Finishes and Family

Another finish. Rise and Shine. Arizona daughter embroidered this a few years back. I just needed to make the binding and get it on there. Hindsight: I wish I'd done the binding different. Hope I can remember for the next flour sack dishtowel that I put binding on. Finally done. I'm sure it is now covering the deliciouse leftover Sunday Dinner chocolate cake.

I tookt this photo of my parents last month. I think they look so great here. That day they took me to see the headstone that is already on their graves! Eek~not sure I like that idea...

This kid turned 14 years old this week. He likes this new shirt that he got to wear to school on his birthday. He received a Candy Bar story from his Utah sister. Remember those? It "was" a great one. I'll give details in the next post.

About 4 years ago, my mom, sister and I went on a trip to tri-cities Washington. We just happened upon the little road that leads to Buggy Barn in Reardon, Wa. This Thanksgiving quilt was on display. It is a Bareroots pattern. Karen and I bought the kit for this quilt. (We made 2 quilts out of one kit.) Finally! it's done! yeah! I hand quilted along 4 of the border lines. That's all that needed to be done for the last year! ugh

Take Care~~

*capamipilapa commented on a past post...I would like to answer your questions, but you do not have an e-mail address link and I cannot reply because your address shows 'no reply comment'.

Daffodilhill Giveaway

Isn't that a great name?: Daffodilhill. I like it and I like that I won the giveaway that Candice sponsored last week! I received these four lovely Michael Miller fabrics. I promptly sliced off the selvages to send to the selvage girl. She will be getting a colorful selvage that reads "Groovy Guitars"! Now I'm hoping to make good use of those fabrics, good in the eyes of Mr. Anonymous because he plays the guitar fabulously (and slightly distains my sewing fettish...I'll show him!).

Thanks Candice. Go see her etsy shop.

Take Care~~~

Walkin' in a Spiderweb...

Piecing these spiderweb/stars is fun and quick. I've used many of those little scraps that are stuffed into that top drawer...the triangles derived while making binding, leftover strips from log cabin blocks and strips of backing trimmed from a quilted quilt. I've done one of every basic color, now I need to do tan and gray, a red-yellow-blue block, a red and aqua block, etc. or should I? Maybe I should just keep the blocks these basic colors, repeating them. What do you think?

I have some time to think about it and get your input because I'm not home at my sewing machine, I'm in AZ., could be at Nancy's sewing machine. However, we are playing which does include traipsing to quilting stores (some in Albuquerque. N.Mex. and in Phoenix). I really shouldn't let you know how many quilting stores I've been to in the last week. I will tell that I haven't purchased at every one of them. I will soon return to my home and sewing machine, but for now we are dreaming and scheming the next few quilting projects.

Take Care~~

OK OK OK

I know I need to do a post, BUT it's just easier not to, it's selfish of me, and lazy, really. Plus, I'm still struggling with managing pictures, even after a live tutorial from this patient girl. I love reading all of your blogs, it is so fun. I should reciprocate. Time is another factor. Doing one blog post takes me too long, longer than it should. After I read from the great list of blogs that I keep tabs on, it's time to stop staring and start sewing! The patient girl said, "mom, you need to do another blog post." She then gives me ideas of what to post about. In November, after a unique adventure with my son in law (her husband), she said that I should have blogged about it...well yes, it was fun~ the poor kid~went to a rock concert with his mother in law. He and I dashed out the door a little before 9:00 p.m. the night of the COLDPLAY concert in Phoenix, arriving right after they had taken the stage. We had determined what price we would not go above if given the chance to buy tickets from scalpers. Well, we were given that chance, dickered a little, didn't go above the predetermined amount and entered the concert at a very brisk pace! We walked and walked to find our seats, getting closer and closer to the front of the stage! Wow! we had AMAZING seats! By now I was so nervous, hanging onto Travis, he probably thought he was loosing his arm. Coldplay does an amazing show. I've been a fan of theirs for quite a while, so I really loved being able to see them in concert. I think the aunt and patient girl who both opted to stay home, were pretty bummed they hadn't joined us on this adventure. Anyway...back to ideas for blogging...there are many! I will try to be better~~~
This kid has been playing basketball. I snapped this blurry photo at the very end of the very last game right before he went into the locker room. As I'm following the team into the locker room, his teammates were saying, Brett! your mom wants to take your picture! so he turned around. (He already knew, he was just ignoring me!)
My sister and I had a day of hanging out with each other. We went to The Gathering Place in Rupert, Idaho. It is a huge quilting store. Be prepared to be overwhelmed, if you go there. We found a big scrap bin with bags, you know the deal, fill the bag with as many scraps as you can fit into it and buy it for $5.00. We set forth layering and rolling precious pieces(some big) of lovely scraps. We inserted and re-inserted the rolls three times. At one point the bag began to tear. As the saleslady walked by, we cowered a little until she encouraged us to get as many in there as we could and to get a new bag since it was tearing, which we did. Here you can see all the many scraps that we fit into a lunch size paper bag. Laid 'em out and counted them: 50 different fabrics and 80 3 inch squares already cut! {these figures were jotted down on my In-N-Out Burger hat, where I hope to be able to enjoy a burger again in two weeks, when I go see patient girl and rock concert son in law.} I have just always done a lot scrappy quilting. I was pretty astounded when I learned that quilting fabrics come out in 'lines'. And whew, some of those lines coming out right now are so great!, but I still love scrappy piecing and quilts. edit: the selvedges in the center and thread were not in the scrap bin, just waiting to be sent to patient girl for her sewing.
At Material Girls this month, I received my friendship blocks back from the ladies. This was a favorites request, I asked that the ladies use their favorite fabrics and bring 2 raw edge quilt blocks. They are lovely. Now I'll need to figure out how to put them together in some kind of a quilt!

Take Care.~~~

January Happenings

Quilt group was this week. I know I showed this JOY pillow last post, but this picture has a couple of friends from quilt group in the background, so I want you to meet my blonde friend, Lenette. She'll love that I've put this here. Robin is there too, she is fairly new to the group and fun to have. There's is definitely a chill in the air around here, you can see I'm holding the pillow... I still had my coat on. Which reminds me, out running this week, yes, chilly, Tuesday was 11 degrees at 6:00 a.m.! {I've beefed up my running attire by adding a thick fleece jacket and a Nike beanie under the ear band.}

I'm real pleased with these two quilt blocks I made for Kathi in quilt group. She just happens to be our leader. She outlined for us what she would like, we brought our blocks that we made for her to our meeting this week. I think these are very cute. If you'd like to see the show and tell at our meeting click here: Material Girls Idaho

This red white and blue flimsy is FINALLY done! I purchased this pattern about 5 years ago. As I was sewing away on it, getting ready to put the strips onto the stars, things weren't matching up. I pondered and pondered, coming to the conclusion that what I was trying to do was impossible and that the pattern must be wrong! ugh! I called the girl that designed and wrote the pattern, she didn't know it was wrong, so very very off.... the cutting measurements~ way way off. I asked her, "Am I the first person to notice this? and call you???" Yes. She sent me some money to compensate for the fabric, but there went all that TIME! I'm glad the thing is done. I do still like it. Anyone wanna borrow a pattern???:) j.k.

This quilt is Bloom by Thimbleblossoms. I purchased it as a kit in the Quilt Shoppe in Rigby, Idaho! (It was on sale!) Nancy and I worked on the top together, she did the embroidery and applique, I did the piecing. It is all quilted now ~ I should be binding it RIGHT NOW, but I'm typing! The fabric for this quilt is the Allspice Tapestry line by Moda.This is Nancy's birthday gift(she already knows) for her 25th coming up in May!

Sure feels good getting several 'works in progress' completed these last few months! BUT that doesn't mean I haven't started anything new, or haven't bought any new fabric...ahem. I've been going crazy on the Spiderweb star blocks with scraps, mmmm fun AND I've been playing with Paintbox Quilt blocks. I'm finding it a little challenging to track down solids and a monochromatic that MATCH!!! It will be a very gradual project.

I traveled across Idaho to see all of my siblings and parents a couple of weeks ago. That's what I have to do everytime I want to see loved ones, drive across the width of Idaho, the big width, not the narrow width. However, it was worth it! Here are a couple of pictures of us 5 kids, I guess we're still kids. I thoroughly love being with my siblings, there is a definite connection felt everytime. I wish we could hang out with each other once a month. They are so great.

My sister Karen, me, my eldest brother Doug who lives in Colorado and Kurt who lives in Utah.

Younger brother Mike who lives in Rigby Idaho! Brettster and Doug.

Take Care~~~

Christmas~New and Different

Don't you just miss Christmas? I sure do. The glorious time went by way way too fast. Several years ago we simplified Christmas. Even though at the time, we only had 2 children, I just felt too busy and tired. My guy decided that we didn't have to attend every event we received invitations for, in the evenings; I decided not to send Christmas cards; homemade goodie plates for friends and neighbors were time consuming and costly. By the time I got cookies rolled cut and frosted, fudge fudged and nuts roasted, I was exhausted. Delivering them was my guy's least favorite thing to do, so of course I didn't have support on that...eventually, we simplified Christmas! These were good moves. As the girls got older, I always had their help, that was a very good part of celebrating. Now when they come home, they bring their guys, that doubles the pleasure and the help! Yeah! We even have time to do a little sewing.

I spotted this "JOY!" pillow last year at a commercial Christmas shop, promptly took a picture of it with my cell phone and proceeded to make a replica of it. I completed it before Christmas! Making covered buttons makes me giddy. The pillow in the store had a darling edging of feathery boa like trim, I was not able to find anything like that in the stores, so I just went with red rick rack. Not having a pattern to work from, this was a careful as you go/methodical project. I was pleased that it worked out!

Simplifying Christmas offers opportunities for new and different. I love love love cake plates. The one pictured here didn't hold a cake this year, but I had a spur of the moment decorating idea: put those old vintage tree ornaments in the lid! It was new and different! I wanted to have a few unique and unknown items around when the couples came home. I accomplished that without spilling the beans and showing any sneak peeks. Another new and different was name cards at the table for our meals. Jacquie at TallgrassPrairieStudio inspired me on that one.

Take Care.

Book and Apron Giveaway!!!

IF you are so inclined, go over to this fun blog and enter the giveaway!!!!
She is offering~~~Two great things that we women love~
http://notquitejunecleaver.wordpress.com (wordpress not typepad)
I've had the Blogging Lazies, but I'll be back to show what I've been doing.
Take Care.