What!? You don’t believe in Santa?! Shame on you! OK, let’s pretend for a minute you do believe in this guy…

Besides asking Santa to come to our Quilt Festivals next year, here  are nine other things I recommend asking St. Nick for the holidays. (Just click on all the photos to take you to each product website.)

1. The Portable Gidget II Sewing Table by Arrow

The Gidget II is sturdy, has an adjustable, drop-down platform so your sewing machine is flush with the table top, stores easily, is relatively inexpensive, and requires no assembly. Here it is in action in my living room:

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2. A suitcase of Auriful thread. This really requires no explanation:

3. A Mack truck full of Marcia Derse fabric. Who could ever have enough of this stuff?

And Marcia’s fabric makes for fine home accents and upholstered furniture!

One of Louie’s last photos, posing on a Marcia Derse-upholstered mini rocker.

4. A  stitch retreat with Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn

What is not to adore about these two?

And they are teaching in Puglia, Italy next May! I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind stitching poolside drinking chianti…

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5. A weekend trip to Art Cloth Studios in San Antonio with Jane Dunnewold. Talk about a playground!

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6. A new Bernina sewing machine! I saw this 750 series machine’s debut at Fall Quilt Market and was blown away by all it can do.

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7. And heck, since we are asking for premium gifts, let’s ask Santa for a sit-down, mid-arm machine, too,  like HandiQuilter’s Sweet Sixteen. I have played on this machine and if you like to free-motion quilt mid-to-large-sized quilts, this is a dream.

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8. Now on to stocking stuffers: All quilters need a set of reliable, sharp scissors, and I really love the rotary cutters and scissors by Havel’s. Always sharp, always reliable, and well priced:

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9. And no studio is complete without a studio pet. This little gal can fit into a stocking, too, although she would probably squirm a bit.

I am thinking of adopting her.

“My little dog. A heartbeat at my feet.”–Edith Wharton

Ok, I don’t really mean a battle, per se, I just love alliteration. (If you haven’t noticed.)

Years ago, I fell head over heels in love with “Sugar and Spice” a quilt that Kathy Mack featured on her Pink Chalk Studio blog. See what I mean? It is so adorable…

Kathy Mack’s baby quilt for a friend, entitled “Sugar and Spice.”

Kathy used Tracy Brookshier’s Bento Box pattern, and I just was so enamored with this quilt on Kathy’s blog, I immediately bought the pattern…and spent so much money on pink and orange fat quarters, I am embarrassed to tell you how much. (About $200)

Here’s the full, frontal view of Kathy’s quilt:

I never did make the Bento Box quilt with all that pink and orange fabric, but I did finally have a reason to make a Bento Box quilt–my colleague Rhianna Griffin had a baby boy end of last year. So at the International Quilt Festival/Cincinnati this past spring, I bought some really cute boyish fabrics from the Anna Griffin fabric booth, combined them with some Marcia Derse fabrics, and this past weekend I finally finished Rhianna’s baby quilt:

If you are looking to make a baby quilt, this is really a terrific pattern. It’s easy, fun to make, and I wanted to give this specifically to Rhianna, New Media Coordinator, because the pattern reminds me of a QR code!

And yes, Kathy and I really aren’t battling. See? We are very friendly with each other…

Kathy and me on the set of Quilting Arts TV in 2010.

Hope everyone has a GREAT 4th of July! I hope to stitch and relax in my backyard. Hope you have some quilting plans!