Here's the SSCS present I made for Lisa.

I "borrowed" this picture from Lisa because her photography skills are soooo much better than mine and it's pretty and green outside there instead of gray like it is here. Lisa has a wonderful blog at Cubby House Crafts and she does amazing embroidery. I had so much fun making this little quilt and I'm glad Lisa likes it!

Thank you for another fun year of SSCS to Elf ChookyBlue. It's such a fun way to meet new friends from around the world.
ranette

SSCS is so much fun....

And I just love my present from Leanne at The Stitching Room. It's a really awesome bag made just for me!!! I can tell because it's red and white...lol Also there was a notepad and a duck-billed platypus inside the bag...cute

Look at the sweet little label.

Here's a full view of the bag and it carries my stitching in it perfectly.

Thank you Leanne! I really do love my presents a lot and you made Christmas very special for me. Thank you Chookyblue for organizing this cool swap!
ranette

Merry Christmas!

A favorite Christmas from 1966. What a fun memory...seems so long ago! LOL

May each and every one of you who reads this blog have a very Blessed and Merry Christmas! I pray that the true meaning of God's gift to us touches your hearts this day and always. Love, ranette

The stockings were hung by the chimmney with care.....

Yeah...between me and Kara we managed to get each person in our family a new stocking for this year. Kara made hers and Jacobs and I made the rest of them. Kara actually made two sets, one for her house and one for here. I should have cleaned out the fireplace....lol....didn't even notice that until now.

In case I don't make it back here before the big day...Merry Christmas to each and every one of you! ranette

It's been so long that I'm having to relearn blogging!

Seriously!!! Everything is different. I usually email my photos to myself at blogger and that won't work, HELP Chookyblue!!!

Okay, I'm going to give it my best shot, so bare with me :o) It's been busy as usual around here. Working in retail really gets the juices pumping this time of year, but at least it shows that the economy seems to be doing better.

Thank you for all of the very kind and sweet comments on Ranette's Peppermint Twist. I tried to reply to everyone, but I may have lost a few emails between my phone and computer and some of you out there are set to "no reply" and that means I can't reply directly to you, but I really do appreciate all of my blogging buddies.

I have done very little actual sewing. I did make a stocking for Allie and I'm working on two more for Emily and Joe. Kara is working on a couple for her and Jacob to hang at our house and I'll get a picture of them when they are all hung on the mantel together. They are very cute and fun to make. Other than that though I've not sewn a thing! Not even hand work...by the time I get home from work I'm pretty beat and I've got cooking, cleaning and laundry waiting for me here. I will have a bit of a break soon and hope to get re-acquainted with my sewing room.

One exciting thing is that I received my SSCS package the other day! WooHoo!!!

It came all the way from Leanne in South Australia.

Here's my present and card and cute ornament. Leanne took the wonderful photo that is on the card. She's an amazing photographer as well as a very talented stitcher! A better shot of my ornament.

And look I've got my package all safe and tucked under the tree with a Kitty guarding it.

A BIG Thank you to Leanne for being my secret santa! I'm excited to open my present and I'll get pictures and post as soon as I do. Well I'm off to get ready for work. Have a very Blessed day! ranette

Introducing.......

Ranette's Peppermint Twist....formerly known as my Nearly Insane...

I can't believe it...finally. I think it took me about 18 months to piece it, on and off. And I really don't know how many thousands of pieces are in it, but I LOVE it. I really do think that it's my very favorite quilt that I've ever made. Even more than my Dear Jane. Here are some close-ups of the quilting.

Sorry about the inconsistent lighting...it was dark outside and I know the photos are terrible, but if I put it off any longer it wouldn't get done.
As usual my quilter, Linda Farrall, did an amazing job and got the quilting spot on for what I wanted. Loads of ditching, because when you've got a quilt this busy you don't really needs tons of quilting on the blocks. Each block is quilted differently and the sashing is done 1/4" in on each side. The quilt is heavy and it fits my bed perfectly...not that I'd be comfortable sleeping under it with the cat piled on top...lol I slept under my Dear Jane quilt one night and it was awful. I kept thinking I might drool on it or have a bloody nose, not that I've had one for 20 years, and ruin the entire quilt. For now I'll just display it.
Uh oh...time to get the move on and get ready for work! Have a great weekend everyone...ranette

This is getting ridiculious!

I used to be able to post several times a week and now I can only manage a couple of times a month?! What's up with that?!?!?! I've seriously considered closing my blog, but I would miss you guys. I've even lost a follower...lol...how lame is that!
I am going to try to be a better blogger, but it may be after the first of the year. I don't even read a lot of blogs anymore and I miss it! Okay...enough whining! LOL

Some things I have been working on are for SSCS 10 so I can't show you any pictures yet. I think I'm finished with that though...just have to get things wrapped and winging their way across the world...very exciting!

Kara and I took a class at Oklahoma Quiltworks in Oklahoma City last Saturday from Emily Siemers and we had a great time. We made Christmas stockings and here's a picture of mine and Jay's.

Aren't they cute?! We did the embroidery before the class on my friend Kathy's big embroidery machine. I've never thought that I wanted to do machine embroidery, but now I think I need the embroidery module for my Bernina...lol You can make some really cute stuff with it!!
Emily, our teacher, did a wonderful job with the class and pushing me out of my comfort zone. The only pattern we had was the stocking shape and we had to patch our own fabric and then quilt it. Very fun and fairly quick and easy too! Thanks Emily!

I almost have my Nearly Insane quilt or from here forward known as "Ranette's Peppermint Twist Quilt" finished binding. It's so pretty and I really do think this is my favorite quilt....even more so than my Dear Jane. I just love it and it makes me happy! I'll hopefully post pictures of it by Thursday.

Since I don't have anymore quilt pictures to show, I'll show you a picture of our Kitty...that's her name...she's a mess.

Kitty only wants to lay on MY side of the bed and she sits on the back of MY chair, but when she wants to be petted, she jumps on Jay's lap...hmmmm...she's kind of like me! :o)

Time to go get ready for work. Maybe the sun will shine today...yesterday was rainy and cold all day. I like rain and cold, but only if I'm at home all snug and warm.
I'll be back soon! ranette