Pieceful Chaos

I know, I know...

2010-09-24T20:08:00.002-04:00

I only seem to post about giveaways lately - but this one is special. This blogger - Katie - is giving away a quilt to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - a cause near and dear to her because her husband has been battling Lymphoma for three years. Go check it out and make a donation if you can - every little bit adds up!

http://seekatiesew.blogspot.com/2010/09/quilt-giveaway.html

Have a pieceful day!

Mini Swap - rec'd and sent

2010-08-26T11:08:00.002-04:00

Swap mini from locodowo
Originally uploaded by piecefulchaos

I received this gorgeous mini from Laurie (locodowo) in a swap on Flickr - the Quilt Swap Boot Camp. It was a swap I ran for new swappers - it was a small group but I think a good time was had by all!

Here is the quilt that I sent to my partner -

Have a pieceful day!

Go Cutter Giveaway

2010-08-24T10:25:00.004-04:00

Just a quick post to share that Karrie over at Freckled Whimsy is giving away a Go cutter - so if you want one of these as bas as I do hurry on over and enter. While you are there check out her blog- its fantastic! She has an awesome Quilt a long going on right now!

UPDATE!!!! - Here are some more Go Cutter giveaways for the fellow obsessed!

Heather at A La Mode Fabric

Jackie at Canton Village Quiltworks
and

Paulette at SweetP

Karen at Sew Many Ways

Good luck!

Pincushion Swap

2010-08-18T20:09:00.001-04:00

Pincushion from Midland Design
Originally uploaded by piecefulchaos

I participated in a couple of pincushion swaps this summer on Flickr. This is the pincushion I recently received from Midland Design - isn't it adorable? I just love it! I collect pincushions and love all different kinds but animal/whimsical types are my favorite. Now I just need a good place to display all of them!

Oh, and I am trying something new -the Blog This feature on Flickr. I've been neglecting my blog since I really got addicted to Flickr so if this works and maybe I can blog from Flickr I will have no excuse!

My son got engaged!

2010-08-16T06:36:00.002-04:00

Here's a picture of the happy couple right after it happened!

We just couldn't be happier! She is a wonderful girl - they've been dating 6 years since high school so we feel like she is already part of the family. To top it off, my son got a job offer this week as well (he just graduated college) so there was lots to celebrate this week!

Have a pieceful day!

No excuses

2010-05-17T19:41:00.002-04:00

I have no excuses for being away from my blog for this long. I had stuff to say, just never seemed to get here to say it. The longer you are away, the harder it seems to get back into the swing. So here I am and hopefully I can get back into the swing of it.

I have a bunch to catch up on but I am going to start with the most recent - this weekend was the quilt show for a local guild - I used to belong 20 years ago but they meet during the day so I can't participate anymore. The show was great -and even better I got to meet a friend from one of the swap groups I belong to on Flickr!

This is Andrea (Quiltedoma) and I at the quilt show. It was so cool to meet someone from an internet group in person! Andrea belongs to a local guild that meets at night and invited me to a meeting. She might come to a group I belong to also.

Also today I received my placemat from the placemat swap on flickr. Lori (lollydo) made me this great placemat:

It is double sided! Hexagons and spider web blocks - two of my favorites!

Have a pieceful day!

Giveaway Alert!

2010-04-22T16:18:00.002-04:00

Sorry I've been gone awhile - just didn't have the blog mojo working lately. But I do have some things to say so I will be back with a new post as soon as I upload some pictures. In the meantime....

check out the giveaway at Sunflower Quilts - a book, charm packs and a download of the new ezine Fat Quarterly that will be debuting next week - I just heard about this project and it looks awesome!

Have a pieceful day!

Swaps - incoming and outgoing!

2010-03-12T15:28:00.002-05:00

I haven't been doing a lot of quilting lately - if it weren't for swaps I wouldn't have done much at all! Here are some of the swap projects that have been coming and going in my mailbox:

first the DQS8 that LauraJ sent me:

I also participated in the Pillow Talk Swap on flickr - here is the pillow I sent to my partner (without the pillow form)-

I also particapated in a Valentines Swap on flickr in February, here are what I received and sent:

It looks a lot more red in the picture - it is actually very pink!

I have a few more swaps and valentines projects to show but I will save them for another post.

Just a note - I turned on comment moderation due to a huge amount of spam lately. Hopefully it will stop and I can turn comment moderation off!

Have a pieceful day!

January funk

2010-01-27T12:52:00.003-05:00

I know I'm not the only one because I've read it on several other blogs - I've been in a bit of a funk this month when it comes to quilting. I think I am out of it now - I got motivated by working on some possible quilts for Doll Quilt Swap 8. That group always motivates and inspires me! I wish it were continuous.

I did return to the scene of the crime so to speak - my friend Ann and I took a ride to that LQS that is going out of business for some more $3/yd goodness. I got some backing for some donation quilts and a few other one yard pieces but what I was most pleased with was this:

This was a shop sample and it was selling for $60. I thought it was cute and it was something I would never make and could never make for $60.

Other than that the only thing I've done all month is make a makeup bag for my youngest DD -

I have two more to do for my oldest DD and one of her friends - these are quick, easy and fun to make.

I hope the rest of you that were in a funk are finding your way out of it - I know I'm glad to be feeling more productive finally!

Have a pieceful day!

Stash building - 53 yards worth!

2010-01-02T22:34:00.005-05:00

Now if you read yesterday's post carefully, you will note that I did NOT say ANYTHING about reducing stash this year - which is a VERY good thing considering my unplanned trip to the LQS today. That would be the LQS that is going out of business - and sent an email this morning that ALL fabric is now $3/yard.

So what's a girl to do when you get an email like that? You call a girlfriend - in this case Florence (better known to those who read the comments on my blog as "Anonymous") and off we went. We got there a 1/2 hour before closing and quickly got down to business. About 45 minutes later we walked out very happy and proud of our purchases.

Now its not for me to tell tales of what Florence bought... so I'll just tell you about mine. The picture above shows the damage - if you enlarge it you can see more detail - its hard to photograph 53 yards of fabric without a wide angle lense! Most of it is 1 yard pieces but there is an 8 1/2 yard piece of flannel for backing, 5 yards each of a pink and a blue flannel for baby items, 2-3 yards each of 3 different black and white fabrics and a lot of 1 yard pieces of various beiges, novelties (for pillowcases, donation quilts, etc) and other "basics".

At the cutting table I told Florence that after this I could not buy any more fabric until the Quilt Fest of NJ in March - the first big quilt show of the year. I told her she would have to hold me to it - her response - "yeah, right."

Have a pieceful day!

Thoughts for the New Year...

2010-01-01T18:53:00.000-05:00

I have come to the realization that quilting resolutions or even goals for the new year are just pointless for me. I can start out with great plans but then a class or new technique or something catches my eye and the excitement of that carries me away from my plans - and that's okay, this is a hobby after all! It is supposed to be fun and inspire creativity. So I "resolve" to go in whatever creative direction the wind carries me.

That said, there are a few things I will try to fit in between the creative wind and the inevitable gift and swap projects I will commit to. This year those things revolve around trying to finish projects that create guilt by remaining unfinished (or in some cases unstarted!). Some are flimsies that need to be quilted and some are projects I bought a pattern and fabric for and never began. I have been holding off starting new projects (except small ones) due to the nagging voice reminding me of these projects. The curious thing is they are all projects I still love, it is not that I've lost interest in them, just got sidetracked and never got back to them. So this year I would like to finish them!

On the creative side, I would like to work on improving my machine quilting skills this year. This will require a little more patience than I've had in the past - patience to practice on muslin, not actual projects and patience to take a little more time to do a more involved quilting design instead of something "quick" to get it done. I would also like to work on more "artsy" projects - dolls, art quilts, painting on fabric, embellishments, working with fabrics other than cotton, learning new techniques, etc.

Lastly, though I don't think I can expect to make scrap quilts this year along with all of the above, I would like to start cutting for scrap quilts - Kathie always cuts for more than one quilt at a time and I would like to start doing the same as well as cutting some of my scraps into usable units. Maybe 2011 will be the year of making scrap quilts if 2010 can be the year of cutting for them!

And because I hate a post without a picture, here is a cute pic I snapped of DS and our dog Dooley. DS and his girlfriend are here for Christmas break from college and sleeping on the pull out sofa - after his girlfriend got up to go to work, Dooley jumped in her spot - I texted her and told her "you've been replaced"

SSCS sent and rec'd

2009-12-28T12:54:00.000-05:00

First, here is a pic of the awesome table runner that Kerry sent me in the SSCS:

Here is some detail:

These are the present and goodies I sent to my partner, Lurline:

Another great SSCS! Thanks to Kerry and to Donna for organizing this wonderful swap!

Have a pieceful day!

Where is the time going????

2009-12-14T15:45:00.002-05:00

I've been meaning to post for sooo long! It isn't even a lack of things to post about - just a lack of time and energy. The cold I had around Thanksgiving is hanging around and combining with allergies to wipe me out!

I want to show you my SSCS package - here is the ornament that Kerry from Forever Friday sent me:

and here is the package (that we are not allowed to open until Christmas - although my willpower is weakening!) Thanks Kerry - I can't wait to open it.

Its pretty cool - Kerry was the partner that I sent to in a bag swap last year and now are paths have crossed again with her sending to me!

I've got more to show and tell but I am going to try to do it in small bits each day.

Have a pieceful day!

I'm Exhausted!

2009-12-02T19:07:00.002-05:00

or I was anyway! My son came home from college for Thanksgiving and brought his girlfriend and 3 friends with him. So we had 4 houseguests for the long weekend. They went to the parade in NYC on Thanksgiving and then came back for dinner - twelve of us total. The next day we went to our cousins' for a family dinner and the next night DH and I had a dinner to go to. By the time DS and his friends left on Sunday I was exhausted. I am just now recovering!

I wanted to show you a few pictures before all the Christmas prep starts- I know its already started for most of you - but not here! Knowing I was going to have that many houseguests showering in our one bathroom, which is being remodeled so there are no towel holders or hooks up - I made each guest (and DS) a towel with his or her name embroidered on it and bought one of those old fashioned drying racks. They were instructed to hang up their towel and reuse it!

They all seemed happy with their little "favors" and it did keep my bathroom and laundry a LOT more organized.

My friend Karen who is very Martha-like made us this wonderful Cornucopia out of refrigerated breadsticks:

Isn't it awesome? The little pilgrims on either side I made years ago and lost them. This summer I was cleaning out the attic and found them in a box tucked in corner. I was so thrilled! I love these little things! Here is a closer look -

Okay, Thanksgiving officially over - let the Christmas festivities begin!

Cards, tree, shopping, baking...... where do I start?????!!!!

Have a pieceful day!

Funny Story!

2009-11-23T12:17:00.004-05:00

I have a funny husband story to tell but first I need to show you my latest finish. This is a sewing organizer that I made from a tutorial by FlossieBlossoms.

I won the fat quarter of retro NYC fabric at the Brownstone Guild Quilt Show a few weeks ago. It was donated by City Quilter in NYC who has a whole line of NYC themed fabrics. While they are very pretty they are not practical for a lot of things because this is a large print so its not a fabric to cut into small pieces - much better for a bag - or a sewing organizer! Here are some pics of the inside - it has a little needlecase that snaps closed, a holder for scissors both while traveling and while using the organizer on the couch, thread holders, pocket, trash baggie and tool holder.

On her blog, FlossieBlossoms tells how she created this organizer to keep pins and needles and other unsafe sewing items from the paws and mouth of her cat - whose name is NoseyParker. She advises that it would be good for keeping these items out of the hands of young children as well. Enter the funny story....

So I am showing DH the finished organizer last night - after he very generously installed the snaps for me when I was having some issues - a fact I add only to point out what a terrible wife I am for what I am about to share with the world - but it was just too funny not to....

so DH is looking at the finished product, opens it up, looks at the needlecase part and sticks his finder INTO the closed needlecase asking "what's this for?" as I am at the same time starting to say "be careful, there's a needle in there" - before I could even get the words out, he lets out a loud "OUCH" and I fall to the floor laughing hysterically as any terrible wife would! As soon as I could pick myself up and compose myself I told him "that is definitely going on the blog!" So my advice is if you have nosey cats or nosey toddlers they are probably safe but if you have a nosey husband you might want to add an additional layer of security to your sewing organizer!

Have a pieceful day!

Just when I thought it was safe...

2009-11-15T16:50:00.002-05:00

DH and my two DDs have all been sick recently - congested, cough, sore throat. Up until now I had escaped it because they've been better for a few weeks and I never caught it. Until today. So I am sitting on the couch doing some handwork and watching t.v. I worked on some hedgehog pincushions -

The one on the right is a work in progress - this is actually the prototype - I have a different fabric in mind and a few adjustments but I think he came out pretty cute! When I feel better I'll make another.

Last week one of the local guild's had their quilt show. It was a nice show and I was lucky enough to win a mini quilt in the mini quilt auction!

Have a pieceful day!

Halloween Witch Doll

2009-11-07T08:11:00.002-05:00

I've been meaning to post these pics for awhile now and if I don't do it soon Halloween will be long gone - actually it seems long gone already - everywhere I turn someone insists on telling me how many weeks or days there are until Christmas! Anyway - last month DD and I stopped into this store and I saw this awesome doll and the store was giving a class on how to make it! Only problem was we were there on Monday afternoon and the 2nd class was that Wednesday night so I was already behind and didn't have a lot of time to catch up. But since I've made dolls before I figured I should be able to do the initial stuff without any guidance. There were two more classes and I just love the way everyone's doll came out.

My doll is not finished yet. I still want to accessorize her a bit and with time crunch I didn't have time to collect everything I wanted. Here she is:

I also want to redo her hair. I really was not happy with the way it turned out. But all in all I am very happy with her and I love the class. I was ecstatic to learn how to do sculpted faces. I am hoping the store does more doll classes soon. The owner is an incredible dollmaker - very talented. Here is a pic of everyone's dolls together:

The one on the right is the teacher's doll - isn't she incredible?

I have one other little autumn project to show. I finished this little pillow this week despite it giving me total fits! I hate it when an "easy" project just becomes more trouble than its worth and that almost happened with this one for various reasons not worth going into. But its done!

Have a pieceful day!

2009-11-02T21:16:00.003-05:00

I have a few more swap pictures to show. Ariane of Arianescrafts received my placemats today from the placemat swap2 on flickr. They are made of flannel. I've had the kit for these for about 4 years and they've been on my to do list for just as long. When the placemat swap came along and Ariane told me she uses placemats on her table I decided these would be perfect.

My partner in another Flickr swap received the mini quilt I sent her last week - the theme was Woodland World.

I have one more swap package on its way to my partner - my last Stitcher's Angel package. Hopefully it will arrive soon and then I can show that one.

Have a pieceful day!

It's Done!!!!

2009-10-31T18:44:00.004-04:00

I did it! I managed to get the Halloween quilt from the swap done before Halloween was gone. I finished it about 4:30 this afternoon and had it hanging in the kitchen by 5pm. Normally I would take all my Halloween stuff down tomorrow but I think this will have to stay up for awhile longer - maybe till Thanksgiving! This really has me in the mood to get the Christmas swap blocks together this year too. I had told myself I wouldn't have time before Christmas this year but I might have to try to find a couple of days to knock it out.

Have a pieceful day - and Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T09:08:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween to you!

This is my youngest DD in her halloween costume last night. She wanted to be Alice in Wonderland but every costume in the stores was too "slut-y" She said you couldn't even tell they were Alice in Wonderland. So she went to Walmart, bought fabric and a pattern and asked me to help her. I've never been a clothes sewer, other than doll clothes and halloween costumes. She took 2 years of Fashion Construction in high school but kept claiming not to know how to do it. So she cut it out and I did most of the rest with her assistance. Then we got to the zipper. I said "I think we need to call Florence for help, I have no idea how to put a zipper in a dress and the pattern directions sound like Greek to me" she said "oh, its easy, you just do this, this and this..." and promptly taught me how to put a zipper in a dress.

I think I've been hoodwinked! Seriously though I am just thrilled that it came out okay (if you look closely there are a ton of flaws, but it is only a halloween costume) and more importantly that it fit! I had these horrible visions of spending all these hours on it and it not fitting when we were done and then rushing to the store to buy one of the slut-y costumes anyway!

Have a pieceful day!

Christmas block swap

2009-10-29T14:44:00.001-04:00

If you read my blog you know I recently participated in Jane's Halloween Spooky Spectacular block swap. I made 12 owl blocks and 12 nine patches and received 12 different halloween themed blocks and 12 different 9 patches. Those blocks have been assembled into a quilt top and I still have hope of having the quilt finished before Halloween is over - even if it means I am stitching binding Saturday night!

So last month I was at our monthly-ish meeting of our firehouse quilters group and I was showing everyone my blocks and telling them about the halloween swap. Bernadette says "why don't we do something like that?" and I replied "we should - and you can organize it!" and she did! So 9 of us each made 9 Christmas themed blocks and last Saturday we swapped them. They all go together so well and everyone did such a great job! There was already talk of a Snowman themed swap in January. So without further adeiu, here are the blocks (only 8 are shown here - Mary wasn't able to make it on Saturday so I don't have one of her blocks yet - I have seen then though and they are great - a redwork candycane. If you check her blog I'm sure she will post a picture soon.

I made Christmas stockings personalized with the recipient's name:

Bernie made these adorable paper pieced Christmas presents:

Sue machine appliqued angels - this was her first time doing applique and she did an unbelievable job!

Florence did gingerbread men and as always they were perfect!

Priscilla did Christmas trees - aren't they great?

Ann chose a snowman from Art to Heart - I love that blue background!

Megan made stars that as always are pieced perfectly - front and back are perfect!

Talin made mittens - check out the ribbon and button embellishments!

Speaking of Talin - I've been meaning to post for awhile to tell you about Talin's new blog. Talin is extremely talented and blows the rest of us away with her creations. She makes beautiful handbags as well as other things.

Update**** I managed to get a pic of Mary's block - she hand embroidered a candy cane on white on white snowflake fabric - a ton of work and so pretty!

Have a pieceful day!

More mail and swap goodies!

2009-10-27T22:19:00.003-04:00

More goodies from the mailbox! First up is a little gift I received from Nanette of Freda's Hive. I volunteered proofread (believe it or not I enjoy proofing!) her new pattern Kettles in the Kitchen (which is awesome by the way - check it out!) and she sent me some fabrics as a thank you. These fabrics are so cool! I've never seen anything like them around here. And check out the fabric covered button too!

Next up is a gift I received from my friend Florence. Florence, myself and three other ladies have been getting together for YEARS to stitch/craft/talk etc. and Florence always makes us the best stuff!!! When I asked her where she got the idea she told me it was on Kim's blog. Now I am a faithful reader of Kim's blog - I mean I read it every morning, and somehow I missed these! If i don't get to them this year I will definitely be making some for next Halloween!

Last, but certainly not least today I received my swap package from Ariane for the Placemat Swap 2 on Flickr. I am just so in love with this placemat! Of course it is way too beautiful to use as a placemat - it will get hung on the wall with my other mini quilts. She also sent a potholder, coasters and a little drawstring bag that will be perfect for small stitchery projects and the like.

Sorry these are a little blurry - DD took them with her phone.

That's all for today. Tomorrow I will show the blocks I got in my local quilt group's xmas block swap. There are 9 of them so they are a post in themselves!

Have a pieceful day!

Catchin Up!

2009-10-26T22:24:00.005-04:00

Ok, I'll warn you know, this is gonna be a long one! In my last post I mentioned I've been doing a lot of stitching and got some good things in the mail - well since then I've been doing more stitching and got more stuff in the mail. Some of the stitching was for swaps so it will be a few more days to a week or so until I can show those. So let's start with the mail - both incoming and outgoing:

First is a quilt I received from a swap on Flickr - we swapped Teeny Tiny Mini Quilts - under 6 inches! I recevied this little beauty from Cindy in Texas. All of those squares are pieced - I originally thought that was one fabric!

This is the teeny tiny mini I sent to Cindy:

Another swap on Flickr that I am doing this month is the Swap Till You Drop October Woodland theme swap. Kimmie in Oregon sent me this cutie:

I can't show you the one I made for Kimmie because it was just mailed today. That will have to wait for another day!
Next is two packages from my Secret Angel in the Stitcher's Angel Swap: first I received this beautiful needlecase and then a week or so later I received the beautiful embroidered bag. I'm not really sure how my angel Drommequilten knew I've started collecting thimbles because I didn't think I had posted about it on my blog but she sent me one!

This is the Halloween Annie I made for Aunt Pitty Pat's Bumps in the Night Swap:

Here are my blocks sent to Jane for her Red and Aqua Disappearing 9 patch swap:

Seen enough yet? Believe it or not this isn't all the swaps! But I think its enough for one post. I'll post again tomorrow with more!

Have a pieceful day!

Giveaway Alert!

2009-10-17T20:30:00.002-04:00

I've been busy quilting all day and also got GREAT stuff in yesterday's mail. I will be back to post about all that in a little while but in the meantime check out this giveaway at Sampaguitaquilts The prize is a kit for the most awesome tree quilt.

Be back soon!

Have a pieceful day!

Busy, busy, busy!

2009-10-10T18:04:00.007-04:00

Ugh! I've been meaning to post but believe it or not couldn't get around to taking pictures of the things I wanted to post about! I hate it that it is dark so early again.

A couple of Saturday's ago we had our "almost" monthly quilty get together at the firehouse. We hadn't met since July and the attendance at that one was meager so its been quite a while since we all saw each other. A bunch of us worked on a tote bag featured on Moda Bake Shop with the Mill House Inn fabric line. Not everyone used Mill House Inn fabrics, a bunch used fabrics from their stash. It is always so cool to see the same project done in different fabrics/colors isn't it? Here is mine:

This fabric line is just awesome! While we were cutting our fabrics for this bag we decided to cut for the friendship bag tutorial on P.S. I quilt

It's hard to tell from the picture but this bag is only about 6" x 6". Not very practical but very cute!

I never showed my Halloween blocks from Jane's swap but I think I will wait - last night I bought sashing and I am REALLY going to try to have that done by Halloween. I might be quilting and/or binding it ON Halloween but hopefully it will be done! When I showed my blocks at the firehouse some of the girls were intrigued so we decided to do a similar swap amongst ourselves with Christmas blocks. It is a short turnaround - they are due on Oct. 24 so I bought fabric for that last night too and have my idea - now to make my 9 blocks.

I've been working on lots of other stuff too - swap stuff I can't show. I've become a little addicted to swaps on flickr. I never knew they existed until I did Doll Quilt Swap 7 - now I've found monthly mini quilt swaps, placemat swaps, teeny tiny quilt swaps! I'll have lots of pics of all of those as soon as I mail and my partners have received them - not to mention pics of the quilts I receive! Oh, and I did Aunt Pitty Pat's Bumps in the Night Halloween Annie Swap. I haven't received mine yet but my partner has gotten mine so I can show you. When she was sent she was holding a pumpkin in her lap but I forgot to take a final picture so the only one I have was taken before the pumpkin was added.

Last night I finished two Halloween pillows - I just LOVE these! I wish I could keep them out year round!!!!

Well, I hope that makes up for a few post-less weeks! I've got lots to finish this month and for now anyway I am on a roll. There is also a mini shop hop planned for this month. My birthday is tomorrow and a few (semi) local shops send 20% off coupons to use during your birthday month. Of course, I don't really NEED anything, but after they are nice enough to send you a birthday coupon it would be rude not to stop in and at least say hello, right?

Have a pieceful day!

More great stuff in the mail!

2009-09-24T12:05:00.000-04:00

When I returned from our long weekend away guess what was in the mail? My quilt for Doll Quilt Swap 7! My partner was Michelle from http://rosebudquilting.blogspot.com/

Michelle looked through my blog and saw that I have made some rag dolls. She is a longarm quilter and had a rag doll quilting pattern so she bought some vintage fabric on ebay and made me this darling doll quilt. She also included some fabric and a chocolate bar in a beautiful rubber stamped/embossed holder. Here is a pic of the quilting detail:

I need to find a place in my house to hang this. My plan is to put a shelf next to, above or below it and display some of my dolls on the shelf - won't that be cute???!!

My weekend away and sick time have put me woefully behind on blogging. I have a bunch of things that I've been working on that haven't made it to my blog yet. I guess I better get busy taking some pictures and writing some posts! I also have a bunch of blogs I've starred in Google Reader meaning to go back and comment on and I never seem to get back to them. Hopefully I can catch up now that I am back into the normal routine.

Have a pieceful day!

Best mail day ever!!!!

2009-09-16T20:47:00.003-04:00

Okay, maybe not ever - the day I got my bar results can't really be topped, but a pretty darn good mail day today - I received not one but two packages - the first was my blocks from Jane's Halloween Swap - they are awesome. I can't wait to put them together. DH and I are going away for a long weekend at the beach so I will have to wait till next week to play though - and you will have to wait till then for a picture because I am in the middle of packing and can't find a clean surface to lay all 24 of them out on to photograph!!!!

The second package was from my Stitcher's Angel!!!! She sent me this gorgeous mini quilt:

The note that came with it says the saying means "Have a good summer". This picture is not the greatest because it was taken inside at night but I wanted to get it on my blog right away! I love stitchery and do some myself but mine is no where near as good as this! I don't know if you can see it in the pic below but the stitches are sooo small and consistent in size! I am definitely going to be emailing my partner for some tips on stitching!!! Also in the package was a nice note on a notecard with a picture of some scenery from Norway and a delicious chocolate bar that did not make it long enough to be photographed - oops!

I am just so thrilled with my new little quilt. Even though it is a "summer" quilt I will hang it year round - now I just have to decide whether to hang it here at home or in my office where I can look at it all day! Thank you Angel!!!!

Have a pieceful day!

Gail Pan BOM

2009-09-10T23:22:00.000-04:00

Gail Pan BOM
Originally uploaded by piecefulchaos

I am just about done with my Gail Pan free BOM. I was up to date before August's block was released and then when I was sewing the frames on I cut July's wrong so I have to re-do it! Funny thing I discovered though - when I print the blocks out at work they are a different size than on my home printer. They are pdf files so that shouldn't happen - or at least I thought it shouldn't.

Gail just posted the instructions to finish the quilt and I love the way she finished it - even nicer than I had imagined it would be. Hopefully this weekend I will get those last few blocks done and sashed (with no cutting mistakes!) and then I can get to finishing it - maybe even before Christmas - wouldn't that be special???

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T12:53:00.004-04:00

Happy Labor Day to all in the US! Its a long weekend for us so I'm using the time off to do a little quilting and a little cleaning.

I joined the Old Red Barn Quilt Along on flickr - this round they are doing Wonky Log Cabins and these have intrigued me for awhile so I thought I'd give them a try. In a moment of weakness the other night I ordered fabric (the kiwi line) instead of pulling from stash like I should have. Today I tried my first block -

There are some things I will do different on the next block but all in all it was a lot of fun. I can't believe how LIBERATING it was to make - no points to match, not cuts to make straight - its supposed to be wonky - what could be better than that? I'm not saying I will give up traditional piecing but this style definitely has its place. Quilt Dad the leader of the quilt along, will be posting 3 other variations of wonky log cabins in upcoming posts. I am going to wait and try each before I decide on one style for a quilt - or I will do a quilt with all 4 styles depending on how and what I like.

I also got a bunch of stuff ready for a post office run tomorrow - swaps, giveaways, etc. and we went to a picnic yesterday which included sitting out by the fire late into the night listening to two of the guests play guitar while we all badly sang the words to lots of old songs while drinking sweet tea vodka. Oh and there was a quick trip to the LQS yesterday to get some black and whites for the wonky cabins and some fabric for my Halloween Annie for Aunt Pitty Pat's swap - yes I signed up for yet another swap - I can't help it they are so much fun!

One last thing, if you haven't seen it yet head on over to The Painted Quilt - Kaaren is doing a First Friday Freebie stitchery pattern and this month's was just posted the other day. Also, Linen Closet Quilts is doing a Free BOM Challenge - the first one, an eagle, is gorgeous!

Have a pieceful day!

100th Post!!!

2009-09-05T20:35:00.003-04:00

Hooray! This is my 100th post! As I promised last post I am doing a little giveaway in celebration. It has been wonderful getting to know other bloggers out there during these last 100 posts - exchanging comments, emails, reading others blogs, participating in swaps. Most of the commenters on my 99th post have posted on my blog many times before. The thought of picking only ONE person to send a giveaway prize to was tough. So I decided "what the heck...its my blog I can do whatever I want! So I am sending a little prize to each of people who have commented (as of now 8:51pm EST) on my last post. There are 8 of you. I think the only ones I need addresses for are Karen, Nancy and Thimbleanna - so ladies please email me your address. (The rest of the ladies I think I have your addresses but if not I will email you for it).

So here are some of the little prizes I've been working on - beaded scissor fobs:

I have a few more to make- DH and I had to make a run to the craft store today but they should be done by the time the post office opens again on Tuesday. I picked up a few little non-handmade goodies to go in the packages as well.

Thank you to everyone for a very enjoyable 100 posts. I look forward to the next 100!

Have a pieceful day!

Deadlines

2009-09-02T09:55:00.002-04:00

Last night I got my Halloween Swap blocks finished and they are all ready to be mailed to Jane at lunchtime today. Not bad considering I did not join the swap until last Saturday afternoon, right? The thing is, I know (and those who know me well know too) that even if I had signed up for this swap back on June 1 when signups began, I still probably would have been doing the blocks very close to the deadline. It seems most of my real productivity only comes with a deadline - which is why I make more gifts than projects for myself. Not that there is anything wrong with making things for others - to the contrary - but I would love to be able to be more productive without the deadlines looming.

I know I am not alone because some of my friends are the same way - I won't mention names - you know who you are! So I want to know - are you like that too? has anyone been like that and conquered the deadline thing - if so, how did you do it? Sometimes I wonder if I should just stop fighting it and go with it - although I've tried the self-imposed deadline thing and didn't fool myself - deep down I knew there was no consequence if the deadline came and went.

So if you've read this far without any pretty pictures to look at you deserve some kind of reward - this is my 99th post. It took longer than I thought it would to get here but here I am. So leave a comment on this post and on my 100th post I will announce a winner and send them a little something - don't know what yet but I am setting a deadline for myself of this Saturday to have something made - so that's when my 100th post will be -this Saturday!

Have a pieceful day!

Yes, I am crazy!

2009-08-31T09:49:00.001-04:00

It's official - I've lost my mind! I found Jane's blog sometime in June I think and her Halloween Swap had already started. I was SO disappointed because I love Halloween and would definitely have signed up for her swap. So this weekend when two spots became available due to some missing participants I ~~begged Jane to let me in~~ signed up. The blocks are due tomorrow! Obviously they will not be done by then but I told Jane I would do everything I could to get them to her by the end of the week. I hurried to the LQS on Saturday and purchased the fabric I needed and started sewing. Despite 2 parties to attend this weekend I made some good progress - here is my owl block:

Only 11 more of him to do! I also need to do twelve 12 1/2 inch 9 patch blocks for the swap - those are done already - I did them first on Saturday. The pieces for the other owls are fused and cut out - ready to be assembled and stitched.

***A note to other members of Jane's Halloween swap - I would love to do some private swaps for additional blocks if anyone is interested! Just leave me a comment or email me!

Meanwhile in other quilty news, I also managed to finish quilting my mini quilt for the doll quilt swap and attach the binding. Just need to hand sew the other side of the binding and attach a label and I can get that baby in the mail.

Have a pieceful day!

Secret Santa Christmas Swap

2009-08-31T09:33:00.000-04:00

This weekend I got my partner for Chookyblue's Secret Santa Swap! I did this swap last year and it was so much fun!

My partner turns out to be someone whose blog I was already following on Google Reader but she is fairly new to me so I do have to go back and look at prior posts on her blog to get a really good idea of her likes and dislikes and then I will decide what to make for her!

Have a pieceful day!

A little repair work

2009-08-28T06:47:00.003-04:00

Not much quilty going on here this week. I did trace a bunch of stitcheries for future stitching and started quilting my doll quilt. I also did a little repair work on a quilt I made for my oldest DD's best friend -

Seems her dog decided the quilt needed tasting. I forgot to take a picture after the repair - it was done in a hurry so Sue could take it with her on her vacation to South Carolina and give it to its owner in person - I hate the thought of shipping quilts and the possibility of them getting lost in the mail.

Lots of things scheduled for this weekend and unfortunately none of them are quilty.

Have a pieceful day!

What I did on my summer vacation

2009-08-25T06:38:00.000-04:00

Over the last year I have been adding to my collection of DMC floss whenever it was on sale. I now should have ever color. While we were driving to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania a few weeks ago I wound all the floss onto bobbins. I can't read or stitch while riding or I get car sick but I was able to do this!

A few months ago I discovered I can also stuff doll parts while riding in the car. Since DH and I commute an hour each way to work every day and he usually does the driving I am always anxious to find things I can tolerate doing in the car without my stomach doing flip flops. Does anyone else have this problem? What have you found you can do in the car?

Have a pieceful day!

Doll Quilt Swap

2009-08-23T09:08:00.000-04:00

This is the quilt I am planning on sending my swap partner for Doll Quilt Swap 7. It is from the book Miniatures in Minutes. The book uses a paper piecing technicque different from any I've used before. You also piece on vellum so that you can see through the paper.

It took some adjusting to but I got the hang of it pretty quick. There are some other quilts in the book I would like to try. This quilt isn't actually in the book. The author Terrie Sandelin posts a project on her website once a month that uses the pattern sheets from the book in a new way. This was August's project.

Today hopefully I will get time to quilt this little quilt and maybe the bowtie quilt that I posted the other day also.

Have a pieceful day!

Bow tie doll quilt

2009-08-20T16:23:00.000-04:00

This is a doll quilt top I made recently. I was thinking of it for the Doll Quilt Swap but I'm pretty sure I've decided on another one for that. So I will quilt this up and either keep it or donate it to the guild for the mini quilt auction at our upcoming quilt show. It went together pretty quickly so maybe I'll make another one and keep this or vice versa.

This was made from a charm pack (the darks - the lights are from stash). I used the same fabrics for the quilt I am using for the swap plus I used scraps from the charm pack for sashing for my Noah's Ark BOM (will show that in a day or two) - so that charm pack made its way into 3 mini quilts - not too bad, huh?!?

Have a pieceful day!

Pincushion fever returns

2009-08-19T11:50:00.000-04:00

This weekend I decided to play around with making some pincushions. I have about a gazillion pincushion patterns that I want to make - these are two of them:

This one started as a test block for an idea I had for my quilt for Doll Quilt Swap 7. It didn't make the cut for the doll quilt so I bordered it and made it into a pincushion.

This one is a Leanne's House pattern that I got as a kit in a pincushion of the month club from Quilt Fabric Delights in Austrailia. There are 3 or 4 other designs that are part of the pattern too. I had a little problem with the ricrac on this one but hopefully I have the technique down for the next one.

I filled both with crushed walnut shells - first time I've used them and I really liked them.

Have a pieceful day!

Stitcher's Angel Swap

2009-08-17T15:45:00.000-04:00

Helen is running the Stitcher's Angel swap again this year. I did not participate in the swap last year but this year I signed up. Each week there is a free project from a different designer. You do not have to participate in the swap to receive the projects - so hop on over to Helen's blog for this week's (the first) project - its a beautiful bag!
My partner in this swap is from another country - can't tell you which one - its a secret! I love international swaps don't you (except the postage which limits what you can send weightwise). We are supposed to send 3 handmade items - I have 2 planned out and am thinking on what the third will be.

Have a pieceful day!

Baby Girl pillow

2009-08-14T16:55:00.000-04:00

Back in February or March of 2008 I posted a pillow I made for my friend Sue when her first grandson was born. A few weeks ago I made the girl version for my sister-in-law when my nephew and his wife had their first child (and her first grandchild).

I just love this pattern and it stitches up so fast. The pattern is from Bare Roots.

I've been having major computer issues at home and can't upload photos at work so if my posting is sparse the next few weeks (or without many pictures) please forgive me!

Have a pieceful day!

An Oldie!

2009-08-08T23:53:00.002-04:00

DSCF0108.JPG
Originally uploaded by piecefulchaos

I came across this photo today and thought I'd share it. This is a quilt I made for DD before she was born 19 years ago. It is hand pieced and hand quilted. The fabrics look SO old now!

Have a pieceful day!

2009-08-08T06:57:00.000-04:00

A few posts ago I wrote that DH and I took a little mini vacation to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. On the way we were able to stop at a shop I've been wanting to get to for years - Endless Mountain Quiltworks in Tunkhannock, PA.

I had met the owner, Jeanette at market a few years ago when I attended with my friend who owned the LQS. I've also seen Jeanette vending at some local quilt shows and she always has such nice things so the posse and I have been dying to see her shop.

Lets just say I was not disappointed and if DH was not with me the loot would have been a lot bigger! She has some of everything - redwork, reproductions, novelties, thimbleberries, lots of gorgeous samples to inspire.... I took these pictures to show the posse what they missed and to convince them that we NEED to do a road trip to Tunkhannock SOON! So I thought I'd share the pics with you all as well.

We also stopped at another shop in Wellsboro, PA - Needles Quilt Shop - no pics from that one - sorry! But if you are ever in Wellsboro this one is worth the stop also - lots of civil war reproductions and homespuns and two owners who are the nicest ladies - even DH was chatting it up instead of sitting on a bench waiting like usual!

Have a pieceful day!

Fishys

2009-08-05T06:52:00.000-04:00

My investigator at work just had a baby (or his wife did anyway) so I made this little baby quilt for their new addition.

I don't think the picture shows it but those are fish in the center and top and bottom panels.

I just did a loop de loop quilting design and it quilted up in no time. I have to remember that next time I procrastinate about machine quilting!

Have a pieceful day!

A short vacation

2009-08-02T22:52:00.000-04:00

Week before last DH and I had a vacation week. We only went away for two days though. DH's sister and her husband recently bought a cabin in North Central Pennsylvania and we took a ride up there. It is near the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.

Unfortunately the weather was not the greatest during our visit so this is the best picture I could get. There is also a great quilt shop in town so i was able to do a little shopping! We are looking forward to getting back there again - there are lots of hiking and biking trails, lakes, etc.

Have a pieceful day!

Doll Quilt Swap 7!

2009-07-26T17:01:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited! I signed up to participate in Doll Quilt Swap 7. I've seen doll quilt swaps going on in blogland but never have seen them during the signups until now.

I've gotten my partner's info and checked out his or her likes and dislikes and I have a few ideas ruminating around in my head. There are quite a few doll quilts that I've been thinking of making so I think between now and September (the deadline) I will be making more than one and as I get to know my partner better I will then decide which one I will send.

We are supposed to post some of our likes and dislikes so that our partners have an idea of what we like. So - to whoever has been assigned to send me a doll quilt - as my profile on my sidebar says, I like just about everything! Brights, pastels, reproductions, thirties, Kaffe, Amy Butler, modern, Kansas Troubles, Thimbleberries, Asian, Art Quilts, applique, piecing, paper piecing, hand quilting, machine quilting, ric rac, beads, buttons, yo yo's, you name it! Seriously, there are very few types of quilts I DON'T like. There may be types I don't MAKE, but not many I don't LIKE. So partner - please feel free to do whatever moves you and I am sure i will love it. I did add a bunch of photos to my favorites on flickr - but really, I just like everything!

Well, DH and I are back to work tomorrow after a week's vacation - ugh! I really could use another week!

Have a pieceful day!

2009-07-20T09:43:00.004-04:00

Here is another quilt I finished recently. This was a UFO and I finished it for my niece as a graduation quilt. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture before I gave it to her (do you see a pattern here LOL!) so all I have is the pictures she took and emailed me. Since she was by herself in her dorm room with no one to hold it there is no full size view.

I tried sewing the binding on completely by machine and was pretty pleased with the results. I also tried something new (for me) - instead of a label - which I am very bad about doing- I stitched the info onto the binding with the alphabet feature on my machine. I have to work on the mechanics of this but I was very happy with the way it turned out!

Have a pieceful day!

A finish!

2009-07-19T11:49:00.003-04:00

I have been doing some quilting even if I haven't been posting! Here is one of the things I've been working on - a baby quilt for my first great niece Ella. My nephew and his wife are stationed in Okinawa Japan so my sister-in-law (the proud grandma) hand delivered the quilt for me. The center is a hand embroidered paper doll and surrounding it are hand embroidered doll dresses. This was a lot of fun to make!
Some of the other things I've been working on are my Gail Pan BOM blocks (all caught up!) a graduation signature quilt for DD (not done yet!) and another baby quilt. Pics of all of those are coming soon.

I also just joined the Doll Quilt Swap 7 so I started loading a lot of pics to my flickr account - same name - piecefulchaos - there are more pics of the embroidery on Ella's quilt posted there.

Have a pieceful day!

A Great Giveaway!

2009-06-26T20:54:00.003-04:00

If you love stitchery and quilting - run, don't walk - to this blog. Helen is giving away a set of patterns for her new BOM Twas the Night Before Christmas! I fell in love with this the minute I saw it.

I know I have been kind of scarce in blogland lately but as soon as DD's graduation party is over tomorrow I will be back with some quilty posts and pics!

Have a pieceful day!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T12:58:00.003-04:00

Hoping you are all able to spend this Easter with family and friends as we are today! We are going to a good friend's house for dinner today. Our hostess loves marshmallow peeps so when I saw this pattern earlier this week I had to get it (thankfully it was an e-pattern!) and make it for her - I just finished it this morning.

There is another Easter doll pattern I bought that did not get made yet - plus I have my swap Annie started as well as a few others - the doll phase continues - although there will be a break for a new journal.

Have a wonderful day!

A New Obsession!

2009-04-07T08:11:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone! I'm back from my little blogging break. I've been lurking and keeping up with all of your blogs, just not posting on mine or commenting much.

So let me show you some of what I've been up to! On someone's blog I saw a link for an Annie Swap over at AuntPittyPat's blog. I used to make cloth dolls YEARS ago so it intrigued me. I also remembered some free Annie patterns I had downloaded awhile ago and never made so I found them, went to the website I got them from and wound up buying a few more, including a cute little bunny pattern to make for Easter. Now, today I just found out that website is having a free pattern giveway and a contest for a doll right now! Go here for details.

So right now my desk is filled with doll body parts waiting to be assembled but I did finish one doll for a co-worker who just had back surgery - here she is:

Here is a pic of the covers of two of the patterns I bought - the doll above and the bunny. Aren't they adorable?

In other exciting news, my friend Cheryl who does longarm quilting had a quilt accepted to the Quilt Fest of NJ which was the beginning of March. Her quilt won not only Best Machine Workmanship but the even greater honor of Viewer's Choice! Of course now we are all afraid she will decide to raise her prices for longarming!!! Seriously though, we are all so proud of her! Here is a picture of her quilt hanging at the show:

I've been doing a little shopping at the bookstore while I took my blogging break too - I bought these last week - the ME book has some really cute projects in it and I've always wanted to do silk ribbon embroidery and this book was the best I've ever seen on the subject.

I also have 2 books coming from Amazon tomorrow on cloth doll making - not the Annie type, the "artsy" type - like the title of the post says - a new obsession! LOL! I think I was in a rut because for the longest time it seems I would get no sewing done when I got home from work. But once I started with the journals and then the dolls all of a sudden I was excited with what I was doing and had the energy at night to work on them. I guess every now and then we all need a new project or a new artform to recharge our creative batteries.

I am working on a couple of quilts but they are both gifts so I can't show them yet. I missed my blogaversary while on my break and I haven't forgotten about a giveaway for that - just deciding how and what to do.

Have a pieceful day!

Birthday wishes!

2009-02-19T06:49:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Sue!!!!

Today is my best friend Sue's birthday! So if you know Sue give her a call, email or text and wish her a happy birthday. If you don't have her info, leave a comment here and wish her a happy birthday!

In other news... well there really isn't much other news! I went back to work yesterday and that was about as exciting as you would expect - LOL! This weekend is our quilting at the firehouse day with the posse so maybe I will have some good show and tell pictures to post on Saturday night or Sunday!

Oh, and is anyone else having trouble with bloglines? Mine is still showing some blogs as new as many as three times after I've viewed them and I don't think it showed my last post as new at all. Is it me or is everyone else having the same issues?

Have a pieceful day!

A little time off...

2009-02-17T16:30:00.003-05:00

Today is the last day of my little vacation. DH and I were off for Lincoln's Birthday last Thursday and President's Day yesterday so we both took Friday as a vacation day and I also took today. It's been a nice little 6 day break for the measly cost of only 2 vacation days! But I can't figure out how I got nothing accomplished in those 6 days! Or at least not very much. Usually when DH and I stay home together we spend too much time in the house doing nothing. This time we were out and about every day running errands. It was nice to spend some time wtih DH - when we are hanging around the house we tend to each do our own thing but when we are out and about we have fun together. We did manage to have a few meals out, go to a friend's birthday party (Happy Birthday again Roger!) and got some chores done. Unfortunately the to do list is so long it didn't make a dent!

Today was the first day I was able to get in my sewing room though. I'm enjoying my journal making class so much I decided to sign up for the sequel - More Journalmaking for the Fiber Artist. The classes overlap two weeks so this week I had lesson 4 from the first class and lesson 1 from the second! Here are my journals from this week:

Above is lesson 4 of the first class. This journal is made out of a paper bag believe it or not! I picked a civil war print for the lining and used twine as a tie (because that was all I had in the house that worked - LOL!)

This one was made with some authentic japanese fabric I got at City Quilter in NYC a few years ago. It's been sitting in my stash waiting for just the right project. The picture doesn't really show it but this is a tri-fold journal.

I haven't done much quilting lately (even though I have a couple of deadline projects - yikes!) but sometimes its nice to have a little creative diversion to get the juices flowing again, isn't it? I keep seeing fabrics and thinking - "oh, that would make a gorgeous journal" I'm not sure what I am going to do with all these journals but I'm sure they will all find good homes. Speaking of which, my one year blog-aversary is coming up in a few days. I think a custom made journal might be a great prize for a giveaway - what do you think? Stay tuned for the details...

Have a pieceful day!

More Journals

2009-02-13T00:34:00.003-05:00

I've been working on a few more journals from the online class I've been taking. Here is the journal from last week's lesson:

And here is a journal I made for Mary over at Stitchin by the Sea

I stamped some lighthouses and inspirational quotes on the inside:

Tomorrow is lesson 4 - the journal is made out of a paper bag and has a faux leather finish. I am really anxious to get tomorrow's lesson!

Have a pieceful day!

Shopping, Stitching & Superbowl

2009-02-01T21:00:00.002-05:00

That pretty much describes this weekend - shopping for sneakers with DD, shopping at the sale at the LQS with some of the posse and then some stitching last night and today - and of course the Superbowl tonight - the only night of the year when I go to the kitchen or bathroom during the show and run back to the tv for the commercials! Except of course during half-time - couldn't miss my baby Bruce (although he does seem to be getting older these days!). While at the LQS I picked up some goodies - this fabric is for a spring Girly Girl tote.

And this fabric is for the Flea Market bag (the pink and green) and the Ella bag (the blue floral, dots and toile) from Grand Revival Design. The taupe dots go with an extra yard of the blue floral to Mary for her Flea Market bag. This whole fabric line was gorgeous - I could have bought the whole thing!

These are the bag patterns - arent they great?

And here is my journal from my second lesson of the online class. This one is a sketchbook. I don't sketch much except for practicing machine quilting designs. I may use it for that or I may give it to DD who loves elephants - if she wants it.

And finally last night I finished the first block of the month from Bunny Tales.

Unfortunately the weekend is almost over :( But at least it has been productive and enjoyable!

Have a pieceful day!

Online Journal Class & Other stuff!

2009-01-28T15:23:00.005-05:00

First off - is anyone else's bloglines being a pain? I keep getting the same blog posts coming up as new and sometimes it shows 200 new posts for one blog!

BOTH of my computers have been acting up this week so I have not been able to post - although I had a bunch I could've posted about! Last Friday I received my first lesson for my online journal class - can I just tell you how hard it was to sit at work all day Friday when I wanted to be home playing with fabric and paper? So last Saturday I got the cover done and today I stayed home because of weather and did the pages - it has a few more things that need to be added but it's 90 % done.

I did some dry embossing on some of the pages and used some rubber stamps of inspirational quotes on some of the pages. So far I am loving this class. I have a bunch of ideas for more variations of this journal - all I need is more time!

I didn't get to post my Loser Monday report - my weight stayed the same which I expected because I haven't really moved into the "trying to lose" phase yet - but I did do very well on the eating breakfast front and wore my pedometer most of the week.

I also bought a new book and a pattern and got another installment of the pincushion of the month from Quilt Fabric Delights - again no pics though - mostly due to the computer problems - it took me so long to load the journal pics I gave up - hopefully I will have that worked out very soon!

Have a pieceful day!

Loser Monday!

2009-01-19T21:54:00.002-05:00

Where are all the Loser Monday reports? I didn't lose any weight this week but I didn't really expect to. I am starting very slowly, loosely following the Best Life Diet by Bob Greene. In phase one you establish good habits like moving more, eating breakfast, not eating after 8pm, etc. I didn't do too well with those this week so i will continue with the same goals next week- eating breakfast every day, bringing lunch most days, drinking more water and moving more. Tonight I went to the first class of a four week intro to yoga class - it was great! And I had my breakfast today so I am off to a good start this week.

But for now - I'm off to watch the finale of Momma's Boys!

Have a pieceful day!

Trying Something New

2009-01-17T10:37:00.001-05:00

Anyone out there ever take an online class? I've signed up for my first one - Journal Making for the Fiber Artist with Sue Bleiweiss. I made some fabric journal covers at Christmas (and have some others to still finish!) and came across this class on the internet. It looks pretty cool - one of the journals is made with a brown paper bag but looks like leather when its done. I used to do a lot of card-making and rubber stamping so I am looking forward to combining that with using fabric. It starts on the 23rd. I've never taken an online class before - there is a yahoo group to post messages and pictures so you can see what your classmates are doing.

Have a pieceful day!

Loser Monday!

2009-01-12T22:22:00.003-05:00

So I have decided to join Red Geranium Sharon's Diet Challenge for 2009.

Sharon had ~~ordered~~ challenged everyone to post a before picture. So here goes....
This picture is from my DD's college graduation last spring. I plan to take this very slow and first get used to eating three meals, drinking enough water, fruits and vegetables, etc... I also want to add activity slowly. So I don't know if I will have big losses in the beginning but slow and steady wins the race.

While I was sick on the couch this weekend and channel surfing, I stopped on the movie The Devil Wears Prada just in time for one of my favorite quotes from that movie

"I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight" Gotta love it!

Have a pieceful day!

Machine Quilting DVD review

2009-01-12T13:05:00.004-05:00

Around the middle of last week I started not feeling well, scratchy throat, congestion, etc. I wound up taking a sick day on Friday and going to the doctor. He gave me some medicine but I am still not feeling well so I took anohter sick day today.

So what did I do to keep myself occupied during the last 3 days on the couch? I watched my new machine quilting DVD - Fast and Free Vol. 3 by Patsy Thompson.

Before I go on, let me say that I have never met Patsy Thompson and do not get any benefit out of the nice things I am about to say LOL! I just feel that when I find a bad pattern or product out there I like to warn others not to spend their money and likewise when i find a great pattern or product I like share the wealth.

So, that said, I have to tell you how great this DVD is. This, as you could probably already guess, is the third in a series of machine quilting DVDs. Patsy also has Vines and Leaves, Vols. 1 and 2 and Free Motion Fun with Feathers. I have all of them except Vines and Leaves II, which I hope to get soon. If you are looking to start or improve your machine quilting skills, I would highly recommend these DVDs. Each is like a class in machine quilting. THe Fast and Free series builds on each one so (although I didn't do this!) I would buy each volume in order. As an added bonus on the website you can download pdf files of all the designs taught on each dvd so you don't have to fire up the dvd player when you are heading to the quilting room and want to refresh your memory on the designs.

After finishing my dvd viewing, I completed the stitching for a redwork baby quilt I've been working on - only to realize that I think I cut some of my blocks (the setting triangles) too small - oh, yes, those would be the stitched blocks! More on that later....

Have a pieceful day!

First Finish of 2009!

2009-01-10T17:07:00.000-05:00

I actually finished this on the 7th but it is a gift so I didn't want to post about it until it was given to its recipient (who reads my blog). My friend Susan is a serious tea drinker so when I saw this pattern I had to get it and make it for her!

The only disappointing thing is that I used one of those blue disappearing ink type pens to trace the stitchery - for the first time, Unfortunately, when I wet it to remove the ink, in some spots the blue ink keep coming back or even creeping into new places! I generally try not to mark my quilts but I am glad this happened on a small project instead of a large one! Anyone else have trouble with those blue pens?

Have a pieceful day!

BOM fever!

2009-01-07T19:19:00.005-05:00

It seems everywhere I look today there is a new FREE block of the month! Anne Sutton over at Bunny Tales has a really cute applique BOM and Gail Pan has a stitichery BOM and they are both FREE! Both first blocks are adorable too!

I've already traced Gail Pan's block #1 - as a matter of fact, after I started this post DH wanted to use the laptop and by the time I got it back I have this block almost all stitched. Hopefully will get it finished tomorrow night!

The other block of the month I worked on tonight is Block #11 of Lynette Anderson's Noah's Ark stitchery BOM. I was VERY behind on these but picked them up again Christmas night and in the week after Christmas I finished five blocks and caught up. I traced this one earlier also

and finished it tonight. Now all I need is the last one next month. Here is a picture of the one's I have done so far (except the latest one done tonight)

I may try to put the log cabin borders on these during this next month so once the last block comes out I can stitch it and put the little quilt together.

Along with these I have an applique block of the month that has been hanging around a long time and a pieced block of the month from a few years ago that I only got 2 or 3 blocks done on. Then there is the pieced and appliqued BOM that has the piecing done but not the applique! I am going to try to get those done this year if I can. I doubt I'll get them all done but maybe I can get one or two done and make some progress on the others.

Have a pieceful day!!!

Guess what I did today

2009-01-04T21:39:00.002-05:00

My youngest DD turned 18 a few weeks ago. She has been waiting to get a tatoo. So today she and I both got our first tatoo. And my other DD got her 4th! We all got the same one - a shamrock on our ankle/heel.

The other great thing that happened this weekend is I got my machines back from the repair shop! Remember back in December both broke down on me? Well, now they are back and humming along nicely!

Have a Pieceful Day!

Lazy New Year's Day

2009-01-01T15:54:00.002-05:00

We are all having a very lazy New Year's Day here. DH and I went to dinner last night with a group of friends. This is our annual New Year's Eve ritual - an early dinner at a restaurant that does not have "seatings" and limited menu. This year's choice did have a limited menu but there were lots of choices and it was very good.

It is 4pm here which is hard to believe. We slept late and have pretty much just hung out with DS and his girlfriend before they head back to school tomorrow.

Thought I'd share a funny story - my youngest DD turned 18 last week just before Christmas. Early this week she called my cellphone while I was at work. I missed the call but called her back a few minutes later. She said not to worry about it now - she had been in a store and needed her social security number and my maiden name to get a "discount card" for the store. It didn't take long to realize that it wasn't a "discount card" they wanted her to apply for - it was a credit card - for which she would get a discount on her purchases that day or something like that. After I explained this to her she said "oh, its a good thing Icouldn't apply - that could be dangerous!" NO KIDDING!!!! Being that she works only 8 hours or so a week and is still in high school, I'm hoping she would not have been approved anyway but these days you never know!

Since I hate to have a post without a picture, here is a (not so great) pic of the x-mas tree napkins I made this year. I made a bunch for myself and about 24 of them for a friend.

I guess maybe I should add photography lessons to my 2009 resolutions! Seriously, I do plan on learning photoshop and publisher this year - I might just look into a photography class too!

Have a Pieceful Day!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T16:56:00.003-05:00

I can't say I am sorry to see 2008 go - while I can't say it was a bad year personally, the first half of 2008 all DH and I seemed to do was go to wakes and funerals. We had over 12 in the first 4 months or so of the year! Thank goodness that trend did not continue all year. On a positive note, I started my blog in 2008 and have really enjoyed it- even if I don't post as often as I'd like. One of my goals for 2009 is to post more often and to continue to do more swaps.

So, since it is New Years I feel compelled to list some goals for the new year. So here goes:

1. DRASTICALLY reduce the amount of money I spend on quilting and crafting! This morning I tallied the money I had spent since October and multiplied it by 4 to get an average for the year - it wasn't pretty. The sad part is last year was probably a lot less than I've spent other years! The sad part is I have a TON of projects all ready to go - I don't consider them UFOs because they are not even started! So this year I will work primarily with what I have and only buy for VERY special projects or backings and borders.

2. Get caught up on the quilting part of the process. Right now I have about 8 flimsies that need quilting - by the end of 2009 I want to have those done plus whatever new projects have been started this year. I will quilt most of them myself but the really large or intricate ones will go to a longarmer.

3. Post to my blog more often (at LEAST twice a week). It isn't as if I don't have stuff to say, I just don't seem to get around to doing it. I also have a hard time getting around to taking pictures and then I don't post until the pictures are taken, etc. etc.

4. Start a good old paper journal. I found a set of journal prompts at http://www.organizedchristmas.com/ last year and meant to start journaling but never did. This year I will!

5. Bring my lunch to work 2-3 days per week. The money I spend on lunches is ridiculous as is the calories I consume from deli - bought lunches. So in an effort to conserve both money and calories I will start bringing my lunch.

6. DRASTICALLY reduce the amount of bank charges I incur! I rely on the ATM way too much and all those dollar (or $3 depending on the bank!) charges add up.

Are you seeing a pattern here about saving money - LOL!

7. Be better at keeping in contact with friends/relatives. After all of the aforementioned funerals earlier this year I vowed to keep in touch with people better and I have to say I have failed miserably at it. So I am going to set a goal to call at least 2 people a week that I don't see on a regular basis to keep in touch. Time just slips by too fast and before you know it the only contact you have all year with an old friend is a Christmas card.

8. Make time to do more fun things like see some broadway shows, lunches with friends or my DDs, have friends over for dinner, etc. All the things that when I take the time to do them I wind up saying "we should do this more often."

and of course what list of goals/resolutions wouldn't be complete without the old standbys:

9. Lose weight and get in shape.

10. Keep my house cleaner.

Well, there they are for the world to see. I make some goals every year. Some years they get written down, some they don't. This is definitely the most detailed they've ever been! Maybe that and the fact that they are out there on the world wide web will help in accomplishing them!

Hope all of you accomplish all of your goals for 2009 and that you have a happy, healthy, safe and fulfilling 2009!

Have a Pieceful Year!

SSCS goodies and other stuff...

2008-12-27T09:53:00.005-05:00

I received my SSCS package from Ailsa about a week before Christmas - unfortuately in the pre-Christmas frenzy that was my house for the month of December, I forgot to take pictures of the package before unwrapping, or even after unwrapping. So here is a pic of the beautiful mini quilt that I received - with it was some chocolates, some beads and a Christmas ornament. Thank you so much Ailsa!

Here is a pic of the items I sent to my swap partner Marianne in France. Marianne's blog is all in French so I had the bonus of learning how to use Google translator!

I made and received some other handmade Christmas presents also despite not one but two of my sewing machines breaking down during early in December! Here is a picture of a journal cover, mitten ornament and yo yo keychain I made. I'll save the other pictures for another day.

It's funny, I hadn't done any hand stitching since before Thanksgiving, but almost immediately after the company left on Christmas and DH and I sat down to watch some TV, I felt like taking out my Noah's Ark BOM stitchery - which I did! Much as I love Christmas, this is one of those years when I am SO GLAD its over! Does anyone else feel like that?

Have a pieceful day!

Feast or Famine

2008-11-23T16:03:00.004-05:00

Someone remind me of this productive streak next time I am whining about not having time to quilt!

Yesterday's mail brought a little kit of plaid fabrics I won on Kathie's blog last week. She made a little quilt and had a giveway for a kit to make another one. I was one of the lucky winners. The fabrics were even already cut to the right size so all I had to do was sew - and sew I did! I think I will hand quilt it as I have been wanting to do a little quilt like this to hand quilt - it will probably have to wait until after the holidays though as I have a huge list of things to make for Christmas gifts. Thanks again Kathie!

I also managed to finish two bags I've been working on. The first is a pattern from Lila Tueller. The pattern showcases her new fabric line due in quilt stores in February (I think). I saw the bag on her blog this past summer when she had a giveaway for it (that one was made in different fabrics). Since her new fabric line isn't out yet I pulled some batiks from my stash. I had to mail order the handles and had a little trouble finding the right leather lacing and beads but yesterday I finally found what I was looking for (in Walmart - who've thunk it?) and was able to finish it up. This is by far my favorite bag that I've made. I can't wait to make some in other fabrics.

The second bag I finished I had also started a few weeks ago when I was home on vacation. It is the size of a small tote or a large purse. I am very happy with the way it turned out although I was VERY disappointed in the quality of the pattern! If I had not make bags before I would never have been able to finish it because the instructions were so poor. The yardage requirements were also off causing me to scramble and search my stash for similar fabrics to make do. I was not a happy camper after shelling out $10 for this pattern!
Everything else I've been working on (yes! there is more!) is for Christmas gifts - including my SSCS which I have to get in the mail tomorrow or Tuesday, so those pics will have to wait for another day.

I hope you've been able to get as much done as I have this weekend!

Have a pieceful day!

Where do I start?

2008-11-13T20:41:00.009-05:00

Well, I haven't posted in a while but this time I can't say its because I haven't been doing any quilting. I've actually got lots done in the last month, thanks in part to attending my guild quilting retreat. More on that in a minute...

...before I forget, my friend's grandson won the cutest baby pic contest - thanks to all who voted for him!

Okay, back to some show and tell... before the retreat, I finished some little projects I had hanging around since last year... 2 table toppers and 2 pumpkin appliqued towels... I also made a little fleece and minkee machine embroidered baby blanket for a friend's new granddaughter.

At the quilting retreat weekend I finished 3 UFO quilts and a tote bag (need to take pics of those). I also finished my embroidered leaf rag quilt that I've been working on: the color in this picture is horrible but you get the idea. After the retreat I had a week off from work but got a virus right after returning from the retreat. I had a lot of couch time last week so I cross stitched a biscornu pincushion
Last but not least I made my SSCS gift - not quite ready to put it in the mail yet. The deadline is Nov. 25 and I have a few other little surprises I want to add to the package. I also got my oldest UFO back from the quilter - it looks fantastic. Once the weather clears up a bit and I am home during daylight I will post pics of the quilts - this post probably has enough pictures already!

Have a Pieceful Day!

Please Vote!

2008-10-17T20:24:00.003-04:00

I don't usually ask people to do this kind of thing.... but..... my friend Susan's daughter in law entered Susan's grandson in an online cutest baby picture contest. Her grandson is now in 2nd place and gaining fast. So I offered to post it to my blog to see if any of my readers would be so kind as to place a vote for Kevin.

In the picture he is wearing Lederhosen (sp?) that Susan's parents bought in Germany 35 years ago!

If you do want to vote here's how: click on the link below and vote for Kevin. You have to enter your email address and they will email you a link to either click on or cut and paste into your browser (depending on your email) once you follow the link they send you you will see a screen saying your vote is confirmed. The contest is open until Monday (I think?). You can vote 5 times from the same computer but each vote has to be from a different email address.

http://www.simplytoimpress.com/photo-contest/4243.html

Thanks and Have a Pieceful Day!

A Wonderful Surprise!

2008-10-15T18:03:00.003-04:00

I arrived home from work today to a wonderful surprise in my mailbox! A few weeks ago I had admired a bag Karol-Ann had made and today in my mailbox was one made by her for me!

I ran outside immediately to try to get a good picture before the sun went down. This is still a little dark but hopefully you can see it okay. I just love this bag and it was so sweet of Karol-Ann to make it for me! She also included some African fabrics which I also just LOVE!

My oldest DD was home when I received the package and she was very surprised when she saw the bag. She was even more surprised when she asked who it was from and I told her "one of my quilty friends from England!"

I just love blogland - don't you?

Have a pieceful day!

Where do I start???

2008-10-14T21:06:00.006-04:00

Okay, so I went from posting every day (or just about) to not having posted in almost a month! Since we added Dooley Dog (as we've come to refer to him) to our family, my evenings have been crazy. He is 2 years old but he is very puppy-ish. Having lived in a kennel for many many months he is learning manners and is very hyper and happy to have a family. All this means he needs CONSTANT supervision! Additionally, he and our existing dog, Max, are, how shall I say it? they are still in the early stages of their friendship. We have some jealousy issues we are working on. Here they are in one of their better moments (the best actually).

Add to that that work has gotten absolutely crazy and its no wonder I haven't gotten around to posting.

So, I think I posted a picture of the bag I sent to my swap partner in Linda's bag swap but I don't think I ever posted a pic of the one I received. Melinda sent me this GREAT bag and lots of other goodies too. Included in the package was a steno pad cover - which was perfect for me because I use steno pads ALL THE TIME! There was also a seam ripper (always comes in handy) and a pack of fat quarters.

The bag is made from sandcastle fabric and is a nice big size, perfect for all kinds of things, the least of which will be vendor purchases at quilt shows!

Well, I have lots more to post but I don't want to make this too long so I will continue in another post - lots to share - a few projects finished, a class on precision piecing with Sally Collins and more!

Till next time,

Have a pieceful day!

MIA again!

2008-09-20T20:06:00.005-04:00

Sorry if I was missing in action for awhile - when I am not posting it is a sure sign that life has gotten chaotic again! In this case DH and I went to the Jersey shore - or "down the shore" as its known in Jersey - to Wildwood specifically - for the Fireman's Convention. We were gone for 6 days and had a great time and great weather!

On the way home we picked up a new member of the family. This is Dooley. We adopted him from a rescue shelter. He is 2 years old. This isn't the greatest picture but he doesn't hold still for long! It's been a busy week of trying to catch up a work during the day and dog supervising in the evening- our existing dog Max has had some issues adjusting to not being the only dog in the house. They still aren't the best of friends yet but they are getting along much better.

In the meantime, I have lots more to post about - PIF gifts, my bag swap - but I'll save those for tomorrow!

Have a pieceful day!

Productive Weekend!

2008-09-07T23:22:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we were predicted to have rain from Tropical Storm Hanna and rain we got! It poured most of the day. We were lucky and did not lose power. I planned to quilt all day and with the exception of a nap I did just that. I finished my bag for Linda's bag swap. I also made another little surprise to go with the bag - and then proceeded to make 7 more for myself, a friend, my pay it forward gifts and a few others.... I won't post a picture until they are delivered so as not to spoil the surprise. I will post a picture of my bag though since my partner won't know its for her.

I also made some flip flop placemats for DS's girlfriend to go with the flip flop quilt I made her last year. Only problem is I found out that she doesn't have a kitchen or dining room table in her new apartment at college. Oh well, I guess she'll have to use them on the breakfast bar!

(Boy did this picture turn out bad!!! They really are nicer in person!) Unfortunately its back to work tomorrow so my quilting productivity is over for now.

Have a pieceful day!

This 'n That

2008-08-31T10:28:00.002-04:00

This picture is the view (from my beach chair) of our lake. We live in a lake community, unfortunately we do not own lakefront, but we do have access to 5 different lakes. We haven't been getting to the lake as much as we'd like to lately, between other plans on the weekend and weather that doesn't always cooperate, but it is nice to get there when we do. One of the lakes is much bigger than the rest and is suitable for kayaking, rowboating, canoeing, sailing, etc.

This is another of those weekends that we will not get to the lake. Yesterday we had the fire dept. picnic and then headed out to Pennsylvania to a goodbye party for my nephew and his wife who have been stationed in Okinawa (sp?) for the next 3 years. Today and tomorrow we have been invited to BBQs.

All I can say is it is probably a good thing summer is over. I have to get back to some serious quilting. My wishlist of projects to do gets longer by the day. In addition, there are quite a few people on my 'to make quilts for" list - my nephew who is graduating college, his sister, who just graduated high school, their parents who are celebrating an anniversary this year - my SIL "hinted" that she would like a quilt for either her birthday or anniversary this year, also one of my best friends "hinted" that she would like one too. And last night at the goodbye party the same SIL asked me to make her a totebag for Christmas (maybe she's given up on the quilt!).

First, though I have to get my bag for Linda's bag swap finished and mailed. I am a little behind on that one but I should make the deadline! It's a good thing I have a quilt retreat and a week's vacation coming up in a few months!

Grown Up College Students?

2008-08-26T06:27:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I was going to a baby shower and made up a quick little blanket from flannel and minkee. DS and his girlfriend were here and fell in love with the minkee - "oh, make me something with that!" they begged. So about a week before they left for college, DS's girlfriend saw some flip flop fabric that I had lying around. (She is the recipient of the flip flop quilt I showed a couple posts ago). She asked if I would make her a pillowcase for her body pillow out of minkee and the flip flop fabric.

This was right about the time I posted about the quilt shop being open only till 5 during the week. I wasn't able to get the minkee until the day before they left for school and there was so much else to do the pillowcases didn't get made. But I finished them this weekend and they are being shipped today. Oh, did I mention that it was originally supposed to be one pillowcase for DS's GF - but when we went to the quilt store to get the minkee, DS saw the dinosaur fabric above and asked for one for himself too.

Have a pieceful day!

Noah's Ark BOM

2008-08-19T20:56:00.003-04:00

I've been meaning to post about this for awhile... and now that I've added the link to my sidebar I guess this is as good a time as any!

I've gotten a bit of a late start but I finally began working on Lynette Anderson's Noah's Ark stitchery block of the month. They are small blocks and they are so very cute. The rabbits are month 1. I am hoping to get caught up on these quickly. Click on the button on my sidebar to got to Lynette's blog and see the other months' patterns. She also links to others who have finished the blocks.

Have a pieceful day!

It's Finally Done!

2008-08-17T18:18:00.004-04:00

My oldest UFO is done - well, ready to send out to be quilted anyway, close enough!!!!!

It is hard to see with the brown decking but it has a brown border. This is only half of it, it is queen size and the other half is draped over the deck. I adapted a tip I saw on someone's blog last week - sorry I don't remember whose it was - to measure for the borders I draped the quilt over the deck railing - no crawling around on the floor! The original tip that inspired this used her stair railing but I live in a ranch so the deck had to do. It worked really well and I'll continue to use it until the weather prohibits it. This UFO was literally 18 years old. The blocks were from a block party at a guild I belonged to. After I finished it I thought to myself "hmm, I wonder how old the next oldest UFO is?" I checked out my list of UFOs and was glad to discover that the next oldest is only two or three years old!

Oh, and in case you are wondering what that plant is in the container on top of the spackle bucket - it is DH's grapevine. A few months ago we went to a wine festival with friends and on the way out someone was selling grapevines. Now, this thing looked like a stick - no leaves, nothing. So DH bought one and brought it home and believe it or not it grew! It still isn't that big but it did grow. I'm thinking that in about ten years or so he should be able to make me a glass of wine!

Have a Pieceful Day!

End of summer?

2008-08-17T09:23:00.004-04:00

DS and his girlfriend left for college this morning. I guess it is technically the end of summer for them - back to the books! Somehow though I think college is more like four years of continuous summer! Especially since they go to school down south - it stays relatively warm (compared to here!) all year. It's definitely a flip flop kinda life!
Speaking of which...(real subtle segway there, huh? LOL!) here is a pic of the quilt I made for DS's girlfriend last year when she was starting her freshman year of college. She is a big fan of flip flops so it seemed appropriate. This year I picked up a flip flop doormat for her new off campus apartment and she left today with a promise that I would make a cover for her body pillow from flip flop fabric and minkee and mail it to her next week. Unfortunately I couldn't get to quilt store until yesterday to get the minkee.

Am I the only one who gets annoyed by quilt stores not having night hours? or does your LQS have night hours? I'm curious. I know a lot of my quilting friends have full time jobs and yet none of the local quilt stores have hours conducive to working women. Yes, the most local shop is open on Thursday evening but the rest of the week they close at 5. Just curious.

Have a Pieceful Day!

Changes!

2008-08-16T10:25:00.004-04:00

I've spent the better part of the morning editing my blog. I still can't quite find a color I really like for the background but maybe once I find a quilt I really like for the header it will be easier. As you can see I did put a quilt in the header. I haven't done it before because I don't really like the header being that big and I can't really figure out how to make it smaller. I am not fluent in html. Can anyone give me some tips on how to make the header smaller without using a completely different template?

***Edit*** - Thank you to all who commented on how to change the size of the picture. I could have sworn I tried this when I started my blog and it hadn't worked but I guess I either didn't try it then or was doing something else wrong because it worked this time!

Some of the changes I did manage to make by myself were adding more blogs to the list of blogs I read - I have about 150 blogs on my bloglines so I could not put them all on my sidebar but I did update with a bunch more than I had. There are more to go but I ran out of time. I also finally added some links to swaps, etc. I am participating in and made a few other small changes.

Last night was the Tricky Tray at the fire department where DH is a member. Our little firehouse quilting group made this lap quilt to be donated for one of the prizes. A few of the quilting ladies were in attendance last night and bid on the quilt but none of us won it. It actually went to my neighbor up the street. I was glad it went to someone I knew and she seemed thrilled to win it so I would rate it as an all around success.

I forgot to take a picture of the prize I won last night- it was a poster frame with about 15 instant lottery tickets taped inside. It was the most bid on prize and I was lucky enough to win it. So far I won $22 from the tickets. DH went and cashed them in for me this morning and got half of the winnings in new tickets - so there is still a change of winning big!

Driveway? or Used Car Lot?

2008-08-13T21:45:00.003-04:00

We are halfway through the week of having all three kids home and this is what my driveway looks like:

8 cars total! Mine, DH's, DD#1's, DD#2's, DS's old car, DS's new car, DS's girlfriend's car and my neice's car (she came to visit for a night). It was so crowded this morning there was no where for the woman we carpool with to park her car! Any of you that have had kids come and go to college can just IMAGINE what my living room looks like this week. DD has brought all her stuff back and DS is gathering stuff to take with him. On top of that I might as well install a revolving door because someone always has a friend (or 3 or 4) stopping by. It is really great to have everyone home and I know I'll miss DS and his girlfriend when they leave, but it will be nice to get the house back to normal.

I did have a package waiting when I got home today. I've been wanting to get the tumbler and thimble templates that Megan, Kathie and Mary have blogged about, so I finally ordered them along with a dresdan plate template also.

I plan on cutting shapes from scraps and when I have enough I'll start putting them together. I like long term projects that are intended to be long term projects - so much less guilt when they turn out to be long term projects!

Have a pieceful day!

A little progress

2008-08-11T21:54:00.003-04:00

Despite the best of intentions I didn't get my oldest UFO finished this weekend - too much going on with having all three kids home at once. I'm not complaining though, as Anna noted on her blog, before you know it they are off on their own for good. I did get my package in the mail with the border and backing fabric I ordered.

The best part was I got it on sale!!! I had bought one fat quarter a while back. It looked good in the store but I wanted to see it up against the blocks. It looked good when I got it home but the store is 2 hours away and I never got around to calling to have them send it to me. Last week when I got some progress made on the oldest UFO I pulled out the fat quarter to see what fabric line it was and did a search on quiltshops.com. I found it in a bunch of online stores and one if them had it marked down to $5.95/yard. How can you beat that when you are ordering 13 yards?

So I got the borders started. If I don't get them finished until after DS gets on his way back to college next week - that's okay. After 18 years in UFO status, can I really get impatient now? LOL!

Cheryl at Polka Dots and Rick Rack is having a giveway for her one year anniversary of blogging - so check it out and while you are there check out the pics of her brandy new baby grandson Luke!

DD is coming home today!

2008-08-10T18:55:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited! After graduation college in May and spending the summer in Myrtle Beach, DD#1 is headed home. She should be here within a few hours. For exactly one week I'll have all my babies home, then DS heads back off to college.

Yesterday was DD's friend's baby shower. I am also friends with the grandma to be. Another friend and I made some things for the shower... candy lollipops, hershey bars with customized wrappers and a baby carriage fruit bowl.

This is DD's first friend to get married and have a baby - I guess there will be many more to come. It seems like just yesterday was MY baby shower!

Have a pieceful day!

I've fallen and I can't get up!

2008-08-08T08:15:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I fell off the "I'm going to post every day" wagon. For some reason this week I was exhausted and went to bed by 8 or 9 every night. I'm afraid not much of anything got done around here, including posting to my blog. But I'm back now and determined to do better!

Karen nominated me for this award!
Thank you Karen! The rules are that you have to link back to the person who gave it to you, put the logo on your blog, nominate 7 other recipients and put their links on your blog. There is no way I could limit the list to 7 and if I listed all the blogs that inspire me this post would be a mile long! So if I've ever commented on your blog consider yourself nominated!

Have a pieceful day!

Is the Weekend Over Already?

2008-08-03T23:12:00.002-04:00

Why is it Saturday and Sunday seem to be the shortest days of the week? I don't know if its because it is summer or what but the weekends just seem to go faster and faster! Maybe it just means we are enjoying our weekends more - as in time flies when you're having fun!

Today DH and I went to a local winery with one of the posse and her DH. We go to this particular winery every 3 months or so. They have a wino club and every three months we go to collect our quarterly selections. We saw this guy wandering outside in the grass and occasionally in the pavillion where the wine tasting was.

We usually have a much bigger group and make a day of it but today it was just the four of us. Mary belonged to the club first, she and her DH got me and my DH to join, then we brought another posse member, who then brought her son and his girlfriend, and so on and so on... I guess our group is getting large now as even the winery staff today asked where the rest of our crowd was!

Have a pieceful week!

Rainy Saturday

2008-08-02T23:55:00.002-04:00

I made some good progress on my oldest UFO today. We had thunderstorms so it was a good day to stay inside and quilt. I also ordered my border and backing fabric for it and as luck would have it - it was on sale! No pics of that yet but here is a pic of a version of the BOM I showed yesterday. This was from a quilt show. The pattern is from Piece O'Cake. I'm still not sure if I'll do all 12 blocks or maybe only 9.

Hopefully tomorrow's weather will be better and we can get some time at the lake - that's after the wine tasting we are going to in the early afternoon.

Have a pieceful day!

A Pieceful Evening...

2008-08-01T22:43:00.004-04:00

Tonight I had a pleasant surprise - a few hours alone at home - all to myself! I worked on my oldest UFO and watched What Not to Wear. Its so nice to have the house to myself once in awhile - doesn't happen often though!

Last night I worked on my ongoing applique project. These are the first two blocks...

This was a block of the month but it has changed to more like a block of the year! I am working on block 3 now. Each block is 20 inches and has a LOT of applique. As I am not the fastest appliquer and I don't have time to sew every day, it takes me a long time to get each block done but hopefully I can stay on a roll with these.

Have a great weekend!

PIF Received!

2008-07-30T20:59:00.002-04:00

I arrived home from work today and my Pay it Forward gift from Linda is in the mailbox! She sent this beautiful stitching organizer.

Just to see how it would look with the 3 ring binder, I put my Quilting Journal in it - doesn't it look great???

I was just thinking last week that I have to get started on my Pay it Forward gifts. If I remember correctly I still need a third person to sign up - any volunteers????

Lots of great giveaways lately - May Britt is having a giveaway to celebrate her 2 year blogging anniversary. She is giving away a beautiful stitchery book.

Swaps!

2008-07-29T22:20:00.004-04:00

I realized I never posted a picture of the pincushion I made for Linda's pincushion swap.

The pattern is from Crabapple Hill Studios - I love their stuff! I really need to make myself one of these. This one went off to Karol-Ann in England. I love that Linda paired everyone with someone from another country. The swap was so much fun that as much as I tried to resist and spend all my time working on some of these UFOs, I caved and signed up for Linda's bag swap. Oh well, this IS a hobby and it IS supposed to be fun right? I'll save the guilt trips for work!

Speaking of bags, there is a FABULOUS bag being given way on this blog. So stop by and enter to win - but also leave a comment asking for a pattern!

Have a pieceful day!

A little help from my friends...

2008-07-28T16:29:00.005-04:00

What would we do without (quilting) friends??? A few weeks ago I received this package from Takako She was so sweet to bring me some items from her trip to Japan!

And tonight I was working on the Oldest UFO and having a bit of an issue. I was talking to a quilting friend on the phone and she suggested something that should have been so obvious but I just wasn't seeing. Her suggestion saved me a ton of time and possibly saved me fabric - which is good because I only have a limited amount of this fabric left.

Oh and last but not least...Quilty threads and Ohio quilter are both having giveaways - go check them out!

Have a pieceful day!

A very productive day!

2008-07-27T21:16:00.004-04:00

Well, so far I'm off to a good start. I did way more than 30 minutes of stitching today - but it was rainy Sunday that was no good for going to the lake, which made it a lot easier to get meet my goal of at least 30 minutes of stitching. First I finished a cross stitch I finished earlier in the month into a mattress pincushion. I think I made it a little too "high" but that's what I get for following the directions instead of my instincts!

After that I worked a little on my oldest UFO. I cut the setting triangles and alternating blocks and started sewing rows together. I only got one done when DH got up from his nap and we went food shopping. But now it is ready for some 30 minute sessions after work this week.

All in all it was a very productive day. Other than stitching I got some cleaning and laundry done and a few other items on the to do list as well. And last but not least - I'm two for two on my goal to blog every day!

Have a pieceful day!

It's been how long since I last posted?

2008-07-26T08:28:00.003-04:00

Ahhhh! I can't believe I haven't posted since July 7! I was reading another blog yesterday where the author hadn't posted in over a month. She said that every day she had blog posts in her head - somehow she just never got them from her head to her blog. Same with me. Its not for lack of wanting to post -- and it doesn't take that much actual time to post. I think I just need to make it a habit, a part of my day. So I am challenging myself to post every day from today until Labor Day - Sept. 1. They might not all be long, or interesting - LOL! or have pictures (but I'll try my best) but I will post.

By my calculations, if I post every day between now and Sept. 1, that should bring me to my 75th post right around the same time. So I'm planning a little giveaway for my 75th post - don't know what yet but I'll keep you updated. Every comment between now and then will get entered - I figure your comments will help keep me motivated to post! So those of you that read but don't post - take the plunge and leave a comment! You don't need to have a blog to leave a comment. There is a tutorial out there on how to leave a comment - I will find it and post it later or tomorrow - or if someone knows where it is - leave a comment here with the blog address please!

I am also going to try my best to spend even 15-30 minutes a day stitching. My UFO list is not getting any smaller and in the summer I typically get a lot less quilting done - so even small snippets of time should help. If find myself not wanting to start new projects because of the guilt of the unfinished ones. So its time to get them done - or at least some of them - LOL!

I Got Mail!

2008-07-07T21:34:00.002-04:00

I called DS on the way home from work and he told me I got a package in the mail from Portugal! It was my pincushion from my swap partner from Linda's pincushion swap. I couldn't wait to get home and open it!

Noeima sent me not one but TWO beautiful pincushions as well as a cross stitched sachet bag, a cross stitch kit and a Portugal potholder as well as a lovely note. Thank you Noeima, they are beautiful!

I mailed my swap to my partner on Saturday but I won't show it here until she receives it. I really hope she likes it!

The really odd thing about my package today was the cross stitch kit. I used to do cross stitch YEARS ago before I started quilting. After I became more involved in quilting the cross stitch got left by the wayside. Just last week while on vacation I stumbled across some cross stitch blogs and decided I needed a change of pace. I twisted Mary's arm to meet me at a cross stitch store near her house and we both bought a few patterns and fabrics. Isn't it such a weird coincidence that Noiema sent me a cross stitch kit in the package? do do do do...do do do do.. twilight zone-ish, don't you think?

So today was my first day back to work after vacation - yuck! Tons of work waiting and a really busy week ahead but DH and I had a nice vacation - or stay-cation- we stayed home, went out to lunch a few times, went the lake, attended a great bbq on the 4th and basically just relaxed.

Have a pieceful day!

Lazy days of summer

2008-06-30T22:47:00.002-04:00

DH and I are both off from work this week. We aren't going away, just hanging out at home, going to the lake nearby to swim and maybe do some kayaking. And I'm hoping to get some prime sewing time in too! Over the weekend I finished this little pillow for DD#1. She loves elephants and I am working on a redwork quilt with animals. I did the elephant first and as soon as I finished realized it was supposed to be on point. So I made my boo boo into a pillow. I will go to the post office tomorrow and send her the pillow and the stuffed elephant I made the other day.

I will also bring my pincushion for my swap partner through Linda's pincushion swap to the post office when I go. I won't post a picture yet. I'll wait until my partner receives it. I will make one for myself in the meantime though. I also made another one tonight that I will post tomorrow.

Have a pieceful day!

The fever is intensifying!

2008-06-25T20:54:00.003-04:00

I have more pincushions to show! The first one is an elephant I made for DD#1 - she collects elephants.

The next one is a pear. The fabric is the same as the elephant because I just started playing around when I was making the elephant and grabbed the same fabric.

This one is the pincushion I received today from my swap partner for the Crazy About Pincushions yahoo group Victorian pincushion swap.

And last but not least the pincushion I sent my swap partner for the same swap as above.

DH and I both took vacation next week but we are not going away, we are staying home and going to the lake nearby. I hope to get restarted on my dear jane and civil war blocks as well as prepping some applique, making some more pincushions, and a few other projects. As usual my to do list is about 5 times as long as what I could reasonably get done in the amount of time I have, but you have to aim high, right?

Have a pieceful day!

Pincushion Fever

2008-06-22T19:18:00.002-04:00

In addition to the pincushion swap hosted by Linda at All Stitched Up, I joined a yahoo group, Crazy about pincushions and particiapated in a swap on that group. I mailed my pincushion for that swap, themed Victorian pincushions, yesterday. I forgot to take a picture of it in my hurry to mail it out - darnit! But here is a picture of a pincushion I made a week or two ago. I'm not crazy about the ribbon or the fabric but otherwise I was happy with how it came out so I may have to make another one soon!

I admit I've gotten a little obsessed with pincushions now and have collected quite the number of free patterns from the web as well as ordering a few patterns. I've also been keeping an eye out for containers that would make good "holders" for pincushions - I found two great ones at a garage sale and it is one of those I used for the Victorian Swap. Once it is received maybe the recipient will send me a pic so I can post it.

Have a pieceful day!

Congrats to DD#2!

2008-06-15T14:14:00.003-04:00

Friday night was also my youngest DD's Varsity Dinner - the end of the year sports dinner to say goodbye to the seniors and award varsity letters. DD is not a senior this year but she lettered in Field Hockey so she was invited to the dinner.

She is the team goalie. She is also the goalie for the Lacrosse team but was JV this year. I give her a lot of credit - I can't imagine playing goalie! She looks so cute in her varsity jacket - I'll have to try to find a picture to post.

Have a pieceful day and Happy Father's Day to all the father's out there!

Friday the 13th!

2008-06-14T10:23:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I meant to post this yesterday but the day got away from me - so while you read this, pretend it was posted yesterday, OK?

22 years ago today (also on a Friday) I gave birth to my first child - Happy 22nd Birthday Courtney!!!!

I love you even though you are making me feel old! When DH and I were driving to the hospital 22 years ago we just kept thinking OMG - a baby born on Friday the 13th - if its a boy we'll have to name it Jason! - luckily for us and her it was a girl!

Where does the time go?

2008-05-25T21:24:00.007-04:00

I think I found a new favorite gift for bridal showers! This was quick, easy and inexpensive. It wasn't really a gift on its own - it was an extra with the real gift. I got the idea from a magazine or book when browsing at the craft store the other day.

It is a Wedding Day Emergency Kit for the Bride - I decorated a metal tin in the bride's colors and put a variety of items inside that she might have a need for on the wedding day - tissues, mints, sewing kit, nail files, safety pins, bobby pins, etc. The shower was today and the bride seemed to like it.

Things have been crazy around here lately - I don't know why but I just don't seem to have enough hours in the day. My oldest daughter graduated from college last weekend and the very next day left to spend the summer with her friend in South Carolina. Here is a pic of her and her roommates:

Yesterday we went to a Wine Festival with Mary and her husband and another couple we are friends with. Then we went back to Mary's house for BBQ. We had a really great day. Today was the bridal shower and tomorrow we have a picnic too. All fun things but I would really love one day just to stay and home and get some stuff done (including some quilting stuff). Hopefully I can squeeze something in before and after the party tomorrow.

Have a Pieceful weekend!

Orphan Train book

2008-05-14T22:43:00.003-04:00

I finally finished the book They Named Me Marjorie that Kim sent me. (used your picture Kim, hope you don't mind!) I will now pass it on to Nancy. What a book! If you are not familiar with it it is written by the granddaughter (a quilter) of a woman who rode and was adopted from one of the Orphan Trains. The book was inspired/based on the autobiography written by the grandmother and found after her death.

To read about the orphan trains read the post here. I had seen Finn's blog Riding the Orphan Train but hadn't read far enough back to see this post and realize it was more than an expression. When I saw Kim's post about the book I read the blog post and asked to be put on the list for the book. This book was especially interesting to me because I work with foster children. As many flaws as there are in today's system, it sure beats the way children were treated 100 years ago!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T20:50:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

DD had her junior prom last night - here is a picture of her and her boyfriend -

I was lucky enough to get a lot of quilting time in this weekend - probably the last for awhile as we have a lot going on during the weekends through the end of June - graduations, showers, weddings - the usual fare for this time of year. But this weekend I finished two totebags - a Charm Party tote for a friend that I didn't take a picture of and a Miranda bag for myself that I just love!

This is my first Lazy Girl pattern and I have to say I am very impressed! The pattern was clear, well organized, well illustrated - overall well worth the money - something I can't always say about patterns.

DH and DS (who came over from college for the summer on Friday) got some outdoor chores done and DS and I got the storage unit organized so we can fit in all the stuff coming home from college with him and my older DD when she graduates next weekend. All in all a productive weekend but it was still too short!

Have a Pieceful Day!

Thanks & Mystery Solved!

2008-05-06T06:37:00.004-04:00

Thank you everyone for the advice! I'm sorry for the delay in my thanks - I can't believe over a week has gone by. My life got kind of crazy there for a week or so. Why does it always seem to get busy at home at the same time it gets busy at work? Anyway, the quilt is done and gifted already. The shower was the weekend before last and the wedding was this past weekend. I wound up just doing a meander in the border! But I do appreciate everyone's advice suggesting the leaf and vine. I started to do the leaf and vine and since I hadn't done one in awhile it was not coming out the way I would have liked. I was also so short on time that I switched to the meander. It looks fine and the only one that feels it could look better is me. Better finished than perfect, right? Here is a picture from the shower.

And here is a picture of the whole quilt:

Now onto the mystery solved part of the title for this post. While I was machine quilting this quilt, guess what started to happen? My hand started hurting - not the hand that bothered me a couple of months ago - the other hand! But in the same place. Then I remembered that last time it began right after I had quilted four quilts when DH was away and I had my little marathon. I think when I position my hands to move the quilt around under the needle, I must hyper-extend my thumbs or something. So now I am laying off handwork for awhile (although now it is harder to baby my hand as it is my right hand) and I am going to be very choosey in what I machine quilt myself and will send more out to a longarmer.

I have lots more to post about the wedding, etc. from the last week but I don't want to make this a book so I'll wait and spread it out!

Have a pieceful day!