Sunday, September 28, 2008

North Pole Quilt

Since I finished my Strips n curves quilt. I am starting a new quilt. ( I may be starting a couple new quilts.) It's called Welcome to the North Pole. The book is by " Piece O' Cake Designs". I love these ladies, Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins. http://www.pieceocake.com/.

Quilting Adventures quilt shop is starting the class too, but they are doing it by machine. I am going to hand applique mine. We are starting with the block " The Marble Shop". I found some marble fabric that is perfect for my little building. And have already starting appliqueing it.

I'll keep you updated on the progress, but this quilt top is probably going to take me years to complete.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

strips n' curves finished.

I finally finished my "strips n' curves" quilt. Yeah. It turned out to be 44 in X 44 in.


And here is another Christmas gift I finished, but can't really show you. :o)

Friday, September 26, 2008

TTT4

I stitched my next tea towel and sent it out in the mail today headed for TX. I stitched the butterfly . The wings are crayon tinted, not satin stitched. That would have taken me 3 weeks to satin stitch those suckers and we only have 1 week to stitch on it before we have to send it off to the next person.

Here is the whole towel so you can get an idea of how big and why I stitched a butterfly. It was sort of turning into a nature/circle theme. The 2 other embroiderys were stitched by 2 other girls. This is GatsbyGirl's towel.

Monday, September 22, 2008

starting on Christmas gifts.

I picked up this book about a month ago. It has the cutest projects in it. A lot of them I am going to be making into Christmas gifts. The book is by "Betty Oppenheimer" and published by Storey Publishing.

So , Here is the first one I am making. I will probably end up making 2 of these. I am not going to say who they will be for just in case they read my blog.... but I doubt they do. It is called the Lumberjack Tote.
The fabric I am using is the Home Dec weight, so It is really thick and strong. This fabric came from the shop..."Quilting Adventures". They are carrying more and more of the Home Dec weight fabric.
Here are the handles being sewn on. This is where I had to stop. My little boy has another fever and ear/throat ache. So off to the Dr. we go again.
ps. I got my pattern cut out of my pj pants. Now I just need to cut out the fabric for them. I think I need more time in the day.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

SWAP and swap

I started a new class called SWAP. ( sewing with a plan.) It is wonderful. Monica, the teacher, teaches you how to sew garments that will fit YOU. I am so excited about the class. It is an on going class so you can join anytime.

This is my first garment I am making. PJ's pants. I need to start out very easy , and I love PJ pants. I live in them. And my husband's big T-shirts.


Here is our new Amy Butler fabric I pick for my PJ's. I will be showing you progress, we can laugh together as I try to make garments. LOL We also have a blog so you can keep up with the whole class. : http://www.qaswap.blogspot.com/.

And... I get home from work today and I found this WONDERFUL postcard in the mail from my swap angel partner ( the one I am swap to) She lives in Germany , so my postcard came all the way from Germany. This is so cool. I've gotten a postcard from my swap angel in Australia and a postcard from my partner in Germany. I am going to hang them on my sewing room wall.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Dream Catcher done

The "dream catcher" quilt top is done. It is a shop sample , so I may have to take a better picture of it when it is hanging up. It is huge. The fabrics are batiks in soft colors. It looks "beachy" Which is right up my ally. " The shop", Quilting Adventures is going to be selling the kits for it. ( There is a link to the shop in my side bar.)



And my 2nd tea towel arrived. Yeah. Here is my stitching for it. Her theme is a 50's kitchen theme.

Thank you everyone for the kind words you have sent me. I went to a SWAP class last night and laughed and giggled so I am feeling a bit better today.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Stressed

A LOT going on around here. I haven't been sewing much , sadly. I have been going to lots of doctor appointments. I won't go into detail and you don't need comments, I am just sending it out into blog land to get it off my chest/shoulders. Hubby had a CT last week, he goes back to the Dr next week, he may have cancer in his neck. Jonah, the youngest is on meds for strep throat and meds for a bowl problem , that if doesn't get better soon ....he will have to have a GI test done. Shelby , my oldest daughter had to go to the Dr today. She will have lab work in the morning.... maybe hypoglycemia. ( which is what I have.) This is just the medical problems.... there is still the money problems that I am not going to get into at all. So.... I am a bit stressed and I would love to go crawl in a hole until January. Sorry for the depressing post. I am going to go try to sew for about a 1/2 hour.

embroidery

This cute little scissor keeper is for my secret swap partner in Germany. The pattern came for from http://lynetteandersondesigns.typepad.com/ ( Lynett Anderson ). She put a kitty on hers, but I wasn't sure if my partner likes cats or not. So I put scissors on mine, the stitching pattern is from "sublime stitching". The back fabric, is batik that you can't see to go in the picture. I do know that my partner loves batiks. :o)

My stitching on the first tea towel I received. She has a Japanese food theme. ( pattern from Sublime stitching). I haven't received my 2nd towel yet. It may be lost in the mail or delayed because if "IKE". ( :oo) Oh no.

Monday, September 15, 2008

from Australia

I went out to check the mail today and I found a postcard from my secret stitchers angel. She lives in Australia and that is about all I know. She is the sweetest. Wasn't that so sweet of her to send me a postcard?

Thursday, September 11, 2008

sewing and a wonderful husband.

I have been making the cute little pockets on the advent calendar. It's the "bareroots" pattern called, " Christmas time is coming". I am hoping all the green and red fabric isn't making it to busy looking.
I also made some PJ's for my son using this awesome snake fabric. I love when I find cool boy fabric because there doesn't seem to be a lot out there. And my son is ALL boy. I bought this cool fabric at "quilting adventures". :o)

I finished up the binding on my "what is the color of Spring" wall quilt. It still needs a label and sleeve. I am going to be putting it in the Richmond Guild quilt show in Oct.

And look what my husband surprised me with. He just rocks. He is the best man in the world. I came home one day after he was already home from work and he had gone out and bought me my very own lightbox. I had been wanting one, but could bring myself to pay that much for one. He knew I had been wanting one, because I kept borrowing "the shops" light box. When I got home, I walked into the bedroom and there it was on the bed!! I was so excited. It's not even my birthday, he just did it because he was thinking of me and loves me. :o)

Saturday, September 6, 2008

making of a Jelly Fish

I got a copy of a Jelly fish off of google images for Jonah's clown fish quilt. I figured I would add a jelly fish to the corner. ( excuse the notes written on the paper)
I used a pink java blender and cut out in the shape of the top of the jelly fish, then took my Setacolor transparent paints. ( you can get these at the quilt shop, www.quiltingadventures.com). And I painted the darker pinks and blues in. I sewed him down, then cut up yarn for the tenticles. The yarn is a hand-dyed yarn which I got for the shop too. But the company is Hand dyed hobbies. (www.handdyedhobbies.com)
I glued my yarn tenticles down with Roxanne's glue-baste-it and couch sewed them down. Here is what the little guy turned out to look like. I am hoping he looks kind of real. Not sure if I should add more critters or if I should leave it alone.
My top clown fish isn't done yet.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

1st day of school

My baby started kindergarten today. He and I both did good. I cried a little as the bus pulled away. But it was nice to clean the house today without a 5 year old running around destroying it.
My baby girl in the "big guy" on campus this year, it's her last year in middle school. So far she likes all her teachers. yeah.
And this armchair caddy will be heading to Germany tomorrow. I will be sending it out to my stitch angel partner. I so hope she likes it. I won't show the whole thing because I am suppose to be keeping it a secret. But I got a picture of the whole thing to show off later.