Met the challenge

and then some! Not very often that I am an overachiever (take today for instance) but I was able to meet the One Week One Thing Challenge and actually make something else too!

The two table runners;


These were mailed and well received.


Upcycled sweater pillow;
Those are VINTAGE buttons on the side. I have a big jar of buttons that belonged to my mom. These were all on the card still and the price - 79 cents. For FIVE buttons!

Close-up of the flowers.


BONUS project;

this is for one of College Girl's roomies for Christmas. I'm working on the other one today.

Praise - BOTH of my college kids got back to school safely. Thank you, Lord! They both said it was an easier trip than the one home. We had a great time and it was hard to say good-bye.

Prayers - It is soon the end of a quarter for College Girl and the semester for College Boy - they need stamina, good health, good use of their time, good recall for their tests.

Taking the Challenge

Amy has posted her One Week, One Thing Challenge and I am going to take her up on it this time.



Although this is obviously more than ONE THING, I do think that I can get 'er done.


My goal - get the two table runners DONE. The binding is all ready to hand stitch to the back which I will be starting as soon as I post this blog entry. I need to get them washed/dried, photographed and mailed. Then, choosing one of the three sweaters pictured I want to make a pillow.

I did my grocery shopping yesterday so I have no reason to go out in the frightful weather. I can just sit inside, stitch and enjoy the beauty of the snow covered scene through the windows.

Praise - I LOVE SNOW! It is snowing here.

Prayers - it is snowing here and where both of my children are. They are going to be heading home for Thanksgiving and I am praying for clear roads and safe travel. Trusting in the Lord! Being anxious will accomplish nothing but prayers will!!

4/7 Rolling, rolling, rolling

Keep those Posh strips rolling!


I ended up having to work longer today than I had planned so I didn't get to my sewing until after Bible study. It is 11:30 p.m. and I am still sewing. Maybe for another hour or so. I hope to sew for a longer period of time tomorrow. So far I am liking this 'sew everyday' challenge!

Praise - just a glimmer from the real estate agent today and it sounded positive.

Prayers - continuing prayers for the prospective sale of our property. That we would continue to TRUST IN THE LORD!!

Why now?

So I decided to get back into walking by joining the 100 Mile Challenge. I have walked miles and miles on my treadmill over the years and worn out many pairs of shoes. NEVER have I gotten a blister from my walking shoes. Until this morning. It makes NO sense! I've been wearing this same pair for about a year, but since I don't walk every day and have been pretty lax lately the shoes were still fine. I finally let this most recent pair of shoes venture out of doors last week and wore them at Disneyland. We walked for miles every day. No problems. Today, day #2 of the 100 Mile Challenge, I was experiencing some sort of pain in my heel. I stopped to re-tie my shoes (I spend a lot of time doing this it seems), I stopped again to adjust my socks (the same sort of sock that I ALWAYS wear). The pain just kept getting worse. I was determined to make it to the 2 mile mark and I did. I was totally bummed that I could not go another mile.

While walking last night I figured it was time to get another pair of shoes. These feel a little 'thin' under the ball of my foot all of a sudden and the way they have worn down in the heel is noticeable too. I'm not sure about trying on new shoes while I have a blister forming though. I truly think Satan is messing with me. I am going to laugh in his face and take off walking again. I might have to take a day off and get some new shoes, but I am getting back on the treadmill ASAP!

Praise - Hubby got a new job!! Another call from an interested party on our house!

Prayers - Hubby and son and two friends are on an overnight hunt - brrrrrrr! Prayers for their safety. Also for a few families in the church that are dealing with what they suspect is H1N1.

I'm gonna get a move on

I went to Tammy's blog, Ginger Patches, tonight and saw this;



I followed the link and saw the challenge, to walk 100 miles by the end of the year. I have been toying around with my treadmill walking. Somedays I only put on my exercise clothes but never get around to getting on the treadmill. Well I am accepting the challenge! I am going to do this! I NEED to do this.
I am going to the treadmill right now so that I can officially start the challenge today and avoid putting it off yet again. Cheer me on!

Praise - for the blogging world and the challenges and encouragement that can be found there (sewing,exercising,healthy eating to name a few).

Prayers - for a young lady from our church that has been diagnosed with the H1N1 Virus.

6 months behind us

Happy July! Hard to believe that 6 months of 2009 are already behind us. I have fallen behind on so many goals. Remember my pattern challenge? I think about it often and wonder if I could ever catch up at this point. Remember my reading challenge? HAH! Not even started! I have just not been in a reading mood. I haven't sewn everyday so far this year but I am pretty happy with how productive I have been in that department. How are you doing with your goals for 2009?

Do you realize there are 177 days until Christmas? Are you already working on gifts that you want to make? Have you already started your shopping? As a family we usually decide what we are going to do for Christmas somewhere between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Yeah, I know. Even if I start talking about it in September we just keep pushing back the decision.

It is almost 2 a.m. so no pictures to post tonight. I just wanted to give an update on my quilt along quilt and my BSR stippling problem. I tried to find solutions online, I put in a new needle, I rethreaded the machine, I changed bobbins, I threaded the bobbins differently, I changed the speed and stitch length and I UNPICKED 4 more times!!!! :( I used a sample piece and finally got the stitch to look great, no skipping, no LONG stitches so I would move to the quilt and it would skip. Do you know how frustrated I was?? I usually give up but I kept at it, sample great, quilt terrible, unpick, start over. I just do NOT understand what the problem is. Finally I took the BSR off of the machine, tucked it back into the foam in the little tin box and put it on the shelf and then attached the darning foot again. I tried a little sample piece and it was great, moved to the quilt and it worked perfectly. I stippled for about 3 hours and now I can call it DONE! Well at least the quilting is done, next step binding.

Praise - I didn't lose my temper when being frustrated over and over again with the BSR. This is a huge improvement for me!

Prayers - for three of my young friends that are in foreign countries on mission trips, two in Mexico and one in Chile (and feeling a twinge of homesickness). I pray for their health and safety but mostly for their witness to those they come in contact with and that all they do would glorify God.

My only excuse -

would be called LAZINESS! That is why I haven't posted. That is why I haven't chosen an April Challenge. That is why I haven't sewn an April Challenge. That is why I haven't gotten very far on the project that I should be just about done with. I have been fighting off a cold on and off over the month. When my head is clogged I don't trust myself to sew because then I just don't concentrate so well. I procrastinate and I don't like it. I am working on overcoming that trait. I have been making lists for the past week or so. Trying to get everything on the list checked off before bedtime. All that to say I can't believe this is the last day of April. That is when I realize how much time I waste, what I could have accomplished and didn't. Sometimes I just disgust myself. When I read other blogs and see what others are getting done I can either feel motivated to do the same or I get fed up with my sorry self.

* * * * *

I did make it until April 15th without buying any fabric and I am still trying very hard to refrain from buying anything but the necessities. These first two pretties were bought in March. So there. This first one is by Alexander Henry and is called Pink Surfin' Pareo. I am going to make a simple peasant style summer dress for college girl with this. She helped pick out the fabric.

* * * * *

This print is Rebel Roses by Anka's Treasures for Henry Glass. Heather Mulder-Peterson designs such pretty fabrics. I LOVE how she drew these roses. I really like this entire line. Again, college girl decided on the fabric and it is going to be a skirt like the Al Fresco one that I made in March. In real life the fabric is a bit more gold and not so sunny.

* * * * *

Now this was really purchased in April. Actually I purchased TWO of these charm packs because I want to make the Pinwheel Baby Quilt that was featured on the Moda Bakeshop site and I don't want to use any of the pink from the Neptune line. The quilt is going to be for my newest great nephew who was born early this week! That event totally snuck up on me!! I have seen a few of these quilts done online and it was shortly after the project was posted at the bakeshop so I am thinking it shouldn't take that long to do...you know, if I actually DO IT!

* * * * *

This is a Layer Cake of Moda's Fig & Plum. I have dreamed of owning one of these since I first saw the line. I saw a GREAT deal on it and could NOT let it go by. You see how weak the flesh is? I think I am going to make the very simple big block quilt from a recent Quilts and More magazine. That way I get to see each beautiful print (well 36 of them at least) and in theory it shouldn't take long to do at all.

* * * * *

The problem with that theory is of course all the things that I HAVE TO get done first! I have a big project I am working on now, then the baby quilt should be next, then the skirt or dress for college girl. I would LOVE to do my April Challenge AND my May Challenge and get caught up on that. On top of all that I realllllllllllly want to join in Amandajean's Quilt Along. Crazy I know. But if I would be as productive as all of you out there in blogland it SHOULD BE possible. Yes? Or am I kidding myself?

* * * * *

By the way, I have been scrapbooking. A young gal from church asked me about it at the Women's Retreat the first weekend in March and we have been getting together once a week to scrap. She comes here, along with her adorable six month old little boy, because there is NO WAY I am packing up and hauling all of my scrap stuff somewhere else. I like that we have sort of a scheduled time to scrap together and we spend a full day working on some pages. We have such a nice time together and when I am tired of scrapping I entertain the baby. :D

* * * * *

Praises - My son worked so hard on the backyard and has really made a HUGE difference in how it looks. It is almost ready for grass seed. It is going to be lovely when it is no longer brown.

College girl ran unopposed for Hall Council. Her first taste of politics is going smoothly so far. Hubby is getting great feedback at work about his contributions.

Prayers - continuing to pray for a buyer for our house. We are expecting someone to come view it this next week. There is also a lady that has been interested in the place for a couple of months but she hasn't been able to get here to see it in person yet. This is who I have been praying for since I first heard about her. She is really hoping to come sometime in May. Prayers for my kids as they finish up their school years. College girl has until June and my son has just over a week.

* * * * *

See you in MAY!

It's been awhile but I do have pictures

Everyone likes a blog post with pictures. I know that I do. Well I have my camera issues as you know. Oh I can take the picture but then it is remembering to ask hubby to take them off of the camera and put them on the computer and then transfer them to my computer. Zzzzzzzzzzz. Add to that the fact that the camera I was using went into a coma. Well we thought it was dead. Hubby tried his best to revive it but it looked liked the end so he got online and found me a new camera. I said I didn't care what it did, how many megawhatsalls it had as long as it was red. Hubby found a camera that he thought would be great for me. It said in the listing that it was red although the picture must have been taken in poor lighting since it didn't look RED RED but more of a pink red. It arrived and it is PINK PINK. See;

I guess they let the colorblind guy post the colors of available cameras. So now I have a new PINK camera and I LOVE IT! It is light, it is small (fits in my sweatshirt pocket), has a big screen on the back instead of looking through a viewfinder and it takes great pictures! But once I take the pictures, I have to remember to ask hubby to take them off of the camera and put them on the computer and then transfer them to my computer. So really not so much has changed.

* * *

My old camera came out of the coma. I know. Hubby didn't pull the life support from it and gave it one more jolt with the paddles and revived it. I guess he has an extra camera to tote around now.

* * *

I need to make a little case for my camera very soon and I am having trouble deciding which cute fabric to use. I guess I could make more than one.

* * *

I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks. Oh I've thought about it but just never followed through with it. I have kept busy reading blogs, that is always fun and I get such great inspiration from them. I have spent some time scrapbooking and I have also been sewing. Here is a purse that I made for college girl while she was home on spring break. The pattern was from the latest issues of Quilts and More. I made another one from the same pattern but different fabric in late March. I made a pair of hot pink flannel backed satin jammie pants for a friend's birthday (I took a picture of them but the satin and the flash did not agree with one another).

Finally here is the skirt that I made for the March challenge. I just mailed it off to college girl yesterday so if she reads this she will see her skirt here before she sees it in person. I am anxious to hear if it fits. I went by the measurements on the pattern but I think it looks big. She says after she eats all the goodies she got for Easter it will fit just fine. :O

Once again this pattern is the Hip Skirts by Favorite Things and this is the circle skirt. The fabric is from the Al Fresco line by Michele D’Amore for Marcus Fabrics. A few things about the pattern. First of all, I had no idea that there was going to be elastic all around the waistband. Another pattern I have by the same company just has elastic in the back. Secondly, something to keep in mind when choosing fabric for this pattern is there are four panels to make up the circle, so a center and back seam in addition to the side seams. It worked out great with this fabric but another print might not look as good with those additional seams. The directions are clear and easy to follow. There are three other views on the pattern and I will most likely make this skirt again. College girl's opinion will determine that for sure though. Good results with two of their patterns now and that gives me confidence in trying another one at some point.

* * *

I have lots of sewing to do and lots of sewing that I want to do. Have you been to the Moda Bakeshop site? Table runners and baby quilts are on my list.

* * *

Prayers - College girl is super busy with classes, her jobs and now her campaign for Secretary of Hall Council. Prayers that she would get enough sleep, get in enough time to study and yet still fit in all the other stuff she wants to do. I hope she puts God in her jar first and then fills in with all the little things. My son has 3 more weeks of school and then a SAT exam the first weekend of June. Prayers that he would do his best right to the end of the school year and that he would put some effort into studying for the SAT. Continued prayers for a buyer for our house.

* * *

Praise - HE LIVES! Easter is such a wonderful celebration of our risen Savior.

In like a lion

and huh, out like a lion. What does THAT mean? So another month has flown by.


I know I didn't post much in March, just didn't have the oomph to do so. So here is my March Challenge pattern;

Favorite Things Hip Skirts

Guess what?! I even made it and finished it BEFORE the end of March!!! I even took a picture of it! But you know the drill, can't post the picture until hubby takes it off of the camera for me. He has gone to bed. So there is something to look forward to.

* * * * * *

Prayers - for the two different people that are coming to look at our house in the near future. Praying that it would be THE place for one of them.

* * *

Praise - college girl had a nice spring break here at home and has returned to school and is in her 3rd and final quarter of this school year. My son is on his spring break now and is thankful that it is still snowing so that he can go snowboarding every day!

The GREEN Month is upon us

February is too short. Can you believe it is March already? Almost a week into it too. March always makes me think GREEN (and I am not talking Al Gore's 'save the planet' green either). I don't really get into celebrating St.Patrick's Day like my parents did. My kids really enjoy it for some reason though. I think as homeshooled kids they just needed a fun day to celebrate and be silly. I have made them shamrock cookies and dyed some of their food green and sometimes I even wear green. I have never made Corned Beef and Cabbage (shudder), you gotta draw the line somewhere, after all.
I did want to share with you something that I recently made that was a glorious green, it was good for me AND it tasted good.

This is what I started with;

Add to that a couple cups of very cold water, peel the apple, take the grapes off the vine, peel the kiwi and give it all a whirl and this is what the outcome was;

It was so refreshing! My son did not appreciate it. He couldn't get past the color. I have made one just about every afternoon this week. A nice little pick-me-up. I have changed the ingredients a little bit each time and have included oranges and kale in some of the mixes. Both my hubby and my son liked the green smoothie that I made yesterday.

* * * * *

I finally got around to finishing my February challenge. I used the Grand Revival Pattern for the Flea Market Bag. I sewed it up using some Amy Butler fabric for the outside and some Michael Miller Garden Pindot for the inside. I used a magnetic snap closure. The bag is supposed to be reversible but using the snap closure would void that option.

I am glad that I made it finally and I think I would make it again, maybe the shorter bag with the petal tie ends on the strap. I was confused by the directions from the get go. There was not an illustration to go along with the first set of directions and I was just not getting it. I read and re-read and it finally dawned on me what I was to do. The corners are also a little tricky and the pattern just says turn the corner and continue to sew but I had all this FABRIC there. It ended up okay but a little more explanation might be helpful for a novice bag maker. I had not done straps in this way before. They turned out fine. It amazes me how many ways there are to make a bag. I don't always see where the directions are taking me but I keep plugging along. I'm glad someone else figures this stuff out, writes it down, drafts a pattern and sells it to me!

* * * * * * *

I will post my March Challenge pattern choice sometime this weekend. I was having computer problems earlier and don't feel like messing with it anymore tonight.

* * * * *

Praise - I've had a great week with my prayer and food and exercise commitments. College girl got over her cold and her friends are there with her for the weekend. My son had a great time snowboarding today (and a safe trip driving up and back down the mtn.). It was absolutely gorgeous on top of the ski mountain. That winter isn't quite over yet, at least here. We have had snow quite a few days this week and we are expecting more!!
Prayers - For my two friends and myself as we commit ourselves to the Lord every day before we attempt anything in our own power. For hubby and son as they participate in a volleyball tournament tomorrow - for their safety and for the entire team to be a shining example of His love.

Thought I'd better get this going

February is MORE than half over now and I have not even announced which pattern I will be doing for the month. I had a busy first half of the month. Getting ready for Valentine's Day (I'll show you my pictures from that later) and for my house full of guests. So since time is ticking I picked what I think and hope will be a fairly easy project. Another bag from Tanya Whelan's Grand Revival Patterns, the Flea Market Bag.

I have no idea yet which fabrics I will use. I hope to choose them this afternoon and get working on it right away.

******************

College girl loved the Ava Bag done in the Taxi fabric so she is the recipient of that. She was home for the weekend and took it back to school with her.

*

Although I have challenged myself to these 12 patterns for the year I have already bought two more purse patterns and there is another one (at least) that I want. Now it is all I can do to stick to the patterns chosen for the challenge because I want to make those other purses too!! I guess I just need to get busy and actually sew.

**********************

Praise - my friends, two families of 5, came over for the long weekend and they were able to bring my college girl with them! What a blessing that was, for all of us. They had safe travel both ways!

*

Prayers - hubby starts a new job today. College girl has a very hectic two weeks - tests, papers due, a big project. My son is busy with his schoolwork as well.

I've been lost in the WAY BACK MACHINE!

What is it with the nostalgia lately??? First of all, someone posed the question - "what music do you listen to while working out?". I started listing my favorites, most of which are from the 70's! I know very little NEW music unless my kids share some tune with me. I like the old songs that I know the words to AND they conjure up a memory or two. Then the very same day Des was creating a 70's romance Playlist to save herself some money. With the exception of 'Brandy' we were pretty much in agreement over the songs chosen and the memories they had attached with them.

I don't know what prompted the dinner conversation the other night but I was sharing with my son about when I was in junior and senior high, calling in to radio stations for their contests. Using a ROTARY PHONE! Now that takes some talent I tell you! I even won a few times too. My very best prize;

(although it should read DisneyLAND not world)


Oh yeah, that was a GRAND prize! My favorite place to go! Do you know who I chose to go with me?? My sister who also loves Disneyland. See, here is proof that we've been loving that place for a long time;

(circa 1960)


Don't you just LOVE how we were dressed for a day at Disneyland?? Just the way things were done back then. That is me on the left :D

We still INSIST that a day at Disneyland is not complete without a ride on Dumbo. Even though the lines are crazy long now. Some things are just worth the wait.


I found this picture online (http://www.davelandweb.com/) - a nice site if you have hours to waste looking at old Disneyland pictures. I miss those Sky Buckets and look at the Tea Cups! Oh I love me some Disneyland.

Oh, back to the Valentine's Day Party at Disneyland! Ya see how I get when I am in the Way Back Machine?? So my dad dropped the two of us off at the park. A couple of high school girls. I remember spending a good portion of the night ditching a pair of young Marines (in uniform no less). Now many, many years later my sister is married to an ex-Marine who was stationed at Camp Pendleton many years ago. I like to tell her that he must have been one of the guys at Disneyland that night. ;)

I don't know why I never applied for a job at the Happiest Place on Earth. It would have been perfect for me! I still think I should. I mean they have OLD LADIES working in the Crystal Shop! They do! I've seen them! The commute would kill me but what a way to go...working at Disneyland.

This is what I REALLY aspired to;

***********the cream of the crop***********

I was only intrested in the uniform style with the knee socks.

I think I have the Disneyland knowledge for the job - just ask Des. ;)

* * *

So besides spending too much time in the Way Back Machine, I have been doing some sewing too. I finished my January Challenge. I finished it on the 3rd of February. :( I will post pictures tomorrow along with a review. I guess I need to decide what my February Challenge is going to be. I have guests coming for President's Weekend (and they are bringing my college girl with them!!!!) AND this is a short month. All things to consider when choosing my project for this month. I do have something else in the works right now but I can't reveal ANY of it at this time.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * *

Prayers - college girl's schedule is jam packed this week. She has been shorting herself sleep so that she can fit everything in. Prayers that she would get some sleep this weekend but still get her homework done. She totally stresses herself out otherwise. Praise - someone came to look at the house we have on the market! They seem interested. So that is also a prayer request.

I'm going to challenge myself

So as I was wasting time, procrastinating, putting off doing anything productive and oh yeah, catching up on my blog reading I came across THIS challenge over at Oil Cloth Junkie's Blog. Boy oh boy could I relate, I love me some patterns! When the fabric stores have Simplicity, McCall's, and Butterick patterns on sale for 99 cents or even 1.99 I feel it makes sense to buy some. Sometimes I can even reach the limit. But then I also like other kinds of patterns, the kind that don't go on sale very often. The challenge - USE some of these patterns! So I have chosen 13 patterns. I will choose ONE pattern each month and make that item in a month's time. I have 13 so I can have an alternate if one of them is just not speaking to me. ;)

Sorry for the lousy pictures. Bad lighting and it looks like I took an aerial view from the Goodyear Blimp. But hey, can you believe I took the pictures today AND they are now up on my blog...same day! I know, so very exciting. Not as exciting as an impromptu trip to Disneyland but it is the best I can do.

the first 6 patterns;


Stacked Coins by Pieced Tree Patterns - for a charm pack friendly table runner. I have admired stacked coin quilts online and I thought this would be a small investment in time and material to see if I like the process.

the emmeline apron by montessori by hand - cute apron AND reversible!

Strip-Ease by Threaded Pear - I even have the fabric for this (and right now I have no idea which line it is - Ava Rose? Pop Garden? Seriously I have no clue).

Simplicity #3949 - a classic apron style with some variations.

Hip Skirts by Favorite Things - I have made a couple of skirts for college girl using another one of their patterns and liked it so I bought this one.

Covington Bag by Amy Butler - this is hard to come by and I found this at a teeeeeny fabric store I visited this summer when I was at the quilt show. I was thrilled and even more so when I saw the price marked down to $3 from $12.95. Something tells me it was marked down again though to 99 cents. but that sticker is not on the pattern so maybe I am dreaming that part.

Here is the second lousy picture of the other 7 pattern picks;


Short Stack Apron by The Paisley Pincushion - I have almost all of her patterns and I really like those I have made (yeah so there could be others on this list). I did have difficulty with one of them but I emailed her and asked for clarification. She answered quickly and sent photos via email to go along with her explanation! Try doing that with Simplicity or McCall's!

New Look #6841 - I love these bags! The grey one on the top left is going to be RED - yes I already have the fabric. It is a faux silk. I wish I could have found that same grey, maybe someday. I also love the white one the model is holding but I am going to use some Joel Dewberry Ginseng fabric for that I think.

Simple Charm by Thimble Blossoms - I am going to make this pretty much like the pattern cover, although I might not use the blues. This is a table topper and I might part with it and give it as a gift. I love Cotton Blossoms fabric (have two quilts to make using it!).

Flea Market Bag A Grand Revival Pattern - a simple ( I hope) slouch/messenger style bag. It has a few variations. I have some batik that I am thinking of using for this.

Ava Bag A Grand Revival Pattern - Says it is easy AND reversible!! I imagine all sorts of fabric combinations for this always wondering how I would decide which fabric would be in and which would be out.

Just Can't Cut It by All Washed Up - I have seen this made up most recently over here. Seeing that young man make this up encouraged me to add it to the challenge. Maybe if I just send him the fabric...

Market Bags by Portabellopixie - my favorite of the two variations is the gathered market bag. I am not sure which fabric to use for this yet.


So there you have the line-up. This will be sewing in addition to my other projects. I have other quilts and aprons and purses that I want to make. This really will be a challenge for me.

Since I am starting this challenge when January is more than half over I need to go with something I think might be fairly simple. Well at least compared to a quilt!

This is my pick for January:


I sure do hope that all of my other unused patterns don't feel bad.


Praise - that my college girl was able to spend time at my sister's house this weekend. Not quite the same as being home but at least they are related. I know she felt loved while she was there. She worked on a project for school, went out to eat, watched a couple of movies and went ice skating.
Prayers for all of those involved in the inauguration, especially those in law enforcement and security. My friend's hubby is working very long hours and people are taking their crowd control frustrations out on the men and women in blue.