Hand Wash Only

Quilt Square Along

2012-02-29T08:45:00.007-05:00

Today I am linking up with the Quilt Square Along over at Jo's Country Junction. The Bear's Paw square was the square picked for February. The square patterns are from Lori Smith. I finished mine (with a few problems) and hand quilted it. I have it displayed in my living room on one of my end tables. You can go over to Jo's and see all the cute squares that others have done. and see the square that she picked for March. It is stars and looks very sweet!

My laptop is still giving me fits about adding links so let me try to add one here:
http://networkedblogs.com/uzQi2

Bad Picture Day

2012-02-14T12:36:00.005-05:00

Happy Bad Picture/Valentine's Day! I finished hand-quilting my little quilt from Kathleen Tracy's Book "Prairie Children and Their Quilts" It is so dark here my pictures are all terrible. I promise my living room walls are not this color.A few of my Valentine gifts from my sweetheart. I gave him a break and told him what I would like:) I also got some fabric...and may be in for a few more surprises;)

I am loving having my little quilts out so I can see them. I hope everyone has a wonderful day full of lots of love..and some chocolate..and right now, a pink cupcake is calling my name:)

Broken Dishes

2012-02-08T13:40:00.010-05:00

I just wanted to share a quick pic of my little Broken Dishes quilt. This little quilt finishes at 18x22. Kathleen Tracy, author of Prairie Children and their Quilts and several more books is doing a quilt a month from 1 of her books. This sweet quilt is February's quilt.

So now I need to get busy quilting this quilt and my Bear Paw. I will then have to take a little break from these small quilts and get my niece's graduation quilt started.

GROWL!

2012-02-06T11:47:00.004-05:00

Well, here is my little Bear's Paw quilt square for Jo's Quilt Square Along. It has some problems. I will do a little hand-quilting on it then link it up with others at the end of the month. Right now, I'm just glad that it is done. It finishes at 12x12.

Pink Lemonade Quilt Show

2012-02-01T08:46:00.004-05:00

Today I am linking up with Lori from Humble Quilts. Lori hosted the cutest quilt along! She named the quilt Pink Lemonade and when I saw it, I knew I wanted to make me one. Her instructions and pictures were the best. I had SO much fun making this little quilt. I just love how it turned out. Go over to Lori's and see some of the other sweet quilts!

Thank You Lori for hosting and sharing such a fun quilt along!

Quilt Square Along

2012-01-30T09:04:00.004-05:00

Today I am linking up with others at Jo's Country Junction. Jo is hosting a monthly square along using some of Lori Smith's cute quilt square patterns. The first square is this sweet log cabin. It finishes out at 12x12. It was so much fun to make and I can't wait for the next square to be announced. Go over to Jo's a look at all the other quilt squares. So many pretty log cabins!

I have decided to display my square (which I did hand quilt) on my kitchen table. I put this little milk glass hen on it. My grandmother gave me the little hen and I just cherish it. I have had to wash my square twice already (i have boys) and each time that I take it out of the dryer all crinkly and soft..I love it even more!

FNSI Results

2012-01-21T18:17:00.005-05:00

I had a very nice FNSI. Thanks Bobbi for hosting! I got my little Pink Lemonade quilt all finished up! I put the binding on Saturday while we were having some thunder storms. This little quilt is from a quilt-along that Lori from Humble Quilts hosted. It is a fun sweet little quilt. Here it is fresh from the dryer. It was dark here all day so I could'nt get a good picture.

and here I tried to "style" my picture:( I need to work on that!

FNSI

2012-01-20T06:34:00.005-05:00

It's Friday!!! I just love a day or evening of sewing! My husband is at the Fire Dept. so it's just me and Cade tonight. We plan on making some homemade pizza for supper then doing our thing! I plan on working on this sweet pattern.

Head over to Crafty Vegas Mom to sign up.http://craftyvegasmom.blogspot.com/

Happy Friday!

Weekend

2012-01-17T12:53:00.008-05:00

This weekend I did some stitching. I stitched on about 1,000 (ok,not really) Girl Scout badges on a friend's little girl's vest. I had forgotten how stiff these little boogers are! My fingers were very sore by the time I finished.

I also spent alot of time on the computer looking at quilt blogs. There are thousands of talented and nice quilters out there! and I think that I read all of their blogs! People are so nice to share their talents and their projects, so many great tutorials and quilt-alongs. It is very hard not to start a new project after an hour (or 2) of blog reading!

Here are two blogs with projects that have caught my eye. Have you ever read Humble Quilts?

http://humblequilts.blogspot.com/

Lori makes such sweet quilts. She is doing a little quilt quilt-along.http://humblequilts.blogspot.com/2012/01/pink-lemonade-part-1.html

My laptop won't highlight (i have no idea what is wrong) anyway, I think the little quilt is darling. I had to try a block or 2:)

and another fun quilt along is the one happening at Jo's Country Junction.http://www.joscountryjunction.com/

She is hosting a quilt square quilt-along. I finished mine and I love it! I plan on doing a post on the square and linking to Jo's post on January 30. I also need to take some better pics!

What fun projects have you seen in blogland lately?

Redo

2012-01-11T10:25:00.006-05:00

I got all set to put my applique quilt together and I noticed some boo-boos. While making this quilt I used several hand drawn leaf templates. Some of the templates were larger than others.

I really don't want my leaf points getting caught up in my seam allowance. Some of them are ok..barely squeaking by.

BUT, many of them (23 to be exact) are CRAZY bad! I have to redo them.

UGH! I really want to get this quilt put together. I will look at the top then and decide if I want to add borders or not. I want this quilt big enough to use. I have to get moving on it and get it done though because I have a graduation quilt to make and have finished by May.

Guess I better get off the computer and get busy ripping and re-sewing!

Bow Tie Progress

2012-01-09T13:03:00.007-05:00

I fell in love with the vintage bow tie quilt that Bonnie Hunter posted on her blog, this summer. Bonnie posted a tutorial and a challenge to make bow-tie blocks as Leaders/Enders. Well, the bow tie block is one of my favorite quilt blocks, and I have always wanted a cheddar quilt! So I joined in!

My favorite block (so far)

Here is my bow tie progress. I havent done my blocks as Leaders/Enders because I have been working on some hand applique. I just LOVE making these blocks! They are so quick and easy!

When I had some free time I gathered up some of my Civil War repro fabrics (and some that I just like) and got to cutting. I cut when I feel like cutting and sew when I feel like sewing. These little blocks are so satisfying to make. I love the fact that since I have a stack of squares already cut, I can just sit down and sew. I call it mindless sewing:) A great way to destress!

I am a busy Mom so it's nice that even while waiting for my son to finish brushing his teeth or while supper is cooking, I can sew up a few blocks! I hope to make enough blocks to have a lap quilt for my couch.

Now, if I can just keep Ruby out of my chair! Thanks Bonnie for the motivation!

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T14:46:00.011-05:00

Any plans for tonight? I plan on spending the New Year's Eve at home! I do not like to go out on this night. Staying home is my idea of fun!
Just like Christmas Eve, everyone else is working. Cade is going next door so it will just be me at home tonight. I have been cooking a little for our New Year's lunch at my Grandmother's. Kelsey and I made these candy-pretzel thingys. Very quick and very easy. and very easy to overeat! I found the recipe on Pinterest.

I got a Kindle after Christmas. So far I am LOVING it! I still have alot to learn with it. I have a book loaded in it so I will probably spend some of my time reading. Anyone know of any really good books?

I am down to my last few blocks for my applique quilt. Amanda Jean finished hers and it is BEAUTIFUL!! I only hope that mine turns out half as good as hers! You can see hers athttp://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2011/12/apple-cake-quilt.html

and this is who I will being spending my night with! Ruby! Happy New Year Friends! Hope your night and day are filled with family, friends, good food..and some sewing!

Playing Around

2011-12-28T10:45:00.006-05:00

Tuesday, I had to go to the Santa Studio for 2 after Christmas appts. After a quick run to the grocery store, I got my little bow tie blocks out and played around with them. I think they are very cute! I am in no hurry with these, I enjoy sewing them. I have a bunch already cut out from my Civil War stash so they are quick easy mindless sewing!! Perfect for when I just want to sew. I plan on just sewing a few of these at a time, in between other projects. Maybe by next Fall I will have enough to make that lap quilt that I want!

Here are a few pictures from our Pizza and Krispy Kreme trip.

Andy, Kelsey and Cade. My oldest son Joey finally got a job and has moved in with 2 other guys. I don't know how long that will work. Joey is working as a dispatcher and had to work the holidays. We did see him on Christmas night though.

Kelsey and Cade. Cade loves watching the doughnuts being made but did NOT want me to take his picture. Also, no pics of me scarfing down 2 hot doughnuts!

Remember Me?

2011-12-26T15:52:00.006-05:00

Whew! I doubt anyone is still reading (or waiting) on my blog posts but here I am! Time has just gone by soooo fast and I feel like I'm barely hanging on. In October, I was approached with a job offer to take appointments (from home) for a Santa's Workshop and Photo Studio. Well, it turned out to be waaaaayy more involved then I was led to believe. Long story short, I have been very busy, very stressed and away from my home and family the past 2 months. I did meet some great families, make some money and I got to see the magic of Christmas through childrens eyes everyday. I enjoyed most of it and hated alot of it!

Anywho...Santa's busy season is over so today I made myself just go in my sad, lonely and cold sewing room and just sew..something..anything. I havent sewn in so long! I have been reading blogs and seeing the cute things people are working on. I have had major sewing and fabric envy! Today I just worked on some of these little cheddar bow tie blocks. I am using Bonnie Hunters tutorial for these. Have you been watching Bonnie's Orca Bay Mystery that is going on? I have and have printed out the clues. Looks like a fun quilt. I hope to put these bow ties together for a nice lap quilt for my living room....someday:)

My sweet Kelsey has been home from college and has been so helpful to me. When she wasnt working at Old Navy, she has been home to watch Cade, take him to karate, she did alot of my Christmas shopping and baked some of our favorite holiday treats and did more than her share of housework. I am so thankful for that girl! She also crocheted this blanket for her Dad.

Thanks for still reading my blog! We are headed up for a night of pizza and Krispy Kreme doughnuts! I will be back!

November

2011-11-01T10:16:00.006-04:00

In November, I am working on this quilt....still:( I still love the look and the quilt but I'm tired of the applique. This is what fits on my wall. I have 3 more rows done and I am working on a row now. I have to decide if I want to do two more rows or just love it like it is. I have a border picked out and will sash it in white.

At night I am working on this pillowcase.

and, as soon as I get done with my applique quilt, I have to get started on my niece Alexis' graduation quilt. That girl has been asking for a quilt for years and is sooo excitied. She gave me these circles for color inspiration. I have a few ideas but nothing solid right now. I am thanking myself for buying a Kona color card this year. It will sure help with picking some solids. A print might be harder to find.

Lastly, I am trying to get in some run/walking. Kelsey has been running at college and we ran together some this summer. We have entered our church's 5k Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. I am sure I will finish last but my goal is to be able to run the whole 3 miles....my large butt may have something to say about that!

Missing the Weekend

2011-10-24T14:20:00.006-04:00

I have been sick since Wednesday!! I never ran a fever but I feel like I have the flu or an ear infection. I have been doing just a little bit of housework in the morning then back to the couch. I did manage to cook chicken tacos for supper last night. By the time I had cooked and cleaned up, I was so done!! Today I fixed this early while I had energy and will just need to put it in the oven. I had planned to take Cade to karate but I dont know if that will happen.

and I missed my baby niece's 1st birthday party:( I was so sad. This is Andy's baby brother's baby. Him and his wife tried for many years to get pregnant, so she is a blessing to us all! I did manage to make the cute Elmo bag that is on the gift table. Sydney loves Elmo! Andy said that she loved the bag and kept pointing to it.

Here is the birthday girl Sydney.

I havent done any sewing. I really really want to get done with these applique blocks and get this quilt done. I would also like to work on these bow ties. I must be getting better if I'm itching to sew!

Comfy

2011-10-19T09:54:00.003-04:00

You may not be able to tell from this picture but down here in Georgia, we are having a cold wet raw day. I don't mind these kind of days. They are wonderful for "sewing days" not such a great day for my firefighter husband to be out in though! The rain cause wrecks so he will probably be busy.Myself, I am fighting a cold so I think I will stay right here and do some applique!

Hope you enjoy your day, whether it's saving lives or just doing some sewing:)

FNSI, a week early:)

2011-10-15T10:19:00.004-04:00

ok. I was a week early with my FNSI. That's ok, Kelsey won't be here next Friday so I am glad that we went ahead and had our craft time together.
We saw these cute wreaths on Pinterest and really wanted to try them. We bought our supplies at Hobby Lobby and got busy! It was a fun and very inexpensive project.

Here is mine. Ignore my reflection in the door:( I really wish I knew how to take better pictures. The felt flowers really turned out pretty.

This is Kelsey's. She did her flowers in her sorority colors and plans on hanging hers on the sorority house door.

I made breakfast for supper and we had a nice night doing this craft together. Cade pretty much ignored us, rode his bike and tracked in mud on my clean floor:(

Today, Andy is home and we are going out to celebrate Kelsey turning 21!!

Friday Night Sew In

2011-10-14T09:36:00.003-04:00

Have you signed up for Fridany Night Sew In? There is still time! Go on...you know you want to!

Kelsey and I won't be sewing. We are going to try these cute wreaths! Have Fun Everyone!

I Like...

2011-10-11T11:51:00.004-04:00

This beautiful scrap quilt on the cover of the Dec/Jan Quilt magazine. I don't buy many quilt magazines anymore (too many free patterns on the internet) but I had to buy this one. I love the style and colors of this quilt. if you are interested you can get a kit for only $120..! or use your own scraps;)

When Anna Maria Horner first showed her new line of needlework fabrics, I knew I wanted some of it! I thought it would never be released...I even dreamed about this fabric! Finally, the minute I got the notice that it was for sale, I hit the "buy now" button! I got 1 yard and I love it! The fabric is beautiful and it is marked for cross-stich or embroidery.

It is 58 wide and has different motifs to cross-stitch. This is just a different part of the same fabric as above. I am planning on making a bolster pillow and would love to use some of this in a quilt. If I could sew a skirt it would lovely in a patchwork skirt...or a bag!

Anna Maria also came out with a line of embroidery floss and thread. I had to save up and wait for a good coupon to buy these;) The floss is very pretty and will be so nice with the needlework fabric.

Other things that I like, CADE! He is doing so good in school this year!! He is very smart so he always has good grades but this year he is TRYING to make good grades and TRYING to stay out of trouble! That makes a big difference. He had school pictures last week and I tried to take a picture for Andy because he had been at work for 2 days. This was the best shot. He was being silly!

We have been out of school Monday and Tuesday (today) for Columbus Day and a teachers work day. It is rainy and cool...perfect Fall weather..if you want to stay in and sew. Not so much if you want to ride your bicycle.

My oldest son Joey is on his way to a job interview. Prayer is needed! That boy is something else. Friday night before midnight, I got a call that he was being rushed to the hospital with a broken arm. how did he break it??? Dancing!? I didnt even know the boy dances. He is fine but I sure would like to see a video of how you break your arm dancing.

Weekend

2011-10-03T16:20:00.005-04:00

Cade had a friend come home with him from school Friday. The kid spent the night and they stayed up til 3am. I went to bed at 930. Andy told me Saturday morning that they boys were up that late.

Saturday after watching some football, Go Dawgs!, I took Cade and his friend to a Birthday Sleep Over. We picked Cade up Sunday afternoon and the Mom said that the boys were up til 5:30am!!
So here is how Cade spent the rest of his Sunday!

Have you seen this??!! Amanda Jean has written a book! I can't wait!

Good Ole Quilt

2011-10-01T15:06:00.005-04:00

Since I am still working on these , I decided to show you one of my favorite quilts. I think one of the reasons why I fell in love with quilting is because with every quilt that you make, you learn something! This is one of the first quilts that I made. I never made a label for it:( I didnt know much about an accurate 1/4 inch seam while making this quilt. I was done before I realized just how important that accurate seam allowance is!
I made the "Good Ole Summertime" quilt from this book. The quilt in the book is beautiful and I tried to make mine like that one.

The quilt blocks are a huge 19'. The quilt finishes at 57x76. I am sure this quilt was designed to be used with scrap strips. and it would be a good stashbuster quilt. Remember, I had just started quilting so I had to go out and buy around 30 different quarter yards! I was scared to death about my fabric choices! But, I think I did ok! I love this quilt soooo much. I really regret not making it big enough for my bed. I would love to make this pattern again one day.

It has alot of 30's fabrics in it. They were my favorite then and I still love them today.

It is all handquilted in the ditch...right into that seam allowance! Ouch! I would do that differently! The binding is totally scrappy..which I love!

Thanks for letting me show you this quilt. It hangs on a vintage ladder in my living room right now. One day I hope to have a room fixed up for my grandchildren to come visit and this quilt will be in it for sure!

Sports Weekend

2011-09-26T09:01:00.004-04:00

Not much sewing going on here this weekend! Our nephew, Stewart spent the weekend with us and Saturday morning we had to have him at the baseball field at 830am. UGH!

Stewart did really well! He got a hit and scored! This is his first year playing baseball. Andy and I thought the coach was a big jerk! He was yelling and screaming and these kids are 7 & 8 years old! I was glad when the game was over.

After baseball, we grabbed Chickfila and then went to Cade's karate graduation. He is a brown/black belt, the last belt before BLACK! This graduation was almost 2 hours long:( and it was hot:( Here is Cade doing some of his kicks. I was hoping to get a pic of the lady in the red shirt, left corner of the picture. Everybody around us was pretty sure that she was drunk. Maybe she had just had a bad night.

Here is Cade and Stewart after the grauation. Cade was so sweaty!

This is Cade and his buddy Luke. Cade and Luke started karate at the same time. Whenever they perform they stand beside each other and do their moves exactly together. Makes them look really good! Poor Cade, Luke is almost 2 years younger than Cade! Cade is just a shorty!

They are holding their new belts. They start training for their black belts this week!

Hope that you all had nice weekends!

All Dressed Up

2011-09-22T11:53:00.004-04:00

I finished my doll!! I made her a little dress and shoes! I can find 50 (atleast) things wrong with her, if I stare at her long enough. BUT, I'm not going to! I made my daughter a doll and it's as cute as can be!

Check out her shoes!

I used this great Wee Wonderful pattern. I have never made a doll before and besides sewing quilts, I don't have much sewing experience at all. I think Hillary made a great pattern that anyone that knows how to do basic sewing can achieve good results! I would love to make a couple more of these sweet dolls!

This Is Only A Test

2011-09-20T15:28:00.007-04:00

I have always wanted to make a doll for my daughter. My Kelsey is turning 21 in a few days so I am running out of time;)

Instead of spending my free day cleaning house, I dug out my pattern by Hillary Lang of Wee Wonderfuls. I used the Kit, Chloe and Louise pattern. I love Hillary's work and I have always wanted to make one of these dolls but have been too afraid! Mine is not as nice as the ones on Flickr but I don't hate it.

So, what do you think? Please, ignore my dumb "photo shoot" I'm iffy about the hair and one of the eyes. I am proud of the doll body! She does need a dress and some shoes! I am soooo bad at sewing any kind of garment..I am afraid that 'Little Kelsey' may have to go out in just her underthings!

Over the Weekend

2011-09-19T09:31:00.007-04:00

I did participate in Friday Night Sew In. I just didnt blog about it! I prepped some more of the applique blocks that I have been doing. I fell in love with Amanda Jean's quilt!. I worked on my applique at Saturday Sewing at our church. This is what I have so far. I am just placing them on my design wall as I go...probably not my final design.

I also wanted to show this DARLING piece of calico fabric that my sweet friend Terri gave to me. Terri had it with her at Sat, Sewing and I fell in love with it. She had bought it at a yard sale of someone that was selling their elderly Mom's stash. I asked Terri for a scrap of it (I did think about stealing it) and she gave me the whole piece!! It is 9 1/2 inches wide and almost 3 yards long. I plan on cutting some for my applique blocks! I wish you could see it in person..it is so sweet with the little robin's egg blue flowers and the pink!! Love it!

Ok. I have to get on the ball today! Catching up for the weekend. We drove down to see Kelsey and had so much fun!! We saw her room, walked around the beautiful campus, ate Chinese food and fro-yo;) We also did a little shopping! and Good Momma here forgot her camera:)

So now I have to do some cleaning and run to the grocery store:( Cade has karate testing tonight..his last test before he starts his Black Belt training!

SOS

2011-09-15T15:21:00.008-04:00

Please tell me that I am not the only person that makes such a huge mess when "working" on a project???

This is out of control! I don't know how this happened! I am a very orderly girl that likes everything clean and in it's place...but let me start to plan a project and I am like The Incredible Hulk, smashing and pulling and yanking on some fabric!!

We have our annual church craft auction (for charity) coming up and I am thinking about making one of these Surely, such a small project does not warrant this mess:( tsk tsk

What are you doing this Friday night? Nothing? Good! Go on over to Heidi's Blog and sign up for Friday Night Sew In! I will be prepping applique blocks to take to Saturday Sewing at our church!

Now, I have brownies in the oven and the timer just went off! Yummmy! Perfect timing!

Cute Enough

2011-09-12T14:34:00.006-04:00

Look at this sweet snack mat! I can't believe that I made it! I take (still) such terrible pictures, and this one doesnt do this cute mat justice!..if I do say so myself;)

I followed the awesome tutorial found here at nanaCompany. I love Amy's blog...go over there and look at the sweet stuff that she makes! Plus, she has such cute cute kids!

Friday Already?

2011-09-09T13:24:00.006-04:00

This week as really gone by fast! I guess it's because we had Labor Day off from school. Me, Andy, Kelsey and Cade all joined family at Andy's mothers house for Labor Day. It was good to get together, play with the 2 babies and eat;) I took some pictures but Blogger will only let me load 5 pics. We had bad storms from Tropical Storm Lee move in too. Thankfully, we got some needed rain and some cooler temps!! We have been in the 70's all week! So nice!

As you can see from this mess, I am still working hard on my applique. I am to the point were I need to figure out what size that I want this quilt to be. It is alot of work but it would be a shame not to make it bed-sized. Around here, any quilt that isnt on a bed gets folded and put up and nobody really enjoys it.

I have a nice stack of blocks! I still enjoy making these!

Hmmm...when I lay them out, it looks like I have a long way to go before this quilt is bed-sized.

I went to the LQS and bought a set of Hexagon papers. I have never made a hexagon block before. The only hexagon quilt that I know of is the Grandmother's Flower Garden. Now days, you see people just piecing the "hexies" together to make quilts and all sorts of things. I have been thinking about giving embroidered dish-towels for Christmas. I saw the hexagon papers and thought a hexie would be cute on a towel. Plus I could learn a new skill!

My first hexagon!

This is what I am thinking about for the dish-towel. What do you think? Too small?

Tonight, Cade is going to a friends house, so I am making homemade chicken salad for me and Andy. We will have a quiet night in front of the tv...that means he will fall asleep and I will do my applique!

Not Giving Up...

2011-09-01T12:56:00.006-04:00

...Yet! Here is my progress on my applique blocks. You can see who I am copying:) here.

The first day I loved doing applique! The 2nd day I hated everything about it but I kept at it! I am really enjoying the process now. My blocks are nowhere near even close to perfect. My points arent even what you would call pointy;) but I am liking how they are turning out and I feel more confident. I guess, like most things with sewing, it takes practice, practice and more practice!

2 of my favorite blocks.

I found this great tutorial. It helped alot. I love the smell of starch..and its so cheap!

I also made these blocks to send off to Bren. To help out a sweet girl.

I just love a 9-patch! Don't you?

Do You?

2011-08-29T07:09:00.005-04:00

Applique?

Read Amanda Jean's Blog "Crazy Mom Quilts"?

I LOVE her blog! I have emailed with her a couple of times and she is SO sweet! I love her style and her quilts.
I fell in love with this quilt of hers.

I had a couple of free hours Sunday evening so I thought I would try me some applique.
Hmmm, I know that AmandaJean used the wax paper method of applique. I did some reading up on it (which really means I spent 1 hour on the internet) and gave it a try.

Not too good:( Its pretty lopsided. I love the look and the idea of hand applique. I love hand work so I really would like to be able to do this. Any hints or tips?

Do you applique? What is your favorite method?

Today is my grocery shopping day and I also have to take Cade to karate later today. I hope to try this block again.

Happy Monday!

Best Day Ever!!

2011-08-25T12:07:00.005-04:00

Remember this picture?

I entered it here at Insights From SewCal Gal??

I WON!!!! (thanks Regina for the heads up) I have never ever ever won anything EVER!!! and this prize knocked my socks off!! Thank You SewCal Gal for hosting this!! I never thought I would win anything. I just wanted to show off Ruby and I had so much fun looking at the pets on quilts!

WOW!! You have to go here to see what I won!

Nothing New

2011-08-23T09:59:00.005-04:00

No new sewing around here. I guess I can blame Ruby because she keeps going to sleep in my sewing chair. She looks too sweet to wake up. Actually, everytime that I tried to move her, she bit at me and hissed:(

Remember when I showed this apron? I made 2 aprons for the quilt shop that I worked at. I made them to display with this great book that we were selling.

Here is the second apron! I had so much fun making this apron. There was the sweetest lady that worked at the shop. Her name is Corrine, she was in her early 70's and was a quilting superstar!! She taught the beginning quilt classes (still does at another shop) and was just the best teacher! We loved to kid with her and tell her that she had to dress up in costumes for events. She is a very tiny thing! Anyway, she wore this apron around the shop. We told her to wear some ruffled panties under it but she didnt..she wore her little jeans. The trim didnt show up good in this picture. It is that "leather" fringe that you see on cowboy and indian things.

I am SO ready for Fall! It is still SO hot here in Georgia. We are in the upper 90's with heat advisorys almost everyday. I was downtown and saw that Bath and Body had their Fall/Halloween soaps in so I bought some of our favorite Fall soap. It is Carmel Apple and it smells just like Fall baking to me!

Come on Fall!

FNSI Results

2011-08-20T11:51:00.005-04:00

Even with 3 eleven year old boys running around my house, I still enjoyed my FNSI! We had take out pizza for supper and lots of snacks:) I was able to sit and sew for most of the night...except when I was on bike-watch patrol while the boys rode their bikes.

I worked on a Christmas throw that I am making. Still in the planning stage. I have ordered some Kona Clover green to go with this. Not quite sure how it's going to turn out but I LOVE this Santa print. That is what Santa has always looked like to me.

I made a couple of Civil War bow-ties.

and finished the night with some chocolate and a mystery!

I went to bed around 1130pm and was woke up at 3am by 3 boys laughing! A nap is sounding very good right now!

Pets on Quilts

2011-08-19T06:40:00.005-04:00

SewCal Gal is hosting a 2011 Pets On Quilts Show.

There are some really cute pics....if you like to see pets on quilts..and I do!!

Here is my Ruby keeping me company while I hand quilt.

FNSI

2011-08-18T06:35:00.005-04:00

Are you ready for a Sew-In?? I am! I am a little uneasy about this one though. Cade uttered those words that send fear through the hearts of every Mom "I might have a couple of friends over Friday Night"

Peef

2011-08-15T15:22:00.007-04:00

What do you do when the fuel pump dies in your car and your car is hauled off to the shop and your husband takes his truck to the Fire Dept. for 24 hours and your daughter takes her car to college??? You sew!

Cade loved the sleeping bag that I made for Tank. I was surprised because he is 11 years old and doesnt play with toys anymore. He suggested that I make one for Peef. Peef is Santa's Christmas Bear. Cade read the story of Peef at school and was so happy when Santa brought him his own Peef Bear. Now that Cade is older, Peef spends all day in the rocking chair with Tank.

Since Peef is a Christmas Bear, I made him a Santa Sleeping bag.

Peef and Cade like this bag alot!

Peef is a large bag so he got the large size sleeping bag and it is a perfect fit! I LOVE this pattern!

Happy Monday!

Tank

2011-08-13T17:38:00.005-04:00

This is Tank. Cade has loved Tank for many years. Don't let the Hot Pink Bow Tie fool you...

Tank dreams of being a Cowboy. Riding the range and sleeping out under the stars. This ADORABLE pattern came from Flossie Teacakes. I can't say enough about how stinking cute this little sleeping bag is!! and it was so simple! I plan on making a set for each of my new neice for Christmas. They are darling and great for using up (and showing off) fabric!

So, tonight Tank will be dreaming of shooting 'em up in the Wild West!

Friday Friday Friday

2011-08-12T08:41:00.010-04:00

Well Folks, we made it to Friday! Always a good thing. Cade is still liking school. He hasnt had any homework yet..so that may be why:)
Kelsey left this morning to go back to school :( It really makes me sad. We had a great summer together. She did alot of knitting and crocheting while I sewed. She went along to a Saturday Sewing at church with me. We walked together, cooked together. I cleaned up after her;) and she worked very hard at Old Navy to earn spending money for this school year. I hope that she has a great year at college! Here is the pillowcase that I made to match her quilt.

I had to laugh because Kelsey has long made fun of my pillowcases. She teases me about how many I make and how when ever I buy fabric I offer to make her a pillowcase out of it. Let's just say that she has many, many pillowcases!! She has told me many times that she has enough pillowcases and doesnt need anymore! Imagine my surprise when she asked if I had enough fabric to make her a pillowcase to match her new quilt! HA!! She should listen to her old Mom!

Have you seen all the bow ties going around? Here, Here and here? Even on Facebook!
I had to join in on the fun. I have a small stash of Civil War fabrics and fabrics that may not be CW Repros but I think they "go with them" I am LOVING making these blocks. I don't want to stop! I spent a few hours cutting a little stack of fabrics (my back was screaming when I was done) It is SO nice to sit and piece some now. My husband loves Civil War quilts but for some reason he doesnt like this chedder. Who cares? cause I do;) It is a Moda Bella solid.

I have a sweet niece that is graduating May 2012. That girl has been asking for a graduation quilt for 3 years!!! I have been trying out some blocks and patterns. Still havent made my mind up yet. Here are a couple made with some scraps. This block is huge!! 21 1/2 inches.

This block was fun but alot of cutting! Pattern and inspiration found here. I could look at these quilts all day long!

Andy will be home this afternoon from helping Kelsey move. We plan on having a quiet evening, maybe take Cade out to celebrate his first week as a Middle Schooler!
Enjoy your weekend!

Staying Busy

2011-08-09T13:45:00.006-04:00

We all made it through Cade's first day of Middle School. He said that it was fun. He fell asleep moments after getting home! He just crashed! We had to wake him up for supper:)

He was not quite so excitied to get up for school this morning;)

Yesterday, I got a great comment from Judi

She said in her comment that I should bake an after-school treat for Cade. To take my mind off of worrying. I took her advice and Kelsey and I made sugar cookies for him. They were good and I enjoyed the time spent with my girl.

Speaking of my girl, I finished up her label and got it sewn onto her quilt. Now the quilt is packed up ready to go to college on Friday. She designed the label. She wanted the little squirrel because that is her sorority mascot.

Now, I need to hem up Cade's new karate uniform and maybe a little fun sewing later!

Hello Middle School

2011-08-08T09:20:00.004-04:00

My baby started Middle School today:( He was excitied and very nervous. He got up and got ready super fast which meant that we had alot of nervous time to kill. He talked about silly stuff and got in some last minute hugs with Ruby.

He is such a fun kid! I really do miss him when he is not around. I am trying to stay positive about Middle School but it's my least favorite school experience..for me and my kids.

I have started my laundry and gone for a stress relief walk:) Now, for a shower and some stress relief sewing:)

Have a great Monday..I am sure that I will be just fine and so will Cade...I just wish that his voice hadnt sounded so shaky when he said "bye"

How I Spent My Summer

2011-08-05T15:15:00.006-04:00

Woo Hoo! I finished my Kelsey's 3rd year of college quilt! You can see the first here

and the 2nd here

For her 3rd year quilt Kelsey picked out her own fabric. We were at a quilt store and she fell in love with the animal prints in Kate Spain's Central Park collection. I bought a layer cake bundle of the collection. I needed to find a pattern that was fast, simple but that would show off the beautiful fabrics. and I only had that 1 layer cake. I did decide to order backing instead of piecing a back or just making do with something that I already had.

I decided on "Flower Show" The pattern is from the Spring 2010 issue of Quilts and More magazine.

The quilt was soooo fast and fun. It finished at 67 x 98 1/2. I handquilted it by simply quilting an X in the blocks and sashing. I outlined the "berry" solid stripes and just did some straight line quilting on the borders.

The back is one of the animal prints front the collection. The solid is Kona cotton Berry. I loved making this quilt for my sweet girl. It is hard to believe that this time next year I will be finishing up her 4th year of college quilt!! Time sure does fly when you are having fun:)

Our summer is winding down fast. Cade starts school Monday and Kesley goes back to school next week:( I look forward to being able to post more!

Makeover

2011-07-12T14:08:00.004-04:00

I took a little break from my handquilting and decided to make a new ironing board cover.

My old one was looking pretty nasty. This is the little table top board that sits on the counter behind my sewing machine.

See how yucky:( All sticky with starch and threads everywhere. To be honest, I usually keep a bath towel over this mess but it looked really bad too.

I went through my fabric and found this cute print that was perfect because:

1. I had enough of it.

2. I think it's really cute.

3. It matches my room.

4. I bought it cheap at Hobby Lobby.

5. The last time that I was at Hobby Lobby, they had a whole bolt of this stuff.

TA DA!

A mini makeover! Now before ya'll get to thinking that I'm a wiz at sewing..this project was made with 100% GLUE. Yes...I used my glue gun. I'm not ashamed...who looks at the back?
I layered a piece of leftover batting and the new fabric over the board, turned it upside down, trimmed the fabric and got crazy with the glue gun! I pulled the fabric as tight as I could (the curves were kinda tough) and hot glued it down.

I love it and if I get tired of this fabric or it gets messy, it's an easy redo!

Summer

2011-07-07T10:41:00.007-04:00

We are still enjoying our Summer. I don't like the heat but I love the long days with "nothing" to do. Staying up late and the kids sleeping in:)

I am rushing to finish Kelsey's quilt. She picked out the fabric herself. It is Central Park by Kate Spain. It has some really pretty colors and some cute animal prints. I bought a layer cake of it so I had to find a pattern to showcase the animals and that would be ok without yardage. We decided on Flower Show. It is from the Spring 2010 Quilts and More Magazine. It is a very simple and quick quilt to make. I am already well into handquilting it.

We had a wonderful 4th. Cade was so happy to get to spend some time with cousin Sydney!

Pin Cushion Caddy

2011-07-03T08:00:00.005-04:00

Here is another project that I made awhile back and use often. It is the Pin Cushion Caddy by Anna Maria Horner. I got the pattern from her book Seams to Me.

The pin cushion is a little tricky but well worth it. I made one of these for my Mother in law too.
Mine stays right her on my pressing table:)

It is a little wonky but I love it anyway:)

I Make, I Use

2011-06-30T12:10:00.008-04:00

I thought I would show 2 projects that I have made that I use all the time. I love the homey feeling of making something for my home that is pretty and useful!

The first item is The Jane Market Bag
This cool pattern is from one of my all time favorite blogs Posie Gets Cozy.

I am not a sewing wizard and this bag was easy for me to make!

I LOVE it. I use it to carry groceries, sewing stuff and I use it for a pool bag! It's a fun, easy project. The bag uses some of your stash and would make a cute gift. I know I will be making more of these bags!

My second project is a cute apron that I made a few years ago. I was working at a quilt shop and we got this book into the shop. Retro Aprons by Cindy Taylor Oates

It is an awesome book and the apron patterns are darling. I made this apron out of Katie Jump Rope fabric. I wear this apron everyday while making supper. I also made a cute "CowGirl" apron for the shop to show of some Western fabric that was in the shop. I need to find it and take a picture.

I am happy to share these projects with you. Have a great day!

Bad Blogger

2011-06-27T12:23:00.005-04:00

Well. I have just been a very bad blogger lately:( Ruby is feeling my shame.

I did finish a quilt. This is one that I had started handquilting and put away. I drug it out and finished it.

We have had bad storms every day so I had to take pics inside.

Some of the people at my house are confused as to why I would make such a big honking Halloween quilt. All I can say is that is just how it turned out. You can read more about this quilt here.

I have a finished bag and an apron to show so I will be back this week!

I hope that you are all enjoying your Summer and families!

Keeping It In The Family

2011-06-06T09:21:00.005-04:00

Today I want to share a quilt that my Grandmother just gave me. This is my Dad's Mom whose farm land it is that we all live on. She is 85 and still lives by herself in her farmhouse. She is right up the road from all of us and has chickens that she loves and takes care of. She also grows many flowers and a little garden. She spends most of her time outside. I spent much of my childhood at her house with my cousins and brother and sister.

She had to have a little surgery last week and told me to come and get this quilt. She said that she was afraid she would drop dead and my Mother might throw this quilt in the dump before I could get it. (my mother has been known to throw antique quilts in a dumpster) Needless, to say I went and got the quilt!

Here is a little background. When my Grandmother was a little girl in the 1930's, her Great-Grandmother told her that if she would pick out a pattern, she would make her a quilt. My Grandmother remembers going through the patterns, saved from The Atlanta Journal newspaper, and picked out the Bear's Paw pattern.

These blocks were made totally from scraps of clothes. My Grandma can still pick out dress fabrics from this quilt. The blocks are hand-pieced and BEAUTIFUL!

Here are some of my favorite fabrics. I think this fabric is from a flour sack.

I love this floral fabric. The blocks are all scrappy.

My Grandmother's Great Grandmother never put the quilt together. In the 1980's my Great Aunt sent the blocks to a lady in Ohio. She did this to surprise my Grandma. The lady from Ohio sashed and bordered the quilt in the pretty peach fabric. She also hand quilted the quilt. Her hand quilting is AMAZING!! I wish that I could handquilt like that!!

When my Grandmother got the quilt back from Ohio, she folded it on to a quilt rack..and there it sat til she gave it to me. It has never been washed. There are very faint pencil markings on the border. It looks wonderful and doesnt stink (smells kinda dusty) but I kind of want to put it on my bed...but I'm scared to wash it. What do you think?

We love this quilt so much!

200th Post

2011-06-01T07:18:00.009-04:00

WOW! I never thought I would reach 200 posts! I still remembering wanting to blog to have somewhere to show my quilts. I think that I must have bugged the fool out of poor Kristie. She was (and is) so sweet to answer all my "How do you?" questions.

Here is the label for my baby pinwheel quilt. I love making embroidered labels. I really need to find some better fonts though.
The cute daisy bouquet is from the Daisy pattern by big B. I love her patterns!

I am giving the quilt to the Soon to be Mommy tonight. Even though it's been a few years it seems like yesterday that I made their wedding quilt!

Today, I need to do some mopping, making some banana bread and maybe taking Cade to the pool before church. Cade is now a middle-schooler so he moves downstairs at church to the "big" kids. I'm not sure that I'm ready for that!

Everyone have a wonderful day!

Just Sick!

2011-05-31T10:32:00.009-04:00

Well, I finally finished my Pinwheel Baby Quilt. This quilt will go to my nephew and his wife. Their baby girl is due at the beginning of July. The beautiful fabric is Moda Bliss. The sweet pattern is by the amazing Jodi and can be found at Moda Bake Shop.

I made a HUGE mistake on this quilt. My prairie points are pointing in instead of facing out like they should:( I didnt notice until I was hand-quilting the borders:( I truly wanted to throw up when I saw the mistake:( I have made this pattern before and it is such a stupid mistake:( I know that unless you see the pattern it probably wont be a big deal but still.....I really wanted it to turn out wonderful. The fabric is SO pretty and I love the pinwheels. I can look at it without feeling sick...almost:(

I really love the Bliss fabric. The back is a green that I found at Joanns. I didnt take a picture of the back. The quilt finished at 43 X 50 1/2. It is hand-quilted.

I am putting the label on today then plan on boxing it up. I'm going to give it to them Wednesday and try to get it out of my head:(

Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-30T13:12:00.000-04:00

We still have a sick kid so today we are staying home and enjoying (cleaning) our deck. We are planning on cooking out later today. Andy is home so it is nice to have a full house! These are the flowers that Andy planted on our deck for Kelsey's graduation party...way back in 2009. They are so pretty and bright.

I am finishing the binding on the pinwheel baby quilt. I have been fretting over the label. I want to make a hand embroidered label but I can't find a font that I like. I do know that I am using some of the cute, cute flowers from the Daisy pattern that I got from big B. Love them!

I hope everyone enjoys this day with families and remembering. I just can't think of anything braver than serving, fighting and giving all for our country!

I'm Back!!

2011-05-27T12:56:00.004-04:00

WOW!! It has been a long time since I blogged!! I have sure missed you all! I hope to catch up on everyone's blogs very soon!

My problem???? The beginning of May, Kelsey was on the computer and Ruby (the cat) jumped up on the tower (as she often does) and the computer just went off!! The monitor was fine, we just couldnt get the computer to come on! It went into the shop, only to be told that it was fine!??? Oh well, guess Ruby needs to lose a little weight!

I did notice that I get a lot more done without a computer but I sure missed emails and getting my quilt "fix" every morning! We finished the last book fair of the year. Some of the girls from the school got together and we had a little "good-bye" lunch for me. I am going to miss seeing everybody next year. I'm not really looking forward to having a middle-schooler either!

Today, we should be at Cade's 5th grade graduation. We arent because him and Joey ar being tested for Mono!!
What a way to start the summer!!

Year of the Pigs

2011-05-06T14:05:00.004-04:00

I'm late with my PIG post! Jill's Year of the Pig question for this month is " Do you multi-task when sewing/quilting?" My answer is "No" I don't even chain piece! I do like to have an embroidery project going at the same time that I am making a quilt. It's very relaxing and it's a portable project that I can take to Saturday Sewing or just into the living room so that I can stitch while Andy watches (sleeps) tv!

I wanted to share this hand appliqued block that my Mother in law gave to me. I am sure she told me how old it is but I can't remember. Let's just call it vintage. She had 2 or 3 of these that were passed down to her. She had hers matted and framed and they look so sweet hanging in her guest bedroom! I plan on doing the same with mine. I checked the cost at Michaels and almost fainted!!! I think I will try to do it myself!
Here is a close-up of the tiny stitches. I don't know the name of this pattern. Does it look familiar to anyone?

Kelsey is moving back home today and I am making the supper that she requested. Country fried steak and mashed potatoes! I'm sure the rest of the evening will be spent catching up and doing laundry!

I am really itching to sew!! I feel like I havent sewn for ages. I still havent finished hand quilting the baby quilt so I HAVE to work on that but sometimes I just want to sit at my sewing machine and sew all day long!

Busy Doing Nothing

2011-05-02T09:05:00.003-04:00

I have not done any sewing lately. That makes me sad cause I am almost finished with the baby quit and would really like to get it done and marked off my list. I feel like I have been busy doing nothing since Easter. I have been busy but not really anything to show for it. Ever have one of those weeks? Plus, Andy is home most of the week so I am afraid that I will continue getting nothing done.

I have worked at the school, continued the Bible Study and made a meal for a friend that has breast cancer. Tomorrow it is my day to take breakfast to Bible Study. I have made Martha Stewart's Banana Bread before and that is what I am taking. It is very very yummy! I will also take a fruit salad. It sure makes me nervous to take food to something like this. I'm always afraid someone will get sick or spit it out! I'm wondering why I signed up!

We will also be busy moving Kelsey back home for the summer. That is a good thing:)

I wanted to share 2 more pictures with you. I live right across the street from my parents. I was raised in that house. When my sister and I married we were given land as wedding gifts. My sisters house is right beside mine. That is until they had to move to Alabama. Our kids grew up together just like my sister and I did with our cousins who lived right up the road from us!

In this first picture I am standing on the edge of my Mom's yard looking across at my house.

In this second picture, I just turned to look up the road. You can see my Mom's mailbox and my sisters (used to be) mailbox across the street. My sister's and my house are connected in the back by a big pasture. We have a track back there for walking and riding go-carts and 4 wheelers. It was nice watching the kids go back and forth to play and swim (my parents have a pool) I miss my sister living beside me so much!

Easter

2011-04-25T13:41:00.004-04:00

ok. This is the second time that I have tried to post. Blogger keeps eating my pics! I wanted to show a few of our Easter pics. We had a very nice Easter. We all went to church and enjoyed a great service. I teach 4th and 5th grade Sunday School. It is so heart warming to see those kids openly praising God. After church we all go to Andy's Mom's house for Easter lunch. We eat too much, talk and laugh! The Easter Bunny brings everyone something! Nanny also does an Easter Egg Hunt, my Cade at 11 said that he was too old this year and would not hunt eggs:(

Kelsey was home and that's always a good thing!

I don't know why Andy can't smile in a picture! It was very very hot in the house so I will excuse him! Kelsey is Daddy's girl! She knows how to play it up good! I think they went shopping everyday that she was home!

Our older boy Joey spent Easter with his girlfriend's family. We did have a guest of honor! Sweet Sydney! This is the baby that was born in October to Andy's baby brother and wife. Brad and Krista. They live in Rome Georgia so after Brad was done with his preaching, they drove down for lunch! We all love that baby so much!! We fought over her! Here are some pics of her "talking" to some of the younger boys.

She never fussed! She had just ate in this pictures and was so happy!

Next year she will be chasing these boys around the yard!

I hope you all had a great Easter!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T08:07:00.004-04:00

I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday with your families!

I always feel so thankful and undeserving this time of year!

But, very very loved!

Year of the Pigs

2011-04-20T08:28:00.006-04:00

Jill posted her next Year of the Pigs question. The question is: What part of quilting makes you cry and put your project away? ok. I paraphrased a little.

I HATE basting my quilts! Let me say that again. I hate basting so SO much! I hand baste with thread so it seems to take me f-o-r-e-v-e-r! I am sure it takes longer because of all my whining and crying and putting it off. I have tried to pay Kelsey to baste a quilt of mine...she wouldnt!

Some of the things I will do to put off basting are :

1. cry

2. get on the computer

3. stare into space

4. pluck my eyebrows

5. hide in the bathroom

6. nap

7. get on the computer

8. text my sister and make her feel sorry for me.

9. text Kelsey and make her feel sorry for me.

10. stare into space some more

11. get on the computer

12. cry some more

I have tried telling myself how glad I will be to start the quilting part and that kinda works. What finally works is that I set my timer usually 1 hour but longer if its a large quilt and I tell myself to baste for that long and then I'm done...no matter what. I have to stop when that timer goes off. Now, I want my quilt basted well so I rush to make sure that I get done before the timer goes off.

I still hate every minute of basting...but I truly love to hand-quilt so I will keep basting until I can find someone else to do it for me!

2 Reasons Why I Love My Husband

2011-04-18T16:35:00.005-04:00

1. After hearing me talk about the talk about Denyse Schmidt designing a line of fabric for Joann's Stores....he took me to Joanns and let me buy a little (ok, in my world it was a lot!)

I don't have a problem buying fabric at Joann's. But, you have to be kinda picky about it. After working in a quilt store, I feel like I can judge fabric by feeling it and seeing it in person. This line feels wonderful! The colors are great too!

The 2 colorways are named "Picnic" and "Fairgrounds"

2. He's cooking fajita's for supper!

FNSI Results

2011-04-16T10:16:00.007-04:00

o.k., o.k., I didnt get much done last night. What can I say except my sweet husband was home. I did some hand quilting then we had some strong thunderstorms move into our area. I spent the rest of the night in the living room with him watching tv and reading. Not a bad evening though! I am almost done with the quilting on the blocks. I should be able to move on to the borders this week! and another picture of Wendy enjoying the creek! Look at that smile!

I've been...

2011-04-14T10:10:00.003-04:00

trying to make this guy get serious about his Science Fair Project. We are SO ready for Summer Break!

Hand Quilting my Bliss Baby Quilt.

and dreaming about making one of these pillows!

Whatever you are up to, I hope it's fun!

Playing Around

2011-04-12T16:48:00.007-04:00

The weather here was so nice yesterday that I decided to go on another walk. Cade (and the dogs) went along. Instead of making you sit through 5 or 6 more blog posts about my walks, I will just show a picture or two when I blog. This is a picture from the pond. It was a beautiful day. We walked for an hour. Someone had to have a tick removed from a sensitive part of their body;) and, to make sure that there is no doubt that I shamelessly copy Kristie (Cowgirl Quilter) I saw her beautiful Dresden Plate Blocks that she has been making and I HAD to try it out! I had the ruler that she used already but had never used it. The Easy Dresden Tool by Darlene Zimmerman. It was pretty easy but time consuming. I used scraps to make this test block. I just laid it on some white fabric that I had folded and laying around my sewing room. I would love to make a Dresden Quilt out of 30's fabrics with a pretty yellow center!

I hope that everyone is enjoying there week! Andy has been home all day today so I have got nothing done except this post!

Walking To The Pond 2

2011-04-11T09:36:00.005-04:00

Here are more pictures from my walk to the pond with Brick and Wendy. Here is Wendy cooling off in a little creek. My sister and I used to load our Barbies up and bring them to play in this creek. Did you play with Barbies? We did everyday! We always had one Barbie that was mean, we always called her "The Show-Off" We couldnt think of anything worse than being a show-off.

This is another part of the trail. Kelsey and Joey spent hours and hours riding these trails on 4-wheelers.

In this picture, I am at the top of the gardens, just out of the woods. You can see the little dirt road and at the waaay top center is the top of my Grandmothers barn. This road make a turn at my Granmother's and goes around to my Uncle's house. That also leads to more trails. One will lead you back to the pond. I didnt follow that road because I had the dogs with me. My Grandmother has chickens that she likes to put out everyday and I didnt need Wendy eating a chicken...or a chicken eating poor Brick!!

I think in this picture I am almost to the pond looking back at the woods that I had come through.

Here is our pond. Right now it looks like a big mud puddle. My parents, Aunt and Uncle and my sister's family all like to fish here. My boys fish some but I have no desire to fish. I will stand around and talk to everyone..if the mosquitos arent bad. This is where we shoot fireworks off on 4th of July. You can see my Grandmother's barn in this picture too.

I have a few more pictures of my walk so I will probably show them later.

Cade went back to school today. I sure miss him! I have been cleaning house and getting reading to handquilt for awhile. I think I will take another walk after lunch.

Walking To The Pond

2011-04-10T12:20:00.005-04:00

The other day Kristie (Cowgirl Quilter) showed some pictures off her walk around her farm. I thought it was fun to see where she lives so I thought (copied) I would take some pictures the next time I went for a walk. Saturday was very pretty so when I finished up a row of handquilting I decided to grab my camera and go for a walk. I couldnt talk Cade or Andy into going with me but that was o.k. I ended up with 2 very good companions. This first picture is of our dog Brick. Don't let his cuteness fool you. Brick is 15 years old and has been run over twice. Once by my Mother and once by my Sister. Poor Brick. He has had a good life. He loves being outside and he loves our other dog Wendy. This is Wendy. She was my sister's dog, when my sister had to move out of state we adopted her. We love her so much! She is the sweetest dog ever!! She has only been hit by a car once. Anybody want to pay our Vet. bills??

My walk starts by crossing the road to my parents house. The house I grew up in. Don't worry, I make sure the dogs cross with me. Behind my parents house is the land that has been in my grandmothers family for years. It has been used as pastures and gardens. We use the old tractor paths for four-wheelers and hiking. This is one of the paths. You can walk all the way to my Grandmothers farm on this trail. I have walked it many, many times. I wish I could describe the smell to you. It smells like my childhood. The wet ground, leaves, ferns, trees blooming all take me back to being a kid playing in these paths with my brother, sister and cousins. I remember camping out here. My Mom named our campsite "Camp Cow Pile"

Here is a picture of some of the damage that the beavers have done. I don't rember beavers being here when I was young but they are here now. They have taken tons of trees down.

In this last picture I am standing at the edge of the woods fixing follow the path into the "gardens" There is nothing planted in this field now. This path takes me around the pond and right behind my Grandmother's barn.

Blogger would only let me load 5 pictures so I will continue my walk with you tomorrow!

Japan Embroidery

2011-04-07T08:39:00.006-04:00

I finished my embroidery piece for the quilt that Mom Wald's Place is making for the earthquake victims in Japan. The theme is fruits/veggies. I put alot of pressure on myself to make this block perfect. Of course, it is not perfect. I did my best but faces sure arent my specialty. So why did I pick a pattern with faces on it?? Because it is so darn cute!! I found the sweet pattern on Flickr by the awesome member MMAAMMBR

I love her vintage patterns and find myself using them alot! I am so glad that Mary is doing this project and I am so glad to help out.

After finishing up my embroidery I decided to go check out the new Quilt Shop. It is called Sewn with Love. I know the owner from the quilt shop that I used to work at (she worked there a little while too) She has always wanted to own a shop and when the only quilt shop in town closed..this was her chance! It's a cute shop and she has some beautiful stuff! I didnt have my camera or I would have taken a few pics. To help her stay in business I bought some 1/2 yards and a fat quarter. I was surprised to find out that her FQ's are still $2.50. I was immediately drawn to all the large scale prints but I remembered that I have PLENTY of those at home so I tried to buy some blenders. I love the fabrics that I got!

Here are a few shots form Cade and Andy's adventure. The went to The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center. They loved it!!

This is the little chapel on base. They both want to go back!

Enjoy this day! I have to go to the grocery store then I HAVE to get a quilt basted!

Year of the Pigs

2011-04-06T08:45:00.005-04:00

Jill has come to my rescue! Over at her blog, Ramblings of a Fabric and Yarn Obsessor, she posted my question about being in a slump and bored with your fabric. How do you get motivated? I am so excitied to read the comments.

I took some of Jill's advice and put my fabric away and got busy! I am finishing up my embroidery.

My fabric cabinet is shut (almost)

and we took a little trip to Krispy Kreme. What can I say? The hot light was on.

Andy has taken Cade and a friend to an Army/War/Gun Museum. They were shocked that I didnt want to go with them. I have most of the day to myself and I plan on enjoying it. Our local quilt shop (the one that I worked at for awhile) closed down in December. A new shop has opened up in town. I plan to go there today. I feel that if we don't support these shops then they will close and we will all lose out! We drove past the shop a few days ago. It is in a little chain of shops, it looks small which is probably a good idea in the beginning! It is called "Sewn with Love" Andy took my camera so I wont be able to take pictures. I will be back tomorrow to tell you all about it!

Don't forget to visit Jill and find out how others get their MoJo back!

Spring Break

2011-04-04T07:29:00.004-04:00

Saturday morning Andy and I got up really early to go to Kelsey's college. We went to her sorority banquet. I feel like a loser Mom cause I know nothing about her sorority. Well, I do know that the mascot is a squirrel, they wear lots of formal dresses and they all seemed very sweet. I think they are Delta Gams. Here is Kelsey and her "big sis"

This is a shot of Kelsey and the Delta Gam House. She will be living here next year. That sounds like something out of Animal House. It is beautiful inside, I didnt want to seem like a creeper though so I didnt take any inside pics.

We also took her took a very cute cupcake bakery in town. It is called Hello Cupcake. Very yummy! Someone (Andy) stole the banana chip off the cupcake in the front!

We had a very nice visit. I think she will be home at Easter then she will be home for the summer!

Today is the first day of Spring Break so I'm off to enjoy the day!

Happy April Fools Day!

2011-04-01T12:12:00.006-04:00

HELLO!! I am still here! I was just telling Jill that I think I have lost my quilting "mojo" I havent blogged because I really have not done anything blog worthy (have I ever?) Same old school and housework and Cade stuff. I have 2 projects that I need to get busy on but...sigh..I havent:( I do have the house to myself today (till Cade gets home) and I have been in my sewing room...not sewing, eating Cheese-Its and watching Criminal Minds. I went through some of my fabrics hoping to get a fabric high. Here is my main fabric cabinet. It doesnt look bad. Til I realized that I have to stuff all of this back in there

and this...

Tomorrow, Andy and I are going to Kelsey's college for a Sorority Banquet. I am excitied to see her and meet her "Sister's"

What do you do when you have no desire to sew? Do you ever get bored with your fabric and look for a different direction?

FNSI Results

2011-03-19T10:39:00.004-04:00

Woo Hoo! I got my Pinwheel Baby Quilt all pieced last night. You can find the pattern here..

It still needs a really good pressing....

Hmmmm...

Friday Night Sew In

2011-03-18T10:50:00.003-04:00

Tonight, during Friday Night Sew In, I will be making these pretty little squares into cute little prairie points for my Pinwheel Baby Quilt.

Have you signed up yet? Go here to join the fun!

Baby Quilt

2011-03-14T15:32:00.006-04:00

I have been enjoying these pretty Spring Days that we are having here in Georgia! Also, my sweet girl Kelsey was home for Spring Break. It was so good to have her at home. With Andy and Joey working (and Joey treating this house like a hotel) I never got everybody home at the same time but it was a nice weekend anyway!

I finished piecing the Pinwheel Baby Quilt. I need to put the borders and prairie points on it but I took a picture anyway!

The pattern is by Jodi and found on Moda Bake Shop.

I am also getting ready to start another stitchery. You can read more about it here.

Flickr Stitch Along

2011-03-07T21:01:00.007-05:00

I finished my Flickr Stitch Along piece. The group is the Flickr Group "New Embroidery with Vintage Patterns" The theme for this stitch along was Monday/Wash Day. This sweet pattern was posted by Flickr member Mmaammbr.

I think it is really cute! I love the Dutch Girl Patterns. Please note (but not too closely) my VERY FIRST BLANKET STITCH!!! It's the green grass. I hope to get a better picture of this piece tomorrow so that I can post it on Flickr!

Read!

2011-03-02T06:15:00.004-05:00

I did go to my Bible Study on Tuesday. I swapped my library day for Thursday. I am so glad that I went. We are doing Beth Moore's Fruit of the Spirit. I have never done one of her Bible Study and it looks very interesting...and a lot of homework.
Today I will be at the school reading for "Read Across America" I will also be there thursday and friday...Where is the balance in that?

Happy Weekend!

2011-02-26T10:43:00.002-05:00

I finished my pinwheel blocks. Now I am going to enjoy this beautiful weather and my family!

Catching Up

2011-02-25T10:17:00.011-05:00

We are still on "Winter Break" It seems more like Spring Break. We have had beautiful weather, highs in the 70's. We did have a "spring like" rain come through this morning. Sunny skies now though. We have our Spring Break in April...it will probably snow! lol

Jill's PIG question for this week is " What was your last finish? and. What UFO are you working on right now?" Hmmmm...well, I havent done a single thing on my PIG/UFO list! I started a baby quilt for my niece-in-law. This will be the first "great grand baby" on the Dillard side. They are having a sweet girl in July. I am using Bliss (LOVE) and Jodi's Pinwheel pattern from Moda Bake Shop. I have made this quilt before, it is a great pattern and perfect for a baby gift!

Andy and his brother took Cade and our nephew on a Guy's Only Day. I was happy to be left at home! They went to Dahlonega Ga, and panned for gold. Here they are at a still!

and Cade panning for gold. Why is it so hard for a 10 year old boy to smile at a camera??? or atleast try to look like you are having fun?? They all had fun and Andy said they laughed and laughed at the boys! Cade told me that they told alot of jokes but he couldnt tell them to me. Hope he doesnt repeat them at school!

I hope that everyone is having a great week. I dread school starting back:( On a good note, though, I am going to go to a new bible study at our church. It starts on tuesday morning. This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time. Tuesdays are my days at the library..I will have to swap..Please pray that I am strong enough to tell the school "no" and go to the bible study. If I want to keep "Balance" in my life I have to learn to say "no" to the school. Now, that Sherry is back, I should be able to do this!

I DID IT!!

2011-02-21T12:58:00.007-05:00

o.k. it's not perfect by any means and I doubt that Denyse Schmidt is losing any sleep over me taking over the crown of Single Girl Quilt Queen but I did it!!! I made a Single Girl block!! You should too...it's fun and not THAT hard!!

FNSI Results

2011-02-19T07:58:00.009-05:00

I enjoyed my FNSI! Cade ended up going to my sister's for a shorter visit that Andy and I both agreed on. My sister was very happy! Andy was at the Fire Dept. so it was just me and the cat! It was so nice to have some time to myself to work on something totally "just because" Thanks to Heidi and Bobbi for helping us spend some time for ourselves!

This is what I decided to work on: I have made Kelsey a quilt for each of her college years. I plan on making one for her each year. She will leave college with 4 bed sized quilts. I have always wanted to make her a "Single Girl" quilt by Denyse Schmidt. I bought the pattern years ago but was to scared to try it. There are 31 pieces just in the circles, not counting background. If you want to have a twin size (and I do) that would mean 12 rings. 12 rings time 31 pieces =372 little pieces! AND it has curved piecing!

I happened to be wasting time on Flickr and came upon a Single Girl Support Group that was just starting up! I read that the cutting and tracing the templates was the hardest part. Well, I love that kinda work so I jumped in! I'm no fool though, I am making a test block before I get all excitied that I (Kelsey) will be the owner of a Single Girl Quilt!

I enjoyed making the templates. I got one Ring Quarter done. I am using all scraps on this block.

Here are my template pieces and fabric all organized and clipped together in case of a cat fit! I got great advice from the Support Group. Organization is very important!

Today I have Saturday Sewing at the church so I plan on getting some more work done on this block. I hope this takes my mind off of missing my sweet boy!

I Need a FNSI

2011-02-18T11:18:00.005-05:00

Woo Hoo! Tonight is Friday Night Sew In. Have you signed up? There is still time, go on over to Bobbi's blog and sign up!

This probably won't be my most productive FNSI but I think it is my most "need that" FNSI! I have had one of "those" weeks. It hasn't been all bad. I had a birthday so I did some shopping and had a great supper with my guys! After that, it went down hill! It seems the library is having a hard time letting go of it's free help. The Libriarian is back so I am ready to be back to a once a week schedule and I am having a hard time saying "no" for everytime I am needed there. I am glad to help out but I have so many things that I want/need to do at home.

Then my sister got mad because I won't let Cade go to Alabama and spend some time with her and her family. It was going to be for 4 nights and Andy just wasnt comfortable with that. I'm sorry but I can't go against my husband on something like this. She didnt see it that way:( I do hope that Cade and I can go visit her over Spring Break....if she's talking to me by then!

and Kelsey's car got broke into at college. The dummies did alot of damage to her door before they decided to bust in her window. They didnt get anything..but caught! We had to go get her car and bring it home to have it repaired. Atleast she didnt walk up on it and get hurt!

ok...enough of my pity party! Cade has karate tonight but after that we are going by a fastfood place and I am coming home, putting on my pj's and sewing until atleast 9 pm!

p.s. Do Not for 1 minute think that me showing a new quilt pattern means that I have finshed any of my UFO's...cuz I sure have not!!

Still Here

2011-02-13T10:52:00.004-05:00

FINALLY, finishing up the book fair on Monday. I have to go in and close up the money, do the final report and take brownies for Cade's Valentines party. I hope to get back to sewing and blogging after that! I have sure missed both!

I did finish my February Ninja Block of the Month. I tried to use Valentine colors and I think it is very sweet. Thanks Kandra!

I hope that you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day! I got some beautiful pink tulips and candy on Friday! We grilled out and watched True Grit (the old one) it was a nice relaxing night after the crazy week that I had!

Year of the Pigs

2011-02-03T12:52:00.006-05:00

Jill's question for this week is "What makes you put a project to the side and start something else?" Hmmmmm! Good question Jill! I really had to think about this one! But, I didnt have to look far for an example.

Take a look at this picture please. It looks innocent enough. You can clearly see a Ninja BOM project in a hoop. Also, you can see an almost finished handquilted Halloween quilt. Harmless? HA! You can also see that the embroidery is being stitched and the Halloween quilt has been shoved to the back of the table and the cat has been sleeping on it!!

I had to go back and think as to why I decided to start another stitchery instead of working on my quilt that I really want finished. They are both handwork that I love to do. I can stitch both up while relaxing and watching tv. I only have a a little while to sew today so I can't finish either project.

I have come to the conclusion that I pushed this PIG to the side because I wanted to work on something new!! That's it...I just wanted a new project! I am really stressed right now. I won't get to my sewing room after today for over a week and I just wanted something new and fresh. I'm sure there are so many of us that love a project that we are working on but will push it aside to do something new.....do this a few times and the projects start to add up!!

So, I'm just going to spend the rest of the afternoon sewing my little Ninja and not feel too bad cause I know my Halloween quilt willl be there waiting for me!

Sunday Dinner

2011-01-31T08:31:00.007-05:00

Do you have Sunday Dinner at your house? Did you have Sunday dinner at your Grandma's or maybe your Mother-in-laws? After having Cade's friend over here for the weekend and him being so shocked that we actually sit down as a family to eat supper, made me think back to how we shared meals when I was little.

My mother has never been domestic. When we were younger kids she did cook and I can remember eating at the table with my family. As we grew up some she gave up and we ate out or brought home fast food. We ate in front of the tv or in our rooms.

Every Sunday afternoon though, we went to Grandma's for supper. (to us dinner is lunch and supper is the evening meal) Everybody showed up at Grandma's on Sunday. She did all the cooking (later my Dad took over) I don't remember my Mom or Aunt ever bringing a dish. They did clean up though. I have so many good memories of those Sunday meals. We cousin's had the best time on my grandparents farm. I still remember how sad I would feel when we would drive home. I knew my Grandma would miss us (til the next weekend) I knew I would have to go to school on Monday morning. I can still remember the sun setting all red and pink and purple.

After I married Andy, all the Dillard's would go to his parents house after church on Sundays for dinners. My Mother-in-law or Nanny is VERY domestic. She does everything perfectly!!! Believe me....my husband and his brothers and sister had a "leave it to beaver" childhood while mine was more like "Tarzan" Nanny is an excellent cook and I am still in awe that she was able to have a meal ready for our huge crew right after church!! How do people do that??? She still has Sunday Dinner at her house probably once a month.

Anyway...ya'll know that I'm not a great cook but I do enjoy cooking for my family. Usually on Sunday nights we have something quick and easy..maybe sandwichs. I had been looking at this book and decided that last night I would have a good Sunday Supper. I love the idea of keeping it up and maybe one day my family will all show up at my house for Sunday Supper!

Last night, it was only me, Andy and Cade. We had what we call Sticky Chicken. recipe here
pintos and baked rice. We had peanut butter cookies for dessert that I had baked on friday. We had a nice evening. It was 68% here and we ate with the kitchen window open. From my table I could see the sun setting all red and pink and purple!

I would love to keep this up (and take better pictures)

Have a great day! We start the LAST Book Fair tomorrow so I won't be around much til it's over! :(

The Longest Day

2011-01-29T19:39:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share this cake tin that I found at Hobby Lobby yesterday. I just love the colors! I am not known for being a great cook around here. I cook supper most every night and nobody gets sick but I don't get many raves either! I try hard but to be honest one of my kids favorite meal that I make is affectionately known as "slop" I am a pretty good baker though so I will put this cake holder to use! By the way, it was on sale! Even better!

Why the longest day? After putting it off for almost 2 years and a bunch of planning between the adults, Cade got to have a friend from school over to spend the night. I won't go into it but "F' was removed from his parents at the age of 3 (for good reasons) "F" is on medication (for good reason) I have dealt with "F" at the school many, many times. He has a horrid reputation. I have been told that if "F" was to come to Cade's birthday that some other kids would not be allowed because of "F's" behavior. Really, I don't blame the parents. Andy and I decided that this weekend would be the weekend that "F" got to visit. We knew that we had our work cut out for us when he pulled a knife out of his pocket and quickly ran and jumped off our deck! Then he decided it would be fun to keep jumping at the cat and yelling at her to see her scared. Well, she finally went after him like a wild dog!! Believe me, he has stayed away from her since then!!

We sat down to eat supper, that I had cooked (nothing fancy-pork chops, roasted potatoes, salad and rolls) said the blessing and ate together..like we do every other night. Well, "F" said "Do ya'll eat like this all the time? " Cade just stared at him. I said "Yes, every night" and he said " This is great! This is the bomb, I love this" That made me feel so bad for him. It made me think of the things that I did wtih Cade when he was 3. We went for walks, we did crafts, we baked every friday, he was tucked in every night and met with hugs and kisses every morning. Not for 1 day has my boy ever thought that he wasnt loved and wanted by us. What a difference it makes!

So, yes, I will be glad when "F" goes home but I will have him over again!

Stitch Along

2011-01-26T18:30:00.006-05:00

I finished my piece for the 5th Stitch Along for the Flickr group New Embroidery w/Vintage Patterns. The theme is Sunday/Rest/Church/Visiting. My pattern is from the always awesome Floresita.

I made it into a mini quilt/too big to be a pot holder. I love it!

Stitchings

2011-01-24T06:17:00.006-05:00

I did these cute little stitchings for the owner of the Etsy shop Sweetness Abounds. I think they are adorable! The shop has really sweet patterns. I was a nervous wreck doing these. I really wanted to show off her cute patterns so I tried to make them with brighter floss. I tend to make my stitchings too light.

This is a sweet little bunny. I may make this into a pillow for my niece.

I love the faces on these two Honey Bunnies!

and 2 more Love Bunnies! I really thought about making the carrot in a chocolate brown...like he had given her a Valentine's gift.

After I finished this one, I went back and added french knots for the boy bunny's tail. Dark brown french knots don't show up well in pics. It didnt take as long as I had feared and turned out really cute. Cade had a friend over and they loved the tail. and kept mashing it:(

Today I am cleaning house and hoping to get back to quilting that Hallowen quilt!

Have a wonderful day!

PIG POST #2

2011-01-19T13:51:00.006-05:00

Jill is hosting The Year of the Pig. Her questions for today are :
1. Do you have a current list of Pigs (unfinished projects)
2. How Many do you have?
3. What is the oldest and how old is it?

Hmmm...#1. I do not have a complete PIG list. I don't have many though.
#2. I know of 4 that I want to finish. 3 of them this year.
#3 My oldest PIG is close to 5 years old.

Here are the 3 PIGS that I want to work on.
This is a 9 patch scrap quilt that I did last year for Amanda Jeans Quilt Along. I have the blocks all done, just needs put together and quilted.

String Quilt. I started this quilt a few months ago. I HAD all the blocks done and some rows put together...then at Christmas I used some of the blocks to make potholders as gifts:) I need to make more blocks, put the quilt together and quilt it.

Halloween Quilt. I am handquilting this quilt right now. I am almost done but keep putting it aside to do embroidery!! I need to finish quilting it get it bound and put up for Halloween 2011!

My fourth PIG is my Moda Christmas Quilt AKA the Pizza Box Quilt. It is a kit that I bought about 5 years ago and worked on at the Quilt Shop when I worked there. I will probably put it off and work on something else!

Thanks Jill for making me make a list of my PIGS!

Back to School

2011-01-17T19:40:00.005-05:00

Today was the last free day! Back to school for me and Cade tomorrow. Yuck! I have really enjoyed our snow days. I love having Cade home and having nowhere to go! I just like being home.

I spent today doing my grocery shopping then hanging out around the house. Cleaning up and doing some embroidery. When I go out and feed the dogs I try to remember to throw out some birdseed. I looked out at one time and saw over 20 of these little birds on our side deck. You can see that we still have some ice on the deck!

Someone else noticed the little birds! She would love to go out there and "make friends" with the little birdies!
I also made these Orange Brownies. I saw the recipe on Pleasant Home. They made my house smell like sunshine!! Mine turned out more like a cake than a brownie. I think they would be wonderful with a cup of coffee or tea...I was lazy and had a glass of water with mine:(

Friday Night Stitching

2011-01-14T16:26:00.003-05:00

Our schools were closed today too! That is fine by me. Our yard and driveway are still an icy mess. I am going to have to go out soon though, I am fixing our last real meal for supper tonight.

We have our Saturday Sewing at church tomorrow and I plan on getting out for that! I need some adult conversation! I will be taking some hand embroidery with me. I am testing some patterns for a lady that is opening an etsy shop. I am working hard and fast to get these stitchings done, and Cade was watching me doing a stem stitch. He said " I want to try" well, I am in a hurry but he was interested so I got ready to teach him but NO! He said that he knew how to do it! You can imagine that he didnt stitch too long! But, he looked so cute trying!

Flickr

2011-01-13T09:46:00.004-05:00

Have you been to Flicker? I spend way too much time over there!! I can get lost for hours looking at quilts, embroidery, sewing, patterns, vintage items, pets, pets on quilts, etc!!!
I belong to a few groups on Flickr. My favorite is the New Embroidery with Vintage Patterns group. The Stitch Along theme this time is Sunday/Rest/Church. I have my pattern all picked out and ready to go. I am going to make myself wait and work on it Saturday. We have our Saturday Sewing at church this Saturday.

We are still out of school which I love!!! Our roads are clear but driveways and parking lots are still very icy.

I have to get out today. Cade has a wart (hope nobody is eating) that has to be removed. He was crying with it so I made the appointment thinking Andy would take him. Andy is at the Fire Dept. So, its up to me.

My memory card for my camera got busted so no pictures til I get to town and get a new on!
Lucky for ya'll cause I have nothing to take a picture of but Cade's wart!

Cade's Ice Day

2011-01-10T12:50:00.004-05:00

We got a good bit of ice here in Georgia. Here is our road. The tracks are Andy's where he tried to go to the Fire Dept. before dawn, he didnt get far, had to come back and wait until daylight. It took him over an hour to get to work. It usually takes about 30-40 minutes. I hope they don't have many calls but they probably will with people out trying to drive in this mess.

Very slick icy road.

Cade got this big chunk of ice out of his sled. He wanted me to take pictures of it.

He really thought it was something.

He carried that ice chunk across the road to show my Mother.

Wendy liked it too! She kept taking big bites out of it until Cade dropped it.

I hope everyone is staying warm.

I hope we don't have school tomorrow!

Waiting...

2011-01-09T14:45:00.008-05:00

for the big ice storm that is rolling into Georgia.

Missing my sweet girl. I stitched this up for her apartment at college. She picked the colors out. She left today.
Pattern by the totally awesome Aimee Ray . Find the Doodle Stitch Along here

Ninja Embroidery

2011-01-07T20:41:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share one of the CUTEST embroidery Block of the Month that I have ever seen!!
Kandra Young at MY LIFE is hosting a Ninja Block of the Month. Kandra did this AWESOME design and is offering it free on her blog. GO visit her blog, she is very talented and has a fun site!! My Kelsey LOVES Ninja's so I knew that I had to do this little stitchery!!

I can't wait to see next month's..and the next...and the next..and the next!!

Have a wonderful weekend! We are hoping for some snow, atleast enough to cancel school on Monday!

BALANCE

2011-01-07T06:14:00.004-05:00

Kelly over at Charming Girls Quilt Club is doing something on her blog that is different from most New Year's resolutions! She is asking that people choose words that they want to identify

with what we would like to see more of in our lives in 2011. I have had the same word running through my head since New Years, so when I saw Kelly's post I knew it was for real!

My word is BALANCE! I have been praying for balance in my life! I am so much happier when I am able to balance the things that I have to do and the things that I want to do. It hasnt been easy with me being away from home so much last year (and thats not over) and I have been depressed, sad, mad and guilty for awhile.

My prayer is for BALANCE in my life to be able to do the hard and the fun! Without nutting up!!!

Guess Who Came to Dinner?

2011-01-06T07:29:00.004-05:00

First off, let me apologize for these bad pictures. Yesterday was Cold, Dark and Rainy. Which was how I was feeling since Cade had to start back to school:( It is just a matter of days before Kelsey heads back to college:(

In other news..."Boyfriend" came over to hang out and to eat supper!! We had fun with him and Kelsey! He paid attention to Cade, which was nice since our Joey never pays Cade any attention anymore (but thats another post) Cade spent his time acting like a pesky little brother---spying on them and shooting them with nerf guns! They even took Cade to Karate! Andy did find a reason to get a gun out though:( Some of you know that we live back in the woods, not many other house on the road. Last night around 9 pm, Kelsey walked by the front door and said " Someone just pulled in the driveway" Andy got up and looked and noticed that the light she was seeing was Andy's inside truck light on. Like someone had opened the door. Andy had to get his gun and go out and investigate!! Never found anybody and we have no idea why his light came on! I'm sure "Boyfriend" was either impressed or freaked out!

I also finished putting the borders on my yellow quilt! I need to get it quilted fast..remember I still need to finish up my Halloween quilt too!

I guess I should get busy! Next week, I start back in the library. Sherry plans on coming back in late January! WOO HOO!

The Year of the PIG

2011-01-05T08:07:00.011-05:00

Jill over at Ramblings of a Fabric and Yarn Obsessor has started a support group for PIGs. PIG's are Projects in Grocery bags or unfinished projects. I don't know of any quilters or crafters that have no unfinished projects. Most probably have quite a few! I probably have less than most because as a handquilter, I have to know my limits! However, I do have some projects I would like to finish. I just don't know when I will!

Jill will be posting questions for participants to answer. The first question is "How do you store your PIGS seperate from your stash?" I do store my PIGS seperate from my stash.

Here is a kit that I have started piecing. I started this years ago. I was working at a LQS and we stored our projects in Pizza boxes.

As you can see, a pizza box makes a great storage for blocks and fabric that has been cut. Everything was very neat and tidy until the cat knocked the box over. The downside to storing your PIGS in a pizza box is that if it is knocked upside down, everything comes out!

I have some string/strips stored in a heavy duty box. I would really like to make some more string blocks!

I also use clear plastic containers as storage. These have a nice lid and you can see what is in it. My favorite form of storage. This has the blocks for Bonnie Hunter's last years Mystery Quilt. Will I finish it? I don't know. I really like this years better and I doubt I would make both!

I keep my embroidery projects (patterns, floss) in ziplock bags. Whatever project that I am currently working on goes into my cute little project bag.

How do you store your PIGS?

Yellow

2011-01-02T16:37:00.008-05:00

I don't know how many of you read Judy's blog Patchwork Times. She has a truely awesome blog full of great quilts, knitting, food and so many great tips! I havent been reading her blog long. I found her blog through Jill. and I am sure glad that I did! Anyway, Judy hosts alot of different events on her blog. I know that she has done mystery quilts and this year she is doing a UFO group and a Monochromatic Challenge. You can click on the links for more details.

The Monochromatic Challenge is basically Judy picks one color a month and you make a project using just that color. You can add a white or black background. The challenge is working with 1 color and using from your stash. The project could be a quilt, pillowcase, potholder anything!!

I'm not sure yet if she is going to post a list of people in the challenge or if we just blog on our own. Either way is fine with me. I decided to give it a try because I am bad about using fabric from 1 collection and I want to learn to use color more freely. Also, I was looking at my fabric and there is no way I can use all of this stuff!!!! I need to use some of my stash up...especially since I have no plans to stop buying fabric;)

Here is a sneak peak of my January Monochromatic Challenge. The color is YELLOW!

So Long 2010

2010-12-31T18:49:00.006-05:00

Just a few highlights from 2010!
Our sweet, sweet niece was born! Sydney is the answer to years of prayers!! We love her so much! It is a joy to watch her parents love this girl!

I became an addict...my drug of choice...embroidery!

My first embroidery! I have worked hard with my stitching and hope to do more in 2011. Anybody want an embroidered pillowcase??

I worked with my Mother-in-law to make this quilt for baby Sydney. Such a special project for me.

I finished this quilt last summer. Probably one of my favorites. Kelsey took it with her for her second year of college. I plan on making her another one this summer. I think it's a nice way for her to have a little bit of home while she is away......now, to make sure "boyfriend" stays far far away from it!!!!

I wish everyone a safe, healthy Happy New Year!

Libby

Flickr Stitch Along

2010-12-29T15:23:00.009-05:00

I have enjoyed being part of the Flickr group "New Embroidery with Vintage Patterns" The group has been hosting Stitch Alongs with themed vintage patterns. I did Stitch Along 1 and the Christmas one. The theme for #4 is Saturday/Baking/Cooking. My embroidery pattern is from French Knots. I decided to make my embroidery into a little bag to use to carry my current embroidery project in. I like to have something to hand stitch on in the evenings and I keep my projects in zip-lock bags. I think this bag is much sweeter!

I used Monica's (Happy Zombie) Poochie Bag tutorial for my bag. A wonderful pattern!! I so appreciate people who share their talents with others!! I didnt do so well with my straps and had to take an ice-cream and warm brownie break.

Close up of the sweet duckie. You know she baked that cake.

My new Poochie Bag hanging on our Christmas tree that is still out in our front yard.

Poochie Bag (i love saying that) filled with my next embroidery project. A perfect fit!

Stitching in the Snow

2010-12-27T12:53:00.006-05:00

I wanted to show the pillowcase that I have been stitching in the evenings. I finished it up yesterday while watching it snow!

White Christmas

2010-12-26T09:06:00.009-05:00

We had a very nice, peaceful Christmas! Cade was happy...even though he did not believe in Santa this year:( Andy looks stunned and it is a VERY good thing that he doesnt read my blog! Yikes!

AND...We had a White Christmas in Georgia! We get very little snow here anyway but to get snow on Christmas was just a wonderful gift for everyone! Especially for the cousins up from Florida! These are some pictures taken at my Mother-in-laws house.

The snow was so pretty and really made this Christmas special. I really love these days after Christmas and before school starts back. The hustle and bustle is over and I can really relax and enjoy my family!

I may even get some handwork in! I gave my redwork pillowcases to my Mother-in-law for Christmas. I loved them so much but in the back of my mind while making them I kept thinking about how pretty they would look in her bedroom. I also thought about how giving she is and how much she brags about any of my sewing! SHE is a wonderful seamstress so I feel honored to give her my work! She loved the cases and they looked perfect in her bedroom! I don't miss them...I am so glad that I gave them to her! She went on and on about how pretty they were and then she said " I really appreciate the time that you spent making me a gift" That gave me such a good feeling!

Enjoy your time and stay warm!

Libby

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-23T15:57:00.005-05:00

I wanted to show the potholders that I made up for Christmas gifts. I kinda cheated by using some of my string blocks that I made earlier this month. I chose to use a white binding to tie in with the white string down the middle of the blocks.

I would like to wish all of you and your families a very Merry Christmas! I hope you all make wonderful memories and enjoy this special time with family and friends!

Getting Close

2010-12-22T13:29:00.005-05:00

We finally met Kelseys "boyfriend" last night. We went to Calloway Gardens Fantasy in Lights.

We had a nice time and Andy behaved! We love going to see the Lights at Calloway. We have been going since Cade was about 2 or 3. We always ride the Jolly Trolly but I must say that there were a few years that we went that I would have liked to have thrown my teens off of it! We were a much better behaved bunch this year. I took pics but they turned out dark and blurry! Which really makes me sad, I wanted ya'll to see how skinny "boyfriend" is!

We are finally out of school! I made cookies today and Kelsey is taking some with her to go meet "boyfriends" family! Wish her luck. I am making some potholders as gifts and wanted to send his mom a set but Kelsey would not let me! She said "No! I dont even know if his Mom cooks!" I told her that even if she's not a cook she could use potholders to take stuff out of the microwave! Sigh! I guess my sister will get 2 sets! I will posts some pics of the finished ones later.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Libby