SAN FRANCISCO - 5 WOMEN

A few pictures from the Mothers and Daughters trip to San Francisco.  Holiday style.

Didn't capture the sight of us all walking (stumbling) in high heels, 4 blocks

STRAIGHT DOWN Mason Street.

Taxi?!! We don't need no stinkin' taxi!!

No photos of this.  Laughing too hard  All.  Thee.  Way.

 Grace Cathedral - Could be the most incredible cathedral in SF. . has to be.

Here we heard a Christmas performance.  Choral and instrumental and OMG!

We all got to sing along on a few familiar gems. . .we were so awesome that you could not tell us from the chorus.   Really.

 Daughters - Fairmont life-size two-story

Gingerbread House.  I could not smell the ginger though and I love ginger.

Volunteer Hat Models
Very Cooool.

Laughs at Union Square

So Much Fun ! !

STOCKINGS WERE HUNG

 Antoinette finished all of these stockings well in time for the grandchildren to hang by the chimney with care.

Anticipating the big night.

She has done up a number of the stockings from our 

I Ben Good pattern

and here are two more.  One of my favorite stocking patterns.

These are from

Santa On The Way.

I'm in love with the little pink one especially.

Are your stockings hung?

Are your cookies baked?

I need to leave for the kitchen now and make some little gingerbread people come alive.  Better late than never.

Happy Merry Days!

MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS WEEKEND

It's Christmas Time in the City. . .San Francisco here we come!

Myself and my daughters 3 plus Lilanya's mother-in-law and her daughter are headed to the big city this weekend.   They have a surprise event planned for us tomorrow as well as dinner and an evening finale at the Top Of The Mark.  I have never been there before.  I thought it was in New York!

Also going to the famous SF Renegade Crafts Fair.  Years ago when I lived in San Franscisco I took my mother to the Glide Memorial Church where we had a very memorable time.  Who knows...that might be part of the itinerary too.

 I'm so excited my socks won't stay on! 

I'll tell all next week...have a fun holiday weekend no matter where you be.

SHELF LIFE-LY

First of all the winner of the little ornament in yesterday's post was drawn last night.  Again from all of the comments from last week's drawing...we really loved them all.  Winner left an Anonymous comment so please do Contact Me Kaye G, with your email address.  Winner's comment:

"I love the wool!! And vintage anything is the best! Thank you for the great giveaway and Happy Holidays to you.  Kaye G."

So Kaye G., please Contact Me so we can mail Little Santy to you.

And now my little lifely vintage shelf.

So many treasured tales to be told - but not enough room here.

SHELF DRESSED FOR HOLIDAYS

Sometimes I pretend I am curled up in one of the little cubicles, sipping hot chocolate and just watching and listening to the holiday chatter.  It is so warm and cozy in there.

ORNAMENT DRAWING

Woolbert and I loved all of the comments so much in last weeks drawing for the wool packet, that we decided to draw this weeks winner from the same comments.  Seeing as how all of you were wool lovers, I'm sure one of you will enjoy this little hand dyed wool ornament.  It was a prototype for an ornament in our Little Santa Things Pattern.  Do you just love those little glittery jinglebells and his whimsical cap?

We know he will be well loved no matter where he travels to.

Winner will be drawn tonight and announced here tomorrow.

Then off he'll go ho ho ho ho!

A GIFTY BALMY RECIPE FOR YOU

This morning i need to get making my cream/balm that all of my friends are addicted to.  I thought that you might like the recipe.  Makes a wonderful gift...toss into a lovely drawstring bag, add a card.  Get real with the Big Jars. . . and make plenty for yourself.  You will be Happy!

Just a note.  Have heat will melt.  Be not like me who at first did not add enough beeswax to the Lip Balm Version, and walked around with the tube in my pocket.  Well Melt Me Messy. . .

I adjusted the recipe with more beeswax and all was well.

WOOLY WINNER!

Congratulations to Marcia.   She is the winner in this week's drawing.

Have a wooly wonderful time with your prizes Marcia.

Thanks to all of you that joined in.   I hope everyone enjoyed reading all of the comments as much as I did.  

Wish Everyone could have been a winner but there's always next week.

Happy Holiday Stitching Everyone!

My Favorite Christmas Setting

Bit behind on the decorations this year.  I wanted to revisit a post showing my last year's favorite little setting.   Little Wool Santa.  Have him all ready to put out again tonight.

For all of the details you can visit "Older Posts".

 From our pattern Little Santa Things

WOOLY WIN - MIGHT BE YOU!

I helped myself to some goodies on Reets' well fed wool shelves.  I have a neat little stack of hand dyed wool to give away.  I'm sure she won't mind. . . Tis The Season you know!  Those pieces are folded in half so are twice as large as they appear.     Nearly 3/8 of a yard total.   Then i just tossed in that vintage button card from Auntie Em...Reets has plenty of them too and they just went so nicely with the woolies!    Last week our winner was drawn from our followers but this week we will  draw from  those of you that leave a comment  to this particular post.   Good Luck!  Your friend Woolbert

Details below.

TO WIN:  Leave a comment to this post only.  Tell Woolbert why you would love to have
this hand dyed wool. . . even if it is just to look at it!  Really, your answer has nothing to do
with winning, it's just more fun.   We will put all of the numbers of the comments into the hat
and draw a winner.  If you are not a member of FriendConnect, it helps to leave a contact.
Otherwise watch on December 9 for the comment number that won.
Deadline:  We must receieve your comment to THIS post by midnight Thurs., Dec. 8.

FINISHED ITEMS ADDED TO MARKETPLACE

We will subtract and add new things as the month moves on.   We have more of the wonderful charms available also.  Visit us in The Marketplace.

TOMORROW we will be posting the next drawing.  Woolbert raided my hand dyed wool cupboard. . 

just for the new winner.   And it could be you!

HAVE BAGS WILL TRAVEL

I LOVE when you send me pictures of the beautiful things you have created from your Reets patterns.  I don't love it when i lose them in my files.  I DO love it when I find them.  I found these. . . so keep the faith.  And send me more OK?  I like the Stories you send too.  Thank you.
This is from Claudia and Erin who used our

On The Road Again pattern.  I want one!  Especially if it were to take me to Australia.

"Here is a picture of the bags my daughter Erin, and I made last year. She took hers, the butterfly one, on a trip to Ireland.  The orange one traveled with me to Australia.  The bags were fun to make and travel well.   Thanks for letting us share with you. . . . Claudia"

BARBARA'S hotti biscotti

Remember these ladies from our January 25th post.  Barbara made all of the aprons for their Pie Social.  Well she has gone and tied her apron strings to the launch of a new biscotti business.  She at one time lived in Italy. . . and it shows.  Love women with finesse.  

Fantastic website where you can order your own, read her story, and get inspired.   

Just go to:  Barbara's hotti biscotti   

Seems like the perfect Holiday Gift idea.  She recently had a booth at the San Jose Harvest Festival.

Enjoy the pictures below.

Good Find!

Barbara and her daughter in the booth

YUM!

The Baker Woman herself

ThanksGiving Winner

The Follower that was picked in our drawing to receive the free Santa On The Way kit was. .

Quiltnut!

CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU.  

And thanks to all for joining us.

We'll see what we can cook up for our next give-away.  Next week is nearly here and as promised we'll do one per week til mid December.  This is fun.

WOOL KIT GIVE-AWAY

Woolbert is anxious to get this free kit on its way so we are going to do the drawing on Wednesday evening. 

 For this week's give-away we want to Give Thanks to those of you that have signed on as  Followers to our blog.  There is still time to sign up over there to the right.  

The winner will receive our Santa on the Way pattern PLUS a kit to make the black Bellringer you see on the left in the pattern picture.

The KIT is for the Bellringer only, but the pattern in the kit does include the stocking as well.   Thanks to all.

                                                     Woolbert and Reets

GUILD DEMOS - A FRUITFUL AFFAIR

Gone so much I miss most of our local guild meetings but my friend Sue and I were very happy we were able to attend this one.   An evening of demos.  The quilter-wanna-be, that's me, learned a very useful block that I will incorporate into the baby quilts for the expected twin grandchildren.  First ones!  Yippee.  Youngest son the first to have children...you don't get to choose the order you just make the quilt(s).  Here is the informative evening in pics.  Click for big.

Robin does her magic
with four 5" squares

So much prettier than my photo

1.  Begin with four 5" squares seamed together.  Cut 1 1/4" away from center seam as shown.      Best to place on small mat for rotating ease.  Rotate your mat in quarter turns making the same cut each time.
2. Now, leaving center and outer corners where they are, rotate all four inner rectangles l80 degrees.
3. Next sew it all back together and there you have it...a Simply wonderful block.

 Connie showed us how to use the Guild's AccuQuilt to cut many different shapes.  We were so surprised to see that it even cut notches for matching up pieces.   

Kim - Queen of Thangles

LOVED Thangles - great hopes now
for all sizes of the half square triangle.

Gotta get some Thangles - all sizes!

Nancy did beautiful hand painted cards and painted fabric as well . . assisted with her can of shaving cream.  Yes, shaving cream.   Amazing.  My close-ups too blurry..sorry.  Loved that she emphasized the ease with which children become artists using these methods.  Fun too!

Susan was very artful as she demoed some quick gift bows out of various ribbons and laces.  Just in time!

Thank you so much gals!

PICK YOUR PATTERN PLEASE

Me..Woolbert again.  I have to tell ya. . . it iS nearly ThanksGIVING afterall so when Reets handed me just one number out of her big winner's bowl I had to just shake my head.

REALLY?  ONE winner Reets?   So thank me later I drew out two more numbers.  (They don't call me warm and wonderful for nothing ya know).   And furthermore, 

NEXT WEEK'S DRAWING

will be a wool kit and I will draw the winner from the Followers of my....er...I guess that's Reets' . . and my Blog.  The followers are over there to the right if you want to jump in.

Okay Woolbert...May I please say a few things before I announce the winners.  He is just a huge bit bossy . . but oh so sweet.  Just a couple of things first.

We found some small and large glass charms that delighted us.  On our website we have opened

The Running Goose Marketplace.

You will find the charms available there.  Soon we will be adding some handmade items and other goodies.  So keep your eye on our website, Reets Rags To Stitches.

I am sincere when I say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of your comments.  I would read one and say, "oh YES...that is my favorite thing about the holidays too!!"  I said it again for the next, the next and you understand I'm sure..do read them.   Thank you all for sharing and joining in the fun.

I will try to have a Give-Away every week until mid December.  Won't always have time to send out a notice to our email list so just keep in touch here for the announcements.

OKAY...Do not have the email address for the 3 winners so you will have to Contact Me and give me your full names and addresses.   Be sure to go to our Christmas Pattern Page  and pick out your free Christmas Pattern.

Woolbert and I drew these three numbers.  I will also add some words from your comment so we all match up and get the right winners. Thanks to All and Congratulations to:

1. COMMENT #9 - Cathy said.."My favorite thing about the holidays is time spent with family."
2. COMMENT #17 - Cathy Lynn said.."I love sitting in the company of the lighted Christmas tree..."
3. COMMENT #31 -Anonymous signed Pat - "I get a thrill from making something new for the house or the tree.."

These coming weeks of Holiday season. . . 

Keep it breezy and easy and Joyful and Peaceful .

JUST ONE WORD. . .

Well ok maybe a few more words about the One Word.

Nah....

just One Word.

SANTY HAS A PATTERN FOR YOU!

Get the hot chocolate brewing and be ready to stitch up a stocking or two, a Santy, or whatever you choose.  If you are the winner in our drawing you can take the Polar Express on over to our website and pick out a free Holiday pattern.  

If you leave a comment here - has to be on this post - before
Midnight - November 16
I will pop your name into me Santy cap for the drawing.
The comment should mention your favorite thing about the Holiday Season.

Wish you all good luck!

Winner will be announced November 17. 

DONE DITTY DONE!!

Saying goodbye to 2011 shows.  All Done.  Couldn't have done it without all of you that were able to visit our booths and I sincerely thank you.  Now..can someone please hand me my sewing machine.  I do love to do shows and I do love to get home.  Thought some of you that are unable to make it to the west coast might like a little booth tour.  As you might guess each takes many hours to set up but you can take the tour in a jiffy!

Fun Charms

Luscious Little Hand Dyeds

See all of you show goers in 2012!