Spring Ahead...

I wrote about this on my other

blog - The Chocolate Puppy -

but I wanted to show you all

what I've been busy with.

I've been concentrating on

my doll clothes business.

Here is my first hooded coat

for an 18-20 inch doll...

= 

hooded coat - gray wool lined with a red cotton print

Pattern is found here:  nobbyorganics etsy shop

After I made the wool coat,

I decided that I am way too tired

of winter and the cold.  

So, I decided to focus my

efforts on spring apparel.

I made another coat...a spring coat.

Again, for an 18-20 inch doll.

hooded coat - creamy yellow dotted cotton print with creamy yellow lining

I haven't yet put these in my etsy shop

because I am wanting to

get more pieces completed...

I hope to have an upload on Sunday night.

Wish me luck!! 

"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

Another Week Has Gone By...

It's Friday.  Already!!  I have not gotten much done this week...besides doing all the figuring for me Mum's quilt.  I changed my mind a bazillion times on what design I wanted to do.  Having 3" strips is somewhat limiting...and I didn't think I had enough to do the quilt that I talked about in my last post.  But, I drew a new layout and I think it'll work!  woohoo!  Goodness...hours and hours were spent on this.  It had best be worth it, that's all I can say!

Here are the strips...aren't they just so lovely? 

Winter.  Cold.  Snow.  I am already so tired of it.  There seem to be more than the usual number of gray days this year.  Two more months...

The weekend is just hours away...I hope you have a good one!




"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

Dandelion Girl Broke Her Wheel!!

I slept  in today.    Got up at 7:16...very unusual for me.  Of course, I didn't get to sleep until around 3:00 a.m., so I guess that is why I didn't wake up until after 7:00.  It surprised me a bit that Tag hadn't gotten up and bothered me...he is usually wanting breakfast at anytime after 5:30.  He slept in, too!   

 I've been spending the last two days looking through my quilt books...trying to find the perfect pattern.  I am making me Mum a quilt for her bed.  I'm using the Dandelion Girl fabric collection, which debuted back in 2007.  It's a Fig Tree for Moda line...always wonderful to work with...(thanks, Cathy!)  I am very much looking forward to working on this one.  (The 'jelly stars' quilt pattern shown in this photo is not the quilt I'll be making.)

I was totally inspired by this quilt... 

flickr account name pookie & schnookie

The blocks are called 'broken wheel' and this one is made with the Dandelion Girl fabrics!  How's that for inspiration??  Mine will be different, because I'll be adding borders, and because the blocks will be half the size that these are.  I have 4 pieces of yardage and I have 3" strips...those strips limit the size of the  squares I can make.  Luckily, I found that someone had redone the math...my blocks will be 6" finished.  All 54 of them!

I made me Mum a lap quilt back in 2009...click here to see it.  This will be the first quilt I've made to actually be used on a bed...and the largest quilt to date!  Mum had recently started talking about redoing the colors in her bedroom, which would involve buying a new bedspread.  I suggested that she let me make her a quilt for her bed.  And, I just happened to have this luscious fabric here waiting to be used!  

I am very much looking forward to getting started...I'll keep you informed as to how it is going.

I still need to lay out the bowtie quilt to check it over one last time before I sew the 6 rows together.  Then, that will join the others waiting to be quilted.  ~sigh~  I really must start getting those done!  

Have a good evening.  

"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

Bowties Unite!!!

Until a few months ago, the bowtie block really did nothing for me.  Here is what it looks like...
                                   

Back here, when I talked about using the Normandy Court fabric collection for a quilt other than the one I bought it for, I had looked at several different patterns....and had settled on a 16 patch block.  

Then, I saw this quilt...and fell in love with the bowtie block.

sorry, no idea where I first saw this.

What really cinched it for me, though, was seeing this quilt...

mimi's darlins on flickr

How could I not make one?  So, that's what I am working on.  I have 36 blocks done and am starting to put them together...

I am super excited about this quilt top!!

But, you know what?  Once it is done, I really need to NOT start another quilt until...well, until a lot of things, but most importantly...until I baste and quilt and bind a few of the flimsies I have waiting.  





"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.  

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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

Lunch and Indispensable...

I had a lovely lunch today with one of my very best friends, Kim. I've known her for over 20 years...we went to tech school together...and worked together at the vet school.  I love her...she and I have several things in common, but to look at us, we are the complete opposites of each other.  She is one of a kind...and the best kind ever!

Today was the first time I was in her new house since they moved in.  I visited several times while it was being built, and it looks much different now with the builders and all their stuff gone.  All cleaned up and furniture in place...it is an absolutely stunning house!  Kim put a lot of herself into it...very well thought out.

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What would I do without these?

I would burn my fingers, for sure!  These are little wooden tongs...to take your bagel or english muffin out of the toaster.  I've had these for a few years, but didn't use them much...mostly cuz I wasn't toasting bagels or english muffins.  Now that I am...well...these tongs are indispensable!

I got these from Pampered Chef...no clue if they still sell them.

They are nicer to use than metal tongs and are the perfect size for my little hands. 

That's all I have for today.  I hope it's warming up where you are...we're supposed to have above freezing temperatures for the next several days.  YAY!


"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

Staying Warm...

snuggling with the brown dog.

"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

What Does She Do With Them?

I swear, she must give them away to people on the street!  Kleenex tissue cozies.  My sister, Joyce, has received dozens of these from me and continues to ask for more!  Not that I care, mind you.  They are quick and easy peasy to make.  I follow this tutorial, by the way. 

I just mailed these off to her...

 

Not sure what I'll be working on this weekend...I was moving rather quickly along on the quilt I wanted to have put together by now.  2/3's of the blocks are put together and I was all set to finish with the final 1/3...and then I decided that the background fabric I had planned to use for those blocks was not exactly what I wanted.  So, I am getting a bit more of what I do want...just a little delay.  OH!  I just realized that I had not blogged about this quilt.  hmmmm...well, then.  I guess it'll be a surprise for you when it's done then, hey?  Here's a peek at the fabrics...

The first weekend of the new year is going to end with some absolutely frigid weather coming our way.  Well below zero temperatures across the Midwest.  At least I don't have to go anywhere.  (the joy of being retired!!!)  Tag and I will snuggle in the big easy chair and watch movies. 

edited to add:  I got my preferred background fabric, so will sew those final 12 blocks today - YAY!!!




"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 New Year...

I am not going to do a recap of how last year was and talk about what I am looking forward to in this new year. Instead, I am going to do something I did several years ago...choose a word for the year and do my best to live by it.  

There may be some major changes in my life this year, so I need to stay on track with this to come out at the end of the year in better shape...physically, emotionally, financially, and especially, spiritually.

For this year, I chose the word better.  

As in, be better.  

At what?

Well, everything.  

Be a better sister and daughter, a better friend.  Be kinder and gentler, less judgmental.  Be a better mother and grandmother.  A better daughter to God, giving priority to Him.  Listen more, gossip less.  Be better to myself...eat healthier and move more.  Be a better me...you know, the person who lurks inside of me.  Be better at whatever I do.   

Just.  Be.  Better.

Another way to put this is that I just really need to pay attention...to be aware of what I'm doing, what I'm thinking and what I'm saying.  I want to look back and see that I am better than the day/week/month before.  That I made changes in what I did or didn't do.  I want each day to be better.  No simple feat, I suppose...it's all a matter of taking the time to do my very best.  To being better. 

This day next  year is going to come no matter what I do or don't do...will I be better? 

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I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you.  You read all of my words and take time to make comments.  You support and encourage me.  You think everything I do is wonderful (well, at least those of you who comment do...~grin~).  You love my Tag.  You are friends to me.  I appreciate you all.  Thank you. 

Many Blessings to you and yours in 2014.



"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