November 18, 2014

'Twas the Night/ Blogathon Canada

Yay! It's blog hop time again! Welcome all hoppers, especially those who are visiting my blog for the first time! This post is doing double duty as today is my day for two different blog hops.
Sew Sisters Blog

Blogathon Canada is a fun hop organized by Sew Sisters Quilt Shop as a way for Canadian quilting bloggers to get to know each other a little better and introduce ourselves to new friends. There are giveaways on the Sew Sisters blog every day this week, so be sure to pop over, check it out and find the list of all the participating blogs.
And I'm so excited to finally get to share my projects for the 'Twas the Night hop hosted by Mme. Samm of Sew We Quilt, with Marlene of Stitchin By the Lake as our cheerleader/head elf. Mme. Samm's blog hops are always fun and inspiring, but this one has an extra special element. Since the theme of the hop is last minute gifts, we were all asked to make a little something for the person after us in the schedule. It was a lot of fun to plan out what I would send (mine went to Bente, of I Like to QuiltBlog in Germany), and then I couldn't wait for my package from Carolyn, of Sew. Darn. Quilt, to arrive.

What wonderful goodies she sent me! Even the packaging was fun since she had little notes written on each of the parcels. And mmmmmm, Werther's!
The pincushion is fantastic, and has been getting a lot of use already. I'm using the notebook to keep track of my daily to-do list and you can never have too many measuring tapes, right? I've never had a scissors fob before, but it sure is pretty.
 As for this cross-stitched Christmas tree ornament...wow! Absolutely beautiful, and personalized too!
 Thank you so much, Carolyn! I love it all!

As soon as I signed up for this hop, I knew I wanted to make ornaments. I love to give ornaments to lots of the people on my list, so it was fun trying to come up with something I could sew quickly. Except the process was anything but quick! My first attempt didn't work out at all.
 

I used batting, but I found that made it too stiff. I had an opening left from turning the ornament right side out and I stitched it closed by machine, but I didn't like that the red thread showed on the white fabric. I also found the stitching made the whole ornament look really messy. The fact that I caught the ribbon in the stitching only made it worse.

So, on to attempts number two and three. I was pleased with both of those, so I sent them to Bente. She is sharing them on her blog today.

After that I kept playing around with different ornament ideas, since I knew I wouldn't be sharing the ones I sent to Bente. That's when I found these fantastic free-motion Christmas trees. After a little more trial and error, these are my ornaments.
There's no batting, and because the front is all one colour, the thread I used for the topstitching doesn't stand out and take attention away from the trees. I turned the ornaments and stitched the opening closed by machine, then quilted the trees. The one on the far right distorted a little because of all the stitching, so when I make more I'll try adding a thin stabilizer of some sort. My favourite design is the pebble tree.

My next idea came to me when I was trying to think of what to make for the kids I babysit this year. Eventually, I settled on a bean bag toss game. The bean bags are made of scrap fabric, while the targets and the pouch are made of recycled denim. I have a couple of shelves stuffed full of old jeans that I've been keeping for 'someday' and this seemed like a good project to actually use some of it.
I made four sets of the game, including one for a family with three kids. Rather than make three sets of everything, I made each of them their own bean bags and then one set of targets and one pouch to hold it all.
If you have kids who would enjoy the game, my Bean Bag Toss tutorial will show you how to make your own. I'm working on a separate tutorial for the Denim Pouch because one tutorial for all of it would have been too long, but I ran out of time to get it finished before today. I'll get it finished up and posted in the next couple of days, then I'll add the link here and to the Bean Bag Toss tutorial.

If you're finding yourself really short on time this year, I will be making some ornaments and some bean bag toss games available in my Etsy shop.

Don't forget to go to the Sew Sisters blog so you can see the list of Canadian bloggers, and here is the list of today's 'Twas the Night participants:


Thanks for hopping by!

71 comments:

  1. Love your tree ornaments...the bean bag toss is so perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You got some lovely gifts, and I like the ornaments and the bean bag toss game! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The bean bag toss is a perfect gift! Your little trees are sew sweet. Thank you for sharing and Happy Holidays!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your tree ornaments are lovely and what a great idea to send a gift to the next blogger!

    ReplyDelete
  5. good morning Leanne...first lovely gift you are in receipt...and your bean bags...ohhh my that reminds me of delightful memories..I can't say I have even heard of these since I was a wee tot....lovely idea for any age child....x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love your tree ornaments. The bean bags are great. I did those a couple of years ago for the grandkids and they still play with them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your tree ornaments are lovely. Wonderful gifts that you have received

    ReplyDelete
  8. You received some great gifts and I really like your bean bag game.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great gifts received...love your ornaments...no fmq here yet so I will just admire lol. Oh and that bean bag game idea is great. BTW I'm also apparently passing by for the Canadian Blogathon....two hops, one visit LOVE IT!

    ReplyDelete
  10. You received a lovely collection of gifts, and those these free-motion Christmas tree ornaments are really wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  11. what a great collection of gifts, how nice. Love your bean bag toss game, thanks for the tute and other great ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great gifts from Carolyn.... I especially love the cross stitched ornament! Also loved you gift ideas, especially the FMQ trees. Thanks for sharing today!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Lovely gifts. That button really sets off that pincushion doesn't it? Your ornaments are really cute. And I so love that you thought of the kiddoes. What a great game. Thank you so much for sharing. Hope you enjoy your holidays.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love this idea, really creative. And your trees are beautiful :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Those bean bag games are a wonderful gift! Love that they come with a pouch for storing and transporting the game. And those Christmas tree ornaments are super cute, too! Lovely work, Leanne!

    ReplyDelete
  16. hi Leanne ,..Marjorie here from marjoriesbusycorner. Nice blog you have!! we have 3 grown boys!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Your trees are lovely, great idea. Speaking of great ideas, the bean toss games are right up there.
    the gifts you received are terrific, love the personalized ornament.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Leanne,
    now it is finally our day at hop ☺
    The chrismas Ornaments you made for me are very cute, I hope that you like the picture i made,
    it is hard to make outside pictures at this time of the yoae, most days are grey...
    I love the Christmas Tree Ornaments, your FMQ is great!!!
    Liebe Grüße
    Bente

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh and the gift you recived are wonderful too, lucky you!

      Delete
  19. Your bean bag toss games are wonderful. My kids really enjoyed playing with them back when they were little. I like your ornaments.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm so happy you like your gifts, Leanne.
    I'm going to give the FMQ ornament idea a try for another swap I'm involved with, Thank you for this!
    The bean bag toss is a great kiddie gift.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Your gifts are really sweet... Love those pincushions!

    I might just have to try your bean bag toss game. My grandkids would love that!

    ReplyDelete
  22. What sweet gifts you received! Love your bean bag toss idea. What a great kids gift. I have totes full of denim jeans to use in a "some day" project! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  23. What sweet gifts! I especially love those cross stitch ornaments. And the tree ones you made are adorable! I know the children will love the bean bag games...my grandchildren love those. Blessings, Marlene

    ReplyDelete
  24. Your ornaments are so cool! Love the idea!! And your bean bag toss...great also! Thank you for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Can never have to many pincushions, great gift!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. What a great idea for the kids on our list! The little tree ornaments are also really cute!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Such beautiful gifts you received and sent! I love the bean bag gift idea for children...my grandsons would love them!

    ReplyDelete
  28. The FMQ for the tree ornaments is a great idea and I LOVE the idea of the bean bag games for the little ones.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Some really great gift ideas thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  30. Absolutely Lovely, I Love your Ornaments! Thanks so much for the Bean Bag Toss Tute!! My Granddaughters are going to Love this!!
    Huggs,Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  31. I love that bean bag toss game! This is so sweet for you to make the kiddos you babysit. Very nice work!
    -Brittany

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi Leanne! Thanks for taking part in the Blogathon today. I hope you get lots of visitors! I've had a quick look around your blog, and I'll be back again for a longer look. Can't wait to see what you do with Liz's piece! Thanks for doing the tut- I know they can be a lot of work. It's a great idea for a gift for a young person. :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Love the trees - I'm doing the same thing will little red stockings. Great to practice little quilting motfs!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Those trees turned out great!! And I love those bean bag games for the kids, great idea!!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Love the fmq trees. What a fun way to practice!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Oh, love those FMQ ornaments, they are so charming (and look fun to make... must add them to my sewing list, thanks!). Great idea for a gift for kids (young and old alike, I'm thinking... we're never too old to play games ;o). Thanks so much for sharing your ideas, Leanne and enjoy those lovely gifts from Carolyn!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I love the ornaments. Very pretty.I love a tree with all hand made stuff on it. I made a bean bag game for my grandsons when they were little and they had so much fun with it. I loved it because it kept them busy and they didn't break anything with it. LOL Very pretty gifts you received also.

    ReplyDelete
  38. So nice to meet you on this blog hop! Your ornaments are lovely...

    ReplyDelete
  39. Those bean bags are a wonderful idea! I have that stack (or really, basket) of jeans too. This would be good to use them up with. :) Merry Christmas, Leanne!

    ReplyDelete
  40. I love how your Christmas trees turned out! Isn't Lori's site great, I get a lot of inspiration from her. Thank you for sharing your ideas, the bean bag game is sure to be a hit!
    ~Brandy

    ReplyDelete
  41. Great Minds think alike. I've made a bunch of Benabags for my grandchildren this year. The targets are a cute idea. Thanks for sharing the tutorial. I used my Serger. The Tree ornaments turned out just right. Have fun decorating the tree very soon.

    ReplyDelete
  42. What a great quick gift idea for the kids,love that you up-cycled the jeans for these! The tree ornaments are super cute!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Popping by via the Blogathon :) I love the tree ornaments you made, they are adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  44. How cute! The beanbag pouches are great. And your trees are so darling, what a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  45. The ornament you received is just lovely. Your ornaments are sweet - I like the one on the left the best. What a creative idea to make for the kids - I'll bet it's fun to play, too.

    ReplyDelete
  46. You are getting lots of visitors today! Really like your bean bag toss game, will keep that in mind when I need a "kid" gift!

    ReplyDelete
  47. What great gifts you sent and got ! Bean bag toss is a fun game at B-B-Q's

    ReplyDelete
  48. Opening all those sweet packages had to be such a delight and the presents are wonderful. You sent some very sweet things, also. This is such fun to see the swaps. You tree ornaments are so unique and pretty. Great picture of them, by the way. Love the bean bag idea. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Lovely gifts from Carolyn. I love Werthers too. Your tree ornaments are lovely. What kid wouldn't love those neat bean bag games. Merry Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Love your Christmas ornaments. Looks like the kids will have fun with their new game. Happy Holidays.

    ReplyDelete
  51. What a cute bean bag game. Thnx for sharing your projects today!

    ReplyDelete
  52. Love our ornaments! and the bean bag toss is a wonderful idea for little ones! I am going to check out that tutorial!

    ReplyDelete
  53. Hi Leanne! I am so psyched about your bean bag game!! I have three little grand niece and nephews. I have been searching for something to make for them and it is PERFECT!!!! Thanks a million!

    ReplyDelete
  54. That bean bag game is a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Your ornaments are very cute and what a great idea to make Bean Bag games.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Love the bean toss game! Super! You received great gifts - lovely personalised Christmas ornament.

    ReplyDelete
  57. All the gifts you received were very lovely , and so were the ones you gave especially the Bean Bag Game.
    Merry Christmas Sandra

    ReplyDelete
  58. Great projects! Love the personalized Christmas ornament you received. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Your gifts you received are lovely. The ornaments are great too. I make my kids and grands an ornament of some sort every year for Christmas. The kids will love the bean bag toss.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Lovely gifts received and wonderful gifts made!

    ReplyDelete
  61. Love your little tree ornaments. You made some great gifts. Carolyn made you some gorgeous gifts. Have a very joyous holiday!

    ReplyDelete
  62. Cute tree ornaments and what a cool idea for a bean bag toss game.

    ReplyDelete
  63. You are most clever!! Love your ornaments, but find your bean bag toss games to be most delightful! Love that you were able to use up some of your recycled denim. I have a pile of old jeans stashed on a shelf, too!! I fully intend to check out your tutorial!!

    ReplyDelete
  64. You really received wonderful gift, I always admire people who can stitch so regularly! And I like your ornaments, simple but still having the little "extra", lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  65. Love the ornaments you received....and, your own tree ornaments are simply great. Good job.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Ornaments are a forever gift!! Each year when you take them out you are reminded of friends, family, and activities that brought you joy!
    Blessings and Merry Christmas from the Deep South, USA (Alabama)
    Gmama Jane

    ReplyDelete
  67. Nice to meet you, Leanne. Nice tree ornaments. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  68. bean bag toss game is a fantastic idea!

    ReplyDelete
  69. Leanne, such sweet gifts from Carolyn...and your ornaments are sweet too!! Love the bean bag toss game...great idea!! Happy Holidays!!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to leave me a message. I love hearing from you.