Sunshine Yellow

Doing pretty good so far…

2012-01-07T21:00:00.001-07:00

At this rate, I’ve averaged three a day instead of one. Can you tell I’m taking advantage of my enthusiasm right now. It feels good to have a head start. I love making these tiny houses…they are 3” of sweetness!

I lay out the little blocks and my granddaughter likes looking at them and finding all the things in the windows. We’re both having fun with them.

2011 was a good year

2011-12-31T11:35:00.001-07:00

I’ve been admiring all the year end posts that summarize 2011’s work. It’s just awesome what has been accomplished.

Then I wondered what I had done and I have to tell you, when I checked it out, I was totally surprised. What a fun year it’s been!

And here’s hoping for another one just like it in 2012.

Happy New Year everyone…thanks for all your inspiration!

Ready to start building houses

2011-12-28T12:25:00.001-07:00

I am so excited to be joining in on Jeaneke’s “Building Houses From Scraps” challenge. The goal is 365 little 3” houses throughout the year… one for each day of 2012. This will be a test of my “stick-to-it-ive-ness” abilities for sure.

So I sat down and prepared myself to succeed. I rummaged through my tiniest scraps, cut them into appropriate sizes and sorted them into their own little quarters. Now when I want to sew up a house, I just need to grab the pieces and go right to work at the sewing machine.

It seemed pretty simple so I gave the system a few test runs and so far it working pretty good for me. Now I’m ready to start in January.

View Full Album

BTW..I’m paper piecing my houses and adding scrappy black borders on the blocks instead of sashings and cornerstones. And I’m trying to have something or someone peeking out of every window.

It’s going to be a fun 2012!

I’m hoping it will be a great New Year for all of us.

Best Wishes to You

2011-12-19T23:53:00.001-07:00

Three of my favorite little elves and I want to wish you all a wonderful Christmas. We are having lots of fun with the holiday and are so excited for Santa’s visit…

…really, we are ☺

ribbon tree tutorial

2011-11-27T21:59:00.001-07:00

Wow, two posts in one day. But I was asked how my ribbon trees were made. So I thought I’d share how I figured it out…

I cut a piece of ribbon about 19”. With a fine tip marker made a tiny dot 2” from one end to mark a starting point.

From there I made dots along the ribbon spacing them apart at: 2 3/4”, 2 1/2”, 2 1/4”, 2”, 1 3/4”, 1 1/2”, 1 1/4” and 1”. (The spaces between get smaller by a quarter of an inch). I also gathered some pearl beads and large seed beads.

I inserted my double threaded needle through the beginning dot, a pearl bead and a seed bead. Then came back through the pearl bead and ribbon to secure the bottom of the tree.

I added another bead and went through the next dot again and again…

Until there were four loops on each side ending with a pearl on top. I threaded through another seed bead and back through the pearl and ribbon to secure just like at the beginning.

Finally I went back up through both beads again and tied a knot at about an inch or so to make a hanging loop.

Clipped the ends of the ribbons to where I liked them and touched them up with Fray Check…

and Voila!…a ribbon tree!

It’s beginning to look a little like Christmas…

2011-11-27T11:53:00.001-07:00

I’m just being busy crafting and doodling around in my sewing room…and singing Christmas songs in my head while I work.

tis the season for keeping secrets

2011-11-16T13:08:00.001-07:00

I’ve been very busy at my sewing machine…but it’s that time of year when you just can’t post about what you’re up to.

Isn’t making surprises so much fun?

I love this time of year

2011-11-01T15:06:00.001-06:00

It’s a beautiful Fall day here…

Though it is getting colder. Soon it will be snuggle-under-a-quilt weather.

Luckily the top is finished to my Jacob’s Ladder quilt and will be quilted in time for cold evenings.

Oh, and I finished this little red and gray quilt too. Perfect for my doll cradle.

Now I’m heading back outside to enjoy some more of this gorgeous day.

Keeping children warm

2011-10-18T13:41:00.001-06:00

The weather is getting colder here. So I’ve been sewing fleece hats for children, along with a Humanitarian Group I belong to. I needed a model but had a hard time getting this one to hold still for even a second…

Aha… gotcha!

I’ve made 29 fleece caps so far… and there’s more on the way. Sew fun!

Spice of Life

2011-10-15T22:57:00.001-06:00

This is my design wall this weekend. They say variety is the spice of life…well I have a lot of variety. 1. I’m always working on my Florabunda applique blocks…(and someday I will actually finish them.) 2. I started making my “Cold Wind Blows” baskets. I decided to shrink the pattern by half and make a little quilt. 3. My bow tie leaders & enders blocks are multiplying quickly. I finish a few with every one of my 4. Jacob’s Ladder quilt blocks.

Speaking of which…

I only have 7 more blocks to go to finish my design. Very scrappy isn’t it? You should see my much lighter scrap bins. I still have some rearranging to do on this quilt and then decide on a border.

Besides a little sewing today, I also helped Mr. Sunshine install new outside light fixtures and made applesauce from our apple tree.

Our house smelled so wonderful!

His first tux

2011-10-08T10:32:00.002-06:00

Last night my daughter and I had some play time with this guy for a fitting. I've been sewing a special outfit for his blessing. Sewing such tiny little armholes is very tricky. Just enough room for my presser foot...no fingers and barely pins. I finally hand sewed the sleeves in and then machined them. But the challenge was worth it for my newest grandchild. I still have to add a soft satiny blue bow tie and buttons in the back and he'll be ready for his big day.

BTW, the quilt he's laying on was his great grandfather's baby quilt.

P.S....I just had to edit my post to add a photo of the final product...all finished and pressed....not as cute as the baby...but cute.

One very lucky girl…me!

2011-10-06T18:58:00.001-06:00

This beautiful quilt is called, “The Quilting Gathering” and is part of the Prairie Women's Sewing Circle series. I was amazingly fortunate to be the winner of this pattern and kit from Taryn’s generous giveaway. I just couldn’t believe it!

When it arrived, I started to work just as quickly as I could push other projects to the side to make space.

And now it looks right at home hanging with other quilts on my wall. Thank you so much Taryn. I love it and appreciate you!

Two for One

2011-09-16T13:12:00.001-06:00

I’m still at work on my latest quilt and cleaning odd pieces out of the scrap bins. 16 blocks are done and lots of pieces are cut and ready. Here and there throughout the day, I wander into my sewing room and sew up a block or two, or cut a square or two. Very easy..very relaxing. And satisfying to see all those little scraps being put to use.

Bonnie and Lori came up with the best idea! And now I’ve joined in. I keep these tiny squares next to my sewing machine and use them for leaders and enders while working on my quilt.

The results are another quilt in the making. Which is so fun by itself that I have to restrain myself from sewing ahead on just bow ties. They are 3 inches. I don’t know if I’m going to stop at doll quilt size or keep going. We’ll see.

Little Quilt for Autumn

2011-09-11T12:03:00.001-06:00

My apple core doll quilt is finally finished. It’s hand pieced and hand quilted, which is a first for me. I don’t know if I could ever do that on a full sized quilt but I got a kick out of trying it on this little one.

It measures 22” x 26” and there are 168 little apple cores… all different.

Life is good!

2011-09-06T23:22:00.001-06:00

That’s all I could think of for the title of this post…because right now that’s just how I’m feeling…”Life is good.”

First of all, I’m happy to announce the winner of the 100 Blocks magazine and Schnibbles pattern, etc.…

Congratulations Angela!

I had Mr. Sunshine draw the name for me… he thought that was pretty fun. Also, he is a lot more “user-friendly” than the Random Number Generator thing that I tried to figure out but couldn’t.

Now, meet my newest grandchild. He’s the best reason for my happy mood! What an adorable blessing he is. We love him so much!

Big sister isn’t quite sure about it all.

She doesn’t yet know about all the fun and mischief they’re going to have growing up together ☺

Sewing room tidy-up Giveaway!

2011-08-27T23:23:00.001-06:00

When I came across Sarah’s version of Jacob’s Ladder over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, I knew I’d found one solution to my ever growing cache of scraps. So now I’m busy taking care of that problem and thinking they look kind of fun this way.

(by the way, Karrie Lynn at Freckled Whimsy has a great tutorial on this block).

That got me motivated to clean out in other areas too…like magazines. I’ve been clipping through mine like crazy and came to the conclusion that I just can’t do it all, so I’m limiting myself to a couple of binders full of patterns that I can keep.

I discovered I have 2 copies of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks vol. 2 magazine and the adorable Schnibbles Short Story pattern. Who knows how that happened?

So that’s my giveaway…

…the awesome 100 Blocks magazine… the cute Schnibbles quilt pattern… and a stack of magazine patterns that just wouldn’t fit in those binders, but are much too beautiful to toss.

If you’d like to have them, leave me a comment and let me know. I’ll draw a name in about a week when I’m through sorting out the sewing room. By then, I might find a few more goodies to add to the package. …lets say Wednesday, September 7th.

Red and white from all the world over

2011-08-22T17:02:00.001-06:00

My Red and White Swap quilt all finished.

Except that I still need to make a label, because those beautiful red squares came from all over the world: 37 US States, Canada, Australia, Holland, Scotland, Malaysia, Slovakia, Israel, United Kingdom and Thailand! I want to remember them all in the years to come.

And remember this little goof-up block? I took some of your suggestions and gave it a place of honor on the back. It’s a keeper and makes me smile.

Also, last January, I joined Anne Marie’s Nine Patch Challenge…

…and my quilt is a nine-patch.

The deadline is September 1st so I made it by a little over a week. Whew! Thanks Anne Marie.

Cozy batiks

2011-08-19T10:58:00.001-06:00

It has been so very hot here, but today is stormy and cooler. So I snuggled under this quilt and stitched away on the binding while listening to the thunder outside. I loved it.

Three more quilts left to bind. Then I can move on to new projects. I have a long list in my mind.

One down…

2011-08-17T10:22:00.001-06:00

View Full Album

I recently finished 5 quilts and took them all in a bundle to my quilter, JoLynn. She is amazing!! She finished them all in one week. If you click on the album you can get a better look at how beautiful her quilting is.

I finished binding the first one last night. Such a great feeling!

And look what Mr. Sunshine noticed while I was taking my pictures… my miniature Dresden quilt sitting in the background. I didn’t do that on purpose. But what a fun contrast.

Now on to the next quilt. I kind of enjoy binding quilts. But I’m questioning the fun of doing 5 at once.

Keep going Annette!

Puppies waiting for their new owner

2011-08-12T13:20:00.001-06:00

Remember these cute little guys?

Well, now they are a quilt.

All ready to welcome our newest grandchild who is due in just a couple of weeks. We’re so excited to meet him!

I loved this pattern, “Bow Wow Blankie,” by Bonnie Sullivan. Very fun to put together.

red and white and pretty all over

2011-08-01T13:18:00.001-06:00

The red squares arrived in my mailbox last week and this week they are a quilt top!

Thanks to all the great swappers and to Karen, this quilt will be a fun memory for years to come.

sew red she said now go to bed

2011-07-27T21:52:00.001-06:00

The reds were already cut for me. All I had to do was cut some white fabric and I was ready to start sewing. 6 blocks done and 10 left to go. Not bad for a late evening’s work.

Until I lost my senses and did this!

Instead of this.

This little square is not like the others…

I trimmed it before realizing my mistake so it can’t be saved. And it was the only piece of fabric I had like that. Sheesh!

That’s when you know it’s time to stop and go get ready for bed.

red all over

2011-07-24T22:47:00.001-06:00

Look at this gorgeous variety of red and white fabric squares.

I just got my package from Karen’s red/white swap and they are awesome! All 125 of them!

That meant Karen sorted 15,625 five inch squares of fabric for the swappers! She’s amazing!! Thank you so much Karen, it was fun.

And thanks to all the other swappers. Great fabric choices.

Don’t you think the squares will be just perfect for something like this?

Puppies for baby

2011-07-06T20:30:00.001-06:00

We have a new grandson on the way…due in September. So I’ve been working on a quilt just for him.

For some time, I’ve had my eye on the adorable, Baby’s Bow Wow Blankie by Bonnie Sullivan, and finally decided it would be just perfect for this occasion.

UFO Sightings!

2011-06-27T12:05:00.001-06:00

I started this quilt top 2 years ago and I finally finished it last week thanks to a wonderful gift of fabric from Thelma.

While I was on a roll, I used the leftovers to whip up this little lady from Kim’s book, Scrap Basket Surprises.

And last but not least…I started working on this (Lori Smith’s The Road Less Traveled) a year ago January. The plan was a row a month, which I was pretty good at for 5 months. For some strange reason, the last two rows took about a year!! But now she’s together at last.

It feels awesome to finish up a few UFO’s. Now I am rolling and have another one out of the drawer and in progress again. It only needed 5 more blocks is all. This fabric was a gift from Mr. Sunshine several Christmas’s ago…it’s been so long I can’t even remember which one! Oh my!

busy .. busy .. busy

2011-06-03T14:32:00.001-06:00

swapped my needle for a hook

2011-06-01T09:38:00.001-06:00

This week I traded my needle for a hook and made a little summer purse. The pattern for the bag is from Alice at Future Girl. I used cotton yarn and then added a flower for fun.

Crochet is so relaxing.

Then I swapped back to a needle to sew a lining inside. We are having strange Spring weather here…so this fabric helps with feeling Spring.

And speaking of swaps…

My squares for Karen’s Red and White Swap are ready for the mailman.

I notice both of my daughter’s baby pictures were playing peek-a-boo with me while taking photos of the bag. So fun and such a day brightener!

Hope your day is bright and happy too!

R & R

2011-05-19T18:57:00.001-06:00

Mr. Sunshine and I have been out of town getting some rest and relaxation and spending time with family.

While I was there, (in Idaho) I picked up some beautiful red fabric for Karen’s 5” red/white fabric swap. I’m really excited to be able to participate.

I also found a fabric outlet store and came away with lots of other wonderful fabrics as well. Average price….$3.60 a yard!! And all quilt quality…the kind of fabric you like to sit and caress…it just feels so heavenly and looks so pretty.

My mother-in-law, sister-in-law, Rhonda and I spent an afternoon sewing some tiny book covers. I had my camera with me but didn’t think to take a single picture of us working together at the kitchen table. I don’t know why, other than we were just too involved in what we were doing.

My sweet little Featherweight came with me and she sewed like a dream. I just love her.

We shopped and ate and played games and visited and had a great time.

I also got in some nap time and finished two good books.

I highly recommend them both.

It was wonderful to get away for awhile. Now we are both refreshed and ready to dive back into our normal routines.

a tisket, a tasket, a little doll’s basket

2011-05-05T14:20:00.001-06:00

I found this little basket for $1 at a thrift sale and snatched it up thinking it would be fun for our granddaughters’ baby dolls.

Then I read Stina’s post and her basket of quilts caught my eye.

So I borrowed her idea. I decided to keep the basket for myself to display little quilts in.

Of course I don’t mind if the grandkids want to play with them too, these quilts are for using and enjoying.

I needed to do some ironing this morning but first had to move a lot of stuff out of the way. My sewing room is a very busy place these days…so many things going on at once.

A First

2011-04-26T21:28:00.001-06:00

168 little apple cores all stitched together. No two alike. It’s going to make a cute little doll quilt… about 24” x 28”.

It’s even kind of fun looking at them from the reverse side.

But I’ll never see that again..

…because I’m getting it ready for the quilting part.

I am going to hand quilt it. Then because it was hand pieced, I will also hand stitch the binding on so I can say that it was 100% hand made. That is a first for me.

Notebook Fun

2011-04-19T23:12:00.001-06:00

Buy a mini composition book for your purse and make it fun with a fabric cover…

Like it so much that you whip up a few more to share…

Then play with fabrics and before you know it, you’ve sewn even more.

I found this cute idea over at Obsessively Stitching. I think I caught her “obsession” because I know I’m not done making them yet.

more on the little quilts

2011-04-13T11:15:00.001-06:00

I finished Cheddar Cheese and Crackers. This was one fun journey! And because of that, I think it will always be a favorite of mine. I wish I had enough stamina to make a large sized one …maybe someday.

Thank you again Lori. It fits beautifully in my doll cradle.

There are a few more apple core nine patches on my wall. Whenever I sit down for even a minute, I feel the need to stitch two apple cores together…and sometimes that leads to a few more.

New Kid on the Block

2011-04-05T12:57:00.001-06:00

I just finished this doll quilt…made special for my new cradle. The blocks are 3”.

And I’m still working on Cheddar Cheese and Crackers from Lori’s quilt-along. Although my cheddar is more Sunshine Yellow. While putting it together, I kept thinking it was sort of like working a Sudoku puzzle…and I really like doing those. I’m hand quilting it now. I’m going to love this little quilt.

For the moment, however, everything is being pushed aside to make room for the new kid on the block…

An apple core quilt!

The apple cores are just 3” long so can be a little fiddly but the more I do the easier it gets and now I’m so hooked on these little guys.

I’ve been stitching them into nine patches first. My idea calls for 21 blocks. 6 done over the weekend and 15 more to go. Then sew those all together into another little doll quilt.

Thelma, thank you soooo much!!

2011-03-23T15:00:00.001-06:00

It’s here!…it’s here!!…it’s here!!!

Ever since the mailman delivered a special package to my house this morning, it’s been a wonderful day! I have been anxiously awaiting this beautiful Glace fabric that I won in Thelma’s 250th post giveaway. I still can’t believe I won and I can’t believe the prize….awesome!!

I’m going to use it to finally finish the Dresden quilt I started some time ago ….now even bigger and better than originally planned. This will be a quilt with a fun memory attached.

You just have to go visit Thelma’s blog. She is very inspiring! She sews lots of amazing quilts and always puts her own twist into them. I love watching her creative process and learn a lot from her. Thank you again Thelma. Here’s to 250 more fantastic posts…I’ll be looking forward to them all.

A Sweet “Just Because…”

2011-03-13T10:02:00.001-06:00

My walls and tabletops are covered with little quilts and so I was talking about other ways I could display them.

Then the other day, Mr. Sunshine gave me this adorable little doll cradle as a gift…for “just because”…

And I have had so much fun sewing a little pillow and pillowcase and mattress and arranging my quilts… and rearranging my quilts.

And starting another project for it.

Is it any wonder why I am so in love with Mr. Sunshine.

My friend the magnet

2011-03-02T20:25:00.001-07:00

We’ve all seen this awesome idea to add magnets to the underside of a pin dish…well, it works great for me too.

I also use magnets in other ways for sewing... I put a couple of them in the lid of my take-along Klosje project tin. They keep my thread bobbin, needles and scissors nice and neat.

There’s a little magnet under this yellow pocket of fabric that I stitched to the inside wall of my applique bag. I never have to fumble around for my scissors and risk getting poked because I know right where they are. And its so easy to put them back into place.

Another tin with a magnet for my applique bag. Where it’s metal, I don’t even have to glue it down.

This yellow plastic flower sticks to the lamp post by my work table thanks to a magnet I glued on the back. I use it as a handy place to rest spare needles.

And I’m thinking a button would work too…how cute would these be!

tiny pieces of fabric… too pretty to toss

2011-03-01T08:43:00.001-07:00

Yesterday morning I sorted through all my tiniest scraps

And trimmed them up nice and neat to about one inch (give or take a bit)

And by the end of the day they had become this. An 18 x 24 inch quilt.

And I went to bed happy.

For my dolls

2011-02-23T10:30:00.001-07:00

A quick little quilt for dolls.

All washed and soft and ready…

…for my granddaughters to cuddle with their dollies.

An awesome AHA moment!

2011-02-18T10:50:00.001-07:00

My sewing room is a small space…less than 10’ square…so I have to be very creative in getting the most use out of it. Mr. Sunshine is always trying to explain to me how I can not get one more piece of furniture in there…and then I amaze him by finding a way to do it anyway.

I’m doing great on storage ideas but my biggest problem has been table space. Then the other day I read this post over at Bloom and she led me to this post at La Vie en Rosie and a giant AHA! moment hit me.

Early the next morning I was out shopping for foam core boards and inexpensive batting and before noon my quilt boards were all assembled.

And now…look what I can do!

And I love being able to carry them right to my sewing machine. I can sew away without having to keep jumping up to get block pieces from the design wall. Wonderful!

I am now using them to finish the last row on my “The Road Less Traveled” quilt.

But the first thing I used them for was to finish my Nine Patch Challenge blocks

A beautiful pile of yellow and blue (with a touch of green).

And I finally have a plan for how to put them all together.

Dear Jane Glass… half full or half empty?

2011-02-07T13:19:00.001-07:00

A small note to myself reminds me that I began my Dear Jane Journey a year and two months (or so) ago.

My swatch chart shows that I have completed 75 blocks. So many beautiful blocks. I need to get their pictures taken and posted.

After a year, I am only nearly half way there. But I’m enjoying the journey and feel I’ve made good progress… “Glass half full!”

No end in sight

2011-01-16T22:10:00.001-07:00

I started my Nine-Patch Challenge quilt…cutting up my choice of fabric and piecing them into blocks… but without any idea as to how I will put them all together. They look prettier and prettier with each block I add…so I’m sure I’ll come up with something.

Planning a busy year

2011-01-12T18:33:00.001-07:00

Now that Christmas projects are out of the way, I can get back to work on the Florabunda applique that I started last year. I have six blocks finished and six to go.

Yesterday I started a seventh one. This BOM by Erin has been so fun. She is doing another one for this year featuring birds. I know it will be beautiful just like all her designs.

I made a goal to finish current projects and no new ones for a while but I broke that goal just two weeks into the new year by signing up for the 2011 Nine Patch Challenge at Anne Marie’s Quilt. The aim is to have a nine patch quilt finished by September 1st using fabrics from our own stash. It was just too tempting. This afternoon I picked out my fabrics. I’ve been wanting to make a yellow and blue quilt…this one will have a little green with it too.

This might be an omen that it’s going to be a good year. I was a lucky winner of this pretty quilting calendar over at Ann’s blog. She has one of her awesome patterns inside for the month of October. I’ve made some of her patterns before and they are really nice.

There are lots of other projects to finish in 2011. I have a list and plan to get busy.

A little project to start off 2011

2011-01-07T16:53:00.001-07:00

I was so close to finishing the top for this little quilt late last night that I stayed up stitching away till 1:00 a.m. I should know better than to work on details such as measuring and cutting sashing when I’m tired because I got it wrong and had to come back this morning to fix things. It made it very close for the sashing fabric…I started with less than a quarter yard scrap and after having to redo it, all I have leftover are crumbs… almost dust! I was holding my breath!

Now to quilt and bind it and then I’m going to display it in a ready made frame. The quilt is 18” x 24” and so it will fit just right.

My Quilty Christmas

2010-12-29T14:22:00.001-07:00

This was what I was doing just days before Christmas:

But they were finished just in the “St. Nick” (ho ho ho) of time for Christmas day!

And there were “I spy” quilts for the little ones.

Then Mr. Sunshine surprised me with EQ7 under the tree…

…and a featherweight machine that is just so tiny cute!

Looks like it’s going to be a very fun…

Holiday Wishes

2010-12-20T09:24:00.001-07:00

This is a busy week…that just got busier this morning when we discovered that our stove is broken…right in time for all the Christmas baking and as we are planning on having the whole family here for Christmas Eve dinner. Yikes! But Oh well, I know it will all work out somehow…it always does.

Very soon now I will be able to post all those projects I have been working on secretly the past while. I am especially excited for those I love to finally receive them. So fun!

I hope you are all having a beautiful, wonderful Christmas.

Look what I found!

2010-12-06T11:45:00.001-07:00

I climbed into our little attic room to get out the Christmas decorations and came across a forgotten box filled with these felt ornaments. I had to bring them down and have been playing with them. So many good memories! I stitched these up 31 years ago for our tree. It was our second Christmas together.

They came from a book by Sandra Lounsbury Foose. I loved her designs back then and over the years have collected five of her books. They are all out of print now so I feel lucky to have them.

I’ve also finished two more blocks for my little applique quilt. Each one will finish at 5 inches square.

Projects for in-between projects

2010-11-27T15:13:00.001-07:00

I have several finishes that I still can’t show. However, this little zipper bag isn’t a Christmas secret. It was just a fun break from the other bigger projects going on. The pattern is from Keyka Lou.

For the most part I am on top of things for my Christmas sewing this year. Wow, such a great feeling!

Outside everything is snow covered and pretty. Inside we spend our evenings by the fireplace where I relax and stitch away on these cute little blocks. I just LOVE them!

In a few days we will be putting up the tree and decorating the house. Such an awesome time of year!

No peeking…well…maybe a little one

2010-11-15T00:41:00.001-07:00

There are so many things I’ve been working on but most of them I can’t share just yet. This is the time of year for secrets you know.

But I can give you a peek at this miniature house block that’s a part of a bigger project.

The little window is only 1/4” square.

I used part of a Carol Doak pattern for the house and added one of my favorite little quotes. It’s all going together nicely, I think.

And these pretty pieces are part of a stack of fabric on my cutting table awaiting their turn for the next project.

Watch me grow!

2010-10-28T13:32:00.001-06:00

When I go visit my parents I can still see the pencil lines on the kitchen doorway where my mom marked the growth of all the grandchildren. The kids loved to have her measure them and make their mark.

I want to create the same kind of memories for our grandkids so yesterday I stitched up a growth chart to hang on our wall. I found this fun monkey fabric in my stash and made it up as I went along. I still have to figure out how I am going to mark it. Any creative ideas?

27 inches and thirty inches tall so far. We have a lot of wonderful growing up years ahead of us.

And another one…

2010-10-24T23:55:00.001-06:00

Of course I couldn’t stop at just one bag…no…Nanette’s pattern was just too much fun to put together.

I had some favorite fabric strips that were saved together and thought they’d be perfect for this, except the pattern calls for 4 inch strips and I found that mine were only 2 to 3 1/2 inches wide. Drats!

So I donned my thinking cap, jimmy-rigged the pattern a bit, did some extra piecing and came up with this.

Woohoo! I like it.

Other than the lining, I used only scraps. No two strips on either side are alike and there wasn’t even enough to make two handles of the same fabric…they are similar but not the same.

A new bag and a little lighter scrap bin. I’ve used those favorite fabrics nearly down to crumbs.

Scrappy Afternoon

2010-10-22T21:56:00.001-06:00

I just got this pattern by Nanette of Freda’s Hive. Also Jodi at Pleasant Home is inspiring us to use our scraps… so I rummaged through my scrap bins for pieces to make this and enjoyed a quiet afternoon at my sewing machine.

Those little bits of leftover fabric are now being put to very good use.

That was close!

2010-10-04T11:09:00.001-06:00

I nearly lost the top of my little pinkie today! While zipping through the fabric with my rotary cutter, I suddenly realized I’d made a careless mistake. But whew!…it just got the nail and the tiniest sliver of finger….no blood…no pain…and one very lucky me!

There are safer ways to trim ones nails so I will slow down and be more careful now.

Little flowers for little girls

2010-10-02T16:34:00.001-06:00

While watching TV today I stitched up a whole bunch of these flowers for my sweet granddaughters. I got the instructions from Polka Dot Pineapple where Lettie is absolutely amazing at creating gorgeous flowers from fabric and paper.

Button Tree

2010-09-27T12:05:00.001-06:00

This little Christmas tree will be staying up all year long.

I found the pattern by The Drawn Thread in a little stitchery shop while we were in Victoria Canada last year and just got around to making it.

There 23 very tiny little pearl buttons. All different.

I have a pearl button collection kept in a glass jar in my sewing room. They are pretty to me and I love looking at them and playing with them.

And now a few are sweet little ornaments on my tree.

I can see clearly now…

2010-09-15T15:46:00.001-06:00

My sewing room was once a bedroom. The minute the kids left home it became mine….my own wonderful space where I can create to my hearts content.

But I’ve been noticing it is harder and harder to see little stitches. And then there are colors…they are one thing during the day and change when working in the evenings with the light fixture on. I got my glasses adjusted….still frustrated. I moved in some lamps … still frustrated. Then it dawned on me…this is a work shop…not a bedroom. I still had the light fixture from when it was a bedroom. I immediately replaced it with a more functional…yet really pretty…light with higher wattage capabilities and more bulbs.

Now in the evenings when I flip the switch, it looks like the sun is shining all over my room.

I even got a better type of bulbs that don’t change the colors of things. They shine nice and bright and clean.

It’s a world of difference and I’m loving it!

I love this old yellow quilt

2010-09-08T20:51:00.001-06:00

You know I love yellow…

and I love hexie flowers…

I really like reproduction prints…but these are the real thing.

I love this quilt!

It’s all hand stitched and hand quilted.

My daughter and son-in-law were cleaning out stuff when they came across this old quilt that no one wanted. They gave it to me and I am thrilled! I’m hoping I can find out a little about it’s history. That would be fun but so far no one knows where it came from.

In the meantime, I’m still working on my own hexies. I have 22 flowers complete with more ready to go.

And they mean just a little bit more to me now. Perhaps, if I finish it, one day my quilt will be found, old and worn, and someone will appreciate all those tiny stitches and the love that went into it. That would make me happy.

2 of my favorite things

2010-08-31T15:53:00.001-06:00

I’ve been away for a few days having the best time ever.

First spending time together with my awesome family. We did some biking and sightseeing and other fun stuff…

…and then I got to spend a whole wonderful day shopping for fabric.

I see at least 6 great projects in this gorgeous pile. (Most to be done in time for Christmas…oops…there’s that “C” word already)

32 years in the making

2010-08-26T12:35:00.001-06:00

At long last the dishtowels we got for our wedding, 32 years ago, are being put to use. I put the last stitch in this morning and now we can enjoy them. Thanks to so many of you for giving me the courage to cut into them. I‘m very happy with how it turned out.

View Full Album

And much thanks to my photography assistants ☺ a 3 generation team.

A Quilting Memory

2010-08-23T11:40:00.001-06:00

This morning while searching through keepsake boxes, I found a good memory.

I was about seven years old and my sister, Tricia, five when I noticed an order form in a package of quilt batting for a booklet. For all of fifty cents – postage paid, it came close to our little budgets. My mom had been sick and in the hospital and I wanted to do something for her, so my sister and I decided to send away for the booklet. I know my dad helped to mail it for us and probably even paid for it.

I was so excited when it came and we gave it to her. I can still feel the awesome feelings I had. I also remember being fascinated with the book and looking through it.

Several years ago, (some 40 plus years later) my mom gave this back to me. She had kept it. Today, when I came across it among my other treasures, it was pleasant to just sit and remember for a bit.

And speaking of rulers…

2010-08-19T09:15:00.001-06:00

Take a simple, inexpensive see-thru plastic wall file from Staples

Add a collection of quilting rulers

And get instant organization! Neat and tidy.

I’m surprised at how well they all fit and how easy it is to see and retrieve the rulers while I’m working. I love it!!

Oh, and do you like my new thread cabinet? It’s my very early birthday gift from Mr. Sunshine. I got this awesome idea from Elizabeth at Oh Franson. You know how sometimes things just jump out and click with you…this was one of those times. And another problem solved. Thanks Elizabeth.

Quilter’s Rule!

2010-08-14T18:00:00.001-06:00

I’ve had this ruler for years and years and still, when I glance at this, I have to smile.

Half way to a quilt top…almost

2010-08-06T17:45:00.001-06:00

Twenty-three blocks finished and twenty-nine left to do….or… three rows done and four left to go. Either way, I’m almost halfway done. I love scrap quilts and this one (The Road Less Traveled by Lori Smith) is VERY scrappy so I’m free to play around a lot on each block. A fun process.

Small but Finished.

2010-07-27T09:24:00.001-06:00

Oh-oh!! July is almost over and just this morning I realized that although I’ve been busy sewing, I didn’t have a finish for the One Project A Month Challenge!

So I dug through my UFO stuff until I found this cute little fabric box (by Sue Daly) that I had started almost two years ago but never finished.

I went right to work and had it together in no time. So crazy to think I put it off this long since it was fun to make. And I love it how it turned out. So sweet!

Now I have another project crossed off my list and more room in my cupboard. Thanks Kris and Peg for keeping me motivated!

A minute here and a minute there = quilt time

2010-07-25T15:28:00.001-06:00

It’s been a great summer but the past couple of weeks have been on-the-run and sometimes crazy! As you can see by my design wall, though, I’ve been able to find a moment here and there to put together few quilt blocks. Those treasured little bits of time are sure good for the soul.

A Little Variety

2010-07-11T23:48:00.001-06:00

I didn’t have much opportunity at the sewing machine this past week but I did manage to squeeze in a little play time with these blocks. I’m using the same fabrics and same block pattern (by Lori Smith) but rearranging the colors so each block is original.

So far I like how it looks.

Dishtowel Quilt

2010-06-29T10:19:00.001-06:00

I cut into those precious dishtowels and now have them pieced into a quilt. I used 30’s repro fabrics plus a few others that go well with the whole theme. I love these colors together with the dishtowels and I’ve had lots of fun playing with them.

The pinwheels are the colors of our wedding, blue and yellow (although ours were much softer). We chose those because Mr. Sunshine’s favorite color is blue and mine is yellow. A good match (in more ways than one).☺

Now for borders. I have a few ideas…

What do you think?

2010-06-21T09:37:00.001-06:00

These awesome dishtowels were given to me 32 years ago at my wedding shower. They were made especially for me by my friend Karen, who I haven’t seen for many years. I adored these when I first saw them. I still do. They have sat in the linen closet all this time because I don’t want to dry dishes with them. So I just pull them out once in a while to look at and then back they go.

For some reason, they popped into my head first thing out of bed this morning and I wondered if they could be made into a quilt! A light bulb moment! The towels aren’t quilt material, but for me it would be just a special quilt, maybe one that could lay at the foot of our bed.

Do you think this is a wise idea?

Any advice?

Scrap Bag

2010-06-13T19:32:00.001-06:00

I was sorting through the scrap bins when these two fabrics landed beside each other on the table. When I noticed them, they struck me as ideal for that new bag I’ve been needing. I found a third scrap to match and all together there was just barely enough to do it. So this became my weekend project - made entirely from the scrap bin. Woohoo!

Mr. Sunshine and I also planned to get some outdoor projects done but the weather wouldn’t cooperate. This past week we’ve had lots of rain, wind and chilly cold. So weird for June. Instead, we spent the time playing indoors with our granddaughters. Which is way more fun than yard work.

Honey I shrunk the quilt!

2010-06-08T12:47:00.001-06:00

On page 30 of the latest AP&Q magazine is an awesome quilt called “Summer Salsa” designed by Kathie Holland. It just jumped right out and begged me to make it! (Maybe it’s all that sunshine yellow). But I already have a few too many unfinished quilts going at the moment and I don’t dare start another one. So, instead, I decided to shrink it down into a small project.

The original quilt is 77” x 85” with 6” blocks. My little quilt has 1 1/2” blocks and finished at 17” x 19.”

It was a fun thing to try!

(By the way, I’ve decided the skitty-wampus blocks together with the wavy lines could possibly make one a bit seasick, so I will be more careful with that from now on).

for sweet little girls

2010-05-31T23:41:00.001-06:00

My latest stitching project… 2 little dresses for my 2 little nieces.

White dresses with pretty pink pinafores.

So sweet!

Sisters

2010-05-20T11:01:00.001-06:00

Today I finished another Jo’s Little Women Club quilt called “Sisters”.

It’s 12 inches square. The women in the center were a challenge as each sister is about an inch in size and very detailed. I just about went blind trying to stitch that tiny!

This quilt has extra special meaning for me because I grew up as one of four sisters.

This is me (far left) and my younger sisters 35 or so years ago. I hope my sisters are okay with me posting this. We don’t get pictures together anymore as we live so far away from each other and especially since my youngest sister has passed away (far right). So pictures like this with us together mean a lot to me. But my two sisters and I do keep in close touch with each other through email.

I love my sisters!

Autumn Crossing …in Springtime?

2010-05-16T18:39:00.001-06:00

Yeah! We’re finally having beautiful Spring weather here, even though yesterday I finished a quilt called Autumn Crossing. Perhaps a little untimely, but oh well. It measures about 18 x 22 inches and is hand quilted. The smallest squares are three quarters of an inch. For now, I’m going to use it as a topper for a cabinet where it fits perfectly. I have been participating in a local Jo’s Little Women’s Club making small quilts like this. The patterns are so sweet!

Some Assembly Required

2010-05-12T10:05:00.001-06:00

My very thoughtful Mr. Sunshine recently took me shopping and let me pick out some beautiful fabrics and patterns. Later, when my son-in-law saw it, he joked, “Here’s your gift, go put it together.” But Mr. Sunshine knows that he was giving me the gift of doing one of my favorite things. And I had such a super time “assembling” this little 13 x 17 inch quilt.

My mother understands that too. One day, many years ago, when I was first married and living far away from family, there came a big box in the mail. Inside I found fabric, yarn, needles, crochet hooks, hoops, a conglomeration of all sorts of stuff like that. Wonderful stuff. I was intrigued and went right to work with it. I grew up sewing, mostly clothes, but this started my passion for sewing to be creative. That gift made a big difference to my life and is treasured to this very day.

The pattern is by Jo Morton and the blocks are just 3 inches square.

It looks just great on my little quilt wall.

Thank you Mr. Sunshine!

A little bitty challenge

2010-05-06T09:00:00.001-06:00

Stuffed in a drawer, I found a small plastic bag of leftover scraps from a quilt I had made. The pieces of fabric were all very tiny, the biggest ones just 5” by 1 1/4”. At that size, they are usually discarded as useless. I thought, “What was I thinking?” It was time to toss them…or…hmmm… could I really use them? The wheels in my head started rolling so I challenged myself and this is what I came up with.

Now, just as soon as I bind it, we have a new topper for the coffee table made entirely from those teeny tiny bits of fabric plus some muslin. And they aren’t junk anymore.

Do you see the candy dish full of old Scrabble tiles sitting there on the coffee table? Our family has so much fun with those. I’m always finding messages of some sort from the kids after they’ve been here. They get very creative and make me laugh.

A good little house

2010-05-03T15:48:00.001-06:00

It’s been fun watching our children settle down to family life in their own houses….which happen to be lots bigger than our house. Of course we are quite comfy in our home of 25 years and hope to live out our days here.

I saw this quote the other day and it got me to thinking. So I found a pattern for a tiny 3 1/2 inch house in the book, Little Bits of Whimsy, by Kathleen Brooks. I stitched everything together and now have this hanging on a wall in our humble little house.

My Way

2010-04-28T20:38:00.001-06:00

I’m making some progress on my klosjes.

This is my first attempt at a tutorial. Its mostly for Kaaren who wondered how I made my pattern. There may be better methods out there but this is how I figured it out and its working well for me.

First I sketched my pattern on 1/4” graph paper. (You can print some here). Mine finish at 3 inches square. I decided I wanted my center to be 1 1/4 inches. I kind of pulled that out of a hat…it just looked good to me.

I added seam allowance and cut the two main pieces out. Then I cut a permanent pattern from template plastic. The final template includes the 1/4” seam allowance.

Can you see the holes in the plastic? I was puzzled about getting accurate seam lines and borders, so the way I chose to do it was to punch those holes in the template so I could mark the seam line and corners.

With a fine marker, I trace the template on the wrong side of my fabric and mark dots through the holes for the stitching line. Maybe you can see the teeny tiny dots on the fabric.

Marking and cutting the fabric goes pretty quick for me this way. And when I sew the pieces together I just match and sew dot to dot… I figure I can hand sew a straight line freestyle for at least an inch.

And finally I put all the cut and ready pieces into this cute little tin that Teresa gave me for Christmas. Thanks again Teresa, it is just perfect for this project. I tuck it into my purse so I can keep my fingers occupied wherever I go.

I shouldn’t…

2010-04-22T11:24:00.001-06:00

But it looks like I will.

I’ve been watching many of you hand-stitching away on your Klosjes. So awesome to see them growing into piles of blocks from little scraps. I just love it!! I had to try them out. And they are fun.

“But Annette! You are already busy working on a hand sewing project…

…so Klosjes are a no-no!”

Hmmm…but then again, I’m overwhelmed with scraps. I save them all, even tiny ones. They are so pretty that I can’t bear to toss them.

I think I have more scraps than fabric, actually. My ‘Stack 0 Scraps’ reaches almost to the ceiling.

Plus other smaller stashes here and there. Klosjes would be such a beautiful way to use and enjoy them.

So I guess I will succumb.

Klosjes here I come!

Sew in love

2010-04-13T13:04:00.001-06:00

We had a great weekend getting together with family. Busy days and good days. Monday was going to be slower paced so I took the opportunity to start a new stitchery that I had my eye on. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Much of the day was spent working on this cute design by Mac A Doodles. I made a few changes so it would fit the little hanger I already had and it was finished just in time for bed last night.

Mr. Sunshine means the world to me and it was nice to think about our years together (32) while stitching away.

Pretty Stuff

2010-04-09T20:30:00.001-06:00

I learned to sew when I was young and grew up making my own clothes most of the time. Then I made my children’s clothes through their growing up years. I still sew a lot but not clothes very much anymore. However, this week I made a little blessing dress for our granddaughter’s special day.

It was nice to be using 5/8” seams instead of 1/4” for a change.

I’ve also been playing around with beads, making fobs for some of my scissors. Sewing is enjoyable… and now even more so.

Thanks for a fun day

2010-04-05T19:59:00.001-06:00

Anina has an awesome blog called Twiddletails. She is having a Pinwheel Party and sharing her quilt design with all of us. This was already such a generous thing to do, but then then last week she had a give-away to boot. I was the very lucky winner of this Antique Quilt magazine, which arrived today. I can’t stop looking through it. Thank you Anina…you brightened my day.

Also in my mailbox today was this book. Mel has been busy housecleaning her studio and I was able to buy this from her for a super-duper price. Thanks Mel. You know I love miniature quilts and this has my mind swimming with great new ideas.

And if all that wasn’t enough to make this a fun day…this little munchkin put the icing on the cake with her adorable smile. Thanks sweetie!

Little Purses

2010-03-25T22:19:00.001-06:00

View Full Album

Janet at Quiltsalott designed the cutest little purses and posted a tutorial for them on her blog. Her instructions were great. It didn’t take long at all to stitch up the red purse last night for my daughter. Then this morning I decided I wanted one too, so I made the blue one for me. I’m going to use it to hold scissors, thread and thimble, etc. for appliqué on the go, so the tiny silver scissors on the zipper pull were the perfect final touch.

Just Stitching

2010-03-22T10:09:00.001-06:00

I’m still here… stitching away… working on Florabunda #3 now and loving the fabrics and soft colors. I can’t decide which is my favorite block, I have enjoyed them all.

Big and Little

2010-03-10T11:43:00.001-07:00

Quite a while ago I set myself a goal to see how far I could go in stitching hexagons. So far I have made 17 pretty hexagon flowers and have several more cut and ready to go. Now I don’t know when I will stop!

I also stitched up these tiny 1/2 inch hexies and turned them into a little 13 inch quilt…all finished.

I love making hexie flowers!

I was also working on a dresden quilt. I have the blocks all done and am deciding how to design them into a quilt….sashing and all…you know.

While I’m thinking through that, I took time to sew some sweet 3 inch dresdens for these little projects:

My inspiration came from Virginia, of Galloping Pony. I love her designs. She has such a beautiful talent.

Another one for the wall

2010-02-23T10:40:00.001-07:00

I’ve made a couple of Ann Hermes small quilt patterns in the past and enjoy her designs. Here is another one, 23 inches square, with rolling stone blocks, that I finished last night.

A perfect addition to my ever changing little quilt wall.

Time Well Spent

2010-02-17T14:49:00.001-07:00

I’ve been spending a some time on my applique block for Florabunda.

…and bits of time here and there on those addicting Dear Jane blocks.

…but most of my time with these two.

And loving every minute.

Bet you can’t sew just one

2010-02-12T22:28:00.001-07:00

I sat down to make a Dear Jane block…or maybe two… but found I just couldn’t stop there. Before I knew it I had ten blocks finished and several more cut out and ready to go. I’m loving this project.

She’s here!

2010-02-07T14:49:00.001-07:00

Our new little granddaughter is here and she’s such a sweetheart.

We’re all feeling very blessed.

A last minute bunny for the baby

2010-02-02T13:36:00.001-07:00

The latest American Patchwork & Quilting magazine came and inside I found a sweet little bunny quilt designed by Anne Sutton and Vicki Bellino. It didn’t take long to make one up in my daughter’s nursery colors. It is now ready and waiting with the rest of us for the baby to arrive

…which is any day now.

A New Start

2010-01-25T19:07:00.001-07:00

I spied an awesome BOM called Florabunda beginning over at One Piece at a Time. Next thing I know, I’m rummaging through my stash looking for the perfect fabrics for my new project. And getting more and more excited about working on it.

To balance things out, I completed another project the other day. This little quilt is 20 inches square and used up some of my very tiny scraps. It’s a Moda Bake Shop pattern by Sheryl Johnson.

Just in Time

2010-01-23T19:09:00.001-07:00

Hurray!! My machine is home again and running better than ever. It didn’t take as long as I worried it would and I was able to finish the baby quilt just in time for my daughter’s shower.

The shower was great. It was hosted by her sister. Instead of a game, everyone decorated “Onesies” and had fun being creative. Then there were cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate, which was very appropriate for this cold and snowy day.

View Full Album

I also have another quilt in the works for our new grandchild that involves a lot of hand stitching. I’ve been trying to get it done before the baby arrives but I’m quickly running out of days.

Catastrophe!

2010-01-19T10:47:00.001-07:00

Argh! Throw myself on the floor, kick and scream, moan and groan! At least that’s what I feel like doing. Mostly I just feel blue. My BFF is broken. It’s basically the end of the world.

I was stitching along last night on this little project…

Almost had the top finished. It was quite late and I was tired, but thoroughly enjoying myself and having so much fun when all of a sudden the thingy that holds the needle came down on my knuckle. There was pain and some bleeding but nothing compared to what it did to my machine…it won’t sew!! It moves up and down but won’t make stitches. Cry, weep, sob.

It is going to the sewing machine hospital and I will miss it. I hope it comes home very soon because...

…I have till Saturday at 1:00 to have this finished, borders, quilting, binding and all in time for my daughter’s baby shower.

Marvelous Mail

2010-01-14T14:39:00.001-07:00

This little one (complete with her sock on her head) and I had great fun opening packages today after our mailman came by. It was almost like Christmas all over again.

First was a pretty package filled with sweet fabric and a darling quilt pattern. It was sent to me from Kris for the One Project a Month challenge. My name was drawn from the list of those who hung in there all year long. It was such a good program that I have signed up again for another year. Thank you so much Kris! You are very thoughtful.

Inside another package was a book. My name was drawn for a gift certificate to Cottage Quilts from the One Year of Schnibbles group. I have been admiring this book by Kim Brackett for awhile and knew that was what I was spending my certificate on. Watch out, my huge bundle of scraps, I have big plans for you now!

And last, but not least, ….My favorite TV series of all time…..Columbo! Every year for Christmas my dear Mr. Sunshine gives me the latest Columbo series that’s been put out on DVD. This year we both kind of forgot about it until afterwards. But he sent for it anyway because it arrived in today’s mail. Just a couple more years and I will have collected all of them. I never get tired of watching this guy solve the mystery! I’m really looking forward to this evening when I settle down in front of the TV with my hand stitching and Columbo!

Relax and Enjoy

2010-01-10T22:33:00.001-07:00

Now that Christmas sewing is over, it’s great to be back at work on my Dear Jane blocks. They are such sweet little things. I started to plan my progress for finishing them all but quickly put a stop to that kind of thinking. Instead, I am going to just relax and enjoy my time with each block, love the process and not worry about anything else. So far they are fun and I want to keep it that way.

Oh My Word!

2010-01-08T13:44:00.001-07:00

Much of the blog talk these days is about New Year’s resolutions. I gave that up a long time ago…instead I have a Word of the Year that I keep in the back of my mind and use to inspire myself. I started in ‘07 with “seed” which worked out pretty well. So then came “laugh” (appropriate, as it turned out, for a year with cancer) and last year was “heart”. These words have had deep meaning to me. Now my word is “reaching”. I found it in the Bible and when I read it, it just seem to apply. It goes with so many things coming up in my life.

And speaking of reaching, last year I participated in Kris and May Britt’s One Project a Month Challenge. It was great!! I finished 27 sewing projects and 15 of those were quilts! The OPAM Challenge surely helped me with that and kept motivating me along. So a big THANK YOU is in order to Kris and May Britt for their awesome idea and so much hard work.

Kris and Peg are hosting it this year and I hurried to sign up again. That means I better get busy so I’ll have a finish for this month.

Here’s to another great year!

It was Wonderful!

2009-12-28T11:09:00.001-07:00

Christmas is over and it was wonderful! Family, friends, smiles and laughter, gifts and giving and delicious food. Lots of work and lots of joy.

Tons of thanks to Teresa for the Advent Swap. So many pretty fabrics and fun surprises. And the best of all on Christmas morning….a beautiful sewing case to keep threads, scissors and needles. It is just amazing to look at.

I finished my Schnibbles for December and they became gifts…

And now the cleaning up and putting away. It puts me in the mood to straighten and organize. I’ve been busy rearranging my sewing space. It will be nice to have things ready for a Happy New Year of projects!

Last Minute Things

2009-12-16T13:41:00.001-07:00

I’m still opening my gift a day from Teresa. I keep the tags and line them up on the bookcase shelf. The days are going by so fast…

…maybe too fast. Yesterday, Mr. Sunshine and I worked on making a last minute gift and now its ready. Then I got busy on my Gail Pan’s “A Christmas Wish” little quilt and finished it just in the nick of time to put up for this season. I didn’t want to wait clear till next year to use it, so I buckled down and sewed till the wee hours. It is pinned over an existing wall hanging for now.

We’re almost ready.

One Thing I Can Share

2009-12-11T12:26:00.001-07:00

All this year I have been playing along with May Britt and Kris’s “One Finish A Month” project. I have quite a few finishes for this month but I can’t post them because they are Christmas surprises. However, I can show you this one.

I got this idea from Penny. It rang a bell when I came across it because I have an overflowing amount of scraps. So I quickly sat down, cut a bunch of them into strips and sewed them back together into this quilt. I just finished binding it last night.

None of the fabrics I used were necessarily bright or bold, but when I put them all together, surrounded them with white and gave them a busy border, I ended up with one cheerful, colorful quilt! I like it and so does our friend Willow.

Besides Christmas sewing I am also enjoying the Christmas Advent Swap. First thing after I jump out of bed every morning I open another gift from Teresa. What a great way to start a day. Do you notice all the pretty yellow? Teresa knows what I like and has made it so fun!

View Full Album

A Gift for You and One for Me

2009-12-01T07:49:00.001-07:00

It’s December! I love the holidays. Mostly for the spirit they bring of giving and good will. And who has bigger hearts for giving than quilters and stitchers. So I wanted to give something back to you.

I designed this little snowman and put him on a pillow. Just click on the sketch below and you can have a copy to stitch up for any project you choose.

Enjoy!

And the gift for me is from Teresa for our Advent Swap…a gift a day till Christmas.

I opened the package to find this cute cuddly kangaroo guarding all the packages in her Christmas bag.

She let me open the first package…

View Full Album

…and inside was a Leslie Beck panel for a stocking and Christmas tree skirt. I’m going to be having some fun.

Thanks bunches Teresa. I’m excited for tomorrow!

I Spy lots of fun!

2009-11-30T14:22:00.001-07:00

I joined Karen’s I Spy Swap and sent in 40 five inch fabric squares from each of three fabrics. Today I received 120 sweet little squares in my mailbox, all different. Someday they are going to become an I Spy Quilt for grandkids.

(By the way, did I ever tell you I have another grandchild on the way soon?)

Karen is so generous. Besides all her hard work to organize this swap and sort all those blocks, she also sent a pretty little gift. It’s one of her nifty Tool Time Tuesday sewing helpers…a little pincushion, scissor holder on one end of a ribbon and an ingenious spool holder on the other. It will be very handy.

Thank you so much Karen. This has been great fun!!

A Little Holiday Sweetness

2009-11-24T07:39:00.001-07:00

Guess what I’ve been up to…

I’ve been busy sewing Happy Zombie’s adorable Itty Bitty Poochie Bags. They are so tiny and sweet. And fun to do!

They’re making me feel like Christmas is just around the corner.