Finally....My Finds at the Sale.....

I have been so busy, but I did promise you a post TOday! 

So here it is.....I blew my wad on Tuesday. (28% off with 1 yard minimum from the bolt) I really did try to have a method to my madness...or, a good excuse as to why I needed these.....

Have fun looking...only one was not on sale and I will get that over with right away....with excuse,,,reason..On second thought,,,,who needs excuses to have fun, right?  As long as the bills get paid.......

Anyway....

I saw some of these on bolts in the store and debated as to whether I wanted them or not....came close,,,and then I saw this...there was more of a variety here (42 5" squares) and I didn't need a whole yard with what I had in mind....

 

I already had these FQs (Koda) in my stash from a trip a couple of years ago or so and needed something to go with them ...

 So, besides the charm pack I got above,  I also bought these ....

These were mostly reproduction fabrics (is that the right term?), but I figure if I add a little bit of lighter fabric also, they should work....

I added this final green which was 50% off  (1 yard).

I have 3 or 4 soft flannel cuts I am planning for big receiving blankets and bought these for the backing...

Added these to my red and black stash.....

I already have a tad left of the one in the middle, but got some more,,,,really like it!

And finally....I went out of my comfort zone and decided it was high time I was trying something new...so many bright fabrics around (remember, this is before any new fabric hit the shelves...she (LQS) is saving that for the new expanded store....next month.....)

So thought I'd fondle these for awhile until I decide what to do with them.........

BTW, I am planning not to post for a couple of days (but you never know.....),,,I have to get ready for company this weekend...my DS and family are moving into their new house and are coming Saturday to borrow our truck and trailer... I won't forgo the computer completely however, will be checking in once in awhile....

I'm back and have a bit of a Blogger problem.....

Yes, I can still access my blog, but have to do it through the e-mails I receive with your comments.....

For some reason when I reach the log-in page and type in everything (correctly....) I get a "page not found" or a "http404 web page cannot be found" or some such....so please be patient with me if for some reason I disappear into cyberspace....hopefully not....

I go to Blogger help and since I am not that savvy on computer-speak, I do not dare go into where ever they want me to go and try to change something....that would really sc....er... mess things up...

I am still here, however, and thanks to your comments on my posts, I can still access my blog, albeit through the back door.....

Oh, yes,  and I promise, Blogger willing, to show you what I bought with money I had saved for  July's quilt shop bus trip...gotta start saving again..{ sigh }..watch for tomorrow's post....

A No Picture Post

I am working on my curtains (so what else is new?....).  And tomorrow I will be heading into town to my local (kinda) quilt store....in this economy they are expanding their store to encompass the one next door...and they are having an ongoing sale of fabric until they actually move with %s off each day, slowly going down from 28% to about 10% or so....They hope to cut down their inventory so it will be easier to move....  Yea! for a quilt store that is actually expanding...!!!!

Hopefully, if the crowd isn't too big, I will get some fabric that I am sure I can use.....sometime......and show it to you in the next day or two...

Another Small Finish....!!...and end of Week 4 of 15 minutes/day

Yeah, I know, I am a day late and a $$ short...but wanted a finish on this post, even if it does "hoonch" into the next week.. So I did finish my small color quilt AND.......


Hurrah!  I finished my sewing machine mat!  It will be used under my sewing machine to protect the wooden table that was my mom's...

 

...and in a pinch, it could be a table runner also...

Now, it is late, still stormy (note the unplugged machine above) and I am tired...

tomorrow:  back to the curtains......again.......

Old Plans "Fly Away"....New Plans Replaced

I was up early this morning (6:00am). When I awake early like this, I find I can get a lot done before DH wakes up...So, after putting sheets in to be washed, getting a cup of coffee, browsing the web for a Very Short Time, I plan to prepare a binding for my mat. 

I like to watch DVDs at times, and I just received this in the mail a few days ago.  I have already seen the movie and liked it...

I love to see movies again and again, so I put it on...

and ended up watching a documentary that was included in the Special Feature section of the actual flights of the birds and the history behind the organization....

So instead of concentrating on the binding, which would have taken place mainly at my machine, I did this...

which didn't take long to prepare, is a mindless activity, and kept me glued to my screen..

Now I must get to that binding~!

I'm Back......and we have a Winner!

Whew! Back from town....finally....but enough of that...we do have a winner, and I have just e-mailed her...Gina (Catwhiskers) is the lucky one.....and I am able to gain some more experience with International mailing.....Hurrah!

Thanks to all who participated, and remember to be on the lookout the 1st of next month for my next mini-giveaway......

Just a-Swingin' and a-Sippin' and a-Sewin'...and a-Snappin'

I finished my wall hanging (approx 20" x 20").Got the pictures from a coloring book,  colored it with regular Crayolas and then pressed the excess color away. Even put a sleeve on the back (my first).. It was (and is) a gorgeous day outside, comfortable with a breezy breeze.  So out I went to take a picture..  I took several, as you will see.. but sun was so bright it "burned" out some of the color...anyway, here is the wall hanging in different poses and different backgrounds.....

...on a rock

..another rock

...a trencher

..and our duelly....with stabilizing rocks....

It was so nice outside that I took my sewing mat outside also. 

 I sat in the swing and sewed a few inches on it.  As I was sittin' there, sewin' and sippin' my water, a large hummingbird flew about a foot in front of me, heading, I think, to the bright flowers and colors that were on my lap.  He did that a couple of times until he realized that he could not join me in sippin'. 

I also saw cardinals defending their territory, a couple of dove, a woodpecker, a purple martin, and several mud dobbers (flying insects)... very active yard for the afternoon.....no deer today, although we have seen 3 of them several times come up to the side and back of the house, munching on the new grass....

Love this time of year!!!

  



Welcome to Mini-Giveaway #9 - Michael Miller fabric

I am having to start to really search for items to give away...but found this one..It is pretty, but just not my cup of tea.

There is a little over 1 yard of fabric and it's called Moorish Tile ,  a Michael Miller fabric.  Perfect for someone, I know...

So who's going to give it a home? 

Just comment below if you are interested, and be available for contact otherwise someone else will be the lucky one that DH picks out of a hat, bowl, wine glass, etc.....That and the announcement of the winner will occur after this closes on May 17 at 10:00am (CST).  I will be out of pocket for a few hours after this closes, so it may be awhile before the winner is announced..just keep looking.

Just to clarify, after last Giveaway,, International comments are welcome; only qualification, besides the one mentioned above, is that the package is able to get to the winner.  I am a beginner in the International mailing area, so I want to be sure to get everything right...

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So, what comes next on June 1?

See you then.

Where was I Before The Lights Went Out.....Week 3 of 15 Minutes +

I did well this last week, really I did.. I took the journal blocks to my DDIL who has since arranged them how she wants them and is now, hopefully doing well with her writing on the blocks.  I finished quilting the wall hanging and started quilting the sewing machine mat.. 

My 15 minute page is lacking some entries.....hummm, wonder why...maybe they will come back..if not, maybe I'll take the time to try to remember what I said....

 The powers that be said they would try to get comments back up on the regular pages..those of you who commented, I do have them in my e-mail and have not forgotten you..those of you who have not seen the last post, check out the picture..Grandma's boasting time here.

See you tomorrow with my normal giveaway.....

So, what did you do on Sunday???

My Mother's Day was ideal!  DH stated he would do everything that needed to be done and I was not to lift a finger doing anything I didn't want to do....

First thing in the morning,  we spent about an hour on the front porch watching the biggest crowd of purple martins we have had around our birdhouses (gourds). They can be cranked up and down to clean, etc. You have seen pictures of them in earlier posts lately.  Here is a closeup.

 We put them up late summer 2009, and last year we only saw a few and they were probably young ones learning to flit and explore.  Sunday we couldn't count the number...we guessed there was around a dozen or so.  Without turning this into a bird post, suffice it to say that the birds have been around almost constantly since then, and we think (notice, Think) we have a pair....maybe...

But it was a nice Mother's Day surprise, which both of us enjoyed.  We then came in, ate breakfast (by DH), and I proceeded to closet myself  in my sewing room, which was, honestly, hard to do because of such a pretty day outside!

 I watched DVDs on my computer --- Breakfast at Tiffany's  and the Ice Age trilogy---Yeah, I know... what can I say....my taste of movies is quite varied. 

While doing that,  I played with fabric.  First, I picked out long (and some not so long) striplets (narrow strips) from my "trash stash" and braided several together. 

I'm not going to do anything with them yet...this is a llooonnngggg project I am experimenting with....mats, rugs, dust catchers....who knows...

Next, I decided on a design for my sewing mat,,,and changed my mind in the middle of it.. ended up with this top, which still needs to be sandwiched and quilted...

I will remeasure and probably will even put it under my sewing machine and extender to see if it is the size I want. If I want it bigger, I will probably add an outer border of white.  I want it to be big enough to easily be under my sewing machine, but not so big as to get in the way of other things on the table. 

I actually washed these......

...in preparation for some baby blankets for another soon-to-be grandchild.  It's parents don't want to know the gender, being the 6th one, they want some surprise.  But they did find out that it weighs, according to the drs, roughly 5 pounds right now..and it's due mid June..that big, I am guessing a boy, hence I took a chance with the patterns.

That's not much to show for a day of leisurely sewing, but that's okay...I also read, rested, and headed again to the front porch that evening...

Hope your Mother's Day was as nice.....

Quicky Mother's Day Gift...

I am still playing with my blog so please bear with me .. will have to live with this for awhile and see if I like it, but it is late and I am heading for bed..again.)

On Friday, my DDIL e-mailed me that she and DS/DGD would be at their new home on Saturday and would love to show it off (newly bought, no move yet).  This would also give me a chance to give her the journal blocks I had ready for her to write on..Not sure when she will get a chance to work on those with everything going on for awhile, but at least she would have it.

I am not very good at  "quicky" gift making, but found this in Simple Quilts & Sewing (from Quilt Magazine).  It said it would only take me 30 minutes so of course it took me about an hour of actual sewing.. but I did finish it in time to take with me Saturday morning (without the dish).

It's called a Cozy Carrier.  Didn't have time or supplies to put an insulated liner in it.  But it turned out okay for a first try.  BTW, this is one of the fabrics in my 100th post giveaway (way back when) that was not chosen..I'm glad it stayed with me now...



More on Mother's Day tomorrow.... now to dentist appointment with DH (his, not mine).



My Mom.......

Will be taking the weekend off...except for 15 Minute Page.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !!



Second 15 minute week - 4/29 - 5/5

Still trudging along...I finished and put together the pieces for the 52-week journal quilt in a portable plastic drawer to give to my DDIL, who will chronicle the first year of marriage from her weekly e-mails she sent to their family and friends.  I am giving her the sashing fabric, uncut, so she can place the blocks as she wants them..

One of my tops came out of mothballs, so to speak, and I decided on the type of backing I want for it...it will require use of graph paper and math, so it will be a slow start.  But I have hopes...Sometimes I ask myself why I pick the more difficult ideas...mainly because I am curious as to whether I can do it, or how it will turn out...

Same picture as on Page:



I started on my curtains again.  Finished the ruffle of one more curtain, after a bit of ripping out.

Just finished the ruffle on the 2nd curtain..need to exercise Tues. & Wed. and run to stores, so may not get through with the 3rd curtain this week...Oops!  No negativity!  Instead say, I'll probably get started with the ruffle for the 3rd curtain this week!  By the way,  did you know that ruffles can hide a lot of Oops and Oh Mys! ?


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Soon after starting this second summary of my weekly 15 minutes, I realized that I am tending to duplicate  some of the information on my Page and in these posts....But I still want a daily chronicle of my sewing activites readily available..so I may end up with just the daily bare bones on my Page with pictures and details here on a weekly post...we will see how it transpires......

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It is early Thursday afternoon (12:04 exactly)..I have just come in from the front porch, enjoying drinking water and watching birds (and pinning) so much that I have the urge to go back and do it again... The grass is calling to me, however, and the lawnmower is free from it's trailer that DH was using, so I might just hop out there for another 30-45 minutes for a quick ride. Won't get finished, but at least some of it will be done...

I found a quick and easy pattern/directions for a gift (or several gifts) that I might end up making for Christmas this year.. more on that later..

BTW, those of you who are wondering, I do plan to take a picture of my sewing room again. With the curtains, new table, and the new shelves in..so it will be a little while yet. Really hasn't changed much, I still have the eclectic variety of wood, chrome, and plastic items around. 

Next week: Start on sewing mat & continue on curtains, essentially only one more to go + backings and sleeves..DH is watching the progress very carefully, planning his involvement with the curtain rods...

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Added at the last minute (8:45pm to be exact):

3rd ruffle pinned and sewn on!  Only 1 more ruffle to go..!

Come Along With Me While my Mind Creates...(chuckle)

I chuckle because I have a feeling that whatever I decide, it may be awhile before you see the finished results (ex:  curtains.... wall hanging....).  I do work on stuff though.... really I do....

Anyway......I am sitting here looking at this...

I received the bright multi-vibrant fabric in a swap the other day and have decided to make a mat for my sewing machine to sit on... they are all different widths. 

I am debating on whether to incorporate some of the solids in my mat (table is approx 28x36 inches; so the mat could be slightly smaller). 

The solids are a FQ set of Koda greens that I bought a couple of years ago. 

 They do look like they would mute them, don't they...

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I originally thought white would be good. So I tried some variations..  These could be cut into sections, but then what would I use for the background,,,or would I have to have a background...hummmm....

oops, forgot a strip...

or have them stand alone with white strips separating the multi-colored ones.

I am using the strips I cut for my curtains for the pictures..they don't have to be that wide..

I could make 4 block squares and disregard their different sizes... it worked wonky on this Halloween square, which I haven't used yet...There are no set rules in quilting right.. (now to go and find the square I am talking about so I can take a pictures...hold on.....)

Maybe if I have some left over.......again hummmmm....

I am really tending using the white in some way..

Whatcha think???

And the Winner Is.........

Linda from Stray Stitches!  Congratulations!  I know you will enjoy making something neat out of this fabric! 

Contact me and I'll get it in the mail hopefully tomorrow.....

Ya'll be sure to watch on the 15th for the next mini-giveaway!

Random Thoughts at My Computer....

How many of you have satellite feed for your internet?  Not WiFi, or DSL or wireless..

And I know some of you have to get along with dialup..which is slower than satellite..we had to twiddle our thumbs with dialup also in the past, so I know how slow that can be..

Nevertheless, we have a satellite feed here in the country.  Sometimes it is slow, and sometimes it is slower...and sometimes, during a rainshower or storm, we do not have it at all...along with our satellite TV weather station, which goes down when we need it most...

So, to make lemonade out of lemons, I try to multi-task when I want to spend time with you folks, but haven't touched fabric ALL DAY!  What sewing task can I do while waiting for another screen to pop up? One that doesn't require thinking, or putting up or down impliments, or get too much in the way of my keyboard..

Here is the answer....

This is a slow way of putting ruffles on a curtain, but is it really slow when you divide it by 2 (# of tasks being performed::pinning & blogging)?  How many pins = 100 inches of fabric pinned to 50"?

Do any of you multi-task?

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Have any of you heard the term, hootnanny ? 'nuf said...I am dating myself !

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Worst thing about satellite feed???? no Skype to see grandkids with!

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I just got a Kindle (very basic kind) for early Mother's Day and it is reigning havoc on my quilting...next to, or tied with, my love for sewing is my love for reading...Up until now, I have tried to time my visits to the library so they will not interfer with sewing, or vice versa...Now I have the possibility of free books at my fingertips and the temptation is getting the best of me...

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Finally, and this is not a giveaway, but it is......a puzzle...

(already solved......winner below[Sharon from Vrooman's Quilts], but continue reading anyway)

Can any of you think of a normal, everyday word that has 3 double letters in a row?? 

(ex:  abcddeeffgh)

  Now, logically, I know some of you will google this...I sure would, although I don't have to, because I have known the answer to this since I was in High School (a long, long, lllloooonnnnggg time ago)..On the off chance that there is more than one word, there could be two "winners".. The first one who gives any word that fits the description, and the one who gives the word I am thinking of...Of course, that could possibly be only one person.  First one who comments, giving the answer(s), will get something from my stash..I don't know what...  This was just a spur of the moment idea anyway.....

I guess I'll give a time limit......May 5th...so I won't be looking at this very long....

Oh, will I give you the answer?.....No, probably someone will come up with it....



Back to the Mini-Giveaways - # 8 coming up

Well, the big One Year Blogiversity is over and it was a total success....now to continue with my stash giveaways..

Since there are more followers than before, I figure this is a good time to explain what this is about.

Basically, I am shopping my stash for items, quilty and non-quilty, that I feel I no longer need or want.  So each 1st and 15th of the month, until who knows when, I will be presenting a small something for anyone.  The time frame is small, only one or two days usually, and the winner will be picked by DH, who by now, is very adept at the job. 

Some items may not appeal to everyone, as I said, some are quilty and some are not...those of you who are interested, check the mini-giveaway label and see what has been offered in the past..

The only requirement is to comment on this post and be available for notification and confirmation of  your mailing address, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

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  Here goes, enjoy....

This is a Thimbleberries fabric, slightly over 1 yard.  Lovely fabric, but I have had it over 2 years now...bought it with a batch of fabric from a resale shop in NH...

So, those of you who are interested, just comment and say so and on May 3 at 10:00am you may become a winner (drawing and posting as soon as possible after that time, hopefully within 12-24 hours)

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...and what is going to happen on May 15th?

This:

See you then.....