A Latte Quilts - Lattes and a Lota Quilts

Behind....

2011-06-24T08:11:00.002-05:00

I am behind. I've not been quilting. I'm missing my sewing room. And, it looks like it will be a while before I can get back in there. :(

It's been one of those weeks. We've had people in our house everyday. And, believe me, I'm not complaining....except for those repair men. Don't really like them. But, otherwise, it's been dear friends here, and THAT I love.

But the down side is that it leaves less time for sewing and quilting.

I know I will get back to sewing and I'll get all caught up at some point in the near future. I just wanted to let you know what's happening.

And, here's a public service announcement:: Get your dryer vent checked.

About a year ago, shortly after we moved here, we bought a new washer and dryer. The high efficiency ones. Love them. But the dryer never seemed to work right. I was always having to run the load a second time. The dryer would cut off before the load was really good and dry.

I checked the trouble shooting part of the booklet that came with the dryer, adjusted this and that, nothing seemed to work. I thought I just needed to learn my new dryer. But the problem never got resolved.

So this week, we called the repair man out to look at our dryer. He discovered that the problem is that they dryer is not vented properly because the vent in the wall needs to be cleaned out. (Our dryer is located in the center of the house, not on an outside wall.)

Tomorrow, a man is coming to clean out the vent in the wall. Since we replaced the flexible vent hose, we thought we were fine. (And, we do clean check our flexible hose and clean around and under the dryer yearly.) But I never even thought of the wall vent. This house was built in the 80's and doubt anyone has thought to have the vent in the wall cleaned. I know I wouldn't think of it....I didn't think of it.

So, if your dryer is taking longer to dry, if it seems to really heat up when you use it, check your hoses and venting system. They may need to be cleaned or replaced.

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

Amazing!!!!!!!!!

2011-06-22T08:59:00.001-05:00

Thank you so much for praying!!!
We're jumping in PUDDLES here in Texas!!!!!

Please pray......

2011-06-20T18:01:00.002-05:00

for our friends, who live about 20 miles northwest of us (as the crow flies). They lost everything they own in a Texas wildfire. They have a large family of 9 children.... Two different churches are collecting items, gift cards and cash for the family. If you are interested, I can pass on the information.

And, today, we got word from two more families that they are evacuating as I write this.

Things here in Texas are so very dry and there are dozens of fires burning across the state.

Here is a map of the current wildfires in Texas.....

Pics of area fires.....

We are all praying for rain......just enough to put out the fires. We can't even remember the last time we had a good soaking rain.

Dina's Churn Dash

2011-06-17T20:42:00.002-05:00

Here is a little quilt my sister in law made for me.

It's a Reproduction Mini. LOVE this one. Diane pieced it and I quilted and bound it.

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

Time to spill the beans......

2011-06-15T20:33:00.004-05:00

Guess who is going to be a big brother?????

Yes, my grandson. His daddy and mommy are going to have another baby in November. My daughter in law tells me we are going to have a Thanksgiving baby!!

We are beyond excited!!!!

Hand Dyed Baby Quilt

2011-06-15T11:04:00.003-05:00

Here is the hand dyed fabric version of the Turning Twenty Around the Block. This is called the "lowfat" version of the quilt.

Made with my sister in law's hand dyed fabrics......neither pic does justice to the fabrics. The colors are somewhere between the two pics. Ugh. I can't stand my picture taking abilities.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!

Paisley Rose Quilt

2011-06-15T09:42:00.004-05:00

Another top......made a long time ago......

I can't remember the fabric line I used, but I'm sure someone will recognize it. I made this quilt using the pattern, Turning Twenty Around the Block. It's an easy pattern, and while I'm not totally in love with it, I think it's fine. I think I'm just a traditional quilter and would rather stick with more traditional quilts. I'd like to get this one quilted, but like ALL the others, it will have to wait in line. :)

This quilt is 79x95. It's between a full sized and a queen sized quilt.

The first pic shows the colors of the fabric more accurately.

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

Simple Things Quilt Along....

2011-06-13T10:30:00.005-05:00

Here are my fabric choices for the Simple Things Quilt Along. I chose to use my Christmas fabrics! I had about 40 different "darks and mediums" and probably 10 different "lights". This pic is of the "darks and mediums".

The lights (not shown) won't work for the quilt top, but I'm planning on using them for the back. They are really cute little prints, but they are busy, and because the darks/mediums are so busy, I needed a calmer light print for the background.

I'm not much into solid white or cream, so I chose this off white with a light red print (bought special for this quilt) for the background. I think it's going to be cute. And, I pulled this red from my stash, and am thinking of using it for the inner border.

I have a couple of fabrics that might work for the outer border, but I like to keep my options open and decide once the top is made. I'm certainly not cutting any borders until the top is complete, that way I can audition fabrics.

I've had most of these fabrics for a L O N G time. I bought them and then, because they were so different and didn't seem to work together, I never used them. Now that I'm all about scrap quilts and I understand value and such so much better, I can finally use them. I think this is going to be a cute quilt. :)

Visit Carol's blog, Brown Quilts, to see a picture of the quilt we will making! You may have to scroll through some postings to find the quilt. :)

The quilt is all cut out and I'm just waiting for the first block pattern to be released. If you haven't joined yet, there is still time. Cutting the fabric didn't take too long. Maybe you have some Christmas fabrics in your stash that you can use.

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

Saturday in the Sewing Room

2011-06-11T09:35:00.004-05:00

It's a quiet day around our house today, and so I'm spending my Saturday in the sewing room. I am working on piecing my Nine Patch Utility Quilt! All the blocks are done and I just need to get the top put together.

I have a couple of other projects lined up once that is done. I need to piece the backing for my Homespun Stars quilt and then I'll need to complete the first step in the Simple Things Quilt Along. I'll show you my fabric choices later.....finally using some fabrics I've had for YEARS! :)

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

Wanna trade????

2011-06-09T09:35:00.003-05:00

Going through those old quilt tops in the cabinet, I came upon these.....

I made them just because they were fun and I thought that they would be nice little quilts to give as gifts. I fused them down and, then I tried to machine applique them. Oops. I originally made four of them. The one I tried it machine applique on, got thrown away. It was SO bad.

Now, these three are left.

Would you like one???

I propose a trade.

Send me some pics or links of your machine applique work (just making sure you can do nicer work than I did!!), and I'll send these three to you. You can machine applique them down for me, keep one for yourself and send the other two back to me. Your choice of which one to keep.

These panels measure 9 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches.

Let me know if you are interested.

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

Quilt tops.......

2011-06-08T16:07:00.006-05:00

So, let me ask you a question. How many quilt tops do you have?? Unfinished, unquilted. :)

I have quite a few. And, yesterday I got curious. I took them all out of the cabinet and took a look. I photographed them (not great pics) and measured them. I wrote it all down and whether they needed backings made or borders added on. No excuses for not getting to them now, right??

Oh my!

I hate to admit how many tops I have...and I don't think I will. :) I'm too embarrassed.

How about I show you a couple of them over the next few weeks......and we'll pretend that I'm doing a quilt show???

Here is one I did from Bonnie Hunter's website. It's called Basket Weave Strings. This quilt is 67x73.

And, here is another top.... Another Scrappy Sixteen Patch. Can you tell I love squares??? :) No pattern used, just a scrap quilt that I hand pieced. Can you believe that? Nuts. :D

This quilt is 75x86.

I have enough tops to last me a lifetime.....I'll never run out of tops to quilt. But, do you really think I'm going to stop making tops. NO WAY! :)

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

Beginnings???

2011-06-07T11:08:00.003-05:00

Humility????

Hideous??

or perhaps I'll simply call this one "My First Quilt".

In 1992, my sister-in-law, taught me the basics of hand piecing. Once I made a couple of blocks, I decided it was time to make a quilt. We didn't have much money, and I really wasn't sure I was going to like this whole "quilting thing", so I used what I had. Mostly cotton fabrics that I had sewn clothing, curtains, tablecloths, shower curtains, sleep shorts, dresses, and other such stuff with.

I made a nine patch block, alternating with a "plain" block. But honey, these aren't really plain blocks. They are LOUD blocks, just like the fabrics found in the nine patches. The quilt is not quite as hideous to me as it once was. It actually has a bit of charm for me. And, I love looking at the fabrics in it and remembering all the projects I had made, the clothing my kiddos wore.

I never quilted it, but I think I will someday soon. It wouldn't take long and it would be a fun quilt to snuggle under and laugh at with my kids. I know one day they will probably fight over this quilt.....as homely as it is.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!

Borders done!

2011-06-06T08:43:00.003-05:00

I'm really happy with this quilt!

Special thanks to my Dear Sister-in-law,

Diane, at Dyed Quilting!!!!! She is the one who helped me take the original pattern found in the book Amazingly Simple Star Quilts, and make the quilt a bit larger. I'm more into twin or full sized quilts for cuddling with. :)

Now that I've finished piecing this quilt, I think I'll move on to piecing those nine patches I started playing with a few weeks ago. I have almost 50 made already. I pulled more strips from my Scrap User's System, and have them ready to piece together.

Any ideas for a setting?? I'm thinking of alternating with plain blocks, no borders. More like our grandmother's used to make. Kind of like a utility quilt??

And, I have to choose a quilt to start hand quilting.....I have these two choices up first.

Homespun Stars

or Spider Web

I have the backing already made for the Spider Web quilt, but I still have to remove some papers before I can start quilting. Ick. And, the Homespun Stars quilt doesn't have a backing ready, but I think I can do that pretty quickly.

Perhaps this afternoon I can piece the backing for the Homespun Stars quilt and maybe get it basted tomorrow??? Then I can work on removing papers from the Spider Web quilt in the evening while I watch television and have the it ready for quilting next.

Sounds like I've made a decision. :)

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

Hopscotch Quilt......

2011-06-05T15:01:00.004-05:00

is done!!!! Woot!

I took my quilt out this afternoon to get a quick pic. As soon as the washer is empty, it's going in, so it can get all wrinkled. My favorite quilty look. :)

Now, to decide on which quilt to start hand quilting next!

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

Simple Things Quilt Along

2011-06-05T09:19:00.002-05:00

I read Carol's blog, Brown Quilts. Thursday she announced that she and Kelly were going to do a Quilt Along. I love the quilt they are making and I was so tempted! I have so many quilts in progress and even have ideas and fabrics pulled for a couple of tops. I really didn't think I should jump into another top.

And, then I read Darlene's blog. Darlene had lost her mojo and was feeling inspired by this Quilt Along. I was so happy for her and then before I knew it, I was caught up in the excitement and told her she was making me rethinking it.

Now, I'm afraid, I have to do this quilt along! Oh my. Like I don't have enough on my plate over here. :)

This is all Darlene's fault! LOL

I've got to start pulling fabrics!!! This is going to be fun. I really enjoyed the last quilt along I did.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!

Borders

2011-06-01T20:05:00.002-05:00

Yay!! I had a few minutes this evening to play with my plaids. Here are the choices I had to work with.

And, these are the ones I chose.

I even had time to cut them and lay them out to admire my choices. :) They aren't sewn on yet, but it shouldn't take long!

Oh yeah, I'm loving this quilt......

And, it looks like it may be the weekend before I get to show my Hopscotch Quilt. I still have a tiny bit of work to do on it, maybe 2 hours of work???

Happy Quilting!!!!!!

You gotta know I'm quilting.....

2011-06-01T07:58:00.003-05:00

I really am. I've been hand quilting on my Hopscotch Quilt and I'm almost done. I can't wait to show you pics. I'm really loving it.

And, I've made a few more nine patches. I'm thinking I need to start auditioning fabrics for the alternating block. I'm doing a simple plain block. But, I do reserve the right to change my mind! LOL

OH, and guess what came in the mail yesterday??? Plaid fabrics!!!! Oh my! They are lovely. I'll show pics of those too! Looks like I might be able to get some borders on my Homespun Stars quilt this weekend! Woot!

But, for today....no sewing for me. I'm off to get a hair cut and then this afternoon, a trip to get Dear Younger Daughter's teeth cleaned. Ugh. Three to four trips a year for that since she has braces! Have to keep those teeth healthy!! House work in between since the end of this week is going to be busy with friends coming over! Fun stuff!!!! :)

And, finally, Theresa asked about quilt shops in the Spring Texas area. I would have sent her a private message, but she is a no-reply blogger. Here are the four I know of. If anyone knows of any others, please let me know.

GRS Creations and Fabrics
302 Main St # A
Spring, TX 77373-8374

Quakertown Quilts
25823 Budde Road
The Woodlands, Texas

The Needle Nest
2219 Sawdust Road
The Woodlands, TX 77380

The Hen House
5701 Louetta Road Suite 200
Spring, TX 77379-7928

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

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T12:50:00.000-05:00

The trouble with homespun....

2011-05-26T09:21:00.002-05:00

I've been to about 6 or 7 quilt shops from Spring, Texas down to Galveston. And guess what I found??? Very little to NO homespun.

I was told at the last shop, yesterday, "Homespun really isn't in style anymore." Oh really??

I understand each store has it's own "style" and carries fabric that the owner loves, but to tell me homespun isn't in style??? I don't know.

So, I did what I didn't want to do. I Googled "homespun fabric". I found several online shops that specialize in homespuns. And, I ordered three different pieces of fabrics. One or two should work, right?? I have some pieces large enough for the inner border I have planned....and I'll see what works once they get here.

I don't know, I've always been a bit behind the times.....I still like homespun fabrics. I've been collecting them for a long time. I made a little throw about 10 years ago, made with homespun. And, now I've made Homespun Stars. Sounds like a real trend at my house. :)

Jubilee Homespun

Hugs and Stitches

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

The mess I told you about.....

2011-05-25T09:40:00.004-05:00

When I first started quilting, I pieced by hand. Everything. I wanted to be a purist.

But the problem was this: I wasn't a perfectionist. Face it, I wasn't even good at it. Most of my blocks were a mess. I was constantly asking my sister in law, "What's wrong with it?" She tried to help me, but the fact is, I wasn't a careful template tracer, and I sewed in giant stitches, and I didn't stay on the sewing lines.

Eventually, I got a bit better. And, I even tried teaching some friends. They did their best too. And, they struggled like I did.

Then we all changed to machine piecing. And, some of us continued quilting and have improved our skill.

I'm still not a great quilter. But I do well enough. I don't show my work up close. LOL The main thing is that I love quilting. And, I enjoy the process (most of the time).

But there is a problem. I have lots of orphan blocks and bits. A lot of them were made by my friends. I've even had people I don't know give me stuff when they find out I quilt. And, I ended up with a drawer full of orphan blocks.

Most of them are hand pieced. And, they are badly done. I should just throw them away, but I can't. And, I can't cut them to square them off. Oh, and I forgot to add that this was before I understood about contrast! Everything blends together into a muddled mess! Ugh.

So I spent time yesterday pulling out the "brighter" blocks and bits and started adding sashing, etc. so that I could lop off some fabric and end up with something square.

I didn't worry about seam allowances, etc. on those hand pieced blocks. I just sewed a piece of fabric onto the block in a straight line, ignoring any missing points, etc.

Here is what I started with:

And, here is what I have now:

There are plenty more blocks to play with. Lots of "stuff" still left over. I don't know what I'm doing here, just trying to use up some blocks and empty a drawer. I did throw some REALLY bad blocks away. But these weren't too bad. (Ha!)

Isn't it a horrid mess????

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!

Homespun Stars.....

2011-05-24T14:39:00.003-05:00

The top is done, all except the borders. I'm going to try to make a run to the quilt shop after my dentist appointment tomorrow and see if I can find something I LOVE for the borders.

I'm glad to have this one about done. It was a fun project to work on.

Wait til you see what mess I've gotten into now.....oh my.

Hint: GOLDEN OLDIES!!!!!!

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

Grandsons are the best!

2011-05-23T15:36:00.002-05:00

The stars are out!!

2011-05-23T09:58:00.002-05:00

All the stars are made, the quilt is resting on the living room floor and I've begun the process of putting the top together.

I'm really loving this quilt.

I didn't get much time this weekend to sew, what with all the family here. But the beginning of the week should be much slower and I just might find some time to sew the larger four patch blocks together and start on the rows.

We'll see how far I get.....

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

Thinking about borders....

2011-05-21T09:26:00.003-05:00

and leaning toward a red inner border (2 inch or so) and a dark blue outer border (4 1/2 inch or so) for the Homespun Stars quilt. Both in plaids.

I think I have the red covered, but does anyone know of a good blue plaid for the outer border?? It's not easy for me to find plaid quilting fabric online.

Let me know.....send me a link or the name of the fabric line.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!

Better????

2011-05-19T00:00:00.004-05:00

Yes, I removed the two stars with white backgrounds. They are now in the orphan blocks drawer. Someday they will make it into a quilt. :)

So, what do you think?? Does it look better?? I think so.

And, this is what else I did today..... I put in a bunch of bedding plants, about 80 of them. And, because of the drought, we almost lost some of our ornamental grass. I'm trying to water them and praying they come back.

One step at a time.

I'll show my garden in a couple of days. We're getting ready for our son, daughter in law and GRANDSON who are coming tomorrow!!! I'm sure I won't be doing much quilting this weekend.

Happy Quilting!!!!!

Mini Respite and Homespun Stars....

2011-05-17T18:07:00.002-05:00

I arrived home yesterday from a short mini respite trip. I try to take them about 3-4 times a year. As most of you know, I am a full time caregiver for my husband who was diagnosed with MS eleven years ago. He needs complete care, and can't do anything for himself, except lift a water glass and sometimes he can feed himself finger foods.

Anyway, I took a trip to Galveston Island and stayed in a Bed & Breakfast. My hostess was a precious lady who likes to give hugs. She waited on me hand and foot. I got to soak in a nice bath, watch movies, read and did a bit of hand quilting, all without being interrupted. I drove around the island, ate a delish steak at Saltgrass, walked on the beach and rested.

I had an AMAZING time!

On the way home, I stopped by some quilt shops and picked up some more fabrics. I found several indigos, some reproductions and a couple of plaids.

And speaking of plaids, I followed my SIL's advice and have started making my (our) version of Homespun Stars. I'm loving it!!! I'm making more blocks, so I'm able to use lots of different fabrics. This quilt is looking scrappy....and you know those are my favorite quilts! I'm planning on adding two borders.

(I added in a couple of white backgrounds, and now I'm thinking I don't like those two blocks....they stand out too much. What do you think?? Should I ditch them??)

I'm not sure this is how I will set the blocks, but as I finish the smaller stars, I'll move things around. But overall, I'm loving this quilt. It's taken over my nine patches in priority. :) Those nine patches will still be there, right.

And, I'm still quilting on the Hopscotch Quilt. I'm really loving it too.

I had a dental appointment right before my trip to Galveston, and had a temporary crown put on. The temporary crown was bothering me so badly, I've been having to take Vicodin. :( I went back in today and the dentist trimmed the crown up a bit. We think it was pushing on my gums causing discomfort. I'm feeling a bit better and I'm really hoping it gets better. Soon. The permanent crown should be ready next week.

Ok....enough chit chat. Back to the sewing room! :)

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!

Amazingly Simple Star Quilts

2011-05-14T07:40:00.006-05:00

I've had this book for a while, but I've never made anything from it. Amazingly Simple Star Quilts by Jeanne Stauffer and Sandra L Hatch.

One of my goals is to make at least one quilt from every book I own. After all, I bought the book because at least one quilt appealed to me, right?? I have a couple of quilts in this book that I really like....

This week, I started playing with my fabric and moving things around and found some plaids that I've had FOREVER. I remembered that there was a quilt in one of my books that I loved and pulled out the book Amazingly Simple Star Quilts. I found the quilt I was thinking about. It's called Homespun Stars.

This is a simple quilt. But star blocks, especially the Sawtooth Star, have always been a favorite. I'm making this one using Homespun plaids, one printed plaid, some brushed cottons and stripes. Thus far, I am making it following the pattern, as far as size. But the closer I get to finishing all the blocks, I'm wondering if I need to make this quilt a bit bigger?? I have enough fabric. I just can't imagine needing a quilt that is 59 inches square. I won't be hanging this one...I'd like to be able to use it someday. Maybe I should make it at least big enough to cuddle under.

What do you think, should I make it larger??

Edited to add a picture of the quilt in the book.

Edited again to add my sister in law's idea to make the quilt larger.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!

Oh my!

2011-05-12T09:14:00.000-05:00

This past week, Dear Younger Daughter told me that she would like to make a quilt. So, being a good mother (and an encouraging quilter), we ran right out and picked up some fabric for her.

I let her pick it out all by herself....these fabrics really are the three she chose. I think she did a great job! It's funny because her comforter is very similar to the brown dot fabric. :)

I'm doing the cutting, and she's sewing and pressing. So far, we've only made two blocks. That's because something is weird and I can't figure out what it is. The blocks are coming out....what is the word....weird. Some of her seams aren't exactly straight and that I understand. But the block looks twisted. Anyway, she and I both were frustrated.....fortunately not with each other. And, we left the blocks sitting. We are both hoping to get back to her quilt soon.

We are making a mock trip around the world pattern, found HERE.

I saw this quilt on Pat's blog, Bell Creek Quilts, and thought it would be a great quilt for my daughter to start with. (She did have a tiny bit of sewing experience.) Pat was so kind and sent me a lengthy e-mail with great info about this quilt and how to make it. I was curious how much yardage was needed. Thanks to Pat's info, I purchased enough to make the quilt large (just in case)....but we'll stop when Dear Younger Daughter tires of it or thinks it's big enough. I will do the quilting for her.

I had another horrid dental appointment yesterday, and have had to take some pain meds afterward. Feeling a bit better today though. But now, I've got to focus on cleaning. Ick. Maybe Friday, I'll be able to get back to sewing...

I did make a few more nine patches....I now have 30 of them. I'm thinking about the layout, etc. and I'm thinking I need 60 or so. I put ten of them together each time I sit down, and they go together quickly, so it won't be hard to get the rest of them done. I'm thinking of alternating with plain blocks, so that when I quilt it, the quilting will really show. And, I'm thinking of making it without borders. Kind of a "utility quilt" look. Nothing matchy, matchy, lots of different fabrics...a nod to our quilting ancestors. Quilts like my maternal grandmother used to make, using what she had. (My paternal grandmother made beautiful quilts.)

Oh, and I also organized my fabric folded on the shelves. Moved them around a bit, sorted (a bit) by color, etc. It was fun playing with my fabrics again.

And, then, I ran across some plaids I had purchased long ago.....and am thinking of cutting out another quilt (I did cut out one block). I know, I know.....I have so many UFO's I really should start on them, but I just can't help myself! I'll give you a peek in a few days.

Now, I'm off to clean house and get ready for our Small Group Meeting from church tonight. Can't wait to see my sweet friends.

And, Thursday, before the dentist appointment, I was able to get all four Give Away Winners prizes in the mail. So, be on the lookout for them! Woo hoo!!!! Hoping they each let me see their projects when they are done. I know I'll be a bit jealous and wish I had them back!! LOL No, I'll be gracious and just be happy for them. :)

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!

Mother's Day goings on....

2011-05-09T10:45:00.003-05:00

So for Mother's Day, I did nothing. AMAZINGLY wonderful. :) My kiddos went to church, as usual, but I stayed home with Dear Hubby. I drank coffee, hand quilted, and even took a nap.

My kids brought home roses, a card, and a couple of gifts cards: one for iTunes and one for a Spa. Nice.

They also bought dinner, Chinese food, and we all piled into my bedroom and watched "Never a Dull Moment" (1968, Dick Van Dyke) and one DVRd episode of Saturday Night Live.

It really was a pleasant day. I kept playing the Mother's Day Card....."I can't do that, it's Mother's Day", and was able to get out of everything I didn't want to do. :)

I've quilted 30 of the 48 blocks on my Hopscotch Quilt. Still puttering along....

And, this past week I made some nine patch blocks, just for fun.

I'm thinking I need to put another quilt top together, so I don't forget how to piece in the midst of all this hand quilting!!

They are made using my 3 inch strips. So, they finish at 7 1/2 inches. Weird size, I know. But I am determined to use up all these strips I have cut. I have them in every size, and I am constantly looking for scrap quilt patterns that use the strips I have already cut up. I'm in love with squares.....and since I'm currently quilting a sixteen patch quilt, I changed it up and made nine patches. :)

Ok, that's about it for now.....so Happy Quilting!!!!!!!

Oh so nice....

2011-05-07T12:35:00.004-05:00

Our anniversary is the end of this month.....and of course, Mother's Day is tomorrow. So......my Dear Hubby sent me out shopping for this::

I'm in love with it. I LOVE the color, and I can't wait to fill the bottom two shelves with quilts that I've finished. A couple of my quilts are out camping this weekend (with Dear Older Daughter) and one is at an EMT station (where my son works and sleeps), and all the others are either on a bed here, or are small wall hanging quilts or have been given away.

The quilter's children have no quilts!

The cabinet has beadboard backing and stained shelves. It's super sturdy and has beveled glass. Sigh.

We had a large computer armoire in this spot and it took up so much room, both physically and visually. Now that Dear Hubby is not able to get out of bed, we have gotten rid of the big desk top computer and Dear Older Son put together a nice laptop for Dear Hubby. (And, he has an iPad too.)

I've wanted one of these cabinets for oh so long.....and I finally have one. Rather expensive for our normal gifts, so I'm combining Mother's Day and anniversary. :) I do have the sweetest hubby.

Happy Mother's Day (and anniversary) to me!!!!!!

The winners are......

2011-05-07T09:41:00.002-05:00

34, 32, 5, 4

Random numbers generated May 7 2011 at 9:40:0

Winona -- The Chicken Hearted Kit

Tudy -- The Wild Geese Pattern

Alina -- The Pin Cushion Kit

Kathy H -- The Bluebonnet Needle Case Kit

Congratulations to all four winners!!!!!!

Please contact me with your addresses. I am not sure when I will be able to get to the post office, but will get your prizes in the mail as soon as possible.

Thank you for all the comments. :)

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!

Give Away and gardening....

2011-05-06T10:44:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to remind everyone to click the link and comment on THIS BLOG POST in order to have your name in the drawing for the giveaway. That's all you have to do is comment! The winners will be announced sometime tomorrow.

And, my square foot garden is growing so well. I've had to push the cucumbers back so they will grow onto the supports instead of taking over my bed! I even have little squash growing and tomato blooms. And, the best part is that I've been using my herbs to cook with. SOOOOO good and I feel like I'm saving money every time I snip some rosemary or basil. :) This is a lot of fun.

I'm still quilting on my Hopscotch quilt and I think I'm almost half way finished! We're having friends over this weekend, so I'm sure I won't have much time for quilting. But, there's always next week, right???

Happy Quilting!!!!!

Pillowcases

2011-05-04T22:15:00.002-05:00

Please read Carol's post on her blog "Brown Quilts". If it touches your heart as much as it has mine and many others, please help.

Here is a link to free pillowcase patterns from APQ.

Happy Quilting!!!!!

Give Away!!!!!

2011-05-03T10:29:00.005-05:00

Ok, here is what we have. I was going through a basket of stuff in my sewing room and came across these four things that I needed to be realistic about.

The first one is this kit called Chicken Hearted. I fell for this one years ago at the Houston Quilt Festival. Each year, I go to their booth, admire the quilt all finished, and dream of buying another kit. I refuse until I finish this one....and after 6 years, I still haven't done it. Chances are it's not going to happen. Plus I have OOODLES of small quilts and have no place for them.
The next item up for give away is this little pattern called "Wild Geese". This is a tissue paper pattern (paper pieced) for 3 3/4 inch blocks. You can make up to 36 of them. Cute pattern, but here is the story behind this one. I order things online all the time because it's just easier for me since I'm home so much of the time taking care of my husband. While clicking around online, ordering fabric and stuff, I must have accidentally clicked on it and added it to my basket. By the time I noticed, I had already placed the order and paid for it. Not the online store's fault. I should have double checked my basket. Live and learn, right? I won't be making this one either, so I'm offering it as a give away.

The third item is a give away I got on a Quilt Shop Hop. It's a pin cushion kit. This is from Quilts By The Bay in Galveston, Texas. I love the fabric and the pattern looks easy. But I don't need another pin cushion and I don't really like making them. I definitely don't want to throw this away, and would like to share it.

And, the last item is another give away from a Quilt Shop Hop. This little kit will make a bluebonnet needle case. This one is from a quilt shop in Humble, Texas called It's a Stitch. Lovely shop, lovely people. Now, what Texas girl wouldn't LOVE a bluebonnet needle kit?? I love it too, but know I would never use it. And, the idea of working on it just is not appealing to me. I'd rather share it.

These two pics show the finished needle case and the fabrics included.

Now, there are no hoops to jump through. Just comment on this post before Friday May 6th, midnight, CST, and I'll pick four winners. I'll post the winners names on Saturday sometime. We need to be able to communicate by e-mail, so that I can get your address and get your give away items in the mail, as soon as my life allows. :)

I'm not making money here, I'm just cleaning out my sewing room. I'm not selling items I won for free, just passing them on.

The kits include all the items needed to finish the projects.

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

Update....

2011-05-02T18:52:00.003-05:00

on the Hopscotch Quilt: 18 blocks hand quilted (as well as the sashing around them). I've been doing just about nothing else, and I'm really pleased with the progress. Here is a pic of part of the quilt. Hopefully, clicking on the pic will enlarge it so you can see the quilting. Simple pattern, simple quilting. :)

And, yesterday, I made the backing for the Spider Web Quilt. I think that will be my next top to transform. Of course, I may change my mind, as I've been known to do. LOL

I also found a couple of items I've had around here for a while and I'd like to share them. So, I am hoping to have a give away sometime soon. So keep your eyes open!

And, for Judith, who asked for the crumbs....they are on the way. I mailed them last Thursday. I also added in a bit of "Texas" and some chocolate. Hope it doesn't take three weeks! :)

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

Hopscotch!

2011-04-29T13:21:00.005-05:00

This morning, I pulled out my Hopscotch quilt top to begin the basting process! Woot woot!

I pressed and pieced my backing. I pulled out my "basting table" and got the quilt top basted! So exciting!

Now, I'm going to make a quick run to JoAnn's and pick up some more quilting thread. I use mostly off white/cream colored thread and I haven't bought hand quilting thread in so long, I'm afraid I'll run out of what is on the last spool I have. So, I'm going to restock, so that I'm SURE I have enough to finish this top.

As usual, it will take me a bit to finish this one. I made it from my leftover reproduction strips. And, I'm using Quilter's Dream Request batting. SO nice for hand quilting. The quilt will fit my double bed. I'll measure it again in a bit when I get it out to start the quilting, I've already forgotten the measurement. :)

I suppose it's time to start thinking of the next top to work on....I have lots of them in process, and I'd like to finish one up and get it made into a top.

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

Easy Spider Web bits and bobs:

2011-04-28T17:15:00.004-05:00

1. Paper piecing the blocks was NOT the problem. That's the fun part.

2. Maneuvering the stiff quilt to sew the top together was frustrating, but not really hard!

3. I do not like removing the papers either, but I love the ease of paper piecing. Sometimes it's worth the trouble. But I don't think so right now. LOL Give me some time. :)

4. It does use up lots of scraps....but those scraps multiply and now I have another bucket full. *sigh*

5. If you've never paper pieced....do try it. And, yes, start small. LOL

6. The name of the block is Easy Spider Web block. It's not necessarily easy, but nothing to be afraid of.

7. And, yes, we ALL have too many irons in the fire! :)

Thanks so much for the comments......

Easy Spider Web Top DONE!!!

2011-04-28T08:08:00.004-05:00

I haven't said much, but I've been working away on the Easy Spider Web Top, from Quilter's Cache. It's a free paper pieced pattern, so check it out!

I'll be honest. The blocks were easy, even FUN to make! And, putting together the rows weren't horrid.....but when it came to assembling the top. Oh my! This one almost got my goat.

Because there are biased edges once the blocks are trimmed, you really can't remove the paper until those biased seams have been sewn.

I removed a lot of paper as I went along, because it's impossible to get a large quilt with paper backing under your sewing machine foot without it pulling. It was like a tug of war. And, a couple of times I caved and walked away.

I would wait a couple of hours, over night and finally went two days before going back into the sewing room to finish it up.

Once I was done with the top, I knew I would have to leave the rest of the paper on the quilt edges unless I finished the top with a border. I really don't have room to store a quilt that has all that extra thickness from the paper. I thought about it and thought about it and then looked at the pattern page again. Marica Hohn had already thought this one out for me. I chose to use the border she shows on the pattern page.

It's scrappy and pieced and frames the quilt well. And, it wasn't hard, well, not really....but since I made my border really scrappy it took a few hours to cut and sew. I had to do the math myself since directions weren't posted for the border. Those corners had me thinking for about 20 minutes.

Now the top is done.

And, I can now begin the process of removing the last of the papers from the back around the edge of the quilt. It turned out well, but it almost ate my lunch. I think it might be a while before I make another paper pieced bed sized quilt....well, maybe.

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

Crumbs and bits.....

2011-04-25T15:37:00.004-05:00

EDITED: Someone has claimed the bag of crumbs and bits.... thanks everyone!

Is anyone interested in my crumbs and bits?? They are big enough to do something with, but I know I won't. I hate to throw them out if someone else will use them.

Here is the pic of the basket. I added some to it, especially more darks and mediums.

There are pieces in here that are NOT pedigreed. Not all of these fabrics are quilt shop quality. Some were given to me YEARS ago and may have been purchased at JoAnns (pre-quilt shop quality days) or who knows where else.

I have a gallon sized Ziploc bag full of lights and darks (some mediums). I'll pay for shipping.....

So, if you would like them, let me know. First come, first serve.....just comment on this post and then I can get your address by e-mail.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T08:08:00.000-05:00

He is risen!!!!

Earth Day Freebies....

2011-04-21T12:57:00.003-05:00

Whether you celebrate Earth Day or not, who can resist a freebie???

Friday the 22nd:

Starbucks is giving away a free coffee or tea, as long as you bring in a reusable cup.

And, Lowe's Home Improvement is giving away free trees. Not sure what kind, etc. but visit your local Lowe's on Friday to get one.

Happy Quilting!!!!!

More sewing and online shopping

2011-04-20T19:28:00.005-05:00

Last night I finished sewing all the pieces of the Easy Spider Web blocks. And, this morning I started trimming them. Next, I will be assembling them into the 7 inch blocks and then into "four patches". I had to pull from one of my strip drawers to finish these blocks up. But it didn't take much. My real "scrap basket" is empty!!

I'm still cutting new strips from that bucket found out in the garage, but it's such a tedious task, I'm taking my sweet time. I can't cut strips for more than an hour or I get bored. :)

I found this book on Amazon and LOVE the fabrics Kim uses in this book. It's easy to get
inspired when you see quilts made in your favorite colors.

I'm a lover of saturated colors, reproductions and scraps....and this book has it all. The quilt on the cover caught my eye. And, there are several more in there that I LOVE. I haven't bought a new book in a while, so that was special treat.

And, I found some reproduction fabrics on clearance. YUM! They were just over $5 a yard. COULD NOT pass them up. I chose to get one yard cuts instead of five yards of one fabric. I'm collecting fabrics for a yummy reproduction scrap quilt.

And, Dear Younger Son hung my Comfort of Psalms in our living room. I've hated the picture that was hanging there. It was old and out of date, and I hadn't found anything to replace it. SO glad now that I never did. I love the quilt hanging here and it matches my living room perfectly.

HAPPY QUILTING!!!!!!!!!!

Too many pics???

2011-04-18T19:24:00.006-05:00

I hope you don't think so....

This morning I sat at the machine. It was wonderful. Remember how I said I needed four blocks or so to complete the Easy Spider Web blocks?? Well, my memory failed me once again. (Surprised?? Not me.) Nope, I needed ten of these lovely "blocks". (Actually, what I am calling blocks are a four patch of the Easy Spider Web blocks found on Quilter's Cache.) So, I printed the patterns off and started sewing. I'm about done with them.

And, here is what happens when I sew. This is what my sewing room REALLY looks like. :)

But, before I could finish sewing those blocks, my help arrived.....and construction began on my raised bed.

Woo hoo!!! Dear Older Daughter's boyfriend, and Dear Younger Son did the construction.

Dear Younger Daughter helped haul the dirt, compost and manure to the back yard. I supervised.

And, what did Dear Older Daughter do??? Her nails. :)

Here is a picture of the newly installed raised garden. I still have some plants to put in....and the tomato needs it's cage. :)

And, I tried to get a pic of Dear Older Daughter and her boyfriend....and this is what my son did. Always a nut.

Finally, a good pic.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!

I know...it's bragging,

2011-04-17T15:13:00.004-05:00

but I just couldn't help it. He's such a cutie! :)

My grandson, in case you've forgotten. LOL

I am sewing away on the Easy Spider Web blocks. I was wrong, I needed twice the amount of blocks I thought I did. But I'm determined to go the extra mile and make this quilt big enough for a bed, or for two to cuddle under. I'm about half way through with making all the blocks. Pics when I'm done. Hopefully, tomorrow sometime, after we put in the herb bed.

Another finish!!!

2011-04-16T12:27:00.003-05:00

Finished up the last touches on this little quilt this morning. SO happy to have it done. Please excuse the pictures, but Dear Older Daughter borrowed my camera this morning and I didn't want to wait til tomorrow to post pics. :) These were taken outside with my camera phone....

Thursday, Dear Younger Daughter and I went shopping, picked up some books at the bookstore, some more accessories for the grill, made a quick run into Bath and Body Works, lunch at Chipotle, and picked up some herbs at Lowe's. Monday we are putting in an herb garden...sweet basil, mint, thyme, oregano, rosemary, parsley and a tomato and bell pepper plant. We'll see if I can get in a few more veggie plants too, just depends on my help.

Friday, I slept in and then got a text from my dear friend. She came by for about three hours, we had coffee on the deck, and chatted while I sewed on the binding on my Comfort of Psalms quilt. Made a quick run to HEB to pick up the remaining grocery items we needed.

It's been a busy week and I'm about ready for some machine time. I want to finish up about four more Easy Spider Web blocks and get that quilt together. And, I would love to spend some time this week, basting my next double sized quilt. The batting is here and the back needs to be pieced.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!

Busy, busy, busy.....

2011-04-14T08:36:00.007-05:00

and still working away on the Comfort of Psalms (link to panel). Finished up the last of the quilting last night and am hoping to get to the binding tonight.

Tuesday, I spent the day cleaning and preparing for a Premiere Jewelry party my daughter was hosting her at our home. We had lots of last minute cancellations, but still had a great time. I found three items I couldn't live without. Really loved it.

Yesterday was my day to run to Sam's Club. Stocked up on all the necessaries....and found some things I wasn't expecting. Fresh English peas.....amazing! Nothing compares to the "real" peas, not frozen. Yum.

And, today our Home Health Aide is coming, so I'll do my grocery shopping, and then we have our Small Group tonight. We meet every other week.

Lots to do....off to write out my grocery list and maybe attempt to get the binding sewn on, so that I can hand stitch it tonight.

A sign that hangs by my front door.

And, here are some pics of flowers I planted a couple of weeks ago.

This one is called Blue Daze. I'm in love with this color right now....

And, this one is a Plumbago......the butterflies love this one.

This one is called Coral Bells.....for the hummingbirds.

Happy Quilting!!!!!

Comfort of Psalms....

2011-04-11T11:26:00.004-05:00

and itching fingers.

I finished my Red Strings quilt on Tuesday, stumbled onto my Log Cabin Mini on Wednesday and finished it up on Thursday.

Friday morning, I woke up and got everything done that I could do for our grandson's first birthday party and had a really bad case of itching fingers. I needed a quilting fix of some kind.....

I looked into my cabinet, where my tops stew until ready to be quilted and pulled out another smallish top. I've loved this top for several years, pulled it out often and looked at it....but Friday morning, my itching fingers had to have a top to quilt.

I didn't have time to piece the backing for that other quilt, and I didn't want to drag out all my piecing projects 4 hours before all the family showed up, so what did I do? I took that throw sized batting I just purchased and started pin basting my Comfort Of Pslams quilt. The backing was already pieced and ready to go. My intentions were to just baste it.

But, once it was basted, I thought, hmmmm, I could get in a couple of stitches here and there. And, that is what I did.

I quilted some on it Friday, spent a bit more time on it Saturday before I sat with our grandson while his mommy did some shopping and his daddy ran some errands. Quilted a bit on Saturday evening while watching television with Dear Hubby.

On Sunday, after making a big breakfast for my kids, and after my Dallas kids took off for home, I quilted some more. I quilted while we watched television, breaking only for dinner and refills of Ginger Ale.....

And, I've got this little (42x50 inches) quilt about half quilted!

Woo hoo!!!

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

edited: The pattern is my own, I didn't like the quilts I had seen using these panels, so I made up my own.....and I can't remember the name of this fabric line either. There are a few odd pieces of fabric added into this quilt too.

Bricks and Stepping Stones

2011-04-09T11:37:00.004-05:00

I've shown this quilt before, but this is a much better picture. I have it on my bed right now...it doesn't fit perfectly, but makes a wonderful second layer quilt.

Bricks and Stepping Stones - Bonnie Hunter

And, a shameless Nana picture of my sweet grandson, at his birthday party.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!

A quick finish

2011-04-08T11:36:00.006-05:00

While digging around in the sewing room, I found this sweet little quilt I had started and not finished. The sad thing is all the quilt needed was an hours worth of quilting and some binding.

The blocks are paper pieced using my Reproduction scraps. This one looks so nice on my breakfast table.

Another finish!!!Now I want a bed sized one of these! :)

Edited: I think I got the paper pieced pattern here....not sure, but this one will work, if you decide to make this quilt.

Happy Quilting!!!!!

Acquisitions.....

2011-04-08T08:55:00.003-05:00

Look what came in the mail yesterday!! Backing for my next project. I ordered 9 yards of this stuff...should be enough with some left over. Was that done on purpose?? Perhaps. :)

And, while our aide was here with Dear Hubby yesterday, I made a run to two more local quilt shops. I wasn't real impressed with the first one. A kind, but very old lady, owns the shop and I don't think things have moved in a LONG time. Some of the stuff in the shop looks like it's been there for years. No Reproduction fabrics at all, but I did find these two yard pieces, from Little Quilts. I have to make myself buy backgrounds and light fabrics. Gotta have them. And, if I go into a quilt shop and browse a bit, I hope there is something there I can purchase. Found something this time. (Just keeping our local quilts shops open, one yard at a time.)

The second quilt shop had what I went shopping for in the first place....batting. I LOVE Quilter's Dream Cotton Batting. And Request is my favorite. Thin, and oh so easy to hand quilt. Feels so good to the touch and gives my quilts that old fashioned look I love. Crinkles well without too much shrinkage.

I bought a double, a queen and a throw size......

Now that I have the backing and the batting.....I can start on my next hand quilting project. Sigh. That makes me so happy. Although it will have to wait til the weekend is over. Too much going on to quilt.

My sweet grandson (and his mom and dad) are on their way for a birthday weekend. Commence the grilling of hamburgers and hot dogs. Nana (me) has made a huge bowl of potato salad and everything is ready.

Oh, and I have one more project to show, but that will have to wait til a bit later, when I find some time to blog about it. I've got something in the dryer.

Have a great weekend everyone and Happy Quilting!!!!!!

Celebrating the birth of a sweet boy!

2011-04-06T20:40:00.005-05:00

From a not so tiny baby boy, born almost a year ago....... (can you believe that hair???)

To a sweet baby boy who has stolen his Nana and Papa's heart!!!! Can't wait to see him on Friday!

This pic cracks me up. Our daughter in law loves Coke and Erik found her stash. He knew what to do with it, but couldn't get it open. He looks like he's been drinking all day. :)

It is DONE!!!

2011-04-06T16:12:00.004-05:00

Woo hoo!!! Just pulled fresh from the dryer.....Red Strings.

Please make a note of the heart applique on the bottom right corner. :)

I could have said, my dog chewed it (but I don't have a dog) or I meant to do it (but I was taught not to lie) or I could have said nothing at all (but sometimes you gotta tell on yourself), but here is the real story.....

"Accurate" is not my middle name. I was almost finished with the quilting when I noticed that I didn't catch the edge of one of my strings when making a block, oh so long ago. Too late to take it out and fix it. So, instead I appliqued over it. I think it's kinda cute. And, it's a story to tell.

And, it's done! :)

Happy Quilting!!!!

A bit of quilting but.....

2011-04-05T10:42:00.003-05:00

mostly this.

I've been working on getting the backyard/patio ready for our sweet grandson's first birthday this coming weekend. I've re-potted some flowers, cleaned up and I've even gotten the grill ready to go. It's been so beautiful here in Texas....well, mostly beautiful. The temps have dropped again and it's so pleasant outside. I've been spending some time on the deck, drinking coffee and listening to the birds.

I really have cleaned this deck twice. The trees keep dropping things. :)

Can't wait to see that precious baby. Soon!!!

(I'll be posting pics of him this week, I promise.)

Happy Quilting!!!!!!

Dove Chocolate

2011-04-02T18:25:00.003-05:00

First, thank you all for sharing your opinions about blogging. I agree that a bit of personal information makes a blog feel "chatty" and "personal". But, I know too much personal information can seem more like a private diary. And while we all love a bit of juicy gossip, most diaries are full of the mundane, and not really much fun to read. :)

So, in the interest of adding some personal information......I may put a picture or two of my grandson on my blog. His first birthday is coming up soon, and I never did introduce you, did I??

An interesting thing happened today that made me smile. On the way into the sewing room, I picked up a Dove chocolate out of the candy dish. I opened it as I was walking into the sewing room and it said, "Make time for yourself." I felt so in sync with the universe this afternoon.

I cut a few more pieces of fabric up into squares, and decided that since a friend is coming to see me on Tuesday, I needed to do some cleaning in the sewing room. I got out my Swiffer and dusted everything, put things away and straightened up a bit. It was too messy, really. I wonder why the sewing room is the only room in the house I don't mind cleaning??? Now I just need to run the vacuum cleaner through it.

A pic from my sewing room.....

Happy Quilting!!!!

I want your opinion, please

2011-04-01T11:23:00.002-05:00

So, when you read a "quilting blog", would you prefer to read only about quilting?

Or do you like a bit of personal stuff thrown in?

Do you like to hear about a quilter's garden?

How about pets and grand babies?

This could be a can of worms. :)

More quilting....

2011-03-31T17:37:00.003-05:00

Still working away on the Red Strings Quilt. I'm just four blocks away from being 3/4 done with the quilting. Sound confusing??? Not for me, it keeps me motivated. Once I finish quilting the last four blocks on this row I'm working on, I'll have the last 1/4 of the quilt left to quilt! Woo hoo!

I did slow down yesterday and let my hand rest. Who knew I had a thumb muscle?? It's the muscle right between your wrist and your thumb. Yep. It hurts. But I'm still quilting a bit here and there.

And, I've decided on the next quilt to start quilting. It's one of the ones in my side bar, there on the right, toward the bottom. I'm not telling which one, yet. I looked in my stash yesterday for some backing fabric and realized I didn't have enough fabric for an appropriate backing. Lots of yard cuts or half yard cuts, but I don't want to completely piece the back of this one too. I wanted either one piece of fabric or maybe two.

I drove to a local quilt shop and looked around for a bit. Didn't find anything I loved for the backing. Silly me. But, since I was there, and she had been so nice to let me wander her lovely shop, I HAD to purchase something. Right?? I picked up these three 1/2 yard cuts of fabric, from the clearance room. Love little bits and pieces to add to my scrap containers. Oh. Wait. I have an entire bucket of fabric that needs to be cut up!! What have I done??? LOL

Neither picture looks "just right" but you get the idea. Oh, and I got 1 1/2 yards of fabric for $9. Pretty happy about that. :)

As for the backing for my next quilt, I decided I would look online. Since I make mostly scrap quilts, I don't have to "match" anything perfectly. So shopping online is really pretty easy for me. I found just what I needed and it was on sale. Woo hoo! And, it's already shipped, so it should be here soon.

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

I'm feeling like a quilter!!

2011-03-29T17:24:00.003-05:00

I'm having such a wonderful time quilting away on my Red Strings Quilt. I'm halfway done with the quilting. I can't believe how quickly it has gotten done. I haven't spent as much time playing Tetris or Zuma.....but I think I've got something to show for my time, don't you??

Yesterday, I got out for an hour or so, and made a quick trip to JoAnn's. I found some Olfa blades 40% off. Love it when something I went to purchase ends up being on sale, and I don't have to "waste" and coupon for it. Now, I can continue cutting up those strips and squares. It's a slow process. Just when I think I'm getting lots of fabric cut up, I turn around and see that the container is still full. How can that be????

And, I found a lovely piece of good quality fabric for the binding. It's a rich red color, like most of the quilt.

I'm not really happy with the pics I've taken of the quilt. The red looks really bright, but it's not.

I did have to take a break today from quilting because my hand is cramping up. Kind of like starting an exercise program by running a marathon. Not smart. I should have worked into it slowly, but no. I'm kind of obsessive in that once I start something I run head long into it and tend to over do.

Need. More. Balance.

So this afternoon, instead of sewing, I organized my quilt pics. Lovely folders, nicely labeled, (all on the computer, of course) and ready to post as I begin working on the quilts again.

This evening I may take a few minutes to change out the blade on my rotary cutter and cut a few pieces of fabric. I'm setting a goal of cutting all of those pesky scraps up, before I resume piecing. I want my sewing room clean before I pull out more stuff.

And, I'm already thinking of which top I want to start quilting next.

Looks like I'm back to quilting and I've got it pretty bad. HOORAY!!!

Happy Quilting!!!!!

Red Strings Progress

2011-03-28T12:50:00.004-05:00

I have made quite a bit of progress on the Red Strings Quilt. Since Saturday morning, I've quilted just a tad over 1/4 of the quilt. Yes, hand quilting. And, it's been fun.

I thought perhaps I should share the story of the Red Strings Quilt. This is how lots of my quilts get made, just random things happen and before I know it, I have a quilt. :)

I was browsing through my Google Reader about 4 years ago. I ran across a blog post by someone in my area. She was actually about 20 miles from me. Considering the Greater Houston area is comprised of about 10,000 sq. miles, we were practically neighbors.

Anyway, on her blog she mentioned that she had LOTS of red strings that she wanted to get rid of, if anyone was interested. I was infatuated with strings at that time and contacted her. I drove out to her house and picked up the strings. There really were LOTS of them.

I brought them home, looked through them and put them away. I was too busy to start yet another quilt. Sigh.

So in December 2008, I pulled out those strings and started playing with them. I made a few blocks and put them away. Pulled them out again a while later and made more. I got the blocks put together sometime in Feb/March 2009 and stored the top.

Now, if you've read my blog for very long, you know I'm a fan of Bonnie's Scrap User System. I've shared the link dozens of times here. I loved her idea of cutting up fabrics you no longer love and using them in a pieced back. So that's what I did.....in Jan. 2010.

At some point I pin basted the quilt and got some feedback on how to quilt it. Many people encouraged me to machine quilt it. It really did make sense. The top is string pieced onto muslin. And the back is pieced, so there were lots of seams everywhere. I never machine quilt. I don't know how, I don't like it, it's not me, but I decided to listen to the advice. I started machine quilting it.

ICK. It looked horrid. I don't know what I'm doing. It wasn't fun. I hated it.

Now, understand. I'm not saying machine quilting is bad, it's just not for me. And, yes, if I wanted to, I could take some classes and practice and become proficient at it, but I don't want to. I ENJOY hand quilting and get carried away with it. It's peaceful and comforting to me.

I took that nasty mess of a quilt with 6 blocks machine quilted and stuffed it in a cabinet. This week, while looking through my cabinet, I discovered my Red Strings Quilt again. I pulled it out and began the process of ripping out the stitches. And, I began hand quilting it.

I'll be honest, I was afraid I would regret it, but it hasn't been difficult at all. I am quilting through the center of the strings, avoiding the seams on the front of the quilt. And, I was smart and started using a new quilting needle. That made a huge difference. And, the backing fabric is 10 inch squares so I don't run into those seams very often.

It's been fun working on this quilt and I'm getting excited about quilting again. And, you know that's been worth the long process that it's taken to get this quilt quilted.

Happy Quilting!!!!!

Hand Quilting

2011-03-27T11:07:00.003-05:00

My paternal grandmother is my quilting hero. She had dozens and dozens of finished quilts in her little back room. Long story, and quite sad, but another family member ended up keeping them all for herself and her children.

I have two things my grandmother made and hand quilted. And, I am very proud of them.

I will never be the quilter my grandmother was. She took such tiny, even stitches. Since I will never be her, I've decided to focus instead on making even stitches. Perhaps in another forty years, my stitches will be tiny??? :)

Current project: Red Strings Quilt, see side bar for a picture of the top.

Happy Quilting!!!

Working my way back into the sewing room....

2011-03-25T23:48:00.003-05:00

one step at a time.

Dear Younger Son and Dear Older Daughter spent a Saturday this month helping me clean out and organize our garage. In the process, I found a Rubbermaid container full of scraps that I hadn't seen since we moved here a 1 1/2 years ago.

I refused to keep it out there in the garage, because I know that's not good for fabric, so I had them take into the sewing room. I walked by it several times and thought I need to get back in the sewing room. I could start with cutting up those scraps for the strip bins.

It took me almost three weeks to get in there and start playing with that fabric. But this week, I began. Here is what I got cut today in between cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, and caregiving. It felt pretty good to have my hands back in fabric.

Maybe this is the beginning of a renewed love of quilting.......

Happy Quilting!!!!!

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

2010-03-10T06:46:00.003-06:00

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

2010-03-09T23:20:00.006-06:00

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.....

2010-02-22T09:33:00.002-06:00

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!!!!

2010-02-15T13:56:00.004-06:00

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.

2010-02-14T11:14:00.002-06:00

Respite Trip!!!!

2010-02-08T18:54:00.002-06:00

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.....

2010-02-07T15:01:00.004-06:00

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......

2010-02-02T12:01:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-29T11:22:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-24T12:10:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-22T22:07:00.003-06:00

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???

2010-01-22T21:33:00.004-06:00

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!!!!!!

2010-01-22T15:48:00.002-06:00

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!!!

2010-01-22T10:04:00.002-06:00

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!!!

2010-01-20T09:01:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-19T22:36:00.002-06:00

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!!!!!

2010-01-18T13:15:00.004-06:00

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????

2010-01-18T08:41:00.004-06:00

***********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

2010-01-16T11:16:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-15T11:10:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-12T18:04:00.004-06:00

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!!!!!!!

Think Spring and New Focus for the week

2010-01-11T10:40:00.003-06:00

Last night, I started putting the little Think Spring quilt together and couldn't stop! Has that ever happened to you?? It helped that Dear Hubby was watching a football game and didn't miss me as much as he would have normally! Gotta love this time of year!!!

So, last night, I got the entire thing sewn, quilted and bound. Can you believe it? This morning, I washed it and tossed it in the dryer and now it's all quilty!!! Love that!!!!

And, I put away the Double Four quilt (aka Mountains and Valleys) and thought long and hard about what my focus project would be for the week. I chose this:

Dear Sister's Everlasting Wreath Quilt. It's been in the making for a long time now. I've shared pics before and talked about this quilt, but this week, I am really going to focus. I won't finish all the blocks (there are a lot of them to make), but I know I will make noticeable progress. I pre-cut most of the pieces quite a while back, and this week I'm going to work on sewing the blocks.

Looks like I'm going to need to cut more fabric for this one at some point. I don't think I have enough done to give the quilt the variety I like....

So, off to the sewing room!

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

Double Four and Think Spring

2010-01-10T14:16:00.003-06:00

My focus project for this week is at the "sit and see" stage, and so I brought out those old lotto blocks that I am calling Double Four.

I now know why they were sitting in the UFO basket, unfinished. They are NOT one size. They are several different sizes. I know we all used the same pattern, but evidently, we did not all use the same seam size or the same ruler when we cut - or something. Ughh. This top is together, but it is not a nice quilt. I think it should be called mountains and valleys 'cause it's got them at each intersection of the blocks! The blocks are supposed to be 12 1/2 inches. Some are 12 1/2, and some are 12 1/4, or even 12. Oh well, this will be a quilt that I finish and put in the trunk for my daughter to use as a picnic quilt. Or one she can take when she goes camping. Whew. I'm glad to have that mess done!! LOL

I was still itching to sew, and I needed something I could be a bit more precise and happy with so I pulled out my "Little Quilts" book and started making another little quilt. I wasn't overly accurate, but these blocks went together MUCH better than the Double Four blocks.

I did rip out and re-sew a few seams. I've got all the pieces laid out and will probably get the quilt sewn together later tonight. I just needed a bit of fun.....I'm calling this one "Think Spring". It's very cold outside (for Texas people) and I'm looking forward to our regular winter temps which are more like most people's spring weather!

Now, I'm off to doing a bit of cleaning up in the sewing room and I'm going to dust a bit.....we are having friends over this week for coffee and while I'm not at all stressed about it, there are a few things I'd like to get done in preparation for that.

Happy Quilting and
may all your blocks be the correct size!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great Advice

2010-01-09T15:58:00.003-06:00

Thank you all so much for your wonderful advice on what I should do with the Easy Spider Web blocks. I think the best thing at this point is to set them aside for a week and see what happens. I'm thinking I just need a bit of a break. Maybe I will make 10 more blocks, maybe I won't, but the blocks and fabric will be there in one week, right?? I'll make my decision then.

This morning as I was putting away the blocks, I decided that I needed something to work on, and so I went to my UFO basket and saw these blocks sticking up. Hmmm....I wonder how many I have?? I had 26 blocks already sewn....and I was just four blocks short of a nice sized top!! (They are 12 inch blocks, so with this arrangement the quilt would be 60x72.) Imagine that. So, I pulled out some strips and found coordinating fabric and cut some squares. I got all four blocks sewn up and laid the quilt out on my design floor!!!

I won all but about seven of these blocks in a block lotto about 2 years ago. I really like these blocks because they are so random. The ladies used whatever fabrics whether they were matchy-matchy or not. I think this weekend, I'll work on them and see if I can get this top together. It's kind of nice picking up a project that is almost complete. About time to get them into a top!

Happy Quilting!!!!!

Focusing DOES work!

2010-01-08T15:36:00.003-06:00

This week, my focus has been the Easy Spider Web blocks, and guess what? It does work. I've been going into the sewing room each day, determined to make at least one block. Last night I made lots of quarter squares and then went back into the sewing room this morning and finished up. All 20 blocks are done!!! Hooray!!

I really love this pattern and I like the way the blocks have turned out. I am not adding a border to this quilt. I think I like it just as it is. The only thing is that I like it so well, that I really want to put it on my bed. It's not big enough as it is, so I would have to make more blocks to do that. Mentally, I think I'm really done with this quilt, and I don't think I want to make another 10 blocks, but will I regret it, if I don't do it??? I can always fold it at the foot of my bed and enjoy it that way. (I have a double bed....Dear Hubby is in the hospital twin.)

So, what do you think??? Should I go ahead and make the 10 additional blocks?? Sigh.....I was really enjoying the idea of being done. Advice, please.

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

Quilt Guild - Tom Russell guest speaker

2010-01-07T10:06:00.004-06:00

(Warning: Lots of links!! Click on the bold wording for the links.)

Last night, I attended our local quilt guild meeting. I decided that I might enjoy meeting some people in the area who quilt and thought that maybe I could work up the nerve to go to the meeting alone.

As I walked out the door, I told my husband that I really hoped there were some nice people there. His answer was encouraging and so very true. He said, Aren't all quilters really nice people??? That put a smile on my face and bit more confidence in my step.

I signed in (it was a HUGE group) and searched for a seat. And, I ended up at the best table! I sat with a group of 7 or 8 of the nicest, friendliest people. We visited and discovered that over half the table lived near my mom's house at one point in their life. I felt like we were at a reunion!!! So very funny. We visited and laughed.

The special speaker for the night was Tom Russell. I didn't really recognize his name, but once he started showing his quilts, I recognized him. Here is a brief biography. He shared his Quilting Journey with us, how he got started, his progression through learning and he showed his quilts.

Here is one of the quilts he brought with him. Here is the pattern that he designed for HGTV. I remembered watching an episode on Simply Quilts several years ago where Alex Anderson issued a "Scrap Bag Challenge" and I really liked what one man had done with his scrap bag. And, guess who that was?? Yes, Tom Russell. Here is a link to his quilt. I saw it in person last night and it was wonderful!

I didn't realize it when I picked the table to sit at last night, that I had chosen the seat in the room closest to the speaker! How embarrassing. And, apparently, I was the only blogger there, because I was the only one snapping pics!!!! And, I was sitting so close that I really didn't get any great pics. He stood in front of the tables most of the time and was usually 3 feet away from me with his quilts. Hard to get good pics when you're that close!!

But, here is a pic of him showing how he saves every tiny piece of fabric and makes "new fabric" which he uses for applique. (That is what he did with his challenge quilt.) He was very funny and so expressive when he spoke.

He told the story of taking an applique class and adding LOTS and LOTS of yo-yo's and additional applique. Here is the pic of his Sunbonnet Sue and Sam quilt. Very cute!!

Overall, I had a very nice time, and was even invited to a bee on Monday. I don't know if I'll be able to go, but it was so very sweet of them to ask.

And, as a side note.....I did get another Spider Web block made!!

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!

Coming right along......

2010-01-05T11:31:00.003-06:00

May Britt over at Abyquilt has started using a Focus Project idea to keep her going this New Year. Each week, she is going to choose a project to focus on. I think it's an awesome idea.

And so, this week I am focusing on the Easy Spider Web blocks, at least during the daytime. I now have 16 blocks finished!!! I'm so excited. I am going to do one more row to add to the bottom. The quilt will be 56 x 70. Once all the blocks are done and the top is sewn together, I will decide if I want to add borders. I usually do, but I really like the look of border-less (or is it border free??) quilts. For some reason they look "quaint" and kind of old fashioned.

I'm on a sewing roll these past few weeks and I'm enjoying seeing the fruit of my labor. Dear Hubby keeps reminding me not to over do it in the sewing room....but I have a tendency to be an all or nothing kinda gal.

The evenings will find me focusing on quilting my little grandson's quilt. I got quite a bit done on it last night. I'd show pics, but it's so difficult to see progress in pictures with hand quilting.

How about you??? Do you slowly and methodically plug away at projects? Or are you a "run full speed ahead and then drop dead in your tracks" kinda quilter??? I'm afraid I'm more like the latter.
Happy Quilting!!!!!!

Sticking with it

2010-01-04T21:36:00.003-06:00

I made another Easy Spider Web block this morning, so now I'm up to 15 blocks! Yes! I ran out of paper piecing templates and Dear Hubby was still sleeping, so I couldn't print more until he got up. Instead, I put together a backing for my red strings quilt.

Last year, I cut lots of "not so nice fabric" into 10 1/2 squares (as Bonnie Hunter does) and this morning, I dug through them and found the perfect fabrics ready to be assembled into a backing. I got it all put together this morning. I think these "not so nice fabrics" work together to make a "really great" backing. Now I have another quilt basted and in the hand quilting stack....just waiting it's turn.

And this evening I started quilting my sweet little grandson's quilt. (And, here is the close up, before I added the blue border.) He is due in April. I am hand quilting his quilt and I really needed to get started on it. Feels good to be hand quilting again.

I took another pic of the Log Cabin Mini because I think the blue carpet throws the color off in the other picture. I don't know when I'll get it quilted because I have so many waiting as it is. But I just can't help making new things. I doubt I'll ever get them all quilted unless I start saving my money and pay someone to machine quilt them for me!!!

I really have no idea what I actually did today, but I do know that I was busy all day!! Well, I did get a nice nap today, so maybe that's where some of the time went.

It seems like I take lots of naps...and I try to almost every day. Full time caregiving and full time quilting can really wear a girl out! LOL

Happy Quilting!!!!!!

New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-04T00:18:00.001-06:00

It's a few days late, but visit my other blog to find out what my New Year's Resolutions are......

It's a FLIMSY!!!

2010-01-03T22:12:00.006-06:00

The log cabin mini is now a flimsy. I actually stuck with it. I auditioned a couple of fabrics for the border but decided on this one.

I really like the way this turned out.....

And, here is my CW Reproduction drawer still stuffed. I think I could get another 3 or 4 mini quilts out of this drawer....what do you think.

And this is how I got through the evening sewing....after 5:00 p.m. coffee. I didn't make it as strong and added lots of cream and sugar. Almost as good as dessert!!!! Don't you just love my coffee cup??? My sweet Older Daughter bought it for me for Christmas. And, I did love the moment. *wink*

Happy Quilting!!!!!!

Late nights......

2010-01-02T11:10:00.004-06:00

make you do crazy things. Last night, I pulled out an old quilting book that I love, Little Quilts all Through the House. I provided a link, so you could see the little quilt on the cover that pushed me over the edge.

I was dreamily looking through the book in bed, because I was too tired to sew. Right. So I browse through the book, admiring the quilts, and think to myself, I would love a sweet little log cabin quilt on my kitchen table. Wouldn't that be precious?? And, then I thought, oh, it would be so pretty in Civil War Reproduction fabric. And, then the real trouble began. I got up and walked into the sewing room, I pulled out my drawer of CW scraps. And, I felt the crush coming on. I was thinking of the possibilities.

And, then I did the unthinkable. I printed (16) 5 inch log cabin paper pieced templates from off the internet. I thought, I'll just trim them up and set them inside the drawer for a future project. And, then I thought, well, I'm not that tired, I could cut up the 16 red pieces for the center on the log cabin and then 2 hours later, I looked up and there were 8 blocks sewn.

I don't know how it happened. Really. I was just looking, thinking and dreaming. I knew I couldn't start another project. I am right in the middle of the Easy Spider Web blocks, and I have a baby quilt that needs to be quilted and a secret project which is almost half way done. I KNEW I couldn't start another little quilt. But something possessed me and the woman who was too tired to sew, stayed up too late working on this little quilt!

No promises about finishing anything, not starting something new, not a word from me.....but man, I enjoyed that!!

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!!

2010-01-01T09:39:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year

and

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

I won!!!!

2009-12-31T14:18:00.005-06:00

I wanted to show you the sweet ornament I won from Regina at Creative Kismet. It's so cute!!! She asked her blog readers to leave a comment telling something that you learned from your granny or mother. Here is the comment I made on her blog:

It’s fitting that your give away ornament is an owl. My Granny had a “thing” for owls. While Granny taught me lots of practical things, the one I think has helped me most is “laughter does good like a medicine”. My Granny was poor and worked hard all her life, but each and everyday she found something laugh about. She had an amazing sense of humor and it helped her through many difficult days. Anytime I think about my Granny, I see her with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

I have the ornament hanging in my sewing room so that I can enjoy it all year long. Thank you so much Regina for the great give away, and the dear reminder of my Granny!!

Regina's pic is SO much better than mine! Be sure and visit her blog.

Oh, and just wanted to mention....I have 14 Easy Spider Web blocks done now. Got another finished just a few moments ago. (I'm gonna blog this into the ground!!!)

Another block done....

2009-12-31T11:19:00.003-06:00

but I am restraining myself from showing another picture of the quilt blocks!! Instead, I thought I'd show a pic of what I see from my sewing machine. Each morning (well, when I can), I walk into my sewing room, open the blinds and enjoy the trees while sitting at the machine. We live at the very end of the cul-de-sac and the mail boxes for our street are right behind that group of trees there on the right.

This morning it was wet and foggy outside. (Now it's over cast and dreary looking.) So, while that's not pretty, what I do love is keeping an eye on the neighbors. I see them coming and going while I'm sewing and it's nice to know I'm not home alone in this neighborhood. We have older neighbors who sit on their porch, neighbors with younger children who walk down to the mailbox area in the cul-de-sac while their little ones run around the cul-de-sac, and neighbors who are in their 50's apparently still working each day coming and going at the same time day after day, I can see who is having their carpets cleaned or having work done on their house. I know who does their own yards and who hires a crew to do it for them.

Our neighborhood is VERY quiet, it just sounds noisy from my description. If I wasn't watching, I'd never hear anyone coming and going around here. It's very quiet....

And, the funny thing is that I never knew any of this until about a month ago. My sewing room was the last room to get set up when we moved just 4 months ago. My sewing room is in the formal dining room and the formal living is right beside it, facing the front of the house. The living room has a bookcase, large armoire, a side chair, ficus tree and the piano in it. I don't use that room as much as the kids do. They all play piano, so they hang out in there with their friends, singing late into the night!!

Anyway, the rest of the house is toward the back of the house. Our house backs up to a wooded area, and since we are on a cul-de-sac, we have a large area beside the house that has woods too. We feel so alone, when we look out the back of the house....which we do all day long because we have LARGE windows across the back and we can enjoy the sunshine, birds, squirrels and at night, the raccoons.

So, now you have an idea of my sewing area, and my back yard. Since we moved in the middle of August, we haven't done anything to the yard. February will be the time to trim the bushes around the house, etc. and hopefully, we'll have enough money squirreled away to do some minor landscaping....nothing fancy or too expensive.
Happy Quilting!!!!!!

One More!!

2009-12-30T12:10:00.004-06:00

I just have to do this to keep myself motivated. I know it's not exciting blog reading to see someone add one new block each day!!! Thanks for being patient.

I have a few errands to run and I'm hoping to get back in the sewing room this evening.

Happy Quilting!!!!!!

Back to the sewing room!

2009-12-29T15:55:00.005-06:00

This has been a good day! I headed back to the sewing room this morning and made more Easy Spider Web blocks. I've added three complete blocks. I am working away at them, although it does take time. I now have 11 blocks! Woot, woot!

It's slow going, but I wanted to let you all know that I am faithfully retreating to my sewing room and slowly plugging along. I think I must be an awful S-L-O-W topper!! But, this much I know, I am a much S-L-O-W-E-R quilter!!!

Oh, and what keeps me happily plugging away at the monotonous sewing??? Here is the secret, my iPod touch plugged into my daughter's iPod speaker system. She doesn't mind if I borrow it! I need to get my own, don't you think?? This one was just $39. And, the music showing there is Keith Green, Christian musician from the 70's and 80's. Love it!!

Happy Quilting!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T01:48:00.004-06:00

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas. May this Christmas bring the blessings of love, joy and peace to us all.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given...." Isaiah 9:6

Busy hands....

2009-12-23T00:59:00.003-06:00

Today, I blanched the green beans, made some Maple Walnut Fudge, some Peppermint Thins and baked the cornbread for the cornbread dressing. I cleaned out the fridge and did some laundry, went over my menu again, double checked my recipes, wrapped some gifts and added a few items to a last minute grocery list.... all while listening to my tunes. I didn't get to the sewing room today, but had a great day, regardless.

Tomorrow, another friend is coming by for a visit.....so nice to have Christmas visits.

Lots of smiles and anticipation. I'll have all my kids home for Christmas and my mother in law will be joining us for dinner too.

How are your Christmas plans going?????

Christmas Cookie Exchange and blessings....

2009-12-22T11:56:00.005-06:00

Dear Friends came over yesterday and the hubby of the couple installed two ramps leading to our deck, so that Dear Hubby can roll outside and enjoy a cup of coffee with me! Today, the temperature is 71 degrees. That may still a bit cool for Dear Hubby, he's so sensitive to temperature, but maybe we can slip outside this afternoon for a warm cup of coffee! It's supposed to warm up to 74 or 75. Living in the Houston area allows us to enjoy the outdoors even in the winter!!

And, a friend invited Dear Older Daughter and I over last night for a Christmas Cookie Exchange. Each person was to bring 6 dz. cookies to swap. We actually made 18 dz. cookies and took 1/2 of them over to another friend who is expecting twins, and she already has three little ones!! She and her hubby THOUGHT they were through having babies!! (Babies have a way of happening, but twins can be twice as shocking!!!!) Anyway, she can't do as much this year to prepare for Christmas, so we took her half of the cookies we swapped. Dear Daughter and I had a really nice time. And we came home with some wonderful recipes.

Here is a pic of our loot from the party. There is a lovely little container of broken cookies, ones that didn't make it home intact, sitting beside the coffee pot. Perfect for enjoying while all the other preparations are going on. And, I won't tell how many disappeared shortly after arriving home last night!!!

And, today, another friend is coming by to visit with Dear Hubby. I'm hoping while he's visiting, I can spend some time at the sewing machine. Today will probably be my last day to be able to sneak in some time sewing. Tomorrow I begin cutting up celery, onion, bell peppers, etc. preparing for the Christmas meal. I think I can even make the cheeseball and I really need to blanch the green beans I purchased yesterday. Busy, busy, busy!!!

Hope you are enjoying your Christmas preparations and finding blessings amid the busy-ness!

Happy Quilting and Merry Christmas!!!!

Eight Spider Web Blocks Done!!

2009-12-19T23:30:00.006-06:00

I showed this pic to my Dear Hubby and he said, "Yeah, they look just like they did before." He just doesn't get it. There are three more than there were the other day!!!! Good grief.

I know.....I'm slow and don't have much to show for all the hard work, but I am glad I've got three more made! Yay me!!!

Oh, and I took a three hour nap today, so I did get something accomplished!!! LOL

Edited to add link to Quilter's Cache and the Spider Web paper pieced pattern.

Happy Quilting!!!