4/10 Great progress today

I got up fairly early for a Saturday, especially since I stayed up late last night and I got right to work on the quilt. Sewed on the borders, pieced the backing, laid the backing out and the batting. I just gotta say - I LOVE THE PERSON WHO INVENTED SPRAY BASTING!!! Genius! My son hates when I use it but he wasn't home today - bonus! My hubby was sitting right by the table I was using and I suggest that he leave but he was busy working on something. He got a call a few minutes later and had to leave the house - bonus!! Weird as this may sound, I actually like the smell of the spray. I also like magic markers, old time mimeograph ink and Staz-On ink. Not that I sniff the stuff but I don't have to open all the windows and doors when I use it.
Not a great picture but it is all I have. I tried to hand the flimsy on my clothesline since it was a beautiful day but there was too much of a breeze and I could not get a picture. I tried hanging it over the deck railing and it kept blowing off.


I am ALMOST done with the middle section quilting (but I had to stop to do this post before the day was over). I am going to stipple in the outer border tomorrow and get to work on the binding.


If I can get the binding applied and have that to do while watching a show in the evenings then I can get back to my Verna quilt or the Blush table runner. It is supposed to rain all week and that is perfect weather for quilting.

Praise - hubby and I have come to an agreement on the real estate deal that we can have peace about. Thank you Lord for that!

Prayers - for the other party in the real estate deal, that they can make a decision and we can all move on - one way or another (Still this won't be until near the end of the week).

Friday Night Sew-In SUCCESS!

I made the purse, the entire thing! Yeah for -



I'm going to bed now. I'll update this post in the daylight with a picture of the finished product.

Thanks, Heidi!

**UPDATE with photos! **


I used Tanya Whelan's Grand Revival Practical Bag Pattern. I hope college girl likes it!

I wish that I could join in the Charming Guys & Girls Quilt Club sewing day next Saturday but I'll be at the women's retreat. Hopefully I will be available for the next one.

Praise - for fun blogging friends and events that push me to sew.

Prayers - for the men who will be attending the church's work day. That they are safe and have a good time of fellowship.

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.

Happy New Year!

No pictures again today but I did want to post on the first day of the new year.

Do you make resolutions? Do you make them and break them or do you make resolutions you are able to keep? I usually have a general idea in the back of my head of things I want to accomplish in a year's time. Maybe if I wrote them down I would feel obligated to sticking to them. Maybe.

I have a few things I want to do this year;
Project 365-take a picture DAILY to create a snapshot of one year in our life.

Sew something daily. Is that too ambitious? Should it maybe be, cut out or organize or should it be to actually SEW something daily. I was thinking there will be days when we are gone but I could finally learn how to make yo-yo's or sew on a binding or ???

Scrapbook - daily? weekly?

**just saw on Ginger Patches blog about a yearly reading list. I do keep one and have done terribly the past couple of years. We have no tv - I should read more.

Lose weight - for my health, for the clothes hanging in my closet.

I resolve to make a serious dent in my fabric stash and my scrapbook stash.

I resolve to limit fabric purchases to specific needs, for items I am making for someone OR if something is needed to finish a project (quilt batting or backing).

I resolve to buy NO MORE scrapbook items unless ABSOLUTELY necessary (adhesives, basic cardstock) until stash is noticeably diminished and then not until house sells.

On one hand I think if I am too strict and I fail I will just throw in the towel but if I am not strict enough then weeks will go by before I realize I have not done anything. I was thinking of limiting myself to windowshopping in online fabric stores to once a week. Oh sure I would still see all the new pretties but #1)I would spend less time at my computer, which leaves more time for daily sewing or scrapping #2)I would spend less time 'wanting' something that I don't 'need'. I know I would still get plenty of inspiration from the blogs I visit daily.

Okay...I am outta here. I am going to sew for a bit and then I am going to work on a scrapbook page.

Prayers - for the college kids that should have been making the 6 hour drive here today, to come visit and to ski. The passes are closed and they finally gave up on traveling today. Praying for safe travel for them tomorrow. Praying as well for my son who is snowboarding today - it has been snowing ALL day. Praises - that we made it to 2009 (didn't you think when you were in grade school that the year 2000 seemed so unreal?)! That God has blessed us with so much!