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Friday, December 11, 2015

a thread catcher, fabric ribbon and mighty lucky, oh my!

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

This week I did a little gift sewing! I made this combination thread catcher/pincushion for a good friend of mine. I always have a hard time picking fabric for others, so I did what I could to mix her likes with a little bit of mine. I think it turned out alright! :)
The pincushion is made from quilting cotton which was fused with Pellon SF 101, (my all time favorite interfacing) and then I filled it with crushed walnut shells. The magnetic strip is handy for holding metal bobbins and hand sewing needles. It's handy to have one of these next to the sewing machine, or on the arm of the couch when hand sewing binding.
I modeled it after the one I finished about 3 years ago! (There is no pattern, I'm sorry to say, but there is a similar one-see this post for photos-in Krista's book Make it, Take it.) I use mine all the time...it's one of my favorite sewing gadgets. I'm happy to report that my friend liked hers, too! This is scrap project # 119!
As I was wrapping up my friend's gifts, I realized that I didn't have any nice wide ribbon, so....fabric to the rescue! I made my own "ribbon" from the red and white ovals good neighbors print. I love how it kind of looks like peppermints! (This fabric really needs to be a Christmas quilt backing!)
It makes pretty good ribbon, wouldn't you say? I LOVE how it turned out!
 
One more thing to share today...have you heard about the Mighty Lucky Quilting Club? It's like a gym membership, but for quilters! It the first of its kind subscription based program where you will receive a different design challenge/instruction each month from 12 different quilters. (The line up is impressive and I'm a little nervous/excited/thrilled to be a part of it!) You can read all about the details of the club here. I'm looking forward to learning and being challenged in a guided format each month! It sounds like a lot more fun than going to the gym, doesn't it? :)
 
As I mentioned last week, I will be picking 2 winners from each Friday post (one from the comments and one from the links) during the month of December. Each winner will have their choice of any 3 PDF patterns from my pattern store. Just a little thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday!
 
Ok, folks! Now it's time to link up your finishes for the week...if you have anything that isn't secret sewing, that is! :) Thanks, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday! 
finish it up Friday, 12/11/15
1. Sugar Pop N Change Mini  57. Sue @ quilting the green star  
2. Paige @ Quilted Blooms  58. tubakk, Norway  
3. Eva.Bambi,Johansson  59. Cathy Tomm Quilts  
4. Lizzie Lenard Vintage Sewing  60. Quick Christmas Pillows  
5. Caryl @ cinnamon holiday workshop  61. Cindy @ Live a Colorful Life  
6. Debora @ Studio Dragonfly  62. Bernie @ Needle and Foot  
7. Katy @ KatyQuilts  63. Wendys Quilts and more  
8. Nancy@PugMomQuilts  64. Cathy@Sane, Crazy, Crumby  
9. Easy Bold Tablerunner | Ants to Sugar  65. Selvage Xmas Ornament Tutorial  
10. maiden hair fern  66. Meet George!  
11. Snowcatcher  67. Anja @ Anja Quilts  
12. Quilts & Such  68. Little Island Quilting  
13. Vicki in MN  69. Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict  
14. Carie @ Space for the Butterflies  70. Happy Cottage Quilter  
15. Elaine@Beech Tree Lane Handmade  71. sylvia  
16. Dizzy Quilts: Geometric Cat Pillow  72. Nancy Ottaviano  
17. Sew Crafty Jenn  73. Julie @ That's Sew Julie  
18. Dizzy Quilts: Dog Pillow  74. Erica@dressesandspurs  
19. Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs  75. Stacey @SLOstudio - MQG Glitz Challenge  
20. Cup Free Paper Piecing Pattern  76. Yellow Maple Leaves Cushion  
21. Sew Me Something Good  77. Empress Charlotte - Log Pyramid  
22. Brooke @ Silly Mama Quilts  78. Julie Bagamary Art - Scrap Vortex Stole  
23. Quilting is more fun than Housework  79. Gemini Jen NZ lap quilt  
24. Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl  80. Judy @ Sew Some Sunshine  
25. Leanne @ Devoted Quilter  81. Sophie's Bow Tie Challenge Block  
26. Colleen @ Piecemakerquilts  82. Q-Bits Busy Time  
27. Scrappy Quilt Technique  83. Sue @ Super Mom - No Cape!  
28. How To Make A Santa Sack  84. Yanicka  
29. Cardinal Quilt  85. Kris @SewSunshine  
30. Em @ Em's Scrapbag  86. Karen  
31. My Imperfect Life  87. Jen @ Jennifer Under the Juniper Tree  
32. Maartje quilts in Amsterdam  88. Emma @ A Hand Stotched Lite  
33. Alycia @ Quiltygirl  89. Frankie  
34. Cristina @The Quilted Mitten  90. Kristin Gumdrop  
35. Julie @ Pink Doxies  91. Miss Alissa Creates  
36. Kelly Cline Quilting  92. AngelaA @ betterndogbiscuits wonky rail  
37. beth@lovelaughquilt  93. wish2stitch  
38. Michelle's Romantic Tangle  94. DonnaleeQ-Thanksgiving Revisited  
39. Jo's Country Junction  95. lindasquiltmania/necessaryclutch  
40. Lucy @ charmaboutyou  96. Mary @ Fleur de Lis Quilts  
41. Watermelon Diva  97. Quilting Grandma from MT  
42. Gunilla/Christmas Quilt  98. Day to Night Glitz | Factotum of Arts  
43. Kim @PersimonDreams  99. Maria@RaspberryJam  
44. Gail  100. Jess @ SewJess Handmade  
45. A little bit of my life::Mendocino quilt  101. Debbie @ A Quilter's Table  
46. Busy Hands Quilts - Key to My Heart!  102. Kate @ katiemaequilts  
47. Anna's Hardest Quilt @ MiMP  103. Another Baby Quilt @ LoGoQuilts  
48. Double Square Star (NoSnowball) Tutorial  104. Fern  
49. Janeen. @ Quilt Art Designs  105. Tanya Quilts in CO  
50. Jenn @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge  106. Jess @ Quilty Habit  
51. The Inside Stori  107. Julia in Mississippi  
52. Margaret @ life as posted two  108. Cotton+Steel Placemats  
53. Gina  109. Rene' Creates  
54. Judy@Quilt Paradigm  110. Quilter Kathy  
55. Sarah @ Sarah Goer Quilts  111. Allison @ New Every Morning  
56. Green Cheese Quilting Baby Quilt  112. Dona@grateful4quilting  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

84 comments:

  1. I can not believe you made homemade ribbon!!! How adorable is that!!!! The pincushion/thread catcher is so adorable and so incredibly handy, what a lucky friend ;)

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  2. What do you fill your pin cushions with? Have you seen the thread catchers that use a tile to hold it down? Which would you prefer? why or why not? Love the colors of your thread catcher!

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  3. Love the thread catcher! I got a similar one in a guild swap last year and I love it. I'm going to have to look into this "club"... sounds like fun!

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  4. I have been having fun making pincushion from your Good Neighbors fabric for my quilty friends. Thanks for sharing yours!

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  5. I love the idea of the magnet and the peppermint ribbon is pretty great too!

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  6. Anonymous11:12 AM

    The quilting club sounds fun. Congrats on being a teacher! I love your homemade ribbon! I would have never thought of that! :)

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  7. A pretty and practical gift, can't beat that! Love the magnetic strip idea - needles have a way of disappearing into pincushions, or maybe that's just me? :o)

    Off to check out the club....

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  8. Wow, the fabric ribbon is so perfect! And the touch of the magnet on the pin cushion / thread catcher is a perfect detail that will make that such a handy tool for your friend.

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  9. Mighty Lucky sounds fantastic! I love the ribbon...that fabric really is perfect for making a Christmas ribbon, or a Christmas anything, really! Thanks for hosting...I love linking my Friday finishes here :)

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  10. Great use of fabric in ribbon form. Love the thread catcher/pin cushion. Your friend will love it! The quilting club sounds fun.

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  11. what a lovely gift ! I hadn't thought of putting a magnetic strip there for bobbins. I'll have to check with the Bernina sewing machine guy to see if it would be safe for my QE750 bobbins. They have some kind of magic strip in them that tells me when they are empty and the magnet might do something bad.

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  12. That hand made ribbon is really clever. You are giving me ideas for using up some less loved fabric to make my own ribbon for gifts. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  13. Sweet thread catcher, that magnet is so handy! The ribbon is utterly adorable too!

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  14. The cushion/catcher is something I really need, right now I just kind of put it all to one side to take care of later. But without fail all those thread ends end up every where, often all over me if I have my shawl on. Love the fabric ribbon! Thanks for the info on the club and your generosity with the giveaway prizes. ktsquiltdreams (at)gmail (dot)com

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  15. Just want to say a big thank you for the year. Love the linky party, and the ability to find so many inspiring blogs. Happy holidays, and a properous New Year to you.

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  16. Love the home made ribbon! And you are so right, it would be perfect for the backing of a Christmas quilt, or pillow. It's always a pleasure to hear that a friend likes a made gift, and I can see why she loves the catcher you made her.

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  17. That fabric totally looks like peppermints! And the thread catcher pincushion needs to be added to my to-sew list. I could especially use that magnet as I seem to be awesome at losing pins all over the place (namely, the floor) which drives my husband batty.

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  18. Love the cute patchwork "bobbins" catchall! I have your tread catcher pattern & that just gave me a great stocking stuffer idea for my mother-in-law. Cheers!

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  19. I love your ribbon you made. I am quilting, by hand, your Trees quilt for my grandson who got married a little over a year ago. I added a row of the tree blocks on the side and across the bottom to make it large enough for a queen sided bed. I will be showing a friend of mine your method for binding a quilt. She has made table runners for some friends but does not know how to put them together with backing, batting, and the figured quilt. And then binding them.

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  20. fabric ribbon - who knew? looks amazing, and that would be a great print for a quilt backing!

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  21. Hmmm... that Mighty Lucky Quilting Club sounds like a great Christmas gift! I might need to send a few e-mails! :) Thanks for sharing it!

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  22. i thought your fabric was peppermints. i don't think i would have looked closer to find that they weren't had you not mentioned it. Good use for your cute & versatile fabric line!

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  23. Love the fabrics used for the pin cushion thread catcher and the ribbon is a great idea. Thanks for the idea.

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  24. I have that kind of pincushion made by Poppyprint herself--I love the addition of the magnetic strip--that's pretty genius. Your red and white print would indeed be an awesome backing for a Christmas quilt! And I signed up for Mighty Lucky--looking forward to it!

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  25. Thread catcher? Isn't that what a vacuum cleaner is for? But a pincushion complete with magnetic strip for couch sewing? THAT's INCREDIBLE.

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  26. Love the fancy ribbon! I usually just leave raw edges on mine.

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  27. Your ribbon is lovely, and very "you"!
    The Mighty Lucky club sounds wonderful. I am not sure I have the basics down all that well, but I might just sign up anyway. I am exactly the do-it-someday sort of person in the description, and the roster is pretty hard to resist.
    Happy weekend!

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  28. Great thread catcher. Love the fabric you chose. Great idea to make your own ribbon!

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  29. Anonymous1:11 PM

    That definitely looks like peppermints! It's perfect. I like the addition of the magnetic strip, very clever!

    mindingmomma at aol dot com

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  30. Love the 'ribbon!' It adds a special touch!

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  31. Fabric ribbon -- what a clever idea! Use what you have -- I can hear my mom telling me this right now :o)

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  32. Congrats on Mighty Lucky! What an awesome group of Modern Quilters to be joining! Love the thread catcher too!

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  33. I love your fabric ribbon, great idea! The club sounds fun.

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  34. Your fabric ribbon looks awesome. Trying to convince the hubby to get me the club for my birthday. Think it was vetoed.

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  35. I love that cushion with the magnetic strip - that is so neat - but where do you buy a magnetic strip? this would really come in handy.

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  36. I have found myself going to my saved selvedges for "ribbon" lately...yep, fabric to the rescue :)

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  37. I love the homemade ribbon, it definitely looks like peppermint! And I'm interested in the quilting club, it sounds like it could be a really cool thing to get involved with.

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  38. I love the idea of homemade "ribbon"! I've got a LOT of extra fabric around. I think there might be some of these on my packages this year!

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  39. What cute fabric you used. <3 the Raspberry colored Polka Dots. Thinking of making some adorable ribbon for wrapping presents now. Thanks for the idea.

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  40. I like your pincushion/threadcatcher! Also, it is a great idea to decorate christmas gift with fabric. I will try it for sure this year!!

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  41. Love the fabrics in the pin cushion!

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  42. Ha! The magnetic strip is a great idea - really the perfect thing for random pins, and a super place to NOT lose a hand sewing needle while sitting in the couch. I will incorporate that little nugget of an idea while making a pincushion for me!

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  43. Well, that fabric ribbon is the cat's meow! Gotta make some of that!

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  44. The fabric does look like peppermint. Fun!

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  45. Love the peppermint candy ribbon..it would make a great Christmas backing!!

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  46. The peppermint ribbon is awesome, I am really looking forward to seeing your whole fabric line in person!

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  47. I love the thread catcher! I need to find the time to make something like that for myself. And the ribbon is genius!

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  48. I so want to make one of those thread catchers. I bought a second-hand silk shirt and I thought the sleeve would be a great lining for one because the threads wouldn't stick to it. One of these days....

    I love your ribbon.

    I don't have a finish this week but thanks for hosting the link-up every week.

    Nancy (at ndmessier @ aol.com

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  49. No finishes this week! I really like your fabric,so I have bought a layer cake. I am having trouble deciding what to use it for! So many choices.

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  50. I love your thread catcher. I have one that my mother gave me years ago and really like it.

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  51. J'adore !! C'est hyper pàratique et les couleurs toniques.
    Bravo
    Brigitteo

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  52. What a darling thread catcher, I'd call it the deluxe version. And you're so right about the fabric you used for ribbon being like peppermint candy 😊 I've Ben considering joining the Mighty Lucky club, I'm glad you reminded me, it sound really interesting.

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  53. I love your fabric ribbon!

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  54. Love your thread catcher - actually love everything you do.

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  55. My carpet and vacuum cleaner would love that thread catcher. I'm a thread flinger. ;) Just drop it, get it out of the way. This would work well for me.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  56. Love the magnetic strip! What a great idea that I will be using! So many useful ways it will be helpful! Also love your fabric ribbon! Another idea to put in the arsenal! Thank you for all these helpful ideas!

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  57. I have yet to make a thread catcher....and I adore your version.

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  58. I will use that ribbon idea=-- it's a great one!

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  59. Hi Neighbor! Actually, I'm from Arizona! Finally time to bundle up in Quilts, kind of! Anyways, I'm definitely going to do the ribbon idea with my quilting sisters, very cute inspiration! Love reading your blog, wish I could participate more with the link - ups, maybe someday. Thanks for the give-away!

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  60. Love the thread catcher! Have been wanting to make one. Really need to make one! Thread all over... thanks for the idea. Jeanine

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  61. Brilliant ideas here Amanda!!! The magnet is such a useful addition to the thread catcher, and using your fabric to make ribbon is just genius!!! I am excited about the Mighty Lucky subscription. Congrats for being part of this!

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  62. Love the thread catcher! Have been wanting to make one. Really need to make one! Thread all over... thanks for the idea. Jeanine

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  63. Hmmm....would one of these thread catchers keep my floor cleaner?? I would have to train myself to use it rather than tossing threads on the floor! Any suggestions for alternate pincushion stuffing? There are nut allergies in the family.
    Ohioholman@aol.com

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  64. Amanda Jean
    That "peppermint ribbon" looks delicious, I'd probably eat my gift haha.
    The thread catcher bag/pinnie is the ultimate sewist /quilter gift. Silly me didn't realize what that little strip was for..thanks for sharing.

    bluestarof2(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  65. Just checked out Mighty Lucky and it sounds wonderful! What a lineup!

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  66. What a terrific gift idea! Also, I do love the peppermint looking fabric for backing on a Christmas quilt. Must order some now!

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  67. Merry Christmas from OH!!

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  68. I have a thread catcher and pin cushion next to my machine made from denim....love it. Going to make one with a magnetic strip like yours for my sewing chair upstairs.

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  69. love your ribbon, very cute. the club sounds interesting.

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  70. Love how the red and white ovals look when you can't see the whole oval. Hmmm some interesting piecing possibilities!

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  71. I really like the thread catcher idea - and the ribbon, which reminds me of peppermint candy. :) Congratulations on being chosen for the Mighty Lucky Quilting Club - that is awesome!

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  72. Love your thread catcher/pincushion. I think I need to make one of these for myself.

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  73. Your friend's thread catcher is totally adorable! I have also made fabric ribbon before, when you have a need and our stash is available, it's a win win situation.

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  74. ust what all sewers need, I do have a little thread catcher but yours is far superior.

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  75. Dear Amanda,
    your friend can really be lucky to have you as a friend and to receive just a fantastic gift!
    Many greetings from Germany
    Claudia

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  76. Such a great idea at the machine! And I love the little bobbin basket sitting behind the pincushion. Thanks for the mention of your interfacing of choice--I always feel overwhelmed by all the choices out there :)

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  77. Looove your thread catcher/pin cushion holer!!! My machine would love one too! :)

    MERRY CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS!

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  78. Awesome gift, and so seasonally appropriate :)

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  79. So cute! I love the fabric ribbon. I wonder if I could muster the corsage to do that too!

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  80. Love that dark pink with the text print! I have that book, and want to make one of those for myself. The 'peppermint' fabric would be perfect for a Christmas quilt!

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  81. Love, love, love the fabric ribbon! It looks perfect as "peppermints" too - I'm off to Connecting Threads now...

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  82. Love the ribbon idea. Lucky friend : ) I have admired those thread catchers from afar for many years as i do not have one. Janita

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  83. Thanks so much for a great year of posts. You keep me inspired to finish things and do some small stuff so that I do get to list a finish. Always meant to do a thread catchers. Yours looks amazing. www.madewithmytwohands.blogspot.com
    Karen

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