My Last Quilt for 2008...

I took the final stitches in the binding last night. :-) I swapped the red/white Monkey Wrench blocks in 2007, and figured out the lay-out in my EQ program. It was a lot of fun putting this one together and it waited a year before I could get it quilted. My DD loves it, but I'm not sure where it will go yet. ;-) Maybe I'll keep it and use it in February.... :-)

Yikes~ I guess blogger likes my photo tipped. :-/

I wish I would've kept a notebook of quilts I finished this year~ I will next year! Off the top of my head, I can think of 13 that I quilted and finished up, from queen size to baby quilts. That isn't too bad! ;-) And I made a number of bags and small items that were quilted too. I have lots of plans for 09~ why can't I sew as fast as I can think up things??! LOL :-))

Have a safe and happy night and a wonderful 2009!

See ya next year... ;-) And until then~

Happy Stitchin'!

Back to Sewing~

I tried the blocks again~ :-) And determination finally paid off! LOL :-) Instead of cutting the small triangles with the bias along the edge, I quarter cut squares, putting the bias next to the HST's. Now I wasn't sewing bias edge to bias edge and with a good spray of sizing~ it worked! :-) Whoohoo!! I have a few more blocks all cut out and once I get them together, I need to put this up and work on something else for a bit. ;-)

Until Next Time~~

Happy Stitchin'!!

A One Block Wonder~

..finished! :-) I put the last stitches in the binding last night. I am thinking of saving it for next Christmas giving. :-) Wouldn't that be nice? To have one gift already finished? Of course DS may have other ideas~ he likes the tigers. ;-) Here are photo's of the front, back and a close up of the tiger fabric that the blocks were made from. I don't think I have any more of this fabric in my stash~ that is why the back was pieced so much. ;-) I think you can click the photo's for a larger view...

And for a close-up of the quilting, go back to this post~ yes, I've been putting off the binding for a while now! LOL :-)

Until Next time~

Happy Stitchin'!!

and Merry Christmas!! :-)

12 Days of Christmas...

My secret sister on the hgtv message board signed me up for a 12 Days of Christmas swap this year. I have been having a blast opening up a little gift every morning! :-) We aren't supposed to show photo's on the message board until all 12 days are finished, but I don't think anyone from the message board follows my blog except Bingo~Bonnie and I know she won't tell. (LOL, Hi Bonnie!) ;-) If there are any hgtv lurkers out there~ now would be a good time to say 'hi'. ;-) LOL

So here are my first 9 days of gifts~ a scissors holster, a little reindeer necklace, a couple of porcelain pieces with that gripper stuff (I think I am supposed to make pincushions~?), a starfish ornament and a yo-yo ornament, a basket, a small notebook and a pin, a crocheted thread pouch with a little extra rick-rack, and a lacey fridge magnet~ which I think I can use as a needle holder too~~it is too pretty for my refigerator. :-) Three more little gifts to go~~ :-)

Now I am off to sew!

Hope you find time for a few stitches today too!

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!

Snowy Days~

~should be 'sewing days'!~ but they are not. :-( Can't seem to get near my machine! Maybe once the cookies are made~? ;-)

Until next time~

I hope you are stitching!! :-))

Less Play, More Sewing?

LOL if I did that, I might actually get more blocks sewn! :-) I made another pair of blocks this morning, and then had to arrange them out again to "see"~~ at this rate, they may never get done! My friend and I are each making these blocks, and then we are going to trade our 'duplicates' so we each end up with all different blocks in our quilts. I thought the 9 inch block would be pretty easy to do, I was wrong! :-o I am having lots of trouble keeping points and getting the block to measure the right size. I haven't quite figured out where my problem is~ the stretchy bias maybe? I've resorted to starching. I am using my quarter inch foot, but something is still off just enough to make my blocks end up a little on the small side~ ??? Ah well, my own quilt may end up huge because I am not trading the wrong size blocks! ;-) Back to the sewing machine~~

On another note~ thank you for posting and welcoming me to the blog ring! This is fun! ;-)

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!

No Sewing Here...

...at least, not today. ;-) My friend sent me this panel for my birthday. All I had to do was cut it out and hem it and viola!~ a Santa tablecloth! :-)) I love it! It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at my house, how about yours?

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!

Things To Do...

...when you don't want to clean up. :-)) I should be cleaning up my 'disaster area', otherwise known as my sewing area, but... what fun is that?! I was doing pretty well until I went to put the extra purple/yellow mini's with all the others I have collected this year. If I would've been thinking, I would've used something besides my old cutting mat behind them! But I wasn't; I was playing and procrastinating! :-)) Aren't they going to make a fun quilt? It'll be one of my 09 projects to make them into a quilt, but for now I am still thinking, dreaming... playing!!! :-))

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin' (or playing)! ;-)

Another kitchen towel..

Still busy sewing up little things here! This is another fun kitchen hand towel to make. I made loads of them last year. A potholder and a cute towel and a little stitching time. Easy but fun to hang across the bar on the oven door. These and a few postcards and I am finished with holiday gift sewing. Yay!

Now back to my committments and bindings. LOL :-) I have 3 quilts that need binding! ...Does that tell you something about me and hand stitching?? I might be just a bit 'allergic' to it yet... ;-)) LOL

Here's hoping you are getting your little projects finished up too~

Happy Stitchin'!!

I'm back~

Ok 3 posts in one day!
I think it is going to snow! LOL :-)

Go check out Oh Sew Busy's blog for a fun giveaway~~

I'm off!~ Bye!

Happy Stitchin'!

Monday eve~

Hey 2 posts in one day! Don't expect it to continue. ;-) LOL I just came back to post a photo of my mini 9-patches for Bingo~Bonnie's next swap. This group will mark the end of a year of swapping mini-9-p's and it has been a lot of fun! Thank you Bonnie! I do have a few ideas of ways to use these little guys, but first I'll have to play with them, pet them, dream etc etc. :-))

Also I'd like to mention that I have been accepted into the Stash Quilts webring. I'm really excited about this because my 2009 goal is to dive into my stash whole-heartedly and sew-sew-sew! I've followed the member-blogs on this ring for a long time~ even before I took the plunge to start my own blog! If you have a chance and some free time, click the 'list' on the StashQuilts logo in my sidebar and prepare to be awed. There are so many photo's, idea's, and very talented member's blogs, you won't be disappointed. ;-) I haven't quite figured out how to get the photo to show instead of the red 'x', but I am researching it. ;-) If anyone has any hints, I would appreciate it.

Until next time~ (which probably won't be tomorrow as I will be wrapping and boxing up gifts so I can join in the lines at the PO! ;-))

Happy stitchin'!

Monday~

My Quiltathon weekend went pretty well. I worked on mini 9 patches and I'm about half finished with them. I'll try to get a photo later today. ;-)

Thanks for all your comments! :-)
I found an internet page that has a similar dress.. here I made up my pattern from a photo a friend in Australia sent me. I sewed the neck right sides together, and pressed under the edges where the lace is inserted. I just really liked the look of a finished neck and trying to press a circle under wasn't for me. :-) I have seen these made with square necks, v-necks, scoop necks... there doesn't seem to be a 'right way'. Let your imagination take over! :-)) If you click my photo in the post below, you can get a closer look at the dresses...

Have a good day and
Happy Stitchin'!

Sewing, sewing, sewing...

Yay! :-) I didn't have to send my machine off so I have been giving it a work-out this week! Thank you for all your good thoughts and wishes! :-)

Let me back-track. I took it in and the first gal to look at it had me filling out forms to send it in. She thought it was 'frozen real good'. She went in the back to find a loaner for me, but came back out with the shop manager. She tested the wheel and said, it sure does seem frozen, then with a quick flick of her wrist she turned the wheel backwards and out of the bobbin area flew a big piece of what looked like black batting! :-o She said you can turn the wheel back when it is frozen and it won't hurt anything, but might dislodge whatever is in there. It sure did! Now I wondered where that batting came from because I don't own black batting and hadn't sewn anything black lately. The other gal thought maybe it got in there when they serviced it last. ~? She said they have had a lot of machines come in lately that were frozen like mine and when the manager wasn't there to look at them, they sent them back in to the repairman. She didn't know you could fix a machine like that either! So I learned a new trick. But hopefully I will never have to use it! I have never had a machine freeze up on me like it did Monday and hope it never does again! The best news was that it got to come right back home with me! :-)







And I have been sewing! I finished my Christmas gift pillowcases~





And made a few oven door dresses. ;-) And a big pincushion for a friend. Anything else I have made~ I can't show you!! :-)) (hi Mom!)


LOL :-)



Next up on the 'Q' are my mini 9-patch blocks! Colors for the next (and last) round are yellow and purple. Quiltathon is this weekend and I hope to get 'em done! ;-)

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!! :-)

Tea?

I had such high hopes to get whittling on my Christmas gifts today and my sewing machine decided it had other ideas. :-( It froze! Waaaaa! :-(

Not to be defeated, I pulled out my featherweight and made tea wallets. ;-) You can find the directions at Christy's Creations. I used 3 FQ's for these 6. Fast, easy and a great stress-reliever when you are unhappy with your sewing machine! :-)

Thank-you for your comments about my quilt and prizes! I just love the needle case too. :-)

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!!