Fun & Games...

Well, to be honest~ it's all fun!! :-)

First lets talk hand embroidery. I joined Kathy Schmitz One Stitch at a Time Club this year to keep me hand stitching and for something a little different. I have loved the designs for January and February!

January was this big planter with greenery in it~

Kathy did hers all in ivory and turned it into a sachet. I chose a variegated green thread to embroider mine.

I am going to turn it into a little wall quilt-just a mini in a spring display. :-) The lightest greens got a little washed out in the photo, but in 'real life' they look good. ;-)

For this month we have the bird holding the key to the heart.

 

I love how hers was framed and quilted so I did the same, except I again chose a variegated red thread and red frame. I do love red! LOL ;-)

Are you sewing along with Buttermilk Basin's 'Spirit of America' BOW? 

I got all caught up over the weekend. I don't have the last block in this pic, but it is finished too. :-)

I just love how these blocks are coming together!! I am using scraps from my CW bin,

but sticking to the reds, tans & blues.

And for the 'games'~ I love to enter giveaways from fabric companies on Facebook, and I share them on my page in the hope that someone I know will win. My friends & I have all won one here or there. Fun! :-)  Well, earlier this month I won a FQ bundle from Quilting Treasures fabrics. :-)  New fabrics~ always fun! Right?  Well, they just blew me away! This huge box arrived and they sent not only the bundle I won, but a bunch more!! :-) Squeeealllllll!! Did you hear me all the way to your house? :-)

Can you believe this?!!

I am still a little speechless.  I have been making plans like crazy! LOL

I hope you have been having a little fun sewing & creating too!

Until next time~

Happy stitchin'!!

Something Different today~~

Are you plagued by dry skin in the winter?  

Our heater has been running so much this week, and we do run a humidifier, that my skin just dries out! 

My DH laughs at me because I call this concoction 'Wonder Cream'- it feels wonderful!! LOL

My Mom and I both mixed up half batches many years ago and I came across my little recipe the other day, so had to make more. 

It is really easy, and so soothing!

In this case your local dollar store is your friend!

I used~

2- 15oz bottles of baby lotion 

(you could go to a drug store or Wal-Mart and get an unscented version if the scent bothers you)

2- 8 oz containers Vitamin E cream

(I had a hard time finding this, so went to Rite Aid and got 4- 4oz containers; it was on sale so win-win.  Later I discovered Wal-Mart has a less costly version.)

1- 7.5 oz petroleum jelly

(you just have to trust me with this one LOL)

I use a glass mixing bowl, put it all in and used my mixer to whip it all together well.

Then I put it back into the Vit E containers, the petroleum jelly container, and a bunch of smaller containers. :-)

As you can see~ it makes a lot! 

I gave away one of the red top containers, a little square one, and one of the Vit E containers before I thought to take the photo. :-)  

I have been putting it on my feet at night and wearing my fuzzy socks. Elbows, hands, it works well every where, and after a few minutes it seems to just soak in. I love this stuff! Hubby even took a container to put on his cuticles at night. ;-)

If you try it, let me know what you think~

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!!

Busy! Busy!

I'm back to show you the quilt top I got put together last weekend~

It is folded in half because hubby doesn't have an 8 foot arm span. LOL

I used jelly rolls from my DSIL's stash and will get it quilted so I can gift it back to DBIL.

I've also had the embroidery machine humming the last few days~

Unicorn hand sanitizer key fobs! :-)

Design from Designs By Little Bee

Also I was lucky enough to win the horses key fob set from The Applique Place,

so just had to make some for the DGK's! 

Sorry the heart is too reflective~ I used a glitter vinyl. ;-)

And I got a BOM finished for February~~

Chris's Star from Quilters Cache

Not sure why it flipped in resizing it, but my points are all there! ;-)

I hope you are having a little fun in your sewing rooms too!

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!

Sewing!!!

Hi everyone!

  I spent the weekend at a small retreat with friends and managed to get a lot of things that were weighing on me finished! Yay!

I cannot show you the pattern tests yet, but I can show a few other things...

I got this table runner together. It's from a charm pack that a shop had put together.

I have a red dotted print for the binding.

Oh! My camera did it again and turned the photo on its side!

I need to figure out why the editing program does this sometimes. Sorry.

I also got caught up with my January BOM. Some friends and I are doing this one.

This block is from Quilters Cache and is called Carolyn's Star.  

 

 

I had a FQ pack of Halloween prints that I am using. If you have been following me for any time at all, you know I love stars! ;-)

In my next post I will show you the quilt top I got together. I need hubby home to be my quilt holder. LOL

I hope you all had a sewing weekend too! Tell me what you did and I will stop by your blog for a visit. 

Until next time~

happy Stitchin'!

A Machine Emb. Finish

I finished this last week, but we have had such rainy, gray days that I couldn't take a decent photo! But~ drips are better than flakes!! ;-)

This is an in-the-hoop design from Titania Creations.

My DS1 told me that DGD was having a few 'listening issues' the last time we talked, so I thought this cute little quilt might inspire her. LOL  Each day that she is good, they put a sticker over the number and when she collects all 7 stickers, she gets a little incentive reward.  I am not sure how well it will work, but it will be cute hanging in her room. :-)

 

I put little hanging triangles on the back to slip a dowel into, and also added a little pocket for the stickers.  I hope she likes it! 

This week I am doing a bunch of cutting~ preparing for an upcoming retreat. 

I plan to sew the weekend away! Crossing my fingers I get at least half of what I am taking along finished. ;-) 

I hope you are having a little fun stitching too!

Until next time~

Happy stitchin'!!

Mama Always Said...

...whatever you do on New Year's Day, you will do the whole year through.... or maybe Grandma said that. LOL ;-)  With that thought running through my head, I tried to do a bit of everything!

Sewing, hand embroidery, machine embroidery, making quilt blocks, cooking... it was an exhausting day! :-)  LOL  What did you do?

I put together these quilt blocks for the Ventura Modern Quilt Guild to use in quilts for the Thomas fire & flood victims.  They are collecting blocks through January, the last I heard.

Hmmm, it looks like I will need to play in my photo program some more~ not sure why it didn't use the whole shot.  But, you get the idea, right? ;-)

I joined the Buttermilk Basin "Spirit of America" sew along and finished the first two blocks.

I am just using scraps from my CW bins.

And I just put the finishing stitches in my first finish for the year~ a Valentine table topper.

The hearts are the machine embroidery I did on NYDay. ;-)  They were free designs I found on-line,  if you would like to know the sites, let me know and I will look them up.

I have a bajillion things I want to make this year, so I'd better get off the computer and busy!

I hope you are having a great new year and keeping warm & happy!

Until next time~

Happy stitchin'!!

Last Christmas projects~

Ok, so I did make some things and mail them off without taking photos~ I will try to be better at that this year! :-o These are the last of the photos I saved~

My DGS is crazy for Nerf dart games, so I machine embroidered some targets for him~

Designs from Buggalena Designs.

Sorry they are hard to see. We mounted them on dowels and painted little blocks for the dowels to make them stand up. I hope he enjoys them!

I also did keychains~ no pix.

I made this Zip-Up Tray Pouch by Aneela Hoey

for a gift exchange. 

And now I am ready to start my new year sewing!

I have some quilts I want to make, some machine embroidering waiting for me, and

I am also getting back into my hand stitching. So much to do!

I better get busy!

Until next time~

happy stitchin'!!