal.  

We haven't been on a trip in it since last November.

So we are looking forward to the rally next month.

Have a nice weekend and thanks for visiting.

HO, HO, HO is finished!

I added the binding on my "HO, HO, HO" embroidered appliqué wall hanging.

I love the fabric with the gray in it. 

Read all about sewing this project  (here). 

If you look closely at the back you will see a snowman I quilted in the center and then I quilted the same decorative stitch that I used on the front in circles around the snowman.   

Nothing is perfect with handmade.  

I didn't center my backing correctly so it is off slightly.

It also caused problems on the edges and I had to add a white fabric flange on the front and back to cover up where the fabric didn't cover the batting completely.

I've learned to cut out the backing fabric larger than the front fabric.

But next time I will add even more inches to the back fabric. 

Quilting can cause the fabric to shrink in too.  

Isn't this pretty fabric?

Presenting "HO, HO, HO", an adorable Christmas wall hanging!

Laugh for the day!

Second laugh for the day!

I went to Michaels to get another shade of purple for my "Berry Begonia" lap throw.

I wasn't totally happy with the selection there. 

But I found another shade of purple yarn and I also picked up a variegated yarn.

I'm thinking of using the variegated yarn for the join and edging.

Another beautiful day here in SE PA!

Breezy Begonia Lap Throw

Working on the squares…need 36 of them!

Sorry I've been away for so long.

Lots of good stuff going on here that I will announce later.  

But while away I have been crocheting this lovely lap throw, "Breezy Begonia". 

Showing off the continuous "Three Chain Flat Braid" join.

I was inspired by a throw I saw on the Internet incorporating two shades of a color...one dark and one light.  

Unfortunately I don't remember where I saw my inspiration to give credit where it is due. 

Love the tightness of the four corner join!

I used Caron Simply Soft yarn in two colors...blue mint (turquoise), the "dark"shade, and soft blue, the "light"shade. 

 The square design is #38, "Begonia" from Jan Eaton's book "200 Crochet Blocks".

A simple edging this time!

I tried a new continuous method of joining…"Three-Chain Flat Braid" in off-white yarn.  

Here's the pattern link (here) and an excellent video of a 5 chain flat braid (here).  

It took a few starts for me and some frogging until I figured out how to work the continuous method around the squares in the correct order.  

I love how the corner join doesn't have open spaces.  

Six rows by six rows.

The edging is from Edie Eckman's "Crochet Borders" #38.

It has three rounds but I only crocheted the first two.  

"Breezy Begonia"!

What do you think!

Embroidering the label.

And, of course, I "had to" embroider a label for the lap throw.

Starting on "Berry Begonia"!

I love this throw so much I decided to crochet another one for my sister-in-law in two shades of purple.

I know the stitches by heart now.  

LOL!

My Lace Christmas Tree

My Lace Christmas Tree

One thing I like about my sewing store's monthly Embroidery Club is the instructors are always having us try new techniques.  

Stitching out one of the interior lace panels.

This project was spread out over the summer months and now I know why.  

It's because it took FOREVER to stitch out.  

 

It wasn't difficult to do because there is no changing of thread and the machine does all the work... but to stitch out all the parts took between five to six hours.

So while the machine is stitching away I do other things in my sewing/craft room. 

The design lace pattern.

I swore during the put-together stage I would NEVER do another one.  

Manually attaching all the tiny button and/or loops was a pain.  

And it wasn't until almost the last ones that I figured out an easier way to do it. 

Errrr…. 

One of six interior panels.

This is stitched directly onto the wash away stabilizer.

See the tiny buttons and loops on the sides! 

Now that it is finished I love it!  

It glows so beautifully when a multi-colored battery light is placed inside the tree. 

Love my TruEmbroidery Software.

I was able to combine all 18 appliqués into one hoop.

The white organza (semi-sheer) fabric is lovely appliquéd on the exterior lace panels.

This little tree will go beautifully with my Department 56 White Christmas village.  

Six inside panels and 18 fabric appliquéd exterior panels plus an angel topper and ice pond.

I bought green organza (semi-sheer) fabric and thread to sew a green tree too...someday.  

All attached except the last side.

There's a whole village set to this collection.  

Maybe if I do one a year...?

Tools to attached the pieces..safety pin and tweezers.

And did I mention it takes a lot of thread!  

I use up a brand new large spool of white thread and GUESS WHAT...there are different shades of white thread!  

I have a two-tone white threaded tree because I didn't realize this.  

LOL!

I'm sitting with a heat pad to my upper back as I type this.  

I pulled a muscle in bed this morning and I swear I barely moved when it happened.

Oh, by the way, I finished my "Party with Patrick" wall hanging, "Ho, Ho, Ho…" and will post it soon.

I'm crocheting quite a bit in the evenings now to work on my "Breezy Begonia" throw.

Now to think about how I want to join the squares.

Life is tough when one is retired!

I love having endless "play" time again!