Quilting with Ragdolls

Wow what a change....

2011-10-04T00:25:00.003-04:00

Been gone for almost 2 years and things have changed a lot since then. Not sure I want to get back into blogging yet...but I have started to sew and it feels odd not to have somewhere to share what I'm working on with my sewing pals.....more to come later.

I've been working on me.....104 pounds gone and a few more left to get rid of before I'm done.....size 24 to size 8-10 depending on the clothes maker.

Nice to see what everyone is up to these days.

2010-04-04T12:30:00.002-04:00

Do I even remember how to do this? Not so much...no!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

I thought I'd pop in here on a lark and see if you notice a small post from me. I've kept up on some of you my popping over to your blogs every so often but I mostly lurk rather than comment. SO even if you don't see me, I'm usually just wandering through.

SO what have I been doing? Well I have 15 new quilts made.....LOL! NOT! I have not sewn the first stitch since I quit blogging. I haven't had the smallest desire to even do it, still really don't....well I didn't...until I saw Libby's new Cheri mini and thought.... humm...those are nice little quilts to make.

Then I popped over to Cheri's site and up came all these new lovely quilts. She has really wandered away from the "everything covered in dark tea stain" hasn't she. I'm liking it a lot! I ordered 4 quilt patterns. Who knows. I might find something in my hands soon. I DO have all the fabrics.

Other than not sewing I've spent most of my time working on a newer project for a while......ME! It was time to take stock and do some upkeep. The neglect of my body was too far gone and I was paying for the sins. SO I took stock and reined in the free for all. I'm doing fantastic...

55 pounds down and 50 more to go! I exercise 90 minutes a day and I love it.

Hope you all are having the very best Easter Holiday. Don't get excited, I'm not blogging again. Just wanted to send a small update. I'll make up my mind in a few months maybe.

blog break extended...

2009-11-29T20:45:00.002-05:00

Happy almost December everyone! Don't faint at the sight of a new blog post now...I'm just here to leave a short message in case anyone stops by and wonders what's up. I'm doing fine, having a blast with some things and really not in the mood to blog at the moment.

So rather than take the whole thing down, I'll just say that my blog is on indefinite hiatus at the moment....to return at a later unspecified date. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year's holiday season!

Happy Halloweenies!!!

2009-10-30T23:55:00.000-04:00

Have a safe and goulish time tonight!!!

remember me?

2009-10-21T09:44:00.006-04:00

Well did you think I was never coming back? I haven't really been on the computer a whole lot these last few weeks and no worries...it's perfectly fine by me! Life ebbs and flows and sometimes you just take breaks from things. 3 1/2 years of blogging is a long time with no break, so maybe I was due. Honestly, I'm just great... happy as a clam! I'm focusing on some other things at the moment and enjoying other pursuits. I'm sure I'll get back to quilting one of these days. Computer time has almost been nil since typing is the worst thing for the forearm tendons and they are still quite vocal about getting used at all!

So what have I been doing? Well every night I try my hand at a little stitching.
Sometimes I can go for a couple hours and sometimes a couple STITCHES. But it's not a race, I love doing these blocks. I'll be sorry to see this quilt finished. With 2 of these quilts I doubt I'll sign up for another one, although I do love them! But I have more than enough bom's to keep me busy for a while. I've gotten behind in just a few of mine! *grin*

Had to pop out yesterday to the Fresh Market to pick up some stuff and a big 'ole piece of salmon. Does anyone else have one of these stores? I love Trader Joe's but that fresh meat counter is just fabulous. I mean anything you want they have! Shame we don't eat any other meat but salmon.

I know lots of people don't like salmon but man o man...is there anything prettier than that beautiful colored jewel getting all lovely on the pan? Honestly..a hot pad and a fork and I could eat right off the pan until I was sick! But I don't. I'm a good girl. I cut it into pieces and store the whole thing in the fridge. That way we grab a slice or two and pop them in the microwave whenever we want some all week. Plus do you know how good this is for your cholesterol? V-e-r-y very good!

I found a new FREE bom the other day that I thought I would share in case you missed it over at Sentimental Stitches. It's called Beyond the Cherry Trees. A fabulous antique quilt that she is drafting. Note that the first block is supposed to be all red flowers. If you look closely you'll see that the red disintegrated as old quilt reds often did from that era. I'm not starting this quilt at the moment, but I'm saving those patterns. They won't be free forever too, so if you want them go now.

Before I head out again, I'll leave you with my little goober-head! He can get as comtfy as possible with ease, can't he? I almost got his picture with both hands above his head but the shutter sound pulled that top arm in and he woke up. He's still cute as a bug. Oh and see that hoop? I've plugging away at that too! Every so often I take a few rows here and there and one day it will be finished too!

I'm sorry that I haven't gotten around to too many blogs in the last few weeks. I do try to read your posts in blogger every week, but haven't really spent the time to comment. Typing is the one thing that sends the muscles reeling. So I avoid it if I can. Have a great Halloween if I don't see you before then!

does it change with age?...

2009-10-05T11:28:00.006-04:00

I'm amazed at how quickly time seems to slip by these days, aren't you? It never went this fast when I was younger. Where the heck did September go? Now it's October 5th! Now don't fall over, but I have done some SEWING!! Real sewing, yes I have!

I finally got inspired to start Cheri's Trick or Treat Halloween quilt that I said I'd have done before October...better late than never. I have 4 of the pumpkin backs done and hope to get the last 5 done today as they take almost no time at all to do. Especially with the FPP technique...flip, sew, flip, sew, peel off!

Now, I want to share a...*recipe* with you. See, I am a salad snob! I can eat them at restaurants, Sonic, even the grocery store salad bar...but never at home! I hate salads made at home. I've tried but something is different and I can't figure it out. But this technique... It's not so much a recipe as it is a technique..... really enabled me to eat salads at home for the first time in years!! I read this on some body's blog and if ANYONE knows who, please share so I can give her ALL the credit. Here's what you do.

Take any lettuce at all...this happens to be from a head of iceberg, but it's even better to just open a bag of washed iceberg with carrots and purple cabbage already done for you....

Now CHOP the heck out of it! I don't go as small as the recipe maker, she makes it tiny. I stay about here...

Put in your bowl and get the carrots. I save myself the steps and go for the shoestring carrots. Do a few more chops and they end up in little pieces.

Then move to the tomatoes. I use Roma tomatoes and scoop out all the seeds and wet stuff. It just makes a mess and the meaty part stays firm better. I chop it to about the same size as the carrotts...1/4 inch size or so.

I'm done at this point! It has all I need. But you can add green peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers. Anything you want, just chop it into tiny pieces. I'd watch the liquidy stuff if you expect it to last for a few days though.

Mix it all up and I am one happy camper! I can spoon some into a bowl and have salad at home! At home!! Never before have I liked it, but this is great. It's also super easy to go with less salad dressing this way too. Just toss and toss and it gets covered well. I make this full bowl and it last me 4 meals.
**I will warn you that the next time you open the lid, you might think the lettuce has turned brown...it hasn't. All that carrot makes the cut lettuce edges turn orange, but it's perfectly fresh. Heck carrots turn everything orange.

I don't remember where I read this, but I really thank this person who wrote it on her blog! She is a doll and please let me know who she is, if you recognize her recipe! Now I'm gonna go back to sewing! Hope to have something to actually show soon that deals with quilting!!

2009-09-30T14:02:00.004-04:00

Sorry ladies...here's the link! It's working below too now. Sometimes if it's off you can look at the address in the little line on the top of the screen and see what the problem is. I just had one too many http// 's at the beginning!

hey, how ya doing?

2009-09-29T16:18:00.007-04:00

Now come on, who could distrub this to make the bed? He was already there when I got up and made my half, so I left him. Came back to finish after eating and reading the paper to find this...

Yea, right. You wouldn't move him either! How does their fur know how long to be? It is so weird that one row can be an inch and the next part 6 inches!!

I'm really working to switch my frame of mine from every blog post being about "here's what I did" and "here's the next step!" to more of a "hey how ya doing, this is what I have to talk about today"...subject based posts. Jan just made a post exactly stating how I felt and what I'm trying to get accustomed to doing. I used to do it but it will take some time to revert, but I'll get there. Plus I'm lacking a few things others have.

I can't walk outside and photgraph the backyard and outdoors...don't have one.Condo, remember. I also have to admit we are homebodys. We like it! We don't go out too many places....fairs, shows, stuff like that. We love being here together.
But I'll get it!

alternatives to sewing...

2009-09-21T13:02:00.005-04:00

I used to be a voracious reader. I would lay on the sofa until the wee hours of the morning reading if the book was that good! When I developed fibro, the muscles in my arms would ache and spasm from just holding a book open and upright. It slowed down and threatened to stop my reading all together. Suddenly one day my sweet hubby surprised me with a cardboard book holder improvised in the garage and I was back in business. It was crude, full of duct tape, and used a thin wire across the bottom to hold the book open. I LOVED it! But it had flaws. The books slid out at the bottom and the wire required the whole book be lifted up to turn the page. So I gave him some gold elastic string and some foam core and back he came with this version above. My hero....swoon! We even developed 3 or 4 better versions together finally ending up with this one here. Duct tape works for everything, right? It holds 2 sizes and works like a charm. I sit it on a tv tray with the top lifted open and resting on the sofa arm. I never had to hold a thing and I was off again reading everything in sight.

Then I found quilting. I was instantly consumed. I found Bonnie Hunters Quiltville site and stumbled onto her blog and wow have things changed from that point. Other than Harry Potter, I haven't read in what?...5 years or so except for very occasionally. You can't hold a book when you are hand stitching. If my rump was in front of the tv, I was stitching. Then I found more and more blogs.I started a blog and soon my blog got more popular. So more comments and more comments to leave, emails, thank yous for comments and so much goodness to read. You guys are truly talent prolific ladies.

I think I can pinpoint the overuse of my arm to about the time I started doing the paper pieced Civil War Bride blocks and spending 3 or so hours on the computer reading 120 some blogs. Clicking and typing for hours each day. I know my quilting time has suffered because of it. I don't want to stop blogging, and I don't want to stop reading all your lovely posts but commenting is going to have to get even far and few between, as will my own posts. I'm desperately trying to learn to be less wordy. More pictures and very few words...ha!

In that frame of mind, I realized I better find something to occupy my mind and hands while I try to be good and attempt once again to heal my arm. That's where the story about the book holders started from...I decided to finally go back to reading. I got a big book the other day from Amazon with lots of loveliness. Just had to order the newest Kaffe book. Don't let the different cover confuse you, it did me! It must be the US version, but inside are all the same wonderful quilts.

I also stocked up on my favorite mystery writer, Joanne Fluke. I've missed quite a few of her latest books. I'm still reading the Cherry Cheesecake Murder but I'll have plenty to keep me busy.So I can read until my arm gets better. I'll still be around, but I'd rather do fewer posts than stop all together. I'll still be reading, but I might not leave as many comments. It will be hard to do...I think I'm addicted to seeing what you all have to say and what you've finished! Hopefully I'll be able to get more handwork done soon to show too.

jelly glasses...

2009-09-11T12:16:00.006-04:00

Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments you left me. I still miss that lady more than I can say. Not knowing my father's mother, she was all I had. When I wrote that post...which by the way took over a week because I had to stop every 10 minutes to blubber and then dry my tears...I remembered the days making her grape jelly topped with paraffin wax. In a make-do world she didn't have real canning jars for things like jelly and jam so that's what they did.

When Anna wrote a lovely comment and remembered the paraffin wax, I wrote back asking her if she ever had the old Flintstones jars that came filled with pimento cheese spread and the flat little metal top that just snapped onto the glass? Yes! Seems a lot of you remember those glasses. That's what Nama used for jams and jelly. The half inch of paraffin was carefully poured on top to seal the jelly. No top needed. We had tons of these glasses we used for juice in the mornings at our house.

Well here they are! Having none of my grandmothers glasses left, I wandered onto eBay after thinking about those glasses just to see if any were still around. Just a few were there and once I saw these two I knew I had to have them...HAD to. Today they came! I feel like I have two little pieces of my grandmother in my hands. No matter to me that they were never hers or that they came from eBay...it's the memories. That and a few really weird coincidences once I started looking closer at them.

The white glass is Pebbles First Birthday party.The teal is the Bedrock Pet Show...it's very hard to photograph these glasses, so I couldn't see everything on the eBay pics. I'm looking over them this morning and what do I see??? What is the elephants name?

JUDY??!! She's on her perch and ain't she pretty! Com'on how freaky is that? Judy? Then I get Wilma and Betty!! Not one of the guys or kids or animals...but the 2 gals! Two lovely ladies!Wilma and Betty.None of these were in the eBay pictures. These glasses were meant to be here in my house!! poor Betty has been thru a lot with all those scratches! It's a silly thing really, but just having these this month makes me feel better!

Now onto the other things...new books!! I'm still reading, but these stitchery books are fabulous!

The postman brought these to me yesterday and I have to say wow! Some good tips and so far lots of lovely patterns...especially the Sublime Stitchery book...loads of patterns in that one. I will say they don't mention the back enough, but I think that's just a pet peeve with me. If everyone says don't worry about it, I guess I won't.
Now I'm off to do some more sewing on the ABC Quilt Sampler!

remembering nama...

2009-09-07T12:22:00.001-04:00

When September rolls around every year, my thoughts always seem to wander back to the days growing up with my grandmother. September is her birthday month and the time I seem to miss her the most. Christened "nama" by my oldest sister who couldn't quite pronounce the hard 'gr" in grandma, she was forever known in our family by that affectionate name.

We had such lovely times, she and I, during the summer weeks spent at her house. My oldest sister, being 10 years older, was 18 and going away to college when I started going and my older brothers had no interest. My younger sisters were 2 and 5; way too young for overnight visits meant to be anything other than babysitting. But I wasn't there to be watched...I was there because I wanted to be. It was something special that only she and I shared. Even when my sisters were older, they never had any interest.

(My grandparents and all six grand kids. I was about 8 in this picture and just started going for overnight visits at their house.)

I remember every detail like it was yesterday. Sitting close to each other on the porch gilder, separated only by a colander, snapping ends off just picked green beans from the garden and then snapping them into bite size pieces. Snap..snap..snap... ends going back into the bowl and beans in the colander to be washed for supper or canning the next day. Over and over, we'd snap with a tiny push of her toe on the porch floor to keep us gliding gently back and forth as we worked. I remember dinners of thick chicken and dumplings, iron skillets pulled from the oven with gooey glazed donuts for breakfast, and the bottom shelf of her fridge door always lined with cold coca-cola in slender green bottles. The best grapes vines around that produced sweet grape jelly always put away in used glasses topped with a thick seal of paraffin wax. The trips up the road to visit the Woolworths five and dime store for supplies. Funny how I can remember it all like it was yesterday. I explored every nook and cranny of that house and still remember every square inch.

Nama taught me everything I know about sewing and needlework. She's the reason I crochet left handed. I know I've told this story before, but some may not have read it so bear with me. After hours of trying every way she could think of to teach me, the righty, I grabbed the needle in my left hand and said enough, just show me what to do. It took about 5 minutes and I was crocheting. We moved along to Huck toweling later, making a visit to the very old downtown JCPenny's to buy new toweling. Together we sat at the kitchen table as I worked on a set of Christmas place mats for my mom. Later she taught me crewel embroidery on lovely pillows that were used in her living room. Big thick blossoms and leaves sewn with large needles and thick crewel thread. Sadly, the one thing I never shared with her was quilting. She had made quilts in her teens but never discussed it and I was not a quilter until long after she passed away. I think she would have loved my quilts. It would have been another thing we could have shared.

In June, I came across a give-away featuring several lovely embroidery transfers as the prize. Just seeing those flooded my memory with all the wonderful Days of the Week towels that were used in Nama's kitchen. I had forgotten all about them. She collected these and made them herself when she had the time. I don't remember a towel in her kitchen that didn't start with a bit of stitching. I didn't win the give-away, but I was now determined to find some of those patterns. Luckily I quickly found a great online site that also turned out to sell the heavy feed sack towels too. I quickly picked out a few patterns and ordered 15 towels. Once they arrived, I was all ready to start...then I got worried. Could I still do the work she taught me? I know I do loads of stitchery, but always with a thick piece of batting behind to hide my flaws. Now the back would right out there for all to see. I got intimidated and let them sit. I asked questions of experts and watched videos of stitching how-to's, but still waited. Then a few weeks ago I realized September was approaching..her birthday, and thoughts of her flooded back into my head...and I relaxed. Out came the towels for a good washing and the first pattern was chosen to start sewing. After a few cautious stitches, I was having fun. It took longer than normal since I was being so careful and re-learning, but I really do love to do stitch work.

I thought I'd show you the first one. Friday's little dancing sugar bowl. I think if you love your work, and do your best, the back isn't as important as having fun. I had to realize that it's going to show on the back, but you try to be as neat as possible. The videos and techniques at Mary Corbet's Needle and Thread really do come in handy. I didn't include a picture of the back, but I will if anyone asks for it.

I working on the next little guy right now and thinking of ideas for a Christmas DOTW design for another set. It's been a pleasure working on these with my grandmother, I feel her all around me guiding me as I work. She was a fabulous woman who taught me more than she will ever know.

CGQC September picks..

2009-09-05T14:14:00.006-04:00

Holy Crud, I haven't been back since Tuesday? Hubby took of Friday, yesterday, so somehow the weekdays have merged and it's the weekend. Anyway...I need to make my picks for the CGQC things I intend to get finished this month. I got exactly ONE thing finished last month so I think rather than pick 3 things again, I'll stick to the current project at hand and just dive in head first to get it FINISHED!

...the ABC Quilt Sampler. No it's not an illusion...same picture as before. Still making progress and coming along, but working on other things too. But I had to make my official Quilt Club post so I used it again.
I'll be back with a real post very soon!

Edited to add:I realized this was probably the only month to get this done so I think I'll add another project to the list. Not something ongoing, but a new little quilt. Cheri Payne's Trick or Treat seen here in a sample from the Country Loft quilt show. Might not quite get done, but who knows....I could surprise myself.

working along...

2009-09-01T18:08:00.003-04:00

and still plugging away at the sampler. This seems to be the hardest part for me, all those little extra strips and pieces with little applique parts that can't go on until you've sewn big pieces together.

But it's all working out nicely. Slowly but surely.

dinner...

2009-08-30T20:42:00.005-04:00

I tried a new recipe tonight and let me say first off...never turn your back on pancetta in a pan to chop cabbage.
It burns.
It almost burnt the house down. (okay I'm being a little dramatic)There was smoke, lots.... and open windows and all the fans turned on and oh well at least the smoke alarm didn't go off.
Which I now realize might not be such a good thing. But I did not need that sound too on top of all the others.

So the recipe, it was wonderful. Just as it was described by Alicia. (I am soo not a picture or food stylist, but I wanted to show it to you, so I stole her chopped plate idea) I am certainly going to be going back to Sweet Paul's to find more recipes. Everything looked so yummy!

My handsome Noodle was on the bed this morning while I was drying and flat ironing my hair, devilishly trying to get me to come over to rub his tummy. Okay so he attracted me for about 10 minutes of good tummy rubs, until someone else had to join in the fun.

Nosey Pixie can't let a good time pass him by! My poor pillows look so small and swallowed up on that big bed, I think I need more. Notice my puffy side on the left? It's my new feather bed mattress topper. Fabulous, if you like soft comfort, but it does make for a rather un-even looking mattress until the puffy comforter goes back on when it cool down. It make a perfect pillow though for boys who like to lay their heads on puffy sides, or plop right in the center and sink in!

stitching..

2009-08-27T12:36:00.003-04:00

You know how I said all I've really wanted to do this month was sit crossed legged on the sofa and quietly stitch, watching Miss Marple dvd's right. Well it works in the quilt's favor if it includes some stitch work this month. Luckily the abc sampler did. Along with some hand stitch work yet to be prepared, I got tons done.

See, I haven't been doing nothing...I think this is called the flower filler block.

Not everyone adds the lettering in here, but I liked it. If you hate doing embroidery once you applique is stitched in place, like ME...then you'll want to lay out your pieces and get some idea of placement before you use the light box and trace. Don't worry about the untrimmed edges. I wait to trim until after I know what size it needs to match. With Cheri's quilts it's better. These are not meant to be super neat...remember it's folk art. Primitive, folk art.

Another reason I chose to make the numbers almost invisible..a tiny treat that you have to look to see. Once you are done, you assemble, then sew your flowers and leaves down.

Also got the W for wheelbarrow block done, and the little add on numbers for the bottom border. It doesn't get attached until much later, but it's edges are already pressed back.
I also have the background for the Victory Garden done, but not the applique pieces. That should give me a couple good night of hand stitching work to do. Plus, that new project I talked about. I'll keep that for another day. Not a new quilt, just a little side project to keep me happy.
Thanks for stopping by.

abc sampler...

2009-08-26T13:52:00.005-04:00

When I started this month I fully expected to have this top done and hopefully quilted...ha! I had good intentions, really. I got some good progress made, and still do, so lets share what I did get accomplished.

I think I left off on the U blocks, skipping the T for tinman. After doing one already in the slol quilt, I was surprised how hard this one was...well just his head really. I had to re-do the math.(if you are doing this quilt and want specifics, go to the detailed pages on each block here...and can always be found on the top right sidebar under "my other pages") He gets his label and this one didn't really work well for adding the bigger capitol letter to the wording this time. Adding in the sq. in a sq. filler blocks underneath, he got added to Santa and his tree completes that little section. I figured since I was on a roll with the faux freezer paper technique, I'd go ahead that day and get all those pieces done...so I moved on to the X block, the Y block and finally the Z block!!

Then I was done for a while in the sewing room and sitting under the fan on the sofa looked pretty enticing to me. Sitting and stitching. SO I figured if stitching was working so well I might as well go with that feeling and just grabbed everything left for the rest of the quilt and went to work!

I'll share all the stitchery blocks tomorrow or the next day. I have quiche cooling to put in the fridge and a lovely new project waiting for me on the sofa! Have a great day!

august

2009-08-24T13:20:00.004-04:00

What is it with August and sewing? I think over the last few weeks I've popped on several blogs and read the same thing every where....August is a slow month for quilting. Wonder why? I did work for the first few weeks then slowed down.

For me it has been the heat. I do not tolerate the heat at all. Hate it. Above 90 degrees and I get irritated, confused and nauseous...above 95 and I get downright cranky...and mean. Ask hubby. It's been running at 95 or hotter with the temps feeling like 100 or more this last week. I've spent the time in a very dark condo, shades and curtains drawn, a/c blazing, sitting on the couch with light handwork, or a book and watching Miss Marple, perfectly content on doing nothing. Happy as a clam to piddle along.

Not a lot of anything else has gone on. Barely any sewing. My lone finish for the CGQC is done and the others won't make it this month. My tendinitis is still bad and learning a new skill didn't help it get better. I should have stopped when I realized it was making things worse, but I was too far into the mesmerizing punch... punch.... punch of making fabulous designs.

I had always wanted to learn needle punch, but the stores here don't carry the supplies. SO I called the Country Sampler one day, picked out 2 patterns and asked the gal to kit them up for me and send me everything else I needed except the hoop. They came! and I got chicken! Luckily I had Debbie to guide me along. Seriously check out her creations!

But rather than start on one of those and ruin the hand dyed threads, I picked a lovely free doodle design from Primitive Betty and started with that and my own DMC. She calls this Boo Jack. This is way too cool for words!... and hard on the arm and hands. But once you start you just can't stop! I love how it turned out. I had planned to spray it with Distress it but I don't think it needs it. It's darker than the picture shows and very perfect for Halloween this year.

I did accomplish some good progress on the ABC sampler so I'll show those blocks over the next few days plus the other things I've been doing.

club tag answers....

2009-08-16T13:06:00.008-04:00

I am enjoying my time away from the computer, except I can't seem to stay away totally...why is that? But I did know I had to check back in to take care of some club business during the month so....time for some more Charming Girls Club business!

Here we go!

1. Share your favorite sewing or quilting tip:
Well, there are so many. I'd have to say learning the faux freezer paper technique. Getting such crisp lines and placement without having to do traditional paper piecing! No ripping tiny bits of paper off the back, weakening seams! Never again! I have a tutorial here and there are others online. Saves tons of time!Easy Peasy!! and reusable!!

2. Share your best tip for managing your time more effectively:
Ha! Your expecting something profound right? I suck at this it seems, hence the current "break". If I had to say one thing I would say I can't live without my lists. I know they keep me organized and on track even when everything is totally messy and all jumbled up together.

3. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?:
I'm assuming this is vacation wise, so I'll answer that way.

Iceland...Reykjavik to be exact. Don't be shocked, you know I love cold! Hubby wants to live there, but visiting for a while would be cool too. Not as cold as you might think and very laid back. Second would have to be Europe...all over!

Okay ladies. I'm working hard on my ABC quilt and I need to stop to finish Liberty Sam too. I'm not sure about getting the big one totally done but I'll try my best. See you in a few more weeks.

finish one...

2009-08-06T13:56:00.004-04:00

It really didn't take too long to get this in gear and done. Especially with super simple, walking stitch straight quilting all over the place in no certain order. I remembered it from Kathy's tablerunner.

Easy-peasy and already on the top of my dresser!

That's entry one of the Charming Girls Quilt Club done.

I've been working on my ABC Sampler blocks and I have the X, Z and T for tinman done. The stitching for the Y is done and I'll make it today, along with the yo-yo for adornment. But you'll have to wait for pictures for a little bit.

I'm taking a break. Call it a summer vacation, stay-cation, rest, or whatever. My arm is tired and on the brink of being really messed up so I'm gonna lay off the computer for a few weeks. I really want to focus on just getting some things done around here with no interruptions. Just me and the sewing machine!
So I'll be back towards the end of the month and I can always be reached my email. I'll pop in for my Charming Girl duties too.... never fear!

See you all in a few weeks!

charming august goals...

2009-08-02T11:05:00.008-04:00

Time to pick August choices from my UFO's for the Charming Chatter Girls Club.

I have quite a few things to choose from this time...some left and not finished, some still working but need to be finished already, and some not yet started!! I think I picked a few good ones and certainly not two almost start to finish large quilts again!

First up is the dresser scarf I made in June? or early July for the top of my bedroom dresser from scraps. I got the top done very easily, but the dresser has been waiting ever since for it's cover. I need to baste, quilt and bind this one. It's 15" x 42".

Number two is this Cheri Payne pattern that I got half done in June sometime. I was hoping to have it finished to hang for the July 4th holiday but after a big start at getting the applique done I seemed to run out of steam for the piecing. Seriously, who does the harder applique and then stops with some hst's left to make? Geez Judy! So all I need to do is piece some hst's for the border and quilt it and it will be ready for next year's celebration! I also got stalled on another Cheri patriotic quilt but that's not gonna get finished this month.

My big and 3rd project for this month...the main one...is another Cheri favorite! I am intent on getting my ABC Quilt Sampler completed! I want this puppy on the wall September 1st and what better way to spend the month of August.

I have a few blocks left to make....V, X,Y, and Z plus the top, sides, and bottom border too...oh yes and assembly. Then it will be quilted and bound. I'm hoping I can get it done this month totally, but even if I get the top completed only it will still be fine...I can quilt it in the first month of September and be super happy!

So there are my choices for August. Look back during the month for updates to how I am coming along and what else I am working on between breaks. It's been great to have a little push to get some things finished and off the "waiting to be done" list.

made it!

2009-07-31T16:35:00.006-04:00

My last and final completion for the Charming Girls Quilt Club is DONE!!!

I don't recommend doing two whole quilts almost start to finish in one month...not me anyway. I pooped! and I had so many things pop into my hot little hands and head that I wanted to do instead, but I was determined to get my projects done...and I DID! Hooray!

Pixel approves of the quilt right off! I love this pattern, but if I make it again I'll do what Lynn is doing and scale down the size of the blocks by making the small inside brick smaller and working from there. It's very large quilt and will be great for hubby to snuggle with on cool nights.

The back was a bargain 50% off corner print at the LQS. It's not as hot pink as it photographs, but it's a lovely print, and I like sale backs.

All done and ready for the wash! I will say that I used the basting spray on this one thinking quicker, so hey I'll try it. H-A-T-E-D every minute of it! If you love it...I know Libby does...better for you. But OMG it takes twice as long!! I finally got done, moving it four times around the table, and realized only the front was done! Nope, not my cup of tea. Give me some lovely pins anytime. But I gave it a good try.

working away...

2009-07-29T13:40:00.004-04:00

I'm still trying to make my last quilt finish under the wire of the 31st...but I finished my lovely 9 patch swap quilt this morning! If I'm doing the counting right...this make entry number 4 in the July prize drawing. Now prizes are good, but getting things finished and out of plastic containers is the main reason for me doing this.

I took my pictures and immediately put it out on the quilt ladder so I could enjoy looking at it! I really do like how this quilt turned out and swapping with Carol was so much fun!

I spent the last few days working on little things here and there...embroidery for the ABC Sampler Quilt, and some other projects while giving my arm a bit of a rest. The best way to avoid hurting it way too much is to stop before it gets really bad. I've learned since blowing it out!! Smart girl!

One way I do this is sewing my bindings on the machine now, unless it's a small quilt or something really special that I want to have a hand sewn binding. But for quilts like this one or the sofa quilts... those I whip out on the machine. My Juki walking foot kinda flattens down the binding and spreads it out so although it looks like I am going to sew over the edge of the binding it actually skirts right next to the edge and when it comes out the other side it pops back up and you can barely see the seam, *IF* you can see it at all! It works for me and saves the hand sewing for better projects like applique.

A few people asked to see a close-up of the fabric I used for the alternate squares. It's a Jo Morton print from her Fredericksburg line. I had some and wanted a bit more when I bought it maybe a year ago and it was tough to find. I'm not sure you'll find any more now, but search away!

2009-07-24T11:14:00.005-04:00

Thanks so much for all the 9 patch love....I love it too! I got my backs all made for three projects and I am getting all three pinned today. Finger's crossed I can get them all done today and start quilting tomorrow. I'm not sure about getting both quilts totally done per my Charming Girls wish entry, but I'll try. Good thing they broke up the entry between getting the top complete and getting the top quilted and bound. Some gals send out to long arm quilters so they'd never get anything done in time without that provision.

Now on to doing my part to help stimulate the economy...one priority box at a time as some would say!

Is this not the cutest little quilt kit e-v-e-r? Those tiny little bundles are 3' x 4" goodness!! I saw this in my June 2009 McCall's Quilting and knew I would make a bit smaller version right away. So I figured I'd pop over and pick up a few of the shirtings and colors and be way under the cost for the kit...ha! Almost in no time I had exceeded the kit cost and I had nowhere near the variety...so one lovely call to the store and my kit winged it way to me! Plus since I'm making a smaller version I'll have loads for leftovers. I just love antique looking quilts!

After visiting with a few blog friends Kathie, Janet and Juliann...I've been itching to get a real applique project started soon. I haven't done one since the Birds of a Feather and the Vines and Berries quilt, so I also got busy and ordered the needed colors to make a version of this...or at least one block of that, with a few thrown in there too.

Now if I don't get UP! nothing will get started! Have a great weekend ladies and gents...(are there any men?)!!

Entry number 3.....

2009-07-19T16:19:00.004-04:00

I am really loving this "getting things done that you meant to finish" club! Otherwise known as the Charming Girls Quilt Club! I was worried that I had bitten off more than I could chew when I decided to do not one, but 2 quilts with the tops not even finished! But today is the 19th, and I'll take 2 days to pin and then haul the monster sewing machine up and knock out these tops with a simple meander stitch on both

My finished 9 patch quilt using swap blocks from myself and Carol. I l-o-v-e this quilt! Sorry but that red is just fabulous...good choice Wendy! I copied Wendy as she used red first. I almost switched to cheddar, but the red just won out!
I think either next month or the following one I'll make my quilt using the Paducah 9 patch blocks we also swapped. Hope you like it.

Charming Girls Tag answers

2009-07-18T12:32:00.007-04:00

As part of the Charming Girls Quilt Club we are given certain tasks to do each month to get entry points for the monthly prize. Kelly posted a meme for us to answer on our blog and it's my turn to give it a go and did my part

First up is 5 things about ourselves..

1. My Favorite Fabric is:
Not an easy answer since I like so many things. I'm going to have to choose the packet that arrived today called Crimson and Clover by Jo Morton for Andover. Lovely CW prints in yummy reds, cheddar and greens.

2. The pattern I'm most looking forward to sewing is:
Finishing up this Kaffe Fassett Scrap quilt that I found on a German blog last year. Here's my friend Christiane's "Scraparadise" version and here's mine so far.

3. The food that is my weakness:
That's super easy.... ice cream! I eat a small bowl every day and it keeps me happy and not trolling the pantry for anything else!

4. If I knew I couldn't fail, I'd:
I'd buy a house and live on high on a mountain top in some lovely four season state with hubby who stayed home too and raise chickens and veggies, and animals and live totally on the land with no interference from anyone...except the UPS man.

5. The best "life" Advice I know is:
Don't worry about what anyone else thinks! Eliminate any negative influences from your life and do what you want, what pleases you and makes you happy. As long as you aren't hurting others it's all good.

Now for progress, I finished my 9 patch top and will post pictures tomorrow!! 2 tops done and now loads of pinning!

Happy Anniversary Babe....

2009-07-17T18:04:00.002-04:00

27 years and counting....us at my niece's wedding about 8 years ago.

I think I'm back...

2009-07-13T15:21:00.006-04:00

and a lot lighter. Wow you don't realize how many pictures and bookmarks you have until they disappear and you realize that although the set of blank disks is right next to you...you haven't touch them and have nothing saved since May 2008! O-k-a-y. Oh well, who needed all that stuff anyway.

It all started when hubby, who has an external extra hard drive to save all his goodies, finally broke the cord on that and couldn't get to any of his stuff. So as I use the main desktop, he figured he'd pop open the computer and stick his hard drive into this one and get off his info. Well mine must have just been waiting to die and too bad (teehee) that it was him that had his hands all over this mess and not me. So now I have a new hard drive, I'm no longer using windows...but Linux and I think I got the most important stuff back up and running again. I even have a new flash drive to save my stuff on from now on. I'm just bummed at some of the free patterns I lost, like Lynda Hall e-patterns...and my Jane Market Bag pattern. I can make it in my sleep, but I liked having the pattern. I might buy it again anyway. Now enough computer junk...a whole weekend fiddling is enough!

On to the more important stuff....Sewing stuff! I got my top done! After deciding what I wanted to use for the border, I found some online and ordered. Then I waited and what showed up was my second choice fabric. They didn't have enough of the original one. So I had to order it twice, but I finally got it. We tried taking an outdoor picture but this is not the best location and hubby did his best but, not the best. Not sure I'll use the tennis court fence again.

The quilt does look better than the picture! I really like how it turned out. Now to sandwich it up and get quilting. I'm also half way done sewing together the 9 patches top too. So both my July finishes for the Charming Girls will hopefully be done. Heck just finishing the top gets me one entry, I think.

I also wanted to show you a very cool picture. This (above) is the coat rack in my Orthopaedist's office. He and his wife collect all sorts of cool artwork which stays in his office. I snapped this the other day with my phone when I went for a check-up. I wish I had gotten the one of the lollipop. A giant big lollipop with a face on the sucker and a plastic wrapper!

imposed vacation....

2009-07-10T18:28:00.005-04:00

Hard drive is in the freezer***!!

Idiot* husband opened the computer to hookup and retrieve info from his alternate hard drive and now MY computer hard drive is toast...T-O-A-S-T.

Why oh why did I stare at the disks on the desk and not open the package sooner.
Things to fix and replace and stuff to re-install once all the work is done.
*EDITED...I'll still be around but hubby's laptop is hard to navigate and no access to picture software, etc.....oh my latest bookmarks and pictures, oh well, Make sure you back up on a pen drive every week!! It's okay, I've learned not to get attached to such things....C'est la vie!!

*hubby's wording, he won't be mad. He's more mad at himself although he really didn't do anything. He just happened to be the one using it when it died. It would have happened anyway...too funny it was him!

***Supposedly this works part of the time to retrieve any data. Cross your fingers

progress...

2009-07-07T15:38:00.002-04:00

My border fabric for the FQ quilt was sent Monday so, fingers crossed...it will be here tomorrow and I can add the borders and finish off the quilt top from the Dear Jane repro's.

In the meantime I got mt 9 patch project up on the design wall and laid out, all except for the side triangles. I'll add another row to the bottom once there is room, and start sewing! Progress is moving along!

New addition...

2009-07-05T18:06:00.008-04:00

I was over at my friend Carol's blog today and saw this...new button and a new club that centers on getting some old projects finished. Well I loved doing the "Spring to Finish" so why not. Kelly at Charming Chatter has started the Charming Girls' Quilt Club.

I love getting things finished and they have some great ideas for monthly entries and projects that you can either choose to do or not. No pressure...I like that. Plus when you finish your project you get entered into the draw for a gift certificate! What could be better!

SO I must pick a project that I have to get finished this month that's been sitting waiting for me to get done and I have just the one! Well two actually.

First up is getting all these swapped 9 patches into a quilt finally! Carol and I swapped these ages ago and they have patiently waited to be turned into a quilt. No more waiting! I washed my red fabric.... twice! and I'm ready to get cutting and sewing! The 9 patches will be alternating with a square of red on the diagonal.

Then for the second task I got the top together for my FQ quilt today and I decided to add the border after all, so that means waiting for the fabric I ordered on the 4th to be sent and arrive! Then I can sew on the border, sandwich and quilt!! I picked the green with flower bundles for the border and the lovely blue to the left of it for the binding. Can't wait for it to arrive!At the end of the month you have to post your completed projects to get your entries and potentially WIN the prize for the month! Hope you have a lovely July! Stay tuned for my progress!

2009-07-04T11:31:00.001-04:00

Happy 4th of July!!

HOPE YOU HAVE A FANTASTIC CELEBRATION!!

give-away

2009-07-03T08:51:00.005-04:00

Check out this fabulous give-away over at Lori's blog, Bee in My Bonnet! Amazing patterns for embroidery and lots of other things! Seriously good stuff over there. I found her blog 2 days ago and just got around to posting about the give-away because I was drooling so badly! But I plan to visit lots and lots a drool over her lovely patterns some more!! We all know how I love embroidery! Now to find some plain white kitchen towels!

Make sure to click on her button over on my left sidebar to get right to her blog! Wow those patterns are so fantastic!

laying out...

2009-07-02T22:31:00.006-04:00

Sharon requested photos...and I also got an email asking how to lay it out if you don't have space...well I'd suggest the floor or your bed. But you don't have to lay out every piece, just plan where they are going. Here where my steps. Be warned my sewing room and design wall are messy!!

One.... lay out the center "4 patches" after sewing them so nothing gets repeated next to each other. That was "fun"...not exactly! Don't have a piccy of that part. Then I laid out the matching color that goes stair stepped up from each 4 patch. I put them on a slant but they don't stay that way.

Then you have a color that fills in the space on each of the 4 sides and you want those to all be different and making sure nothing ends up next to each other. It took me about 15 minutes to put them all around. They aren't perfect but they worked well for me. You seriously can't get them all even spaced out, but I tried my best.

I always take a picture so I can remember how it's laid out once I start taking down block after block to sew!

Progress for the day! I've even changed a few spots by now as they came up. These are big 18x20 blocks so you only need 12 for a 68 x7?something quilt. I think it will be a nice summer quilt once it's all done.

PS: the two missing are waiting on deck for sewing...one almost finished and one waiting it's turn!

i'm liking these patterns...

2009-07-02T12:32:00.003-04:00

I like that someone else has figured out all the cutting instructions for how to lay out the fat quarters and cut your pieces. I did as they suggested and ironed with a tiny bit of Mary Ellen's Best Press on 4 FQ's and stacked them to cut at the same time. A few quick cuts and I was all done. Cutting all the pieces always seem to take forever!

16 fat quarters and a few hours later I was ready to start grouping. I am making the Three's Company pattern and to get a good look you really should lay out the pieces to get a good mix. I made the center sections fairly easily with no repeats in color, but then I laid it out. Even then I got some places where color is concentrated too much and no matter how many times you switch out sections it always ends up being right next to the same color! Oh well! They are big easy blocks and it should take no time at all to have the first top done! Back when I have something to show!

quilt one...

2009-06-30T16:28:00.005-04:00

before I felt right shoving aside all my working projects to make a new quilt, I at least wanted to clear off my design wall. I doubt you kept up with the scintillating conversation I was having here in "dullsville" for awhile there...but I was doing a lot of embroidery blocks. So I needed to get them finished and ready to assemble with all their pieced parts complete. Now I am almost up to date with this bom. Two tiny baskets left and I will be up to date. Here are the latest finishes...Month 3
and Month 5 A & B...small ones, but cute...
Now onto the quilt plans. I looked in my fabric cupboard and found a FQ bundle from Christmas that would work perfectly for the first quilt!

I found a Dear Jane fabric bundle and added a few more fabrics to make up the 16 FQ's required. It will be CW related but bright! Just the thing for summer.

market bags

2009-06-29T16:03:00.005-04:00

Thanks for all the colander love...isn't it fun to figure out your camera a take some cool shots? I had fun doing it. I've already used it for a big ole pot of yummy squash!

I spent my weekend cutting and then sewing some more Jane Market Bags from the cool pattern I got from Alicia at Posie Gets Cozy. I'll say it again...Great pattern!! So I cut out another 5 bags, I think.... and I sewed up three more of them so far.

I still have 2 more to sew, but I wanted to get some loose ends sewn up and finished before I start on a new sewing project. These are easy to stop and sew up in a jiffy.

Pink and brown...
Orange dots from Amy Butler, and the first one I made with the pocket...

And a lovely brown bag....

So, the new project. First I'm loading up on fabrics for a bed sized quilt for my bed...KING sized and measured at 95" x 105". But that will take a while. Meanwhile I realized that I didn't really have but a few bed type quilts...you know "block quilts". Not wall hangings, or applique, or stitchery. Just plain old "pick one or two blocks" and make a whole quilt. Snuggle quilts. You know the type.

SO I grabbed a few older books and a few new books and set out with a plan to make some quilts! I've drafted some blocks, pulled a few patterns... I'm picking fabric, and making piles! Hopefully I'll have some quilts to show later on this summer!

LOVE is....

2009-06-24T15:58:00.007-04:00

a new yummy lime green colander....

And taking really cool shots of it while playing with all the settings on your digital camera!!....

and the sunlight.....

might I ask....

2009-06-21T15:53:00.009-04:00

Where are all the pretty sheets?? I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to get a new set of sheets Sunday and I can't find any pretty sheets. Nothing! Where are the roses, polka dots, flowers, pretty designs, even hip modern designs?, Heck I'll even take pretty stripes, but nope. Also while I'm asking what happened to 50% cotton and 50% poly pillow cases? Nobody makes them anymore? I hate all cotton sheets. I know it's popular and everyone loves them...but once you wash them they turn to cardboard if they aren't a very high thread count. I love nothing more than a smooth, cool, crisp...and I mean CRISP set of sheets and pillowcases that stay cool all night. You can feel them when you come across them. Luckily some are still around from years past and I found them on ebay. Beautiful vintage 60's and 70's pillowcases!

I won a few lovely auctions of mis-matched cases in beautiful light colors with such a nice feel to them. A nice dip in the wash and they are good as new. Actually better since you can't find them anymore! Don't mind my bare mattress..*s*!

Aren't those polka dots sweet? I've got 5 fabulous pink ones I won last night that I can't wait to put on the bed! BTW, if you know of any sources for new pretty sheets that don't cost a small fortune, please pass along the info!

Next up..planning a quilt for my bed! I've never made a king size quilt before so this should be interesting. Summer time is hard for us to use the duvet since it feels like it weighs 20 pounds. I use just a sheet but poor hubby needs more, so nice quilt will be perfect for him! So what pattern to use. I've got a few choices narrowed down and I think I've almost made up my mind...more on that later!

cooking....and fabric

2009-06-21T15:10:00.004-04:00

Doesn't this make your heart sing? Well only if you like squash. It does wonders for me! Hubby hit the farmer's market at 8am to see the trucks unloading their goods into the back gates. He said all the bins were over flowing with fresh new produce. Among them these lovelies that came home to be our dinner last night!SO tender and soft, I meant to take a good shot of the pan cooking but wow was my mind somewhere else! it got to 95 in the shade yesterday and after boiling, then pan cooking the mashed goodness it was hot in the kitchen!

SO Kathie asked to see what I was buying in the fabric department lately. NOT my normal stuff I will say. I've gotten the Jane Market bag bug for the time being, so I did a little shopping for some new bag supplies. The front pile is destined to be about 6 new market bags in coordinating colors...with a few polka dots from theother pile. The back pile is new fabric for a few ideas I have rolling around in my head and a new KING size quilt for our bed. I think I know the idea I want to use, but I'm not sure if I want certain colors or lots and lots of new modern fabrics. Indecision.

Isn't this one of the coolest fabrics? Birdcages from Laura Gunn called Lantern Bloom! I just checked and it's all gone where I bought mine. See how fabulous others think it is!! SO neat and almost too neat to cut up, it will have to go in a very special quilt...maybe in the bed quilt? Who knows.

I did actually sew something yesterday. I gathered up all my scrap bag pieces I've collected and made a small...18" x 40" runner for the top of my bedroom dresser. Now to pin baste it and get it quilted and on the dresser.

stuff...

2009-06-20T13:08:00.004-04:00

Wow where did the week go...a whole week! I've been merrily sewing things here and there, stitching away at nothing in particular really. Catching up on my embroidery blocks for the "baskets" quilt, appliqueing all the center goodies of a patriotic quilt, and cleaning out closets, and rooms. I really need to be better at making posts about subjects instead of what I finished...but later.

Now since posts need a picture, I'll use the nightly bath session. With all the pricey cat trees we have in this house Pixel still curls up on the carpet beside my quilting hoop every night to sleep. Noodle comes in and washes his face and head all over........then he bites the heck out of his neck! Pure mean-ness and I end up yelling"too rough"! Last night I was snapping pictures and this turned up!
How did we get our head like this? It looks awful!

Before I go, I did want to point out something very cool on Alicia's Posie Gets Cozy blog you simply must go and read...the post COMMENTS. Okay it's a sweet post of her kitty Daisy, but the question she asks in it is.... Do you sew? As of right this minute there are 1204 comments...I was 542. You don't have to read them all but you should scan them. I was surprised at how many people do not sew at all but really want to learn. It's fun to read them. I know I get my fair share of emails from beginners asking detailed questions about sewing and constructing a quilt but these answers are really interesting. If you have 30 minutes go glance through some of the comments.

we are gardeners!

2009-06-13T13:03:00.005-04:00

Okay so one pot, but hey it's growing and I'll be proud to eat my little crop on my pizza~! Can you tell what it is?

The pizza clue probably gave it away...BASIL! Lettuce Leaf basil to be exact. I never knew they had so many varieties of basil. I picked out the closest one to what we buy from the selection on sale at Trader Joe's 2 weeks ago and it has tripled in size in that short time.

So today we bought potting soil and pot and replanted it so it has plenty of room to roam and produce yummy pizza topping. It feels really good to have something growing again after all these years. The backyard garden will have to wait for a while yet.

Last week I was skipping around some of my favorite blogs when I came to Alicia's blog. I love most of the things on Posie Gets Cozy, but mention Miss Jane Marple and you instantly have my attention! Alicia had made a new pattern for a Jane inspired Jane Market Bag! I had planned to replace my icky black webby ones from Walmart at some time, but she did all the work for me so I gladly turned over my meager amount and started sewing. About 3 1/2 hours later I had my finished bag!...including cutting time. I've already picked out fabric for several more!

Speaking of Jane and Agatha Christie...if you are a fan of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple you might want to pay attention! 6 NEW episodes start June 21st on Masterpiece Mystery. Here they come on Sunday's at 9:00PM, on PBS. We have a new Miss Marple, which is sad since I love Geraldine McEwan but I happy for new episodes. Look for new episodes of Inspector Lewis to follow after Jane!

And finally...an answer to WHY is everything we own covered with tufts of fur? Exhibit A....

how are we doing?

2009-06-11T11:18:00.008-04:00

I'm doing much better. More interested and more focused. Finally a few finishes to report! 4th of July Andy...or are these all called Annie's? Doesn't it look like a HE? I'd love to have a more stylized pictures of completed quilts, but with no backyard fences, or backyard for that matter, you get the beige wall in the living room where it's tacked up. *g* I like JoAnn Mullaly's patterns a lot as evidenced by the fact that I do so many of them! Christmas Annie, Four Seasons, and the Basket of Life quilt. Most all her patterns can be found at The Country Loft and they even have a kit available for this mini quilt.

Also finished is the Santa block for my ABC Sampler. It's coming right along now.

You might notice if you see Cheri's quilt that I have enlarged a few of the beginning letters...like the "S" and a few others. I wanted a more prominent starting letter on as many as I could make it work for and still look nice. Santa was one that worked well. So I changed it. Don't ya love his polka dot suit?

Then the US block all sewn down. Time to start getting some piece joined together again I think. I prepped and started the next Basket block in line and also have some more blocks to prep for applique. Can't wait to have the whole weekend to spend with hubby, sewing away and getting more things finished!

it's coming back...

2009-06-08T13:15:00.006-04:00

...that wonderful feeling of liking what I am doing and wanting to do some more! I decided to dive in and do some catch up work. SO I have "stuff" to show that doesn't really match but it's all working toward getting quilts done, so that's a very good thing.

First up are the new earrings I got from sulu. I found her Etsy shop from a link that Amanda Jean had on her blog once and I've loved her stuff ever since. I go over every so often just to see what's there. Last time I couldn't pass up this fabulous color combo! I love earrings like most women like shoes; and they're much cheaper!

Then I got busy and decided to sew the patchwork frame on my basket blocks. So here's block one..... ...and block two. Next basket is up right after I finish my Patriotic Annie! She's almost finished.

Then I got the Santa block and the "U" US block all prepped and turned under for the ABC Sampler Quilt. I was going to show Santa, but he's all sewn down and I figured I'd wait until his embroidery bits were done to show you the finished product. Here's the US block ready to sew and tacked down. I still do love my regular needleturn, but sometimes you can't beat that freezer paper starch pre-turn method for quickness and precision. Click the links for just how others do it too.
Now, I'm hitting the sofa with my needle and stitching on Santa's face and buttons.
Toodles!

moving on to S for Santa...

2009-06-04T18:04:00.001-04:00

R is for Rooster...............

now we do Santa.

spring to finish results....

2009-05-31T10:30:00.005-04:00

Well I didn't do too bad with my finishes. I missed the deadline in April and was glad to have it extended for the month of May too!

1. I finished my Taupe Tumbler bom after years of it patiently waiting for me to find the inspiration to get it done!

2. I got my Four Seasons stitchery quilt all done!

3. I did my Bunny Mini quilt from Jan Patek's club too.

4. I also finished quilting my patriotic Top Hat quilt just in time for decorating for the holiday season.I finished the top a while back and just didn't get around to quilting until the mad dash this month! It's called #343 Tip Your Hat from Pieces from my Heart.

I think that's all I officially finished this month. Not too bad. I'll have to swing over to Jacquie's and give my final tally for the challenge! You should go see her son's graduation quilt!

Lastly, I want to give a big thanks to all you lovely gals who sent warm caring wishes to me for getting better. Really I am just fine. I was having a bad day, after 2 insanely stupid weeks of running around with one thing after another, and I thought I would come off a little more COMICAL than PITIFUL. Okay so the leg still looks like a tree trunk but it doesn't hurt and what can you do, but laugh? Another reason I don't wear shorts...FAT legs! LOL! One's just fatter than the other with a little more jiggle!

I've had quilting slumps before, but I hate them every time they come around. I like being interested in what I'm doing and hate when I see several lovely things to do and no desire to actually DO any of them. BUT, I've been taking my little embroidery stitches one at a time and the Patriotic Annie is almost done!!

I think I see tumbleweeds.........

2009-05-29T11:38:00.005-04:00

that's just how exciting it's been around here lately! Oh don't think I'm not working along merrily taking a stitch here and there, but it's oh so ~~blah~~ yawn...to use another word. Sad but true. A "sort of" invisible cloud of blue funk has engulfed the house and put everything on "ho hum yawn". Or so it feels.

Not wanting to turn this into a medical littany of complaints blog, lets see if I can encapsulate my last few weeks in a quick burst. SO here's the scoop...knees inflamed, got a bit better only to wake up with right thigh swollen like a tree trunk, do ultra sounds, thankfully no blood clots, not better, schedule an MRI....get to the place and realize I have to lay FLAT on back for 45-50 minutes (pause to say...laying flat= pinched nerve+ slipped disk = extreme pain) in a tube...FREAK OUT! Try 3 times to calm down and do said MRI ...Nope, reschedule.

*Okay, I realize I didn't think beforehand but I was thinking 20 minutes and I always get that lovely wedge under my knees...not flat with my feet taped together*

So...back again this week+ drugs = SUCCESS! Results?..My leg is swollen and inflammed....duh! Cha-Ching...give us all your money. Meanwhile, sugars are down but not enough, and I'm not losing any weight? No sugar/chocolate, I'm thinking should = weight loss...what the hell? I gained 6 pounds this week! In one week! I'm doing something wrong. Oh and yea...toss in a little UTI infection too. FABULOUS!I'm tired. Is it nap time yet?

Now, I owe some lovely ladies some swap blocks...I'm off to sew a few stitches! I'll be back when I have something more quilty to say...or show.

nothing special....

2009-05-25T17:13:00.006-04:00

Hope you all had a great holiday weekend vacation. We just hung around and did things here and there. Mostly lots of nothing in particular. I would have loads of wonderful quilts and blocks ready to show you but I'm sorta in a big 'ole quilting blah at the moment. Ever get those....loads to do...too much as a matter of fact.... and no desire to really get interested in any one thing.

Do I want to do Brownstone blocks? Or work on Geese in the Forest? or swap blocks, or ABC Quilt Sampler blocks? Hum...blah. Here's what I did this last week...

~Finally added but did NOT finish sewing a binding on Patriotic Top Hat...

~Started embroidery on Patriotic 4th Annie...

~Organized my leftover/ saved ribbons...does everyone else keep ribbons to use again?

~Started and almost finished embroidery section of the Rooster block for the ABC Sampler...

~Cut fabric for 108 swap blocks for my swap group! Plus 5 signature blocks for the back of the quilt!

~ Washed, ironed, and folded 4 loads of new fabrics!

Plus generally putz around doing all sorts of things. Reading about quilting, diabetes cooking, a good mystery and more.

just a little tip...

2009-05-19T16:49:00.005-04:00

As I was putting away my newest quilted projects in the closet...I realized maybe a few others would like to see how I store my very favorite good quilts. Not that they aren't all good, but you know...the really nice ones that don't drag on the floor and get used to snuggle with on the sofa.

Every second Saturday, we head out in the early am to do the 2 weeks of grocery shopping. It's the day after hubby gets paid. On my way across the Walmart I always breeze down the sheet isle and pick up 2 or 4 of these generic 100% cotton zippered pillow covers. $3.44 each. I have about 10 on hand at any given time. ** I called them pillowcase covers...when actually they are pillow covers that go over your pillow, then your pillowcase slides right over. They protect your pillow!*
I slide my good quilts right in there and zip them up! No CAT hair, no dust...no dirt! They stay safe and sound and I use a Pigma Marker to write the name of the quilt on the end by the zipper and on the side that faces out on the shelf.

It's a good thing!

helping the economy...

2009-05-15T10:01:00.005-04:00

I'm still keeping my pennies close to the vest, like I'm sure everyone else is at the moment too...but I still find time to do a tiny bit of shopping here and there to do my part. Kathie mentioned something the other day about going through cycles of fabric desires...ie: liking or wanting to work with a new 'type" of fabric every so often. I go through that too. Mostly when I find a new blog and LOVE the look of everything they do, or I delve into my quilt books and see older reproduction quilts that call my name.

On that front I did a tiny bit of sale shopping. One of my favorite online stores... Glorious Color... had all their Jay McCarroll fabrics on sale and I could hold out no more. These are just too cute! I sooo loved him on Project Runway! Speaking of that show...does anyone else find it ODD that they wanted more exposure so they moved to ???Lifetime??? When did Lifetime, the sappy Joan Collins, Danielle Steels movie network become better and more popular that BRAVO??? Huh? Am I the only one scratching my head? Not to mention Bravo has their own show now, which I haven't watch yet...just seen the commercials. Seriously? Lifetime?

Okay back to fabrics. I've been eyeing some lovely Trip Around the World doll quilts and small quilts in my antique books, so I had to supplement my solids stash. I think all I have is a few reds, greens and blues, so these being on sale I thought I'd go for a nice smattering of colors. They look goofy together but they will look nicer when just the right colors are mixed together.

Lastly, I *finally* finished the Nine Orange Pumpkins block for the ABC sampler. I got so stuck and just laid it aside. It was sewing all those tiny letters and really not liking how they looked, but determined to use only cotton in this quilt. So I stopped. But I picked it up again 2 nights ago and got moving and finished. So I'm satisfied with them. Not 100% but they are small and there's 3 layers of fabric under those tiny letter legs that are barely 1/4" in width. I wanted to make them bigger but wasn't sure if the block could stand the size and now I think maybe it could have gone a tiny bit bigger. But hey...I'm about 95% happy and 95% ain't all bad!

Now on to the Rooster and Santa!! Happy Quilting weekend ladies!!

Loser Monday again....

2009-05-11T11:42:00.003-04:00

It's that day again ladies. I think I might have lost a half pound but who knows. The scale wants to flip between what I weighed all week and one number lower so it's somewhere between there right? Seems to me I should be dropping serious poundage since I gave up chocolate!.... Right? Sounds only fair to me, darn it.

I've been creeping along here sewing some new projects for a change! Who decided that we had to get every old thing done before we could start anything new? Somewhere in my OWN head I made this rule and didn't even want to keep up with it but I always feel guilty if I don't!! Weird! So with all the recent finishes, I earned the right to start new stuff! I have the binding to put on the last quilted piece and then I'll take a picture.

Meanwhile all this.....

is turning into these lovelies..... Cathi will recognize them!
Also last but not least, I've spent my nights sewing these babies.... They look very rough here, but after I remove the extra fabric strips that I use to extend the block size to fit the bigger hoop, I'll add the last few wool stars on the bottom one and do the piecing around the stitchery on both. Better pictures will follow!

More finishes....

2009-05-05T21:56:00.005-04:00

Spring to finish is still going on if you need some motivation!! As I was moving about on bloglines I came across the announcement that Jacquie was extending the inspiration month with Spring to Finish II! So I have a very good reason to get moving and count my finishes! Two more are done tonight and ready for their debut! Go over and see what a great goodie the first winner will receive for getting chosen! Of course just getting inspired is a good thing too!

Now on to some more finishes!

Four Seasons by Joann Mullaly
65 x 80

The Four Seasons quilt is quite large! Larger than I had really realized until I was hefting it around and around on the machine! Scroll down for a picture of my finished top if you want a bit more detailed. Since the quilt holder was still at work, I laid it out on my bed for this picture. It's a stitchery quilt with embroidered blocks and was a bom offered by Country Loft. I think you can still get the pattern on their site.

I meandered the whole quilt rather large and used a nice medium tan/beige in the end to match the stitchery blocks. It showed a bit in the darker blocks but I really ended up liking the result.

Second finish....(3rd total overall) is my Jan Patek Mini Club selection for Easter. I changed a few things up in the quilt and did a simple crosshatch for quilting. I like crosshatch on these small wall hangings. WOW I just saw the new mini that should be coming soon to my house...the Flag and Chicken mini...VERY cute!! Will have to be made right away when it arrives!!

That's 3 down and a few more to get done! I have 2 new patriotic quilts I really MUST get moving on if I want them up this year. I have yet to even start those!! Then I have one to quilt tomorrow, and another to baste for quilting. Busy, busy, busy!!

late but still here...

2009-05-04T22:07:00.002-04:00

Loser Gals, I'm here! I've been doing well with the sugar thing. No chocolate for the three weeks or so that I've been aware of the sugar being too high...or at least admitting it to myself, lets be honest. But I'm doing good and....

I'm down another 1 pound.

I've gone back and forth so many times I swear I think it's about 9 pounds lost total so far...or is it more?? less? I expect that the still present thigh swelling is still holding a good 6 pounds of water, so I can't wait to figure out how to get it gone and wake up to see 6 or 7 pounds drop off! Have another doc visit tomorrow to see why it's not getting better. Won't that be so cool to drop that much. Anyway, still working on getting the next few finishes photographed and on the blog but I needed to do my part to check in with the rest of the losers!! Keep up the good work ladies!

coming up for air....

2009-05-03T17:43:00.006-04:00

It's summer here as we've hit the first 80 degrees string of 7 or so days, so no going back to spring or even winter. So I thought I'd lighten up the blog too for a while. I love the prim look but I also like to change things up every now and then too.

So....been waiting for some finishes??? Enough suspense...I finished the taupe Pinwheels quilt and the "quilt holder" got busy, but the other will have to wait till tomorrow or the next day.

Shades of Taupe Sampler
61 x 82

I never seem to remember the hanging sleeves until right about now! Oh well, I need to get a label on it and that will be good for now. Hope you like seeing it. Back tomorrow with more!

** I should have given the details for the quilt in the first place huh?? This was a block of the month offered by Pinwheels.com during 2006(??) I think. So far it's still not available as a pattern for the moment, I'm afraid. But the last time I gave out the info someone called the store and they said the designer was thinking of making the pattern available if there is enough interest. So by all means email and call if you want the pattern!**

Spring to Finish...

2009-05-01T12:21:00.001-04:00

Well I didn't quite get my Spring to Finish stuff done by the end of April and you know what? It doesn't matter! I won't win the prizes, but I am quite proud of myself that I got 6 tops completed and ready for quilting...pinning included and two are large quilts. I have the 3rd almost done and by the end of the weekend I hope to have all 6 of them bound and called D-O-N-E!!

That's enough to make me smile and count myself as a winner!

I wanted to show the Taupe Tumbler ready to start up again with the last little bit left to quilt. I love the color I used...Aurifil 1140 coconut, I think. I ordered it once to substitute for the 1138 and it's a lovely brown. It blends with everything so well I have crossed myself a couple times not seeing my own stitches!

I'm quilting right over top all the applique and all. No need to have to go around them all and then sew them down too. The very large meander cover it all and does a good job. I would have done a smaller meander but with the heaviness of this top. I was afraid the quilt would stand on it's own! Besides, Warm and Natural has a quilting recommendation of being quilted every 10 inches! SO I have that covered well.

Now the last thing you have to see is this video! if your cats ever wake you up in the morning you will howl at this...Pixel is my alarm clock every morning. Minus the bat..he does exactly this e-v-e-r-y day. Pay close attention to the cat at the very last minute! Cat video on YouTube. I used to know how to show it here, but somehow I can't figure it out at the moment...so follow the link.

hellooooo....LOSERS!

2009-04-27T10:47:00.004-04:00

What do ya know, I remembered Monday! Don't faint or anything Sharon!

I did pretty well this last week, although the scales stayed generally the same. But I think that's due to my right knee being testy at the moment and making the thigh above the knee swell up. That could account for a few pounds. It's weird looking and a bit uncomfortable but fine. Some Aleve and a few water pills will hopefully fix it right up. Geez, what the heck?.... I thought you fell apart at 50? I'm only 47! I'm still getting used to what I can and can't eat again due to the diabetes and meshing all that with weight loss, but it will all be fine once I get in the groove.

Earlier, the mailman rang the bell and handed me my goodies from Amazon! Two new books I found just this weekend! I saw the applique book over at Megan's and knew I had to have it! Then I got an email from Amazon announcing the new Freddy and Gwen book (out May 5th) and that clinched the deal!...that and free shipping! I peeked at Tonye's book but I'm saving Freddy and Gwen's book for a spot on the sofa and my full attention! oh..see the mustard and black plaid? that's the sale backing I got for the tumbler quilt. $4 yd at Quilter's Quarter...it's now all 60% off on sale for $3.20 a yard.

Now I promised a quick look at the taupe tumbler when I had it on the basting table. I just have the bottom left to turn and baste when I get my errands done and then I'll be deep in quilting for several days! I'm doing a big overall meander that shouldn't take too long on both this and the Four Seasons embroidery quilt.

Another odd view...I tried to get the whole top and it came out looking more like the cover of a very odd book! Wow is this going to be a heavy quilt. I'm not looking forward to quilting through some of those blocks with all the seams!

spiderweb quilt...

2009-04-25T12:30:00.003-04:00

hey ladies... has anyone ever done a Spiderweb quilt .....ie one, two, three, four....without doing the pieces on paper? Or maybe on some sort of very thin interfacing? golden paper? I h-a-t-e paper piecing and always use the freezer paper method...which might work. Just thought I'd ask.

PS: the Taupe Tumbler top is .....FINISHED!!

I'm making the back now and getting ready for pinning. I'd show it but it's just as easy to show after quitling in a few days. I'll take a picture when it's all laid out for pinning. How's that?

basting in a tight confined space....

2009-04-23T10:18:00.001-04:00

Cathi mentioned in her comment that she was amazed at how I got big quilts pinned/basted in such a limited space. Well that sounds like a great idea for a post!! It's not easy but if you work methodically you can get it done with ease. Here's how I do mine.

My room has a center cutting table from Joann's. Most of you have probably seen it at some point. The big white one with the drop leaf sides. I keep one side open all the time for cutting with one side down because otherwise I'd never be able to move in here! I don't have the floor space to lay out anything, and it would be covered in cat hair if I did, even if I vacuumed 10 times before starting! Besides WHO exactly would be getting on the floor? Not me!! Kim has a wonderful system of using two folding table together to lay out her quilts and I thought of doing that in my dining room but I realized I'd have to use paint can or bricks to bring it up to the height I needed so I didn't end up bent over the table.

My room is packed! Just look at the enlarged picture above. My design wall has tubs on the floor under it and my Juki sit right there waiting for me to need her. The drop leaf is down as you can see, and I used my small ironing board to show off the border, but you can see the area for walking in the picture. I can walk around three sides of the current system and the other left side is doable but being so fat I really have to squeeze if my sewing machine table has the leaf up for quilting too. When I made the table I included a 12" drop section to give me more table top for quilting. Piecing can be done with the leaf down.

So to the good stuff...how do you baste a big quilt in such a small space? First, I use a big table from Joann's that's 36 x 70. It's also 34" or so from the ground. That allows me to pin with no bending over at all. I start at one of the corners and lay out my backing on the table pulling it taut but not stretched...we all know the rules for layering right? I usually let it hand over about 2-3" inches off the table and that gives me the extra I need so I can lay the top right at the edge of the table. I use the big clips to hold it to my table top. I can pin half the quilt from one side and move to the other to pin the second side. Above shows it all laud out ready to start pinning.

Once I get that first full table section clipped I pull off all the clips and slide the quilt over keeping the top edge the same, just so the last pins are on the table edge. I clip down that basted edge and and then carefully pull back the top and batting just enough to smooth out the backing, making sure it's taut and clip it again...then the batting... clipping it down. Then I smooth out the top and pin everything on that table top. Smooth fro the center out towards the edges. If I have to move it again I do! This quilt was small enough to only need one move, but you keep moving section by section until the whole top width of the quilt is pinned.

Now the whole top edge is done. SO I un-clip and slide it down to do the bottom to the corner...if it fits. OR in this case I turned the quilt, getting the whole bottom in one section on the length of the table. Go through all the layer again clipping. Here's a little map I drew to show how I work. The black lines are the table orientation and the red arrows show how you move, section to section.
The 4 Seasons was small so I did section 1, then moved to #2, and was able to turn the quilt so all of the lower 15 " or so could be on the table for Section 3! For a larger quilt, just move along getting that top section done, then slide down to 4...moving back across the center, then work out the bottom the best way it fits.

It's all in keeping it very methodical, one table sized section at a time. The size of the room I can't help for the time being. Hubby's offered to switch bedrooms, or even let me have the whole front of the house...but I make this work for me until I have to space to invest in a big frame with rollers...then watch out!

brain freeze....Loser Tuesday!

2009-04-21T10:00:00.004-04:00

What is it about Monday's that has me in such a brain freeze...darn! I can't seem to remember it's MONDAY! SO again...here's my day late... Monday but really Tuesday Loser report!

LOST 1/2 pound for the week.

Hopefully it will be more next week but I'm trying. The new meds she put me on...glucophage, has mild stomach upset and some digestive issues in most. Well meds for me tend to run about 10x the normal side effect! So I was sick as a dog for 2 days with nausea and upset stomach...ugh! New meds started today and we'll see how this one fairs! I only have myself to blame..if I had eaten right and taken care of this I wouldn't be in the situation again after 13 years. I totally did it to myself. Now I must do the work and I shall.

Here's the Four Seasons all laid out before I started pinning. It's done now and waiting for the quilting to begin. Don't they look pretty all smoothed out like that? Man I need a nice big longarm frame with roller so I can skip pinning...oh to have the space! Next house. Now I'm off to get my hair colored, then back to sew more on the Tumbler quilt!

which to use...opinions please!

2009-04-19T16:43:00.004-04:00

I'm thinking of the thread to use on the Four Seasons quilt and I narrowed it down two 2 choices of Superior's King Tut...one solid and one variegated. It will done in a simple meander all over with the quilting going right over the embroidery sections. Please click on the pictures to get a nice big look!

So what do you guys think? The darker one is lovely on the cotton colors and hides almost all the time, but the darkest shade is really going to stand out on the embroidery. That can look rather harsh.

The lighter color almost seems to disappear on the embroidery squares but shows up more as a lighter color on the cotton pieced sections. I don't really mind that too much. I think I'm mostly leaning to the lighter choice...
What do you think? Don't be shy.

four seasons...

2009-04-18T16:26:00.003-04:00

Finally got to work and finished the quilt top for the Four Seasons embroidery and pieced quilt. It's not the sharpest picture, sorry, but the quilt holder sways a bit while holding them up.Tomorrow I'm planning to clean off the big table and get to pinning. I really hope to have about 4 quilts ready to quilt next week. The Topsy Turvy taupe tumbler should be one of them too, if I can ever get the applique finished! You'd think it had tons of applique to do but really there is just a tiny bit. I just have to get situated and get it done. Other things have pushed their way into the mix and taken up my time.

I'll make sure to pop back in more frequently to let you know how things are coming along next week!

working on those finishes...

2009-04-14T16:00:00.000-04:00

First things first...who knew it was already MONDAY??? I think I need a reminder each week. I didn't do too badly since I was busy being the good little diabetic girl again. Lordy I miss the chocolate!!!!!!!!!! I am missing anything sweet and I don't even have that big of a sweet tooth. I'd rather eat salty Payday bars but the salt is bad for us too so I limit that and the caramel center of goodness....drool, drool. SO anyway I lost 2 pounds this week! Not bad for starting back. Back to sewing stuff.

I joined the Spring to Finish and I definitely have lots to do and lots to finish! I'm busy getting some things finished and pinned so they are ready to hit the quilting Juki when I switch out machines. I hope to have about 5 quilts ready to do.

Here's the latest mini from Jan Patek's Mini Club. A simple Easter wall hanging. I didn't get it finished before Easter, since it came really close, but it will be ready for next year. I changed out the bunny color and I also used a different red border fabric. I didn't like the older dull red and purple dot fabric that came with the kit, so I grabbed a better choice and used some stash in the process.

I also got my next two Gail Pan blocks done. I started to put the fabric around the embroidery but realized I'd need more info before I did that...like is their sashing between the block? SHould all the red be the same and all the green too? or mix them up? I think I'll wait for more info before I do any more borders.

I also got the last of the Four Season blocks embroidered and the fall block all put together so I'm ready to assemble the top and quilt! Hopefully it will be one of the things I get to quilt this weekend after getting it all pinned. Ialso started on the first block of the Baskets quilt from Country Loft!

I swear that Tumbler quilt is still getting done too. I just have to sit down and get the applique done of the second border and then do the little flowers on the sides. Then it will get put together and pinned for quilting. But not today. I've been running from doctor to doctor all day today and I am now pooped! I'm hitting the sofa for a nice nap!

easter past...

2009-04-12T10:48:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter to everyone....

I've shown this picture before but on the lost blog so I thought I'd add it again. I love it that much! All 6 of us at my grandparents house, in the backyard in front of Nama's azalea bushes. I miss those two people a lot.

Our ages in May 1970 were..my older sister in the back was 18, my brothers were 13 and 12, I was 8, and my sisters were 5 and 2. I'm the brunette next to my grandma in one of my favorite dresses. I actually do remember it. Pale pink on top and this lovely gray green on the skirt. I miss that yard and that house..which should have been mine..but that's a rant for another day. I just miss them, who they were when they were well and happy and so fun to be around and visit.

april's Spring to Finish...

2009-04-08T15:53:00.003-04:00

On my way over to Anina's blog to check out her newest creations, I saw this! Jacquie is inspiring people to get moving and finish...totally...at least one project in April. Lord knows I have plenty to finish so I'm game.

3 weeks left and who knows how many projects that could be finished!

Loser Monday...

2009-04-06T15:42:00.001-04:00

Fat girl is back.... I just took her little badge on the left off last week since I got tired of reporting bad activity and I wasn't working at it anymore. Well now she's back and reluctantly I have to get moving on this again in a big way. Not that I really care to but I realized something bad on Saturday....my diabetes, which has been totally under control since 1998, is now raging again...B-A-D! I had suspicions, if I admit it to myself. The last hA1-C test wasn't that great and the doc asked me to start testing my blood again...which I did not do because I hate pushing that finger pricker. SO Saturday on the way home from grocery shopping I realized that I couldn't really see that well. Usually my first side effect of too high levels. So I faced facts and plucked up the courage to finally stick my finger and whoa...not good. Very not good.

So me and fatty over there will have to be back on a serious eating schedule and no more sugar. Geez, I hate having to deal with all this again. Sticking my fingers. I think I'll get one of those machines that need way less blood and save my sewing fingers. Soooo, I have lost 5 pounds since the beginning and that's where I start again.

The other day while checking blogs I went to Crazy Mom Quilts and she linked to some cool earrings that inspired the colors of her kids new quilts. SO I had to go see what inspired her and wow! The earrings are to die for. I love colorful bead earrings and these were so cute I had to order some. Don't ya just love those yellow apples?

Oh I do still sew you know. yes, quite a bit. I finished my new mini Easter kit from Jan Patek, but I hate the red border fabric so I have to find another and do the borders. I'm also sewing the border applique for the tumblers, and doing the Nine Orange Pumpkins blocks for the ABC sampler quilt

news...

2009-04-02T10:38:00.007-04:00

The axe fell and hubby is still employed. They didn't cut as many from his facility as they did others, but people who wanted to be laid off are staying and others who wanted their jobs are going as of tomorrow...which sucks. They gutted most of the company. For some it's ended 9 months of back and forth nail-biting uncertainty, for us..we, again, wait to see if and who might buy his location. I'm glad at this point, but it's more months of feeling held in suspended animation.

Thanks for all the support and the kind words. I'm still seriously pissed about these company heads who tank businesses and walk away with their pockets stuffed with CASH. **UPDATE* Today's paper said that a few companies have given back (paid back) their money they rec'd from the government mostly due to not wanting to live under the new regulations and restrictions imposed on CEO bonuses!! IE...Who cares what happens to the company or the employees! Whatever, I need my CEO bonus and I don't want it taxed by 90% so here's your money back!****

I did get my shelf up in the sewing room for all my Annie's. They are stuffed up there, but so much better. Only the Easter gals are down now and I'll rotate.

I also got the last touches done on the Mother block. I'm busy sewing Tumbler applique and doing the Nine Orange Pumpkins blocks too as well as working on the house.

life and stuff...

2009-03-30T12:47:00.007-04:00

Didn't mean to not post for this long, but showing the same tumbler picture isn't what I call blog worthy. I'm still working on the tumbler quilt's applique parts at night and getting some normal house things done during the days. Quilting has been much slower this past few days due to normal life stuff really. One I've had the worst non-cold sinus thing for days. No idea what was wrong as I didn't have the normal cold symptoms, but the allergy issues sucked and I lost an entire night to the worst sinus headache. No sewing that night.

But I do have a few things to show for myself! I was able to get several blocks ready for my ABC sampler quilt so I could work on them during the evenings. I like to prep the applique pieces during the day and then you can lay them out and mark for all the stitchery sections and take off the applique. I prefer to get the needlework done ...if I can...without the fabric already sewn on. Saves my stitches getting pulled. I worked on the Q for Quail block and the M for Mother block. The quail is finished. I kinda thought the M block was too, but looking at the picture I don't like all the space at the bottom edge. Children's names go there and I don't have any...so it's empty. I think the feather stitch is going to wrap around the bottom corner just a bit. OH and I forgot their FEET!

I spent one morning cutting all the pieces for this months 27 Geese in the Forest blocks. Boy, cutting take so much time and actually I lied. I haven't cut all the white triangles pieces. I need 84? or something each direction and I'm only up to 54 each. They are rectangles cut into triangles so you have to be careful to cut both directions to have them facing correctly.

I've also spent time doing another little clean out of the house in preparation for a move. I know I've mentioned moving before...I've wanted to move for quite a while out of this state. When is a total crap shoot. Long term estimate could be a year...short term could be 60 days! So we might as well get moving and do some work now. Up till now, I haven't mentioned anything about my hubby's job.

I normally don't talk about real life family issues anymore on the blog because it makes most people uncomfortable. Only a very few of you know that my husbands company filed for bankruptcy months back due to a CEO who played fast and loose with company money on the futures market and lost it all...stole is the word I use. Oh right except for the $74 million bonus (was it?) he split between himself and his company buddy last year. Because of this thieving bastard, an extremely profitable, successful company is no more, dissolved. He'll get his in court hopefully. Turns out it may have all been orchestrated by a competitor, which if it floats your boat, you can read about here (keep reading down the whole page). Might help to explain the high gas prices last summer. Screw the employees and their families...we want to put our competitors out of business. Lots of good employees will be laid off. Not exactly their fault...no one can take advantage of you if you don't put yourself in that situation. So we wait and plan for every eventuality we can think to happen.

We move under another branch of the company April 1st?, we think, and so far have no idea about anything. Who stays and who goes...IF we will have any benefits or what they will be, even what pay they will offer. Good news is that hubby will probably be one of the last to go due to his job in the company. But these people don't run a business, and don't want to. Are we having fun yet? I'm certainly not and I'm rather pissed over the whole thing. We're hoping for a quick sale to a good company or to find a good job somewhere else.

If you read all that, thanks for letting me rant. I may be a little more scarce for a while as we do some things around here to get the condo ready for sale. I'll be around and still quilting.

tumbler details......

2009-03-25T12:54:00.005-04:00

SO lots questions about this quilt! It was, I think, the first bom offered from Pinwheels. I'm not sure how I found them, but they are at our quilt show every year. Bad news...it's about 3 years old maybe more. I do know that their fabulous 3rd bom "Cabin Fever"quilt is still being offered on their site. I didn't order that one since I hadn't finished this one and I only did 2 months of the 2nd one called Ping! I don't see any pattern offered on the site and I know they have some. I have another one made from scraps. SO give them a call and ask them about this quilt or about offering the pattern.

I actually love this quilt so I'm not sure why it sat for 3 years before getting done. I loved doing all the blocks and getting to do all sorts of patterns. They sell the acrylic template on the site and this one is about 12 inches. They also have a 7" and a tiny one.

Melanie asked about cutting the blocks. YES, you trim them to the correct size using the template, I kept mine uncut until now, just trimming them before I've sewn the rows together. They've been hanging from the wide end on skirt hangers for the whole time. I have most of the close-up block shots in my flickr album. Just click on the flickr box in the left column and go to the In Progress Set.

Also important.... I learned a trick quickly. When I first got the blocks I did exactly what they said to do and made my big square/rectangle. Then I started the second block and looked at the picture and wondered how they got the hourglass blocks centered?

Look at the dark hourglass block on the right..that was the first block. I realized I was going to cut all that extra fabric in the top corners. So the lighter hourglass above is the result of laying down the template and sewing just enough to extend past the template by 1/2" or so. As a result...I have 3 BIG ziplock bags of left over fabric for other projects!! They sent extra anyway, but I got LOTS left over and at $13 a yard, that's good!

tumbling...

2009-03-25T09:36:00.004-04:00

I'm plugging away on my Taupe Tumblers and working to get totally caught up on all my bom's still. Okay so maybe I have too many open projects going at the moment. I'll finally admit that...and once these get completed I'm definitely going to have a less concurrent projects working at once. The old brain can't seem to multi-task as well as it used to anymore. *s

****Another blogger comment from Nancy...who is quite the good digger of Miller tidbits!!
"More info of the Miller's. Spencer Jr. on his WWI Draft registration card said his hair was "red". Google "Hattie Maria Ruggles genealogy" and you will find more. Found out that while T. Spencer was living in Chicago he was President of the Chicago Bicycle Club."***** Thanks Nancy again!

My Uncle years back did his mother's family (my grandmother's) all the way back to the 1300's and I have the whole book he made detailing all the lineage. It's quite interesting.

national quilting day...

2009-03-22T12:43:00.005-04:00

Kim wanted to know how we spent it...so I can oblige with some details and pictures! See... I'm not just digging in old boxes and stores! I was sewing!! So on the actual day I got the last 5 blocks of these assembled and ironed.

These being my block of the month project with Homestead Hearth. I know I said I'd never order another bom program from them again, but these aren't the same as picking fabric for each applique part of a block. I figured a pieced program was safe enough. Simple, easy...4 blocks a month...easy as pie and so far so good. I had month one done, then month 3 arrived last week. SO back to work. I spent Friday cutting the pieces out and started sewing a few. Saturday I had the last 5 to assemble and got them done quickly before lunch. Now three months are done and I am way ahead of the game! These won't look like this either.... they are turned on point and alternated with a lovely brown.

I also am desperately trying to get the last pieces of the Four Seasons quilt done so I can move along to my new bom...Baskets of Life. I made a bargain to not start the new until I finished the old. So again, work like a dog to get finished. I have the fall bird done and now the fall house is done. Just two little sections to complete and assemble and then I'll get the whole top assembled and start quilting! Won't be too long as the fall branch is about 90% done now. Best of all I can move on with doing the Baskets! I love those and I'm feeling tense because 3 months have arrived and I haven't even started yet!

Once I had my last few Brownstone blocks done yesterday I pulled out my Tumbler blocks and stared at them. Then I just started putting them together. I have the top two rows sewn together and ready for some tiny applique on the ends...then the borders need to have some applique before going on. I goofed on one of the first blocks I made for this, and I'm in the process of re0doing the block. All this type fabric was totally new to me so I appliqued the flowers to the back of the fabric!! Has to be changed. It's working very well and I have just the center and stem to removed and re-locate. Then the next few rows will be ready to assemble! I hope to have it ready to quilt by the end of the week! I also would like to have all my blocks done for the month for Geese in the Forest...all 27 of them...all done by next weekend!

Happy sewing!!

hattie and spencer...

2009-03-22T11:34:00.002-04:00

Oh Nancy has found out more about Spencer and Hattie! Thanks tons Nancy...especially in letting me know that Spencer's first name didn't start with a Y and instead a T for Thomas. Here's what Nancy left in the comments:

****I found a lot of info for Spencer and Hattie.
They were married on Jan 1, 1885.
Her maiden name was Hattie Maria Ruggles born in Moline, IL on June 6, 1858. Spencer was Thomas Spencer Miller born April 25, 1859 in Waukegan, IL. Even though they were both born in Illinois due their fathers occupations, their families were from Massachusetts. They had 3 children. There is so much more. Nancy *****

Then I plugged them into Google and follow the first link to find more.Their 3 kids were:

1. Marguerette Miller b: 10 Dec 1888...Massachusetts
2. Spencer J Miller b: 2 July 1891...Massachusetts
3. Hellen Miller b: Jan 1897...Massachusetts

I'll post more with the quilting stuff as I uncover it! Thanks Nancy for doing that and for sending on the right path to look!! I'm posting quilty stuff later today!! Never fear!!

new finds...

2009-03-20T11:17:00.002-04:00

Hit the thrift/antique stores again yesterday to pick up a few blue jars for a fellow enthusiast and I was sent to a new store, thinking they might have the one I wanted...they didn't, but I did find a few things I couldn't pass up!

Finally found the small old tin I wanted! 4" x 6 1/2" and about 1 3/4" deep and PERFECT for small little pieces!

Then I found exactly what I've wanted for the kitchen counter ever since putting away the lighted church after Christmas. A little light for the counter top. It gives the kitchen such a nice glow at night.

I know quilting has been slim to none around this blog for the week, but I am working and getting some finishes done so next few post will be all quilting! Have a great weekend everyone!

my sweet letter

2009-03-17T02:39:00.003-04:00

Oh I knew that I wasn't the only one who loved reading others old letters! I bought about 20 of them the next day too! It's so funny to read them. I also found some lovely old Christmas cards and a few neat postcards. The letter is from Hattie to Spencer and she refers to 5 years, so I think it's been a long engagement.

So the letter... you can almost read it in the pictures but I'll type it too.Mr. T.S. Miller
#11 to 23 S. Jefferson Street Chicago, IL

No. 26 West Street
Worcester Aug. 10, 1884

My Dear Spencer,
Father has invited me to go to church with him to-night: so I am going out to Piedmont Church. Your last few letters have talked so awfully of financial difficulties; I am beginning to fear. I wonder what I am going into.

If it is so hard to take care of one, how much more so will it be to care for two. We won't think of being married till about Christmas time. This will give you a month longer, and you won't have to feel that you must rush so dreadfully. I can't understand why your finances are thus. I've had not half the salary you've had. I have paid my board, clothed my self and paid all expenses and in addition have saved enough for my trousseau. This is why I can't understand the reason why, in all these five years. I can't see the need of feeling anxious at this late day-

Have two pretty suits - Full dress and half dress - best suit. You've common suits enough. Dress over-coat with a seal-skin collar to match your cap. Gloves, you will need several pairs. White of course; brown and the like. You should be getting things gradually, that is the way I am doing it.
**A nice warm comfortable winter over-coat*** (She squeezed in the side margin spaces)
A linen out-fit for one under set would be nice. Wish I was where I could get your underclothes made for you. I think you might get a shirt pattern and an A.G. Pattern cut, and then send them to me, then I might get the cloth and have them cut and made for you much less than you could get it done. Do you like this plan?

We can certainly save money if you have a good salary. Have you received a little book from me? In what condition did the forget-me-nots arrive?

Good bye dear,
Hattie

I typed it exactly as she wrote it. I love how they folded letters back then. The paper was folded and started on the side with the fold to the left. Then they either used the inside as two sheets, or turned it and wrote down the whole length, then to the back page...and the envelopes were so small!
I love how she ran out of room and had to write the last sentence along the side, then turned over the page and wrote her name upside down in the top margin.

So after reading this, then reading it to hubby about 4 times, I knew I was going back the next day. I was compelled. I HAD to find more letters. Did they get married after all? I went right back, dropped my purse on the floor between my feet, took off my sweater, and stood there for about 2 hours! I touched every note in that box and finally after I was almost to the back...I see..

Mrs. Spencer Miller...New Jersey. Postmarked June 3rd, 1908. My heart leap out of my chest and I grabbed that envelope!

And that was it. No letter inside...just the envelope!! I almost died! I looked again all through the back of the box. I knew I didn't miss anything. It just wasn't there. but I do at least know they got married. Since the weren't to marry until after Christmas... by 1908 they had been married 23 years. Good for them. The letter was mailed from Morcan Park, IL and on the back it has a Chicago postmark too. So maybe she was away visiting. Or maybe they moved to NJ and an old friend was writing to her.

I got letters from ladies inquiring about teaching jobs from about 1894 to 1905 or so going to the head of a school in NC. Letters from a soldier writing to his sweetheart about trying to get into a commissioned officer school, I think, and about how desperately he misses her. I'll take some pictures of the Christmas cards and post cards later.

losers and thrifting...

2009-03-16T12:09:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I'm not really doing the "Loser" thing anymore. I've got way too much on my mind and I don't want to have to think "did I do my post?" but I'll try to keep up. I did weight myself...really just to see how much the cast iron iron weighed..but I stayed about the same. Sorry General, my hearts just not into it right now.

The other day I set off to the local antique hub to get a few things from the thrift stores. I was searching for blue glass jars...some filled with buttons, a heavy cast iron antique iron, some old wire metal baskets, and some older tin boxes...or newer. Just neat smallish sizes to keep projects. I was successful in finding some of my treasures!

Hit the jackpot with the blue jars. I could have bought 6 or 8 more but let's not get nuts. I know where they are, so I can always go back...these will more than do me for now. I almost jumped for joy seeing that tall one with the metal lid. I rarely see them that size...and that day I found two! One metal top... one glass! Notice how the tall one has more green in the coloration? I'll find buttons later, or thread spools, or whatever to put inside or just leave them to enjoy empty. I love both kinds of lids actually, but I am partial to the metal ones. I had no clue what metal that was until Libby mentioned the zinc lids. I just like the milk glass wedges in the top.

You can also see the cast iron antique iron I found. Good and heavy...about 5 pounds! What I plan to use it for is a weight to hold my doll quilts when I can't use a hoop but I need that pull for doing the rocking stitch. When I use it, I'll explain in a future post. I remember Lea using something called a Mighty Iron? in Japan and I thought this would work perfectly for just that.

I didn't find any baskets or tins but I have more places to check some other day. However, I did happen upon a stall that had a big box of old letters and postcards. Does anyone else love reading old letters? I stood there for about 15 minutes looking at different letters and I pulled out this one and read the first page LOVING it, so it was mine. $1 no problem. I didn't even pay attention to the postmark, but I knew it was old. Look at that handwriting!

I get home and sit down and it dawned on me 1984...there was no 2 cent stamp in 1984..OMG!! Could this be 1884!!! Look 1884! Does this bore anyone? Because I am fascinated by it. This letter is written from a young lady to her fiance 114 years ago! It blows my mind to hold something 114 years old in my hands.It's also hilarious! and completely in keeping with today at the same time. Well not the trousseau part, but the way she gently scolds him about his finances. I have more pictures and I'll write out the letter if it's something anyone else is interested in...you let me know. I've read it about 10 times! I even went back the second day to search that big shoe box for more letters from them! I'll just say I was sort of successful. You tell me if you want to hear more. I don't want to bore you with totally non quilty stuff. Have a good day sewing ladies!

Just one winner...

2009-03-15T12:55:00.006-04:00

Sorry ladies, but there won't be another drawing for the Stack and Whack Dresden's. Marilyn's package is going out tomorrow with all the Dresdens...large and small. At MY urging, I told her to not even consider it being piggy to accept what she rightly won...first choice to decide what she wanted. We would never consider her piggy for taking her prize!

I only tossed out the option of maybe having a second drawing if the winner was one of the gals who had asked for just one OR the other size. I'm thrilled that these are going to be used and enjoyed by someone else. I was ready to bin them. I'll have to give second thought to my clean-ups from now on. Once again thanks so much for playing along!

Something else I forgot to share...the backing for the SLOL quilt! I always love how Crazy Mom Quilts does her backs with that strip of pieced fabric in the middle somewhere. SO when I picked out fabrics for the backing I took some that I had bought from Thousands of Bolts for just this purpose and ended up having this 15" or so missing in length. Perfect! Just the right size for a fancy strip.
Now some of you know that I had issues with Homestead Hearth on their inability to stay on time with sending out these monthly packages, but I never had problems with the packages themselves and they always sent more than enough fabric to make the blocks...waayyy more! I have 2 ziplocks full of leftover, unused fabric pieces. SO I sat down and started making blocks. Strip by strip I combined, with pieces I either didn't care to use, or had left over after cutting the size I needed! Sewed them all together and got a fabulous section to work!! The top is the blue plaid cotton and the bottom the red lighter plaid. I like how it turned out and it saved me cutting up another yard and half of cotton to get just that little section. It's a great idea!

hand quilting...

2009-03-14T15:36:00.003-04:00

I love doing it, but after the "sewing elbow" got bad it didn't like me very much. Poor Cheddar Doll quilt sat patiently waiting.

Finally this last week I finished the borders and got the binding sewn. I even used some of the fancy new designs I learned from this book. Now on to the tumbler quilt...?What to do, what to do???

Perhaps this picture is a better view of the quilt? Geez, Pixel, that's just the way I wanted to take the picture.

We have a winner.....

2009-03-13T21:30:00.006-04:00

I printed out all the comment sections and did the little "folding into bits" technique and hubby drew one of the slips for a winner....Marilyn YOU ARE THE LUCKY WINNER!!! If you will send me your snail mail address I'll get them all right out to you.Your poor slip got ripped being opened, but it's you! IF for some reason you don't want all of them, let me know that too! I'll keep the jar just as it is and pick again for the next person and ask that winner if they want the rest. We can just keep going down the line until they all end up in a nice home!

I'm so glad I asked about these. Thanks for playing along ladies!

can I just say...

2009-03-12T14:38:00.005-04:00

WOW! I'm shocked. I honestly thought nobody would want these guys, so I'm happy to pass them along. So that anyone who comes by knows...I'll leave it open until Friday at noon and then put the names in a hat and have hubby draw out a name. IF the winner doesn't want all of them, I'll go to the second name drawn and see if you want the rest of them.

Now yesterday I started to get out my list and see what I had down to get done.... loads really to choose from. Well what do you do when you feel like doing none of them??? You make a new top!

I went through this book looking for the quilting design on this quilt. I'm about to finish another one and this will be hand quilted next, so I wondered how they quilted it way back when it was first made. It was so much smaller and the pictures shows that she just did small lines of stitches. Looks like she was practicing her quilting stitch. Hey, she was only 7 at the time!

Meanwhile, a few pages over was this wonderful top and I just started pulling fabrics! It took longer to pick just the right fabrics than to sew it together! I love how it seems that they had squares of color that they cut into 9 sections. See the 5 red squares and then the 4 others in another. The same with the pink squares. I tried to stay as close to the colors and choices as the original.

After I got the top done I decided the little triangle pin cushion wasn't working for me anymore, so I grabbed 2 fabrics from my Jan Patek scrap bag and made myself a little round puff. Much better!

free stuff...

2009-03-11T11:51:00.008-04:00

Nope, it's not a give-away in the fun sense of the word, but it's free stuff all the same. I'm doing some cleaning up of the sewing room and getting rid of things I know I'll never use. Rather than just toss these I had the thought that maybe somewhere there was someone who might want them. Seriously you will not hurt my feelings if you don't want them...hey, I don't.

So we'll work it this way: if one person wants them...great! If more than one person wants them then I'll draw names and winner takes them. If you only want some of them, that's fine too and maybe we can divey them up!

These were made in the one and only class I ever took...Dresden pinwheels things made from doing the stack and cut method...So here's what I have: 10 completed Dresdens (above) with NO centers...8 1/4" wide from point to point....

And 2 packs of already cut wedges for the same size...10 Dresdens in each pack...for a total of 20 more Dresden circles.
6 smaller Dresdens 7 1/2" from point to point with green centers. They can easily be removed and changed.

Plus 8 pre-cut wedge bundles for 8 more smaller Dresdens.

I've already made 2 quilts with these things and I have no plans for any more, so if you want them they are yours FREE~! Here's how I set mine 4 years ago...see how long these have sat around?? Thanks ladies!

WOW! I'm shocked. I honestly thought nobody would want these guys, so I'm happy to pass them along. So that anyone who comes by knows...I'll leave it open until Friday at noon and then put the names in a hat and have hubby draw out a name. IF the winner doesn't want all of them, I'll go to the second name drawn and see if you want the rest of them.

FINALLY....

2009-03-09T18:36:00.010-04:00

Here's she is...almost all done. The hard parts are done, just have to add the buttons to the lower half but I thought you all deserved a picture. Poor hubby's arm were dying!

Sweet Land of Liberty
59 x 82
pattern by Cheri Payne
everything else by ME!

I used an Aurifil thread, color #1318 that was shared to me a while back by Libby as a fabulous color that blends with everything. It's fantastic and is so easy to use for quilting. I did switch to a light off white for just a few areas. I left the picture really large so if you can't see the whole thing you can go in through flickr and view it all all sorts of sizes by clicking on the picture to the right under Just Completed!

Here's a couple close-ups. I don't worry about every stitch being perfect especially on quilts where I make up the quilting as I go along. I like the birds big goofy wing, and it covered the space!An easy graceful curve done up and down with a wide turn at the end.The checkerboard...it's not necessary to quilt every line.
I wasn't going to quilt the embroidery spaces but they puffed too much and had to be tamed, so I used light and meandered around the words.
The big star has...is it called wine glass? on the points, and meandering.
I loved every minute of doing this quilt and I'm loving the next ABC Quilt Sampler too. Please think about doing yours soon. I know so many of you got the bom kits and I even got a final one today which I didn't know was coming. I know big quilts like this look daunting but if you do them one block at a time, before you know it they are done! I'll finalize the last of the detailed blog posts soon. My arms are very tired after pushing and pulling this thing around so I'm saving the typing for later. Thanks for coming along while I muddled through doing this one!

Loser Monday...again?

2009-03-09T11:04:00.006-04:00

Geez how fast these come up? I gained 1 pound but then the last 5 I lost were probably half water weight so it's not so bad. I'm over beating myself up about anything. Enough. So I promised a good soup recipe...this came from the best cooking blog called The Perfect Pantry. This soup is fantastic! I obviously use vegetable stock and I found a great pasta called Ditalini that works great for this soup.

Pasta E Fagiole

2Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 Carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
Pinch of Kosher salt
Ground pepper to taste
1 Turkish Bay Leaf
4 cups chicken stock ( homemade or low sodium) or vegetable stock
14 oz canned diced tomatoes with their juice
1 tbsp ketchup
15 oz canned cannellini beans
1/2 lb dried spaghetti, broken into pieces 3-4 inches long, or any STUBBY pasta
5 oz bag of baby spinach leaves, remove hard stems.

In stock pot over medium-high heat, melt butter with olive oil. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, salt and pepper to taste and saute until the vegetables are soft. Add the bay leaf, chicken stock, tomatoes and juice, ketchup and canellini beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the pasta and simmer for 10 minutes more stirring occasionally to keep the beans from sticking. Fish out the bay leaf. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add the spinach, and stir to combine. As soon as the spinach wilts, the soup is ready.
(Note: Like many bean soups, this one improves with age. It will be delicious the first day and better on the second.)

I blogged about this soup here and the changes I made. Less pasta and a tad more liquid.

**BTW, I FINISHED the quilt...all done and waiting for a good pair of arms to hold it for a picture** WHOO HOO!!! Post to follow as soon as I have some pictures to post!

quilting machine...

2009-03-05T09:44:00.004-05:00

In case you wondered where I am, I can be found right here...still working on getting "the monster" quilted...as it's now named. Boy is this ever a big heavy quilt. It's all those layers I think. I really need to do some piecing, but that involves switching machines and I'd just as soon finish before doing that, so I'm giving it one more full day of quilting to get it done.

To the right is my faithful companion, who stays right there all day with me to keep me company. Okay let's all cross our fingers and wish for me to finish today!

snow. sewing, and sanity....

2009-03-02T10:03:00.006-05:00

All have returned to the household. Hubby was away at a conference since Friday morning and I hate him being gone. I'm not scared to be alone at all...it's not that. For some reason knowing that I can't get to him easily causes my anxiety to soar and I stay in a constant state of panic attack. It works the same when I' m away somewhere. It's stupid, but it's just what happens. Thanks to those special ladies who held my hand through it...you know who you are! He's safe and sound arriving very late last night after fighting through snow, ice, and rain to finally make it home 3 hours later than planned! Whew! Calming sanity.

On the LOSER front! A side effect to all that anxiety is that I have a nervous stomach and generally lose weight. I've been worried about hubby's company sale so last week when I totally forgot to post I had lost 3 pounds. I begged forgiveness from the Drill Sargent and I think I was forgiven?? Huh? But I knew I better post this Monday. Today, I'm down another 2 lbs from this weekends experience. I wouldn't recommend anxiety as a way to lose weight...seriously, but I'll take the side effects all the same. That's 5 pounds for the 2 weeks!

As, I'm sure you all know it SNOWED on the east coast! We got 3 days of rain first then finally last night it started with the ice and I thought we'd end up with an ice storm. Then everything stopped. When we woke up this morning it was all snow! Not much..maybe an inch. I know I've asked for it...but not while hubby's on the road passing ditched cars...szeesh! See that flooded street in the second picture? The construction guys had to stick one of those giant rolls in front to keep debris from getting into the sewer line. It never drained well before, so of course it doesn't drain at all now!It's all the way up to and COVERING our parking spots. Picture me...10PM, I realize that the water is about to go into hubby's car. I'm in my pj's, so I pull off my bathrobe and pull on my flannel pants, roll them up to my knees and stick on my socks and the oldest pair of tennis shoes I own. I tucked my nightgown into my pants and pulled on the thickest sweater I have, got my gloves and an umbrella and out I go to move his car! I must have looked lovely. I knew my feet would get wet but that was the COLDEST water I've ever felt and it was up to the bottom of my knee caps! Lordy, my feet stung and ached for about a minute. I backed out the car a tiny bit and circled around the empty spaces and moved his car, then trudged back to the door shivering, trying not to slip and fall on my sizable behind. I carried my dripping shoes up the stairs and stuck them right into the garbage!

Now I really admire those gals who love when their husbands leave and they sew for days. I thought that was my plan too. Turns out I can't concentrate on anything. I finally made myself pick one thing and got to work. I finished the second block in Gail Pan's free bom and sewed on the green borders. I'm liking this Christmas CW thing in the fabrics.

Then I got to work getting the next 2 ABC sampler blocks ready for sewing. I marked all the embroidery work to do before I stitch down the applique pieces. I like to do it that way rather than crease the fabrics that never seem to smooth out for me. So M, Q and R are marked and getting sewn while all their applique pieces are pre-turned and ready for sewing. NOP will be next. But first, today I'm doing some more work on the machine quilting of the SLOL quilt.

Hubby's in the den and I can finally relax and concentrate!

quilt show....

2009-02-27T15:34:00.002-05:00

Well, it was good, but not great. Some of the bigger booths were gone this year. The more recognizable ones anyway. My one big negative was that I was so careful to make sure to write down Mary's cell number, so we could meet. Then I promptly left it right on the kitchen counter! Mary, I'm so sorry I missed meeting you! I had the sticky stuck to my money envelope and then took all the money packets out, divided them up between hubby's front pockets like I always do and left the envelope right there. The second miss was taking almost no pictures! I didn't care for the Best in Show quilt. Not my cup of tea, sorry.... but I did get a few.
Loved this one...Karen Kay Buckley won best Traditional.below....sorry for the ghastly picture, a lady moved right as I was shooting and blurred the whole thing.

This was my favorite one and it won Best in Machine Quilting, for some category...the border is about 8" to 10" and INTRICATELY quilted.

Look at the detail in this border...we're talking quarter inch peacock feather designs!!

Besides which it's just a pretty quilt. The Best in Show that I didn't care for was solid yellow, whole cloth, with machine quilting and cut outs with lattice, and quite frankly...sorry to say, looked like a bedspread from JC Penny. Sorry, if it was your quilt, you did an amazing amount of work, but it wasn't my taste, not Best in Show. Once they post the pictures, or if Mary got pictures you can see more.

quilt show loot...

2009-02-27T14:43:00.008-05:00

Now the loot... too many pictures make it tough to do in one post. As I said before I was kinda disappointed this year....and much more selective in what I bought. A big plus was seeing not one but at least 5 booths with REAL wool! Lots of it, but mostly bright odd colors. I bought none of it, LOL! Well 5 small pieces from my favorite booth. I was able to find a big 1 1/2 yard piece of solid black that I needed for backgrounds for a couple projects...yippee!

Here's my whole haul except for a few pieces I forgot that had already been put away. I picked up tons of things I thought were fabulous and then put them down and walked away. I found 4 patterns, a sewing case kit...
I found one guy with loads of the primitive fabrics and homespuns. Some cheddars....Then I got a few FQ's that I wanted like the President pictures. I want to put an Abe Lincoln pic in a CW block. I always pick up background pieces, and 2 yds of that cool cheddar with red flowers. The green FQ bundle in the back is from Pinwheels...6 lovely spring greens.
***By request...that neat cheddar is called Washtub's Santa Claus Lane by Karen Snyder for Andover Fabrics Patt#3305** II guess those could be poinsettias but also pass as just red flowers!!

I had already put up the hoops and wool when I took the first picture. I wanted an 8" Q-snap for embroidery, and bright red and christmas green wool for the letters on the Christmas List quilt blocks. Then I got a smaller 7" hoop and legs that fit the BEST hoop I found last year. This lets me use it separately and with the next smaller hoop. It totally saves my arms !

Now for the BEST find this year. These people were new this year. Cool zippers and purse parts!!The online store at.... QuiltPlus.com has the purse parts, but sadly no zippers. I might email about those. SO here's what I bought... 3 sets of handles, one of those snapping openers(you push and it snaps open and then snaps closed) plus zippers. No ordinary zippers, but the ones I have been trying to find ALL OVER! The ones with cool bronze dangly hangers. I didn't know what sizes I needed so I just bought a selection of ones I liked for purses and mostly sewing cases! Dutch Girl. fish, cherries. Kitty cats....

a heart, sailor girl, more kitties and a tiny purse! I bought a few things, then went back and bought more!The ladies at Pinwheels said they might also start carring the small round bronze beed zippers they found in Japan that came in my sewing bag kit. So that's my stuff. I spent about 2/3rd of what I normally do, but I got exactly what I wanted and everything I had on my list.

geese in the forest...

2009-02-25T18:06:00.003-05:00

today I got working on my new bom Christmas quilt by Anina called Geese in the Forest. I finally got the time to do February blocks. Click here for more information.

Too bad March is right around the corner and there will be more to do soon.

scraps...

2009-02-23T11:53:00.005-05:00

I know I've been missing lately here on the blog, but I've been working on getting the huge SLOL quilt all pinned...and re-pinned. How I hate when that happens, you turn over your quilt and realize you didn't straighten and pull the backing quite tight enough. SO that corner needed to be re-pinned. Now save the stories about the merits of the basting spray, I just really don't care for it on big quilts...well I don't care for it that much at all on any size quilt . To each his own. I don't mind pinning, it just takes time. and I pinned the HECK out of this sucker. But it's all done and ready to start tomorrow.

Before switching machines, I needed to get some swap blocks done before the gals drummed me out of the group! So I sewed this morning and got them finished and put the background together for the next 2 ABC sampler blocks so I can applique them this week. When I was trimming the excess from around the pieces I realized I could share a tip for using the excess scraps of fabric!!

This totally comes from Lucy, who shared all the beautiful quilts she makes out of the smallest little one inch squares. She inspired me to grab a tin and start cutting from even the smallest pieces left from cutting. It's a big tin, but I'm working to fill it up. Above I cut the small dress for the M block and had the pink piece left over. Normally I would have tossed it but nope! Keeping it on the straight of grain I got 3 squares from that piece to add to my tin.

I also got great scrap tips from reading Crazy Mom Quilts scrap saving system and she posted some of the coolest tutorials! I bought fabric sunday for making a few of her fabric storage cubes. I keep loads of scraps for different projects like...mini quilts, Lucy's tulip quilt, a spiderweb scrap quilt, and others. Until now I've used small paper bags, but these fabric cubes are much cuter. Go check out some of these links!

It's DONE!!!!

2009-02-18T11:57:00.003-05:00

Oh I have so many notes to post over at the official how to page, but the top is officially

DONE!!!

I sewed on the final border and seam yesterday afternoon after un-sewing it once! Anyone who works with homespuns knows they stretch. I went merrily along sewing and get to the last 5 inches and I realize I have just under 2 inches hanging past the end??? Un-SEW...and pin the edges and it all sewed fine the second time. Now you know from before that I had no more space on the design wall so I'll just show the bottom border to you.

Six large stars, one small star and three houses make up the lower border. My quilt is finishing at 58 1/2" x 81". Definitely NOT the same measurements as Cheri's pattern called for at 63 x 75". But I got curious and started adding up the dimensions of Cheri's quilts by doing block by block addition and hers doesn't add up at that either! Anyone surprised?? Gotta admit I still love her! By my calculations it would measure 57.5 x 79". I came out just about on the nose because I had to add the 2" spacer bar on one side towards the bottom...without it mine would have been 58.5 x 79!! Just one inch wider. I'm very pleased.

Mine is super long and I almost added either a row of economy blocks to the left side or another row of flying geese. But in the end I'll leave it alone. I'm getting the backing sewn today...my least favorite job of all and then I'm going straight to the pinning and quilting.

Someone asked how I plan to quilt it. At first I thought all over meander, my easiest speciality, but I did that on the Christmas quilt and didn't like how it looked over the wool, so I am going to do this one with custom quilting. First I'll do as much ditch quilting as I can , outlining the blocks, then move into the pieces where needed and cover the appliques with a bit of stiitching here and there to keep them down. I'll make it up as I go along!

fat girls R us club...

2009-02-16T22:06:00.003-05:00

who the heck knew it was already monday again? I got chocolate for Heart day and I loved...yes loved... eating every single piece. Ferraro Roche are my favorite chocolate candies and the plastic boxes are great for storing goodies like thread inside. 27 pieces in 3 days...geez like a starving animal or something. Now they are gone and I can relax again. I swear they called to me all day long!

Didn't even get on the scale this morning since I totally forgot but I'd bet no loss and maybe a gain of a pound or two. I wasn't really trying this week, just eating when I was hungry. I'm not exactly trying very hard, but maybe soon I can get back in the game and work at it.
Hope you all did better than me!

there was clapping....

2009-02-13T06:11:00.000-05:00

I said a silent prayer and held my breath as I laid out the top section over the lower section to see how badly they were going to match/line up. It was sheer luck when they spread out and the edge of the quilt matched PERFECTLY!!!

There was mass clapping!! It's a very big quilt! The one left side section isn't goofed, it's done on purpose. Cheri's quilt had the flying geese switched with the spacer strip as a quirk and I liked it so I left it. I won't do the center seam until after I get the 6" border done for the bottom. SO far...I'm liking it!

another block done..

2009-02-12T11:00:00.001-05:00

Pictures first...I say! Here's the latest block in the ABC Sampler Quilt done...K and L.
I really could see loads of these as little mini quilts on the wall! I'm still a few months behind, but I'm catching up fast. You might notice that I added the big letter K to kite. I never liked that the top had so many large first letters but the bottom didn't, so I'm adding them in here and there as they look right. I tried the L, but didn't care for it so that was stayed as is. Speaking of changes..

I got an email from Buggy Barn today cool things inside including their FINISHED version of the Sweet Land of Liberty quilt! Look closely and you'll see they had to "adjust" a few parts too! Please click over and take a look! They didn't have enough space on the left border for flying geese and adjusted in several places. On the lower left, the flying geese were left off, and the upper left just has smaller bricks along the edge. But...it still looks fabulous!! Remember...adjust the blocks and make the quilt work for YOU!

Yesterday I worked on my SLOL and ALMOST have the top done!! I'm shooting for today, but it might be tomorrow before I get the bottom row of stars and houses done. Fingers crossed!

Now I saw something yesterday that was so neat. No more using a wheelbarrow to move cement!! They now come with motors and giant tough wheels and you ride them!! Check out the builders across from my condo. The maintenance guy needs a big shed and we need our tennis courts open again so they are putting up a big shed. Fine by me since the grass has refused to grow there anyway and we get new sod and landscaping around the building.

I watched them loading concrete for the foundation and was shocked to see a ride along wheelbarrow! What the heck will they think of next!! Seems like a good idea to me!

Loser Monday...

2009-02-09T19:22:00.003-05:00

Oops almost completely forgot~!! I lost ZERO this week but I'm not worried.
It's been a rough week. Here's what I ate today. Found something new at Trader Joe's...pork Carnitas.

2 minutes in the microwave and it's hot. I warmed the LOW carb wheat tortillas on the flat grill on the stove and added enchilada sauce, sour cream, cheese, tomato and greens. They were good but I really only needed two.

more bom's

2009-02-09T11:23:00.001-05:00

I loved reading all the ideas and thoughts behind bom's. It's good to know there really is a good fit for everyone out there! I understand the price thing too. I always try to stick with the less expensive ones...usually below the $200 mark and if it's something I really want to do I just don't add it up! LOL! Seriously though, if I had to buy a FAT 1/8th or FQ or each fabric it would cost me hundreds more to get the variety, so it's not so bad. It's the only vice I have and it makes me happy...or so Hubby tells me every time I worry about the price of quilting!

I got a few more of the blocks done so I thought I'd share. These blocks aren't a formal "block of the month", but I made them into one myself when I decided to do one or two blocks each month so that towards the end of summer I'll have a completed Christmas top!!These are the first two blocks of the Christmas List quilt finished, well...almost finished. The house gets lovely green wording that says..."Take it Home" at the top but I was waiting for my newly ordered wool felt and wool to arrive so I could get them done and sewn on. Who knew I had no suitable Christmas green to use! It arrived today so I'll be sewing tonight!
**The pattern for the Christmas List quilt can be found here at Bearpaws and Hollyhocks quilt shop. I found out about it from Sharon, who led us to Kim. Here's Kim's version. Here's Nancy NO blogs version****

Now to move on to another monthly project! The ABC Quilt Sampler! I got the top section sewn together and all the pieces ready for sewing yesterday. Please open the picture for a better look!! The lower flowers are just pinned on since they fall too close or below the sewing line to sew down right now. I hate having to applique on a larger piece but it can't be helped. they just look better going over the line! I also have the 5 flying geese done that go below the house, but again...they go past the sewing line, so they'll wait. I also have 2009 to trace out for sewing on the left side tonight!

I'll give a more detailed measured explanation of how I did the top section on the ABC Quilt Sampler page soon. Now, I'm off to get the K for KITE block all ready to sew later on! I'm still a few months behind but working to catch up as fast as I can!

gifties.....

2009-02-08T21:39:00.004-05:00

Last week, I got some of the neatest gifts in the mail from a few of my lovely blogging friends so I thought I'd share and tell you what's been up here in my neighborhood. Hubby came home last Wednesday and brought me all sorts of cool packages to my sewing room. I thought it was bom day, but NO!! They were surprises!! First I opened my 2nd place winner package from Kim at Kim's Big Quilting Adventure. I love this pattern and that Johnny Depp is nothing to sneeze at mind you! Thanks Kim!!

Then I looked at the second package, saw the label and was wondering what Mary was sending me? Look what she made me as a late birthday present!! Mary thanks you so much again! It's the perfect size for stuffing some applique into and taking along with me on an errand. I love the fabric and I love that you thought about me! You are so sweet!

I spent the rest of the week preparing things for the big 3 day sew-a-thon I was planning. HA! This weekend went by super fast and I really got none of the sewing done I had planned. 3 whole days and I barely got the machine working. Too many household things to get done around here.
Friday, hubby took off to do a conference call presentation for something he's been working on for months,so I had to keep completely quiet while he did that...and keep the yowlers from getting in the computer room and screeching for attention. Once it was over...about 2 hours...I wanted to hear all about it so that blew that days machine sewing. I did get some hand work finished that I'll show tomorrow.

Saturday was grocery day. We usually hit Walmart for the staples, come back home and unload, then grab the Trader Joe's bags and head out again for all the good stuff. After that was all finished we got down to cleaning!! We had a date with the super sucker and all the cat trees in the house, as well as Noodles favorite spot to sleep under the bed. I think we emptied the Dyson 5 times! But the house is relatively clean for the moment. Then we hit the bathrooms, floors and dust mop! Break time!! How happy was I when the mailman rang the buzzer!! Present for me! I see this address label from Miss RED and I jumped for joy! Surprise again! I opened my box to find this wonderful stiff paper heart box.

I can think of load of things to keep in there, let alone what's inside! Sharon sent me a lovely Valentines Day present! You know how much I love decisions made for me, don't you!! She sent me one of her quilt kits!PLUS a lovely pattern that uses yummy wool that is just too fabulous. You can be sure I'll make this soon too! Crows and sunflowers!! Thanks again my lovely! You are just too kind to me!So finally today I had sewing plans and I was working up a storm when hubby decided today was the day to fix the dripping faucet in the bathroom. It's horrid to replace those little rubber rings and usually we got through 2 packs before we get it right. No luck today...it was a huge mess so I threw on some decent clothes and I hit Lowes. 20 minutes later I was out the door with a NEW faucet. Enough with the old crappy one. Poor hubs laid contorted on his back and I was up top... haha...wash those dirty minds!! 30 minutes and several screaming muscles later the new faucet was in and all replaced... PERFECT! I even got my top section done on the ABC quilt. Some easy applique sewing to do and it's ready for the next few blocks! Till tomorrow!

lets talk about bom's....

2009-02-06T09:39:00.000-05:00

ie...Blocks of the Month, in case anyone doesn't know what bom's stands for in the quilting world. I was thinking about them the other day. I mentioned the two newest ones I'd purchased just the other day and Jeanette commented that she thought I was the Queen of BOM's. I'll take the title! I'm thrilled to be the Queen of anything really...but it made me wonder why I like them so much. I am really loaded down with them for the time being. Normally don't do this many at the same time either, but they all just looked too yummy to pass up. I sat wondering just why I like them so much. I think it has to do with a few things really.

Brownstone...Month One...from Homestead Hearth

...the blocks will be on point...

One, locally we have a very limited selection of fabrics to choose from.... maybe limited isn't the right word. We have a very narrow style of fabric locally. We can get CW's but hardly ever the whole line, tons of batiks, and serious brights. Just recently we've started seeing Kaffe and more modern stuff. Never any homespuns, Brannock and Patek, Thimbleberries, Minnick and Simpson. No primitive, no wool, nothing near those lovelies! Of course I could travel across the water and get some of my absolute favorites...but it's an hour across the tunnel and I don't normally drive that far alone so it's a rare treat.

Four Seasons Stitchery Quilt (last year)....Country Loft
Summer finished and fall bird completed, just a bit behind....I'm almost done!

Two, unless I became a millionaire!... It's simply too much to buy all those lines. Even FQ's! But in the packages I get all sorts of pieces I've never seen. Most places give you generous amounts so I always have scraps left over and if I don't care for something, I switch it out easily.

Three, the fabric decision are made for me! Changing out takes only a few minutes but the main selections are done. I took one hour today looking for a background and house fabric for ONE BLOCK! I can never make up my mind!

Libby mentioned that she often lost interest by the end and lots of people do. But to me every month, I get a fabulous surprise in the mail and I get so excited to open the package and go through each piece. I read the instructions, match the fabrics and I get excited all over again! I want to rip it open and do it right on the spot! That has never deflated my interest.

If I have any flaws in the progress I'd have to admit that towards the end when all the packages stop...I have trouble keeping the interest and progress going for the big finish. Poor Tumbler quilt is still waiting to be assembled. That's my only bom flaw. But I can live with that one. So I'll keep adding to the list but only as I get another finished. Truly...I have reached my limit this time, including the ones I have comprised myself out of projects waiting to be done.

Now I think I'll open a page to list them all in a separately so I can keep good track of them as they get completed month by month, those which are waiting and those accomplished.

New geese...

2009-02-03T11:38:00.003-05:00

Check this out...a new FREE bom! Over on the sidebar is Anina's Geese in the Forest bom. A lovely crisp quilt with wonderful Christmas colors. NO, I'm not doing it now, but maybe before the end of the year. Check out her blog for the details, or click on the button to find out about project.

Be sure to read the post, as this won't be available for FREE forever. Once the month is over, a new block comes out and you will be able to purchase the previous pattern for a small fee.

Hubby will love this one...he LOVES graphic quilts!

Loser Monday...week 4

2009-02-02T11:51:00.005-05:00

Well after a month on the Loser diet of my choice I'm sorry I didn't lose the 10 to 15 pounds I was hoping for, but then I didn't exactly do a huge amount of effort either. I cut back and stayed away from some of the really bad stuff, but I could have done more. However I am VERY HAPPY to report that I LOST 0 pounds this week! Seriously, I did some bad eating this week. I needed a chick-fila one day and also I ate ...yes I did...ATE a small waffle fry. OH yes I did!... and it was good. I also ate about 5 spoonfuls of peanut butter cup ice cream yesterday. SO the fact that I lost nothing looks pretty good right now. I'll get back on track this week.

Before I share a nice salad recipe, I want to thank everyone for letting me know they were still either IN or Out of the Diet Losers list. Most of you are still plugging away and that's great. If you can't do it at the moment it's still great.

SO this recipe isn't all that light, but it's easy to make and really easy to keep in the fridge and grab a quick bowl when you don't want to cook and need something easy so you don't reach for the super fattening fast food. We eat bowls of this for dinner with nothing else.

Tomato Spinach Spirals......click link for picture.
*****************************
1 pkge (8oz) spiral pasta
1 pkge (10oz) frozen creamed spinach
1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes, UN-drained
3TBspns grated Romano cheese, divided
3 TBspns grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, prepare spinach according to package directions. Drain pasta; place in a bowl. Add the spinach, tomatoes, 2 Tbspns of Romano and 2 Tbspns of Parmesan cheese and salt. Toss. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

NOW...my tips and directions!! I aways cook the whole box of spirals and I put in 2 cans of tomatoes...make SURE to drain them. I open the creamed spinach package and cut a slit on the back and stick it in the microwave to defrost and heat it up. I do this slowly, just until it's warm enough to scoop out the creamed spinach. I don't want it super warm since I'm gonna cool the whole thing anyway. I also don't add the whole thing, I add spoons at a time until I like the consistency of the pasta. THIS is your mayo substitute so it needs to be CREAMED spinach.
I also buy the Parmesan/Romano blend of cheese and I put the whole thing in at the beginning. I stick it in a huge tupperware container in the fridge and stir it ever hour or so to cool it down. THIS IS A DRY SORT OF PASTA. Not gloopy like mayo based ones, but more towards dry. I know it has spinach but seriously you really can't tell and the creamed part of it gets incorporated into the pasta and it's not slippery or wet at all, especially with all that cheese! I hope you try it out!

Finally...2009 finishes!

2009-01-31T13:38:00.003-05:00

I'm done with the Valentine/February quilts! I think. Why is it that we always end up trying to get things finished right before the holiday? I decided I'm starting the Christmas quilts next week! lol! Seriously, I am!

SO here are the big guys...

Hugs and Kisses
53" x 53"

It's from a very old pattern by Cheri Saffiote Payne, like 1997 or so, when she was with Indygo Junction. Don't know where to find it now, although someone found one through ebay! It's not rocket science to make the blocks either..just a center and 4 rounds. I used muslin for the letters and circles, which are muslin circles with red circles on top. Very quirky circles too!

Folksy Hearts
29 x 43

Cheri again, I finished this a few months ago and wanted to hand quilt, but the arm just wouldn't cooperate, so I did a free motion baptist fan pattern using 8 concentric card stock arc patterns. It takes a long time and a steady hand. Not again until I have a longarm and the quilting template! This pattern I'm sure you can get either through Country Loft (who still has this in their pattern section) or Fat Quarters Quilt Shop...email or call Michelle and I'm sure she can help you out.

Now I need to do some serious work on all my bom's! I have a few new ones waiting for me to complete Month One. A couple waiting for me to catch up, and two that need to be finished. I'll make a big list soon so you can follow along. Back to the machine!

Not a bad finish...

2009-01-30T18:21:00.001-05:00

Got it done including the machine sewn binding. I am finding that easier in these smaller quilts. Zip right around and ready to go!

just a quickie quilt....

2009-01-30T15:21:00.003-05:00

Monday afternoon the UPS man came and delivered a surprise. I signed up for Jan Patek's Mini quilt club and we got our first kit in late December, so I didn't expect another so soon. There are only 6 or 7 in the whole year, so I figured every other month. But, I opened the box and out popped the mini kit for a sweet little valentine quilt.

Yesterday I started cutting the pieces and prepared the applique hearts, sewing as much as I could before starting the applique. This morning, I finished up the applique and got to putting the top together. Simple as pie. It's supposed to be a bit larger, but they didn't give us enough light background to cut all the block without piecing some so I went smaller and as a result left off the wording that went around the inside heart. It's cute and will go with the others for the holiday.

Now to pin it and do some simple cross hatching. I'm almost finished sewing the binding down for Folksy hearts and the other February quilt, so I'll have plenty to show later this weekend!

Cheri fans, heads up!

2009-01-27T10:50:00.004-05:00

Betty aka Fudge left me a message that one of our fellow bloggers named Julie Isa had posted pictures of a great big Cheri Saffiote Trunk show was currently going on at Fat Quarters Quilt Shop. Now I do love me some Cheri...as you are all aware, so I tootled right over and begun drooling! I have almost all her books, so I've seen pictures but the quilts in person looked wonderful!! Who knows, but I might need to email Michelle and get the last couple books to round out the collection. WOW, that shop is great. Michelle has gotten Cheri patterns for me before and couldn't me nicer to deal with long distance. I think this is where Libby gets those cute bundles of homespuns!! Right?? YUM!! Wish I lived closer.

Speaking of California....Looky what came from the Country Loft yesterday! My 2 new Blocks of the Month. I signed up for the new stitchery Baskets of Life from JoAnn Mullaly and the Deck the Halls wreaths from Donna Yackey. I also went ahead and purchased the thread packet for the stitchery. You can do them in anything, but don't you just swoon over those variegated Valdani threads?? Okay so maybe it's just me.

Well the big quilt is done and needs to be trimmed and binding sewn on, it's slow, but making progress...sometimes life just creeps up and demands some attention!! Now after doing a test run on freemotion MACHINE baptist fans, I'm all ready to do it on the smaller Folksy Hearts quilt this morning. Back to sewing!!