row for the Christmas Caroling Row Along. I love their row!
We at Ms. P. Designs USA are so excited to be included in this year’s
Christmas Caroling Row Along
Event! Many
thanks to Carol, from Just Let Me Quilt, for hosting our blog post. Thank you, Marian
from Seams To Be Sew, for
inviting us and a HUGE thank you to each of our great sponsors!
Ms. P. Designs USA consists of Sharon Andersen and Susan Hatcher,
sisters who have each been
sewing as long as we can remember! Growing up as farm girls in Montana, we
learned various types
of needle arts from our mother and our grandmothers. We both relocated to Houston, Texas, as
adults, and we have never stopped creating.
Our inspiration for our Christmas Caroling Row Along Event row came
from some little Christmas
mouse ornaments that Susan made and sold at many
craft sales in the 1990’s. People at
work
referred to her as the “Mouse Lady”, so when it was time to create Ms. P.
Designs USA’s logo, the
“D” in Designs became a little mouse. Our row brings to mind those precious little
mice that made
Christmas just a little bit merrier for her children during
financially lean times.
“Here We Come A-Caroling” was written in 1850, and was sung to wish
everyone good health and a
Merry Christmas.
Bands of singers (usually beggars and orphans) made their way through
the
snowy streets of Victorian England, offering to sing good cheer if the
homeowner would give them a
drink, a penny, or some food to eat. Sometimes the singers were invited inside to
stand beside the
warmth of the hearth and enjoy some wassail, to warm their
tingling toes and fingers before they
went out to continue singing the joy of
the Christmas season.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you glad Christmas too,
And God bless you and send you a Happy
New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year!
Our mouse family is dressed in typical Victorian-era costumes. The mouse children represent two
kids that
you might see when you attend any children’s choir concert: the little boy’s
enthusiasm for
singing far exceeds his abilities (someone must have told him to
sing loud during the rehearsal),
while the little girl sings because it makes
her happy (and it brings us joy to watch her)!
Mother and
Father Mouse are dressed in their Sunday best, enjoying the
family outing.
The applique panel for our row was made using raw-edge applique, which
Susan finished by hand
with a blanket stitch and two strands of black
embroidery floss. The pieced star flower
blocks were
created by Sharon, using precision quick-piecing techniques.
Our sponsors at Northcott Fabrics generously provided several of the
fabrics that we used to create
our row model.
Our fabrics are from the
following collections: “Magic of Christmas” , “Tis the
Season” , and “Toscana”. The rest of the fabrics came from our
extensive private textile collection,
aka “fabric stash”.
We hope you’ll enjoy our row pattern!
We’re happy to offer it to you free of charge through
September 20, 2017. You can choose to “pay
it forward” by making a donation to the
Samaritan’s Purse Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund,
If you are able to help,
your financial support will make a positive impact on the lives of those
who are still in need after the devastating effects of the storm that
affected our area.
Please join us in showing our appreciation for Marian at Seams to Be
Sew, and each of our wonderful
sponsors!
“Like” their Face Book pages and leave a comment. “Follow” them on Twitter, and
tweet about the
Row Along Event! Let them know that
you’ve enjoyed the Row Along and
appreciate their generosity. It has been FUN!
There's a giveaway, too, from Anita Goodesign!
