Just a Quick Post

I just realized that it is the last day of the month and I haven't posted my One Project A Month finish. Luckily I spent some time crocheting over the weekend while visiting with family and was able to finish four dishcloths for our Thursday Stitching / Service group. I was looking for a pattern that I've used before and really liked but couldn't find it so I came up with a simple granny square. I like it....fun, easy and quick to do. And hopefully they will be useful for whoever recieves them.

Dresden Decisions

I finshed my dresdens blades...12 in all. Now comes decision making time. What to do for the background and centers ...any suggestions? I would appreciate them.

I thought of maybe a soft light brown background but then I change my mind. I think the centers should be darker and maybe even different colors for each one: dark brown, red, green, etc.

Maybe I need to take them for a walk through the fabric shop in search of something that clicks. Actually, that sounds like my best idea all day.

Sending Flowers

Lettie over at Polka Dot Pineapple, who always has such awesome projects, has come up with yet another one. She has a tutorial for making darling bookmarks and then she adds the idea to go hide them in books at the library with a little note to randomly cheer some reader’s day.

I love that! I made a few this morning and now I’m on my way to the library to return a book and have some fun while I’m there! I think a couple of these look like they belong in the Young Adult books for girls section, don't you?

On another note: My husband brought home a new camera the other day, since ours was slowly dying. I’m learning to use it and my sweet little T-Rex has been graciously posing for me as a model so I can practice. Isn’t he beautiful?

Two Happy Travelers

Last night, my husband and I arrived home from an awesome week's cruise along the west coast from Los Angeles to Vancouver. It was a great adventure full of all sorts of fun and very tired feet from running all over the cities. We visited Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Astoria, Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver.

I took along my hexagon flowers to work on, of course, but other than at the airport, I'm afraid I didn't get much sewing done. But now it is good to be home and back to the old needle and thread.

Speaking of which... I came across the lovely Button and Needlework Boutique in Victoria, Canada and couldn't resist a new project using these 23 sweet little Mother of Pearl buttons. I'll have to show it to you when it's finished.

Multi-tasking or ADD?

I have finished four more hexagon flowers so now I have 13 done and am still stitching on them every evening. I am having fun working on three terrific BOM projects (Verandah Views, 12 Months of Baskets, and Gail’s A Christmas Wish). Two miniature quilts are in progress (a bow tie and a Baltimore Album). I have siggy blocks going and participating in a quilt along and desperately want to join another one. My Butterfly Garden that I started 9 months ago needs just three more little blocks to embroider. And there is a quilt for my bedroom wall that needs quilted along with a table runner.

Sigh....So much going on but here I go again…

I have been so inspired by Sherri and Vanessa and Kaaren’s Dresden quilt blocks that I couldn’t help myself, I am starting another project. I bought a Moda scrap bag a while ago and it seemed perfect for this. I got 240 blades out of it and have a bit of fabric left. I will need more for the centers, background and such.

But I love the fabrics and I think it will be pretty. And it has just been so enjoyable to work on.

Relaxation Technique

Over the weekend I attended some mini classes, one of which was on reducing stress. We were all given a questionaire to fill out to determine our stress levels. One on the list was, "Add 20 points if you practice some form of relaxation technique each day." I told my friend next to me that I couldn't think of anything and she was surprised that I didn't do deep breathing or yoga or something like that. Then I thought about stitching my hexagons. I have found them so relaxing to work on, especially while listening to something (TV, music... DH). So I gave myself the 20 points.

Pretty Colors

Every Thursday morning I get together with a group of warm hearted friends to crochet and stitch. Most of our projects go to good causes. We’ve crocheted burp cloths for new mothers, hats for children and the Women’s Center, hot pads to welcome new neighbors.

Now we are making the prettiest little bookmarks for those who are ill or in need of some cheer and love. These are so much fun and work up quickly. I've been making lots of them so that I can try all the different colors of thread and ribbon combinations. I love playing with color and that’s what keeps it interesting. Besides working alongside some great ladies.

Hexagon Report

My spare minutes this weekend were spent stitching hexies and this is how I've done so far. I've passed the "just a placemat" stage and now on my way to "table runner." You've all been so sweet and encouraging that there is no way I can set it aside now, so it will keep on growing. There is a long ways to go yet but I'm still aiming for that lap quilt.

How Far Will I Go?

I’ve been seeing some spectacular hexagon flowers out there in quilting land. Sherri has stitched gorgeous hexagons out of soft florals. Then there are Jackie’s cheerful ones and she is also very organized about it. Lettie has a reputation for making pretty fabric flowers of all sorts and is now doing hexagon flowers too. Kaaren showed us her magnificent treasure that she is beautifully recreating. And “Tool Time” Karen who has such terrific ideas for lots of things also has an amazing one for simplifying hexagons.


Every time I look at them, I yearn to make one too. In fact I can’t seem to get it out of my mind. But I’ve been there before on a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt and it didn’t go very far. I don’t want to set myself up for failure again so this time I gave myself a challenge to see just how far I can go but in a way I can’t fail.


So, I sat down tonight and thoroughly enjoyed myself stitching a flower. If that’s as far as I get…it will be a mug mat. I’ve done okay. But it was way too fun so I know I’ll have no problem going a little farther than that… stitch up another flower or two to add to it and perhaps achieve a table runner, maybe even on to a wall hanging. Ideally, though, I hope to keep going and make it to at least a lap quilt. Do you think I can?


Who knows…maybe I’ll be Super Hexagoner and achieve a bed sized quilt…LOL.

Another Little One

There is a pattern for the cutest little quilt in this month’s American Patchwork & Quilting magazine called “A Little Star Struck”. I just finished making one for me today (with a few changes). Now I have another small quilt for my wall. The star blocks are just 3 inches square and my quilt measures 12 ½ inches by 15 ½ inches. This is great for using up tiny scraps. Those that are too small for most projects work perfectly for miniatures.

Easter Dresses

Nanette and Eileen are having a challenge to show our childhood Easter dress pictures. It didn’t take me too long to find one of mine. And here it is. It’s old and hard to see but brings sweet memories nonetheless. This is me and my sisters and my mom all dressed up and standing in the side yard of our home. I am the oldest and tallest girl in the middle with very light blonde hair. I have loved yellow since I was very small and this dress was all yellow and was my favorite for a long time. Mom made it for me and it was a happy time.

One of my first sewing projects was taking leftover scraps of fabric from that dress and stitching a costume for a puppet I was making in school. His name was Buttons and was in the class puppet show. I wore my yellow dress to school that day so we would match.

Hope you all have a wonderful, beautiful Easter.

Pinwheels in Miniature

I’ve been seeing some absolutely gorgeous pinwheel quilts out there, which makes me eager to start cutting out one of my own. But I have a few other large projects that need to be finished first. In the meantime, I decided to make time for a small version to satisfy my craving. This was supposed to be an evening project, but it took a little bit longer than that.


It measures 9” by 12” and the little pinwheels are 2 inches square.

A totally fun project and I think it makes a nice addition to my small quilts wall.