~Last Fall~

I most likely hinted that I was doing a bit of secret sewing. :-)

I can show you now!

I was doing a pattern test for Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness

for her new pattern, the Ultimate Art Organizer.  Looks at all the wonderful tester examples! 

Here is mine~

This was a challenging pattern~ or would be if you haven't done a lot of zippers, but the end result is so worth it!  Sara designs really detailed patterns and gives lots of tips to make things go easier for you, like she is with you through each step.  And when she says to email her if you have questions~ she really means it! She answers her emails. :-)

I decided to change things just a little so that I could use it to hold my crayons.  I use crayons in some hand embroidery projects, so I also made space for a few other embroidery tools too.  And I just love having everything in one case!

Two little zip pockets for my needles packs and a larger slip pocket for pens and markers. :-)

Be sure to check out all the tester examples and  Sara has a link to her shop too.  Do you have an artist in  your family, or wouldn't you love to have this organizer?  ;-)

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!

A Little Bit of This & That

When I saw the next step in the Circa 2016 sew along by Temecula Quilt Co I think my eyes may have bugged a bit!~ 28 mini blocks!!  But once I got the little scrap box out and started cutting, it went pretty fast.  This is about half my blocks ready to sew. The others are on another design board. (I just love my mini size design boards!!) ;-)

Today I finished up these little mug rugs, before I removed the red thread from my machine. ;-)

The pattern is free from Poorhouse Quilt Designs.  Scroll down the page a bit and it is the first one listed under free patterns.  While you are there, look around a bit. I must confess I got a little involved and ended up spending quite a bit of time looking around! :-o

Now it is back to sewing those little blocks!

Until next time~

Happy stitchin'!!

Happy February!

I hope you have a great month of sewing, stitching and quilting!

Circa 2016 anyone?

My friend Barbara (no blog) talked me into doing the Temecula Quilt Co's 2016 project. You can read about it and get the first instructions ~HERE  and the second step is ~HERE

Since I love making mini's I decided to play along.  The first step was easy~ 4 pinwheel blocks. I may re-do one of them. I was digging in my bits and pieces shoebox to make these blocks and the contrast isn't the best in that one. :-/  The next step~ 12 mini 9-patch blocks. Easy? Right?

    There are really 12 there! I just didn't spread them out. ;-)

I used all sorts of little bits of my CW scraps I had been keeping~ I may get the whole box used up with this quilt! :-)  

If you would like to play along, please let me know and I'll stop by your blog and cheer you on!

Last week I told you I did a bit of quilting~

It doesn't really show, does it?

 

This is the back. It won't show in the finished projects. I just loaded an old sheet I had as the bottom layer on the longarm. Funny thing is~ when my DS saw it he thought it would work great for pillows for his couch! That old sheet?! LOL He told me free was always best. LOL ;-)

I am making him pillows, but the rest of the sheet is going to be for the pillow inserts, not the actual pillows. 

I guess that is the news for today. I am off to work on a little Valentine project~ I'll be back to show you soon!

Until then~

Happy stitchin'!!

Where Did January Go?!!

Yikes! I blinked and missed it!! :-o

I have been sewing, just not things I can show you yet.  Patience.... I have to be patient! ;-)

I can show you the tablet case I sent to my Mom.  It is a combination of patterns/ideas and a guess at the measurements. I am so lucky that it works! LOL  I never asked her to actually measure her tablet, because I wanted it to be a surprise. Well the surprise was on me when the first one didn't fit her tablet, but worked great for her camera! ;-) 

And today I got mail!  I ordered some zippers from a place my bag making ladies recommended~ 

WAWAK Sewing Supplies

Have you ever heard of them?  I hadn't but their service was sure speedy!  They had a few specials going with their YKK zippers and I got one of those plastic baggies full of zippers free~ 25 zippers!  Along with a few others in the bigger ziploc bag. I love free!  I averaged less than 30 cents/zip with shipping included!  I ordered mostly 14" zippers because I can always cut them down at this price, but I can't make them grow. ;-) LOL

I did a little quilting last week~ which you can't see, but I'll be back soon to show you another project.

I hope you are keeping warm and stitiching up a storm~ but not another big snowstorm!!  ;-)

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!

New Year Projects? Cooking? Sewing?

Have you made of list of projects you want to accomplish in 2016?  

Found a new BOM to do?

Or, like me, are you still cleaning up from the holidays?  I didn't get a few things finished that I wanted to do, so spent yesterday trying to make a microwave cozy for a rectangular shaped container. *DH takes this glass container back and forth to work with his lunch in it. I like to send things he can heat in the microwave because he only gets a half hour for lunch and I think he needs a hot lunch.  Anyway the container gets hot... its glass. So I measured and sewed, measured and sewed and came up with two different shapes of cozy's.  On one the pleats are in the corners and they are external~ the other has internal tucks in the sides.

 

He likes the larger one for his bigger hands, but I like the smaller. The container fits in either, but the larger is quite nice.  I think it will work well for him. ;-)  

 

 

You would think that while I had the batting etc out~ I would make a few more.

Nope! You would be wrong! :-) I switched gears and made a couple charity blocks for a friend collecting to make a donation quilt.

 

This pattern is from Quilters Cache ~ Morning Star block

Wouldn't they make a fun I Spy quilt? We altered the pattern a bit to make 9 inch blocks.

When the weather is colder, do you find yourself cooking more? or sewing more?

I seem to be cooking more and have been making soups, stews, comfort foods a lot lately.  I need to come up with something different for dinner~ any suggestions? :-)

I'm off to see what my sewing room wants me to work on today! LOL

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!!

Christmas Wrap-Up

The jackets (in my last post) were a big hit~ the kids loved them! :-)

Here are a couple things I loved~

A little birdie from our DS#1 and his family~

And when it was unwound~~

Can you read it?  :-) Whoohoo!!

I also received this fun wall hanging from my Mom~

 I love it!  Now to find the perfect spot to hang it. ;-)

I hope your Christmas was full of wonderful surprises too!

Until next year~ ;-)

Happy Stitchin'!!

Last Minute Me~

The title describes me to a 'T'!  :-)

I have always been on time or a bit ahead at the holidays, but this year caught me!  I blame it on a water heater fiasco that happened in the two weeks surrounding Thanksgiving... losing two weeks to that just put me behind.  Every day I catch up a little more!  All the packages got mailed last week, the cards went out this week, we got the outdoor decorations up, yesterday I baked for DH's work party, and today I am cleaning up the mess from all those activities! LOL  Tomorrow I hope to decorate inside because I really like having the glow of the tree when we relax in the evenings.  How about you?  All set for next week? Or doing last minute things?  I still have two things I need to sew before I put my machine away...maybe Sunday. ;-)  Or Christmas Eve. LOL

I have had my embroidery machine humming and finished these two jackets~  

I purchased the jackets on sale and put on the embroidery designs.  They are an Anita Goodesigns CD from last year.  I love how they turned out!  I hope the recipients do too. :-)

I've also been trying to finish up my  mini Christmas project from Temecula Quilt Co.  A few posts ago I told you I was making the blocks with a mini charm pack (2.5 inch squares).  Well a few blocks needed bits bigger than 2.5 inches, so I ended up going to my LQS and getting a couple FQ's and a second mini charm pack~ I still have a lot of this one left as I only needed a few more squares. ;-)

I like how it turned out! I just have the two long borders to add. I added a very skinny border because some of my outside blocks ended up the same fabric as the border fabric and I felt it needed the little frame.  Hopefully I can finish this up soon! (after the last two gifts get sewn!) ;-)

I hope you are enjoying the season, and all your projects are finished and under the tree!

Merry Christmas!!