Machine Quilting DVD review

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!

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!

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

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

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!

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...

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!