Water Color Wonders

Here's what's on my "design wall" today...

 

A LOOOONNNNGGG time ago I bought a pack of floral 2 inch squares labeled "Water Color Wonders" with the intent of making a wall hanging of some sort, it was when doing color gradations was all the rage.  The darling grands played with the squares a couple of months ago, 'sorting' and generally playing with the colors, kind of like an I Spy kit.  That brought it out of the drawer at least!  It probably hadn't seen the light of day in many moons.

So as long as they had it sorted, I grabbed it up and while watching my taped reruns of The Gilmore Girls last weekend, I started sewing them into pairs, then into fours, and then into 16 patch blocks.  My intent was to get them sewn together before the fraying got out of control.  But I kind of liked the resulting block combinations.

I think some of the squares are from another batch of cutting, because they don't all have that "kit" feeling, and there are some geometrics mixed in.  I pulled out the obvious mis-matches, like the bright kiddie prints, and added a few cuts from the scrap box.  I still need to final the layout, and taking the photo helped.  When you have that many little pieces, sometimes they stand out more when you snap a picture rather than look at them 'live'.    And I need one more block, so it's back to the 2 inch bin for 16 more squares.

This is not a true charm quilt in process -- I did notice that there are at least two fabrics that have been duplicated, although with different chunks of the prints you don't notice unless you really look closely.

Might get this finished next week, with a couple of extra days off work.  If I can get it quilted, I have a spot in my upstairs hall that is just begging for an art piece!

Sew on!

The Green Thing... and Other Things

While getting my Rita Fix today, I discovered another really wise philosophical position on Being Green... you know, the modern definition of being green, like taking the bus to work or making a compost pile instead of using your garbage disposal.

I believe in the concept of good stewardship of the earth.  I'd much rather take the bus and read, if it wouldn't take me twice as long to get to work.  I pack my lunch four days a week in a reusable lunch bag and take things in reusable containers. 

I have reusable mugs for tea. 

I grow lettuce and tomatoes in the brief Wisconsin summer, and I shop vegetable stands and farmers' markets when I find them. 

I took a carbon footprint test this weekend.  Oh dear, I am afraid that my solo drive to work nearly cancels out the farmers' markets and library card!!  And I forget to take my own grocery bags about 50% of the time. 

BUT we USE those plastic bags to dispose of doggie do and cat litter!  And hey, once I even cut the bags into strips and crocheted a reusable tote from them!

If you want to read a great story about how 'green' we were back in the day, when we were kids (or if you're younger, maybe when your mom was a kid), hop on over to Rita's blog and read the March 26 post here:  http://ritassewfun.blogspot.com/

Another cool blog I've added to my list is by Samina-- who is lately retired?  Am I right, Samina?  She used to work at American Sewing Guild headquarters, and now she's joining us in the bloggosphere with her Sew Everything blog, here:  http://seweverythingblog.wordpress.com/

On this day in history:

• In 1885 the first commercial moving picture film was produced in Rochester NY by George Eastman.
• In 1951 the U.S. Air Force flag was approved.
• In 1953 Dr. Jonas Salk announced a new vaccine to prevent Polio.
• in 1969 Marcus Welby, M.D., a made for TV movie, was shown on ABC.  Remember Robert Young??
• in 1990 Billy Crystal hosted the 62nd Annual Academy Awards, and Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture of 1989.

If these folks were still alive it would be their birthday:

• Playwright Tennessee Williams
• U.S. Army General William Westmoreland
• Actor Sterling Hayden -- wasn't he the voice of Winnie The Pooh for Disney?

These people ARE celebrating today!

• Sandra Day O'Connor
• Leonard Nimoy (Live long and prosper!)
• Bob Woodward
• Erica Jong
• Leeza Gibbons

If today is your birthday, many happy returns of the day! 

Sew on...

Are You Ready for Sewing Weekend???

Are you ready for Sewing Weekend???  May 2-4, 2013 is Sewing Weekend!

At the risk of having one of my five followers show up and make it more crowded, I'm encouraging everyone out there to take a chance on Sewing Weekend.  You won't be sorry.  It's the show to beat if you're putting on a show, and my personal favorite way to spend a weekend in Central Wisconsin.

This year, there are nationally known experts in the sewing field, both garment and quilting, plus embroidery experts too for added fun.  Lest you think I am sounding like a commercial, I have to tell you I think it's the best thing that ever happened on my birthday weekend!  It's so nice of Nancy to throw me a party!!

This year I signed up for a lecture by Mark Lipinski, one by Emma Seabrook, one by Linda McGehee, and one by Nancy Zieman.  I'm also going to listen to one on quilt bindings by a woman I have not heard before, but I'm sure it will be great and I'll learn something.



Linda, Nancy and Mark

I'm also excited about going to see the Midwest Ya-Ya Sisters, my friends Rita Farro and Mary Mulari.  They're a hoot when they get together!

Can't you just see them having the best time ever??  I have to remember to get some Zebra going on so I can be part of the club that weekend.

See, it IS like a gigantic girls' club at Sewing Weekend.  You meet all sorts of nice people, chat until your jaws ache, see the world's greatest style show, and shop until you drop!  In case you haven't figured it out, I LOVE IT!  I highly recommend the experience!

Oh, and did you see the Sewing with Nancy 30th Anniversary program on PBS this year?  I was in it!  Yep, in BOTH episodes, between sections I was on screen applauding for about four seconds late in the show.  If you blinked, you missed me!

Sew on...

I Won!!

Some people are just born lucky.  I, on the other hand, was not.  I consider myself blessed because I have a nice life, you know?  Nice hubby, although he can get cranky sometimes, good kids and grands, job I like, great satisfying hobbies, friends, the works.  But lucky, not so much.  Or I would have won the lottery or something.

So imagine my surprise and delight to have my name drawn as the winner of some gorgeous fabric from http://cspoonquilt.blogspot.com/ and you can click here to see them.

She was writing about using up scraps and made a darling little purse.  Go over and take a look.  Boy, it will make you want to save EVERYTHING!!

Anyway, I guess it was my lucky day.  So thank you, cspoon!!  (OK, I know that's not her name but it's cute.  Thanks, Claire!)

I'm feeling lucky.  I should buy a lottery ticket today!

Sew on...

The Adventures of "E" -- Teaching Kids to Sew Part II

Oh my goodness... this has been in my 'draft' folder for almost a year!  Well, have a read and you can chide me for being a bad blogger. 

March 2012:

I had the opportunity to take some time off work while the grands had spring break.  E, my oldest grand wanted another sewing session.  I have blogged before about how she's learning to use the sewing machine.  We were guest bloggers on the American Sewing Guild blog, found here.

This time she wanted to learn how to use the embroidery machine. OOOOOO-kay... well, she's pretty good at threading the Viking so I thought we'd give it a shot.

She picked out a few spools of variegated embroidery thread to use.  We found stabilizer and some white-on-white cotton fabric.  I showed her how to hoop everything. 

She picked a one color design, since the thread color would change automatically.  Little sister thought watching the multicolored butterfly appear was very cool.  When the design was done E removed it from the machine and clipped threads.  Then she went on to pick another design and another thread color.  Much discussion ensued about what would look the coolest. 

Her first ever thread next!!

E did four more designs, including her initial in gold in a scroll-type font.  We talked about how to use these squares in a project.  She decided to make a place mat.  For a pattern she pulled a placemat from the linen closet.  



She is good a choosing complementing colors.



From the fat quarter bin she chose a lovely piece of blue plaid that coordinated with most of the embroidery thread she had used.  She used a scissors to rough cut a large rectangle for the center, and I finished up with the rotary cutter.  (I think rotary cutters are just a bit dangerous for a beginner, especially with a little sister running around!)  I also trimmed out the embroideries.

E took some time to arrange her embroidered squares in a pleasing layout, and assembled her place mat top.  Next we went to the ironing board.  Oh-oh!!  Even though we were being very careful, accidents sometimes happen, and she touched the hot iron with the back of her finger.  (2013 update:  she has since learned to use the iron without ironing her fingers...)

We took a break for some ice in a baggie for the burn, and had a beverage.  After the sting wore off, she decided that it was time to read a book for a while.  Mom came home and we stopped for dinner.

Next day we returned to the project.  E had chosen a white fabric with multicolored dots for a backing.  She pinned it up, and we discussed how to sew almost all the way around, leaving a whole for turning the project.  She remembered having done this way back when she made her little dog blanket last year, so she happily worked her way around the edges, pulling out the pins as she sewed, stopping to pivot at the corners. 

She turned it right side out without assistance.  Once it was turned, I pressed it.  Not wanting another burn, E declined another trip to the ironing board!  I showed her how to use the edge stitch foot to close the gap in the seam.  Voila!  This is one very lovely place mat!  And one happy grand, with a success in the sewing room.

Things to remember:

• It's fun to choose your own 'ingredients'.
• Build on previous knowledge.
• Don't be afraid to try something new.
• Accidents happen.  Be careful but be prepared.
• It's OK to take a break.
• Make it FUN!!
• Be proud of the finished product. 

Happy sewing!

She's Baaa-aack!!

Rita's back!  Yay!!  What?? 

My e-friend, Rita, writes a blog that I love to read (link at right in my favorite blog sites)... I go out there daily to see what's going on in her life.  I love the way she writes, she finds joy and purpose in everyday life, and she has a GREAT sense of humor.

Fact:  I love to read.  I read probably 50 books a year, magazines, newspapers, to say nothing of a gazillion emails and other messages every day.  When I have nothing to read I re-read things I have enjoyed.

So when some of the bloggers I follow take a couple of weeks off, I go into withdrawal.  In the absence of a book in my desk drawer I will catch up on my blogging friends during my work breaks.  It makes me sad when there's nothing new posted for a while.

Rita went to a sewing expo and I'm sure she was worn out when she came back.  Gosh, do I know the feeling!  But boy was I sad when after several days she STILL wasn't posting anything.  But she is back.  Today's post said many people nagged her to get back.  Good!  Dang it I need my Rita fix!!

Hope my four followers aren't saying the same thing when I don't post.  Or maybe I should hope they ARE!

Here are a few random thoughts:

Today, March 14, is National PI day.  Not pie, pi, you know, 3.14156789... that's not the right number but I forget.  Congress declared National Pi Day to be 3-14 back in 2009.  Your tax dollars at work.  Well, it's good to know they actually DO something once in a while.

Winter in Wisconsin is too darn long.  We got more snow this week.  Ugh.   DH is tired of shoveling.  I personally am tired of having to drive behind people going 12 miles per hour.

Daylight Savings Time was last weekend.  Why do they keep shoving it around to different weekends?  And this one was a bad one, I still haven't caught up on my sleep.  I slept too late on Saturday, stayed up too late on Sunday, then tried to get up too early and ended up with a migraine.

Finished my taxes!  Yeah, it's a pain.  I put it off and put it off, and finally got it done.  Except DH was not a good guy this year record-wise.  Either we didn't spend anything on maintenance on the rental unit or all the receipts were invisible.

Sewing is much more fun when the fitting element is easy.  That is why women quilt!

Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day, or so I've been told.  Sunday is National Get Drunk and Throw Up In A Parking Lot Day.  My apologies to the Irish.  You guys probably can hold your green beer.  Most of the world cannot.

Sew on!

Doll Clothes Marathon

The sewing I've been doing lately is just for fun... a while back I organized my scraps and made a dent in the cleaning project in my sewing room by putting all my doll clothes fabric into two bins, one for 'bottoms' like skirts and pants, and one for tops and such.

In February I was contacted by someone from the youth group in our church about a donation to the Youth Auction in April.  The kids are going to the Youth Gathering in July, and they need to earn money for the trip.  There's a dinner and an auction where they sell goods and services that have been donated to the cause.  Last year I donated a wardrobe for an 18" doll, and I'm doing that again this year.

Making doll clothes has always been fun for me.  I started when I was about 10 or 11 years old, making clothes for my Barbie.  I had one of those original blond Barbies with the boobs and the impossibly small waist and feet.  And the black and white striped bathing suit, remember that??  Oh, yeah!  By the time I stopped playing with her, my Barbie had a career wardrobe, a ton of pants and tops, and several very nice ball gowns.

I moved on to making clothes for the dolls belonging to younger cousins.  They too were pretty well set in the suit and gown department.

My own daughter disdained Barbie.  She was in love with the Cabbage Patch Kids.  And I made a ton of clothing for those kids.  AND I made clothes for the dolls belonging to girls she played with too.

Fast forward to 2003 or 2004 and I now had a granddaughter, who just disdained dolls in general.  BUT she loved stuffed dogs and they all had sweaters and scarves and blankets and hats.  She learned to sew herself and now she will help once in a while with the doll clothes, when she's in the mood.

So I had a marathon sewing session, and all I have left is to sew on a few pieces of Velcro and some trims.  Here's what I am working on:

This red tee was part of an adult sized tee with a few stains on it that became 'fabric'.

The dark denim is a skirt, the light blue is striped pants, and the zipper top is a windbreaker.

Purple tee and lavender corduroys.

Princess pjs and a plaid robe.

Several dresses in various degrees of red prints.

Faux suede pants, a yellow tee, and a leopard fleece coat.

And just for good measure, I spent some time making some clothes for a cast off new style Barbie:



She's got some cool leggings, made with a scrap of stretch lace, plus a ball gown from a silk drapery sample.

These all need snaps, but you see two short skirt and top outfits, plus three denim pieces.

This is the ball gown suite... one in burgundy silk, one knit dress with a flounce, and the silk drapery dress with stole.

The Barbie outfits were made for a friend's granddaughters, whose own dolls are apparently naked at this point.  Of course my youngest grand likes to leave her dolls in the sandbox.  That's how I got my model!

Lucky for me my middle granddaughter likes dolls and plays with them.  She requested some additions to her wardrobe, so there will be no shortage of customers for these items.

I only wish making things for myself was this easy!

Sew on...

Wednesdays in Winter

Winters in Wisconsin are very interesting, to say the least.  Here's why I was late to work on Tuesday...


Freight train, LONG and SLOW...

So, note to self:  Avoid 2nd and Plankinton at 8:08 a.m. or you'll sit for 15 minutes watching tail lights.

Then this was my ride home last night:

And here I am working from home today because it is STILL snowing.  That makes 24 hours of snow!!

So here's how it played out... so far:

• Dec. 20 no snow, lots of rain and it's warm. 
• Feb. 8, snowstorm with nice heavy wet snow but as far as quantity, nothing too major. 
• Feb. 26 it's been warm on and off, nothing to write home about but there is some snow on the ground.
• Feb. 27 we have just short of a foot of heavy wet new snow with a dusting of the light powdery stuff just for fun.

And the danged Internet connection with the apps I need for work just gave out after I entered 56 lines of data into a new project setup.  Every time I try to reconnect it says "System Not Responding".  Guess what, I'm not responding back!  Ha!  Time to shut down the machines, and update my blog.

I'm working on a new sweater for one of the grands.  It uses cables to make owls in the front.  I'll post a photo when it's blocked.

Time to shut down and think about dinner.

Sew on!

Cake and Other Things

Oh God, I miss cake!!

 

I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and I am 'insulin resistant'.  What this means is that my body produces more insulin than I need every day, and my blood sugar is too high.  I am being treated with a medication that lowers the output of glucose from my liver, and I have to manage my diet and --- urgh!! -- exercise more. 

The dreaded exercise!  My mom used to call me a hothouse plant.  Hothouse is what they used to call greenhouses when I was growing up, I guess.   I would have much rather been inside reading or writing than running around outdoors where I might get <gasp> dirty or sweaty.

I grew up with a crew of younger brothers who were always doing some kind of crazy outdoor stuff like climbing trees (and falling out of them) and playing baseball (think bat to the noggin and skinned knees) and other activities that involved running and sweating and smelling 'tired'.  None of that for me, uh uh.  My favorite outside sport was a book under the tree in the yard or on the porch.

Most of my junior high leisure time was spent studying or babysitting.  I played games with small children, but they were small children's games like hide and seek or peek-a-boo.  I played with dolls and learned to sew.

Now my days are filled with a demanding job and lots of running around for my sewing group and my quilting group and my card club and the grands and... well, unless I get up at zero dark in the a.m. I find no time to 'work out'. 

Besides, I HATE EXERCISE.

Running is not my thing.  I once fell off a skateboard and it wasn't even moving.  I have a bad foot and bad knees and a bad back.

 

And all that sweating??? No, really, can't go there.

I recently signed up to use the fitness center at my office.  But there are so many people wanting to use the nine machines that it's hard to find a time that the treadmills are free.  Not at the end of the day for sure.  And I really can't see myself taking a random half hour to work out, and then returning to my desk all sweaty.

Today I took a mall walk through the second floor halls.  Not too long a walk, the halls are not endless.  It took me around 12 minutes and I pushed myself to walk fast without actually running.  It was -- well, I guess interesting and weird and also somewhat satisfying that I actually got up from my desk and pushed my butt out the door.  I need to do that every day, and probably go around twice.

Day one of the rest of my life.  I'll never be thin.  I never was thin and I don't expect to get that way again, without it being because of a serious illness.  But maybe I can move more.

Move more, eat less.  The untold secret of successful dieting.

Ugh.  I miss cake.

Hooded Baby Sweater Project!

I learned to knit when I was a teenager, back in the dark ages if you ask my grands!  I love simple projects that work up quickly with soft and supple yarns on good sized needles.  If you ask me how many UFOs I have in my knitting, I refuse to tell you...

However, I did manage to finish one from last winter because I wanted to make a new one from the same pattern and I needed the needles!

Sorry for the sideways photo... Grrr...  Tilt your head to the left a bit.  There you go!

This little wonder was knitted with about a skein and a quarter of some Red Heart variegated worsted weight yarn on number 8 needles.  You'll note that I didn't change needle sizes when I did the lower ribbing on the sleeves and bottom.  I don't know why, I just didn't read the pattern closely I guess.

It has a zipper down the back.  The cool thing is that you lay the baby on his or her back, put the sweater on, turn him/her over and zip down the back.  No struggling over the head, no zipper pinching the little chin.  Sorry, there's not much you can do about arm wrestling, they will flail around while you try to dress them no matter what!

I lost the magazine somewhere among the UFOs when things got moved at Christmas.  Lucky for me I had made a copy to put into a sleeve protector to store with the project.  I had marked it up with the instructions for the medium size and highlighted the first increase row where you place the markers.  Otherwise I would not have the pattern.

This one is in progress...

 I did remember to change needle sizes here.  I just have to pick up the sleeve stitches and finish, then block and add the zipper.

This one is completely done.  I actually used left-overs from previous projects.  It turned out cute!

Honestly!!  It was NOT upside down when I took the picture.  Sometimes Blogger hates me.  Sorry for the inconvenience but I can't get it to stay rotated.

Anyway, knit on!

Weather or Not...

Here in Wisconsin we have a saying, we have three seasons:  June, July and Winter.  This winter has been kind of crazy!  Last winter was one of very minimal snowfall, and then of course in the non-winter months we suffered a drought.  So the winter of 2011-2012 was a 'snow drought'.

The Water Resources engineers were all bemoaning the lack of snow, saying it was going to affect groundwater in the spring, impact fishing and farming.  Shoulda listened!  They were right.  (I don't like to admit it when they are...)

This year it's been feast or famine.  Christmas Eve was cold but not snowy.  The guys wrangling the donkey at our live nativity service did have an outdoor fire but they didn't get wet and soggy.

We celebrated a record long streak without measurable snow this year -- 288 days on December 15.  I looked at historical climatic data from the 1990-2000 period and our high was 50 inches in 2000.  The average for the year is 46-48 inches.   Last year we got 30.

I like snow in the winter.  DH says that is because I don't have to shovel.  There's probably some truth to that.  I did shovel when I was younger but since the arthur-itis hit my hands I don't do it anymore.

This is what I saw on the way to work last Friday, the day after the 'big storm'.

I worked from home on Thursday, and by Friday morning we had gotten about 8 or 9 inches in my neighborhood.  Nothing like what they got in Boston on Friday, but I am happy that it finally looks like Winter in Wisconsin is supposed to look!

It's raining today.  That will put a nice crust of ice on the roads... hmmm, also a Wisconsin tradition!

Drive carefully.  Sew on.

Stash Busting

A couple of weekends ago I decided it was time.  Time to spruce up the wardrobe, time to make a dent in the apparel fabric stash, time for some new pants! 

I have a wonderful Great Copy pattern that I have used a lot, my very favorite.  Then I have a go-to trousers pattern from the Today's Fit line from Sandra Betzina.  Last but not least, I have a lovely Palmer-Pletsch pattern that was personally fit to me by Marta Alto at a seminar in Platteville, WI one summer.

What to do, what to do?  Which should I pick?  And what fabric?  The choices nearly paralyzed me for a while.  Finally I remembered how much I love moleskin fabric and how nice it is to sew.  AND how good it looks even after many washings!  I dug into the stash and came up with light gray and dark brown moleskin.  On the way I found a lovely dark stretch denim.

Pulling patterns -- remember my post about putting things away?  Hmmm, must not have found the Great Copy pieces, because the folder is not in my circle of activity.  OK, Great Copy is Missing In Action.

Sandra -- where are you Sandra?  Must be stashed away somewhere with a piece of designated fabric!

OK!  Choice made, on to the PP.  I cleared off the table and laid out the gray fabric.  This one has all the adjustments made and should be just about perfect in the moleskin, with its slight stretch.  Pockets or no pockets?  None this time, and no zipper.  Actually, my hips are relatively small in the scheme of things.  Even the snuggest waistline just skims over the back and bottom of me without unzipping.  Easy peasy!

I cut and snipped and got three pairs cut in one afternoon.  Out came the serger, and one we go!  I had white thread in, so I did the light pair first.  I can sew nearly the entire garment on the serger, the only exception being hem and waistline.  I cut three lengths of my favorite noon-roll elastic, and got down to it.

I have a Babylock Serger, with the pneumatic looper threading.  I love this machine!!  I used to hate changing thread colors.  I would sew everything with a kind of a dirty gray just so I wouldn't have to change looper threads.  And me breaking a looper thread was not a pretty sight!

Anyway, I did all three pairs of pants, top stitching the waistbands and pressing up and sewing the hem.

Good News:  I used 8.5 yards of fabric from my stash.

Bad News:     I forgot to adjust for length again, and all THREE pairs of these wonderful pants are about three inches too long!!  Just like when I buy them from the store.

Only they actually fit everywhere else.  Darn.  I should alter the pattern right now!

Sew on!

Go Red!

I’m wearing a red sweater today, in honor of National Wear Red Day for the American Heart Association.  They recently moved into the suite next door to my office, and today everyone who wore red is participating in a big group photo in the atrium.

February 1st is National Wear Red Day (February's First Friday) to raise awareness of heart disease in women.

Symptoms of heart attack in women are different from symptoms a man has when he’s having a heart attack.  I know something about this because the ex-wife of a cousin of DH had a heart attack last year, and no one could believe it at the time.  She had no chest pains, no achy arm or any shortness of breath… she thought she had the flu.

She was finally convinced to see a health professional, I don’t remember the circumstance, and they said ‘yes, heart attack’.  Everyone was stunned.  She’s always been active, was in fairly good physical condition for a woman in her 60s (better than I am, for sure!).  I think stress was a big factor, she has her own business and it’s pretty demanding.  But no one recognized it because they didn't know the symptoms.

If you need to know what women’s symptoms are, here’s a list from the American Heart Association:

·        shortness of breath

·        pressure or pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen

·        dizziness, light-headedness or fainting

·        upper back pressure

·        extreme fatigue

Here are some good ways to avoid heart trouble.  Keep your blood pressure under control, maintain a healthy weight, eat right, get a good night’s sleep and have a support system. Oh, and don’t smoke!

Heart attack is the number one killer among women, more than breast cancer, lung cancer, accident or anything else.

Learn the symptoms, avoid the pitfalls, live long and prosper!

By the way, having a hobby helps to relax you,

Sew On!

Many Hands Make Light Work

A couple of weekends ago my church quilting group met for our regular monthly get-together.  We normally meet for three hours or so.  We layer and pin there because we have big tables, and then divvy up the various projects and work on them at home.  I usually kit things up and cut, others sew tops, another lady does the machine quilting, and two or three people do bindings and sew on labels. 

Every month we have to sort through things because the room we have in the 'multipurpose' room is so limited.  We have big plastic tubs, bags and boxes.  We try to be organized but it's hard when you can't see what's in some of the boxes and tubs.  We tried labeling them but things change so that was kind of a bust.

Anyway, we had taken off the month of December for obvious reasons, and we had to think hard about what the plan was for 2013!  Our leader says we have enough baptismal quilts for a while and we were discussing the various charitable opportunities.

When it was time to work, we couldn't find much to be layered and we scratched our heads a little.  Hmmm, seems like we had more stuff in progress!  There were only two or three kits in their gallon sized baggies, and our show and tell was a little sparse over the holidays.

So out came the bins and boxes and low and behold, when we counted up what we had in progress we had over two dozen tops!  Three or four could use some borders, and the rest were ready to be layered and quilted!!  Wow!  We have an embarrassment of riches!

Barb's off to buy some more batting, and I've got borders to cut.  Susie is machine quilting... busy busy busy.

Sew on!

Lucky Me?? Not!

Remember that old Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry line, “Do ya feel lucky, punk?”

I’ve been reading a couple of blogs regularly and a bunch of others intermittently, entering contests and seeing what’s going on.  And I never win.  Well almost never.  I did win something from the Nancy Zieman blog sometime within about the last 18 months.  It was a very nice booklet on machine appliqué. 

But fabric giveaways?  Nope.  How about some cool craft supplies.  No way.  I must not live right.

Today I was reading a certain nationally known quilt teacher’s blog, and someone sent her a box of feed sacks.  Now I love nationally know quilting teachers as much as the next person, but gosh!  I need quilt sacks much more than she does!!

I remember when I was beginning to learn sewing -- I might have blogged about this before -- my dad’s Aunt Mary generously opened her sewing stash to me, and I picked out some fabric that may or may not have been feed sack cotton.  It was white or cream with tiny flowers, orange and green.  I made a blouse from it with a pattern she also gifted to me.  I was in heaven!

Nowadays, if you look for feed sack fabric, you can find it, but it is very dear to purchase.  I know because I’ve looked and I can’t afford to buy it!  Say the word "Vintage" and up goes the price.

I do buy old linens and handkerchiefs when I can find them at reasonable prices or when I love the patterns a lot.

So hey, why isn’t someone sending any of us a nice package of fabric just because??

Oh well.  Sew on!

Baptismal Dress -- Final, Finally!

I am very behind on posting this... partly due to my own issues and partly because I was waiting for photos.  But I finally have photos of the finished dress made from the wedding gown. 

Here are the bride and groom in the "Before" picture:

Here's the baby with proud parents... well, you can tell someone is holding her!

Sew on!