I'm so blue!

Guess what I did today! I cleaned the garage on Tuesday so I decided it would be a good time to dye some fabric. I got started early - about 9 a.m. - before it got too nasty hot outside. Then I let everything bake in their little plastic bowls, sitting in the sun, for a few hours. Maddie wanted to do lots more purples and reds, but I wanted blues and a few greens. I am loving how everything turned out!

Everything should be clickable for a bigger view.

Paying it forward!

Last year at about this time I signed up over on Tami's blog to do a Pay It Forward craft exchange. She just emailed me for my snail mail address. I did a search on my blog and apparently I never "paid it forward"! So...

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don't know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week... but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

Repurposing!

As I said in my previous post, I have been trying to get some of my tops quilted. I thought this top was done, but apparently not! The bento blocks are done but the rows are not together. This row had two blocks together so as I was adding the third block, I got to thinking (dangerous, I know!) that this reminded me of an Amish quilt. Kind of a modern day Amish...an Amish quilt on steroids...an Amish quilt with electricity.

These three blocks are the perfect size for a table runner. Sure, I have enough blocks to make two more table runners, but I can worry about those later. My question for today is: How should I quilt this? I was thinking about just doing it on the featherweight with straight lines, maybe a quarter inch in from the seam lines. Or should I do something else on the big quilting machine? Let's hear your suggestions!

Have a great weekend!

Getting things done - a.k.a. avoidance

I made up my list of "things to get done in June" and posted it in my sidebar several weeks ago. I have been successful in finishing a few things that have been hanging over my head - quilting a top for a friend in Florida and making a baby quilt for a customer in Pennsylvania. Done - out of the way. The only thing still dangling over my head was the curtains I was hired to make. They are really very simple. Just a simple valance and a curtain behind it. No lining. I got started on the valance last week when the kids were gone, but did not get very far.

What have I been doing instead? Quilting all of my tops that have been sitting in a drawer waiting their turn. Avoidance? Yes. So far I have quilted: the Denyse Schmidt wall hanging ; the big block quilt ; the orphan block quilt ; and a green YBR quilt. Well, technically the orphan block quilt is not completely quilted. The tension somehow got all out of whack and I didn't realize what a big section was messed up until I rolled it up to quilt the next section. I was too frustrated to spend a couple hours picking out the mess, so I just took it off the machine. I will face it later....maybe.


What have you been up to?

Copy Cat quilt done!!

I got this cute little thing quilted up on Tuesday and put the binding and label on today. I even took it to the post office and sent it on its way to Pennsylvania. Check it off the to do list! I really love this pattern - I am already planning on using it several more times!

I got the backing off the sale rack at Quilting By the Bay in Panama City while we were down there last weekend. Beautiful beach! And it wasn't packed yet so we didn't feel like sardines while trying to get into the water.

Don't you just want to go jump right in that water? The sand is so fine and soft. That whole area of the Florida is called the Emerald Coast and has beautiful beaches.

On to the next item on the to-do list!

Dancing to the oldies

Anyone else out there having 80's flashbacks while looking at this quilt? A friend of my sister made this quilt several years ago. She had it basted and I guess she thought that someday she would hand quilt it. Here it is 12 years later and now it is done.
I don't know if you can see the lace around the edge of the fan - but I nearly drove myself off the deep end this morning after it got caught under the hopping foot. Pain in the backside!

But now it is done and will be taken to my mom who will be putting the binding on for Tammy. I told her I wold have to charge $50 an hour to apply binding because of my great hatred of binding! Mom kindly agreed to do it for her!

Off to pack for the beach!

Quick quilt

This is a quilt for another one of my pregnant cousins. Her and her sister are both expecting their first baby sometime late this year. My mom pieced the top - mostly from my stash! She was kindly directed to Bonnie's site for the pattern.

Very sweet and simple!

I am debating on what to do next. I have a quilt sitting here waiting to be quilted for a friend of my sister. She made the quilt about 12 years ago and never got around to quilting it! It is basted so I will have to take it apart first. And then there is the commission baby quilt that is ready to be quilted, just have to find a backing.

My kids are spending a week or so at my parents' house in June. My dad and Ian are going to drive to Wisconsin to visit my grandfather. Mom and Maddie are going to stay home and get in trouble ! What am I going to do with a week to myself? Hopefully get a lot of tops quilted. Mom sent me an email yesterday saying that Joann's has batting on sale so I will have to stock up while I am up there.

What are you doing with your summer?

Copy Cat

This little quilt came together VERY quickly. It is the same pattern as Nina's latest QOV , just took a couple of rows off and left off the wide final border. I think it makes a cute baby quilt. This is a commission quilt for the same lady that hired me to make a baby quilt for her son's first child about two years ago. She wanted this one to be in the same colors, just a different pattern. So I used 30's repros again.

I am hoping to get this quilted and mailed off this week. I also want to get the top quilted for my cousin's baby. Then it will be taken back to my mom for the binding. Then we can discuss what to do for my other two cousins that are expecting. One of them is having baby # 2 - so we need to decide if we are gonna stick to our one quilt per family rule. Charlie is my one of only two cousins on my dad's side of the family. My other cousin is only 6 months older than my daughter. Yes, my first cousin. On my mom's side of the family I have 9 cousins - all within about 6 years in age of one another. That could be a lot of babies in a very short time! So we are thinking about breaking the rule for Charlie and then making sure that all the other quilts are very gender neutral. Mom is the top piece-er and then I quilt them on the long-arm.

What family traditions do you have regarding quilts?

May goal #2 - check!

Yeah! Goal number 2 is done! Just gotta slap the label on the back this afternoon and I can give Nicole the quilt tonight at bible class. I love how it turned out.

So I have got one week left to accomplish goal #3 - curtains for Ella's room. Ella is the baby I made this quilt for back in January. Her mama and I went shopping for the fabric several weeks before she was born - so yes, I am a little slow. Hopefully Ella has not yet noticed that her nursery has no curtains.

Once I get the curtains done I need to move on to the birthday challenge. I think I have already changed my mind about what I want I to do. By the time I get around to actually making it, maybe my mind will be changed back!

Only three days of school left! Our summer already seems to short with all we have planned. My sister's answer to this complaint would be "Home schooling!" - but since she refuses to offer a distance learning program, we will have to learn to accept our overly short summer. We are starting our summer off with a trip to Panama City Beach where hubby is participating in a mini triathlon. The kids are worried that he will have no energy to haul himself down to the beach afterwards! I am looking forward to some (read that as LOTS!) of fresh gulf shrimp. My favorite!

What are your plans for the summer?

I Will Survive!

Can't you just hear Gloria Gaynor singing that now? If you need a chuckle, go watch this video on YouTube.

Nines will be glad to know that I did indeed survive my day of getting the binding done on this huge quilt. It is gone - out of my home - out of my life. I got the binding done around 2 p.m. Took a very short nap and then put the label on it and took it to Jessica.

Thankfully she loved it. The only direction she had really given me was that she wanted it to be pink and brown. I was worried she wouldn't like the pattern I decided on.

Here is a picture of the finished product. It was so big I couldn't get a picture of the entire thing!

I am hoping to be able to finish the blue and brown baby quilt by Sunday. Nicole's baby shower is a week from Saturday, but we will be in Boston. So I am hoping to get done by Sunday in order to give it to her for Mother's Day!

Forced

Today is being spent forcing myself to work on the binding for the pink and brown quilt. So far I have trimmed the quilt and ironed the binding. Why am I sitting here surfing the net? Avoidance.

I thought by posting this maybe it would force me to be productive. Send me some encouraging thoughts or comments.

Or you can come help.

Please?

Working, working, working....

The girl who commissioned this quilt is moving home to Birmingham next Friday - and I would really love to be done with (a.k.a - rid of) this by then. I am tired of it hanging over me. Maybe that's why I make so many baby quilts - because I lose interest by the time I am almost done with a big quilt. Anyway... I made myself work on quilting it yesterday - for a total of about 5 hours. Until I came to a point where I had a HUGE amount of fullness - just on one side. So in the midst of freaking out, I call Nina and beg her to tele-transport herself down to my house and help me. I even said "PLEASE" several times. Still a no-go.


Can you see all that fullness? And that is after I quilted it! The next row is just as bad. All I can figure out is that the pieced blocks are stretching. Only one, maybe two, more passes to go. And then I can move on to my favorite part, binding this monster. Can you hear the sarcasm in my voice? Good.



You can tell by the amount of batting hanging off the bottom that I am almost done. Unless I made a huge mistake measuring the batting....which is entirely possible! Anyone want to come help put the binding on?

UPDATE: 9:45 pm - it id DONE!!! Unpinned and waiting to be trimmed and bound.

Another top in need of quilting!

My question for you today is : Is this quilt finished? Or does it need another border? Size-wise it is big enough to be finished, but I don't know if it looks finished.

What do you think?

I have plenty of fabric to put another border around it. What should I do?

Waiting anxiously for all of your opinions!

Current vote: 14 votes for adding a border

Thanks for all of the sweet comments!

Friday's sewing time

Well, I finally got enough pieced blocks done and got the rows put together. Getting the rows sewn together is like a wrestling match. I remember why I like small quilts - not so much fabric to wrestle through the sewing machine. Now I need to go make my bed so I can lay the top out on it and see if it is big enough or if I need to add a border. Hopefully it will be big enough!

We are attending a going-away party tomorrow for the girl that commissioned me to make her this quilt. I had brief thoughts earlier this week of trying to finish the quilt in time for the party, but quickly realized I had lost touch with reality! Probably somewhere around the time that I found out I needed to make 7 more of the pineapple blossom blocks! Actually I think I could probably get the thing quilted by tomorrow but then getting the binding on would be a whole 'nother matter!

I also need to get back to the blue and brown baby quilt. Her shower is going to be on May 17th. I will be out of town (in Boston!) but I would like to be able to give it to her on the following Sunday when I see her.

What are you all up to?

Reasons I am not a math teacher!

Apparently I can't even count to 32. 32 is the number of pieced pineapple blossom blocks I need for the commissioned quilt. I realized a few weeks ago that I needed more of the pieced blocks and set to work piecing them. I finished them up and started assembling the rows. Last night I got down to putting the last two rows together. And yes, I was short 7 pieced blocks. I had started them at some point and then they got set aside. Fine, fine, fine. Finish them up. Nope - I don't seem to have enough of the fabric I was using for the triangles. UGH!!! I do a quick search of the internet and can't find it. What to do? I have one strip remaining and I have to get 8 triangles out of it. I was able to squeeze 6. So the last two triangles had to be pieced. This is the result.

Someday, a hundred years from now, Jessica's great-grand-daughter will look at this quilt and noticed these pieced triangles and wonder what happened!

Last week I pulled the kids out of school for a couple of days and we headed to Nashville to see my family. We missed out on spring break because me and Ian had the flu. My mom and I got to make a quick run up to Franklin Kentucky and go to a cute little quilt store. It was mostly Civil War Repro type fabrics.

I did manage to find a few fabrics to make a table runner for the annual Nina and Sarah birthday challenge. This year the table runner are going to other people, but I won't mention names in case she reads this blog. Nina - the person receiving your table runner already knows so you might not want to post any pictures!

Time to go get something accomplished - besides sewing that is!

April Showers

How am I supposed to get any sewing done when my work area looks like this? I kept telling myself I was going to clean it up today, but every time I went in there I just wanted to sew for a few minutes instead. So today I got my 150 4-patches done for Bonnie's Orange Crush mystery quilt. That took a lot longer than I thought it would. Since I had left-over pink and brown 2.5 inch strips scattered everywhere on my table, that's what I used. I cut then down to 2 inches. I need to sit down and re-read her fabric directions and figure out what else to use.

The left-over strips were from this quilt that I have been hired to make by a girl at church. The log cabin squares are actually going to Bonnie's pineapple blossom blocks. And the blue strips should be brown - but I am lazy.

Here are a few of the pineapple blocks to show you the colors I am using. All the pineapple blocks are pieced already - so now I just have to put everything together. I am hoping to have it done by the end of May - so I can have some spending money for mine and Nine's annual birthday get-together. We are supposed to meet up in Tennessee again this year. I can't wait to see her!

Another reason I love Nina!

I knew there was a reason I love Nina so much, a reason she is my quilting hero. It is because she points out the obvious things to make a quilt better. You will notice that I went back and flipped the four-patches to make the blue into a strong diagonal line. Her idea. All hers. So brilliant! I like it SO much better now. I wondered how I had missed this in the first place but I went back and looked at the original pattern and they do not have a strong diagonal color in their block either. The pattern is from the June 2008 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting. It is called the Big Block Beauty - because the block ends up measuring 18 inches.

Anyway - I just wanted to thank my dearest Nines for her very helpful suggestion. How would I survive without you? I tried to call to tell you thanks but of course someone was on the phone line!

What do you think?

I was tired of working on the project I've been plugging along at (32 of Bonnie's pineapple blossom blocks in pink and brown) - so I decided to make a test block of the next quilt I am making. It will be a baby quilt for Maddie's teacher, who is due to have a baby boy in the middle of June. Her due date is the 19th but I told her that the 17th is a great birthday! Mine!

Her colors are chocolate brown, the blue in the block, and then a sagey green (the cross-hatched fabric in the picture). I like the block pattern - it would only require 4 blocks, some sashing, and a couple of borders.

I guess my question is - does the blue stand out too much? Would it work better somewhere else in the block?

I asked Maddie what she thought of it. She said "I like it - make me a quilt just like it." Why isn't she always this easy to please?

So, what do you think?

Boston anyone?

Is there anyone out there in blog land that lives in Massachusetts? I will be going to Boston in May with DH for an AIA conference - the same reason we went to San Antonio last year! We will be at the Hyatt in Cambridge. We won't have a car but I could take the subway. If anyone knows of any quilt stores that are convenient to the mass transit, let me know!

I am also interested in any other must see sights in Boston. I am already planning on seeing as many of the historical sights as I can. Thanks for the help!

Trying something new!

Christie and I were going to try and quilt the quilts we made together a couple of weeks ago. Friday is Christie's day off, but I got asked to sub on Friday - so we decided to do it this afternoon. We got her backing pieced and I found a great green piece in my stash that will work for my backing. Loading on the machine went much quicker with both of us working on it! Nines - I told her about our old schedule of you coming over on Tuesdays, we would load your quilt on, you would quilt it, and then we would load my quilt on. I might have to start paying Christie just to come over and help me pin the quilts on!

We decided to do a a big meander. I demonstrated by doing about two thirds of a row and then Christie took over. Christie couldn't seem to find that free and easy movement you need for a good meander. We are going to load a practice piece on next! So I finished up while she stood and watched. She would hold one handle while I guided it using the other handle.

Anyway, we finished her quilt really quickly and it turned out VERY cute. I love the greens and browns together.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. Hope everyone gets to spend a lot of time quilting! My DD's birthday is on Sunday - she will nine. Saturday Christie and her daughter (also 9) might join Madeleine and I on a movie, lunch, and shopping trip to Columbus Georgia. We have already warned the girls that if we go to Columbus, we might have to hit our favorite quilt store!

You can just imagine the moans and groans!

Remember this quilt?

If you have survived this blog for the past 2.5 years, you might remember when I inherited this quilt top from my mom. She made the top for my nephew but then after it was together, she didn't like it. So she gave it to me......... and here it has sat for two and a half years. Mom keeps asking me when I am going to get around to quilting it. I have been ageing it to perfection!

When Mom and Dad were here a few weeks ago, we dug out the top for her to look at again. She decided that she did want to finish it. So I ever so graciously gave it back to her.

Now she is having second thoughts (or third or fourth). She asked me to post a picture of the quilt and ask all of my quilt expert friends a couple of questions. Are you ready to feel smart and influential?

#1 - Should she take the top apart and put some sort of sashing between the blocks? And maybe a matching border?

#2 - Should she take the time to hand quilt it or trust the quilting to the likes of me? Or maybe Nina? (haha!!!)

#3 - What do you think?

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance for the ideas!

Is it purple enough?

A week or so ago, I heard through the grapevine, that the 15 year old daughter of a friend from college was having surgery to remove a tumor from the base of her brain. The surgery went well and they were able to remove most of the tumor. Yesterday they moved her to St. Jude's hospital in Memphis. Monday they will be finding out about the doctors' plans for chemo and radiation. The daughter's favorite color is purple - can you tell? I thought she needed a lovey. I bought the fabric on Wednesday and just finished putting the binding on. Not bad! I want to get it in the mail to her on Monday.

In the light purple strips I quilted words - love, faith, hope, believe, family and her name.

Better, no?

OK, when I had some time to think about it, I realized there were only 12 blocks in the whole quilt. How long would it really take for me to fix it? Answer - about an hour. And I like it SO MUCH better!

What have YOU been up to?

I have finished up the last of the three baby quilts I had in the hopper. The next baby (Maddie's teacher's) isn't due until June - so I have some time off to do other quilting!

Tomorrow I am hosting a baby shower for a girl from church. The bedding she has chosen, from what I can tell from the on-line pictures, looks kind of shabby chic to me. So let's hope she likes the quilt!

My friend Christie decided to work part time this year at a pre-school. Fridays are her day off. Last Friday we drove down to Columbus and both spent an obscene amount at the quilt store there. I was spending someone else's money - I have been "commissioned" to make a queen size brown and pink quilt by a college student at church. She has already given me $100 towards the fabric. It is lots of fun spending someone elses money!! We also bought some cool new patterns. Christie bought a bag pattern and I bought a pattern called BQ by Maple Island Quilts.

We were so anxious to try out the new pattern that we decided to have a crafty day this Friday. Christie hauled her machine and rotary cutting mat over here and we got started. I got my blocks sewn together but Christie only got her strips sewn together. Anyway she took the pattern home with her to finish up the blocks. As you can see, I sewd my blocks together wrong - but I am not changing it. I like it anyway!

I think this would make a great pattern for a Quilt of Valor. You could use blue for the dark brown parts and do the big squares in all different kinds of red prints.

So, what have you been up to?

How did you meet your sweetie?

I spent most of this afternoon stuck in a highway back up caused by an accident that happened at 2;30 this morning. They had to call in a crane to get the vehicle out of the ditch and they chose this afternoon to block the interstate. So the trip that should have taken 45 minutes took three and a half hours. To top it off, I had an 8.5 month pregnant woman with me!! We had gone to Montgomery to get some fabric for me to make a curtain for the babies room. Anna and I had a nice talk about everything from our irritable bowels to our crazy mother-in-laws. We also discussed how we met our hubbies.

When I was in college in Tampa, me and my sister started going to church with my future brother-in-law. This is the same congregation where DH's grandparents were members. So I knew his grandparents for several years before I even met him. His grandfather is also named Stacy - a family name. Anyway, one Sunday morning Stacy's grandma came toddling up to me and my room mate and says that she wants us to meet her grandson. We looked at each other and with our eyes said "Do we really have to?" Grandma Norman was a nut and we were a bit worried about the genetics of the situation. Anyway, she introduced us and he developed a crush on my roomie. I moved 1000 miles away to finish college for a year and a half. After graduating, I moved back to Florida to be near my sister. Everything clicked - we dated for 8 months, got engaged, and were married 8 months later. We have been married for 14 years now. Here are our cute selves!

How did you meet your honey?

Back to the curtains - here is the baby quilt we were trying to match. We went with the brown with pink polka dots for the main portion and the diamond print for the valance part. Anna loved the baby quilt. She asked me the other night if she could pay me to make a curtain for the nursery to match the quilt. So today we went on a search for the fabric to match.

So while searching for fabric, we got to know each other better and became much better friends. making a friend while stuck in traffic! Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

One down, one to go....by Saturday!

Wednesday I managed to ignore other tasks that needed to be done and instead got the binding put on the purple and green baby quilt. I was so nervous that Mackenzie would show up at any moment and her quilt would still not be done. Why is it that the binding never takes as long as I think it will?

For the back, I did not have enough of either the purple or the green so I came up with the 9 patch idea. Amazingly I got it centered top to bottom. Right to left is easy since you center the quilt when you pin it on the machine.

April loved the quilt. yeah!!! Now Mackenzie can come when ever she wants to. Hopefully soon!! I can't wait to kiss on a sweet baby girl!

Next up, binding on the pink and brown baby quilt. The baby shower is on Saturday afternoon. I also need to clean house...again... because my parents are coming on Saturday. How does everything get so messy in just a few days? Mess - thy name is Madeleine and Ian. They will be the death of me!

How did it get to be January 19th?

I know, I know. One day at a time. Christmas and New Year's have come and gone. We survived our whirlwind tour to Little Rock and Nashville. I got lots of baby loves from my new 6 week old nephew, Brady, and my 16 month old niece, Audrey Joy. Also got lots of big boy loves from my 2.5 year old nephew, Joey. Lots of fun and way too much food was had by all. Everyone loved their hand-made goodies. My MIL had the nerve to tell that I shouldn't have given my SILs the table runners that I made because it surely made them feel bad because they had nothing to give me! Ah yes, Christmas joy all around. I am sure that my SILs did not feel this way.

Anyway - on to this new year's sewing projects. This week I finished up the top for my neighbor's baby quilt. I think it turned out cute.

I also got the top put together for the next baby that is due to a couple from church. The colors are pink and brown - but I couldn't get the lighting adjusted right. Use you imagination!

Tonight I started on a third baby quilt. It is going to be a YBR and the bedding I am trying to coordinate with kind of has a shabby chic look to it. Here are the fabrics to give you an idea.

The kids have school off on Monday for MLK day - so I am hoping to get the first two tops quilted. Baby #1 could be here any day and the shower for #2 is next Saturday!

I will leave you with a picture of my kids playing in the front yard today. Mind you we live about 3 to 4 hours from the Gulf of Mexico. Winter fun in southern Alabama!

Shhh....Don't tell anyone!

Don't tell anyone that I am sewing! Actually, I am taking a short break to do an internet fabric search. I need more of the white background fabric for the purple and green baby quilt I am working on. Wish me luck!

Final countdown - friday 3 pm

2 days until we head to Arkansas and then on to Tennessee.
4 portfolios ready to go.
5 table runners completed and ready to go.
5 pillow cases made and hidden away.
1 baby quilt quilted and bound!
1 table runner still waiting to be quilted.
1 baby quilt waiting its turn on the machine. -
1 portfolio in pink needing to be made.
1 table runner in need of binding !
1 last minute special request that is not getting done!(Sorry mom!)

Can I somehow add more hours to my days?

Here's hoping you are getting all your holiday sewing done!
Merry Christmas!

Sunday stash report

I never got around to posting last week's progress so I will combine the two.

Last week I made a total of 5 of the small portfolios. And I finally got around to taking pictures!
I still have one more pink one to make for a certain favorite niece.

5 portfolios x 3 fat quarters per portfolio = 15 fat quarters of almost 4 yards of fabric used!

This week - although I got a lot of sewing done (including through my finger - see previous post) - it was all bindings and therefore very little fabric. Maybe 1.5 yards total. I have 5 of the table runners bound and ready to go! I managed to get a small solid inner border put on the baby quilt and will get the final outer border on tomorrow. My MIL's table runner is on the quilting machine and has to be quilted this week too! Better go to sleep so I can get up in the morning and get busy!

It was bound to happen someday....

Yes, today I sewed through my finger - the tip of my middle finger on my right hand. Still not sure how it happened. Maddie was sewing right beside me on the featherweight and I was using the newer Singer. I had to reach around with my left hand and crank the wheel up so the needle would come out. Then there was the matter of the thread that seemed to have no end - just running through my finger. By this time I am beginning to panic and have to call Maddie back into the room to clip the thread - she had run out when it happened! It only bled for about 1 minute. It still isn't very sore. Nina should be proud that I didn't faint! I remember when she sewed through her finger.

When I called to tell my mom what I had done, she said she hoped that her Christmas gift was already finished! Ah, can't you just feel the love!

Time to go get back on the horse!

Sunday's stashbusting report

This week I was not inspired to work on the bindings on all of those table runners. So what's a girl to do? Start on a new sewing project - a mini-portfolio I found over at Craft Apple (the orange one in the bottom picture). I bought this pattern several months ago and never sat down to do it. Thursday, because I was avoiding cleaning house, I sat down and made one of these - in about an hour and a half.

Each portfolio uses three fat quarters. You can squeak out various additional pieces with careful cutting. The pattern calls for two pieces of cardboard from a cereal box, glued together, as reinforcement for the notebook side of the cover. Because I wanted a little more stability and wanted to be able to wash the cover, I have replaced the cardboard with a piece of plastic canvas on both the front and back sides of the cover. You can buy a 11x15 piece of plastic canvas at Hobby Lobby for about 29 cents.

I have made three complete covers in the last few days and now both of my kids want one. So now I have pieces for about 6 different covers in various stages of completion. I decided if i am going to make one for Maddie and Ian , I might as well make one for my niece and nephew too!

I would like to make several more for Christmas gifts - but we will have to see what the schedule allows. I will try to post a picture soon.

This week's stash busting: 27 fat quarters.

Look, Ma, I can sew!

There wasn't anything I wanted bad enough to get up at 4 a.m. - but I did manage to get up around 6:30. As I was headed towards target and Best Buy, I drove through downtown Auburn to check on some friends who were setting up for tail gating for the Auburn/Alabama game tomorrow. I timed it just right - they were across the street, in line to get some breakfast! So I stopped and ate with them and then finally headed out to Best Buy. Packed! They were already sold out of what I was looking for (Band of Brothers - bought it on-line later today) - but the check out line was at least an hour long - so it is just as well! I came on home and was hit by a slight desire to actually quilt. I have managed to get two of the table runners quilted today. Would have gotten another couple done but my nap was calling too loudly!

I have estimated that each table runner uses about 1 yard of fabric for the front and another yard for the backing. And the backing doesn't have to be pieced! So far I have made 6 table runners for christmas gifts. That totals about 12 yards gone from the stash. A very small dent, but a dent none the less!


I also went online and ordered Maddie's Christmas gift - a Janome Sew Mini. Isn't it cute? It does a straight stitch and a zig-zag. It is not a toy but a small regular sewing machine. All the reviews I could find were very positive. Anyone else out there own one? What do you think of it?

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The turkey is in the oven and the dressing is sitting on the counter waiting for the broth and some more sage! I am also making pineapple casserole, green bean casserole and Sister Schubert's yeast rolls. For dessert we will have the ever traditional Key Lime pie! DH is the only one who likes pumpkin pie so we came up with an alternative. What is on your menu for today?


I got my MIL's table runner pieced. The blue and the purple are hand dyed by me and Nines. My FIL is very into coffee so I thought the focus fabric was appropriate! Now I need to get started quilting all of these table runners! And Brady's baby quilt!


Hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And don't eat too much!

I gave up...

I gave up looking for more of that brown fabric. several people found it for me - in other colors. One even found it online in the right color - in California. When I called the store on Sunday afternoon to make sure it was really the right thing (the picture on-line was tiny and could not be enlarged) - the poor sales lady could not find the fabric anywhere. So close!

So this morning after finishing up the second red, white and blue table runner, I gave up and pieced together all the leftover brown scraps and came up with enough for the borders. Hopefully all the seams won't be that noticeable after it is quilted.

I have some fabric picked out to make one for my MIL. Right now I have to go rescue the kitchen so thanksgiving dinner details can get started! Have a great weekend!