The One Before the Vacation One...

I am way behind...I have this - a pre-vacation post - to write before I even begin sharing what a wonderful vacation I had!

So.  I believe that I mentioned in my last post that I was getting company before I left on vacation. My niece, Jody, who is also my goddaughter, came for a quick overnight visit.

Jody Lynn, me Mum (the girls' Gram), and Michelle (also niece/godddaughter)

Jody Lynn with me Mum (her Gram)

Jody Lynn with me Mum (her Gram) at the nursing home.

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

I finished the cotton and steel churn dash quilt top!  I like it a lot, though it is not (at this point, anyway) one that I am absolutely in love with!  I am waiting on some fabric for the back and then the Big Bad Boy and I will tackle the quilting.  

60 x 60 inches square

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~             

And, I also finally finished the antique quilt repair for Kim.

Antique Quilt circa 1941

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

Naomi Janome came home from the spa before I left on vacation. She had a nice quiet rest while I was gone.  

My next post will be all about my time away from home.  

"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

The One Where Naomi Janome Needs a Vacation, too!

Well, she is all set to go...  

Naomi Janome has been having a few problems and needs to visit the spa. Time to relax and rejuvenate. And, get those feeding problems fixed!  Nothing real serious...just not feeding smoothly.  

Luckily, I have the Big Bad Boy...who is stepping up to the plate nicely.  He is a real workhorse.      

Here's what I'm working on right now...

This is my third quilt for the Heart Builders...a very worthy charitable organization.  This quarter, we are donating to Project Linus.  I am very proud to be part of this team.  If you would like information on Heart Builders, please click 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

Happy Day!!

YAY!  After almost 5 weeks of no sewing (well, except for the curtains for the new sewing room, but I'm not really counting that) Naomi Janome and I partnered up today...got a small project started and finished!

YAY!  Me Mum needed a new zippy purse with a wrist strap...so that's what we did...made a zippy purse!

I even remembered to put a label on the back...

There are a few things to find places for, and there are things to put on the walls, but I am calling the sewing room 'ready for sewing'. Whew.  

One of these days, sister Jill will take me around to look some of the special sights here in Canon City.  I will take lots of photos and share them here.  This is a nice place to live.

  


"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

Friday Finishes...

Though it was a short week - haha...why do I say that?  I don't work, so this week was really no different than any other.  Yes, I know it was Labor Day on Monday, but I had no plans, so...

I have a couple of things to show off you.  

But, before I do that...take a look at Tag doing a stare down with his warthog!  I took this photo last night and it cracks me up as much this morning as it did when I took it!

When I am sitting in my big easy chair, Tag brings his warthog over for me to throw for him.  He puts it on the ottoman and then flips it with his nose and the warthog rolls toward me.  Well, last night, it rested in an upright position.  Tag backed up and there he sat...a stare down!!!  I hope you find this as humorous as I did (and do).

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

Okay, so on with the finishes.  First of all, let me say that I have not been putting Serger Sue to good use.  But, that is only because Naomi Janome pointed out to me that she, herself, has an overlocking stitch in her bag of tricks.  I've been trying that out on doll clothes and I like it very much.  It is much easier to change threads on Naomi Janome than on Serger Sue and I only need the bobbin and spool...not 4 separate spools.  Ya know?  Serger Sue has been left to lanquish...and she doesn't like it one little bit.  So, to keep her quiet, I made a cover for her.  ha!  

Because sergers are oddly shaped, I decided that a simple throw it over the top and tie the sides was the best way to go.  I had some leftover HSTs from my last quilt, so I used them for the front of the cover.  I used white cotton for the back, as well as for the underside of the cover.  I did a minimum of quilting and I actually had matching green and orange threads!  I stitched a line on each side of the zigzag edges and I stitched random lines on the back.  I used some leftover strips to make the ties and to bind it with.  Easy Peasy!

front

back

  
The other finish I have to show is an outfit I made for 16" dolls...for Emma to model.  I modified a dress pattern in a few ways for the top...well, for the bottoms, too.  On the linen/cotton blend pants, I added a strip of fabric to match the top.  Nothing fancy, but I thought it added a little more to the cuteness factor...don't you think?  ~grin~  This will be listed in my Etsy shop. 

 

I need to practice sewing with knit fabric, so I may work on that this weekend.  Otherwise, nothing much is going on. 

Have a great weekend!


"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

Home Again...

I brought Naomi Janome and her niece, little Miss 'nobody puts Baby Lock in a corner!' home from the repair shop yesterday.  They were checked over thoroughly and given tune-ups.  No problems were found...yay!  The 'big bad boy' will be going in late next month.

I am so looking forward to starting me Mum's quilt!  I am hoping that it goes together very quickly.  I should have something to show you very soon.

In the meantime...I now have two dishcloths that match the dishtowels I wrote about here.  

Knitted by me with yarn - Heatwave - shown in previous post.

Knitted by sister Joyce.

I think sister Joyce may also be knitting a few dishcloths with solid color yarn for me.  One must have a color-coordinated kitchen, you know!  Not that anything else goes with these...but they could...these are definitely colors I like in a kitchen!  

What are you working on this week?


"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

Time Off...

It was inevitable.

I guess.

Naomi Janome said she needed a rest...

so she made an appointment at the spa.
 Time for a little rest, relaxation and tune-up.

She took her little niece,

Miss 'nobody puts Baby Lock in a corner!'

and off they went.

I feel lost without her.

Bereft, almost.

Serger Sue is a bit standoffish...
I think I'll leave her alone.

 I could play around with the 'big bad boy'.

But, he's been a bit tense.
I believe he needs a spa treatment, too.

What will I do while I have no sewing machine?

I could start a stitchery project.  

We shall see.

"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

Overlooked!

I did a bit of rearranging in the dining area where I sew.  I had a shelf unit there that held all kinds of 'stuff'...things I thought I might need readily available while sewing.  I have found out that I don't...and, if I did, it surely would not hurt me to walk the 20 feet to the closet where said shelf unit now resides!  

And, hey!  During the sorting/cleaning up phase of all of that, I found fabric that had been cut for napkins.  For 6 of them!  So, I hemmed them.  ta-da...more napkins to add to my pile!  Apparently, I overlooked these...thought I was done making napkins.  The grand total is now 103 napkins made!  Most of them have been gifted, but I do still have a small stash of them (including these) on the ready for impromptu gifts.

I still need to clean off the table where Naomi Janome and Serger Sue dwell, but it already looks much nicer over there in that corner. 

It is Friday!  Those 3 words used to carry much more weight than they do on this day.  You know, back before I was retired...when Friday was the last day to work and the weekend was just moments away.  Now, everyday is the weekend for me!  Have I mentioned lately how much I love being retired?  ~grin~ 

Hope you get through your Friday and have an enjoyable weekend!


 
"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

Button, Button...

I took some time this morning to play with Naomi Janome.  I've had her for 4 years and have never made a buttonhole.  Not that I had occasion to make one...quilts don't often have buttonholes, ya know?

Naomi didn't let me down...it was easy peasy!  Just attach the buttonhole foot, insert the button you're making the buttonhole for and GO! 

I made 3 different types...the ones I will likely use...

square

rounded

keyhole

The thread I used is a 60 wt. polyester...not one I would typically use.  A thicker thread will make for a much better looking buttonhole...more filled in. 

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

The muscle strain in my forearm is much better, though I still need to be careful when picking up heavy objects...and when doing something like I did to strain it in the first place...OUCH!  Thank you so much for your well wishes and inquiries.

Have a great week!




"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

Temper, Temper!!

I was all set to sew up a storm today.  I cut out a pattern...pajamas for Aubrey (and Aubrey was her name)...as a trial pair.  To see how things went together, to size them, and all that good stuff.  Very cute pajamas, too...pink with green stripes flannel.   

Course, I haven't used Serger Sue much at all since she arrived in June.  I started with a trial run and things looked okay.  Not perfect, but okay.  You know how temperamental sergers can be!  But, I went forward...sewed the pajamas, all the while thinking it was good that they were for Aubrey.  Things were okay with the pattern, but the serging didn't look right.  I became fairly frustrated and quit once I had the pajama top done.  

Tonight, when I should have gone to bed, I decided to see if I could figure out what was going on with Serger Sue.  Nothing looked right...and I know diddly about fixing the tension.  But then, one of the threads broke, so I thought...ah-ha...I'll rethread Serger Sue and perhaps that will fix the problem.  Well.  Apparently Serger Sue did not like being set aside when I had company and had a temper tantrum!  She unthreaded herself from one of the thread guides.  Well, no wonder the tension wasn't right!

I spent a very long time rethreading Serger Sue.  What a pain it can be to thread a serger!  But, now that I have done it, rethreading won't be so bad from here on in.  (Course, changing colors is simple...I tie the new color threads to the current ones and pull them through all the guides...easy peasy!!!)

Once I had her threaded, I tested her out...and YAY!  We're back in business!  whew!

I think Serger Sue and Naomi Janome are happy to be on the sewing table...together again. 

Okay, so I am tired.  And, apparently thinking I am pretty funny.

All's well.  Good night. 

"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

Serger Sue Gets New Threads!

Poor Serger Sue.  She arrived 2 months ago and I have done nothing more than look at her.  But, what's a body to do without thread? 

I went to Hobby Lobby this morning - finally - and bought 4 cones of white serger thread.  I want to have 5 main colors of thread on hand to work with...white, black, brown, grey, and taupe.  That should about cover any fabric I use.  Perhaps I will feel the need for more (or less) colors as I progress.

Threading a serger can be somewhat of an undertaking.  Fortunately, the company had pre-threaded Serger Sue, so all I needed to do was tie the new threads to what was already there and pull them through.  I was relieved!  

Naomi Janome stood by to give moral support as I played with her cousin, Serger Sue.  All went well.  So, now I am able to move ahead with the doll clothes I want to make.  Using a serger makes everything look more professional.  In my opinion. 

Yesterday, I was thinking about how it was Friday...and how I normally would be very excited to have a 3 day weekend ahead of me.  Three days off work.  But, now that I am RETIRED, I have every day off work!  ~grin~  Sorry, I could not resist saying that.   


I hope you all are enjoying your weekend!



"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 Very White...and Handmade Christmas...

It's been over a week...I am falling down on the job, here!

My only excuse is that I have been trying to get all my Christmas gifts done and out the door to their recipients.  Almost made it...a few will be getting their gifts late.  I did my best...what's a girl to do?

Two of my grandkids have birthdays close to this time of year...Jasmine in early December and Conlan in early January.  I made separate gifts for the birthdays, too...YAY!!

Did you hear about the snow we got on Thursday?  Over 14 inches...I had two days off work...snow days.  Shoveling out my car so the plow could get the parking lot done was a challenge in and of itself.  But, with help from neighbors, it got done and all is good.  Except, I twisted my knee and have been hobbling around.  Good thing sewing doesn't take much but sitting.

The excitement is building!  Once I get another gift done and finish packaging everything to go into the mail, I will be ready to work on a few major projects!  And, I'll have a 4 day weekend next weekend, so am hoping to get a good start on at least one of them.  I will be resuming work on 'snow days'...need to make the fabric blocks, finish the stitching that extends onto those blocks and get it all put together.  Still some months to go before it's done...hoping to finish getting it all put together by spring.  The other project is the one from my dear long-distance friend, Lindy, of The Gingerbread House...a gift for my birthday last February!  The fabric collection is Curio.  I will be making this quilt...

So.  A handmade Christmas.  I had fun but would have had more fun making everything had I started earlier.  Course, I blame that on my move.  All's well that ends well, though.  Hey?  So...here are photos of most of the gifts.  I neglected to take photos of everything...how did that happen?   

I made several more of these...cannot find the photos.

I made about a thousand of these washcloths (yes, I know...many call these dishcloths, but I use them - and give them - as face or wash cloths )in various colors and patterns.  Okay.  Perhaps I only made about 2 dozen of them.  Some were with a design...birthday cake, Christmas tree ornament, football helmet and sun.  Those were fun to do and so easy...these are the best thing to work on before I leave for work and while watching tv.  Free patterns found here...

And, then.  Yesterday, sister Jill complained that 2 of the kleenex cozies she got earlier this year were plain.  Huh?  So, I made 2 more for her.  I think she will not call these plain.  What do you think?  ~grin~

 

And, then...just for the heck of it, I put together this little pouch for her.  Different than the ones I made for others...just something for cell phone, mp3 player...whatever she wants.  She has no idea I did this...and since she never reads my blog (shame on you, sister!) I feel safe in showing it to you, my bloggy friends.

So, a very handmade Christmas...pillowcases, zippered pouches, face/washcloths, linen napkins (no photo) and a small quilt (no photo).

Oh...and I made a little dopp bag...well, it is actually called a boxy pouch.  Oh dear...I have no idea where I found the tutorial. 

I am sure that I neglected to mention/show something.  But, you get the general idea, right?  

Have I mentioned how much I love my Naomi Janome?  She is very dependable and does whatever I ask.

And, what, pray tell, was the brown boy doing while I was doing all of this sewing and knitting?  

This...

And this...

And more of that 'just laying around' thing.  What can one expect?  ~grin~  

I will be having a very quiet Christmas, but I am okay with that.  What are your plans?

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

 
"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

T-Shirt Quilt...

I gotta tell ya,

this is looking better

and better all the time.

I have the back and front pieced.

Yes, a pieced back...how could I not?

front sneak peek...

 back sneak peek...

Now to sew it all together.

Then on to pinning and tying. 

I may not use batting.

Waiting on word from the commissioner.
edited to add:  yes, she wants batting, so batting it is.

Is that what one who commissions the quilt is called???

Then, would that make me the commissionee???

Yes?  No?

{grin}

The back is denim,

which is a lot heavier to work with

than what I'm used to handling.

It's hard on my neck and shoulders,

so I'm having to take a few

more breaks than normal.

It's a dreary, dismal day.

Perfect for spending time

with my Naomi Janome.

Though, gotta tell ya,

she was acting a bit

temperamental earlier.

Breaking thread every 3-4 inches.

huh?

Once I changed the needle,

she was back to her sweet sewing self.

I'm anxious to get the quilt done.

Some fun projects waiting.

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

A Small Project Started

As I said in yesterday's post, 

I haven't done much sewing at all lately.

I was kind of restless this 
evening & really wanted to sew.

I have a ton of projects...but what to work on?

I started a small one. 
One that wasn't really on my list.

Needed that feeling of accomplishment, I guess.

I pulled out my Kashmir III charm pack, 

cut the charms in half and,

in about 2 hours, had this done.

Measures about 30 x 37 inches.

It won't take long to baste/quilt/bind.

hmmmm...it looks vaguely familiar to me.

ohyeah!  It resembles this one...

Here's the story.

In early summer of 2009,

Brenis and I each bought a charm pack

of Kashmir III (the same fabric I later bought

a fat quarter bundle of, which I

recently used for Carole's quilt).

Brenis and I were going to make

each other a small quilt.

She made that one up there for me.

I surprised her by not using the Kashmir III charms.

Instead, and because she had been raving about

red & white wonky log cabin quilts, 

I made this one for her.

Yup, that is quilted with red thread.

Pretty daring of me only 7 months into quilting,

don't you think?

I feel better, now.

Ya know, for having used my sewing machine.

And, Naomi Janome is happy.  {grin}

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

Oh.  I found some more rug hooking books.

Well, I didn't actually find them.

They were sitting right there on the shelf.

Not sure why I didn't see them last weekend.

I'll be listing them on my selling blog tomorrow.

I need to work on organizing my woolens, too.

Hope you have a great weekend!

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

Someone Is Knocking At My Door...

And it's no one good!
But, I'm keeping the faith.


Work went fine.
Tired, though.
Found out there was to be a house-showing...
yeah, I've been off 2 weeks,
but that doesn't mean the house is clean!
Ya know?
Was going to be a rush job getting home
and straightening/vacuuming.


Then...on the way home...

thwump, thwump, thwump...
hmmmm, what's that noise!?!


huh.


Flat tire.


My new tire.


Flat as a pancake.


But, I have roadside assistance now.
woohoo!


Got home 20 minutes before scheduled showing.
Vacuumed.
And, that's all.
ohwell.

Now it's all done...
time to relax in my easy chair.


Tag is ecstatic that I am home again.


Me, too.
~~~~~~~~
And, just cuz it's weird to post with no photos...
for those of you who don't already know...
here's what I sew with.

I love her.

Her name is Naomi.

Naomi Janome.

{ja-NO-me}

Rhymes.

I thought of it all on my own.

I know.

I'm weird.

But, happy.