Happy Mail!

Coffee? or Tea?

I am a tea lover and one of my favorite tea blogs is 

Tea With Friends

Angela does book reviews, talks tea and cookies,has delightful tea sets and is just a

really fun blog. She had a few giveaways during December and I was the lucky winner of this one~

Tea inspired cards, napkins and a really cool cellulose cloth that I am currently using at my machine as a mug rug. :-)  Thank you so much Angela!

In the winter instead of coffee lattes, I am all over Chai tea lattes!  Yum!

I have even hooked hubby. LOL Shhh--don't tell him I told! :-)

I hope you had a very merry Christmas!

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!!

Secret Sewing Reveal

One of the secret projects I worked on was this fun quilt 

by Joanne who blogs at Canuck Quilter.

The minute I saw the pattern I knew I wanted to make it Christmasy!

 

This is Starlight Plaid~~

 

The hardest part was trying to get a good photo! The red is actually a stripe. :-)

I didn't get it quilted for Christmas this year, but it is on the top of the pile of tops I need to get quilting. ;-)

Check out the pattern at Joanne's shop while it is on sale~

CanuckQuilterDesigns

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!!

 

 

DECEMBER!!!

Ok, I was yelling. LOL How did it get to be December already??!!

I am so behind!  And I know I have been neglecting my blog too. I really want to blog more... maybe if I planned it out a bit~?  How do you get yourself to sit down and blog often?

I have been busy! And DH caught a whopper of a cold, which gave him an ear infection.  He did get the flu shot but the cold caught him before the shot had time to take full effect.  I had gotten my shot earlier than him, and although he tried to share, ;) I managed to only get a 3 day cold. Lost my voice a bit and it left as quickly as it came on. Yay!

So I sent the grandkiddoes aprons for their holiday 'helping mom bake'. ;-) I even included a little jar of sprinkles, smaller utensils and cookie mix and frosting. LOL Not sure if Mom & Dad appreciated the frosting, but how else will the cute sprinkles stick? :-)

The embroidery design was from a Kimberbell class I attended. I made the aprons ahead of time using kitchen towels.  My DDIL sent me a photo of the kids in their aprons and they fit perfectly! Yay!

The nose is sparkly vinyl :-)

 

I have also done a few pattern tests that I cannot show you yet. I embroidered a bunch of hand and flour sack towels, but I guess I forgot to take a photo of them too. :-o 

 

This gorgeous panel is from PB Textiles and I won it in an Instagram giveaway.  Pinch me!!

I love it and hope to be stitching on it once the house is decorated, cookies made, a few gifts finished... sigh... you get the idea. ;-)

That's all for today but I will go take photos of those towels for next time!

Until then~

Happy Stitchin'!!

Agh! Time!!

Where has half of November gone already!?

I know I have been busy, but really?

I have finished a couple pattern tests~ to be revealed.

Acquired a new member to my sewing machine family~

Isn't she a beauty?

She was virtually free. I just need to find a case or table.

It is a Singer 99K made in Clydesbank, Scotland in 1954. 

She has been cleaned, oiled and is ready for some fun!!

I am hoping we can find a table that DH can modify. ;-)

I have also been swapping string blocks~

We had 12 participants and everyone gets to choose what they want their blocks to look like. Not particular fabrics, but 'looks'... blues, patriotics, 30's looking etc.  It is always a lot of fun making blocks for the other swappers! But I always have the hardest time deciding what I want my blocks to be! LOL  This time I chose all reds and I am excited to cut them up for something fun. :-)

My youngest DS purchased his first home this year and we have been slowly cleaning out his bedroom~ you guessed it!! I am getting a sewing room! Of course, I am keeping the bed in the room in case he wants to spend the night sometimes, but otherwise it is going to be my room. I have more to do but it is slowly coming together. :-)

What have you been working on?

I have a long list of things I want to get to before Christmas, we will see how it goes...

Until next time~

...which I hope is sooner!...

Happy stitchin"!

A Little Machine Fun~

I love my embroidery machine!

Whenever I find the time to 'play', I take full advantage. ;)

Last week I found some extra minutes in my days and did just that!

I started with towels~

Designs from Julia's Needle Designs

 And then I went to making Halloween tops for the grandkiddoes~

Designs from Itch 2 Stitch

More tops~

Itch 2 Stitch

And then a couple more towels :-)

Design from Embroidery Library

Next in line, I want to work on some Christmas gifts~ its never too early! LOL

What is under your needle this week?

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!!

Retreat!!!

Generally what happens at retreat, stays at retreat. :-)

But I went to a really fun one last week and can't stop thinking about all the fun I had!

One of my friends brought Wonder Woman sunglasses and we had to test them out on our 

way to dinner~

LOL there is so much reflection that you can barely see our star headbands. :-)

My friend totally surprised me with an early birthday party where I was gifted Wonder Woman sheets, pillowcases, a big fleece Wonder Woman blanket, socks and a mug among lots of smaller items.

I was totally spoiled! And now have a retreat bedding 'go' bag. :-)

I helped with the mystery class at the retreat. We had 84 retreaters and 54 mystery class participants. Pre-retreat, I cut the fabrics and made kits for every step.

I think everyone's projects turned out wonderfully! My only regret is that I didn't get any group photos. I sure hope the mystery makers enjoyed the project as much as I did!

This is what we made~

The pattern is called the 'Catch-all Cutie' by Teresa Weaver @Grateful4joyNpeace Designs

We did have to eliminate one zipper pocket to make it a more do-able project in the allotted time we had.  It has pockets to hold all your supplies and then zips up closed for travel. Very fun!

 

I also managed to get some 'secret sewing' done and will have to show you that at another time. 

Until then~

Happy Sewing!

PS. I am sorry but I had to turn on comment moderation again because I was getting spammed with junk. :-(

A Fun Challenge~

I am so sorry this is a bit late, we had a family emergency which took us away last week. 

I would not recommend 5 hotels in 5 nights~ by the last night you start to get your room numbers mixed up! ;-)

I missed the revealing of the Henry Glass Desire to Inspire Challenge for September~

it was me!!!  :-) Do you follow their blog?

I received the coolest bundle of fabrics from Janet Rae Nesbitt's new line~

 

 

And jumped right in playing with them!  I learned I am not so good at making wonky blocks when I made the wonky  Churn Dash blocks. :-) But once  I figured out a process, it went pretty well.

I so loved the angel in the panel that I traced it on a fusible web and made a second angel for a doll quilt. And since no quilt is finished without a pillow, I made a doll pillow as well as a smaller one for the lap quilt. 

My sweet granddaughter found the mirror more interesting than her new quilts. LOL

I backed both with minky so they are snuggly soft!

It was so much fun taking this challenge.

I hope you will consider throwing your name in the hat sometime!

Until next time~

Happy stitchin'!

The August Quilt

Where does the time go???

My summers usually disappear really fast as we go camping every month.

This month we went to Leavenworth, WA and I'll post some pix later.

Today I want to talk about the pattern test quilt top I finished just before we left~

The August Quilt~

by Erica Jackman of Kitchen Table Quilting

This really fun quilt came in when my DD was visiting and she immediately thought of the beach.

So from the bottom left corner we have grass, sand, ocean and a peek at a beautiful sunset.  She has also put dibs on this one. LOL I have ordered some snuggly plush fabric for the back and then I will quilt it.

There are a lot of curved seams in The August Quilt, but they are really gentle and easy to do, so if that makes you hesitate~ don't!! Erica has some great tips in her pattern and all the tester versions came out so cute. Check them out HERE

 

Until next time~ 

Happy Stitchin'!

I'm So Excited!!

...and I just can't hide it!!

LOL are you singing that song now? 

I received the best mail!!

I am going to be the Henry Glass Challenger for September~

Whoohoo!!!

You can read about the Desire to Inspire Challenge on their blog.

I was sent a box of 'Irish Blessing' by Janet Rae Nesbitt of One Sister Designs.

Since I have some Irish in me, this was right up my alley!

 Sorry, I really should have pressed before pix, but I was just too excited!! LOL

Now what to make... :-)  I have a few ideas!

We will see how many I can finish. 

What is on your cutting table this week?

Until next time~

Happy stitchin'!!

A New Laptop Bag

I did this fun pattern test last week for Tori of Toriska patterns

The Mercury Messenger Bag comes in two sizes. The larger can hold my laptop and the smaller is more purse size.  I chose to do the larger because my laptop bag was showing its age. ;-)

Tori's patterns are very well thought out and illustrated. You have options for faux leather &/or cork.

I chose the red faux leather since I knew I was keeping this one. ;-)

My DD was visiting last weekend, took one look at it and said~ 'that would make a great Christmas present!' LOL ....I love it! :-)

The pattern is on sale for a limited time, so be sure to check it out with the above link if you are interested.

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!!

Not Found In Quilt Shops~

I have some less-than-traditional  items in my sewing supplies.

I am sure you do too!

Here are a few of my favorites~

A foam placemat from the Dollar Tree~ your sewing machine foot will not move on this, even on carpet!

A metal chopstick from the Asian Market~ great for turning things, poking out corners, etc.

 

A witches finger -LOL-  It is the best finger stiletto! You can find them in the pop-up Halloween shops. ;-)

 

A retractable back scratcher?  Oh yes! Not only for that itch you can't reach, but it has a magnet in the palm~ great for picking up dropped clips and pins, and it has a long reach in case that spool rolls under the table. ;-) From Harbor Freight.

 

And a trimmer- it is battery operated and is the best seam ripper!  Again, Dollar Tree. ;-) You need to supply your own battery. 

Now tell me, what less-than-traditional things are in your sewing box?

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!

Keeping My Sewing Machine Hot!

More completed projects~ I love it!

I joined an on-line postcard swap and since September is National Sewing Month, we decided to make postcards with a sewing machine theme.  Mine are machine embroidered (Design from Designs by Juju)

They were really fun to play with!

And I finished my grandson's backpack~ he loves Batman, so...

The pattern is the Cumberland Backpack from Sew Sweetness.

I also made this trio of pouches~ the Paladin Pouch from Sew Sweetness~

The pattern is part of a 4 pattern bundle currently on sale. 

I have more things on my cutting table and hope I can keep up my momentum!

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!

Quilts!!

Hi! Are you having a good summer?

Time has not been my friend this summer~ it seems it has been one huge rush!

I am really looking forward to some slower days this fall & winter. ;-)

So quilts~ here you go!

The first one is a pattern by Erica of Kitchen Table Quilting called

The Zola Quilt

It goes together a lot faster than it looks like it would. :-)

This is the baby size  35" x 47"

Next is this whopper called Noteworthy Labyrinth.

It was a pattern through Moda Bake Shop, but I cannot find it in their archives now :-/

It used 2 jelly rolls and some yardage of the white on white.

I had picked up the jelly rolls from Tuesday Morning a while back because I liked the dots~ I didn't realize there were so many repeats in each roll, so it was a little challenging not to get the same prints next to each other. I love how it turned out! It measures 88" x 88".

This little lap quilt is called Happy Halloweeny, or the fabric line is called that.

It is a free pattern on the Blend Fabrics website.

 

I purchased the kit for this one on my way to a retreat and decided to sew it up at retreat. Boy am I ever glad I did!  The quilt shop purposely shorted the fabric in it (they wanted me to cut the sashings WOF instead of length like the pattern called for BUT they did not put a note in the pattern to do that, nor did they mention they substituted fabrics!)  When I realized I was short, I went back to the shop since it was close by, the owner was less than happy to help me.  She told me she no longer had the fabric & offered to give me the yard from another kit (no, it would still have to be pieced), to substitute from her clearance section or solid fabrics (no), and surprise-surprise, her daughter came out about that time and said 'we have that fabric'. Then she only wanted to cut the 59 inches for the sashing length instead of the 2 yards the pattern called for! (no again!)  I walked out with my 2 yards but she didn't apologize for my inconvenience, thank me for bringing it to her attention or anything else. She lost 7 customers that day because the retreaters thought she behaved badly too, which she did!

 

I don't have the info for this quilt but if you are really interested I can find out. My friend put it together from a kit she had brought with her. 

 It is flannel and I think it may be from Henry Glass.

That is all for today!

I will be back with more pix soon!

Until next time~

Happy Quilting!

 

Sewing! Sewing! Sewing!

I know I promised quilts in progress, but the designer isn't quite ready for me to show it yet. ;-)

So instead I will show you a bag in progress~

This is Sweet Retreat's Little Sister Pattern. 

I need to sew the binding down, and then add a zipper to the top. :-)

Almost there!

I also made this little bag for my DGD~

Sorry, no pattern, I was just using scraps. :-)

I added a tissue holder~

And then decided she needed a little hand sanitizer holder too.

LOL

Sorry my pix are a little dark~ my fancy light burned out!

I will have to go shopping. :-(

Until next time~

Happy sewing!!!

What Happened to July??!!

Is your summer flying by as fast as mine?  It seems like it is just zooming here!

We just got back from a short trip to the Oregon coast. The weather was perfect, the whales came out in Depoe Bay and we had a lovely week of R&R. :-)

Sorry, no pix of the whales--I was too busy watching them! LOL

We also went to the Latimer Quilt & Textile Center in Tillamook and saw the most amazing quilts from the Civil War era.  I am telling you, if you ever get a chance to view the "Love Blooms"
        Quilts from the
        Volckening Collection

 GO! :-)

You won't be disappointed. The entire center was very informative and has a lot of smaller collections, plus they had weaving classes (with a room full of looms!)  

On the sewing front~

I did a pattern test for Kris at KM Designs by Krisy Kreations.

We made luggage tags and she allowed us to get creative with the tie on part. Hers had adorable half inch buckles, but since I didn't have those, I went with ribbon and hooks.

I made mine out of faux leather and sparkle vinyl. They will be for my sewing machine trolleys because at retreats, many of us have the same trolleys and I want to be able to easily spot mine in the mess. LOL 

I have done a couple other pattern tests, but too soon to show you yet. ;-)

I am also working on some sewing machine covers as gifts and got the machine embroidery finished this past weekend. I just love these zebras! The file was a free design a few years ago, I am not sure if it is still out there and I am sorry, but I have lost the designer info. If you know it, please let me know and I will add it. ;-) 

That's all I have to show for today, but I will be back soon with some quilts-in-progress pix.

Until then~

Happy stitchin'!!

Where to Start?

I have spent most of June visiting grandkiddoes and welcoming a new DGD... no sewing!

It was wonderful!!! :-)

 Older sister and brother were so much fun to be around. We made some great memories!

And the newest arrival was such a calm little cutie!

I loved the snuggles. <3 nbsp="" p="">

It is hard to get back to my regular scheduled projects after such a fun trip! LOL

More soon~

Yellowstone In Spring

One of my favorite places to go is Yellowstone national Park.

We had been in the fall twice, but never in the Spring.

It was wonderful!

We saw all the animals and babies...so cute!

I did not get a photo of a mama goat leading her baby along a sheer drop, but it is something I will never forget. They are so nimble!

We saw plenty of bison and babies cavorting, & elk but somehow I didn't take photos~ too busy watching them. ;-)

I loved watching the black bears and cubs too~

 

The water falls were all pretty awesome~ lots of water rushing!

Tower Falls

I didn't take a lot of pix, but I sure enjoyed our time there.

Until next time~

Happy summer!