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Friday, July 31, 2009

Look what is new at our house! A Lone Star Quilt
Kitten-who-still-needs-a-home approved!
And Falling TimbersAll are gifts from "Simon at work" who is generous beyond generous. He said he was doing some cleaning out. He also brought me two beautiful watercolors. Now that middle son is spending more time living somewhere else, I have a place to lay out and admire quilts. You may notice that he (Andy) has a few things left in the room, like his bookcases and books.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

You won't believe this

but my co-worker has an older daughter named Katie, and she wanted the button roll for her!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Kitten needs a home



not just because asthma is taking over my home life, but because the dogs got a piece of her furry behind this morning. It isn't fair. My husband and I both ADORE her. You could ask for no better, loving, cuddly sweetheart, but I CAN'T BREATHE AT HOME. We can only let her go to the BEST HOME. She will come with a re-location (re-love-ation) bonus to take care of those initial cat litter, food, etc, expenses. We will be happy to take care of those, and also, she is spayed and her eye is fixed. See her story on "Karmen's Page." Of course, if it didn't work out, we would happily take her back. Only, remember, changing homes is not a cat's favorite activity, and she has been through enough stress in her young life already (estimated to be nearly 1 year old). Call me if you are serious about loving a beautiful kitty 678-699-1916. If you are a true cat person (and not allergic like me), you will be rewarded with tons of kitty-love. (NO declawing allowed!!!!!)

Sunday, July 26, 2009

New Button Roll

I was so excited to get these pictures posted so I could deliver this button roll to my co-worker. While the photos loaded I thought I'd double check that I used the correct initial for my co-worker's daughter. Okay, I need to backtrack a bit. A co-worker asked me to make her daughter, who is going away to college, a button roll. The proud mom said she had to put "Kalie's buttons in a baggie" for her to take them to school and she would love for me to make her a button roll. Well, I should have checked the initial sooner (like last week) because I remembered the daughter's name wrong. It is Halie, not Kalie. Looks like I have two button rolls now. And no delight in delivering it tomorrow. UGH!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Add borders

and you may just get a table runner out of your practice blocks. I think the mother-in-law will be pleased I made something useful out of her old fabric. How old can the fabric be; she's 90! I am starting to like this little project. Let's just see if I can get through quilting it without buggering it up!

Monday, July 20, 2009

No problem, yeah, you bet.


I thought running a little stitching around the edges of the fused pieces would be quick and easy. After all, thought I, how could anything so little be difficult? I really don't have much machine experience, so how could it be easy? You have to put the time in, just like anything else. So here is what I did: I played on scrap fabric first then I put my block under the needle, sewed, unsewed, changed feet, sewed, unsewed, etc. When I finally got the hang of sew two, pivot, sew two pivot, I was thinking perhaps doing it by hand would, in fact, be quicker. But then I am in this to learn NEW things, right? I just have to keep practicing. I have to admit the practice flowers look better enhanced with a little stitching; even if it is not so good stitching.

Can you believe all the blogs out there with perfect needlework? Something is up with that......

Sunday, July 19, 2009

"Flower Shop" practice blocks

Why not? Every time my husband talks to his mother on the phone, she asks if I have used any of the fabric she has given me, so now, yes, I have. I made some "Flower Shop" blocks to practice edge stitching the applique, and I used some fabric she sent me as the background. Unfortunately, I didn't have much of the good fusible from MO left, so I used some stuff I already had. Hate it. Don't even really know what it is (suspect woven fusible from the t-shirt quilt), but it drives home the point you need to know the properties of the materials you are using.

Renee Plains "Flower Shop" progress

At "Thimbles" Friday night I got back to work on the "Flower Shop" piece I began at "Primitives" in Missouri. I have all the blocks fused. Oh wait, let me tell you a little about my first fusing. There are big differences in that fusible web stuff. It helps to know what you are doing. I had forgotten the web I'd bought in MO, so I stopped at Hobby Lobby on the way to Thimbles to purchase more. There were so many types; I did my best to get what I needed, but the stuff I bought was dreadful. The web part would not stick to the sheet no matter what I did. I just hope I didn't do any damage to Chris' iron or ironing sheet. I had some of the other web at home, so that is what I used today, except on the pots because it wasn't wide enough. Also, don't look too close at the pots; at least all my flowers face the same way! (Oh, freaking DUH! I just checked Renee's picture, and I can see I did all my flowers facing the wrong way. Well, GEEZ, at least they are CONSISTENT!)

Next thing is to remember what Pat told me about stitching the fused items down. I will have to do some practice stitching before I work on the real flowers.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

New Group, More Fun!



Last night I attended my first Silver Thimbles group. The women were so nice, and I had a great time! I had Mercidene and Chris from Spirited Quilters, and Barbara (who knows one of my coworkers) as tablemates. We learned, from Mary Ellen-Little Quilts, about new tools and from Pat, about new projects. I had to abstain from new purchases, however, because I want to get caught up with the WIPs in my life. There were a couple of tools and one kit in particular that are on my "next month" wish list. Take a look at Pat's blog to see how much fun the "Thimbles" group has at their many activities: click here!

I ran home after work, and before the Thimbles meeting, to pick up my sewing machine (which I did not use), and saw that the Blackberry Lilies I'd started from seeds last year were in full display. I grabbed my camera and photographed them so Mom could see how well they adapted to Georgia.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Off to its new home

This is another free-motion practice piece. The backing fabric used to be black and white, but I dyed, bleached, dyed it until I got a brown I liked. I bound it today, so off to the mother-to-be at work tomorrow. Wow, I love little gift projects!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

A Finish from "Primitives"

Stacy Nash with students at Primitives of the Midwest 2009.
My "Schoolgirl Button Roll" from Stacy Nash Primitives.
The front:
The back of the outside:
And the fabulous inside of the button roll:
Yea! I finally finished something! This is the Stacy Nash "Schoolgirl Button Roll" I began under Stacy's supervision at "Primitives of the Midwest" in Missouri. It went together well and gave me much practice at hand sewing. I love it! It is so useful. The drawstring bag portion holds buttons, but also behind it you can stash thread. The heart-shaped area is for needles (not sure you can see them well in the photo).

Friday, July 10, 2009

Kitten finally relented



And she let me have some machine time. I had to wait her out though. She sat on the quilt while it was under the needle and after about an hour she moved on to something more interesting. I got to finish the center of the panel I am making for a co-worker's new baby (due next week ?). I am gaining more confidence, but not skill, at machine free motion. It is hard to get good at something you can only practice on the weekends. Uh-oh, now I am wondering why I joined that tennis team (begins in August)...It may be 12 weeks of endurance torture on asphalt. Do I even have a tennis racket? Could it be buried under fabric in my sewing room?

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Should I get her a machine of her own?

Kitten says "this machine is mine."
"So is the case it came in!"

"You may use the Bernina ONLY when I nap."

"I have my eye on you."

Aunt Katie (Primitive Woolens) thought perhaps the grilling photo was from holiday activites at my home, but nope, I took the barbecue picture at River Market in Kansas City when Dad and I went down there last week. I am getting slow at quilting, so I don't have any new sewing photos. The Kitten and I are fighting over my Bernina. She has scratched me up pretty good, even with my sewing gloves on. I kicked her outside; she got scared, so I shut her in the bathroom; she got mad (more mad). I don't know what I am going to do with her. She is great as long as I don't go near my machine.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Get in on this Giveaway!


C & T Publishing is have a Grab Bag GIVEAWAY! How great is that? Visit their blog to see how it works. CLICK HERE! Did you think I was giving away meat? You didn't get to grill today, did you?

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Buttons EVERYWHERE!




My mother has buttons in every imaginable place. You can guess what the drawers have in them: buttons of every color, sorted, of course.