My oh my how time flies...

What's been going on in my blog absence?

 

Let's see.  We lost heat around shortly after Thanksgiving.  Husband came home from working

out of town the week before Christmas and saved the day by fixing the heat.  Having a husband with "fix it" skills rocks!  Unfortunately the heat died again on Christmas Eve...the day my husband headed back to work.  Had rain and below freezing temperatures for Christmas day.  Heat fixed again two days after Christmas.

 

But hey...we had it easy compared to so many other people right now.  I seriously can't watch or read the news anymore.  It's too sad.  I seriously expected the world to implode on December 21st.

 

I and my son spent Christmas on the couch under quilts watching our favorite movies and we had a simple dinner...which was a good thing because while the ham was cooking, it was heating up the house at the same time.

 

And on Christmas Day our neighborhood hawk decided to pay a visit and 

I managed to capture this shot through the storm door.

 

 

 

And the rain and cold brought out the squirrels and TONS of cardinals too. 

Have I ever mentioned that I love squirrels?  Goofy little critters...

 

 

Can you spot all seven cardinals? There are two juvenile males and five females in the photo.  And they were only a small fraction of the birds we saw that day.  Frank and Jesse were in heaven.  They were dying to be let out the door to chase the birds.

 

 

Needless to say there hasn't been a ton of sewing going on.  Sitting in a cold quilting room does not inspire a lot of sewing.  I did manage to make a few things though.

 

I completed two clothesline rugs which went to new homes.  Both of which I forgot to take finished photoss of so here's the first one...in progress.  It was made using 3/4" x 40" strips.

 

 

 

And here is the second rug (thank you Donna for taking a photo and sending it to me).  This one was made from a batik fat quarter bundle that had been sitting around for the last couple of years.  I don't know why I ever bought because when I got home I didn't really like it.  But I have to say it made a beautiful rug.

 

 

 

During breaks from rug making, I made circles (from a charm pack I uncovered while looking for something else) using my Karen Kay Buckley Perfect Circle templates.  I could make circles all day long with those templates because they just always come out so perfect and.  I don't have a solid plan for them yet but I have a few ideas.

 

 

 

During those breaks I also managed to finish up the last of my triangle blocks.  I now have 150 of them plus a few extras.  Because this quilt is not from a purchased pattern, I'm having to work out issues as I go...like how many to go across and down.  I've laid it out this way but am now thing I want to turn it so the points will be at the top and bottom. 

 

 

 I plan to set the quilt with a solid color and put a solid border around that. I'm thinking a dark red would be nice...or maybe a brown or dark blue. Thoughts? 

 

 

NOTE FOR PIP:  STOP READING NOW AND DON'T SCROLL DOWN ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT YOUR PILLOW COVER TO BE A SURPRISE

 

And finally,  last night I finished Pip's pillow cover that she won from me during the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day.  She asked for a pillow cover in blues and I know the pillow looks kinda purple but I assure you its blue...Periwinkle to be more precise.  I really really really LOVE this pillow cover!  I hope she will too.

 

 

 

In closing,  I hope y'all had a great Christmas.  And if I don't make it back here by New Year's, I hope you have a great one of them too.  Stay warm...or cool depending on where you live...and be safe. 

 

Talk at you again soon!

 

We have a winner!

The Quilters Gallery Blog Hop Giveaway winner is...

 

 

Miriam

Congratulations!

 

 

And to everyone else...thanks for playing along. 

I wish I had something for each of you.

Quilters Blog Hop Party Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Quilters Blog Hop Party hosted by Quilting Gallery.

 

Today I'm giving away TWELVE Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

patterns to one lucky person!

 

 

Three Barns, Brown-Eyed Girl, Route 44, Ashcombe, Times Four, and Heartland

 

 

Tuffets, Lincoln, Sunday Best, OSO, Sweety Liberty ~ Tuffets, and Joy Luck

 

 

To win, simply leave me a comment telling me anything you like...no other hoops to jump through.

 

This giveaway is open to everyone, both in the USA and abroad. But please make

sure I have a way to contact you. "No reply" commenters that do not leave

their email address are not eligible for the giveaway.

On Monday, December 17th, I'll announce the winner which will

be chosen via random number generator.

Good luck to everyone!!!

P.S. To see all the bloggers participating in the Quilter's Blog Hop Party click HERE.

And the SMS Giveaway Winner is...

 

 

Pip

 

 

Congratulations Pip! 

 

 

Stayed for another giveaway on Monday when I'll be participating

in the Quilting Gallery's Blog Hop Party Giveaway.

 

See you then!

 

 

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

 

I feel completely unprepared but here goes...

 

Welcome to my giveaway for Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day!

 

Today I'm offering a custom made

16" Cathedral Window Pillow Cover

just for you. 

 

Here are your two style options:

 

 

As far as the fabric, they can be just about anything you want. 

Solids? Certain color or colors?  Or maybe there's a certain designer you particularly love? 

 

I have a fairly large and ecclectic collection of fabric so feel to let your imagination go wild. 

My fabrics go from Kaffe to Civil War and everything in between. 

 

 

This giveaway is open to everyone no matter where you live.

And all you need to do is leave me a comment telling me:

 

1.  Which style of pillow cover you would prefer?

 

2.  And what fabrics would you like your pillow made in?

 

 

This giveaway will be open till next Friday, December 7th, when I will announce the winner.

 

Please make sure I have a way to contact you.  If you are a no reply blogger,

please leave your email address with your comment.

 

 

To check out all the other giveaways, please visit the following links.

 

Handmade Baby/Kid Items

Handmade Accessories

Handmade for the Home

Sewing/Craft Supplies

Handmade Bags

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and good luck!

 

 

 

 

What's been going on?

Let's see...

 

I made my very first teddy, loosely following this tutorial.

 

 

Following the tutorial, he was actually quite easy to make. 

I think he turned out pretty good for a first effort. 

 

 

After that I was feeling pretty brave so I decide to drag out my Stupid Sock Creatures

book and try making a monster.  I've had the book forever but hadn't felt

adventurous enough to try making one until now.

 

Since this photo was taken I've stuffed the arms, attached them and started to stitch the head on. 

The mouth still needs some finessing but I think it's coming along rather nicely. 

 

 

While sorting through my fabrics to do some destashing a week or

so ago, I got myself sidetracked.  And here is the result.

 

 

I've got 86 triangles made and am half done making another 80.  I've come up with

a couple setting ideas and now just need to decide on one.

 

 

I also made another clothesline rug last week.  Recently I was asked if I could make

three rugs for someone who wanted them for Christmas gifts.

 

The rug was made using two 100 ft. packages of clothesline.  It measures 24" x 27 1/2". 

It only took about eight hours to finish.  I would have already made the other two

rugs but I ran out of clothesline.  Fingers crossed, it'll be here Monday-ish.

 

 

And Tuesday evening I made this giant Cathedral Window pillow.

 

While at the Houston quilt show, I and my friends saw a pillow like this in a vendor's booth. 

I think it was displayed just to show off Kaffe fabric because there didn't appear

to be a pattern for sale...not that I needed it.  Right then and there

I knew I was going to go home and make one.

 

 

And finally...on Monday I received not one but TWO pillow covers from Sarah (coincidentallyquilting) for Modern She Made Swap on Flickr.

 

I am very pleased with the covers she made and I'm looking forward to participating

again.  If you think you might be interested in participating in this swap,

just click the link above.  The swap is open anyone.

 

 

Well that's all I have for today.  It's back to making triangle blocks for me.

 

Till next time...

 

So long, farewell, aufwiedersehn...

...goodbye to my Modern She Made Swap pillow cover. 

It is now on it way to its new home.  I really hate to see it go but

I hope the recipient loves it as much as I do.

 

 

It took me a while to decide what to quilt in those corners.  In the end I opted for more feathers.  Everything else I sketched just didn't seem to work for me.  Part of me wonders if I

should have just left the space unquilted...maybe next time.

 

For the binding and backing I went with a taupy grey daisy print. I really wanted something with a lack of color so as to not take your eye away from where you should really be looking.  I think a colorful binding would have kept drawing your eyes to edge too much.

 

I also made a few other goodies to send along with the pillow...a little

coin purse, a key chain, and a needle book.

 

 

Thank you to everyone who left comments the last time I posted about this project. 

It took me a long time to decide what to make.  And even once I decided

what to do, I wasn't always sure I was on the right track.

 

It always feels good to receive positive feedback.

 

Thanks again. 

Mom's Turkey Dressing

With Thanksgiving days away, I thought I'd share with you a recipe I acquired from my mother years ago.  This recipe has been so popular in my house that it is permanently clipped to the refrigerator door.  And it is soooooo good that I'm confident that after reading it, you'll be sharing it with everyone you know.  It's THAT good!


Mom's Turkey Dressing

3 eggs
2 cups rice
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups unpopped popcorn

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  Mix all ingredients together and stuff turkey.
3.  Bake at 350 degrees until popcorn blows the ass off the turkey.


Turkey's DONE!

Thanks Mom.

What I'm working on

While doing some organizing and sorting of my quilt stuffus, I came across a bunch of little quilts that have been accumulating.  So I have decided to spend some time this week quilting them...fingers crossed.

 

Except for the last two, the first four are all from leftover of other quilts.  I hate throwing away scraps and leftover blocks.  It just seems like such a waste.  If I can't find someone to pass them along to, I make a little quilt.

 

The first quilt shown are the leftovers from a 30's dresden quilt I made.  The blocks you see were the used to go around all the blocks.  Someday I'll get that dresden quilted.  The second quilt you see were the left overs after cutting tumbler blocks out of 5" charms.  Nothing too fancy but I like it.

 

The third little quilt here came from the ends of 60 degree triangles I cut...and haven't done anything with yet.  I really need to get back to that project.  The fourth one here came from my Ocean Waves quilt.  With the pink setting fabric I used, it became clear very early on that using pink blocks too wasn't going to look very good.  But they work as a little quilt.

Ever have just one charm pack of something?  It never feels like enough to do anything with.  I found that they make a great little tumbler quilt.    And finally, this last little quilt is a design from Lori Smith of From My Heart to Your Hands.  It was made from four fat quarters.  It's not a favorite of mine...maybe because of the colors I used.  I'm hoping some fancy quilting with snazz it up.

 

 

I have my next little quilt progress.  From the leftovers of another quilt I'm making 2" finished hour glass blocks.  After thinking about all the possible layouts I've decided to do a simple every other block kinda thing. This one is going to be a lot of fun to quilt and I can't wait.

 

 

 

Well that's all from me for now.  I hope y'all are having a great week.

 

Till next time...

 

There and back again...Part 2

 

Here is the second and final installment of my quilt pictures from Houston.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 Odin's Trilogy
by Linzi Upton of Banchory, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

 

 

Scenery Through Round Windows

by Keiko Morihiro and 30 friends of Sanda-City, Hyogo, Japan



 

Diamond Quilt

by Tara Faughnan, Oakland, California

 

 

Alexandra's Quilt

by Tara Faughnan of Oakland, California

 

 

 



Dear Friends

by  Michiko Yanagihara and 8 friends of Gotemba, Shizouka, Japan

 



Imagining India

by Pat Holly of Ann Arbor, Michigan



 

Summer at the Lake

by Rahna Summerlin of Port Orange, Florida

 



Lumination II

by Susan McBride Gilgen of St. George, Utah

 

 

Pennsylvania Hearts & Hands

by Kelley Cunningham of Stevensville, Maryland

 

 

Tennessee Treasures

by Linda Roy of Knoxville, Tennessee

 

 

The Peaceful Ones

by Denise Havlan of Plainfield, Illinois

 

 

Mother Earth

by Julie Duschack of Denmark, Wisconsin

 

Ms. MacDonald Had a Farm

by Lynn Czaban and member of the Hanging by a Thread Group of Vancouver, WA

 

Koshare Indian Dancer

by Carol Moellers and others of Green, Iowa

 

 

Synergy

by Nancy Sterett Martin and Karen Sistek of Owensboro, Kentucky



 

Schooling Through the Jellies

by Susan Fletcher King of Houston, TX

 

Rainbow Lorikeet

by Helen Godden of Latham, ACT, Australia

 

Flower Quartet

by Yasuko Sugaya of Ichibara, Chiba, Japan