No Time For Me

Baby Shower

2010-06-15T04:23:00.000-05:00

The Baby Shower for my daughter in law was a huge success. 40 people came. Baby Tucker got lots of goodies. I noticed she got a few gift certificates, so anything she didn't get, she can buy.
She loved the quilt I made, said it matched the babies room perfectly.
My middle child is an amazing scrapping person -- she did a beautiful album for the baby. Will take him through his first year - holidays, first steps, etc. and then some. Each page in the book is decorated perfectly and all they have to do is add the pictures. Even Grandparents and Aunties have their own page.
Here are a few pics from the shower. My son came back to get her before she was done opening presents -- he helped with the last ones. How funny, he is a good sport - held presents up, announcing who it was from.

One of his sister in laws gave him a " Daddy Tool Belt " Too funny. Was filled with baby products- lotion,baby wipes- and some stuff for Daddy- ear plugs, Advil, hand cleaner

Dog hat

2010-06-09T05:06:00.000-05:00

This is NOT my dog Molly, but it could pass for Molly, she looks exactly like this.
I saw this hat pattern on Etsy, and wondered if my Mom ( who crochets ) would make this for Molly if I bought the pattern.
My husband says no way you are putting that on our dog. I think its cute, but I think he is right, it doesn't serve a purpose for the dog, only amuses humans :) The dog actually looks a little embarrassed.

A New Chapter

2010-06-01T07:33:00.000-05:00

Our youngest daughter got her Masters Degree in Physical Therapy and has recently taken a job for a " traveling " physical therapy company. Apparently there is a need for PT's all over - she will have a new assignment every 3 months - She picks where she wants to go, which state, and they set her up in a furnished apartment. When the assignment is over, she picks a different state ( if she wants ) and off she goes.
Very good money and benefits. Gets to see the country, gets lots of experience in different facilities. Draw back -- being the " new guy " at work every 3 months, not knowing anyone.
Her first assignment was close to home, so she was able to keep her apartment.
Her new assignment is in Spartanburg, SC. She is leaving at the end of this week -- very exciting for her and scary, too.

She just bought a new car last week -- My husband took this picture of her right after she picked it up ! She is a ham for sure :)

Baby Shower coming up and Puppy Quilt almost done !

2010-05-31T07:36:00.000-05:00

My daughter in laws baby shower is coming up soon. June 13th.
Our big gift will be the crib she picked out and registered for on the Baby's R Us site. And of course Grammy had to make a quilt.
The bedding they picked was actually discontinued at Target and they were able to find it on Ebay.
Here is a picture of the bedding from the " Banana Fish " site.

I, at first, didn't realize that the theme was " puppies " I only saw the blacks, browns, tans. I bought a quilt kit from " Quilt Taffy " It is browns, blacks, with bright orange, blues, trucks, cars, etc. I will make that quilt for him for one of his xmas presents.

But for the shower I wanted this quilt from Grammy to match his bedroom perfectly. :) I think it will be a really good match. I stippled it and just need to put the binding on. The binding will be a paw print, that goes with the main print.-- Main print is also on the back.

I have bunches of scraps left over, maybe a wall hanging to go with it.

Christmas in May ?

2010-05-08T16:54:00.000-05:00

Always a new project on the horizon. I had a few New Years Resolutions this year -- use up some of the fabric I have, try to sew more ( every day if possible -- an hour ) and make myself some quilts.
I have had this xmas fabric for a couple of years... I love it. It's a Woodsy theme. And since we live in a log home this will work perfectly.

This is only one of the Santa's in the fabric. Others have snowshoes and other woodsy things.
I have bought a couple of reds and greens and a creamy, kind of tan background.

I am thinking the Cindy Lou Who, Schnibbles pattern... Maybe use the Santa as a large border ... still in the planning stages. I would hate to use the Santa as the backing only... seems like it needs to show off. What is it with me and the large showoffish prints....

For now this quilt will have to wait until I get a table runner done...has to be done this week for a gift.
I need to get the Puppy quilt done for the littlest Murphy. His shower is June 13th.

Civil War Borders and Puppie quilt fabric

2010-05-06T04:56:00.000-05:00

I added very large ( wide ) borders to my Civil War quilt. I loved the fabric as soon as I saw it. I think I picked the Civil War fabrics around this print. It needed to do some showing off. I think I will stipple this quilt and it will live in my living room.

I got the rest of the Puppie quilt fabric for my little grandson's quilt. Better get going on it. The shower is in about a month. I didn't take a great picture of it...trust me, it'll work. :)
The paw print will either be a very narrow border or binding.

Amelia's quilt

2010-05-01T09:36:00.000-05:00

Baby Amelia was born on New Years Eve, 2009. She is the grandaughter of a very special friend. I had made a quilt for her grandson when he was born and hadn't made one for Amelia. Recently I bought a pattern called

" Vintage Baby Quilt " -- this seemed like the perfect project.
You layer the backing ( I used flannel ) batting, a layer of muslin -- add squares and quilt through all layers. Once you add the binding, you are done. Easy.

I hope Amelia's parents like it. It's kinda of " shabby chic " looking to me. My daughter liked and it. My husbands words were, it looks old. I think thats a compliment. :)
We are going to visit my friend in 2 weeks, so this quilt will get packed in my suitcase.

Change in Plans

2010-04-09T04:42:00.000-05:00

I jumped to conclusions when I assumed that the
" Car, Truck " motif was going to match perfectly in the baby's room. It does match as far as the Brown and Black -- I should have waited to see it in person.
In the picture that I saw I didn't see the "PUPPIES".
So, this fabric at the right is what I found that WILL match the room and bedding perfectly.
I want this first quilt for Tucker to match his room in every way. :)
I found this at the Fat Quarter Shop. If my local quilt store doesn't have it, I'll order it. And I can get all the coordinates locally. There are some very cute paw prints.
I picked out the pattern I will use..Its called " Just Can't Cut It " A very simple easy pattern.
So our little guy will have 3 quilts from Gramma, already.

The Perfect Quilt

2010-03-27T07:24:00.000-05:00

My son and daughter in law picked their baby's bedding and I got to see a picture of it a couple days ago.
They picked a set that is browns, tans, white, black plaid. Seems very guyish, not cutsie baby, something he can actually live with awhile without growing out of it.
I have been waiting ~~patiently~~ impatiently :) to see it --wanted to pick fabric and a pattern to make the little guy a quilt to match.
I was checking out quilters blogs and came across Quilt Taffy's blog and saw the perfect quilt and pattern. Its got the browns, blacks, and few brights that really make it pop. She sells kits and I jumped at the chance to order it. I am so excited to get it and start.

Quilt Taffy was great to deal with -- I goofed and didn't order the backing, I thought I had. Very quick response, very helpful. I have no doubt that the pattern and fabric will be great !

Don't ya just LOVE it ? I hope my son and daughter in law love it, too. And of course, Tucker Shayne :)

Progress--

2010-03-23T05:24:00.003-05:00

The top is done to my civil war quilt. I like how it turned out. -- Except now in this picture I am noticing at the top, that blue and cream block jumping out at me...hmmm, didn't notice that before. :(
I now need to add an inner border - nothing in my stash will work - a quick trip to the fabric store is in my future. Then a large border of a great fabric I picked in the beginning of this project.The " dog and cat " quilt is done for the baby, I now just need to hand stitch the binding.
Next project will be a quilt for " baby Tucker " to match his bedding. Have to still pick a pattern and fabric. ( the fun part )

Civil War blocks and Baby quilt

2010-03-13T09:44:00.004-05:00

I have finally gotten the 20 blocks needed for my living room quilt, finished. I hope to get them put together soon and maybe send it out to be machine quilted. I really only know how to stipple on the machine, and thought maybe I might like something different this time.

I also finished the " dog and cat " quilt for our first grandchild. I started this quilt as soon as I knew our daughter in law Becki was pregnant.

I used Bento Box pattern-- I have used this pattern so many times for a baby quilt-- I highly recommend it. I think the " Paw " backing is great.

We just found out that its a BOY ! He is due late July ! VERY EXCITING !
Now that I know its a boy, I am waiting for her to let me know colors, theme, for the baby's room -- I will make a very special quilt for our little guy to match his room and bedding.

Welcome to "The DIY Dish!" (WIN a Sewing or Embroidery Machine!)

2010-02-06T08:29:00.001-05:00

Welcome to "The DIY Dish!" (WIN a Sewing or Embroidery Machine!)
I just signed up for a free newsletter of DIY DISH. Seems like a cute series.
Who knows maybe I might win a new sewing machine... I would be happy with either, but the Embroidery Machine sounds very exciting to have. Crossing my fingers.

Civil War blocks

2010-01-28T05:45:00.005-05:00

Oh how I love these fabrics. I am only done with a few blocks, but I LOVE this project. Each block is different. Very scrappy. My favorite look.
I am planning on making 20 blocks and should be a good size back of the couch quilt or on the wall. I think on the wall will be nice.
Not the best picture. Tried to just use natural sunlight. I am not a photographer :)

Youngest daughter finished a baby quilt for a friend. She used the Bento Box or is it Bento Block pattern. Cute. I'm sure it was a hit.
Love the little turtles.

New Projects

2010-01-02T14:10:00.003-05:00

This year -- 2010 -- I plan to try to make quilts for me. I'm off to a good start I cut all the strips for my newest quilt.

I got the pattern at a local quilt store -- pattern is called Quilters Choice -- I am using lots of Civil War reproductions for this one, and hope to display it in the living room. ( sorry, bad picture )
I got all strips cut for 20 blocks. The finished quilt is 48" x 58" I hung the strip sets on an old fashioned drying rack, next to the washer and dryer. They look kinda cool hanging there.

A Wonderful Christmas

2009-12-31T05:14:00.005-05:00

We had a wonderful xmas. Have to say, glad that is over...all the prep gets me a little stressed..
We got some wonderful gifts.

Here is my sweetie with is new knit cap on...

and here is a cool sign that one of our daughters bought us.. I think we will hang it outside above the front door.

I got this beautiful wallhanging from my mom... she made one for herself this past year, but I didn't know she was making 2.

The blocks are only 6 inches.. she did a great job.
Its an Eleanor Burns pattern, called Underground Railroad.
Love it.
In the right hand corner is a block that has a brief description of each block and how its tied into the story of the Underground Railroad.

Last but not least our son and his beautiful wife gave us the greatest news...They are expecting their first baby. Late July.
This will be our first grandchild, I can't tell you how thrilled we are ! They are a great couple and will be the BEST parents.

This is the best picture I got of them on Xmas eve...my son looks a little silly.... but I still like it...

Getting there !

2009-12-13T07:49:00.003-05:00

I am still sewing up a storm...stayed in my sweat pants all day yesterday and tried to make progress.
This wall hanging is for one of my very best friends in the world. She and her hubby just moved into a new house. I hope she likes it.
The pattern said to use invisible thread to zig zag over all of the pieces, but I chose to use thread that matched each one. I'm not wild about the invisible thread. The pattern is called " Santa Rides " I got the kit from Keepsake quilting back in the summer, with my friend in mind.
Its wrapped and ready to go. I will get it in the mail tomorrow and hopefully makes it by mid week.

I layered my youngest daughters wall hanging, top-batting-backing. Now I'll machine quilt it. I'll just do a basic stipple in the green parts and thought I might go around the spikey parts with straight stitching, I'm not so good at stitch in the ditch...so maybe 1/4 inch away... decisions, decisions. How I wish I had a long arm quilting machine. Now that would make the quilting easier and not so stressful. Its too late in the game to have someone else do the quilting as I'm sure they are all very busy now. Plus with my husband still unemployed I don't need to spend any $

Xmas stress

2009-12-11T05:21:00.003-05:00

This really is the most stressful time of year for me and its usually a combination of things...
I did not decide or start soon enough on xmas sewing projects.
I keep adding projects because I keep thinking of new things.
I don't want anybody to feel left out, so if I handmade something for so and so, I need to make something for the other so and so...
I guess its the same for lots of people.
I haven't even made any cookies yet. I may have to cross the cut out cookies from my list and atleast do chocolate chip cookies and others that are quicker to prepare. Then I feel guilty, taking the easy way out.. See, I am doing this to myself.
Here is the photo that I am using as our xmas card this year. I went to the on line CVS Pharmacy site and created photo cards, easy right ? Then I can pick them up tonight after work. Well, when I created the card I cropped it so it looks a little more pleasing...now I am worried that its going to be blurry and I cropped it too much. Do you see a pattern here ? :) I am my own worst enemy.
This weekend will be ALL sewing and maybe some cookie dough made...
I do love xmas !

Handmade Xmas

2009-12-01T07:55:00.009-05:00

My husband has been laid off since June. We are doing OK and I'm sure he will find something, just not what we expected to be going through in our 50's.
I always have a Xmas club and I am so thankful for that, the money is taken before I have it in my hands and I don't miss it.
Due to our current $ situation, I will not be able to go "over" on what I plan to spend.. which actually is a good thing, I am choosing more wisely. So, in addition to the store bought gifts, I am trying to make everyone on my list some handmade gifts.
I am sewing gifts from my stash of fabric and only buying what I have to, in order to finish projects.
I am on vacation for a week and have 2 goals :
Get the house decorated, done.
And now spend the rest of the week sewing.
I have been making some progress.

Here are blocks I made for a wallhanging for our youngest daughter. It matches the quilt I made for her when she graduated Grad school in May. I only had to buy the green for the background. The rest was scraps from her quilt.

This is a wallhanging for my middle kid, made from scraps ( the black print ) from the quilt I made her for her birthday last year. I bought the asian themed panel for $ 4.00. Her quilt is " bento blocks " in an asian theme.

A table cloth made for my daughter in law. I used a charm pack, Mary Englebright (sp?) Its a xmas collection, sorry can't remember the name. I bought the plaid border and backed it with a xmas print I had on hand.
Last but not least, some napkins for my daughter in law and son, from my stash. My daughter in law liked how I was going "green" and had recently made my own napkins. I plan to make some more but these are the only ones done for todays "photo shoot"

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T06:54:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago we went to the annual Pumpkin Festival in Keene NH.
I have never seen so many pumpkins in one place.
We had a great day. Son and his wife, his in-laws, and our daughter went. We were minus our youngest as she is still doing her internship in NC.

Son and his wife Becki. Such a sweet couple. I am partial of course

Daughter # 1 found out where to get the pumpkin hat that lots of people were wearing.

Last but not least, here I am in my Halloween costume for work. I got rave reviews. For some reason, when I would talk to co-workers about work related stuff, they would laugh. I guess its hard to take a vampire seriously. :)

Finishing Old and Starting New

2009-10-13T04:19:00.004-05:00

The last time I posted, I showed some cheater panels that I had never finished. Well, I am happy to say, I have maching quilted and did the binding. Feels good to have some finishes.
Our girl kitty, Dyna approves of the machine quilting I think.

And starting new.....

My Mom and 2 of my friends went on a " field trip " this past Sunday to a great quilt shop that was discovered a few months ago. I had never been. Wow, what a treat.
They specialize in the Civil war reproduction look...LOVE IT.
Here is what I bought. I am in love. Are these not the greatest .
The Red with the large print is going to be borders. I had to have it. Hopefully have enough, bought 2 yards. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it !

I am going to do a " Puss in the Corner " type block. Scrappy look. I didn't get a picture of the pattern but trust me, it will be great with the fabrics. The store had a sample quilt made with these fabrics. One look, and I knew I had to do the same.

I am just a tiny bit excited about this project. :) And the best part is its for me, me, me.

I will have to put it off for a bit, as I want to finish (and start) some xmas projects I have in mind for gifts.

Free

2009-10-01T06:46:00.003-05:00

Last week I was surfing around the internet and came across this website
http://missouriquiltco.com/shop/
Its a great place, lots to look at. Everyday they have a "deal of the day".
Well this day I happened to look, they had a "charm pack" free and all you paid was $5 for shipping and handling. Here is my just arrived charm pack.
Sorry, I should have fanned them out for you to see, but trust me, they are great. Very cheery.

I just found a giveaway on another blog, check it out. Drawing is Oct 7.

http://mountainhomequilts.blogspot.com/2009/09/giveaway-time.html

Halloween cheaters

2009-09-27T15:43:00.005-05:00

I bought this "cheater panel" a couple of years ago. I finally pinned it together and hope to get some machine quilting done on it. Not sure where I will hang it, but I love the old fashioned look.

I dug out another Halloween unfinished project-- it too is a cheater of sorts.-- Bought a fat quarter of this great halloween fabric and just put a border on it. Today I stippled it, nothing fancy. I attached a binding and now just need to hand sew it into place.-- I think it will find a home on the coffee table.

New York Beauty

2009-09-03T17:47:00.002-05:00

I've been wanting to try paper piecing and have always admired " New York Beauty " block.
A friend of mine gave me a paper piecing lesson and I started some blocks.
I have only done the spike part of the block but love it. I used batiks that were left over from my daughters quilt, boy there was alot left over from that. I am on my 3rd project from all of those batiks.

Time to Sew

2009-08-23T18:25:00.002-05:00

I need to get back into daily sewing.
I check other quilters blogs every morning while I am having my coffee, but for some reason I have lost my momentum. Not sure why, I have loved sewing since I was 13 years old, but just can't seem to add it back into my day.
My big boy kitty, and sewing partner reminded me the other day -- I need to save some time everyday for me and quilting/sewing.
Could this REALLY be comfortable ?

This and That

2009-08-22T08:01:00.004-05:00

Youngest Daughter has been working on a Table Topper for a friend-- she came to our house to work on it. I took it from her for a quick photo shoot.
She wanted to machine quilt it. Since she'd never machine quilted before so she decided to do a simple grid. Great job.
I need to get back to sewing daily . My 1 hour a day, no matter what, didn't last long. :)

I've been decorating my Sewing / Laundry room with 30's and 40's stuff.
My parents gave me an old wringer washer that had been on their porch ( as a decoration ) Not sure where they got it but offered it to me. I love it. For awhile, I used it as a hamper in here, but it was really not big enough. I am now storing fabric in it. It's full to the top with xmas fabric.

The lid is a little banged up, but adds to the charm. The quilt laying over the wringer is a wall hanging my mom made for me, I just haven't hung it yet.
The quilt on the rack in the back is a quilt that my grandmother gave me about 20 years ago, before she passed away. She told me she got it at a church sale back in the 50's. Its a little fragile, so I hang it there to admire.

No quilting lately

2009-07-31T18:22:00.002-05:00

No quilting to report here. My hubby has been working on the metal chairs that I had previously posted about. Here are some pictures of the finished chairs. I absolutely LOVE them. They do not necessarily go with my log home decor, but I love them none the less. I think I am an eclectic kind of gal. :) Aren't they cool ?

Molly learns to swim

2009-07-24T07:50:00.005-05:00

She is a water dog, after all.
I feel bad that I have never given her much opportunity to swim. But last Sunday, when she had her " play date " with her other golden retreiver friends, she actually was brave enough to follow the others into the water. How exciting -- the other owners were very excited, too. We were all cheering-- " Good Girl, Molly " Only a dog lover would get how exciting this was !
Hubby did not go with us and I could tell a little disappointed that he didn't see it in person. I took a 30 second video with my phone and he was very proud of his girl !

I'm Ashamed

2009-07-17T19:16:00.003-05:00

Its been 2 months since I have posted.
How do I expect to get a following if I don't post regularly.
I can see on my blog that I have 2 "followers" , thank you followers.

I don't have a good excuse.

I've just uploaded some pics and will try to keep posting at a more steady pace.

I recently made a baby doll quilt-- from some scrap blocks that a friend of mine was going to throw away-- yes, I said, THROW AWAY... EEEEK.
There will be none of that, so I scoffed them up and promptly made a little dolly quilt. Still need to quilt and bind it.

I have a binding pinned on to a small wall quilt I made earlier this year. Probably should put it in my xmas gift box.

Sewing together some of the extra batik blocks from Jenny's graduation quilt. This will be a wall hanging for a friend at work who gave me some really cool vintage lawn furniture that was at her grandfathers house...She would not take $$.
I'm making her the wallhanging as a thank you. She loved Jenny's quilt and I think the wallhanging will be great somewhere in her house.

My dear husband has been sanding the "new" lawn furniture and these are some before pics.
He has put Primer on some pieces and I will definately post some after pictures when they are done.

Graduation Day

2009-05-21T04:54:00.006-05:00

Our youngest daughter graduated on May 17th with her Masters in Physical Therapy.
This first picture is of her with proud brother and sister.
Great looking kids. :)

2nd picture is our son and daughter in law.

She loved the quilt. I knew she would :) I laughed because the first thing she said was, " How could I have NOT known you were making me a quilt ? "
It was a great day.

My husband and I took everyone to dinner after the graduation.
The last is a picture of all of us.
Good memories.

Batik Quilt

2009-05-16T11:39:00.004-05:00

Finished the quilt in the nick of time.
I hung it on the clothesline for a photo shoot. Had to put it in the dryer for a few minutes to get all the dog/kitty hair off.
There are some puckers here and there that I am not happy about, but all in all I really like how it turned out. And I hope my daughter will love it.
She is graduating this weekend with her Master's in Physical Therapy. She technically will get her diploma in December. We couldn't be prouder of her.
She will be leaving for Kansas on the 27th for one of her internships. Very exciting !

Making Progress

2009-04-25T07:06:00.003-05:00

I am making progress on the Batik quilt.
I hope my daughter likes it-- I do think she will-- It reminds me of her. I bought the backing and fabric for setting triangles. The dark blue batik is the for setting triangles and a border. I want it to look like the blocks are floating on top.
And I love the backing-- the green and blue print.
Need to get busy with this, I have a month to get it done.

Fat Quarter giveaway

2009-04-14T04:12:00.001-05:00

A very generous lady at http://www.pigtalesandquilts.com/ is having a give away -- 30 fat quarters-- woo hoo. I usually try to sign up for giveaways and haven't ever won any. Part of entering is posting about it on your own blog. So now I will sit patiently and wait... :)

Going Green !

2009-04-08T04:53:00.002-05:00

I have been wanting to make cloth napkins for quite awhile... I finally made some. With some help from my friend Tish, we got my serger at just the right settings and the rest is history. I made a bunch of xmas ones, some everyday napkins and now I'm about to make some Easter napkins. This is a GREAT way to use up some stash and go Green at the same time.

MagMyPic

2009-04-04T14:36:00.001-05:00

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Spring is coming

2009-03-28T07:22:00.002-05:00

Feels like its been a very long winter here. I'm sure many people feel the same all over the country. This is my view from my sewing table. Notice the stained glass hanging in the window..my friend made it for me. Love it. I think of her often.
I'm starting to see buds on the lilac bush...I also see all the work I need to/want to do outside.

.

Progress

2009-03-28T07:10:00.002-05:00

I am making progress on the batik quilt. Had to buy more fat quarters. I think I'll have enough now. I have 20 blocks done and I think I need about 20 more. I'm going to put it together " on point " so I'll still need to calculate and buy the fabric for the corner triangles.

Collecting Fabric

2009-03-03T05:06:00.004-05:00

I added to my stash last week.
I am collecting Batiks for a quilt and found some really cool Brights--I've started cutting them out now. I am terrible at doing all the math and figuring out exactly how much and how many fabrics, etc. I just fly by the seat of my pants usually, start cutting, sewing blocks and then I get an idea of how much more I need. Probably not a good thing.
I also found some really cute " Birthday" fabric. Its very sweet. It was only sold in a pack of fat quarters, no yardage to be found. I would like to find more of the birthday cake fabric. I think a birthday wallhanging or runner might be nice.

Blogging

2009-02-14T08:00:00.004-05:00

I am trying to update my blog more often. This morning I don't have any new quilting/sewing to share. But thought I would add some favorite furry kid shots.
I think the animal lovers will like them.
My favorite blogs are the ones that have lots of pictures and I try to do the same. I NEVER post without a picture to share.
I added a couple more of my favorite blogs I visit, on the side bar. I find myself checking each one a few times a week, while I have my coffee in the morning. I am always inspired by the new projects I see. Sometimes envious. There aren't enough hours in the day. I want to do it all.

Batik Quilt

2009-02-13T18:34:00.002-05:00

I am planning a new quilt-- I started collecting Batiks and was uncertain on the pattern..first I thought maybe a Kaffee Fassett pattern from a book I recently bought. A couple of days ago, I came across this pattern that I bought quite awhile ago. I think it fits the bill. Love it.

This one will be for my youngest daughter -- She has been working very hard, getting her Masters Degree in Physical Therapy. She is in her last semester ( of class room studies ) and will be doing 2 internships, starting in May. She has decided she would like to leave the area for the internships..I am going to try to get this quilt done before she leaves in May. Something to take with her.
Like my older daughter- from a previous post- its time for a new quilt. She also hasn't had a quilt since graduating from High School.

Little projects

2009-02-12T05:51:00.005-05:00

Here are my latest little projects.
Sometimes I am inspired by other peoples projects and have good intentions of trying things I see on the internet. Usually I bookmark it and never do it. Well, I am proud of myself. 2 things I saw and have actually done.
The first was a small wall quilt/doll quilt called "confetti" that I saw here :

http://www.ladyharvatine.com/2007/05/in-true-spirit-of-whiplash.html

And then there is the January Block of the Month here :

http://www.forevergreenquilts.com/free-quilt-block-patterns-BOM2009.html

The February block will be ready on the 15th of this month I believe and I am ready. :)

I totally lost interest in the block a day that I tried to do. I really should keep going. I only finished up to Jan. 10th.

OK, I have one more picture to share here. This is one of my sewing buddies. My big boy kitty, is he not the sweetest looking guy ?

Lots to share---

2009-01-24T08:34:00.005-05:00

The holidays are over and I did get alot of sewing/quilting done.
My daughters Bday is 12/26 and I finished the quilt for her. I hadn't made her a quilt since she graduated from high school. That was 12 years ago.
She has since graduated from college and is off on her own. I figured it was time for another one. This is Bento box or is it Bento Blocks, anyways I used mostly asian themed fabric. My daughter in law took the picture of the Birthday girl and I holding the quilt.

One of the gifts I received this year from a sewing buddy was " Quilters Block a Day " calendar. I had the brilliant idea that I would make a block a day and end up with 365 blocks at the end of 2009. Well, it sounds good...that is, if I didn't work a 40 hour a week job and many other distractions. If I could have gotten ahead of it before the new year, that would have been good.
Today is 1/24 and I have only done up to 1/10. I am discouraged already. I guess I will keep going and see how many I can get done anyways. Here are some pictures of 4 of them.

I have been sewing every day and that feels good. I have tons of ideas going around in my head. -- One of the things I want to do is make some cloth napkins. I am trying to "go green" in any way I can. A good way to use up the stash, too.

I LOVE Christmas

2008-12-19T06:20:00.005-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite xmas decorations this year. Both are actually from my mother in law who passed away this past year.

This HUGE wooden bowl which I love--this was hers and I started with a few old gold ornaments that were also hers. I added more ornaments and I love the look.

Next are these old metal skaters. I remember seeing these displayed at my mother in laws and always admired them. When I look at these I think of her.

I have been finishing up my xmas sewing.

The quilt for my best friend in the world is FINALLY in the mail...that is a good feeling.

This fish wallhanging is finished. Its for a man that I work with, who is a fisherman. I ordered a really cool quilthanger for it but it didn't come in yet. :( But since he is going on vacation after today and will not be back before xmas I will go ahead and give it to him.

I still need to finish the quilt for my daughter's birthday..the day after xmas...eeek. But since she has to work on her birthday--she lives 2 hours away--we are going to celebrate on Jan 2nd. That gives me more time, thank goodness.

Speaking of that daughter---she really isn't much into sewing--let me rephrase that--she is not into sewing at ALL. LOL. She wanted to make a baby quilt for her best friends new baby, so we pulled together a few things I had and she bought a batting and backing. I pinned and ironed for her and gave guidance where needed. I really let her do what she wanted and tried not to have TOO much of an opinion. :) She did a great job and was so very proud of herself. Here is a picture of her and her finished product.

Sewing Sunday Christmas Edition

2008-12-02T06:01:00.003-05:00

Some of my friends and my mom and I have been getting together for about 15 years, every 6-8 weeks and spend a whole Sunday, sewing. Hence, the name, Sewing Sunday. They all bring their sewing machines, which we set up on my dining room table. In my sewing room we have the cutting table, ironing board, etc.

We each contribute a favorite dish.

In the past year or so, another friend has joined us and my youngest daughter, Jenny, has joined.

Every year, before Christmas, we have our Christmas party together. We give gifts, usually sewing related. We all got lots of goodies and as always, way too much food. I have included some pictures.

BIG kitty

2008-11-29T07:52:00.005-05:00

I wanted to share some pictures of my big boy kitty. He is a gentle giant, for sure. His name is Desi.( his sisters name was Lucy ) He weighs about 19 pounds--trying to cut back a bit on food, so he can shed a few--He IS big boned :)

Lots to share

2008-11-28T08:01:00.006-05:00

I have lots of pictures to share today.--My son's wedding in May

pic #1-We got some of the wedding pictures back -- A family wedding photo, these are the people I live for.

pic #2-The beautiful Bride and Groom.

pic #3-And just for fun the picture of the Wedding quilt that I made for them. I had posted a picture of the quilt in a previous post, but this one is better--taken by the photograper at the reception.

Fast forward to present--

Finished the little boy quilts and delivered them to the recipients Daddy. They were well received. I'm happy.
Now on to the next project.

First I need to get my best friends quilt finished and sent out, for xmas present. It is the True Lovers Knot, again from a previous post. I bought a thick batting and will tie this one. Top and Back are all set. I am on vacation this week and this is one of the projects I MUST get done.

I have started a quilt for my middle kid. I would like to have it done for her birthday which is Dec. 26th. Not sure I can pull this off, but I will try....

I chose the Bento Box pattern. I love this pattern--its very easy and looks so different depending on what kinds of fabric you use. My daughter loves the Asian look for her bedroom and I haven't made her a quilt since she graduated from high school so, its time.

Running with Molly

2008-11-13T05:19:00.004-05:00

We took Molly, our Golden, on a little outing last Sunday.
We have Invisible Fence installed in our back yard. Probably over an acres worth, she is able to run and play ball, etc. We take her on long walks, but probably not as often as we should. We decided to take her to the local Community College, where she could REALLY RUN. The College is built on what used to be farm land, its just acres of field. We left the leash on, in case we needed to grab her, we would have a better chance. :)
She had a blast. We laughed out loud, pure doggie joy on her face.

Quilt progress

2008-11-13T05:00:00.002-05:00

Its slow going with these little boy quilts. I'm having a hard time getting time to finish them up. Both are machine quilted, which is good. But I still need to bind them. On one, I actually decided to fold the backing over to the front and bind it that way...I know, I'm cheating. The other, I am piecing left over fabric from the top and making the binding. I like how it will look. Its pieces of the "bug fabric".

Stippling

2008-10-28T05:06:00.002-05:00

I did some stippling on baby Eric's quilt. The top thread is a multicolor, bottom thread is royal blue...I'm almost done, had to get more royal blue thread--can't believe I can't find that spool I know is somewhere here.
I got a new sewing machine last December and finally got a stippling/free motion foot for it. I am still trying to get the hang of it. Not sure I'm so good at it, but I keep trying and I hear practice, practice, practice is the key. How I would love a long arm quilting machine--but I just can not justify the money. Viking has a machine, called Mega Quilter, with a frame and all, I would love to check out just how many thousands that costs-- for now I will be content with what I have. :)
So, I will get this quilt done hopefully this week and then work on machine quilting the "bug" quilt for Eric's big brother.
Next, I need to finish up the " True Lovers Knot ". Like most quilters and/or crafters, never enough time in the day.

Fall is here

2008-10-28T04:47:00.006-05:00

Sadly, I have to admit, Fall is here.

Don't get me wrong, I love the colors of the leaves and warm day, cool nights of fall. But I feel we were cheated out of summer. Our summer here was lots of rain, rain and more rain. Not enough time cooking on the grill, sitting on the deck, etc.

Anyway, fall is here and I did get outside to do some yard clean up and found this really cool feature of my camera. Its called Color Accent-- You point the camera, and zero in on a color you want to show. As you can see, that is the only color that shows and the rest of the photo is black and white. Cool.

Hubby was not at all sure why I would want his picture while he was raking. Hey, he's a handsome guy, what can I say.

And of course I would have to take a picture of my gorgeous girl Molly...She loves being outside with Tim, they are inseparable when he is home. He is never really out of her sight.

She was enjoying the sunshine, watching him rake leaves.

Collecting Batiks

2008-10-03T04:39:00.004-05:00

I recently got a new quilting book. Kaffe Fassett " Quilts in the Sun "
http://www.amazon.com/Kaffe-Fassetts-Quilts-Sun-Patchwork/dp/1561589918/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

Apparently, this is Dyna, the kittys favorite print.

I would like to use batiks to do the quilt on the cover.
I'll buy more, but these 10 fat quarters will get me started.

Not sure whether I want to do batiks in the center of the blocks and maybe something else for the "frame" part of the block.
Maybe batiks for the whole thing.
The quilts in this book are very "printy", not much contrast and I think I like that about it.
As always, its great fun starting a new project. This one will be for my youngest daughter--for her birthday in March.

I have pinned together the 2 little boy quilts that I mentioned in previous posts. I found enough cotton batting in my stash, so instead of buy more batting to tie them...I have decided to machine quilt. I had said I would tie them, just to get them out of here, but hey, I'm trying to save a buck. :)

Keeping Warm This Winter

2008-09-28T06:37:00.003-05:00

This is our latest home improvement project. We bought a pellet stove this summer and did the stone work ourselves.
When we bought this house 20 years ago, it had the footing for a fireplace and hole in the wall, which was boarded up. I had always covered it with a quilt, to camouflage.
We were never able to afford to have a fireplace put in, raising 3 kids kinda got in the way. :)
Lately we had both been hearing people raving about their pellet stoves, how easy to install, no chimney needed, etc.. And then with the oil prices soaring, we decided to do it.
We are very happy with the results. We need to still find or build a mantel...I am very excited. I can't wait to " hang the stockings with care "

Latest Baby Quilt

2008-09-18T18:40:00.002-05:00

Here is a baby quilt top I just finished a couple of weeks ago. Its for the baby brother of the little boy who will be getting the Bug quilt. I really love the border on this one.
Notice a common theme here, my last few posts ? Nothing is actually finished. Like alot of crafty people I have "startitis". I need to get these quilts done. I had intended to machine quilt all of them but then they may never get done. I'm going to tie them. :)

True Lovers Knot

2008-09-14T20:45:00.003-05:00

I have been working on a quilt for a friend of mine, off and on, for a few years now. She has no idea that I am making this--- I think thats why I have been guilty of putting it aside many times to work on other things.
It was supposed to be for her 25th Wedding Anniversary-- 3 years ago-- I am hanging my head in shame... then I thought it would be her xmas gift, for the last 3 years. I just need to get this done.
I bought a thick batting and I guess I will tie it. I was going to machine quilt it, but then again that would delay this project more. Actually, the more I thought about it, I think they will like the puffy, comforter look.
The pattern is like Bow Tie, which I have always liked. But the pattern is called True Lovers Knot, from the book " Quilts from the Quilt Makers Gift " The centers of all the blocks are a great Hoffman fabric. I love the leaves. I used the same fabric for a border and will bind it in the same.
I pieced the backing today and ironed everything. I am really going to try and get this one done this week.

Cookies and Applesauce

2008-09-05T14:16:00.008-05:00

I've been wanting to make the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that I have been reading about. Apparently this recipe

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/091crex.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin

caused quite a stir, being called by some, the BEST Chocolate Chip cookies. I gave the recipe a try.
They were very good but I don't think they were any better than the Toll House recipe I have used for years. The salt on the top was good, I like the sweet/salty thing anyways.

The same day I made the cookies, I made homemade applesauce and canned it. It was a big hit with my husband who loves applesauce. I even put the little cinnamon candies " red hots " in when I was adding sugar. This was one of my late mother in laws tricks and my hubby always talks about it. The candies melt of course and it gives the applesauce a nice pink color and that hint of cinnamon.

I have also been putting a quilt together for my bosses son. He is 3 years old and likes bugs. I had collected some bug fabrics quite a while ago and was unsure who would be the recipient of a bug quilt...one day my boss came to work and was saying how his son told him he liked bugs. He said to his son, "thats good", the 3 year old says, "yeah, I like to kill them". I just thought that was the funniest thing...so thats how come he gets this quilt.

Blogging again

2008-08-29T16:28:00.002-05:00

It has been about 6 months since I have made an entry on my blog. I'm ashamed.
I have a picture of the wedding quilt that I made for my son and daughter in-law for their May 25th wedding. Someone at work took a picture when I brought it in for show and tell. This has gotten my butt in gear to get back on the blogging wagon.
I so enjoy looking at others blogs and I hope someone will enjoy mine, too.
About the quilt-- The pattern was called " June In Bloom " Basically, a sampler quilt but I added a few ideas of my own. My daughter in law wanted this kind of victorian look...I think I was able to achieve it. I especially like the inner border.
I machine quilted it at a local shop that you can rent time on their machine. Pretty cool.
The picture is before the binding. I am on the left and one of my co-workers is on the right.

Molly

2008-02-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

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08 Knitting

2008-02-17T10:41:00.002-05:00

Wow 2 posts in 1 day. Here is a knitted sweater and hat I made for some friends, new baby. The parents are bikers and I thought this was appropriate. I can't take credit for the idea, I actually saw it on someone elses blog some time ago. Don't remember where but thanks anyways to whomever thought of this first. I used a generic baby sweater pattern. The hat is the pattern from Stitch and Bitch, the Umbilical Cord hat. ( minus the umbilical cord ) I used Berroco, COMFORT. Its worsted weight, Nylon and Acrylic. I would have liked to find a cotton, but couldn't find something soft for baby in black. I bought the sew on patches from the local Harley dealer and I actually used my sewing machine to sew them on. The set was a hit for sure. Its a little big for the little guy right now, but I'm sure will fit him in the spring.

Winter 08--I'm back

2008-02-17T10:16:00.002-05:00

I have finally gotten around to uploading some pictures.
I'm working on 2 quilts this winter. One for a good friend of mine and one for my son and his future bride.
The first one, for my friend is called True Lovers Knot, its from the book Quilts from the Quilt Maker Gift. All blocks are done and I am in the process of sewing them into rows. All centers of the these blocks are a really pretty print, black background with metallic gold. I plan on putting a very large border on the quilt, of this print. I will machine quilt it, probably stippling. It will be the biggest project I have ever machine quilted--it will finish close to queen size.
The quilt for my son and his bride to be is like a sampler quilt minus the sashing. Its about 12 different quilt blocks. Probably about 15 of each, lots of different prints, mixed and matched around. The pattern is called June in Bloom. I am using lots of large floral prints, very victorian looking I think.

Baby shower gifts done

2007-08-30T04:25:00.000-05:00

Yea, the gifts are done. We are flying out tomorrow morning and the shower is Saturday. Here are pics of the gifts. The quilt came out good I think. Notice the backing, thats my favorite part. To find a batik fabric with the foot prints was so cool. Totally makes it look like a "baby" quilt without being pink and blue. I hope the mom likes it.
I have been knitting the baby socks at work and everyone at work loved them. Yesterday, had to bring in all finished projects for my group of co-workers to inspect. They are a great bunch.
The blue booties are felted. The pattern is from Interweave Knits, Winter 06. Pattern is called, Old World Booties. Socks are just a generic pattern, I used left over Regia.

I'm gonna be a Mother in Law

2007-08-11T08:05:00.000-05:00

Our oldest child and only son, got engaged...yeah. She is a nice girl, makes him happy, we are all very happy for him. Here is their engagement pic that will be in the paper. Our daughter took this picture, the local drug store almost wouldn't print it for our future daughter in-law--saying that they can't print professional portraits...quite a complement for an amateur photographer. The wedding will be May 08.

Pictures

2007-08-11T08:02:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of the Roman Shades in the dining room. Love the look. I will definately do more for the house.

Quilting

2007-07-14T06:26:00.000-05:00

I'm back. I have fallen off the blogging wagon...have to try to get back on.
I've been doing alot of sewing here. Working on a baby quilt for one of my very best friends daughter, who is having a baby this fall. She is doing the baby's room in "Sunset" colors and she is pretty none traditional, no cute calicos..Here is a picture of the blocks. The pattern is called Bento Blocks. Since this picture I have put the blocks together. I now want to find a nice border. I am going to machine quilt this one. More pics to come when its done.

Finished and WIP's

2007-05-08T04:26:00.000-05:00

Here are my finished clogs--I love them. They will wait for next fall to really get worn and I do still need to put the leather bottoms on, but it always feels good to finish something.

I had almost forgotten about another one of my WIP's. I started making these mitered squares from my left over sock yarn. The pattern is in the Mason Dixon Knitting book. This will definately be a long time WIP... Eventually I thought maybe I should learn to crochet and crochet them together, with black sashing in between. Another idea is to sew them together with black fleece in between, since the fleece stretchs, it just might work. Kinda reminds me of an afghan my mom had years ago. Multi colored granny squares with black in between.

I am learning how to add links to my blog side bar...so far I have 1 favorite blog added. I need to email owners of other blogs to see if they mind me adding them to my list. Wish I had more time to dedicate to updating but there are just not enough hours in the day.

Felted Clog Slippers

2007-05-05T06:14:00.000-05:00

Here is my latest finished project, or almost finished. I need to stick them in the washer a few times. They are for ME....yeah. Once they are felted I bought some leather bottoms to sew on. I used Brown Sheep yarn for the trim and the teal is Baabajoes Woolpak 10 ply. I made the soles purple but now realize that once the leather soles are on, it won't matter...duh. The pattern is FIBER TRENDS. I have used it a few times, very easy and quick, too.

I have some quilting projects going here and really need to get moving on those. Also I am in the process of making Roman Shades for my dining room. Will post a pic when I am done.

2007-05-04T04:10:00.000-05:00

My furry kids--
Here they are. These are the faces we come home to every day. They're great.
Molly, the crazy Golden is all about the love and attention. She is an obedience school drop out, not because she doesn't understand...just because she has a mind of her own. She's the dog who gets loose during class, races around the room, 3 people trying to catch her. Hilarious.
Desi, the buff colored cat--he is a cool cat. Plays fetch. Gets into the laundry basket, drags socks around, knows how to turn the bathroom faucet on. He is very sweet.
Dyna, the black and brown tiger--she is the shy one. We got her from the shelter when Desi's sister Lucy died. She and Desi made friends pretty quickly. They are good companions. She wants me to pet her while she eats.
These beautiful babies add that extra something to my life and I hope to theirs.

I'm Back

2007-04-08T06:02:00.000-05:00

Have not been so good at blogging lately, 3 months to be exact. I don't think I get many visitors here so its probably not a biggy.
Now we have high speed internet ( can you see me doing a happy dance here ? ) so uploading should be way easier. I have a couple of finished knitting projects and some pet photos to put here.
I feel like I have lots to say and share today.
Where to start... OK first, knitting...
I have finished my Socks That Rock socks. Used Marble colorway, generic sock pattern with a mini cable rib. I am totally into cables-love the look.

I finished a scarf--actually in January. Its just a basic seed stitch on big needles, size 13 I think. The yarn was a gift from one of my DD. 100% Alpaca. Matches my new winter coat perfectly.

Happy New Year

2007-01-14T06:49:00.000-05:00

I managed to survive the holidays...I am relieved its over. Ate too much, spent too much money. Don't get me wrong I do love the holidays, I just get totally exhausted.
Usually I have my shopping done by the beginning of Dec. This year, I was real bad. Very disorganized. I will be better for 2007.
I have finally finished getting the holiday decorations put away. It takes me few days to put them all up and even longer to take them down.
I want to be much better this year about finishing projects. This includes sewing and knitting. As always, I have many projects started. A couple are spill overs from 2006. Here is a pair of socks that I started. The yarn is Socks that Rock in Marble colorway. I have ripped out and restarted a few times. I did a simple little cable rib on the top -- the rest will be just a generic sock pattern with eye of partridge heel.

Busy weekends

2006-11-29T09:17:00.000-05:00

Have had a busy month--My parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary recently and we gave them a surprise party here at our house. They were very surprised and appreciative of the attention. They deserve it--they have been wonderful parents and grandparents.

One week later, we had a surprise 30th Birthday party for our oldest child Joshua..the party was totally organized by his girlfriend Becki...we provided the house and birthday cake. And of course we technically provided the Birthday Boy..heeeheee.

Toy Run

2006-10-09T05:23:00.000-05:00

A beautiful weekend we had here. Tim and I went on what what might be one of our last bike rides this year--don't know how many more 'great weather' weekends we will have.
We went on the annual Brightside Toy Run. A bunch of bikers--hundreds,quite possibly a thousand-- get together, everyone brings a toy to the Brightside Orphange for Santa to give at xmas. We all met at a local Walmart. Rock 102 Radio was there, they had coffee and donuts. At noon everyone left--police stopping traffic for the bikers--we all went to Brightside, dropped off our toys--more refreshments. Then everyone goes to a local club where they feed everyone a huge dinner.--We opted not to go to the club that everyone was going to, way too crowded. So, we went with about 5 other couples to a small bar and grill and had a nice dinner. Then back on the bikes, and headed home.

Another Finished Project

2006-10-06T17:02:00.000-05:00

I am so pleased to show off another finished project. This too, was started a long time ago--like, over 2 years. Thats so bad. I am determined to get my ass in gear and finish projects. I don't think its a big deal to have alot of projects going at the same time--its more important to finish something every once and awhile.
This sweater is a " Knitting Pure and Simple " pattern. I highly recommend these patterns. This is actually the second time I have used this pattern, but this time it came out nicer, I think. The yarn used was Donegal Tweed Homespun by Tahki.
I brought this project to work, off and on, and worked on it at breaks. My co-workers are the BEST at encouraging and oooooh and ahhhhing over my projects. They are a great group of people. I don't think they realize just how important they are in my life...
I think I would like to start another sweater but I'm not sure what pattern. I love cardigans, I know that much.

Finished project

2006-10-03T04:31:00.000-05:00

I have finally finished these socks that I started probably a year ago....they were my "at work project" and I would work on them during breaks. I think I may give them as a xmas gift, they are really too big for me and I don't feel like ripping them back to make them smaller.
About the socks--Just a plain generic sock recipe: 64 stitches, about an inch or so of 2x2 ribbing. They are a Regia yarn I believe but lost the ball bands. I love the stripes--

Lets try this again...

2006-09-06T20:44:00.000-05:00

I created this blog about 6 months ago, posted once and that was it. I had hoped to add pictures of my finished knitting projects...I haven't had any finished projects for quite awhile.
I just bought a digital camera and I finally have a finished project...yeah ! No excuses now.