A Few More Small Projects...

Remember, back in April, when I was busy working on a bunch of small projects?  Well, I finally sent off a package to my sister with the items I made for her grandchildren.  I previously showed you the flannel pajama bottoms for Riley here and the skirt I made for Ashley here.  

Alyssa recently had her 11th birthday and loves the band, One Direction.  So, I made a few things for sister Joyce to give her.  A vinyl front zippered pouch, made with a pattern by Terry Atkinson.

A Pretty Little Tote, made using the tutorial found here (I resized it)... 

 

And, a kleenex cozy...

 

I heard that Alyssa is thrilled with her One Direction items, that  Riley wore his pajama bottoms to bed last night, and that Ashley is wearing her skirt to school today.  ~grin~

I also sent along some kleenex cozies for Joyce (I think that everyone in the state of Maryland will soon have one of these! ~grin~)...

 

 
In the meantime, I finished this pillow that I started the other day...

I need to organize my dresser and then I will be totally ready to spring clean and redo my bedroom!  That will happen this weekend.  I went through my closet yesterday...sorted through and removed 3 boxes, so that gives me a bit more room in there.  whew.  I had to order some fabric to make a new blanket for my bed for the brown dog to lay on.  He presently lays on the little quilt I made back here...but it won't match my summer bed.  So...a new one is in the works!

I am itching to start a new quilt...and to quilt another quilt out at The Electric Needle, where I am able to rent the longarm machine.  But, first things first.  Course, that doesn't mean that I cannot plan the quilt.  Right?  And, I need to make more skirts for Kaylynn and Ashley.  And, quilt more quilts.  And, I have an embroidery project to figure out colors for.  Never ends, does it?  That's a happy thought.

I hope your day is a good one for you. 






"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Something to Do...

I was looking for something to do.  I didn't know what I wanted to do.  I knew what I didn't want to do, though.  I didn't want to read.  I didn't want to knit.  I didn't want to sew doll clothes.  I didn't want to lay out the blocks of the bowtie quilt.  I didn't want to work on anything that was already in the works.   

So, here's what I ended up doing...I took the cut off corners from the blocks of the bowtie quilt and made them into half-square triangles.  72 of them.  I needed just 64 of them to make this mini-quilt...

You may think I planned the center 4 hst's to be the way they are, but actually, I made an error.  The prints (not the neutrals) should be making up the inside square.  But, I kinda like it like this, so I am not reverse sewing anything!  This mini-quilt measures about 12 inches square.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's Riley wearing the football hat that I made for me Mum to give him (talked about here)...
                                


                                



"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Sometimes...

I knit.

When I am not watching tv or on the phone or reading

(I read just 23 books in the entire 12 months of 2013...
usually I read at least 3 times that many!)

...I am sewing.

Usually.

Sometimes, though, I knit.  

 Cuz, after all, knitting is my therapy.
Written about here.

 

Little sweaters.

Lately, hats.

For dolls.

Or, for little boys.

Like this one...

 

Me Mum wanted to knit a 'football' hat 
for Riley, sister's youngest grandson.

However, me Mum has difficulty knitting these days.

It is very sad, as she was once a world-famous knitter.

Okay, not really, but she could have been!

She did absolutely beautiful work.

That has changed drastically in the last few years...

aging and Parkinson's Disease being the culprits.

I told her I would knit the hat and send it to Riley.

It'll still be from her and Riley will love it!!

So.

Sometimes.

I knit. 

 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

A Few Things Finished...

Ya know how sometimes you have an idea...

and it just doesn't work out?

The end product looks nothing at all

like what you had pictured?

 I've had plenty of those.

But, I've also had the ones that turn out

better than what I had hoped for!

This is one of the good ones.

I've made drawstring bags before...

back when my boys were toddlers.

A very long time ago.

Joyce asked for a drawstring bag

to give her grandson, Riley.

I had some blocks left from the quilt

I made for him last year...see it here.

I used 9 of those blocks to make the front of the bag
and used Kona cotton solid in Avocado for the back.

I found one (and only one)

turtle that I could use as a patch.

I put that on the back.

It is lined with another Kona cotton solid
- a light green - 

(can't remember the name).

Measuring 11.5 x 14.5 inches,

it is a good size for him to use

for hauling his stuff around.

I think it is dang stinkin' cute!

{grin}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 In my Aqua and Red Bee Block Swap...

Bek asked for a 15.5 inch wonky star block.

I am really liking these red and aqua fabrics!

That's all I have to show for now.

Hopefully, this will be a productive weekend.

Have a great weekend!

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10

Blushing Turtles...

Remember the charmed blush quilt for Joyce's granddaughter, Ashley? 

And, the turtle quilt for Joyce's grandson, Riley?

I had posted about them when I was working on them here and here, but then Joyce asked me to wait & not show them again until she got them.

I finally finished everything that was going to Alaska.  Got the box packed and it arrived in Anchorage today!

Here they are...

I quilted the charmed blush quilt with a variegated thread in a square spiral working from the center outward.

The turtles quilt is quilted with diagonal lines...1/2" apart in one direction only.

Joyce is very happy with them...YAY!

There They Are...

The turtles are showing themselves!  I started piecing this quilt together today.  This is all the progress I made, though.  Not that I worked very hard or long at it.  (just sayin)

I go for my second synvisc injection tomorrow morning.  Found out that I won't be seeing Dr. CutiePie...won't see him for the third injection, either.  Gosh...not sure if I can go through with them.  {grin}  My knee has felt better this week...not so stiff and not so much bone on bone.  HURRAY!!!

I am really looking forward to the weekend...rather, to not going to work.  I have so much to do.  Does it never end?  (you don't have to answer that.)

A Little Start...

Remember, I had to reorder two 
pieces of fabric for Riley's turtle quilt?  
 
Well, they both arrived today...YAY!

So, I cut a bunch of squares.
64 to be exact.

And, once DWTS was over,

I spent about 45 minutes making some 

half-square triangles.

I don't see no turtles, though, do you?

Huh.

Well, they'll show up.   

That's all I have for today. 

One Down, Two to Go...

I kinda wish I needed more than 2 more fluoroscopy-guided injections in my knee (synvisc).  The doctor was way too cute.  And, nice!  ...and then he touched me.  oooooh-la-la!  And, did I say how cute he was???  I tried to find his photo on the UW website, but I cannot remember his name.  Can you believe that?  I must have been too busy swooning when he introduced himself.  {sigh}

Okay...settle down...deep breath.  

I did not take photos (though when I told him that I had contemplated it, he thought I was quite funny).  But, you know, I didn't even get to watch the procedure, cuz I was laying flat on my back.  

I was a bit nervous this a.m....fear of the unknown, I suppose.  Once I was there and he explained everything and I asked a gazillion questions (just to hear him talk), I felt much better.  He numbed my knee...deep numbness.  I felt the prick and sting.  After a few minutes, he told me he was injecting the synvisc and I got all excited cuz I couldn't feel anything.  It was a very simple and painless procedure.  YAY!

I had to stay for ~30 minutes after the procedure...just to make sure that I did not have an adverse reaction.  Then, he released me.  Ya know...told me I could leave.  {grin}

I'll try really hard to get his name next week and then I can post a photo.  I might even take my camera and ask the tech to take photos.  

They have valet parking at the UW...how great is that!!!

I ran a few errands before I came home...to the pharmacy & credit union.  Then, I went to Hobby Lobby where I selected a few Kona solids for Riley's turtle quilt.  Avocado and Paprika...YUMMY colors! 

For the rest of the day, I have nothing planned.  Just going to take it easy and do some finishing work.  I need to bind the rest of Janer's quilt and the other placemat for the placemat quilt swap.  And, I need to finish quilting the rest of the baby blush quilt....then I can put the binding on that and work on finishing it.

The Turtles Are Here!!!

Are you old enough to remember The Turtles?

My fave song of theirs was "Happy Together"...

and here they are singing it.

Gotta love them! 

But, actually, those are not the turtles of which I speak.

Here are the actual turtles that arrived today!

Cuteness plus!

So, yeah...I was commissioned to make a quilt

and turtles were requested.
Is that exciting or what?
Okay, it was my sister, Joyce...
who was an
impulse buyer of 2 quilts...
and commissioned me to make 2 others.
(see them here and here and here)
AND, she's buying the blush quilt I have yet to finish!
(Refresh your memory here.)

Isn't she just the best sister?
I sure think so.

This one is for her grandson...whose birthday is May 3.


Holy Schmoly.

And, then to not have all the fabric arrive...YIKES!

Yeah, you read that right...only 3 of the 5 pieces
I ordered were in the package.

I will have to find the other 2 pieces elsewhere, I guess.

I have a plan, though...
so am ready to rock and roll
once I have all the prints.