Simple Sampler Quiltalong...

I was surprised to see that Amy (of Amy's Creative Side) had already posted week 2 block instructions this afternoon.  But, what the heck...I sat right down and put my blocks together.  Here they are...

  
Hope you had a good Monday!

New Clothes!

Not for me...I made new clothes for Kaylynn's baby doll.  Poor thing, she had nothing but pajamas.  Saw this cute ladybug fabric at Hobby Lobby and had to get it for just this purpose.  Okay, sometimes I like ladybugs on fabric.  (see yesterday's post if you have no clue what significance that has.)  The denim is a bit of what I had left from a laundry bag I made for a coworker. 

Here she is with Aubrey, her new friend.  Look at their clothes...they bear a marked similarity in construction, don't you think?  That's because I totally copied Cathy's (the one who made Aubrey.  Of Quilting on Turtle Hill) work.  Cuz she's my friend.  Thanks, Cathy!

Tag is anxious to go out.  

I need to make lunch.

Hope you are having a great day.

Simple Sampler Quiltalong...

As I blogged about here, I joined a quiltalong

hosted by Amy (of Amy's Creative Side).

Not because I needed something else to do,

but because I thought this would be an excellent

project for the Metro Mirage fabric collection

I picked up last winter.

And, because joining a quiltalong is a

great way to keep me motivated and on track.     

 

Here are the first two blocks...

 

A simple 4-patch

 

and a 4-patch times 4!

These were quick and easy blocks to start with.

My biggest problem was getting started.

That whole indecision thing I have goin'

on when selecting fabrics.

I think I've got it all figured out now.

Hope your day is productive!

 

I Hate Bugs!

I know that some of you will find this highly amusing.  Yet, I'm gonna write it, anyway.

I hate bugs.  Flying Bugs.  Crawling bugs.  Fast bugs.  Slow bugs.  Bugs with wings.  Bugs with many legs.  Bugs that sting.  Bugs that bite.  Bugs that make noise.  Bugs with hard shells.  Bugs with big fat bodies.  Truly.  I hate all bugs.

When I was a child, I played with grasshoppers and laid in the grass for hours (where there are all kinds of bugs).  Didn't kill ants...was actually fascinated by them, though not to the extent of wanting to keep an ant farm.  Now, not so much.  The being kind thing.  I squash them all as if my very life depends on it.   

And, I know.  We are all God's creatures.  We all have our place in this world.  But, know what?  Let the bugs have their place far away from me!  Please!

And, yeah.  I live in the country.  Gotta tell ya, that is the one big thing I really have a difficult time with out here.  More bugs.  Course, when I lived in the apartment building in the city, our landlord had an exterminator come once a month.  So.  We actually didn't have that many bugs.  Mosquitoes and flies, but not many spiders or other icky things.  Except, when a new tenant brought roaches in with her.  ugh.  Makes me want to puke just thinking about it.  The exterminator guy came and sprayed every apartment.  So, we did get rid of them (and that tenant).  And, my sister, Julie...bless her heart, would come and kill bugs for me.  Now, not only do I have to kill them myself...I also have to pick them up and flush them.  Or something.  Gives me the willies.  For sure.

Blood and guts do not bother me.  Just bugs.   I know...they're so small and I am so much bigger than they are.  But, that just doesn't matter.  And, much as I try not to freak, it is just an involuntary thing...I scream like a girl!  

ohyeah...I am a girl! 

Just wanted to share.

DQS9 Sneak Peek....

Well, I've had to do a complete 180 on this.

 But, that's okay. 

I think it will be better this way.  

I know.  You have no clue what I'm talking about.  

Only because I never shared my first idea with you. 

Trust me.  

I know what I'm doing.  

(ha!)

Here is a sneak peek at my dqs9 quilt.
Lots more work to do before it's done!

Have a great weekend!

I'll be busy sewing...
several projects are in need of attention.

DQS9 fabric is here!

I now have all the fabric for my dqs9 quilt.

May add some Kona white and/or black.

I think these will work nicely together.

Now to decide on a design for my doll quilt.  

I've done nothing today.  

Must get busy!

My Friday Night Sew-in Results!

I wasn't sure that I was going to get anything done last night.  I had to watch 'Flashpoint' (love that show!) before I started, but was afraid that I wouldn't have the energy and/or ambition once I turned the tv off.  But, I did.  I had the energy.  In fact, I stayed up into the wee hours.  Not sewing all the time...had an hour long visit on the phone with my sister in Alaska. 

Anyway.  Here's the scoop...I wanted to make a bag that wasn't completely open at the top (like a tote), but one that didn't have a snap or button to undo.  So.  I thought...how about a foldover top?  Sounded great to me.  I wasn't sure on size, so I went smaller rather than larger to start with.  Here's what I came up with...about 10" wide by 10" high up to the foldover.

We shall see how this works out. 

Have a great weekend!

Friday Night Sew-in...

 
Yup, tonight's the night!  I haven't done any sewing at all  for a week, so it'll be good to work on something.  Not sure what, but I do have a few ideas running around in my head that I should put to paper and fabric.  Go here to sign up for tonight!


What will you be working on tonight?

Something New and Something Else...

First of all, the something else.  I think I mentioned in a different blog post that I had sent the pillow covers I made for my nephew, Tony, to Alaska (where sister Joyce lives and where Tony is stationed) so that Joyce could pick up the pillow forms and give them to him and his fiance as a wedding gift from me.  {geez, take a breath, would you?}

 Well, Joyce got the pillow forms and I wanted to show you how they looked.  I think they look so much different now...as pillows, rather than just flat pieces.  Ya know?!

I see more pillow covers in my future!

(the fabrics used for these pillow covers are taken from the fabrics I talk about below.) 

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As for the something new...just cuz I have nothing else to do (but, actually, I needed a purpose for these fabrics!), I joined Amy's (of Amy's Creative Side aka Park City Girl) Simple Sampler Quilt Along! 

This will be a great way to use the fabrics...and belonging to a quilt along will keep me on track.  Oh, the fabrics?  I had originally purchased them to use in my lqs's BOM for this year, but dropped out.  Remember these? I think they will work out just great!  I don't have a photo, but I have a few more pieces that I had gotten online that aren't in this original batch.  So, I think I have the makings of an awesome quilt! 

Have a good night!

Hand-Woven Apple Table Mats!

I received these in the mail yesterday...

hand-woven table mats from Pat.

You can find her here and here.

These are amazing.

4 of them.

Hand-woven.

With apples.

I have apple dishes.

And other apple things.

In my kitchen.

Perfection, no?

Yes!

Thank you so very much, Pat!

I will always treasure these!

DQS9...

I am patiently waiting to hear who my partner is for this doll quilt swap round.  I participated in dqs7 & dqs8 and had a blast!  It was great fun to stalk and plan and reveal sneak peeks and finally...to send off my quilt and await the verdict.  Then, to await - with some trepidation - the arrival of the quilt someone made for me!  So far, my partner has gotten me spot on!  But, ohboy...it'll all start again very soon.  

I have been busy over on my Flickr account making galleries to put my faves into.  What fun that is!  For sure, I could mark many quilty things as faves, but putting those into galleries is a great way to show why I like what I like.  Whether it be for the design, the color combination, the quilting technique...whatever.  All nice and tidy and with lots of room to explain why a specific fave is a fave.  I don't have that many...there are some who have hundreds of faves!  I guess I've been a bit too selective because of the various reasons I like what I like.  Now...more freedom.  YAY!  

It sometimes takes a bit of time for me to come up with the perfect plan...the perfect doll quilt design for my partner.  I'll not be able to reveal who that partner is, but I will definitely show you all sneak peeks as I work on the quilt. 

Have a great Sunday!

edited to add:  got my partner...YAY!  I have a ton of ideas...now to begin the plan.  {grin}

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!

You Asked For It...

you got it (Toyota)!

Julie (younger sister - dexmangoldens blog) 
asked if I could make 

a holder/bag for her sunglasses.  

So.

I did.

Kinda was making it up as I went along.
(well, I did spend a bit of time thinking about it first)

Took about an hour from start to finish.

Lined & quilted (with batting) with a drawstring closure.

~3 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches.

(glasses not included)

(Julie, this will be mailed out on Monday.)

Tag's New Blanket!

I finished hand-stitching the binding on Tag's blanket/crate pad last night.  Washed and dried it once I got home from work today...just pulled it out of the dryer.  Yeah, I see you caught that...hand-stitching.  Seems like a lot of work for a dog blanket.  But, ya know, I enjoy having something to do while watching 'there's nothing on tv tonight' repeats. 
         

See the butt?  hahahaha...

It measures about 26 x 38 inches. I quilted in straight lines with a variegated brown/cream thread - on each side of the seam lines, both vertically and horizontally.  My thought was to 'frame' each square...and I think I accomplished that.  I think Tag is one lucky pup...to have such sweet friends as Joanne, Miles, Riley and Jonesy.  Thank you so much!

Tote, anyone?

Alyssa (sister Joyce's granddaughter), saw Kaylynn's little tote bag (see it here) and decided she wanted one, too.  She loves purple and pink, so here it is.  The lining is a solid purple...sturdy fabric...like duck/canvas.  The fabrics I used for the outside are from...you guessed it...Cathy of 'Quilting on Turtle Hill'.  Found them in the box of 'scraps' she sent me.  It's not quilted...just pieced.  This tote measures about 10" square.

Peanut Butter...

I am selective about the food brand labels I buy...

I could write an entire blog post

on what a food snob I am.

Don't worry.
I won't.

I will write about peanut butter, though. 

I love Jif peanut butter and

have eaten it for as long as I can remember.

Me Mum tells me that's what we ate at home.

So, really.

As long as I can remember.

I like the creamy peanut butter and 

only Jif satisfies my taste buds.  

When grocery shopping last week,

I realized that I needed peanut butter.

However, I was short on cash.

Skippy peanut butter was on sale...

almost a dollar less than Jif!

I thought, "hmmmm...so how different could it be?" 

Well, I gotta tell you.

It is really different!

Did not have the peanut buttery taste.

Not.

At.

All.

I was mildly surprised,

as I figured my taste buds 

probably wouldn't notice much.

ha!

So.

I'm curious.

What kind of peanut butter do you prefer?

There's a poll at the top of my sidebar.
 

edited 6/21 to add:  Voting has ended.  Here are the results...27 total votes, 19 for Jif, 6 for other, 1 for Skippy.  That is very interesting to me.

 

Thanks!

Postage Stamp Quiltalong Quilt.

I finished putting this together...
pressed it (though it needs a really good 
pressing with a decent iron!)
and hung it in my closet.

I have the binding ready to go,
but no batting...and,
not sure what to do for backing.
So, it'll have to wait.

(Click on the photo to enlarge.)

There are a few same blocks too close

to each other,

but I tried not to worry much about that.

I'm happy with it...

and will be happier once it's basted,

quilted, & bound.

All Kinds of Stuff!

I tried to post this yesterday, but my internet was down for several hours.  Cuz of the rain.  When it rains, (it pours) satellite speed internet sometimes does not work!  What a major pain.


This may be long...depends on how carried away I get. 


First things first.  I had a flat tire on the way home from work on Friday.  I was not overjoyed.  Not one little iota.  However!  It could have been a lot worse, and the fact that it wasn't was truly a 'praise God' moment!  My tire was a bit low the other day, so I put air in it.  When I left work on Friday, I noticed it was a bit low again.  Shoot.  It's the last remaining tire that came with my car...the other 3 have been replaced.  I made a note to self to call the tire store when I got home.   I ran a few errands on my way home...one of them being to stop at the bank to get some cash because I ran out of checks and am waiting for them to arrive in the mail.  On my way to Hobby Lobby, I stopped and put some air into the tire.  When I left Hobby Lobby, my tire blew.  ohdear...what to do?!?  I called John (the same John who unlocked my car for me a few weeks ago) and he said he would call someone (being a service garage, they don't do roadside service) and took down my location and phone number.  He called me back a few minutes later to let me know that a tow truck was on its way.  Luckily, I had enough cash to pay him.  Holy Schmoly...It took less than 5 minutes for that tire to be changed...thinking the guy must be from some nascar pit crew, he did it so fast!  {grin}


So, what, you're asking, did I praise God for?  The circumstances of going to the bank to get cash, and the fact that I was not yet out on the highway.  Though I wasn't thrilled about the entire thing, I have much to be thankful for.  And, that's not all!  While on the way home, I said outloud, "ohplease, God, let there be a fun package in the mail today!"  When I pulled up to the mailbox and opened it, I smiled and thanked God...cuz there was a package in the mailbox!  Not either of the ones I am waiting for, but one, nonetheless!  Now, I know that God did not 'zap' a package into the mailbox upon hearing my prayer...but the circumstances of the day, the happenings... were all part of the plan.  His plan.  It amazes me!  I am so blessed.
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Okay.  The package.  It was in care of me, but addressed:

I was grinning as I opened the package.  

The first thing I opened was this card.  See...for Tag!  From Miles, Riley & Jonesy...Joanne's cats.  {grin}  Joanne is a longtime online buddy...she loves Tag (don't you all?) and, because I have been receiving some fun packages in the mail, her cats felt that it was his turn.  Check out Joanne's blog here.

In the package...ohmygosh...2 generous 1/2 yard cuts of fabric & two tennis balls!  What a lucky boy.  All for Tag E. Butt!


Now really.  Take a look at that fabric...isn't that the most adorable fabric you've ever seen?  I sure think so!

I knew immediately how to use the fabric, too!  Tag has never had his own 'special' crate pad.  I put blankets in there for him.  Allegra had a really cute puppy (not collies, though) fleece pad.  I still have it, but I have not passed it on to Tag.  Cuz it was Allegra's.  But, now he will have his own!!!  YAY!  


Course, I had to get right on it, so here's how it looks now...

I was going to showcase the chocolate puppies, but after playing around with it for an hour, I changed my mind...it would have wasted too much fabric.  Instead, I figured out what size blocks would use the most fabric and would also give me what I needed for the size pad I wanted.  As you can see, there are lots of yellow, black and chocolate lab pups...and one golden retriever pup (the one laying on the green pillow).  Thank you so much, Joanne, Miles, Riley & Jonesy!   
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I finished the remaining 4 blocks of my postage stamp quilt.  There are 1296 squares in this quilt...

Once I have it sewn together, it should measure about 70" square.
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I watched the movie, Dear John, yesterday.  Based on Nicholas Sparks' novel of the same name, it is definitely a chick flick.  Good, though. 

edited to add:  Click on the link to see what the movie is all about:  "Dear John"
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Last, but certainly not least...I am participating in 'doll quilt swap 9'!!!  

This will be my 3rd dqs and I am so happy that I made it in.  In previous swaps, there was just a general sign-up with a certain number allowed.  Once that number was reached, the sign-up was closed.  This time, a lottery draw was put in place...5 days for sign-ups and then the draw.  We will find out next week who our partners are.  It's always so much fun to find out who you'll be making a quilt for.  This is a secret swap.  You know who you're giving to...once you find out, you stalk her/him, figure out what might be appropriate and then go for it!  But, you don't know who you will receive from - until the quilt arrives in the mail.  We have until the first part of September, so that gives us plenty of time to plan and execute a doll quilt.

No more stuff to write about (yeah, sure).
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PS  I had been home for a long while (on Friday) when John from the service station called to see if everything worked out and if I got home okay.  How nice was that!  Will have to bake some cookies or something for him. 

Inspiration...and Other Things.

You all really should go take a look at Erin's Irish Chain quilts...they are awesome!  She said she was inspired to write her post by my little quilt...heck!  I am inspired to do BIG DOUBLE Irish Chain quilts now that she showed her quilts!  {grin}  Go here to see them!

On other things...I finished two more blocks of my postage stamp quilt.  Now there are 12 done...only 4 more to go. 

Have a good night!

Irish Chain Challenge Quilt

It's done and I am in love with it!  I know, I love all my quilts, but this one was so simple...especially because of the strip piecing.  Much easier to do that than to piece a bazillion small squares.  Ya know?  

I have always been fascinated by the Irish chain quilts.  They look so very difficult - but they're not!  There are single chains, double chains, triple chains...who knew?

When I joined the Small Quilt Talk group (click on the button in my sidebar to go see what they're all about), the first thing I did was start this Irish Chain Challenge.  Our challenge quilts can be no larger than 30 inches square.  This one is about 19 inches square.  I think a lot of the quilters will be hand quilting their challenge quilts.  I don't know how to hand quilt, and I really have no desire to learn.  That being said, I wanted the quilting to be simple...evocative of simpler times.  So, I machine stitched diagonal lines in both directions, so that they met in the center of the setting squares.  I am very happy with this.