fabric · freehand quilting · longarm quilting · machine quilting · quilt top · quilting · quilts

Lots of Stitching Going On


I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  We had a very nice, laid back day around here.  It was just my husband, son and me.  Then yesterday, we went to Pampa to spend the day after Christmas with my parents.  We had a wonderful day with them.  We waited til the day after because the fabric store there is having a going out of business sale, and it was open on Friday.  I am sad it is closing.  Mom & I really enjoyed our little outings there together.  So of course, we had to have one last hoorah there 🙂  There will be more about that in my Sunday stash report…hehehehe.

Today was a great day, as well.  I finished up the quilting on my customer quilt, and I am pleased with it.  I hope she will be.  I sure had fun working on it.

000_7935

000_7940

000_7950

After I finished this, I felt like just doing some piecing.  Piecing for the sheer fun of watching the pretty blocks come together.  Remember these fabrics I purchased earlier this year?

000_7296

I couldn’t stand just looking at it any longer.  I had to start cutting it up and sewing it back together.

000_7973

These blocks are FUN to sew together.  I also washed some white fabric and some 30’s repros that I want to use in another quilt.  And I’ve done some sewing on the leaders/enders scrap quilt I’m making for my Mom.  I’ll put pics of that in tomorrow’s post. 

I am truly grateful for days like this.  They are like a little gift.  I hope you are enjoying your weekend and doing something you love!

longarm quilting · machine quilting · quilt top

To Answer Terri’s Question…


In the post preceding this one, Terri asked what I was going to quilt in the alternate blocks.  Now that I have a row of them done, I will show you.

000_7916

000_7917

000_7918

The stencil design is by Anita Shackelford, and it looks so beautiful stitched out.  I have wanted to do this one for awhile, but honestly, I wasn’t sure I could pull it off.  It’s actually quite fun to do.  Carla Barrett inspired me to purchase it after she posted a couple of quilts that she used it in, on her blog.  One was this beautiful log cabin.  The other was a stunning Carolina Lilly quilt, which you can find if you click her gallery tab. 

Wow, two posts in one day.  I’m on a roll…

daily life · food · freehand quilting · longarm quilting · machine quilting · quilt top · quilting · quilts

Why Am I Up So Early?


It’s 5:30 and I’ve already got a loaf of cranberry nut bread in the oven.  Did I mean to be up this early? No way! 3:30 this morning and I was wide awake.  At 4:45 I finally just gave in and got up.  I’m sure it will catch up with me later today. 

The Red Velvet Whoopie Pies were a hit.  Mine aren’t near as pretty as the ones in the magazine, but they taste good.  I didn’t follow the recipe for the filling, though.  The recipe calls for a filling made from cream cheese, marshmallow creme and butter.  I was getting ready to make it and my son stopped me and requested that I use my butter cream frosting.  Since I’ve never had them before, I can’t say which way is better, but my butter cream frosting sure is yummy in there.

000_7906

They look pretty sitting on the counter next to my new mixer, as they are almost the same color red.  I chose the cinnamon color mixer, which is a deeper color than the bright red.  The recipe for the whoopie pies can be found in the December Better Homes & Gardens issue, or the BHG recipe site, by doing a search for Red Velvet Whoopie Pies.  You will have to register at the site to view the recipes, but it’s free.

I also made a batch of beef jerky yesterday.  It’s my second try in my new dehydrator.  I tried once using the oven, and I ruined all my jerky meat.  This batch came out really good, so I think I’m finally getting the hang of it.  We like it hot.  Can you see those red pepper flakes?

000_7907

Since it is Wednesday, I will throw in some more pics of the WIP that is on the machine, and a pic of the memorial t-shirt quilt I have started.

000_7908

000_7910

000_7912

000_79111

 

000_7913

000_7914

Oh yum! The cranberry nut bread just got done…can you smell it? 🙂  My house never smells like this at this time of day…lol.  This will throw my little family for a loop!  Me…cooking before coffee…how in the world did that happen?

000_7915

They really won’t care, though, since it doesn’t involve bacon, eggs, toast or pancakes.  Those items are a supper dish around here.  I tell them if they want them for breakfast, there’s a perfectly good restaurant in town that serves them in the morning.

Merry Christmas Eve! I hope Santa is good to you!

quilting

Christmas Blessings


I wanted to share some blessings I have received this week.  First is this cute little tower of notepads, given to me by my dear friend, Betty.

000_7865

It was so pretty, I hated to take it apart and start using it…but I did!

Next is this beautiful Christmas arrangement from another friend, Ramona.  The flowers and greenery are real.

000_7872

I am really enjoying it this Christmas season.

Next up is a real cutie! We did a “Dirty Santa” ornament exchange at our guild party.  The first ornament I opened was this little reindeer.  I loved it.  Of course, it got stolen away from me, and by the time my next ornament was stolen, he was already out of play, so I couldn’t steal him back.  I ended up with a beautiful Jim Shore ornament, but I still did covet that little reindeer ornament.

The lady that made him works out at our hospital, in the office.  I dropped by there yesterday, to pay what was left on my MRI bill, and she was there and said “I have something for you.  It’s in my car.  I ‘ll be right back.”  And she came back with this.

000_7866

000_7868

000_7870

What a complete surprise! It made me get all teary eyed.  I love giving surprises, but doesn’t it make you all warm & fuzzy when someone thinks of you, too?  Especially something so unexpected.  Edited to add: The pattern for these is Jingle Bell Jollies, by Twice as Nice Designs.

I started some much needed vacation time yesterday.  I hope to get caught up around this house, and get caught up on some quilt work.  I’ve gotten started on the 2nd of the memorial quilts for the Martinez family, and I’m almost finished quilting my friend Anita’s quilt.

Right now, I better go eat the buffalo wings I made for lunch, before they get cold!  Enjoy your Saturday!

freehand quilting · machine quilting · quilt top · quilting · stash busting

Sunday Stash Reporting, December 7, 2008 (edited to add photo posting tip)


  • Incoming Yardage to date: 84
  • Outgoing Yardage to date:  114 & 7/12 yds.
  • Total Stash Busted to date: 40 & 7/12 yds.

I used 6.5 yards over the last two or three weeks. I can’t remember when I last posted a stash report.  I used 6 doing some tweaking with my machine, and I needed some fabric to play around on, and 1/2 yard was pulled to take to my guild party.  I have not brought any new stash in, except for the four Christmas fat quarters I had to buy to take to the guild party.  I’m not counting those. 🙂

I’m still not feeling 100% up to par.  I get tired really easy, and I have had lots of sinus headaches.  I did get our tree up and decorated yesterday, as well as set out a few other decorations.  I also finally got back to quilting on Anita’s quilt.  I worked on it a bit yesterday and today.  I finished up all the bugs, and quilted a loopy design with hearts and butterflies in the rest of the blue space.

000_7828

000_7824-medium

I used the ladybugs in Michelle Wyman’s Lotsa Lady Bugs pantograph pattern as the inspiration for this little bug.

000_7826

I am now working on the stars.  I have one done.

000_7822

I used my Circle Lord crosshatch template for the first time, and I do like the results, but I’m not sure exactly how, when using it from the back of the machine, you are supposed to be able to tell where to stop stitching, as the hopping foot is in the way.  So, I stitched from the front, and for every line, bent down under the machine to move the stylus to the next row.  There’s got to be a better way…..????

I am also using my swag templates from Tracey Browning for the first time.  (Anita, you didn’t know you were going to be such a guinea pig, did you?)  I like them, too, however these did not fill the border as much as I had hoped, so I will go back and add some quilting on the outer edge to fill it in some more.

000_7823

I really wasn’t in the mood for Christmas yet, this year.  And I was being grouchy about putting up the tree, as I am just feeling a bit behind in my quilting, my housework, everything.  Then, I checked in on a blog I’ve been following, ever since I read about it on Judy L’s blog awhile back.  This young 32 yr. old mother, Shawndra Turner, has been battling colorectal cancer, and seems to have really taken a turn f0r the worse.  I was so sad reading it yesterday.  I have really been touched by her writings.  As I put up the tree and fluffed the branches, which I really don’t enjoy, I had a whole different attitude.  I fluffed those branches and felt grateful for every blessed minute of it.  I listened to the Sirius holiday station, and am grateful to be celebrating the season.  I pray for this little family.

I want to thank everyone that sent me get well wishes!  I haven’t been good at keeping up with my replies this week, but I appreciated each and every one.  I am still doing my replies by email, for the most part.  Most of the comments I received when I asked, prefer them that way.  Also, when I think about it, I don’t always go back to blogs to see if a blogger has posted a reply to my comment on their comment page. 

This is the only new progress on my mystery quilt.  We will get more instructions in January.

000_7818

It seems like there was something else I was going to write about, but it escapes me just now.  Have a wonderful week, y’all!

(I’m noticing that since the new changes at WordPress, that some of the pics are not clickable anymore.  What’s up with that?) I wrote WordPress Support to inquire about the photos.  I got this answer and thought I’d pass it along.  I tried it out on the first photo in this post, and it worked.

“Make sure to click the File URL or Post URL button before you click the Insert into Post button. Once you’ve done this, your choice will be remembered for next time.”

 

longarm quilting · machine quilting · nature · quilting

On a Fleece Roll


My customer picked up her state flower quilt yesterday and loved it.  She hugged me three times, she was so happy.  Which of course, made me so happy, too! 

I finished up another fleece today, except for the “fringing”.  Still need to do that part.  This one is a thank you gift for a local business man that did a very nice thing for my son & the rest of the high school golf team.  It’s one of those times where “thank you” just doesn’t seem quite enough, but what do you do for a man who has everything?  So, I thought he might like a snuggly fleece blanket made by me…a gift from the heart.  I laid it out on the grass in the backyard, in the sunshine, trying to capture the true color of it, but, the pictures do not show the true color…it’s a deep chocolate brown. 

Ready for more birds? I worked hard yesterday to get these to share with you.  My swallows are back to nest above my front door again.  It gets a little messy, but I don’t have it in me to run them off.  Besides, they eat lots of pesky skeeters.  Enjoy the show!

And while I was sitting below in my lawn chair looking up, I spied this under the edge of the shingles.  I had to share it for Jan 🙂  Praying mantis egg.

I have a stressful week ahead due to my day job.  Think lots of good thoughts for me.  It involves having to testify in a court hearing, in a county over five hours from here.  I keep praying I won’t have to go, but I don’t see that happening…so you prolly won’t hear much more from me til later this week.