Lilly's Stuff

2009-06-01T10:56:00.003-05:00

On Saturday the mail man delivered a package to me. It was the x-bag that I won in Myra’s give-away! As if the bag was not enough, she also sent three beautiful fat quarters and a pattern for another bag. I am over the moon. She also included the sweetest little hand-made card. I feel so lucky. Myra, you are the greatest!
PS...Please excuse the not so great pictures. The glare from the flash doesn’t let you see how cute the bag pattern is. I know I should not use a flash on my pictures, but I was too lazy to go outside and take them in natural light…….

Circling Swallows

2009-05-27T12:22:00.002-05:00

As some of you know, I won the circling swallows project on the recent ink-lingo giveaway. I got lucky again! The mailman brought it on Saturday. I started on it on Tuesday and thought I would show you my progress so far. Not all that much but quite a bit of sewing none the less. It was what I needed to get me going as I have been in a slump for a couple of weeks. I will show you further progress as it is made. Thank you again Sandy for sending me this wonderful project.

Itsy Bitsy Hexagons

2009-05-13T11:25:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to see if I could do hexagons this small, and the answer is yes! The hexagons are .25 inches. I english paper pieced these!! After I sewed the hexagons together I appliqued it on to a 5 inch charm square. I can't decide if I want to make a picushion with it, or do three more and make an itsy, bitsy quilt.

Storm

2009-05-09T08:37:00.005-05:00

Before

After

Amanda searching for the globe to the yard lamp amongst the fallen maple tree branches. This girl really needs to touch up her dark roots.
@#%$*!!!!!!!!!

Friday morning we had a terrible storm go through our area. It wasn’t a tornado, but they have said we had 85 mile per hour straight line winds. There are so many beautiful trees damaged and destroyed. My favorite tree on my place is, or I guess I should say was, the maple in my front yard. It was split in two and had to be cut down. It also blew over the privacy fence in the back yard and knocked some big limbs out of the trees back there. One of them fell on my car and put a hole in the windshield. I can’t park my car in the one car garage that we have, because my husband has to park his old Corvette in it! So Monday is dealing with the insurance agents. Such fun! This morning something happened that did cheer me up. I won Myra’s giveaway! She is going to make me an x-bag. How great is that???

Swine Flu Prevention

2009-05-06T09:40:00.003-05:00

What not to do!!

Kathy sent me this pic and I thought it was funny in a gross sort of way.

Just for Fun

2009-05-04T15:47:00.003-05:00

This was on the front of a birthday card given to my son, Daniel. It made me smile and that is a good thing, as Martha says.

Pincushion Finish

2009-05-02T09:52:00.003-05:00

This is the finished pincushion I made with the inklingo templates. I guess I shouldn't toot my own horn, but I really like the way it turned out. I am making another one out of the same fabrics, but I don't think I will like it as well as this one.

...And the Winner Is...........

2009-05-01T10:34:00.002-05:00

I had to wait a bit this morning before I could turn on my computer because we had some pretty severe storms come through and more are on the way. Now to get down to business…..the winner of my giveaway is Pat. Her blog is “Bits and Pieces”. Congratulations and I hope you will enjoy the little prizes. I will get them in the mail ASAP. I wish I could have given something to all of you. Keep tuned………..I may have another giveaway in the not too distant future. I have this idea…………

Post Number 100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-30T10:25:00.006-05:00

I made it! It is hard to believe that I have made a post for this many days in a row. It is also hard to believe that I have been blogging for an entire year. I am not that great at math but if I have made 100 posts in a year that means I have averaged almost 2 posts per week. Blogging has been quite an adventure for me. Through it I have been able to get to know some really great ladies, found wonderful crafty, quilty ideas, participated in my first swap, traded a pattern for fabric, learned a lot about different countries, and in general feel that I have expanded my universe in a wonderful way. Thank you ladies, for making my blogging experience a most happy one. Tomorrow I will pick the winner in my giveaway. The winner will be notified on my blog and also by e-mail.

Post Number 99 and a Pincushion Start

2009-04-29T09:34:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I finally downloaded the free inklingo templates and spent a lot of time figuring out how to find what I wanted to print. After doing that I had to go downstairs and find the freezer paper and pick out the fabric I wanted to use, then wash it, cut it, cut the freezer paper and then iron the fabric to the freezer paper. I then printed out the inklingo templates for the diamond shapes. That process went amazingly well. Just the right amount of ink. I then cut out 8 of them with my scissors. I had printed out 16 of them on an 8 x 10 pieces of fabric. It didn’t take all that long to sew them together and this picture is the result before pressing. Now I have to pick another fabric and repeat the process for the squares and triangles that will finish the block. I am thinking I will use a red fabric. I wonder which ink color will work best on red. Maybe yellow?

Post number 98 and a Giveaway

2009-04-28T09:19:00.007-05:00

I was reading a few blogs this morning and found that Cathi has posted about a wonderful giveaway of some inklingo kits. If you have been to Cathi’s blog, you will know what great projects she makes with inklingo. I have wanted to try this method, and if I win one of the kits, it will make a nice trial run. Click on the logo below and it will take you to the blog where the kits are listed. TTFN........

Post Number 97 and a Pincushion

2009-04-27T08:54:00.004-05:00

I made this pincushion last week. It is four and one half inches square. The churn dash block is a finished 3 inch square. This was a fun one to do.

Post Number 96 and More Bunnies

2009-04-25T08:52:00.005-05:00

It appears that if I want my 100th post to be in April, I must make a post every day until the end of this month. That will be a real record breaker for me, but surely I can think of something to post about for the next few days.

This is bunny three of four.

This is the fourth and last bunny. Now to figure out how I am going to put them together.

Another Giveaway....and It is MINE!

2009-04-24T11:06:00.003-05:00

April is my 1 year blogging anniversary month, and should be the month when I reach my 100th post. I am going to celebrate this “Double Whammy” by having a small giveaway. I think I mentioned before that I would be giving away the cottage stitchery I made some time ago. I finished it as a small (13+ inch square) mini quilt. As usual the picture is lousy. I think it looks better than this.

I am also going to include a small pincushion,
and some embroidery floss.

I don’t know if I am using the proper etiquette for a giveaway, but this is what I am doing. Most bloggers are looking for increased traffic to their blog when they do a giveaway. I am not. This time I don’t want anyone to post about this giveaway on your blog. Don’t get me wrong. It tickles me to death to have a new person comment on my blog, but this giveaway is more of a reward for the ladies that have commented on my blog with some frequency. I have appreciated your interest in my blog and feel that you are my blogging friends. Anyone that comments on my blog during the month of April is in the running. This might include a few new visitors, but I doubt there will be many of those. There are a couple of names I have included that have not commented this month, but there were good reasons why they couldn’t, so they are in the draw with one entry. You will have one entry for each comment you have made during April. I am going to use the number generator thingy to choose a winner on the first of May. As forgetful as I am I better make that “around” the first of May. LOL. For someone who doesn’t talk or type much, this post is getting rather long. The End.

Bunnies One and Two

2009-04-19T09:41:00.002-05:00

I decided I didn’t like the button hole stitching on the first bunny I did. Here she is without it.

This is a picture of bunny two. Only two more and I will be able to put them together in a wall hanging. It would be so cool if I would actually get a hanger to hang it from, rather than folding it up and putting it on top of the other hangings waiting for me to buy a hanger. I hate going shopping for anything. Maybe I can find one online.

A Tisket A Tasket April Block

2009-04-15T09:03:00.003-05:00

I wish I had been able to find a nicer fabric for my basket, but my stash is low on blues. I like the fabric Kathy used for hers, but I didn’t have any of that one. All in all, I am ok with this block, but it is not one of my favorites.

Veranda Views BOM Block Four

2009-04-09T14:29:00.002-05:00

I have finished the April veranda views block. Mine are printing out a little smaller than she says they should be. I don't think it will matter if I trim them to the size she calls for. I will just have a bit more unworked area in the blocks. I thought this one was really cute. I do think I made the blooms on the tomato plant a bit to big, but it doesn't bother me enough to redo them....

Another Little Project

2009-04-03T18:10:00.002-05:00

Kathy made one of these bunnies and when I saw hers, I wanted to do one also. I think they are so cute. I am going to make a small wallhanging for which I will make four of these. Kathy is going to make a table topper and she is going to make nine bunnies for it. We will have it ready for easter.........next year.

Another Nifty Giveaway

2009-04-02T17:02:00.003-05:00

As Randy says...Check it out......At Don't look now

A Nifty Giveaway

2009-04-02T16:39:00.002-05:00

Hurry, Hurry. Check it out at the Quilt Nook

Veranda Views BOM Block Three

2009-03-31T07:25:00.004-05:00

I just checked and the new installment of the Veranda Views BOM is on the site, but I couldn’t see the link to down-load it. I probably just didn’t look in the right place. Will check again in a bit. Anyway……..I realized that I hadn’t posted a pic of the last block. So here it is. These little blocks are such fun to do. I like the feeling of having finished something, even though it is just a part of something larger.

Quilting in Strips

2009-03-24T15:34:00.011-05:00

A couple of readers have asked how I quilt in strips, so I will do my best to show how I do it. Before I begin, I must tell you that I am lousy at explaining things. Maybe this will help me learn to be better at it. I hope...........

First I will show you the quilt I am talking about. It was quilted in four strips. The first strip is the row of piano keys, plus two blocks long and the width of the quilt. The second is just two blocks long and the width of the quilt, and the next strip is the same. The last one is the same as the first, only with the piano keys on the bottom instead of the top.

Next you need to quilt the strips. On the first one you would quilt it to the edges, except for the edge that will be joined to the next strip. On that edge you would leave enough room to be able to quilt in that unfinished edge. I usually quilt in a fairly large meander, so I leave about 3 inches or so unquilted along that edge.

On the next strip you quilt all the way to the ends of the strip, but you would leave the long edges on both sides unquilted for the same three or so inches. Are you with me so far? Now it is time for another picture………

Take both strips that you have quilted, this picture shows one of the strips, and along both unfinished long edges, fold back and pin the batting and backing out of the way. Now with right sides of the two strips together, and matching seams where needed, pin and sew that long seam.

After the seam is sewn, I press that seam open as well as I can. I think it helps reduce the bulk of the seam, and makes it lay flatter. I then press the right side of the quilt where the seam is so everything is smooth and flat.
This picture shows the quilt, right side down and the backing and batting with the pins removed. The first strip is at the top and I have smoothed out the quilt and then smoothed the backing and batting of the first strip down over the seam just made.

Now I smooth the batting from the strip I am adding to the top strip, and there is about a half inch of batting that needs to be trimmed so that the batting from strip one and strip two butt up against each other. My trimming is never exact. A little over-lapping is better than cutting away to much and you wind up with a gap between the two strips of batting. Don’t ask how I learned that.

After the batting is trimmed from the second strip and butted up against the batting of the first strip, smooth out the backing from second strip over the top strip. Turn under and finger press a quarter inch on the edge of the backing on the second strip. Pin to the first strip, taking care to keep everything smooth. If you pull too much on the backing to pin it in place, the front will not be smooth and you will get puckers when you go to finish up the quilting around the seam. After you have it pinned, check the front to see if it looks nice and yes, smooth. If it looks right to you, you are ready to sew the seam joining the two backing fabrics together. I use the ladder stitch to do this. This link shows you how to do it, if you are unfamiliar with that stitch. Ladder Stitch. I hold the quilt in my lap, and pinch up a bit of the quilt in my left hand, sew that portion, then grab another pinch of quilt and continue across until I have the seam finished. Then you flip that puppy over and finish the quilting where the two pieces are joined together. Go through that process two more times and your are ready to put on the binding. Of course you can make your sections any size you want, and make the sections go side to side or up and down. Whew! I think it was harder for me to write about it than it was to actually do it! I hope I have explained how I do this in a way that can be understood. If there is something not clear to you, let me know and I will do my best to explain it better. Wow! I think I have just written my first, and probably my last, tutorial...............Oh, yes. If you click on the pictures you can see larger versions.....

A tisket a tasket block for March

2009-03-21T09:00:00.003-05:00

I finished the march block from the bunny hill bom. It won't be long before the next one is ready. I wonder what the one for April will be. How would you draw an "April shower"?

String Quilt

2009-03-17T09:15:00.004-05:00

I have been busy during the day doing some meandering on my string quilt. I had this first strip finished over a year ago, before I fell and broke my shoulder and pelvis. I only have one more strip to do before I start joining them together. I can’t wrestle with a whole quilt, so Kathy and I quilt our quilts this way. I was thinking I would send them all off to a local long arm quilter, but when I got my flannel quilt back from her, I decided I would do them myself. I was not happy with her work. Mine is far from perfect, but a least my edges come out straight.

A Touch of Spring

2009-03-10T11:08:00.003-05:00

What strange weather we are having. Near 80 degrees on Sunday and now on Tuesday night they say it is supposed to get down to 25 degrees. Kathy’s Bradford pear is about to bloom and it will probably be ruined for this year. I picked some daffodils, hyacinths and a few sprigs of forsythia yesterday. I am going to pick the rest of the flowers this afternoon. I might as well have them inside instead of leaving them to freeze. I am showing a picture of the bouquet I made yesterday. I had to get out my favorite vase to put them in. LOL…

Pincushions

2009-03-06T12:37:00.003-06:00

Thank goodness we are not issued fines for not posting frequently. I know I couldn't afford the fines I would incur! These are some lousy scans of the pincushions I made the last couple of days. They were made by the English paper peicing method. I appliqued them on to a charm square after I sewed the peices together. I had never tried it before and it was fun! The pincushions are four and half inches. I filled them with walnut bird litter, which I read about on a blog somewhere. I found it at Pet Smart. It gives a nice weight to the pincushions. When I have my 100th post giveaway, one of these will be a part of it.

Another NPNT Block

2009-02-23T10:41:00.003-06:00

It has been a week since my last post. The time just gets away so fast. I have been busy, and that always makes the time go faster. I have finished several of the NPTP blocks. They are so much fun! I have also been working on the quilt that Kathy and I are doing. Will show a couple of the blocks from that quilt soon. It is made with 30's fabrics. I may not have been posting, but I have been reading my regular blogs. A lot of you have some really neat projects going. This blogging thing is a real wonder. So many nice people to visit and so many beautiful things to see. Now I must go and cut more strips. My back said for me to take a break, but the break is over.

A Tisket A Tasket February block

2009-02-16T17:31:00.001-06:00

This is just a little quickie post to show you my February A Tisket A Tasket block.

Veranda Views BOM Block Two

2009-02-14T17:42:00.001-06:00

Got this finished a couple of days ago. It is not a very good scan. Or it is a very good scan and I just didn’t get the fabric pressed very well. Now for the wait to see what the next stitchery will be…….

Noah's Ark is Finished

2009-02-09T18:10:00.004-06:00

Well, it is done! I really enjoyed doing this BOM and I am pleased with the way it turned out. I purchased a jelly roll at a local quilt shop. It is not a fabric line. Just some very pretty coordinated prints that they put together, and I thought they would be perfect for the borders on this little quilt. When I started cutting out the stitcheries to finish this up, I decided to cut them a little bit larger. I cut them one half inch beyond the embroidered line that goes around each block. I cut my 2 ½ inch jelly roll strips in half to add the borders. I thought I had it all figured out, but as you can see the blocks came out a size that didn’t allow them to be put together like they should have been. I considered adding borders to the little quilt, but every thing I tried seemed to take away from the stitcheries, so I just did a bit of hand quilting, put the binding on and called that good. Even though mine is a little bit different, I plan to keep it! Now I need to find a nice hanger for it. If you click on the picture, you should be able to see it in a bit larger size...

The Ark

2009-02-06T10:44:00.002-06:00

This is the last stitchery in the Noah’s Ark BOM. I suppose it is being greedy to hope that Lynette will start another one soon. This one was such fun. I have the stitcheries done and sewn together. All that is left is to sandwich it, do a bit of quilting on it and put on the binding. Will show a picture of it when it is all done!

Nice People, Nice Things......block two

2009-02-03T09:43:00.002-06:00

This block went together rather quickly. I have decided not to do the sayings that are supposed to be on the back of each block. Just doing the fronts will be time consuming enough. I am also going to join the seams on the back of the quilt, instead of on the front. I hope that having one block a week ready to show will keep this project...FUN..

Veranda Views BOM Block One

2009-01-29T16:00:00.002-06:00

While visiting blogs, I found the Veranda Views BOM. I printed it out, chose the background fabric and started working on it. Got all the floss out that I planned to use. Read the instructions, which are very well done, and got the tree finished. Went back to the directions and found that I had used the wrong color for the tree. I felt like such an idiot. Hate to say it, but that is not the first time for that feeling. Any how, I left it like that, because I didn’t want to start over. I think it is cute, even with my mistake. I will try to be more attentive when making the next block…….Thank you Willowberry Designs for sharing this project………clicking on the picture in my side bar will take you to the pattern........

Nice People, Nice Things......block one

2009-01-27T09:55:00.002-06:00

I have finished the first block of the Nice People, Nice Things quilt by Helen Stubbings. I am doing a bit of hand quilting in the blocks. I hope to get one block a week done on this quilt. I am using a line of fabrics from Connecting Threads for the borders. It is called Emily’s Raspberry Patch. I am not going to add any blocks together until I make sure I have enough fabric to put borders on all of them. If I don’t have enough, I will just have a bit smaller quilt…..

A tisket a tasket January block

2009-01-23T15:30:00.004-06:00

Last night I finished the first block of the Bunny Hill BOM. I want to thank Myra for telling me about it. This was a fun block to do. I am looking forward to seeing what is in store for next month. I have been very busy this past week working on a couple of new projects that are fun! I should have plenty to show you when I get more pictures taken. The infamous Kathy and I are going to make two quilts. One is flannel and one is using 30's fabrics. We have the same fabrics, but we are making the quilts without telling each other which of the fabrics we are using in the blocks. We like to see how close we come in our choices. I am also excited about the patterns I got for the Nice People, Nice things quilt. I have loved it since I first saw it. I have the first block finished. I really like the way it turned out..........

A Scripture for Sunday

2009-01-18T08:11:00.005-06:00

but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

-Isaiah 40:31

The Bugs

2009-01-16T15:54:00.002-06:00

Just a quick post to show my latest finish. It is the bugs from the Noah's Ark BOM by Lynette Anderson. Not many more to go. I am going to have to get the fabric I need to put it together very soon!

LeMoyne Star

2009-01-14T16:08:00.002-06:00

Myra asked me to show a picture of the one block I made of the quilt I thought I was going to do. It really isn't as wrinkled as it shows in the pic. I should have taken a picture of it instead of jamming into the scanner. And the scanner didn't fit the whole block. That is why the points on the right are missing. I am now trying to figure out what to do with the 30's fabrics I have. Pretty sure I am going to do a half square triangle quilt like the one Myra is making. You can check it out on her blog, tactile pleasures in fabric. She is in my blog list.

I Changed My Mind

2009-01-13T10:26:00.002-06:00

I am a woman. I can, and do, change my mind frequently. I have told my husband that I am going to make chicken and noodles, homemade noodles of course, homemade cranberry and orange relish, real mashed potatoes, and homemade hot rolls for supper. That evening when he comes in and sees Campbell’s soup and a ham sandwich and asks what happened to the chicken and noodles, I tell him I CHANGED MY MIND. The reason for this story is a way of leading up to the fact that I have changed my mind about doing the quilt that I told you about in my last post. Kathy and I went to the quilt shop and bought a few fat quarters and some of the background fabric for the quilt. Yesterday we both made a Lemoyne star block. It was not fun! It took me all morning to make it. I did mine on the machine. Kathy tried to hand piece hers. She said she felt like throwing it in the trash before she was finished. So……….Here we are. We talked and I told her that I didn’t think the project was something I wanted to do, and she agreed. It didn’t start out being fun, and I don’t want to do something that isn’t fun! I am getting to where I enjoy doing things that are small enough, or quick enough, to finish within a short time. I guess turning seventy has something to do with my attitude. I would prefer to start something I may live long enough to finish! That is all I have to say about our short lived grandiose plan for making this quilt……….except to say that I have a great pattern I would sell at a good discount………LOL

2009-01-08T10:36:00.001-06:00

It’s a brand new year and thanks to Kathy, my wonderful sister, I have a brand new quilting project. For my birthday she gave me a new pattern for a beautiful quilt. She and I are both planning to make this quilt during 2009. We hope to make it as near like the picture as we can. If you click on the picture, you can see it in a larger size. The pattern is called “Vintage Moments”, by Marsha McCloskey. The picture is one that my sister found on the internet. I don’t know who made it, but we fell in love with it when we saw it. I hope I am not too old to learn some new tricks. This quilt requires doing some things I haven’t tried before. Bias strip piecing for making half- square triangles? We are going to do it one step at a time and see how it goes. Maybe this new project will give me more incentive to take pictures and blog about my progress. If I am going to get this done in 2009, I had better get off the computer and get busy! Hope you all have a great new year filled with happy days of quilting and crafting.

Happy New Year 2009!

2008-12-31T10:54:00.002-06:00

A New Year Blessing

May the road you walk be a smooth one,

May your troubles be few — if any,

May the days and years that lie ahead

Be healthy, happy, and many,

May you have friends in abundance,

May the sun shine bright around you.

May the world be a wonderful place to live,

And may God's love always surround you.

2008-12-24T11:11:00.001-06:00

The Lions

2008-12-15T10:18:00.003-06:00

My, how the time just flies by. The more I have to do, the less time I have to do it. This is just a quick post to let you know I am still around. Amanda is doing much better, and that makes me feel better. I finished the lions for the latest installment of the Noah’s Ark project. I liked the way this one turned out. They are all just so cute. Thanks again, Lynette.

Back to Blogging

2008-12-04T11:31:00.005-06:00

I have never been a daily, or even weekly, blog poster, but this is ridiculous. It has been more than a month since I have made a post. I can say that there have been some legitimate reasons for this, but a lot of it is because of a lack of inspiration. Amanda has been back in the hospital during this time, and continues to have medical problems. She is home now, and seems to be feeling better, but I worry so about her. Please continue your prayers for her. On a lighter note, I have just finished the November block of the Noah's Ark series, and that reminds me that I need to check to see if the one for December is up on Lynette's site. We had a really nice Thanksgiving Day. All of my children and their kids were here, except for the son who lives in Houston. I know the rest of the month will be a busy time for everyone. I don't know how often I will post, but God willing, it will be more often than in the past month

Even More Mail

2008-10-31T10:54:00.004-05:00

I just couldn’t believe it when I got this in the mail a couple of days ago. Another package from my Angel Stitcher! I am just so happy with the things she sent. There is a really cute pattern for a little bag and all of the materials to make it. Also a quilt label, more beads, and more cookies and some really yummy candy. Last of all is a beautiful bag!!!!!!!!! I wish you could see it in person. It is so beautifully made. I just love it! Now I get to tell you who the lovely lady is that sent all these wonderful things to me. She is Maria, from Denmark. She has a blog that I visit frequently. It is called allmomasquilt. I think you would enjoy a visit there. It is mostly in Danish, I think. Don’t know for sure because I can’t understand that language, but she also makes some remarks in English. I have really enjoyed making the Angel Stitcher projects, and have sent mine off to their new owner in Australia. I just barely got them sent before the deadline. Procrastination is my middle name. Wish it weren’t so, but it is another fault of mine. I will end this post with a little note to Maria. Thank you so much for the beautiful gifts and I am so happy that you were my swap partner. You made this a really wonderful experience. Hope your Angel Stitcher is as good to you as you were to me. I will be visiting you on your blog very soon………

More Mail

2008-10-20T09:56:00.002-05:00

2 days ago, I got another package in the mail from my Stitcher’s Angel. What a nice lot of goodies. There was a folding thread catcher, a too cute little pincushion for my finger, a pair of scissors on a ???, you know, the thingy you put around your neck, and some cookies and candies. The orange wrappers were toffee candy. My favorite!! Those were gone before I got a picture taken! Thank you once again my Angel. You are a very generous and talented person. Please excuse the lousy picture. I had my 15 year old grand daughter spend the night with me. She loves to take pictures with my camera. I told her she could use the camera if she didn’t change any settings. When I took this picture, the flash wouldn’t work. Do you suppose she changed a setting? I’m thinking she did. I can’t find the book that came with the camera, and can’t figure out how to get the flash back to working. She is going to get her you know what chewed out when she gets home from school today.

Noah's Ark

2008-10-15T09:54:00.003-05:00

I finished the eighth little stichery of the Noah's Ark BOM last night. It is hard to believe how many stitches you can get in a 2 and a half inch block. The backstitched lines around the outside of the block were straight before I pressed it. I will have to re-do the pressing later and get the lines straight. I wish I knew what fabric I wanted to use for setting these together. Oh, well, I have a few more months to go before I have to make up my mind.

Fall Gourds

2008-10-13T09:39:00.003-05:00

I was thinking about decorating my mantle for fall, which got me to thinking about the fall gourds I have and I decided to make a collage of them and show them here on my blog. In fact the idea of even decorating the mantle started because my sister, Kathy, showed a picture of what she had done on her blog. Must give credit where credit is due! I haven’t done a new gourd in a couple of years. They were fun to do, but I just haven’t been in the mood to do a new one. Hope my gourds don’t rot before I get around to them again.

Why I have been away from blog-land

2008-10-07T11:04:00.003-05:00

Amanda
On Wednesday evening, September 24th, my daughter had a stroke. She was in the hospital for eight days. She is almost back to normal now, thank the Lord. She is only 34, and this has been a real shock. The doctors say that it was probably caused by a combination of factors. She was taking birth control pills and she is a smoker. They said that some of the meds she takes for migraines could have also been a culprit. And then there is the “stuff happens” theory. She is at home now and being closely monitored. She has to take a blood thinner and has to have regular blood tests while she is taking it. I am feeling more confident that she will be ok, but I am still scared for her. During this time I have been so worried that I just couldn’t do anything. I seemed to be wandering around in some kind of fog. I feel like I am coming out of it a bit, at least enough to let those of you who read my blog know why I have not been posting or reading. In the next few days I hope to get more in the swing of things, and catch up on what you all have been up to. I want to thank those that have e-mailed me with your concern. Thank you for caring.

Needle Book

2008-09-22T18:03:00.003-05:00

Cici from Sweden offered this little needle book pattern to the Stitcher’s Angels on Helens blog. I liked the one Cici made and decided to try to make one. I think it turned out very nicely, if I do say so myself. It is only about 2 1/2 inches wide, but it took quite a bit of time to make. I stitched all the writing on it and that is what took the longest. Would have used permanent marker, but mine were all dried out.

I Got Mail!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-21T10:16:00.002-05:00

I got a wonderful surprise in the mail yesterday from my Stitcher’s Angel swap partner. She lives in Denmark and sent me all of these nice goodies. A beautiful needle book, a package of needles included, a cute little pincushion, 5 tubes of gorgeous beads, a lovely button, and last, but far from least, 2 chocolate candy bars. She did not tell me her name, but just in case she might see this, let me say thank you. You were very generous, and I will treasure the little needle book, but I am going to eat the chocolate right away!

Another Finish........and an Award

2008-09-19T10:36:00.007-05:00

I finished the needle holder made from the pattern by Lynette Anderson. It was one of the patterns from the Stitcher’s Angel project. I think it turned out pretty cute. I don’t have any scissors that would fit in it, so it will be going to my swap partner.
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I have been choosing a favorite blogger each Friday for the last fourteen weeks, and now it is time to say goodbye to that idea. It was getting a bit boring to me and I don’t do boring. I am also too forgetful to do something that has to be done on a certain day each week. Yes, Myra, I forgot last Friday!!!
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This morning I found that Isabella from I Just Love to Stitch has passed on an award to me. Thank you. I can’t choose just 5 bloggers to nominate so I choose all of the bloggers on my lists. Just take the image from here and put it on your blog if you wish, and pass it along to whomever you care to. It is a very pretty little image.

Another Finish

2008-09-14T10:26:00.004-05:00

I finished the pin cushion from the pattern that Karen from Cotton Spice offered to the Stitcher’s Angel project. I, of course, had to do things a little bit differently. I didn’t have any chenille, although my sister said she had some I could have. I chose to use regular quilting fabric for my pin cushion. I also used the stitchery pattern from Natalie Lymer’s project. I used a poly filled yo-yo in the center front with a button on the front and the back. I like the way it turned out. I won’t go into detail, but must say that I had to make it twice. The first time I made it, it was a pin pillow! Way too big!!!

Danger!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-11T10:37:00.004-05:00

A Woman's Week At The Gym

Dear Diary, For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.
I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.
My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

MONDAY:Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!!
Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!
Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit- ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!

TUESDAY:I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY:The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals.
Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.
Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.
My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the heck would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other stuff too.

THURSDAY:Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late - it took me that long to tie my shoes.
Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny b**ch to find me.
Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.

FRIDAY:I hate Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it.
Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the da*n barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.
The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

SATURDAY:Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY:I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

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Carin make me do it! She has just posted about starting back to the gym, and I had just read the above story, so that is the way this post came about. I found the cartoon on the web somewhere, and it just cracked me up. The "Woman's Week at the Gym" story was in a news letter from an online quilt shop called Stitchin Heaven. I didn’t see any copyright info, so I suppose it is ok if I use this material. If not, well, I guess that I can delete this post if it is requested that I do so. Here is a link to their web site. Maybe the free advertising will make them feel better about me using their stuff!!!

Finished the bag

2008-09-09T16:17:00.002-05:00

Well, I finally got the bag finished. It is the pattern given to the Stitcher’s Angels by May Britt. Of course I had to mess with it just a bit. Added a frame of the contrast fabric around the stitchery, and made it too wide. The contrast fabric looks like it is the main fabric. I also did a little bit of quilting on the stitchery. It seemed to poof out from the batting. I didn’t have any cording, so I crocheted a chain with some ribbon yarn that I had and used that instead of cording. I think it matches the bag pretty well. All in all, I am very happy with the way it turned out. I wish I could take better pictures. I think I move just as I am taking the picture. I guess I need to set up a tripod and see if that helps. Tomorrow I am going to try to get started on the pincushion that is the next Stitcher's Angel patten. I won't be using chenille, because I don't have any!

Friday's Favorite Blog #14

2008-09-05T08:46:00.005-05:00

It is Friday again and time to pick another favorite blogger. This week it is Claire from the Quilty Gal blog. She is another Aussie. Australia produces some very talented people. Most of the stitchery that I like is by Australian designers. I think you will enjoy a visit to her blog. She just finished a great looking bag for a swap she is in. Click here to go there.

Noah's Ark and.........

2008-09-04T09:50:00.004-05:00

I got busy and finished the latest stitchery for the Noah’s Ark BOM. This one worked up quickly. I also got the stitchery done for the front of the May Britt bag. I am not going to point out a boo-boo I made. Hopefully no one else can see it!!! Now to the sewing machine and making the rest of the bag.

Finished the Caddy

2008-09-01T09:18:00.006-05:00

Last night I finished the arm chair caddy by Helen of Hugs n Kisses. It is the first pattern that was offered in the Stitcher’s Angel project. I am happy with the way my caddy turned out, but the picture stinks. I took a bunch of pictures, but none of them showed the color correctly. You will just have to take my word for it that the striped fabric is more of a grey blue, not the bright blue in the picture! Click here if you would like to have the pattern. Now I must go and pick out fabric for another pattern. I think I will do the bag that May Britt has put up as her Stitcher’s Angel offering. It is so cute! I hope I can do the pattern justice. You can find the pattern here.

Friday's Favorite Blog #13

2008-08-30T10:05:00.004-05:00

I can’t believe how absent minded I am. I breezed right through Friday without posting my favorite blogger. Hoping that late is still better than never, my pick this week is Jeanne from her blog, luv2stitch. She shows great pictures, you know I love pictures.
She does lovely work and writes an interesting blog. She has posted some blogs that are having giveaways. Click here to go there and visit. I am sure you will enjoy yourselves. Jeanne, I would write more about how much I like your blog, but I have to go check out some of the giveaway links you posted…………

Finished the Cottage

2008-08-26T11:46:00.006-05:00

A few posts ago, I showed you a picture of the cottage stitchery I had begun. It is now finished, but I think I got too carried away with the flowers. They sort of hit you in the face! I think I should have used a bit more soft colors and maybe not so many different ones. Oh, well, It was just something to do while watching TV. I think I will make a throw pillow out of it. Maybe I can pick out some fabric that will make it look better. If I still don't like it, I will give it to my daughter. "In your face" is right up her alley.

Another Giveaway

2008-08-23T11:56:00.004-05:00

Helena is having a giveaway on her blog. She is giving away a nifty project keeper thingy and also a free stitchery pattern. Go on over and check it out. Click here to go there.

Friday's Favorite Blog #12

2008-08-22T08:20:00.004-05:00

This Friday’s Favorite Blogger is Finn from the blog, Pieces From My Scrapbag. She is a very nice lady and is always ready with a **VBS**. Great pictures, fun happenings, and interesting stories can be found on her blog. She has a secondary blog that shows pictures of quilts made with orphan blocks. She hasn’t posted in a few days. She said that she recently found the mo-jo that she had lost, so maybe she is too busy quilting to post. Click here to go there.

Another Giveaway

2008-08-20T22:17:00.003-05:00

Carin is having a giveaway to celebrate her 200th post. Can you imagine.......... 200 posts! ...Click here to check it out. I hope she doesn't mind that I "borrowed" her celebrate picture. I don't like to post without a picture of some kind.

After

2008-08-19T17:15:00.002-05:00

Ok……Here is the after picture. I must say it looks a little more fit for human habitation. I am looking forward to some stitching this evening in my new de-cluttered space. All of the stuff I need to work on my current project is in the little box. Kathy, I will really try to put things back when I am finished with it. I know my life would be much easier if I would make a habit of doing that. Sheree, I hope this picture helps to restore your chi. Just in case I haven’t mentioned it before, Sheree is my baby sister.

Before

2008-08-18T16:20:00.004-05:00

I am a slob. I have been working on some embroidery projects the last few days and I looked at my table today, and realized I am a slob! I have never been the most tidy person, but this is ridiculous. Kathy, my sister, will have a cow when she sees this. She is a total neat freak! But a wonderful person and my best friend!!!!! I just cleaned out that drawer a week or so ago, honest. You can't see it too well in this picture, but on the table there is a glob of floss with thread dangling everywhere. The remote to the TV does not belong there. There is a little dish with the floss I am using to make the Noah's Ark blocks. It could be put away. The mirror is out because I had to pluck my eyebrows and the light is good there. Of course, since I am a slob, I couldn't put it back when I was through. On the floor there are boxes of floss and bags of floss, some books and back there I see the cone of peaches and cream crochet yarn that I got out to make a dishcloth, and of course I didn't put it away when I was through. I am going to clean that area up and show you a picture of it tomorrow.........or maybe the next day. I don't want to turn over this new leaf to quickly. Have to be careful of my back you know.

Friday's Favorite Blog #11..and More

2008-08-15T11:34:00.007-05:00

Today is Friday once again and I think Bonnie at Calamity Jane’s Cottage is an excellent choice for this week’s favorite blogger. She is a very interesting person and has a very nice blog. Pretty pictures and some very creative projects she has made. She also has a shop with some of the nicest vintage items for sale. I see she is also in the Stitcher’s Angel swap group. Whoever is chosen to be her swap partner will be a very lucky person. Go on over and check out her blog. I don’t think you will be disappointed. Click here to go there.
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The older I get the faster time seems to go. That is not fair. When you don’t have a lot of time left, it should go slower! I live a very calm but boring life, and you would think the time would drag, but no!!! It seems to speed up more everyday. This stinking computer is probably part of the reason this happens. I start reading blogs and it doesn’t seem like much time has gone by, but WHOA!!!!!, I have been reading for two hours. I don’t plan to change though, so I guess I will just have to shut up and deal with it.
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I will close this post with the reason it has been a week since I have last posted. Last Saturday My son and his wife from Houston came for a visit. We had a great time and Eva, my daughter in law was so kind. She did all the cooking while she was here. She even cleaned out my microwave, which was in great need of it. My back is still preventing me from doing many things. Reaching over my head, where my microwave is above the stove, is one of them. Tim, my son, brought his new toy with him. It is the Wii gaming system. I am not sure I have the spelling correct on that. The grandkids had a great time with it. My son Dan and Tim had a few cut-throat games of tennis and golf. They are very competitive and both hate to lose. Playing with that game leads to lots of NOISE. The games themselves have audio comments. The players add to the NOISE with all of the comments they make while playing. For example… Dang, You cheated, I am just better than you, I let you win, You have had more practice, On a real golf course I would have made par, etc, etc. Fun, but NOISY. We had a houseful one evening. My daughter Amanda and her family, Dylan, Ashley and Kiley, were here. With Tim and Eva, Dan, myself and my husband, my little house seemed just a bit crowded, and NOISY. We had burgers from the grill and all the trimmings. We had a great time. I feel blessed to have such a loving family. Wish my other son, Chris and his family could have come. Tim and Eva left for home on Thursday. They called in the evening to tell us they had arrived safely. I worry so when my family is on the road. So it is back to just my husband and myself. I love visiting with my family, but I gotta tell ya, It wears me out. My life is boring, but I like it that way. Boring and QUIET. I know in a little bit I will be wishing they were back, but for now I am happy to be back to reading my blogs and doing just the normal QUIET things.

Friday's Favorite Blog #10

2008-08-08T16:31:00.004-05:00

This Friday I have chosen Rondi, at Rose Colored Glasses, as my favorite blogger. I very much enjoy reading her blog. She recently changed her header and this one is as nice as the last one, which I loved. She has a real eye for color. Something I do not have and wish I did. Her pictures are always so beautiful. She has a post on Thursdays where she tells of the things for which she is grateful. This weeks was very lovely and inspiring. Take a look at her blog. I am sure you will enjoy your visit. Click here to go there.

I Finished Something

2008-08-05T11:58:00.002-05:00

I got tired of being behind on everything, so I got busy and finished the latest stitchery from the Noah's Ark Bom. The colors don't look exactly right in the scan, but I thought it turned out well. I don't know if I have said it before, but I really don't like to do the satin stich. I am just not very good at it. I got the spots done and I guess they came out ok. Maybe I should just practice more. I was doing a running stitch as the border, but decided I like the back stitched look better. Have to re-do all the ones I have made so far, but it doesn't take too long to do. Getting finished with this one so quickly, makes for a long wait for the next one.

Computer Problem

2008-08-03T11:51:00.003-05:00

I have not been able to make a post recently because of a computer problem. Our wireless router went on the fritz. It took my husband a few days to figure it out, but he got us back on the regular router and now I can get back on the internet. I didn’t get to post a Friday’s favorite blogger, but I think the world will survive. I don’t have any recent project finished, and since I can’t stand to make a post without a photo, I am showing you a pillow that my sister, Kathy, and I made for our sister, Julie, for her birthday a few years ago. It was our first attempt to print pictures on fabric. We used the bubble jet stuff. I thought it turned out pretty good, but it is a lot of work. I think I will bring this post to an end, and go catch up on my blog reading.

Friday's Favorite Blog #9

2008-07-25T16:27:00.003-05:00

Tempus Fugit and it is Friday once again. Nancy from With Thread in Hand is my choice for blogger of the week. She has a great blog, with nice photos of her quilts and other projects. It is easy to see that she loves her children and grandchildren. I think you will enjoy your visit with her. Click here to go there.

Pity Party

2008-07-24T12:44:00.006-05:00

I have been having a pity-party for my self this week. I went to see a specialist about my back last Thursday, and he said that I was healing and that it could take up to a year for it to be back to something like normal. Take calcium meds and supplements, yada, yada. Then he told me that my lungs were s**t. Yes, he said that word! He did get my attention though. On Monday I decided to quit smoking. I know I should have quit long ago, and I have made the attempt several times. Have made it a couple of months before, and then something very stressful comes along and a cigarette is in my hand again. It is my only vice, and very hard to give up. They need to start a re-hab program for smokers. If I had a bad drug problem, I could get all kinds of help to get off them. If I could be locked up in a padded cell for a couple of weeks with out cigarettes, maybe that would do the trick! I have tried all the products that are supposed to help you quit, but they cause a rash or make me sick to my stomach. So……I guess using will power is my only choice. I am trying. Have cut down by about 80%, which isn’t good, but it’s better than nothing. Anyway……..my week has been all about not smoking, and it makes me irritable and nervous and edgy and not interested in anything. I have managed to do a little bit of embroidery. It’s just something to keep my hands busy. My back is getting better and I hope to be able to get back to my sewing machine soon. Please excuse the ranting of this post. I will try to be more upbeat in the future.

I managed to get the July installment of the Noah's Ark BOM finished.

This is a little embroidery I did and colored it with colored pencils. I still have to go over the colored pencil with some textile medium. I am trying the method called colorque, by helen of hugs and kisses. I don't have her link handy, but will add it to my list soon. I am not sure if I like the look of it. It seems to take away from the old fashioned feel of embroidery.

This is a larger stitchery that I am doing. The fabric is unbleached muslin. I used Paint Shop Pro trying to get the green of the trees to show up better, but it made the whole thing more green. Oh, well. I am going to make a pillow out of this one. It is about the size of the bed of my scanner. If it turns out to be as pretty as I hope, I may give it away when I get to one hundred posts. That is a long way off so I have plenty of time to finish it..........God willing, of course.

Friday's Favorite Blog #8

2008-07-18T08:49:00.004-05:00

I can’t believe it is Friday already and time to pick a new blogger of the week. This week’s choice is Kieny from the Dutchlady blog. She lives in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She has an interesting blog, with lots of pictures. I really enjoy the pictures of people and places in Taiwan. I love the quilt she is making called “magic moments”. It shows what a great quilt you can make with 2 different blocks. I may have to make one like it. She is involved in a siggie swap. She has siggies that have been sent to her from so many different countries, and she puts lots of pictures of them on her blog. I think you will like visiting her blog. Click here to go there.

The Closer

2008-07-14T12:02:00.006-05:00

Just a reminder to make sure you know that the new season of The Closer starts tonight. It has been my favorite show since it's first season. If you haven't seen it before, you might want to give it a try.

I Have Been Given an Award

2008-07-13T13:25:00.005-05:00

A couple of days ago, I got a really nice surprise from Arlette at the Polka Dot Pineapple blog. She was given an award and passed it along to me. It was given to her by Alicia from Curiosities 808. I am passing it along as required by the following rules:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.

2. Link to the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours. (The links are in my side-bar)

5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.

I am passing along this award to:

1. Finn at Pieces From My Scrapbag

2. Sweet P at Coffee Time Quilt Studio

3. Stina at Kviltstina

4. Marsha at Threadbender

5. Cathi at Quilt Obsession

6. Pat at Bits and Pieces

7. Kieny at The Dutch Lady

PS........I had to take Myra from Tactile Pleasures in Fabric off my list because she has just been given the award from another blogger! Ditto with Nancy from With Thread in Hand!

I am so grateful to these bloggers, and many others, for the fun I have when visiting them. They have helped me get through a lot of trying days by getting my mind off of my problems. Like it says in a song, a little bit of sugar helps the medicine go down. They are my little bits of sugar. Did that make any sense? Oh, well, I have never claimed to be a good writer, but I hope you know what I meant.

I am going to wrap this up with a little note to Arlette. Your blog is a cheerful and fun place to visit. You have made so many of my days with your friendly comments to me. Thinking of me as your long-lost Aunt was so sweet. "Mahalo nui loa" for the award.

Friday's Favorite Blog #7

2008-07-11T16:13:00.004-05:00

Stina is my choice for this week’s blogger. She has a very pretty blog. Always has nice pictures and she is so funny! I really have a good time reading what she has to say. She lives in Sweden. Blogging has allowed me to talk to people from so many different countries. It is like a world tour I can take sitting in front of my computer in my own home. I would rather go to these places in person, but my check book says I must do it this way!! I hope you will take the time to visit Stina. Tell her I said Hi. Click here to go there.

Stitchers' Angel

2008-07-09T17:04:00.006-05:00

It has been a few days since I have found anything to post about. Today while blog-hopping, I found this. Helen at Hugs and Kisses Blog has a new project called "The Stitchers Angel Project". Click on the Stitchers' Angel in my side-bar and it will take you to her blog where you can learn all about it. She has several designers that are going to provide a free patten. You can sign up to be involved in a swap, or just visit there each week to get the free project. Sign up ends the 15th of August for the swap. I have never joined a swap before, but I am going to do this one, God willing. I am going to try to talk my sister, Kathy, into doing it also.

Happy Fourth of July

2008-07-04T09:54:00.003-05:00

Today I am not going to have a favorite blogger.

Will pick it up again next week.

Have a fun and safe Independence Day!

God Bless America

Another Giveaway

2008-07-02T11:55:00.004-05:00

While blogg-hopping today, I ran across this lovely blog. It is by Helen Stubbings and she lives in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. She is the designer of a block of the week program called Nice People, Nice Things. The picture is a little snippet from her quilt. It is adorable! I don't think she will mind that I am sharing it with you. I hope!! She is offering a giveaway, but she is not sure what it will be. I love the sticheries on her site, so am sure whatever it is, I will be happy to get it if I am the lucky winner. Oh, yes. You must leave her a recipe for something chocolate in your comment to enter for the prize. Click here to go there.

My Muslin Quilt

2008-07-01T16:01:00.004-05:00

I know it has been several days since I have made a post. I have not been very productive. I will take this time to show you another of my quilts, or rather one block from it. I don’t have a picture of the whole quilt. Must remedy that one of these days. I don’t suppose it really matters, since it is a one block quilt. The blocks are 10 inch finished squares of unbleached muslin, front and back. The design is a quilting motif I had used in one the blocks of William’s quilt. It is hand quilted using three strands of DMC embroidery floss. That was not a good idea. It was hard to thread the needle, and hard to pull through the quilt. I used a different color on each block. It is a small quilt, 5 blocks by 6 blocks, but I was sure sick of doing those blocks by the time I finished. Boring!!!! Glad I finished it though, because this quilt I made for myself, and I have used it nearly every day for the last 10 or so years. My sister, Kathy, made one like it and she uses hers all the time also.

Friday's Favorite Blog #6

2008-06-27T12:03:00.004-05:00

This week’s blogger of the week is Arlette, at the Polka Dot Pineapple. She has a wonderful blog. It is so colorful! Cheers me up to go there. She has some great tutorials I am anxious to try. You will just have to go have a look to see for yourself. Click here to go there. As soon as I get this posted, I am going to try to make a folded hexagon yo-yo. They are so cute! In her latest post she showed a tea bag tote she makes. I hope she will have a tutorial to make those. I could go on and on, but I want to go make something!

Kangaroos and Giveaways

2008-06-25T10:37:00.004-05:00

This is a picture of the latest stitchery from the Noah’s Ark BOM. I think the kangaroos are so cute, and so Australian. While blog-hopping this morning, I came across a couple of giveaways. One is on Natalie Ross’s blog. She is going to giveaway a set of her FAIRY MEADOW BOM patterns. They are fabulous. She is another Australian designer. Click here to go there. The next giveaway is from the Pumpkin Patch Primitive Quilt Shoppe. She is giving away a Patch Abilities Sandcastle quilt KIT! Looks like a fun project. So Summery. Click here to go there.
On another subject...Has anyone noticed that the blog list is not updating the posts of the bloggers you have listed. That is really ticking me off. It worked fine for a bit and now it doesn't. I thought it was working correctly until I went to one of the blogs and found I had missed a couple of her posts. I am going to see if I can find a place to let them know about my problem..........Edited to say...........
Now if that doesn't beat all! I looked at my blog after I made this post, and what did I see? Yep, the blog list had updated!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well, if that will "get her done", I will post more often.

William's Quilt

2008-06-21T11:55:00.009-05:00

When I started this blog I called myself a quilter, but I notice that of all the pictures I have shown on here, there is not one quilt! I am going to show you one today. I wish I had better pictures. This quilt is the first one I made. I see that it was 20 years ago that I made it. Gosh! It doesn’t seem like that long ago. Time does fly! I look at this quilt now and I wonder what I was thinking when I made that big of a sashing and how much better it would have looked with some corner stones, and why didn’t I…….so on and so forth.. I made this one with cardboard templates, cut everything out with scissors, pieced the blocks on a cheap old machine, and got all my directions from books from the library. I hand quilted it one block at a time using the first Georgia Bonesteel book, also from the library. It is amazing to me to think of how my life has changed since the internet became a part of my life. I will save the rest of that thought for a future post. Any hoo, I was really proud of this quilt when I made it, as was my husband. He is so proud of it that it is hardly ever used. It is folded nicely in a drawer, and I guess it will stay there till one of us croaks.

Friday's Favorite Blog #5

2008-06-20T18:07:00.006-05:00

My pick for this week’s favorite blogger is Myra. She is a very interesting person and has a great blog. Lots of nice pictures of quilts. You have got to go see the whole cloth sample she made. It is gorgeous. She seems to be quite fond of her 2 pug puppies, Ruby and Dora. I got a kick out of reading a post she made on June 15. I wonder if it hits home for anyone else? Hope you will drop in and visit her. I think you will enjoy yourself. Click here to go there.

Oh, My Aching Back

2008-06-17T10:21:00.004-05:00

Good Morning,
I am taking a moment to tell those of you reading my blog, why I have not been making many posts. I managed to mess up my back on May 21. Won’t go in to all the details, but after seeing the Dr and having a CAT scan, I found that I had 2 compression fractures. It is getting a little better day by day. Thank God, and I mean that literally. I want to tell you women of a certain age, to pay attention to your calcium intake. I didn’t, and they tell me that osteoporosis is the reason for my fractures. Well, enough about pain and sickness! I want to get back to the fun stuff, so I am off to check up on a few of my favorite bloggers, and maybe mess around with my blog for a bit. The picture on this post is of a little stitchery I did a few years ago, and gave to one of my sisters. Have a great day y’all.

Friday's Favorite Blog #4

2008-06-13T16:34:00.002-05:00

My choice for blogger of the week this time is Serena at Embroidery Treasures. I won the machine quilting gloves from her giveaway last week, and I thought this would be a way to say thank you. She is having another giveaway this week. There is still time to enter to win some nice looking batiks. She has lots of tips for machine embroidery on her site, among other things. Go on over and check her out. Click here for the link to her blog.

Friday's Favorite Blog #3

2008-06-06T10:43:00.002-05:00

Catherine has a very nice blog. Lots of neat pictures. She shows a cute needle case she made. I love the blue and white quilt she is making. She says she is going to make a quilt with 1/2 inch hexagons. It is called the "insanity quilt". They got that one named right!! She is also owned by a couple of cats. Pop on over and visit her. I think you will enjoy it. Click here to go to her blog.

One More Giveaway

2008-06-06T08:39:00.004-05:00

Quilty Gal is having a giveaway on her blog. Looks like a very nice assortment of "quilty stuff". I just found her blog this morning and the drawing is Sunday, the 8th, so you don't have long to get over there and sign up. Do it now! I hope she doesn't mind that I used her picture to show all the neat things she is giving away. Click here to go to her blog

Another Giveaway

2008-06-05T17:41:00.003-05:00

Embroidery Treasures is giving away a pair of quilting gloves. I have wanted to try these for a long time. Maybe I can win a pair. Click here to go to the site where you can sign up also.

Another Little Stitchery

2008-06-03T18:52:00.003-05:00

I finished this a few nights ago. I loved doing the flowers, but the gate itself was a bit boring. I am going to have to decide pretty soon what I am going to make with all the little embroidery pieces I have been making. Or not!!!!!! They are mine so I could just trash them if I wanted to. Like I ever throw any thing away! When my back gets well I think I will make little quilts out of them. Then I want to get those really cute hangers for them.

Friday's Favorite Blog #2

2008-05-30T16:54:00.003-05:00

I am choosing Marsha's blog, Threadbender, for this week's favorite blogger because she was the first person, other than my sister, to leave a comment on my blog. She has a very nice blog and right now has beautiful pictures of her tree peonies. She also has pictures of the downy woodpeckers that are nesting in her yard. She has lots of interesting things in her older posts. You should see the picture of her PURPLE SINGER. Click here to see her blog for yourself.

Pat's Birthday Giveaway

2008-05-27T18:45:00.003-05:00

Pat at Bits and Pieces is having a giveaway in honor of her birthday. She is giving away "Quilty Things". I entered my name for the drawing and so can you. Follow this link to the page for the details. Good Luck to............ME!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday's Favorite Blog

2008-05-23T11:20:00.004-05:00

Chooky Blue

Every Friday, unless life gets in the way, I plan to feature a blog that I enjoy visiting and feel you might enjoy it also. This week it is Chooky Blue. The following is from her profile.

Chookyblue......
NSW, Australia
I am married and have 2 children (Book Worm and Fairy Girl ). I live on a property with sheep and cattle, chooks, dogs etc.....love it. I enjoy sewing, quilting, stitcheries, gardening, cooking and photography (now making some photos into cards etc). Also chatting and entertaining.......lol...(just please don't tag me....)

Victoriana Quilt Designs BOM

2008-05-22T08:17:00.003-05:00

I finished the May block for this BOM yesterday. I am not thrilled with it. I don't like the colors I chose for the paisley, and I wish I hadn't used so many purple fabrics. If I had listened to my sister, Kathy, I wouldn't have made the fabric boo-boo. She told me I needed to mix them up more. Oh, well, I had fun doing it, and Kathy can have the satisfaction of knowing she was right once again. I will try to redeem myself on the next one.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

2008-05-21T11:55:00.002-05:00

This is the result of my work this morning. I haven't made any freezer jam in forever. The strawberries were on sale when I went to the grocery store. They didn't have any sure-jel there so my daugter, Amanda, got me some yesterday and today I made the jam. It doesn't make much, but it is so good!

Noah's Ark Block Three

2008-05-10T08:03:00.002-05:00

I finished this block last night. I think it is just precious. I love all of Lynette Anderson's designs. So glad she offered this free pattern. Can't wait to see which one she will have next month. I think I may start putting the fabric borders on each block, but haven't decided yet which fabrics to use. That may require an emergency run to my LQS. We will see. I have said I am not going to buy any new fabric, but that doesn't sound like much fun!

May German BOM block

2008-05-09T10:11:00.003-05:00

I finished the May installment of the German BOM yesterday. I used a couple of fabrics that I wish I hadn't, but I am not taking it apart to make a better choice. I changed the block layout a bit, but I think it turned out rather well. The square in a square blocks are 2" finished. I don't think I have made a pieced block that small before.

Eva's First Block

2008-05-05T08:06:00.003-05:00

A few months ago, my son Tim's wife, Eva, bought a sewing machine. I think she said she got it to repair the clothing that her boys keep tearing up. Then she made some curtains, then a pillow. Now she is quilting and going to quilt shows and fabric shops. I think she has the bug! The picture is of the center of her first block. She couldn't get the whole thing to fit in her scanner. I think she did a great job. I really like her color choices. I will keep you up-dated on her quilting journey.

Another bird done

2008-05-03T09:29:00.003-05:00

I finished this little bird stitchery last night. Someday I am going to make a wallhanging with birds and bees and flowers and trees. Sounds like the title of a song, doesn't it? I saved this image in a larger size than some I have put on this blog. If you click on the image, you can see the larger one. I went to Lynette Anderson's site and she has added the third installment of the Noah's Ark BOM. I will start working on it soon.

May German BOM block

2008-05-01T18:21:00.004-05:00

I went to Jutta's site to get the May installment of her BOM, and found I didn't like her design. It is cute I guess, but it just didn't appeal to me. I am going to use the pattern shown above for the embroidery. Today I added a picture to my profile.

Masks in psp

2008-04-30T15:06:00.003-05:00

I woke up at 4 am and couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to play with paint shop pro. I have never messed around with the "masks" function so tried that and this is what I came up with. I can see where this would require a lot of learning to get the mask around the part of the picture that you want. May have to play with this some more. Oh, yes. That is a picture of my daughter holding a baby opossum I found in my front yard after a big storm.