She Did It Again!

Yessir, she sure did!!

I am talking about Cathy.  You all remember who Cathy is, right? She is my fabric fairy!  Whenever she decides to clean out her stash, she asks me if I want a box of fabric.  Difficult to say no to that!!!  It all started back in 2009 when she was having a giveaway...back when Allegra (that would be My Sweet Little Honey-Do Princess Allegra) was sick and just before she died. Cathy fell in love with Allegra and somehow, I ended up winning the giveaway!  Since then, Cathy has sent several more boxes my way.  And, though I have a few shelves piled high with the fabrics from her, I want you to know that I have, indeed, used the fabrics she has given me to make several quilts (ranging in size from doll quilts to lap quilts), tote bags, zipper pouches, kleenex cozies, etc., etc.. 

So, yesterday was a very Happy Mail Day!!!  I received not one, but TWO large flat rate boxes in the mail.  They were stuffed full...heavy, too! 

Here are the contents from box 1...

And, this is all from box 2...

Box 2 had several works-in-progress.  Those are always fun!!

My sewing room is currently very much in a state of disarray.  The frenetic energy involved with Christmas gift sewing does it every year.  Too busy being creative to put things away when I am done with them...ya know?  I have been intending to spend some (a LOT of) time straightening and rearranging.  Now, for sure, that is high on my list of things to do.  

Getting a box from Cathy is always an adventure for me...usually full of fabrics that I do not have, and fun projects to finish, etc.  



"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

Keeping Busy...

WOW!!!  Can you believe it?  This is my third post this year...in fact, this month!  Wow!!  What is going on with that, hey?

I've a few things to share with you.  Oh, don't get too excited...just more quilts and stuff.  ~grin~

This first one, you should remember well...it is my all-time favorite fabric collection...Kashmir III. Especially cool to me cuz of the song, "Kashmir", by Led Zeppelin.  Just one of those things.

So.  I am slowly getting my quilts quilted...thanks, in large part, to my dear friend, Brenis.  You know, we have been friends for many years, but never met each other until I moved here to Colorado.  So happy that we are only a few hours apart!!!  But, I digress...

This quilt top was completed in June of 2012.  The pattern is from my friend, Erin, over at Why Not Sew? blog.  Brenis quilted it for me this fall and I finally got it bound and laundered. I love it so much!!  It measures ~57 x 73.

And, the back...what can I say!!!  So in love with it...

I also got the Lotta Jansdotter patchwork quilt back from Brenis...the fabric collections used are Bella and Echo.  This quilt top was finished in February of 2013.  Such a fun quilt...and the quilting is even more fun!!!  This one measures about 55" square.  (It has been spoken for by DIL Rachel.)

Isn't that quilting just too fun?  LOVE it!!!  Thanks, Bren!

With the last box of fabric, my friend, Cathy, sent me a few unfinished quilts.  I had fun putting this one together.  Now I just need batting and backing and it will be ready to quilt.  This one will be going to a charity.  

I started this sampler...need something to keep my hands busy with while watching television.  I am having fun working on it.  I am in no hurry and have no particular color plan.  It's by Rebecca Ringquist...dropcloth sampler.  Sometimes, it is very nice to have no plan and be in no hurry.

I have a few other projects going on, but they are sorta kinda secret projects.  

Hope your week goes well 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

Do You Remember?

How many of you remember the 'Big Bad Boy' I acquired over 7 years ago?  If you recall, he came with a Handi-Quilter that I was never able to use...space and Big Bad Boy (my name for this machine) tension problems being the reasons.

The Big Bad Boy is a Janome 1600P DB...a workhorse, for sure...built for speed and does only straight stitching. 

Well.  The poor thing has been neglected all these years.  I planned to send him for a maintenance check (and please, could you fix the tension?) several times, the last being almost 3 years ago.   However, it never did get done.  Until now.  I got him in for a check-up at my LQS this week and all is good.

I am very much looking forward to using the BBB for piecing.  The next thing I need to do is to buy a walking foot so that I can do some easy quilting with this BBB.  Did I mention that he has a larger work area than my Naomi Janome?    

The results of my test drive with him:  works like a charm, though noisier than Naomi Janome.  Ah well...cannot have everything, right?  Love this Big Bad Boy!  Making plans to work with him tomorrow.

How is your weekend going?


"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 Look Back...and Looking Ahead

First of all, I want to wish each and every one of you a very Happy New Year.  I trust that your holiday season was happy and bright...and that the year ahead is, as well.

Second of all, I feel the need to show off you what I made since my last post...or that I wasn't able to show you before because they were Christmas gifts.  

Okay, I did not make these spoons, but I ordered them custom-made!  I love them and will definitely order more in the future.  To see others, click HERE.

12 x 16 pillow cover for me Mum...notice the pintucks?  So cute.

A sweet tote/library book bag.  Measures about 13 x 12 x 3 inches.

These are grocery/tote bags (folded in half).  They are so useful to have (and to have more than one is even better!) Get the pattern HERE.  They are loved by all!!

                 

 A 16" pillow cover for sister Julie to go with the one in the last post.

Here's the back...all I had left of these fabrics (that match the pillow cover made previously and shown in the last post).  I messed up the measurements of the buttonholes...:(

Another small tote/library book bag.

A small pillow...it's an odd size (10 x 14, I think), so I also made the pillow insert.

Another 12 x 16 pillow cover...again with the pintucks.

I did not make this, either.  My friend, Claire (from Stoughton, WI...friend, vet, former landlady) made this for me.  It is absolutely beautiful...especially in person.  With the frame, it measures 12" square.

You didn't think you were going to make it through this post without seeing that I made more cloth napkins, did you?

These cloth napkins are for a 6 year old boy...must have smaller ones for little hands.

So.  That's the last of what I did in 2016.  One of these days I will have all of the links in the 'finished in 2016' page.

It was a good year...mostly.  The best thing that happened was that me Mum and sister moved here. More family is always a good thing, yes?  

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As usual, I have a mile-long list of things I would like to accomplish this year.  I think that 2017 is going to be a good year for me, though...especially craft-wise.  And, I am still trying to purchase only fabrics that I need to finish what is already started. Instead of buying just because I like the collection and want to use it for something someday.  Ya know?    

Well, that's all I have for now.  I really would like to blog more often...we shall see how that goes.

Wishing for you a happy and healthy year.  Thank you for reading.




"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