Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all my blogging friends! He Is Risen!

stuffing...

Not your traditional Thanksgiving stuffing! :o) I'm stuffing bear parts! This is a different bear than the four that I'm making for the kids, but another Christmas present to someone sweet... :o)
Happy Thanksgiving!

9-11-11

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I made this little graphic shortly after 9-11.
If you want to put it on your blog, feel free to right click and save it.

Row Swap and braces... :o)

I was lucky enough to participate (and hostess!) a Row Swap thru the Friendship Group that I'm part of! These are the BEAUTIFUL rows that I received back! The Log Cabin row in the center was the starter row that I made, and then 6 lovely ladies made 6 lovely rows for me! I can't wait to put this quilt together, although it'll have to wait a few weeks... Lots to do with school starting, etc...

If you're not a big fan of "teeth" than you might want to skip the next couple pics... David got braces! I'll tell you what, as a triplet, he REALLY got the short end of the stick when it comes to teeth! So he is one of those that is HAPPY to get braces! No having to fight him on that! Here are a couple before shots.

His favorite color is green, so here he is today, with his braces on, with green elastics! He still has more brackets to be added on the top, as time goes, and he will get them on the bottom too, in a few months... (Excuse the poison ivy on my Boy Scout! HA!)

And since I had the camera out, here are the triplets.... :o) I can't believe that they are 13 and starting 8th grade this year! Elizabeth (the basketball star!), David (my "adorkable" boy!) and Anna (the princess!) :o)

Jimmy will be going to preschool in a few weeks and is very excited about it, but wouldn't stop to pose for a pic with his brother and sisters today... :o(

Dusty Rose Chenille Quilt

It's 99* here, with a heat index in the 100's, and here I am working on a chenille and satin throw for a customer! :o) The dusty rose chenille in this quilt came from a bedspread that was her grandmother's. Some of the bedspread was ruined, so she cut off the usable parts, for this quilt. It's a lovely color! She still has to send me what she wants for the backing, and then it will be tied and black binding.

Don't forget about my "Rose Parade" scraps giveaway! You still have time to enter before Friday! :o) Click HERE... :o)

A Treasure!

I got my Little Jane quilt back from Carol yesterday! Isn't is just amazing! Click on the picture to see it bigger! Carol does such beautiful work! The kids and I sat here last night, going from block to block, admiring the different quilting on each one!

 

With applique blocks from Beatrice, and the quilting from Carol, this quilt will always be a treasure to me!   

another "Scruffily" quilt

I made another *Scruffily* quilt ("recipe" from Moda Bake Shop), from the same *Nostalgia* fabric line, this time for my Mom. Her birthday is this Saturday, done just in time... :o) Click on the picture, to see the "scruffily" parts... :o)

The only thing that bothers me, is that the backing shrunk up more than the front, so it doesn't lay flat now that it's been washed.

This is the same quilt that I made my dear friend, Laurie -- you can read about it HERE. It is a really fun quilt to put together... :o)

fun things... :o)

Lots of fun things to show in this post... :o) First off, this BEAUTIFUL little wallhanging came from Beatrice in France - I won a little contest on her blog a little while back, and this gorgeous wallhanging was my prize! Her hand-quilting is SO nice! I have it hanging above my sewing machine! :o)
This weekend was the 42nd Annual "Apple and Pork Festival" here in our town... :o) We only live down the street from the main attraction, "The Homestead", an 1860's mansion that is now a historical landmark. Here is Jimmy showing you a few of the goodies I had to get - a *Ball jar* of old shell buttons and a lovely crocheted doily.
Here is the same doily, along with another one that I got. Can you believe I only paid $3.25 total for BOTH doilies! It was my lucky day!

And here is my current sewing project... A double wedding ring quilt for my sister, from my mom. Mom bought a pre-cut kit and I am doing the sewing and will be hand-quilting it... :o)

Hope you all are having a good day! Thanks so much for stopping by! :o)

Happy Birthday, Laurie!

A little birdie told me that today is Laurie's birthday! She is a sweet friend, that is so crafty and also happens to be a Scout mom! :o) I hope you have a Very Happy Birthday, Laurie! Go visit her HERE and send her some birthday wishes! :o)

getting things done... :o)

I finally feel like I'm getting a few things done! :o) I finished up the memory quilt - it was mailed out to the customer last night... I like the way it turned out, even if it isn't all "match-y" like I usually like. It's more about the thoughts it evokes, than being match-y... :o)


Also, I finally "decided" and am making a change in my Dear Jane journey. I am not good at applique -- certainly admire those that do it well! (Beatrice, included!) But I have decided that I really don't care whether I get good at it or not, it's just not enjoyable to me, at this time. So I am going to start doing the applique DJ blocks, as embroidery instead... :o) These were the first ones that I have done as embroidery, J-11 "Twin Sister". I enjoyed these MUCH better and am looking forward to doing more of them! (Rather than dreading the applique ones!)

And last but not least, Carol quilted my "Emma's Legacy" quilt and I got it back this week and got the binding put on it. I *LOVE* this quilt!

I told Carol I wanted something old-fashioned, maybe vines -- but she always knows the perfect design! These leaves are fantastic! Thank you so much, Carol - you always do such beautiful work!

So, now to just decide what to work on next... :o) Thanks for visiting!

Happy Day Giveaway Winner!

Well, it's here! Today is my birthday! Still not thrilled about the number, but oh well, we will have a Happy Day anyways! :o) Speaking of Happy Day, today we have a winner for the Happy Day block give-away!

Random.org chose lucky number 7 as the winner -- so Becky from Quilting MeMe, if you will email me your "snail mail" address, I will get the Happy Day block out to you right away!

Thank you all for playing along and for the birthday wishes! Have a *Happy Day*!

don't forget about the Happy Day give-away!

Don't forget to sign up for my Happy Day give-away, HERE. The drawing is tomorrow morning!

Got some fun mail this week -- not for me, but for my older son, David! Laurie's son, Ben, went to the 2010 National Scout Jamboree over the last few weeks, and Laurie got this patch for David, since he wasn't able to go. David thought it was SO cool! Thank you, Laurie, it was really, really nice of you to think of him! He is excited to show it to the other boys in our Troop at Monday's meeting!


I finished hand-quilting my July Schnibble, Joy Luck, and now have it hanging over my desk... :o) I really love the colors!

And here is my progress on the hexagons... These are the little 1/2" hexagons. Going to be a quilt center... :o)

Here's what I *really* want for my birthday -- I mean, come on, it even comes out ON my birthday! That must mean something, right?! Well, I know I won't be getting it, but a gal can dream... :o)

See you all tomorrow morning, when I announce the winner of my Happy Day drawing! :o)

friendship...

Remember last fall, when I received this BEAUTIFUL Psalms 23 bracelet from Tricia at "Notes Of Sincerity"?

Well, a few weeks back, Tricia and I were talking and I told her I would get a box together of some scrap fabrics that I didn't want anymore... And here is what I got in return:

A beautiful pair of earrings for me, a pair of earrings for each of the girls to wear to the Ball with Jim in August, and a phone fob! :o) Thank you so much, Tricia!

Tricia is doing a "scraps for custom-made jewelry" swap, for anyone that is interested! Her jewelry is first-rate, I can tell you from experience... I couldn't be happier, and from what I hear, she is pretty happy with her new fabric scraps. :o) Stop by her "Notes of Sincerity" blog, you won't be sorry!

this and that

A little of this and that for today's post! :o) First off, I finally pieced my first two Klosjes blocks! These are 3-1/2" square, at this point... Love them! I am using 1800s repros charm squares! (Ordered more, so I have more variety!) Mary Ann, I finally got started! (Although I still need gentle reminders!)

And dear Beatrice sent me a few more pink Dear Jane blocks! She is so sweet to do some of the applique blocks for me! Her applique is beautiful! Thank you so much Beatrice!

I am working on my "Emma's Legacy" quilt, from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. I won the pattern and jelly rolls a few months ago, from Carrie, in the Schnibbles parade. I love, love, love these fabrics! I was a little scared, cutting the 60* angles, but I took my time and they turned out fine! :o)

And I have to include this pic of one of our cats, Lefty... :o) Imagine my surprise when I turned around and found Lefty perched HERE:

Shirley over at Bits and Pieces, has been talking about posting about things that make you happy. Today, what makes me happy, is my family, and especially my husband. Jim (dear husband) and David (12-years-old) left this morning for a week of Boy Scout camp in northern Wisconsin. (We live in central Illinois.) So why does this make me happy? Because Jim is such a great dad. He came into the trios lives when they were about 5 years old, and even tho their "real dad" lives in the same town as us, Jim has been more of a father to them than I could have ever dreamed! He has been with David in Scouts, since David entered as a Tiger Cub in First Grade. So my family makes me happy... :o)

Hope you are having a good day! Thanks so much for visiting!

Happy Birthday, Shirley!

Just wanted to wish a big Happy Birthday to Shirley! Although we have never met in person, I have known Shirley for probably 10 years or so, we met on a PaintShopPro yahoo group when the trio were really little, and have been great friends ever since! She has been there for me thru raising triplets, divorce, remarriage, another baby and when my Dad passed away. But more than that, she has been there for me every day. :o)

If you have a minute, go visit Shirley at her Bits and Pieces blog and tell her Happy Birthday! :o)

Boy Scouts Quilt

Lucky me! Well, actually, Lucky David! :o) I received David's Boy Scout quilt back from Carol, all quilted BEAUTIFULLY! Remember, Carol and I have been *trading*, I pieced three quilt kits for her, and she quilted my trio's birthday quilts, that I will give them for their 13th birthday, this November. I definitely got the good end of this deal! :o) Here is David's quilt:
The binding is not on it yet, because they are on summer break, and I haven't had a chance to get it done. The binding is the red in that middle border. The trio went to a friend's house for just a little while this afternoon, and that is how I got time to get the pics taken without him seeing! (As long as Jimmy doesn't tell on me!)

In these blocks, Carol quilted the Fleur De Lis:

Here is the back of that block:

And then super-cool, in these full blocks, Carol quilted the words *Boy Scouts* -- see it there?! How cool is that?! :o)))

Here is the back of that block:

David is going to be THRILLED with this quilt! And I know the girls will love theirs too. In case you missed theirs, you can find Anna's HERE, and Elizabeth's HERE. Thank you again, Carol, from the bottom of my heart! I don't want my babies to be teenagers already, but I can't wait til November! :o)

Bread and Butter

Carol received her *Bread and Butter* quilt top, so I can show it to you all now! (I borrowed your photo, Carol, I hope that is ok, it is a better photo than mine!)

Carol is such a sweet friend, and has been doing the custom quilting on the trio's birthday quilts, in exchange for me piecing a couple of quilt tops for her, including this one... :o) I definitely got the good end of this deal! Actually, I received the third quilt back from her just today, David's Boy Scout quilt, and I *CANNOT* wait to show it to you all! But I can't do that, until the kids go to a friends house or something, so I can get the binding on and get some photos of it! It is amazing!

Thanks so much for everyones concern about my finger! It is much better! Barely hurts, unless you really put pressure on it. Unfortunately, where they gave me the tetanus shot is STILL really bugging me tho. I go back to the doctor for it tomorrow. I have about a 4" knot in my upper arm from it. The nurse gave the shot to me way back on the back side of my arm, and I am wondering if that is part of the problem, like it didn't go into the muscle like it should?! I went to the doctor yesterday to have it checked and she said wait a few more days. The doctor said it probably isn't an allergic reaction to the shot, since I was on antibiotics to prevent infection in my finger, for the first five days. But it is really quite sore -- can't touch it without wincing! (And of course, it seems like every time I turn around, I am bumping into something, or someone is bumping into me!!!) Tomorrow will be a full week since I got the shot, and this knot is getting bigger not smaller, so I am going to go back to the doctor tomorrow! I will keep you posted! :o) Hope everyone is having a good week!

putting yourself into your work... :o)

I am working on blocks for a quilt top for Carol. (Carol is the friend doing the custom quilting on the trio's birthday quilts, in exchange for me piecing some quilt kits of hers.) This quilt is called *Bread and Butter* -- the block is called *Squirrel In A Cage*. I really like these fabrics and the blocks! There are triangle 4-patch blocks still to make, and then I can get it all put together... :o)

Ok, so on to putting yourself into your work... :o) There have been numerous times I have gotten my fingers too close to the needle while sewing... Who hasn't?!?! Well, today, I did the BIG boo-boo! Yep, the needle went THRU my finger and nail! ACK! After I got the machine turned off, I was standing there thinking, OK, how do I get my finger out?!?! I had to get the little screwdriver and undo the screw that holds the needle in! Then get Jimmy to go potty and wake Jim up, to take me to the ER. I probably could've taken myself, but... :o) So if you aren't squeamish, go ahead and scroll down and learn from my boo-boo... :o) If you don't want to see the pics, I understand! :o)

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In the pic below, you can kinda see that the THREAD is still in the needle, THRU my finger!

All is well now... Antibiotics and pain pills... :o) They did take x-rays and luckily, the needle did not chip the bone... Lesson learned! But oh, how I want to get back to sewing! Maybe tomorrow when my finger isn't so tender! :o) And maybe I should remember, you don't have to put yourself into your work quite that much! :o)

P.S. Carol -- no blood on the block I was sewing! Shew! :o)))

Dear Jane blocks from Beatrice

My dear friend, Beatrice from A Needle In A Haystack, offered to make a few of my pink Dear Jane blocks for me, to put into my quilt! Oh my! They are beautiful! Her applique is perfect! These blocks are going to make my pink quilt SO MUCH more special!

The blocks are:
A-6 Uncle Homer, B-2 Sweet Tater Pie, F-13 Tour De France
G-8 Justin's Comet, H-13 Farm Fields, I-2 Kaye's Courtyard
K-7 Rose of Sharing, L-4 St. George's Cross, M-5 Mother's Point

Thank you, Beatrice, from the bottom of my heart!

If you want to see more of my Dear Jane blocks, come visit my Dear Jane - times two! blog! (Yes, I am making TWO Dear Janes, one pink, one 1800s repros in red and blue!) Thanks for stopping by!

April Schnibble - Tagalong

I am excited to join the Schnibbles Parade over at Pink Pincushion again this month! :o) This month's Schnibble is called Tagalong. Carol, do you recognize the fabrics? :o) Carol sent me a couple of charm packs of Blush, that I used for this month's quilt top. (Thank you, Carol!) I ordered a little extra yardage for the borders... :o) I ended up not making the outside border pieced, but used a single fabric, the inside of my quilt was busy enough for me... I love the way it turned out! :o)

Thanks for stopping by! I haven't forgotten about the patterns to give-away... Check back tomorrow! :o)