Valentines Towels

I'm adding these two hand towels to the Valentines kitchen set in Miss Abigail's hope chest. The colors were super hard to photograph, but the towels are quite beautiful.

I ran into the toile print cotton fabric some time ago and it called to me, so this towel is hand sewn and decorated with the embroidered rick rack trim. The dark red plaid is a Dunroven House towel and I just used a simple running stitch to embellish it a bit. Here are a couple of close pictures.

 You might remember that this towel also has the dotted rick rack technique applied.

I used a thicker perle cotton thread for the lighter stitches and it has a more raised impression than the darker, six strand embroidery cotton, which lays more flat. I like how that turned out.

If you're interested this post describes what is currently packed away in the hope chest for celebrating Valentines Day.

Christmas Ornaments 2017

 One of Miss Abigail's favorite books is Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. She has whole passages memorized and pleases herself re-reading her favorite parts again and again. I found this darling Anne character ornament on Etsy from a maker who is a friend of mine and I snapped it up immediately! Her shop is called House of Worry Dolls and she is a sweet young mom trying to make a little extra money.

Abby also loves nature and wildlife and this ombre ceramic deer fits her classic style very well.

Finally, I ran into another young Pueblo crafter who was selling these handmade ceramic ornaments at a small craft fair I recently attended. They were painted with traditional tribal symbols. This will be just another little reminder of her home state, no matter where she lives in the future.

Miss Abigail has a great collection of ornaments in her hope chest. I'm sure she will add to it in the coming years. Check the Christmas label to see the others we've collected and made together.

A Peek Inside: Easter Figurines

I think it is always a blessing when you can spend holidays with family around you. Dinner at grandma's house, games and activities with cousins, learning manners and visiting etiquette, family pictures! I grew up with a close extended family and I have warm, happy memories of holidays with my family. However, since the early days of our marriage, our extended family has been many miles away. Our children have had to grow up without the happy buzz of family holidays. My sweet mother-in-law did her best to compensate for that. When our boys, and then Miss Abigail, were young children, their grandmother would send holiday boxes full of treats and inexpensive toys. She really never missed any major holiday or birthday! Our children came to count on these boxes and eagerly looked forward to them!

After Abigail grew into a teenager, the boxes gradually trickled off and finally stopped. Obviously my mother-in-law couldn't keep it up forever and Abby is the youngest grandchild. The last Easter box came a few years ago. Together with candy and a beautiful card, Grandma included these figurines to decorate the table. Naturally they are included in the hope chest for future Easter celebrations!.

A Peek Inside: Valentine's Day Kitchen Set

These are all the items we have in Miss Abigail's hope chest to celebrate Valentine's Day. This holiday has been a favorite for Abigail. I always made sugar cut-out cookies and Abigail would help me decorate them. The pretty vintage gingham apron was a gift from one of the club ladies to Abigail. It is a perfect cookie-baking apron. Miss Abigail made the cute stenciled hearts dishtowel a few years ago with a friend. You can read the "how-to" here.

We also crafted hand-made Valentines every year to give to friends and that was the most fun! We collected quite a lot of supplies for this project: stamps and stickers and specialty paper and ribbons and fancy scissors and templates. Once the scrapbooking craze hit the stores some years ago, we were truly in business. This activity has been so much fun and I will miss it intensely. I will pack up some of the tools and supplies in a pretty box for the hope chest, so that Abigail can continue this tradition with her own children. She will also be quite ready to bake the cookies!

Quick Valentine Ragged Edge Dishtowel

I love using pretty dish towels, especially around holidays! This cute Valentine dish towel is such a quick and easy project that you can be done in less than 30 minutes! You could make it for the hope chest or keep it for your own kitchen. I love hope chest projects like this for a couple of reasons.

First, the technique is simple and fast. Just cut a ragged edge shape and quickly applique to the towel with the straightforward running stitch. Second, there are no complicated materials or tools. All you need  is a plain cotton dish towel, an embroidery needle, cotton thread to contrast with a scrap of cotton fabric, and pinking shears or regular sewing shears to cut the shape. The cost is minimal. If you keep a fabric scrap bag, the cost is limited to the towel and the thread. Nice. Finally, the most inexperienced sewist can make this project, so it's a great project for someone needing to practice using a needle and thread.

Many of you won't even need instructions for such a project, but I'll give them for those who do. First, determine how big you want your applique and cut a heart shape from paper. Use the towel and adjust the size if necessary.

Press any wrinkles out of the fabric scrap. Use a pencil to trace around the shape on the wrong side of the fabric. Use pinking shears (or regular fabric scissors) to cut the shape from the fabric. Pinking shears will give a nice evenly ragged edge after washing. Regular shears will give a more primitive ragged edge that will take several times washing to achieve.

Arrange and pin the fabric heart to the dishtowel. You can place it in the corner, as I did, or in the center of one side. Pin the shape well so that it doesn't shift as you do your stitching. If you are using this project for a child, you might use many small safety pins rather than straight pins so that little fingers don't get poked! Measure the cotton embroidery thread so that you have enough thread to go all the way around the shape, plus five or six inches more. Divide the thread so that you have two lengths with three strands in each length. Then thread the needle and knot the thread at one end. Start at the bottom and use an even running stitch all around the heart, keeping about 1/8 - inch or so from the edge. You want to be far enough away from the edge that it frays a little in the wash, but close enough that the shape is securely sewn.

When you reach the beginning point bring the needle out on the back of the towel. Take three small back stitches to secure the thread and then tie a small knot. Pull the knot through the towel fabric, pull the towel back just a bit to clip the thread and then "lose" the end of the thread in between the towel and the applique. This will keep the back of the towel neat.

Thread the needle with the second length of thread and tie a knot at one end. Push the needle into the towel between the towel and the applique at some point away from where you want to begin stitching. Again, pull the knot through the towel to "lose" it under the fabric. Then push the needle through to the front where you will begin a second row of stitching.

Make a second row of stitching about 1/4 - inch away from the first row. Try to keep the stitching evenly spaced.

Once you've completed a second row of stitching, tie off your thread and you're finished! The back of the towel should look as neat as the front. Wash and dry the towel to fray the edges.

A Peek Inside - Christmas Cross-Stitch Table Runner

My very talented mother-in-law embroidered this pretty table runner. Our family has received many of these precious gifts from her over the years. I use it when I have a chance to entertain and keep it in Miss Abigail's hope chest. I think she will enjoy using it in her home some day.

A Peek Inside - Embroidered Snowflake Ornament

This gorgeous snowflake was created with a embroidery machine. I saw it at a crafts show and spent quite a lot of time visiting with the woman who made it. I took her card and hope she is still in business if I'm ever ready to have monogramming done on towels for the hope chest. She used stabilizer on a stiff gorgette fabric and then cut away the fabric. Brilliant!

This second stocking ornament is just as cute. I love craft shows and creative people. You just never know what you'll find!

A Peek Inside - Rocking Horse Ornament

2011 blessed our family with two new grandchildren. I bought ornaments for them last year and couldn't resist adding this one for Miss Abigail's hope chest. I like to imagine her children hanging this on some future Christmas tree.

A Peek Inside - Peridot Wreath Ornament

I made this pretty peridot wreath ornament for the hope chest collection this year. I strung peridot chips on three strands of wire, with red glass beads at intervals. Then I twisted the strands together into a wreath and added the jewelry cap on top.

A Peek Inside - Clay Angel Ornament

Maybe you can tell that I like angels? This beautiful painted clay angel reminded me a little of Miss Abigail.

A Peek Inside - Yo-Yo Angel Ornament

This yo-yo angel was created a couple of years ago with the ladies of the Stanley Homemakers Club. We often do crafts together and Miss Abigail always enjoys these meetings.

A Peek Inside - Nativity Ornament

We found this charming Mexican nativity ornament in a favorite boutique last year.

A Peek Inside - Santo Domingo Pottery Star Ornament

Each day this week I'll post a peek at ornaments in Miss Abigail's hope chest. This handmade star was made by craftspeople of the Santo Domingo Pueblo. The pueblos of New Mexico are well known for their pottery and each pueblo has traditional designs. This dragonfly is typical of Santo Domingo. Hopefully, this ornament will bring Miss Abigail happy memories of growing up in the culture of New Mexico.

A Peek Inside - Sewing Angel Christmas Ornament

Every year we add to the collection of Christmas ornaments for Miss Abigail's hope chest. Handmade ornaments are especially prized, particularly when they are actually handmade by Miss Abigail. This very sweet "Sewing Angel" ornament was created by Abigail at our ladies club meeting last week. Isn't she darling?

Billie Lauder, a professional quilter and crafter extraordinaire helped us with this easy project. Billie joined our group some time ago and always has such great ideas for fun things to do. She brought the pieces in a little kit and all we had to do was stack the elements on a long metal pin and twist the end into a loop hanger. The silver metal bobbin is spun with silver thread and the rest of the beads are silver as well. Very clever I think.

A Peek Inside - Thanksgiving Recipe Book

Finished! I'm very pleased with how well this little book turned out. Perhaps I should have chosen an album style that could accept more pages, since I had too many recipes to include pages of holiday photos! It was always intended as a recipe book, however, so I will declare myself satisfied. Here are pictures of some of the inside pages:

I added a cooking timetable for Abigail since this will make it easier (someday) for her to get dinner on the table. When I was younger, I worked hard to find recipes that could be made way ahead of time and refrigerated - even the mashed potatoes! I typically do all of the cooking for Thanksgiving dinner, so cooking ahead of time allows me to enjoy the holiday and visit with family and guests. I have more recipes than I could possibly use in one year's feast! I often trade out side dishes from year to year. So, I guess I could exchange photo pages for some of these recipes and make a new dedication page with a photo as well. Or, I could just look for another 5x7 style photo album. Perhaps I'll get around to it someday, but for now this project is finished. I love it when I can cross something off a list!

A Peek Inside - Turkey Salt & Pepper Shakers

The hope chest is a wonderful place to gather and treasure heirlooms. I don’t have a lot of heirlooms from previous generations to pass on to my children. In spite of this, with some foresight and planning, I can create an heirloom. An heirloom is simply an object of special value, passed from one generation to another. These objects don’t necessarily need to be valuable in a monetary way, just made special somehow through loving memories and sentimental feelings.

Miss Abigail loves Thanksgiving. She loves to decorate the house and set the table with our fancy dishes. We often have company to dinner and she loves being with friends and family. I’m sure she will have many happy memories of Thanksgiving. So, I want to collect a few things to send into her future home, to strengthen these memories. I bought these simple, vintage-looking salt and pepper shakers. I’ll use them at Thanksgiving for the remaining years that Abigail is at home, and then put them in the hope chest. An almost instant heirloom.

Valentine Dishtowel

This year, for our regular Valentine making day, Miss Abigail invited a younger friend to join us. I was a little concerned that Avery might get a bit bored with making valentines, one after another, all day long. So, I planned a couple of extra activities for the girls. We started the day by making Valentine dishtowels for the hope chest. I have reasoned that, someday, Abigail will make Valentine cut-out cookies with her children, just as she and I have done together. I think it would be fun to use a special holiday kitchen set, so this is the start of that set. Eventually, we'll try to add an apron and a set of hot pads for the hot cookie pans, and, of course, some cookie cutters. I will admit that I am also being a little sneaky. I'm hoping that Avery will have had fun making the dishtowel and that she will want to be a hope chest "buddy" and come back to do other things with us.

So, we made the dishtowels first, so that the paint could dry while we were doing other things. The girls used a washable glue stick to hold one of the paper heart doilies to the dishtowel. Then they used a just damp sponge with fabric paint, dabbing the paint over the doily. The edges are simply "feathered" by the sponge - no need to be too precise. The girls did the large doily first. Later, after the paint dried, they layered and sponged a second, smaller doily on top of the first. I think they turned out great!

Abigail's Ornament

Before I leave Christmas behind completely, I wanted to show the ornament Abigail finished for her hope chest. It was tedious work for her, with all those little beads and sequins, but she is pleased with the result and I think it is lovely! She did all the sequin work and I added the bow.

Our Advent Tree

There are so many different ways to use the Advent devotional in family worship. I wanted to show you one of the best things our family has done to try to keep Christ in the midst of our Christmas celebrations.

Many years ago, I made a careful study of the Advent scriptures that I thought would be the most meaningful to our family. Though not strictly traditional, I chose twenty-four scriptures that focus on the redemptive Plan of Salvation. (Several of these scriptures come from the Book of Mormon, which our family testifies is a second witness of the Lord Jesus Christ.) Then I used Sculpey clay to make a small ornament that would represent each of these scriptures. You will notice that I had to be pretty creative in my representations - you may not be able to recognize some of these items at a glance, but my children quickly learned to identify the symbol and the teaching that each small object portrays. We also have a small tabletop tree to hang the ornaments on and it sits next to the dining room table during the Christmas season. It really isn’t big enough, or sturdy enough, and every year I try to remember to get a bigger one.

The intention is to have a devotional reading each night and hang the ornament for that day. Honestly, we sometimes don’t have the time in the evening, so some nights we have to double up. There have been some years, when our older boys were teenagers, when we just had to catch everything up on Sunday. But it is still a special tradition to read through these scriptures and to remember the gifts and promises of a loving Heavenly Father.

 1.  yellow singing stars - Job 38:4-7  (morning stars sang together)

2.  globe with clouds - Abraham 4:24-26, Genesis 1 (the creation of the world)

3.  blue stars with moon - Psalms 8 (the Creation Psalm)

4.  apple - Alma 12:22-24 (the fall of Adam)

5.  baby - Luke 2:7-16, Mosiah 3:5 (birth of the Savior)

 After we recognize the birth of our Savior, we take several days to read about His attributes through the “I AM” scriptures.

6.  candle - John 8:12 (I AM the light of the world)

7.  crook - John 10:11 (I AM the good shepherd)

8.  vine - John 15:1 (I AM the vine)

9.  bread - John 6:51 (I AM the bread of life)

10.  door - John 10:9 (I AM the door)

11.  Greek signs - Revelation 22:13 (I AM alpha and omega)

 Then we pick up again with the atoning death of the Savior,  and the assurance of a redemptive plan through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

12.  cross - 1 Ne 11:32-33 (death of the Savior)

13.  empty tomb - Matt 28:1-7 (resurrection of the Savior)

14.  blackness - Isa 60:2 - (apostasy foretold)

15.  angel with trumpet - Revelation 14:6-7 (promise of the restoration)

16.  milk & honey - 2 Ne 26:25 (promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ)

The remaining scriptures help us feel the joy of continued expectation and promise made to the followers of Jesus - to us, to our family! I really love all of these scriptures.

17.  eagle feather - Isa 40:31 (promise of strength as wings of eagles)

18.  hand - Isa 49:15-16 (promise to be remembered in the palm of His hand)

19.  sheaf of wheat - D&C 31:5 (promise to be laden with sheaves)

20.  sheep - Psalm 95:6-7 (promise to be the sheep of His hand)

 21.  trumpet - D&C 45:39-59 (the second coming of Jesus Christ)

22.  book - Revelation 20:12 (promise of a name in the Book of Life)

23.  crown - 1 Pet 5:4 (promise of the Crown of Life)

24.  harp - Isa 35:10 (we will bring songs of everlasting joy)

I would love to hear what you all do with Advent or how you use scriptures or symbols of Christ during the Christmas season.

Miss Abigail is our last child, so this Advent set may go with her as she begins her own family. I have had vague plans to make such a set for my daughters-in-law, but I don’t want to interfere with their own ideas and plans. I’m still kind of new at being a mother-in-law and each of these girls is capable, accomplished and creative. But I can certainly remember having so little time, when my children were small. For a more mature girl, I think that some kind of Advent teaching would be the perfect item to prepare ahead and save in a hope chest for her future home.


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