A New Beginning

Would think after all the pressure and late nights early mornings to get Christmas quilts done on time, I would take some time off!!!


NOT! -   Now is the time I get to play with my sewing and quilting.

The quilt that I started has been on my mind since my vacation with the girls to Ferryville. The fabric is one of the many that jumped off the shelf and into my cart.

At last I have the opportunity cut into it and make a fabulous quilt.   I'm calling this Simplicity because it is one of the easiest patterns every.   I don't mind sharing for those interested - (cut wof)  center fabric cut strips 5.5" - coordinating fabric, cut 2.5" strips sew a 2.5" strip to each side of 5.5" strip press towards 2.5" strips  - sub cut 9.5" square - alternate position of blocks strips horizontal next to strips vertical - and sew together 8 across - 9 rows down -  add borders your choice and done.   *FYI - you will get 4 - 9.5" blocks per strip - so make this as large or as small as you want.

I made the same pattern for my nephew in MO and once I had his done I knew this was how I was going to use these gorgeous fabrics.

Oh and I do have my BB's Christmas quilt sewn - now just have to purchase the backing and its ready to be quilted.

Sounds like I will be taking a trip to Val's soon.  Anyone wanting to ride a long????

Christmas is finally behind us for another year.  Mixed feelings there.  Love Christmas but oh its really tough getting through the holidays because there will  always be someone missing.  

I made it though for another year and only have 364 more days until the next time.

Kitchen is smelling so good right now.  Cooking up a pot of bean soup from the leftover ham bone.

Nothing tastes better than homemade soup.   I will share some of it with my family but for the most part I think its going into the freezer.  This way when I have a craving I know where to get it.

Ok I have shared my new project with you, now its time to get back at it.

Count Down 2014 - Im Doing Great

Its been a long long year and yet seems like it flew by.

Christmas is right around the corner.  The good news I'm ready!!!!!!!!!!  Everything is done and wrapped - cookies are baked (well at least the ones that are going for an exchange today)  I will come home with enough to share with family.

A little grocery shopping today and then I'm settling in for a few days.  From the sounds of it we will be getting some snow after all.


The best news yet - Have completed all the goals that I had set regarding sewing and quilting.

Just finished this late morning my nephews quilt - all I need to do is trim and add binding and send off to MO.

I think it might be best to wait until after Christmas to send it.  Don't want it lost in all those late Christmas packages being shipped this week.

There is one more quilt in my closet to be quilted and that is the last of UFOs -  It has been completed since last year this time but not quilted.  Poor lonely quilt.  I guess I should get sewing to give it some company.

Not to worry I only have about 20 projects in my head that I'm working on.   Now that I'm actually caught up,  looking forward to starting some of those before even more pop in there.

Oops too late just thought of another one.

I forgot I still have my Birthday Block Swap from Connected Threadz girlz, quilt that I have been working on.  Was really hoping to get it finished this Christmas (its a Christmas theme quilt) but that's not going to happen,....... or is it?????

FROZEN

No not me - this cute quilt is just finished for a customer .  In time for Christmas oh yeah

This is so darn pretty I wish I had a little girl to make one for.


Quilted with a pantograph that looks like it was made just for this quilt "SnowWinds"

Next ......  quilt my nephews quilt.  There is no Christmas rush on this one but I would very much like to get it done and sent to MO along with the baby blanket for my newest great niece.

As long as I have all of my Christmas presents done ( and yes they are) I can now concentrate on some UFO's of my own.

A big sigh of relief knowing my rush is over - no pressure here. 

Hip Hip Hooray

My goal has been met - I did get all of my Christmas present made (still some little shopping to do but not to worry about that).

The pressure is off I can now concentrate on some little projects and another customer quilt.


Time to Spare!!!!!!!!!!!!


Even took some time off from quilting to take a day trip to see great grandson Tavyn's Christmas School
Sing.  I love going to these programs.

The kids are so darn cute and really entertaining.

The only problem is the gym is set up with folding chairs and its almost impossible to see the kid you want to see.  I finally got tired of trying to see Tavyn I walked around the outskirts of the crowd and finally found a great view standing up but my line of vision was direct to see him.   It was hard to get a decent picture though - I was always too far away to get a good shot.  Even with just a few pictures though I will have the memories of watching and listening to these cute kids.

They grow up so darn fast - I can remember going to his mom's programs.


Time well spent this week between shopping with my friends, going to a school concert, and guild meeting last night.

Wish I could show you the completed Christmas presents, but that would spoil the surprises for everyone.

Maybe after everyone gets theirs I can post some after Christmas pictures.

Last night at guild we had a "Chinese present exchange"  Which amounts to bringing a wrapped present - and this is the different part - we all stood in a large circle and while singing Christmas Carols we passed to our right presents as the song was going on.  When the song stopped you were holding a present (not your own) we sang 3 carols and when all was done that was done the present you holding was now yours to open.

I received this really pretty Christmas panel which I plan on making something really special for Christmas next year.

In my haste to get to guild last night I didn't even bring along any show and tell

On the good side of that I did get to see everybody else's beautiful quilts and there were plenty to see.

Marvelous Embroidery Work = Red Work Quilt

I have a new customer that brought me this beautiful Red Work quilt -

Sandy Hamby did an amazing job on the embroidery work which made my work so much easier than I anticipated.

Usually when I get an embroidered top I tend to do a custom work for customers.  Sandy requested a simple meandering throughout.  Which can be tricky if the embroidery work is not "tight".

Her stitches were so perfect and tiny the needle and hopping foot just glided over the top with no distortion or catching.

The choice of a simple meandering was a good one.  Simply quilted adds to the natural beauty of this quilt.

Praises to Sandy for a beautiful quilt.

Gotta Love Scraps

Look at what all those  scraps can turn into......

Customer can do amazing things with scraps

  The fun part for me - I give scraps to her and she makes beautiful quilts and I get to quilt them.  What is fun  I can pick out the fabrics that I contributed to these amazing beautiful quilts.

Black Friday 2014

Hahahahaha No Shopping Here


Yesterday before everyone arrived for Thanksgiving (which by the way was really special) I managed to get  a customer quilt completed.

That was yesterday today Black Friday which I like to think of as insane Friday - Stacy came over Toby brought Ky and Gus and they trimmed my tree for me.

Big Help Gus!!     Seriously though Stacy and Ky did an amazing job working (with) around Gus.

This morning before the tree trimming I quilted for Diane Amundson, great looking quilt Diane.

I have the house all decorated inside and out for Christmas and can concentrate even more on customer quilting.

The day is going better than I had expected - keeping myself pretty busy.  Have Christmas music playing on TV and feeling pretty good.

You know how the saying goes life give you lemons make lemonade.  Well this morning I attempted something that I thought would work - Black Beans cooked can give a blue color to the water - I saw on instragram a lady had dyed yarn using beans.  Well obviously I had to try that with a scarf right.

Ha ha -  yes as soon as the beans boiled the color was a beautiful blue, but I'm thinking don't waste the beans, cook them until soft and give them to Stacy she was going to use them for a dip.

Off to my sewing room I go, feeling pretty smart.  Check on beans - oops there is a time limit on that color - now its a brown - I don't need brown dye I have that.  Hmm those beans smell pretty good - what can I do with cooked beans and brown juice - make soup!!!!  Added stewed tomatoes, onions, garlic - its missing something what can I put in this pot????????    Fried up some leftover bacon added to the pot now we are cooking.

Not exactly on my diet after adding the bacon so Toby and Stacy both go home with soup and I have a small bowl for me.

Dresden Plate

The top was hand sewn by someone, have no idea who - one of my customers brought it to me to be quilted I have already forgotten how she came to own this one.  Will ask her when she picks it up.

Although its a beauty now it was a little bit of a challenge to quilt, with pleats and puckers popping up throughout.  Still I'm glad I had a chance to quilt this and turn it into something that will be appreciated for many years to come.

For the past few days I have had the attention span of a gnat.  Just cant concentrate on one thing for any length of time.

So far I have quilted off and on, put lights on bushes out front, 2hrs to put together stupid lighted deer, cleaned a spot on the pond to let the sun shine in, -as advised to help keep the fish alive through the winter.  Pond heater, pump not working right now.

Its a year gone by and tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a time to be thankful and spend with family. HAPPY THANKSGIVING  EVERYONE.   Friday would have been our 50tth anniversary.

I'm looking forward to my family coming to dinner .  Its one of the special days that will keep me from going off the deep end.  I'm about 3 seconds away from losing it altogether.

Plan on eating as many high calorie foods as I can pack in.   Not a good thing for sure.  I have been watching my weight and lost 18lbs so far, and maybe tomorrow I will find those missing lbs.

How many jobs, chores and projects can I pack into the next few days.

We will see wont we.

Still Working On November

What fun for me - seriously!!!!

and then........

and ........

So who is having more fun than me.

In addition:

Hehehehehe notice the bling???

Today I declared a Jammie day and got loads of things done -  including quilting, sewing on my own project, knitting , dyeing and oh yeah managed to clean the house which was in dire need of a good cleaning.

More of the same on schedule for tomorrow - cant believe its almost Thanksgiving and soon Christmas, which means I have to kick it up a notch if I want to get my own projects done by then.  

Time management that's the name of the game this time of year.

A Few More November Quilts

Business has been good and seems to be picking up even more - All Good Things!!!!!


After having one of the best Birthdays in a while -  dinner out with my family, headed to the sewing room and finished this customer quilt for Karla N.

Sometimes I just have to look at a quilt and it will tell me the best way to quilt it.  For this one it spoke to me wiggles, but not just straight line wiggles - no - cross hatched wiggles and while I'm quilting it I'm saying to myself this reminds me of something, think think think........ Oh Yeah -  colored interlocking puzzle piece floor tiles - that's it.

Fun and it really makes each square pop up like little pillows.

From quilting I go to running errands and back again to load yet another quilt which I completed this morning
for  Karyn P.  Small wall hanging but beautifully done - I used a panto called Continuous Baptist Fans

This would be a great stitching design for a quilt with a lot of negative space to fill.

As a matter of fact I have one of those quilts of my own to do.

For The Birds

Cute:

Got to play with my line ruler again and do some free motion - best of both worlds

Next up - tshirt quilt for a customer

Call to eye doc - and Gus coming to see gma this afternoon - its going to be a good day

Something Special

Took all morning and some of the afternoon to do but it turned out so pretty.

Customer quilt by Linda Batz - candles wall hanging, and I got to try out my new proline rulers by Lisa Calle for the piano borders.

Don't know why the camera turned this sideways, you will have to tilt your head

Now I'm going to have to rest awhile especially my eyes by the time I finished with this everything looked blurry when I turned away from the quilting.

Not a good sign, guess I better check with the eye Dr tomorrow.

Darn infection is back on my right eye but the good news the meds seem to be helping.

Too bad I really wanted to get another quilt loaded and started today, but better rest up - I will do a better job if I do.

I do have a couple scarves to finish up ironing and washing so guess that is the plan for the rest of the day.

Only A Memory Now

Since coming home from Houston I have been working on my customers quilts.

Free motion flowers - love doing these flowers

Beautiful sampler quilt - I used a pantograph called "Paisley"


Now I'm back to the real world - not too bad a world though.   While I was gone and seeing all the beautiful quilts it always gives me an incentive to make more quilts and do the quilting for others


Sadly I went back to yet another urgent care yesterday afternoon, my eye infection is back and now I'm on 2 other drugs to try to get rid of it.

Its so annoying cant understand why it just wont go away - now the Dr thinks I have contact dermatitis and cellulitis.

My eye looks just like it did in Houston ugh - happy halloween again.


Today is clean up day in the yard - time to take down - pull up and put away all lawn furniture and decorations.  Its always fun putting them around the yard in the spring but so so sad to put them away especially when its a dark and gloomy cold day like today.  Lucky for me I have some pretty darn nice kids as they are coming over to help with this chore.

Even Gus will be here to help

Returned From Houston

You cant imagine what a time I had in Houston this year.

Started off with an eye infection that continued throughout my trip.

This did not keep me from enjoying myself and spending enough money to keep many vendors and Houston restaurants happy.

The quilts, of course, were outstanding.  One of our friends had a quilt accepted at the show.  Sharon Schaapveld did an amazing job and we are all so proud of her and makes us so pleased to know her.

Another quilter that I am so proud to call a friend Lisa Calle
Her quilting is just jaw dropping amazing:

I took hundreds of pictures of the quilts and did not even take one of each it would have been just too much but for those of you who would like to see them her are just a few:

And still another quilter that is a friend through CT - Valerie Smith had one of her amazing pieces displayed at the Modern Quilts Unlimited booth:

Unfortunately I didn't get a close up of her quilt - it is the grey purple small wall hanging and the quilting is yet another gorgeous amazing piece of work.  Here I am with my wonderful friends.

Like I said just a teeny tiny bit of all the pictures I took - there are hundreds more that I have

One of the favorites was the view from our hotel room at night

Houston really is a very beautiful city. At least the parts we saw.

Our hotel was located 6 blocks from the festival and we walked it to and from every day - not to mention all the walking that was done inside the building.  My friend Charyl had a step counter and one day she recorded we walked 4.5 miles.  This is an amazing feat for me.


After a delay at the Houston Airport finally made it home around 7:30pm, too exhausted I left all the unpacking for today.

Which took a good part of the morning - sorting through the purchases, clean versus dirty clothes but its all put in its proper place.

At last but not least I managed to quilt one of my customer quilts.  Now its not a show quilt and my quilting by any means does not compare to those award winning quilts, but not everyone has to do a show quilt - (we) just enjoy our own special quilts and quilting.