What's new?

Mid-Week again?!

Miss Pam tagged me earlier this week for the seven random things post. I've lost count of who all has tagged me for this in the past year or so, but I'm tired of feeling guilty about ignoring them so I'm giving it my version of a 'go' here today. Here's seven random things currently or recently going on in my life or thoughts going on in my head. 

Does anyone remember about 25 years ago when the Wilton cakes started up? I just knew that if you had the right pans and tools anyone could do it! Ummm, I was wrong. My first attempt was so frustrating that I never did try again, but it was the lesson I continue to go back to when disregarding the importance of practice and experience over 'having the right tools'. I thought that since I now have a Bernina freemotion machine quilting would be a breeze, and I would produce professional results. Ummm, wrong again!

Luckily I mainly just 'stitched in the ditch' and didn't try to do an all-over pattern. I do like my borders. I really liked the inner border Freddy used on hers, but that fabric is no longer available, so I recreated it by making a black strip and then added individually cut circles of color. Here's the fabric label I put on the back, which also shows the really awful job I did machine quilting.

It really IS harder than it seems it should be. The good news is that I am signed up for a machine quilting class later this month with the local and very talented Pat Durbin.

2. This is the current view from my kitchen window into the backyard

The contractor has done all he can do before the permit gets approved (hopefully this week) and then it'll be full speed ahead on building me a 15x20 ft studio. Awesome! Who needs lawn anyway? ;-)

3. Miss Mia the Cat recently figured out how to do her two favorite things; lay on her back and watch me here on the computer; at the same time

Clever girl, huh?

4. Hooked on Phonics really does work. When recently told that my grandson Caleb was pretty much the only one in first grade not reading well I bought the program (pre-K to 2nd grade)on ebay. I pick him up after school on M-W-F and he reads for 30-40 minutes. Within a very short time he has just about caught up. He actually enjoys reading time now. I couldn't be happier~

5. I've joined the neighborhood church. I'm really feeling aware lately of how much of my acquaintances and friendships are online and when the electricity goes out...well; you know what I mean. I figure being around others who want to thank God for their many blessings is a good  start toward becoming a part of the community. :-)

6. This week marks the two year quitiversary for me and those nasty stinky gross cigarettes. After two full years I finally feel pretty safe saying "I quit!" yay for me. :-)

7. Have you ever heard the term helicopter parents? I've been observing this hovering behavior more and more these past few years, but only just recently heard that label. Here I thought I was the only one concerned about our children losing their ability to be creative and independent thinkers and do-ers, yet it's a coined phrase in wikipedia. It makes me sad! I'm worried about our society's future. I'm worried that only people who are plummeting toward 50 say things like I'm worried about our society's future ;-)

peace out.

mid-week check in

First off, before I forget (which I'm so easily bound to do) go check out the CUTE winner of the vintage pillowcase craft challenge over at Handmade Parade. Actually, ALL of the entries were really cute! You can see them in this Flickr set. Great ideas!!!

If you've any interest in making those raggy-edged flannel baby blankies like I showed in the previous post, JoAnn's has their $5.99 flannel on sale for $2/yd this week! Here's some sweet groupings I bought for future use

What made me go was the SO CUTE owl fabric that Lori Marie had recently shown on her blog. The owls look so much like the sweet ones she sells in her etsy shop! Not only did my J's have it in stock, no one had touched the bolt yet so I bought all 8 yards! I see LOTS of cutie little girl p.j.'s in my sewing future. ;-)

Miss Kadence came to town for a quick visit last night. It was such a beautiful day here today so she and I walked up to Melissa's house to see my other sweeties... Here we all are getting a dose of vitamin D.  Aren't I one lucky grandma?

Madison turned 3 months old yesterday. She smiles and coos all the time. We try and try to capture her magic on camera but so far no "wow!" photos. Although this one Melissa took today sure shows off those blue eyes!

Okay. Back to work. I've got the top of my FreddyDotCom quilt done, (they're 10inch squares)

but more work to follow with the fence post and circle borders!

Make New Friends, but keep the old...

My mother gifted me with a sewing machine when I got married in 1975 at the age of 17. Luckily she knew it would provide me a great source of usefulness and outlet for creativity for a long time to come. Soon after, we got pregnant and I set about making a quilt for my unborn baby. I can't stir it up at the moment to photograph for you, but it was crib size and sewn from hand cut 1.5 inch squares. Many more quilts and blankets followed, for both cribs

 

and big girl beds

And ultimately comfy blankies for my grandbabies

Of course one of the most fun things about having girls was being able to sew dresses for them

 

and suitcases full of outfits for their Cabbage Patch dolls

(Yes; I am a nut. I even made the cabbage patch head emblems)

When Erica was one I made her a Raggedy Ann doll and matching dress, and I've tried very hard to keep up that tradition for all the new baby girls that have come along since.

It wasn't long before I started sewing curtains for about every room in every house we lived in.

 

I didn't mind having to move every two or three years because that meant I could redecorate all over again!

 

I think for me it's always been more about the DO-ing of it than the final outcome

Which probably explains why (even tho most of my family doesn't understand it)  I put as much thought and care into things I've made for online friends whom I'd only met once

Or in some cases never met at all.

As long as I had a reason to sew (ie; an outlet for it) that was good enough for me.

My constant companion, my vehicle of creativity for the past 32 years was a good ol' Sears Kenmore. Reminded me of a 60's VW bug. As long as you keep it oiled and clean it once in a while, it'll just go and go and go. Well, recently I started thinking I could probably handle an upgrade in the whole sewing experience, so....long story short;

Ta Dah!!! Meet my new friend Bernie!!

You see how fickle I am? I didn't even bother to take a picture of my old machine before I whisked her into oblivion for the new and improved machine. OH I tell you what. Just like a person might shouldn't go from a chuggy ol' VW to a 500series BMW, I'm kinda wondering if I should've worked may way UP to this machine. It's a wow. I set it up Saturday night, scared to death quite frankly, and decided I'd wind a bobbin. I went through all the steps, and then said, "Well, why isn't it working?!" Ahem. It WAS working. Purring along so quietly I didn't even hear it! In the past when I wound a bobbin I'd get yelled at from both ends of the house, "My God, do you have to be so LOUD!?" Last night I sat here and watched the 90 minute video on the basics of how to use it and the embroidery component. I think this will keep me busy at least another 30 years. I am very VERY happy about it and just wanted to share. :-) And yes, I will def keep the good ol' Sears Kenmore. I want to start teaching the older grades at Caleb's little school how to sew and it will be perfect for that.

I photographed the machine with one of the final squares of my FreddyDotCom quilt that I will soon put together (I plan on machine quilting it now that I CAN!) and also a little box of pins that Freddy highly recommended...they're the only ones she'll use because they are SO thin yet SO strong. You can pretty much sew right over them and not even notice. They are called Little House pins and are certainly not cheap at 100 for $10 but that's still plenty of pins for any given project.

Well, if you don't hear from me for the next few days you know where I'll be!

Have a great week. xo.

Home again Home again

Jiggety jig.    I had a great week away from home. I now love Freddy Moran more than I did before. She did a trunk show the night before the class...had four HUGE suitcases packed full of the most visually stimulating and exciting (to me) quilts. It was just a joy to see them all in real life. Freddy didn't make her first quilt until the age of 60. Today, at 77, she has made over 500 and is a highly sought-after teacher and speaker. Her third book (second one with Gwen Marston) is coming out soon. I forgot to bring my camera to the trunk show, but I did bring it to class the next day. Here's a pic of she and I that my mom took.

The quilts we're standing in front of are the same pattern, just different modes of light, medium, dark were used. It's the FreddyDotCom quilt we were in class to make. Mom and I went straight home after class and set up our machines on the dining table with every intention of finishing them right away. Mom made more headway than I did, but I'll catch up!

I thought that in many cases her quilt backs were just as exciting or interesting as the fronts. She has been to Helsinki a few times and is hooked on Marimekko fabric panels. Mom and I ran right home and googled the fabric...found a lot of it offered on this site but yikes on the $40-$50 per yard!  SOOOO.... didn't I feel lucky a few days later when Erica and I went to IKEA and I found all these Swedish fabrics for $3-$7 per yard!

Those are shown on a Cal-King bed. Pretty cool for quilt backs, huh? I'm stoked. IKEA is the absolute bomb. I bought SO MUCH stuff I didn't really even need, just because it was so cool and so cheap! Here's a shot of some doo-daddy stuff just to give an idea.

You just can't go wrong in that place. But make sure to wear comfortable shoes and plan on being there four hours! I didn't believe it when Erica told me it would take that long but it sure enough did!

Look at what I got to come home to find waiting in the mail from my SO SWEET and silly lil Doe.

Love ya Doe! You're the best. It all just could NOT be any sweeter! xoxo

I have to close for now but I have lots more to report so will be back SOON. I'll close with my little contribution to the Vintage Pillowcase Challenge over at Handmade Parade. Not that I can participate since I was asked to be a guest judge but I still felt like throwin' my hat in the ring o' effort. You know how it goes...

That chair, up until today covered in green fabric and usually buried under an ironing pile, slipped into the pillowcase like a stinkin' glove! All I had to do was sew it up short at the top and create a couple little boxed corners. (the pink dotted fabric is simply folded in at the legs and staple-gunned underneath.) So there you have it.

See ya soon!

Any guesses as to what this little assemblage on my ironing board is all about? Oh, I'll just tell you. Tomorrow I'm heading south to meet one of my very favorite quilters; Ms Freddy Moran. Yep! Thursday night she is speaking at my mom's quilt guild, and the following day we are taking a class with her to make the FreddyDotCom quilt pictured below

(photo by Gregory Case)

Now, between me and you I have no idea how we're going to even get it all cut out in a day, but you know I don't care...that's not why I'm going. I'm going to hang out with Freddy for a day! That's why I'm bringing both of her books (autographs) and my camera to add to my 'celebrity sightings' album.  yay! Oh, and I do know that my pile o'dots is quite paltry, but I realized my mom probably has piled up four times that for the class and has already offered to share so why go buy more? Thanks mom! The chair pincushion is a little idea I thought I'd share here, too. (Yes, I'm bringing it for you, mom) They have these cute chairs in kinda ugly colors in the picture frame aisle at the Dollar Tree here in our town. I just spray painted it a nice red, and instead of putting in a pic I laid down two pieces of thick fleece (I had it out for the baby botties...could use batting too, of course) then wrapped it in a scrap of fabric and it became a pincushion! If I hadn't used a dot fabric I think white dots painted on the chair would be pretty danged cute, too.

Well, after 3 or 4 days visiting my parents and getting my Freddy fix I'll head over to Monterey to spend a couple days with my oldest daughter Erica and her guy, Brian.

Love them. The planned highlight of my short time there will be a trip to IKEA up in San Jose...my first time ever! Looking forward to that. Looking forward to being able to leave town for almost a week without stressing out one of my girls about who's gonna watch their babies! Woo Hoo for that! Even if this freedom is only destined to be short-lived, I'll take it!

See you soon!

Yes, but is it ART?

A quick check in--a few pictures

There must be 50 or 60 of these handpainted bead doll heads in the bag that I got for a quarter at the thrift shop yesterday. I know they're meant for pipe cleaner dolls, but I've no idea IF I'll ever actually DO something with them.

I wanted to brag on this Jenn Murphy licensed design piece I got recently at Bayberry Cove. I am SO impressed with the quality of this! Look at all the detail; mohair rabbit, felty flowers, sitting on a pincushion, and it stands over 10 inches tall! Wowee. All that for $22. And the customer service at this online store was fab, too.  And the selection! Whoa. If you don't already have them in your favorites you should definitely go check them out!

We probably all remember the first etsy artist that we came across that made us say "wow!" For me it was KupKup. She is from Spain and the way she weaves stories of KupKup and his friend Lolo and all their adventures into her one of a kind pieces just charms me no end. For the most part it's simply snipped bits of felt and papers but it just really grabs me. I don't know why it took me almost a year but I finally bought a couple of her pieces recently.

I love them. If you look WAY back in her sold items you'll see many more of her flat paper pieces...I think they're what first got her started. My biggest excitement about the new studio is having all these talented artists' works displayed for me to appreciate and be inspired by every day. I am SO looking forward to that!

It's late and I need to call it a day. I wanted to share this real quick just in case you need a special something for a Valentines' Day card. I was cleaning this mini studio of mine yesterday ( shock!) and I came across this desk calendar sheet and I'll be darned if the day of the week is not correct for this particular year! Cool! Let me know if you end up using it on something and I'll do the same.

Cheers!