In 1976 my son's school had a bit bicentennial celebration. He was in 2nd grade and very excited about it.  I found appropriate fabric and hand stitched a complete 'Daniel Boone' costume for him so it would be very authentic looking.

I've been hand quilting for many decades and prefer Victorian crazy quilts. I decided to make an heirloom quilt - king size. I took photos of my oldest ancestor that we had photos of on all branches of my family - one ancestor per square and worked my way down through the family - with more photos of my parents, my family, children and grandchildren as we have more photos - some 42 squares worth . I ironed these on a white material. On each square I took the various materials I had chose in the many shapes required of a crazy quilt and embroidered each piece of material into place, including one set of photos. Once all were finished, I added a connecting piece and stitched tiny flowers along the edges to hold it in place. With two more grandchildren (twins) added to the family and two more great-grandchildren, I'm going to do pillow shams to match to include them. This project took me a year - sitting in my great-grandmother's rocking chair that she sat in to quilt. It's the most relaxing way I know to pass on a bit of history to my children. Each year I make a quilt for a member of the family but this quilt was made for me.

I have always enjoyed embroidery, but now do mostly wool applique which uses mostly the blanket stitch, with other stitches for embellishment and detail.  This year I took first place and sweepstakes awards in the county fair for a winter scene piece.  The one hand work I have never enjoyed is cross stitch, which I understand many people, including my daughter, really enjoy.  With cross stitch I feel that I work and work and never get anywhere.  I knit and do needlepoint, also.  I find most handwork very relaxing.

Regarding your suggestion to keep all of your sewing supplies together; you suggest  "pencil box"  Come on, lets be more creative than that:  an attractive tin that had candy or some other gift in it is a much more attractive storage case for scissors, needles, threads than a boring plastic pencil box from the dollar store.  And it is a way to recycle that box that held chocolates or peppermint bark.  OR you can collage over a cigar box with old fabric snips and cut up photos from decorating magazines where they have glorious fabric shots of expensive fabrics you could never afford.

I love cross stitch as well as patchwork and quilting and a year or so ago, I treated myself to the Heirloom Nativity Sampler , only to have a fit when I realised the cost of the fabric and threads required to make this beautiful piece of needlework.  I have been tempted to try and recreate it using cheaper fabric and regular embroidery thread but then read your  tip about using the best possible materials when doing hand embroidery. A voucher from my friend in Utah will go towards buying the first installment of threads and next time I'm paid I'll invest in the evenweave linen recommended by the designer, Thea Dueck.  Over the year I'll ask family for cash rather than toiletries and flowers for Mother's Day and birthday so that I can  get the rest of the threads and hopefully complete the project in time for next Christmas. So thanks again for the timely advice and watch this space!   Jean , UK

My favorite handsewn project has been working on a cathedral window quilt.  Gathering pieces of fabric from friends projects that remind me of them is very special for this.

I also have handsewn a Dear Jane Quilt and am almost finished with it.  We had a DearJane group that met at my home and grew to love one another like sisters.

i have to  giggle as i read Judith's post as  DO have a  fabric collaged covered cigar box filled with  Prayer flag blanks, threads and  a dedicated sewing kit. some torn selvages and painted chopstickes also live there,  ready to sit and stitch when i am!

Many, many years ago (although it seems like yesterday), because of my love of embroidery, I made a crazy quilt.  Wanting it to be different, it is pastel with as many embroidery and lace stitches as I could use.  This was made for my middle child.  Many, many years later, I started to finish it.  Being a bit rusty, I could not miter the binding corners.  Many, many years later, it sits in its protective bag, waiting to be finished. I cut the corners off and have come up with no idea what to do with those corners.  I am 71 and still thinking.

Dear Anne

go over the corners with embrodery thread or chrochet (if you know how) some corners. Not seeing your project it is difficult to suggest a creative fix! I do know that it CAN be done and time to set that quilt free!

Happy Sewing

Kit