Some last minute gifts

Happy Day After Christmas! Some people refer to it as Boxing Day but I never really got that. My sister would call today Merry After Birth - but that's just wrong on so many levels. She is twisted that way. ;)

I did venture out this morning, not too early though - to WM where it was not crowded really and the cashier said that it was the busiest it had been all day. I got some lights for 50% off and a big red metal tray and a red metal 'tub' (also 50% off). I plan to plant bright yellow and orange flowers in it this spring/summer! Then I went to the LQS, where all fabric was 50% off. I think my college girl and I were the only ones in there. All I wanted was a yard of some beautiful red wool that I saw on Black Friday but didn't get. I looked at all the other fabric anyway but I resisted. For now. The sale DOES go until the 31st ;)

After reading this apron tutorial by JonaG, I decided to make a couple of her aprons for the gal that owns the gym that I go to and the gal that teaches classes there. A couple of fun gals and I wanted to give them a little something. I made them on the 23rd and we went in on Christmas Eve, on our way to the movie and set them on their desks.

I have some more aprons to sew and I should be working on them now, so I guess I will push myself away from the computer.

Praise - all the holiday travelers that I know arrived at their destinations safely and before Christmas. Prayers - for safety for all those dealing with the unusual weather. Many family and friends are getting snow instead of their usual rain.

So I have some catching up to do

Just because I haven't posted in awhile doesn't mean I haven't been busy! Of course there is still unpacking but I am pretty tired of that. I have done a little bit of Christmas decorating and more needs to be done. I find that I am usually way behind in that department and then it seems it is time to take it all down. I think my reluctance to decorate for Christmas is because it means I have to put the fall stuff away and it still IS fall. Fall IS my favorite after all.

I made this tote and checkbook cover for a gal that missed getting the other one that I made for an online auction. This one is very similar, although not an exact copy. I have some aprons to make as well. When I have aprons and bags to make I get to shop for fabric!!!! Mmmmmm, I love shopping for fabric. Online or in person doesn't matter.

Speaking of fabric shopping the little LQS that is half a knitting store had a great Black Friday sale. If you were a key chain holder you could get in at 6 a.m. and shop until 8:30 a.m. and EVERYTHING was 40% off. Well you KNOW I am a key chain holder and I would get up that early to shop for fabric but not for plasma televisions or Nintendo games or bicycles. I mean I have priorities! Since I had no guests for Thanksgiving and college girl was not home I was free to get up and go (figuring the guys were going hunting anyway). Man it is dark at that hour! I pulled into the parking lot just at 6 and there were already quite a few cars parked out front. A clerk met me at the door and handed me a little slip of paper and said the sale was actually 50% off of everything!!! OH.MY. My heart began to race. I think THIS is an aerobic workout for me!! I kept saying to myself 'I have to be good, I can't spend too much, I must use restraint'.
There were lots of ladies there and ONE clerk cutting and the owner at the cash register, but it went much quicker than if I had been at JoAnn's and there were 4 cutters and 4 ladies on cash registers. Everyone in line was having a good time, talking, commenting on fabric choices etc. As soon as a fabric was cut a runner would take the bolt and get it back on the shelf. Over the next few days I will show you some of my treasures. This was one of my favorites. I had NEVER seen this print before, at that store or online. I have seen it since then though. Isn't that funny how that works?
This is from Alexander Henry and is called Starlings. It is so bright and cheery and makes me smile.


Here is a close up of one of the little birds. The paisleys and red swirls....mmmmmm.


My college girl is OFFICIALLY finished with her first quarter!! WOOO HOOOO!!! She will be getting on the train Thursday afternoon and will get home early Friday morning. I can hardly wait!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. It SNOWED here yesterday afternoon. Not alot but enough to cover the ground and it is mostly still here. A mile down the road - no snow.

Praise - college girl has made it through the first quarter of college away from home! My son made it to town and back, driving his truck on wintry roads for the very first time.
Prayers - again, for safe travel for college girl to get home. Also, prayers for the household of Freda's Hive. I don't know specifics and I don't need to know them - God knows! Nanette you are in my prayers. I am also praying for Dong Yun Yoon, the man that lost his wife, two daughters and his mother-in-law when the jet crashed into his home. My heart breaks for him.

Retail Therapy - it does a body good!

I sewed last night, so doesn't that mean I need more fabric?? :D I started and completed a project that is over there on my TO DO LIST! How about that? Yes indeedy, I sewed Minkee 1. It is all packed up and ready to ship off to my dear friend. I won't show you the picture until she gets it. I forgot that my kids did a project from my TO DO LIST!! They did Fleece 1. I was going to sew the fleece into a pocket pillow/throw but then I decided to use two colors (college colors) and wasn't sure how to go about that. My machine wasn't here yet, we were pressed for time and the kids KNOW how to make a two sided tied fleece throw. So they did. It was presented to our friend on Monday and she headed off to school in the mid west on Wednesday Morning. I think she is going to need some double thick fleece.

I stayed up late last night and then when I did go to bed I couldn't get to sleep. Oh I hate that. My plan was to get up and get to the Farmer's Market when they opened at 9 and go to grocery store and back home before it got too hot. Well I didn't get to sleep until sometime after 3:30 and when I rolled over and saw the clock at 7:15 I said 'NO WAY!' I rolled over and went back to sleep. I got up at 9, took my time showering and dressing, eating breakfast, reading emails. Just dinking around. I left the house at noon. I didn't beat the heat. First stop WM for a new fan for the bedroom (the lightning messed up the one we have - it will only go on timer mode and it is now very noisy). There were too many choices so that took way too long. Come to find out the one I chose is noisy. :( It will go back. Then off to the library to pick up a hold - a book on machine quilting. Then to the craft store to get some stabilizer and some - hmmmmm - I don't know what it is called - the pellon like stuff to iron an applique to a piece of fabric. I have an idea brewing. I visited with the gal that works in the fabric department. She was just starting a new fall apron. She gets to SEW AT WORK! I want that job! I mean, if I had to get a job that would be a good one to have. She is lots of fun and is very helpful. I need a solid red for a project but I didn't take the print fabric I am trying to match. Dumb. Red is tough. Oh well, good excuse to return another day.

Then I went to the local quilt store. It is quilt, knitting, beading. I haven't gone there much since they opened but the last few times I have decided to stop by they have had some things that I really like. It is so nice to see the fabrics in person and touch them. To see if I like them as much as I did when I saw them online. Look what they had today!!!

It is just as nice in person. Just as colorful and it makes my heart beat just a little bit faster. I know some of you know what I am talking about too. They didn't have the entire line and they didn't have all the pieces that I wanted. I think that Quilt Taffy has one of the other prints that I want from the line. I also want Ava Rose RED with a white dot. That has been hard to come by.

I walked down another aisle and found a good portion of the fabric for this;

That is the Galveston quilt from Andover fabrics. The picture is from Cherry House Quilts blog. Andover is not making it easy to find the fabric. I even contacted them but they never answered. Julie Comstock and Lindsay Moore of Cosmo Cricket have been VERY helpful though. I realize that small shops can't order in an entire line but man...I sure do wish I could find the rest of these prints. I guess that the hunt is part of the thrill?? It is brand new, so maybe I just need to wait a bit for it to start hitting the shelves.

I also chatted quite a bit with the two ladies working at the LQS. They were very nice and helpful and they were definitely kindred spirits when it comes to fabric love.

So no sewing today like I originally planned. But it was really too hot to be in my sewing room anyway - broken, noisy fan and all. The temperature here at 6pm was 95 degrees. Instead I will dream of these new fabrics and how I am going to use them.

Praises - hubby has worked so hard to get things back to normal here after the lightning storm. It is such a blessing to be married to a jack-of-all-trades. He and my son went backpacking yesterday afternoon until late today. My daughter and I had an UNeventful night at home. BIG PRAISE! :D