Sewing Room Change, AGAIN! Sigh......

I've been working on my sewing room, yet again....and I think I'm finally done with it. I purchased some storage pieces from Ikea and Dear Younger Son put them together for me. While the pieces are a bit more contemporary than I usually like, they have so much storage that I just had to get them.




This large unit has drawers for all my little notions and such. And, the black cube baskets hold my strips. I have a total of 12 of them with strips in them. They are sorted by size and value....lights and darks in 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2, 3, 3 1/2 and 4 inch strips. One more basket cube has a few tops in it that I'd like to get finished up soon. And, of course, folded fabric......



This cabinet has my three buckets of strings in it and a couple of basted tops that I am currently quilting. When they are done, I'll show them. Hand quilting is a long process!!! Above the cabinet on the shelves are my quilting magazines. The left two boxes contain my 30's fabrics and the right two boxes hold my bright fabrics. The lower shelf holds my fat quarters. Now, maybe I'll remember that I own them and maybe I'll start using them!!!!


And, my sewing machine remains in front of the window where I can look out at the neighbors!!! Oh, and watch the birds and squirrels too!

And, hanging in the sewing room is something my Granny made. Some day, I'll have to try to take a pic of her teeny, tiny hand quilting stitches. She was an amazing quilter!!!
And, finally, my traditional cabinet that holds my patterns and scraps....30's scraps, CW Reproduction scraps, etc.....Oh, and all my Christmas fabric.

Here is hoping this is the last re-do of my sewing room. I'm ready to get back to sewing!!!!!!

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!!

Baby Shower Pics

Here is what I've been up to....preparing for the baby shower for our first grandson!!! We had a wonderful time!!!! And, Dear Grandson got lots of nice things.
Precious friends....

Dear Older Daughter

Delicious food prepared by the grandmothers to be.

Gorgeous cupcakes....and so yummy!!

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cakes.....

Gorgeous weather for an outdoor shower.

Mommy and grandmothers to be.....

And a quilt, ready for our grandson to cuddle in.....

I'm still here.....

Time flies, doesn't it?? I've been so busy this past week, it's been crazy. I am preparing for a Baby Shower for my Dear Daughter in law and my son in a few short weeks. I spent several days shopping for invitations and ended up making my own. So between the shopping and the making, that took up a few days of my time. Oh, and addressing, by hand, (cause I'm printer illiterate) took forever. I sent out about 45 invitations. Now, I'm thinking, where will I put everyone????? Oh well, I'll worry about that tomorrow! *wink*

I've also been doing some shopping. It's all fun, but it's also work. We've had some things that needed our attention and I've spent the past week taking care of that. And, the next couple of days will be filled with getting new tile in the bathroom. The shower wall started dropping tiles like leaves on a fall day, so blah.....the mess has begun. Fortunately, it's a small bathroom so the mess is not too big!!!!! And I'm very grateful that we have another bathroom for the "kids" to use while that one is being worked on.....well, we're all sharing the master bath, but that's ok.

And, last night, I attended a wedding shower for my BFF's daughter. We've known this family for about 16 years, and I've known the daughter since she was 3. Amazing that our children grow up so quickly. Hard to believe.

So, that's what I've been up to. I've gotten several e-mails from quilty friends checking up on me! How very, very sweet. I know....usually an absence from me means a medical emergency, but fortunately, this time that's not the problem! Much to be grateful for, right???

I need to get the binding on Dear Grandson's baby quilt in preparation of the upcoming shower. I've been sewing a bit here and there and have a few other small things made for him.

Oh, and I need to cut out some more strips for the Postage Stamp Quilt. I have almost all of them cut for the first section.....but looking at the instructions, each section will use only certain fabrics, repeated over and over. I'm wondering if I need to pull out lots of strips, sew them and then using ALL the strips, move them around so that I get more variety?? Does that even make sense??? I know what I mean, but I'm not always very good at communicating what I'm thinking!!!

Anyway, the workman is about to be here.....lots to do!!!!!

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a trip!!!!

Ok, so my BFF and I had the best trip. We really enjoyed the drive, cutting up, laughing, etc. It was something we are definitely going to have to repeat!!!

We took our time driving up, stopped at a little hole in wall place for lunch and even happened to find a tiny little quilt shop. We just browsed because honestly...I don't need another thing!!! I am determined to use up what I have. But, it was fun looking at the quilts and fabrics in a small town. Not much of a selection but they were kind enough to put up with us snorting and laughing the entire time.

We checked in and when we opened the door to our suite, we were both amazed. The place is SOO nice, very well decorated and BIG. They did say it was 1000 square feet on the website, but I wasn't expecting it to be so roomy. Both bedrooms were large, and had lovely linens and really comfy beds. And, each bed had a gorgeous quilt on it. So very pretty.

The quilt that was hanging over the couch had exquisite hand quilting. Tiny stitches just like my Granny used to make. It was a large wall quilt and was done beautifully. The quilts on the beds were machine pieced and hand quilted, but not very well done. But they were lovely. I was there for the comfort though, not the quilts.


We ate some yummy stuff. Things like boiled shrimp, baked potatoes, roasted chicken with bell peppers and onions, steamed veggies, black bread, pumpernickel hamburgers, kolaches, pastry, omelets, grilled chicken sandwich on rosemary focaccia, etc. And, after one meal, we ordered dessert to go and ate it later. A four layer chocolate cake with ganache. Whew. Lovely food.

And we shopped. The reservation people actually own a shop where they sell the quilts that are in the B&B's they represent, as well as decor, etc. I found a lovely angel for the top of my tree. This year, I realized very late into the Christmas season that the reason I couldn't find my angel to top my tree was because she met an untimely death last year and was disposed of in a humane way. I forgot. This angel was marked $60 and was 75% off. So, she came home with me.


I also purchased an queen sized ivory whole cloth quilt for my bed. And, two matching shams. I still need to get pillows for them. And, I also purchased some Euro shams and pillows. Once I get it all set up, I'll take a pic and show you. I found a few knick knacks too.

But, probably the best deal we both got was some new curtains. My BFF always finds the greatest deals, and I discovered she will crawl around on the floor and dig through EVERYTHING to find them!!!!

I walked away a couple of times, double checking to make sure no one was seeing her!! Oh my. She found some curtains for me. Now, really, I loved the fabric and that's what I wanted. I thought, wow....I can make a throw out of this for my bed or my couch. Or maybe some really large pillows for the bed or couch!!! (It's not stiff fabric.) Anyway, there were two packages and they were marked $1!!!! So I got them. Once I got them home I thought, duh. I need curtains for my formal living room. So now, I'm going to find some inexpensive sheers and finish the window in the living room.

Now, my friend, it appeared was not so lucky. She found lovely curtains too and they were marked 50% off the final price. Originally, they were $60 each. Marked down to $30 each. She saw that they would be $15 and we agreed it was a great price. She also found a package of sheers for about $20, if memory serves me right. So, she would be able to dress a window with floor length curtains and sheers for a large window (71x84) for about $80. She picked up some other stuff too, like a dust ruffle, etc. Anyway, at the check out the cashier tells her, Oh, let me give you those curtains for $1 a package!! She got curtains for her formal dining room for $3!!!!! She felt like a rock star. And, I was humbled. She IS a rock star. We were laughing our heads off at how it pays to crawl around on the floor and search for good deals. So, I'm taking her shopping from now on!!!!

We spent the days shopping in little boutiques, junk shops, antique malls and home decor shops. So many wonderful ideas were running around in my head. I really want to save up money and go back. There were so many things I hated to leave behind!! And, I frequently said, Wouldn't this be gorgeous with all my quilts in it??? And, I saw lots of old quilts too. I would have loved to bring them home, but they were more than my little budget could afford. I did get one pic. Most of the time, the junk shops were so crowded, it was difficult to get pics. This one was hand quilted beautifully.

I really could go on and on about our time away.....but I won't. I'm very grateful for the break and glad I had an amazing friend to spend that time with.

Respite Trip!!!!

I just started blogging again after a yucky bout with a cold and then a stomach bug and....

Now I'm leaving for a respite trip. Definition: an interval of rest or relief. Ahhhh. Most of you know that I am a full time caregiver for my chronically ill husband, and have been for a bit over ten years. My girlfriend and I have been talking about taking some time off and enjoy ourselves and we're finally doing it.

We're heading out tomorrow morning and we'll be back on Friday sometime. We've reserved a two bedroom suite in a quaint little town about four hours from here. We're going to watch movies, eat popcorn, shop, giggle, share chocolate, get manicures and pedicures, dine out, stay up late and sleep in.

Here are a couple of pics of the B&B where we are staying...... I chose this one because of the quilts in every room!!

It's been a year since I've taken time away. Last time I went to my dad's 80th birthday. I should have done this sooner. I should have made it a priority, but life has a tendency to get in the way.

And, we've just checked the weather conditions for the latest update and they are predicting a 60% chance of SNOW!!!!!! Living on the Gulf Coast, we don't see much of the white stuff, so this could be fun. We're staying very close to the shops and restaurants, so no real danger for two southern girls with little snow experience.

I'll try to take some pics while I'm gone to share. And, I hope to make a stop at a quilt shop there in town. This is gonna be fun!!!!!!

**************scream*************** I'm just too excited!!!!!!!!!


Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!!!!

Goings on.....

Whew. Looks like I've kicked the cold, finally. I'm feeling so much better!! Thanks so much for all the get well wishes.

A few days ago, I received this book in the mail. I won it in a giveaway! Sandy at Quilting Nanny had a quick giveaway on her blog and I was able to answer a question on her blog correctly. (Fortunately, she gave us second chances and a few more hints!!!) Anyway, the book she sent me was this one:


I'm excited to go through and try my hand at making some post cards. I tried making one once and as I told Sandy, it was pretty sad. Maybe I'll be able to improve, and who knows, maybe I'll even make one or two and send them out to some bloggy friends!!!!! Thanks so much Sandy for the great book!!!

And, I need another project like I need a hole in my head, but I'm doing it anyway....so sue me!! LOL Heidi is having a great quilt along that I just had to join in!!! Here is a link to the pic she shared.....it's a postage stamp quilt. Seriously, go ahead and click over there and look at it!!!! It's something I've ALWAYS wanted to do. This is providing a great motivator to get it started. Here is where you'll find the first stage of the Postage Stamp Quilt Along. And there is a button to add to your blog to show that you are playing along!!! The first tutorial will be posted on the 21st, so there is plenty of time to decide to join along. Can't wait!!!

I've been pulling boxes out of the garage over the past few days, going through them, throwing things away, pulling out things that belong to other family members, placing books on the book shelves and finding donation items, etc. Well, I ran across a box full of fabric I culled from my stash before the move. It's older, cheaper fabric that I no longer love. I still like the way it looks, but the quality is not as great as I like to work with now. I'm sure you remember those days when you bought not so good fabric before you knew what the good stuff was. And, quite a bit was given to me. Anyway, when I was getting ready to move, I decided that I would use that fabric to strip and add to my drawers of scrap fabric. I didn't have time to start cutting it before the move and would do it later, once I got settled. Well, here it is in two buckets.


Getting ready for the postage stamp quilt along, I wanted to use some of this fabric....so I pulled it out and started cutting it into 1 1/2 inch strips. Then I thought I'd go ahead and cut more strips in other sizes.... Here are the 1 1/2 strips I got cut. I know, there aren't that many. I got distracted!!


And, the other sizes are here, waiting to be sorted into their respective drawers. Notice the fabric on top??? It's gilded. It's good quality fabric, but I can't stand the gold glittery stuff. Someone bought me about ten 1/4 yard cuts of it years ago. I never could make myself use it, but didn't want to throw it out. I think it will be fine in small doses in a scrap quilt.


I didn't make much of a dent, did I??? As I was digging through the bucket, I found these leftover blocks from a project I did about 4-5 years ago. And, then are poorly sewn. Blah. Notice there isn't enough of a seam allowance and when I sew these blocks together, the points will be cut off. I think it was an issue of not knowing how to sew a 1/4 seam allowance.


But, there were 16 of them, and I hate to waste even bad blocks, so what did I do??? Just slapped those babies together and made a doll quilt. Who cares if the points are missing??? I'm pretending an 8 year old made them!!!! I'm not adding a border. And, if I had some batting, I might have quilted it!!! But, alas....no batting and I'm not up to making a run to the store. (I really need to get some purchased at some point!)


I still don't have all the strips cut that I needed for the quilt along, but I got lots done!!! I think I might need to change my name to Elmer Fudd cause I like to chase rabbits. Oh, well, I had a good time. *smile*

Happy Quilting and Rabbit Chasing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sniffle, sniffle, sneeze, sneeze......

I'm still alive and kicking, but barely. Actually, how ridiculous is it for a common cold to knock you off your feet for 5 days??? I'm seriously exhausted. And, I have a feeling it may be the weekend before I'm better. I can just "feel" it.

I'm spending lots of quality time watching t.v. (Investigation Discovery, HGTV, TV Land) and I've played Tetris, read blogs, listened to sermons online (I really do enjoy it), had cups of coffee with Dear Hubby, taken naps, gotten lots of hand quilting done, visited with friends on Facebook, looked at quilting magazines, and taken naps. And, have I mentioned naps?? Yep, been resting alot.

But, you know, it's all good. I take my health for granted. I am needed and rarely do I get sick and have to take time "off". I'm blessed that my son is able to fill in and help in caring for my husband while I'm not well. My daughters clean and cook and grocery shop. I have much to be grateful for. And, you know, sometimes taking time to rest is a good thing.


Happy Quilting!!!!!!

Party Week

Monday: three couples came over, brought soup and sandwiches, I made dessert. Two other friends crashed our party! Everyone stayed for about 6 hours. Awesome time.

Tuesday evening: Two girlfriends came by, brought a Starbuck's coffee and awesome desserts, stayed late and I hated to see them leave!

Wednesday: Dear Older Daughter and I went shopping, got a pedi and a mani, ate at Chipotle and had LOTS of fun hanging out.

Thursday: Left here at 7 a.m. and drove to Dallas for a day trip to see my son and his wife. They are now 30 weeks into the pregnancy!!! Got to feel little grandson move, DIL made two meals for us that were SOOOOO good. Got to see where my son works, enjoyed a LONG visit with them. Drove home in a Texas Thunderstorm....well, I wasn't driving...but you get the idea.

Friday: Woke up this morning with a man voice! Sore throat, congestion, cough and sneezing. Like Gomer Pyle says, "Sicker than a dog, but having the time of my life!"

I've planted it right here in the recliner, quilt over me, cup of coffee in hand, biscotti nearby and I'm chilling! I may try to put a few hand quilting stitches in Dear Grandson's quilt today, but that's as high as I'm aiming.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!!!!

True Confessions

This quilt top is tedious. Piece by piece by piece.....but I am determined. I love the way it looks, I'm just not enjoying the process.

I laid out about 1/2 the quilt top and I want to get it pieced before Monday at 3. We have friends coming by to visit and while I don't mind if it's out when they come (and they certainly don't either), it's kind of like a small challenge I've given myself.



I've been sewing a row and stopping, having a cup of coffee, browsing through my quilting blog list, etc. So, it's slow going....and now Dear Hubby is up and I have some caregiving things to get done. It will be a challenge to get the last seven rows that are laid out sewn together, but I just can't sit and do it all at once. I'm having to pace myself so I don't get burned out on it. Has this ever happened to you??

We have a couple of days of friends visiting this week on Monday and Tuesday and then, Thursday, I'm heading out for a day trip to see my son and his wife. They bought a house Thanksgiving weekend, and I haven't seen it yet. I've never been to see where they live and where Dear Son works. They are only about 3 1/2 hours from us. Dear Younger Son will be home with Dear Hubby so Dear Younger Daughter and I can make this trip. And, our friend who sits with Dear Hubby will be here for several hours too.

Fortunately, the house is clean and just needs a broom, mop and vacuum run through it. Once these last seven row are done, I can hang them on a hanger and straighten up the sewing room..... I also need to make a dessert for Monday and Tuesday and I just can't find one that gets me all thrilled about it.

Maybe I'm feeling a bit blah in general this week???

I'm looking forward to the visiting and the trip, but I don't suspect that much sewing will get done this week. And, that's just fine.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!

Friday Night Sew In for February

Mark your calendars quilters!!!! I'm joining in on the fun for the February Friday Night Sew In. I enjoyed sewing with the masses in January and got lots done on my Everlasting Wreath Blocks.

Lord willing and the Creek don't rise, you'll find me at my sewing machine on February 19th with lots of other amazing quilters.

Want to join in??? Visit Heidi's blog, or Bobbi's blog to get the details.

So, want to see what I've been doing???

This week was my week to have fun with quilting/sewing. I made a little doll quilt, which I showed earlier this week.

And, I cut out a quilt and started sewing it together. I fell for this quilt the minute I saw it in the magazine. I wanted to cut it out the minute I got the mag and get started on it, but I didn't.

I was trying to make myself work on UFO's and other stuff I needed to get done. But then, I saw it on another blog (thanks for the inspiration to go for it Rhonda!) and decided that since this was the week I was supposed to have fun, I decided to at least cut it out....and of course, then I had to sew a few seams and try it out. It's going to take a while to get it together, but I will. The pattern is called Promenade....but I think it's actually a Boston Commons quilt. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I used fabrics from my stash, and some are a bit old. I need to get rid of some of these....and I'm loving it.



I also dug into the basket of UFO's and projects that haven't been started basket and looked around to see what I could see. I found this little embroidery pattern that was given to us for free on a quilt shop hop many moons ago. It was calling my name, and I thought it would be a fun, fast project to work on. I finished up the embroidery tonight.



It's been a long time since I've done much embroidery and I was a bit rusty. It got better as I went along though. I'm not sure what I'll do with it. I may save it to put into a quilt with other odd pieces of redwork I've done. Although, it does have a bit of a Valentine look to it, with those hearts around the basket handle....hmmmm....

And, finally, since I am finished with the Valentine looking embroidery pattern, I'm willing to pass it along. It's just a sheet of purple paper with the line drawing on it. It does have DMC color numbers if you'd like to make it with colored floss for a different look.



And, I also have an extra copy of the American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine from February 2009. I'd like to pass it along too since I certainly don't need an extra copy of it. I don't know how I ended up with an extra copy.



If no one asks for the copy of the redwork pattern or the magazine, they will go into the recycle bin. So speak up. First person to ask for it will get it. And, I'll mail it anywhere, but not until the middle of next week.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, have you had fun this week with quilting/sewing?????

Give Away Winner Announced!!!!!!

Thanks so much for participating in the Give Away at A Latte Quilts. I've enjoyed reading all the names you shared. I have some great ideas. I love the names that the international readers left in their comments.

As I told many of you in reply to your comments, I know that whatever name this sweet little boy chooses to call me, it will be precious! I'm going to see Dear Older Son and Dear Daughter in Law next week, and I'm sure this topic will come up.

So, are you ready to find out who the winner of the drawing is???




Are you thinking it might be YOU????




It could be.........



Remember what the prize is??????





Here we go..........




The winner is............


the quilter who left this comment.......



When my grandson was born last April I decided to be called Dema in honor of my grandmother. When my niece (who is now 26) was learning to talk Grandma came out as Dema and the name stuck. Dema was a special grandma and I can only hope to be as good as she was.

Yep, it's another Paula!!!!! It's Paula (aka Sweet P) at Coffee Time Stitches!!!!!!!

Congrats Paula!!!!! I'm going to send her an e-mail and let her know that she's the winner!!!!!

Thanks for playing along bloggy friends!


Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!!!

Final Reminder!!!

Today is the day........

Please sign up for the drawing right now, if you haven't already. I'll be drawing at some point today and I don't want anyone to miss it.

Give Away at A Latte Quilts!!!!!
Click the link to read the post and join in on the fun.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!!!

Give Away at A Latte Quilts!!!

Don't forget to comment on my giveaway....read the instructions in the post so you know what to do!!!!!


Click here to read the post!!! I'll be drawing on Friday, so hurry up and don't miss it.

Another Give Away!!! from Green Fairy Quilts

Green Fairy Quilts is having a great giveaway for a cute Quilted Bag and there is a bonus!!! Check it out!!!!! I love the fabric she chose for the bag. Wouldn't mind if I won this one!!!

Focus Project: FUN!!!!!

Ok, this week, I'm focusing on having fun with quilting. I mean, seriously, isn't that why I quilt?? Because I enjoy it???? (And it keeps me sane...ok, well, some semblance of sanity.)

I did get a lot done the past two weeks on two separate quilts, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. The problem is that I don't like to do things because I have to, and I wasn't excited about finding some project to pull out and focus on. So, I decided this week, I'm going to have fun with sewing and quilting, and do whatever my muse tells me to do. (No, I'm not into Greek Mythology....I'm just going with whatever inspires me.)

This morning, inspiration hit while looking through a bucket to see what in the world was in there. I found the ends of fabric in there. I saved them because they were too large to throw away, but really to narrow to do anything with, and the fabric itself was nothing to write home about.

But, as I looked at the shapes, it reminded me of Chinese coins. Not really, but it kinda reminded me of coins. So, anyway, in the name of fun, I started sewing. They were ends, so they weren't straight or exactly the same size. I just put them together. Then, chopped some off, moved them around and ended up with this little quilt.


I added 3 inch borders (finished at 2 1/2 inches). The quilt measures 21x25 inches. And, then I remembered, a special little girl I know is having a birthday very soon.....and she NEEDS a doll quilt.

Can you believe I have used every last piece of batting I owned? I don't even have any left over to piece together. So, looks like I'll need to make another run to JoAnn's or something, don't you think???

I'm going to machine quilt this one so that the sweet little girl can wag this one around, through the dirt, and every where without worrying. I hope mommy lets her use and abuse this one, wash it a million times and love it to death. It's such a mess of fabrics, she certainly won't be able to hurt it!

Oh, and in case your wondering.....I had FUN focusing on this project. I wonder what I will do next????


Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ready for a Celebration Give Away????

***********This drawing is now CLOSED!!!!*************
**********Thanks for joining in on the fun!!!************

Ok everyone, remember I said I was going to do a celebration give away?? Well, here we go. The only thing is, don't tell anyone. I want this give away to be for my regular readers only. (Except you gals are way above regular....you're outstanding!!!!!!!) That way, there will be a better chance that YOU will win!!!

This give away is in celebration of my upcoming and highly anticipated role as "grandma" or some version of that word. Yes, I am going to be a grandmother and I'm tickled pink....or in this case, BLUE!!! He's a boy. Yay!

So here is what you could win......


A group of 10 Moda fat quarters and three different colors of ric rac, red, blue and pink to match the fabrics. And, some lovely foody items. Ghirardelli Chocolate Raspberry Coffee, Chocolate Chip Biscotti and Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate with Mint.


Here is a better look at the fabric, cause we know that's what this drawing is all about, right???



Dear Daughter in Law and I have discussed what the baby should call me. I have no idea. Part of me says wait and see what the baby wants to call me, but Dear DIL said I can't go for one year without a name until the baby learns to talk. Hmmmm....good point DIL!! LOL So, let's hear your ideas....and remember I'm a young grandmother, at least that's what I'm telling myself!!

All you have to do is leave a comment sharing a version of the word Grandmother that you have heard of or have used. Things like Granny, Oma, MeeMee, etc.

I will draw one name on Friday, the 22nd. I have no idea what time or anything, but you can comment up until the time I actually draw the name, but don't wait. I have no idea when I'll draw....it might be 1:00 a.m. Friday morning!!!


Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!! And, good luck!

Friday Nite Sew In Show and Tell

First of all, thank you so much Heidi for organizing the Friday Nite Sew In!!!! It was lots of fun to know I was sewing away last night with about 145 other quilters. I just know I heard those machines whirring!!!

It took me a while to finally get to the sewing room last night. But I did, and that's the main thing, right?? I worked on the Everlasting Wreath blocks. I got quite a few done last night, and then this morning I did another batch of blocks. So all totaled, I'm at 53 blocks.

Between last night and this morning, I got 23 blocks sewn!! Woot woot!!!

How did I know it was time to stop last night??? When I saw this mess up! LOL See where I mixed up the greens? The lazy part of my character really wanted to leave it, but I was a good girl and ripped it out. Just two little bitty seams, so no problem.




I'm loving seeing the pattern of the light circles appearing......



I will probably spend some more time in the sewing room today, but for now, my back and eyes are tired. I suppose I'll spend some time looking at the blogs that participated last night in the Friday Nite Sew In! That will give my back time to rest!!!



Happy Quilting!!!!!!!

Friday Nite Sew In

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am participating in the Friday Nite Sew In.....and it starts tonight!!! Heidi over at Handmade by Heidi has all the info that you need, if you'd like to join in on the fun. Hurry though, there isn't much time!!!

HERE is the link to the Friday Nite Sew In post on her blog....

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!!

Explaining my brain

Jackie asked about the envelopes in my last post and I wanted to explain my brain.....hang on, because you could get lost going into these deep, dark recesses. I hope someone brought a flashlight.

When I decided to make this Everlasting Wreath quilt for my Dear Sister, I decided that I needed to be organized and this is what I came up with.

This quilt needs 110 blocks. You are to make 77 "light" blocks and 33 "dark" blocks. So I went to my local copy shop and made 110 copies. Each wedge of the hex uses three different length "logs". And three of the wedges are long and three are short.

In this example of the dark wedge, you'll notice that the blue wedge, the red wedge and the red with hearts wedge are shorter than the green, brown rose, and rust polka dot wedge.

Can you see this??? Look again at the "light" wedge. The three "light" wedges are shorter in length than the three "dark" wedges in this hex.



This could get confusing when trying to keep up with which fabric goes on which paper pieced wedge. So this is how I decided to keep up with it and have it all organized ahead of time, so that I could focus on sewing when I took the time to do it!

The circled numbers are the "light" blocks and are numbered up to 77.

The D-number blocks are the "dark" blocks and are numbered up to 33.

Then I placed the correct fabric logs onto the paper, a "light" block on the left and a "dark" block on the right. Then folded the paper with the fabric strips in them and placed them in a Rubbermaid container, like an envelope.

And, now, all I have to do is pull the paper up, open it and start sewing. The correct fabric is inside and waiting on me. And, I don't have to worry about making too many or too few of a certain block.

There are just a few blocks that I didn't put all the fabric in yet. I got tired of cutting fabric and so I have the strips ready and waiting to be added to the rest of the pattern pieces, but like Scarlett O'Hara says, "I'll think about that tomorrow."

I really think that I only need to finish cutting up about 10 or so dark blocks and I'll be done. Not too bad at all, right???

And yesterday I sat down and made up another seven blocks are so, and now I have 30. Rather quick.



And, now that you are all sufficiently confused............ LOL

We had a nice visit with a friend today. I made a yummy cake and we had a cup of coffee while we laughed and chatted. Lots of fun, and very sweet of her to make the time to come see us! And tomorrow a local Pastor is coming by for a visit. We are looking forward to meeting with him and having a cup of coffee and some good conversation.

Off to the sewing room to finish up a couple of more blocks before I hit the hay early tonight. I still have a few things I need to get finished up around the house.....but that may wait until the morning.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!