Sometimes I feel like this ...................................................................................................................................................................... and then I feel like doing this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My husband has a little time on his hands so he is doing some work on the store, there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day for me to get around to fixing problems. Besides there have been issues that I haven't been able to fix and he is trying to get them fixed. I know he has done considerable work on the shipping charges and we think that maybe they are working right now. So if they have kept you from ordering try again it should be good.
I decided with the encouragement of one of my daughters that I was going to do a project that I have wanted to do for sometime. But because it wasn't for someone or needed to get done, I haven't done it. It is a want to do project just because I liked it. After all the Christmas projects this is a relaxing change.
So what you see is the in progress of a cute pattern I saw at the local quilt store. It is a design from Eagles Nest Designs. I am using a layer cake from Moda's Civil War line. So for now that is all I am going to tell you. Stay tuned for the finished project.
A couple of years ago I gave our big tree to one of our daughters, so now we just have this little one. This year I decided to only put bells, snowflakes and silver beads on it. I left all the other decorations in the box and decided simple would be good. We are having a quiet Christmas. All our children and grandchildren are enjoying the season at their own homes. By now they should all be tucked in bed with dreams of sugar plums running through their heads.
I am very grateful for all the blessings in my life. I would like to thank all that come by and comment. May your families be blessed with health and happiness. May you have a wonderful and bountiful New Year.
This year I was going to take it easy for Christmas... no sewing projects and limited cooking/baking... about three weeks ago my husband asks what are you making my family for Christmas? WHAT am I making? Two years ago I made Christmas tree skirts so we came up with the idea to make matching table runners... Mom (inchworm fabrics) sent me some of the snowmen panels from the store and I went to work and now 2 weeks later this is what I had there was a little left over so I made some trivets.... the limiting factors were time and material. I had to buy some new and of course I could not find the same material.... it has been two years.... so what else could I expect. The runners are 42 inches... the pictures only show half of each runner. I used the link Margaret (average quilter) suggested to make flying geese and decided I did not like the geese and so I made them into two colored diamonds... so there is a little three d affect.
Well I finished another project. This one was for a friend. She made the quilt top for one of her daughter-in-laws who is having a boy. The baby shower was today. I wasn't sure I was going to get it done in time. I started quilting it last night and I was having tension problems. I had to take out a couple of passes twice. Between my husband and my self I finally got it finished after lunch. Wheee don't you just hate it when a 2 hour project becomes 6 hour project. I finished it with and hour to spare before the shower.
Now I am down to the it would be nice projects but............ I don't know if I feel like doing any of them. I was thinking about doing some baking. I really just want to be lazy. Who knows lazy may win out. Have a nice weekend.
This is from a panel 'Makin New Friends'. It is a little large for a mug rug but it was to cute so I quilted it anyway. Maybe it can be used for a candle mat or be displayed with other panels as a wall decoration. Well so much for the fun stuff. It is time to go to bed. I have to work in the morning and I need to quilt a baby quilt for a friend tomorrow night. A person has to mix a little play amongst the work, right?
Barb told me about mug rugs Monday. Where have I been, never heard the term before that. So I decided that I was going to give it a try. I made mine reversible. I am going to make some more tonight. I like these oversized coasters or mini quilts or hot pad, what ever you want to call them. So stay tuned for the next installment.
Well I have been busy making presents for the grand kids, but I am not going to post any pictures because they are for the daughters that read this blog and I want it to be a surprise.
I went and did a foolish thing, someone asked me if I wanted to have a table at a bazaar on the 18th, they really needed more people and I told her that I would call and let her know but now I feel like I should do it. It will be at a Senior Living home so that the residents can buy presents for their families because a lot of them don't get out. It is for a good cause. But now besides the grand kid presents, I need to be working on stuff for that. This is in addition to working full time. Ahhhhhhhh the pressure. I must thrive on it because I do it to myself a lot.
Well to change the subject. I have Somoan Jelly Rolls in the store again. Unfortunately my source (Barb) has moved to Virginia, so these will be the last of them unless I can find a new source ;). So if you want one you will have to act fast because when they are gone, they are gone (and they are 15% off till the end of December). The fabric you see in the picture is not necessarily what you will be getting but it will be pretty. You can click on the picture to take you to the order page.
My project for last night was mittens made out of fleece. First I had to take a pattern and use grid paper and enlarge it for the size I needed which took a little bit of time. Then I found some left over fleece which is very soft and cuddley. Then I cut out the mittens. They were so small, (for 1.5 year olds). But they turned out so cute, I was tickled with the results. So I made two pair and a matching hat but I forgot to take pictures before I wrapped them and sent them off to the little twin grandbabies. It was so much fun. I am trying to decide what to do tonight.HUMMMMM.................which grandkid is next?
I don't know about the rest of you but I miss Barb's daily blog. I talked to her on Saturday and she was shopping with Mom and sister Beverly. You ask what for? Need you ask, fabric or course. I don't know a family that has more fun than we do shopping for fabric. Well I do think I heard them quibbling about coupons in the back ground but...........what can I say. I think she is on her way to Virginia tomorrow and maybe just maybe we may hear from her.
This is my current project for a Christmas present. I am making 6 inch blocks using the abc panel fabric from Moda's line Animal Alphabets.
It has been so quiet, I am assuming that everyone has their noses to the grind stone getting presents ready to ship to family and friends near and far. Good luck and happy sewing. There are some new additions to the Kona Bay fabrics on the Inchworm Store.
This is what I am doing with my evening. A non quilting project. I am making laminated quiet books for church for grandkids for Christmas. OOOPS........the cat is out of the bag if my kids read this blog.
This is what my other half is doing with his evening and most other evenings. We lead a rather quiet life when the grandkids aren't around.
Another week and it snowed about 6 inches, so we are semi snowed in (who wants to go anywhere on slick roads). It is going to be a long winter if it snows every week. I have to drive 16 miles to work and I don't like driving in the snow. I have to admit it is light and fluffy and pretty but......... it still doesn't make it any easier to drive in. If it weren't dark I would take a picture and post it. Hope everyone is snug and warm.
We had a blizzard on Monday and it has been bitter cold all week. Five of my seven kids and their families were here for Thanksgiving. My house seems really small with that many people in it and the noise level was incredible at times. Since our nest has been empty for awhile we have grown accustom to the quiet. Don't get me wrong, we loved having family here but it was so cold we were all going stir crazy. I haven't left the house since I got home Monday after work. Everyone else was coming and going, I think they couldn't take being cooped up for that long.
Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and you did what you enjoy. Maybe got some good deals shopping. I know JoAnns had some tempting sales but not tempting enough for me to go out in the cold, maybe I can hit them next year.
Just a reminder everything in the Inchworm Store is 15% off. For the rest of the month in celebration of Cyber Monday. I have two Christmas Panels from Moda on sale for $4.00.
Thanksgiving is coming up really fast. I don't think I am ready but ready or not here it comes. I don't know about the rest of you but I won't be hitting the Black Friday sales. I don't live where there is much shopping and I definitely don't want to get up at the crack of dawn to drive 2 hours to stand in a line and fight for the insanely reduced sales that don't have enough to go around. I don't like the stress of knowing that I didn't get the good deal because I was to late, to slow or looked in the wrong place. Personally I like the online sales the best.
Well this may not be the time of the year that you are into shopping for fabric but if you are interested, I have a deal for you. Everything in the Inchworm Store will be 15% off the already low prices till the end of the month. I have fat quarter bundles of everything in the store just leave a comment on which ones you want and I will customize your bundle.
I will be having family at my house and I will definitely enjoy their company. I am grateful for this country we live in and for the freedoms we enjoy and pray that we can enjoy them for a long time to come.
Retro Mummy is giving away some fat quarters from the Sweet Brodiere. They are beautiful and you should go on over and look at them. I love the fresh girlie look. I haven't seen that line before and I think I have fallen in love.
Looks like I am last again. I am home sick today and remembered that I needed to pick a winner. I got home late last night and was feeling lousy so I went to bed and didn't do a thing. So I hope everyone (meaning my sisters and mom) will forgive me.
Well now to the fun part, I used a random number generator and the winner of my giveaway is
Penny at Penny's Hands. (I didn't realize there was a problem, hopefully it is fixed now, thanks for the feed back)
So email me and let me know your address and I will ship it out this week. Just to remind you I added a Objects of Desire honey bun by Moda (sorry I put the wrong honey bun the first time) to the Thimbleberries patterns. I hope you enjoy them.
I think I may go back to bed. Hope everyone has a great day and thanks for entering. I sure enjoy your comments and the time you take to come by.
Can you guess what the above picture has to do with my Saturday? I decided to make a few baby quilts and blankets and baby car carrier covers. So, you say. Well one of my daughters who knits and crochets and myself, loaded up our crafty stuff and did a booth at a bazaar. I also took precuts from my inchworm store, why not, I thought it would be a good time to get some advertising since I am an online store only. I did give out a lot of business cards and talked to a lot of people. I saw people I hadn't seen in years. All in all it was a fun and productive day.
We left my husband, my daughters husband, and one of my sons in charge of my daughters twins (3.5yr) and a 1 year old. We figured that was a one to one ratio and that they should be able to handle it. Well the house was still standing and the kids were still alive when we got home so I guess everything went well for them.
I enjoyed myself but........there is always a but... I am so tired today, I guess I am not as young as I used to be. I told my husband that I must have been on an adrinaline high because I wasn't tired till after I got home and then I felt like a mac truck had run over me. Well maybe that is a little dramatic but you get my drift.
Well that is the long way around to explaining the picture. It is the fat quarters and all the precuts that I took with me that are left over. So I am going to add a turnover to the MOM and FOUR SISTER give away.
I don't know what happened to Jeanette's giveaway post....maybe she was having trouble with blogger last night. I don't know about you but I have been having trouble with blogger....so maybe she was too.
I am also chuckling because my giveaway did not post until later for you...I am up at five but it is about 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. your time.
So...if you want to go ahead and leave a comment here, I am sure Jeanette will include you in her giveaway when she gets home. I know it has something to do with Thimbleberries.(Barb)
Well I went to work this morning and forgot all about the giveaway until one of my coworkers commented on my blog. As you can see I am the slacker out of the bunch, Barb asked me last night if I remembered that I needed to post. I said yes of course, and she was worried about the others, it looks like she needed to worry about me.
I am giving away a block of the month pattern collection from Thimbleberries called "Build a Village Block by Block". They are new and there are 12 card stock patterns. (I picked them up at my local quilt store, can't pass up a good deal.) All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me what you like about Thimbleberries. For everyone that already left a comment you dont have to do another. Then if you want to enter my sisters and mothers contest you can go to Quilters Corner and the Average Quilter and last but not least the spear head of this giveaway Bejeweled Quilts by Barb. We will all pick a winner next Wednesday and good luck to everyone. You can become a follower if you like and shop my store would be great. If you mention this giveaway on your order I will throw in a free gift.
I am trying to make a effort to do something every night. I had this baby top ready so I decided to quilt it tonight. Baby quilts really don't take to long but it is getting my tired body to muster up the energy to do it after I get home from work. I just want to veg but I have a goal to get somethings done for a Bazaar this weekend. Hurrah for goals.....not! Check back to see what I get done tomorrow.
P.S. I just read Barb's blog. She can't dance to much there is only 3 years between her and me and only a year between her and Margaret. I just wanted to clarify before everyone thought I was some old decrepit over the hill, on their death bed grandma. I may have 17 grandkids (she got the number wrong, another clarification) but there is a little pep left in this middle age body (I say if you aren't over 70 you are middle age). I may not be able to run a marathon but I still can out run the grandkids, well most of them anyway.
We are definitely going to have a 4 sis and mom giveaway, we are just trying to get it to fit into our many schedules, well maybe my schedule, I think the rest are ready to go. Soon very soon. So check back, to make sure you dont miss it.
Some weeks go by so fast that I don't feel like I get anything accomplished. Thursday I went to one of my daughters and babysat her two little boys. Friday and Saturday my other daughter, her husband and their 3 little kids were here. Not much computer time or quilting while the grandkids are here but I sure enjoy them.
I did get this baby quilt done. I was practicing my swirls. Not the best but I am getting better. I will blame it on the machine I have to work with. HA what an excuse but the only one I have.
One of my daughters and I are going to do a Bazaar this weekend so I will be busy and probably won't have much computer time. Hope everyone has a great week and I will let you know how it goes.
Oh by the way if you haven't checked out Kona Bays 6 yard bolts, you should hop right over there, they have a very nice collection and you can order directly from them. Use the code 7242 and they will send you a free gift. It is really a good deal for their fabric and they have the nicest fabric.
This is what I ended up doing on Saturday. Apple Juice and more Apple Juice. My back is still killing me. "The old gray mare aint what she used to be."
So I had to put the blocks together last night. I thought I was short blocks and was about to abandon the project for another day but Barb wouldn't let me quit. So tonight we were on a messenger call and every time she didn't hear the sewing machine she would get me back on track(what a slave driver). It is so easy to get side tracked, the internet calls, I start looking for patterns, food breaks, and potty stops. But I finished, well except for the border and I will have to think on it for a bit and decide what I want to do. I love it when I get done.
I can breathe a sigh of relief and start a new project. That's the beauty of quilting. There is always another one on my mind. You gotta love it.
This is the stack after I ironed. I took LesQuilts advice and turned my computer onto hulu and watched 3 episodes of Castle so I could get my ironing and squaring done.
Next is the stack after I squared them up and as you can see there is the pile of trimings. It took about 3 hours to do all that and my knees hurt after standing in one spot for that long. I should have taken a break but I was committed to getting them done; do or die.
I am having a TADAH moment. The hard part is done and the fun part is to come. I love putting the blocks together and seeing the quilt come alive. All the tedium is worth the end creation. It always amazes me how beautiful they turn out and I have to marvel and ask myself, DID I DO THAT?.
This is what I have been up to for the last few days. I have been keeping my nose to the grindstone. I started this quilt to far back that I cant even remember. It was for one of my daughters for graduation from college, I think. My memory is a little fuzzy. But any way I found a block called Oklahoma twister and I designed a queen size quilt using 20 inch blocks. Well I have the blocks together but need to iron and square up and that is where I have lost steam. I started cleaning my sewing room again, not a good sign. That usually means I am procrastinating but it does make for a clean room. Barb is giving me a hard time as I type about not getting the ironing done. That entails standing and by this time of day my feet are killing me, well not really but they do hurt. I guess I could iron sitting down but my ironing board is on the back of my door because I dont have room to put a big one up. So there, I have an excuse, all be it not a good one. I am going to go iron now. Maybe by the weekend I will have the whole top put together. That would be one more project closer to completion. Cant wait.
Well I made it through Friday and Saturday and now it it Sunday. Back to work for me tomorrow.I got a little energetic on Friday I finished this diaper bag for one of my daughters who is expecting in March.
It didn't take to long to do, only 2 years. It has been cut out since she had her last child but I decided that I would finish up some old projects and I started with easy ones. Feels good to have one less item staring at me crying to be finished. Can't you hear them? I know I can especially when I start something new, they all start calling, calling, calling to be finished. Its Halloween early here, I don't need to go to a fright show.
When I got up this morning I thought it was Friday. My husband burst my bubble by arguing with me that it was Thursday, don't you just hate it when they are right? Bummer. I just couldn't get into my work today I was so tired. I did get a pleasant surprise when I got home I had a package. A bolt of fabric that I love, Midnight Cowboy, and some quilt books for the store. I can't seem to get the pictures to download so I guess if you are curious you will have to go look. Maybe I will try again later. Hope everyone has a nice Friday. I will be having two this week. "Sigh"
Sorry to have keep you in suspense but I waited till I could get a hold of the winners. I posted yesterday morning but had to delete that post and redo the drawing. Now I have three winners and they have all let me know their information.
Monica of Diary of a Quilt Maven won the Civil War Fat Quarters.
Janet of Renaissance Living won the Nostalgia Honey Bun by Moda.
Winona of Cat Lovers and Quilt Maker won the Cut Blossom Lane Panel.
Congratulations to all three of you and thanks to everyone that stopped by and left comments. I was blasted out of the water by your responses and wish I had more to give away.
I spent my Saturday planting shrubs and canning tomatoes. I am so sore and tired today, this chick aint as young as she used to be. (sigh of sadness) Who will take care of me when I cant any more? I am afraid I will be sol. Oh well I guess I will drown my sorrows in fabric, that always perks me up. :)
