2011 In Review

WIP Wednesday

i am back on track with this post.

not much to share as i am sort of taking a break from the holiday sewing rush.

i have finished the top for my cousin's quilt.  she had a little boy the 1st part of December.  the quilt was simple to put together.  i used a charm pack of Pure & some brown Kona cotton.

i am backing it with fleece.  i just need to quilt it & bind it.

i came across this great blog Thirty Hand Made Days & i love it.  i got these great thank you post cards from there which i am sending out for some gifts i got.  Mique has a lot of great crafts & ideas on her site.

super cute!!!!

a new semi related to quilting project that i have started.  like the rest of you i have several old quilting magazines that i can not part with because there are projects/ideas in them that i might need someday.  so..... awhile back i got this idea from someone on Twitter & it has become a new project for me for 2012.

nope i won't be using my sewing machine for this.  i will be using my scanner.  i have started going through the old magazines & tearing out the projects/ideas that i want to keep.  i then scan them into pdf files.  heck of a good idea.  i love Twitter for stuff like that.  it takes time to do this.  that is why its a project for all of 2012.  i did one today so i have a head start.

i have another long weekend coming up so i hope to get the quilting done on the baby quilt & maybe work on a couple other things.

happy sewing.

12.29.11 update Carolyn over at ...just one more stitch is having a giveaway.

WIP Almost Caught Up

hey there.

here is some of the stuff i did for Christmas gifts.

i made the Renegade's each a sweatshirt.  light grey hoodie with 'Renegade Quilter' embroidered in one of their favorite colors.

Sharon - black

Lynette - red

Denise - blue

me - green

this is the 1st one i did as a test on just a regular sweatshirt.  the gals loved them & the next time we are all together & wearing them i will get a pic to post.

i made several of these zipper bags as gifts.  they went together quickly & made great little gifts for friends & family members.  my niece's even got one with the Disney Princess's on them.

a couple of weeks before Christmas i was hired to make a quilt for a 7 year old girl.  this is the fabric that i picked.  i had free range for the pattern.

i randomly selected fabric & sewed together blocks slightly larger then 12 1/2" x 12 1/2"

i then trimmed them all down.  layed out the quilt & sewed it up.  i added a brown boarder to it.  its super cute.  the mom that hired me was very pleased with it & i learned today that her daughter calls it her 'special blanket'.  makes me smile.  needless to say in the rush to get it done i failed to take a pic of it.  so, the mom is working on getting one for me to post.

tomorrow i should be back on track for my regular WIP Wednesday posts.

happy sewing.

WIP... What I have been up to....

oh how time gets away from me..........

seems like forever since i have done a post.  which it has been awhile.  sorry.  i have been busy with all of the holiday stuff.  i will do my best to get you caught up on what i have been working on.

but first.  some things that have come my way.

like this box.

from Moda.  yep.  Moda did the 12 days of Christmas & i won one of the days.

i won a layer cake of Half Moon Modern.  it came all tied up with a pretty bow.  i love this line of fabric now & i will be getting more of it.

the Renegades got together & we had our Christmas party a couple of weeks ago.  funny we all made our gifts for each other this year.  i made embroidered sweatshirts for each of us.  i forgot to take a pic so i will do that & put it in another post.



Denise made us these cute 3"x5" notebook covers & also gave us a Starbucks card.

Lynette made us these etched wine glasses with a bag to put it in for when we go to quilt camp.  She also gave us a bottle of wine.

Sharon made us each one of these super cool oil cloth bags.  i love mine.  she also gave us the coolest gadget.

they were on our gift bags & i thought they were like a pin you would wear on your sweater or jacket only they are magnetic.

they are made of a ceramic material & you do wear them on your shirt.

however you put your pins on them when you are sewing.  super cool.  i love it.  maybe you have seen them before but i had not and i think its the neatest thing ever.  i used mine while i was doing my holiday sewing and i love it.  i think they are called 'cling ons'.  funny i know.

so that is part of what i have been up to.  a little holiday cheer with the gals & a little holiday cheer from Moda. 

come back for my next post which should be tomorrow to see some of the stuff that i made for gifts this year.

happy sewing.

WIP Wednesday

hi everyone.  there has been a little bit of everything going on this past week.  i have a few projects that i still can't show you because of Christmas.  but, i can share with you this.

this is just some of my Pure stash which is from Sweetwater by Moda.  i have been holding onto it waiting for a project to come along.  wait no more.  the project is here.



my cousin is expecting her 2nd child this Friday & so i am making a little baby boy quilt for her & the little guy.  i have some more work to do on it but it will be done & delivered before the end of the year.

i have also been cutting out these cute little Christmas dresses.  a year or so ago i made my niece a paper doll quilt & now she will be getting some holiday outfits to go with that quilt.

i still have a few hats to cut out but i should get that done this evening.

tomorrow night i hop the plane to Boise to spend a long weekend with my nieces & their parents.  i am looking forward to this time with them since i haven't seen them all since August.  criminal.  i know.  they are coming home for Christmas but with how crazy things get around that time i like to take the time now to just have some me time with them all. 

i hope that you are all making progress on your Christmas projects & that you have a wonderful week.

WIP Wednesday

right now i am mad at Blogger or myself for not being able to figure it out.  i have the pictures going the right direction in the file but when they upload they are all going the wrong direction.  so, use your imagination.  i am sure that i am the problem given the day that i have had.

no sewing in this post.  too much Christmas stuff that i can't share.

however, i can share a cute little project i did for gift bags.

i took scrap fabric in a shade of green & put some steam a seam stuff on it & then cut out triangle shapes.  it did the same with some brown fabric & cut out trunk shapes.

peeled off the backing & positioned them into trees.

then i ironed them down & added a button to the top of the tree.

there you have it.  some simple.  affordable. cute gift bags.  these are headed to Spokane tomorrow with gifts for my friends up there.  i hope they enjoy them.

maybe next week i can show some sewing on my WIP Wednesday post.

happy sewing

Giving Thanks

according to Merriam-Webster

Thanksgiving is

defined as the act of giving thanks. a prayer expressing gratitude. a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness.

and

Thanksgiving Day is

defined as a day appointed for giving thanks for divine goodness.  the fourth Thursday in November observed as a legal holiday in the United States.

i found it odd that there is no mention of a big feast in the definition of Thanksgiving Day.  because that is what we do right? 

we cook a large 'special' meal just for that day.  usually taking the whole day to prepare the meal.  the meal is then shared with family & friends.  where we over eat, nap & watch football.  some people even believe that the food & day will be better if their house is in perfect order.  my mother being one of them.  ughhhhh

 

digging a little deeper.  Wikipedia (i said a little deeper) says that 'Thanksgiving in North America had originated from a mix of European and Native traditions."  both of these groups celebrated the end of a good harvest season.  overtime this evolved into Thanksgiving as we now know it.

for myself, i enjoy the meal & the time spent with family & friends.  but, i also think that it is important to celebrate, to give thanks, to be grateful for our own harvest of the past year.  the good things in our lives over the past 365 days.

so, on this day i reflect on my own harvest of this past year.  the birth of my niece.  the bond with my friends & the support they have given me.  my health.  the experiences i have had.  the lessons i have learned. 

for all of these things i am grateful for & today i give thanks for them because without them i would not be me.

so as you enjoy your meal with your family & friends pause to reflect on your own personal harvest of this past year.  be thankful for what this past year has brought you & be grateful for Someone special in your life.

Happy Thanksgiving

WIP Wednesday

a week ago i was at quilt camp.  roughly 4 days of sewing time.  it was great.  an amazing group of ladies.  good food.  lots of laughter.

so what did i get done?

you have seen most of these pics before, but i didn't say what was my stuff.

a bee block that took me out of my comfort zone.  which.  isn't always a bad thing.

another bee block.

a six-pack bag.

made with Terrain from Kate Spain.

this Christmas quilt made with Countdown To Christmas fabric from Sweetwater.  i got a few questions about the pattern.  i found it on the Moda Bake Shop & its the Ruby, Pearl, and Opal Quilt pattern.

3 zipper bags that are more then likely going to be gifts.

note pad & pen holders with a pocket.

gifts again.

large Snap Happy multi-pouch clutch.

its for me. its green & i love it. if you haven't made any of the Snap Happy bags i strongly encourage you to give them a try. you use a metal tape measure in them for the snap closure. they are very fun to make.

2 WSU (Washington State University) bags.

this project was purchased a couple years ago during a trip to Sisters.  its out of Nature's Solitude.  640 pcs to begin with.  i have had it cut for over a year now & it has been to a few camps with me but this is the 1st time i have touched it since i cut it out.

now down to 320 pcs.

so that is what i have been working on for the past 7 days.  i feel really good about what i got done at camp.  i am looking forward to spending sometime with my sewing machine tomorrow as well.

Slow Down Therapy

this came across my desk yesterday at work & i thought i would share it.  we all are living at such a fast pace that its nice to pause.  to take time.  to go a little slower every now & then.

"Slow Down Therapy" ~ Author Unknown

1. Slow down; you’re not responsible for doing it all yourself—at least not right now.
2. Remember a happy, peaceful time in your past. Rest there. Each moment has richness that takes a lifetime to savor.
3. Set your own pace. When someone is pushing you, it's OK to tell them they're pushing.
4. Take nothing for granted: watch water flow, the corn grow, the leaves blow, and your neighbor mow.
5. Taste your food.
6. Notice the sun and the moon as they rise and set. They are remarkable for their steady pattern of movement, not their speed.
7. When you talk with someone, don't think about what you'll say next. Take time to listen and your thoughts will spring up naturally.
8. Create a place in your home...at your work...in your heart...where you can go for quiet and recollection. You deserve it.
9. Allow yourself time to rest. Rest isn't a luxury; it's a necessity.
10. Listen to the wind blow. It carries a message of yesterday and tomorrow-and now. NOW counts.
11. It’s ok to rest on your laurels sometimes. They bring comfort whatever their size, age, or condition.
12. Talk slower. Talk less. Don't talk. Communication isn't measured by words.
13. Give yourself permission to be late sometimes. Life is for living, not scheduling.
14. Listen to the song of a bird; the complete song. Music and nature are gifts, but only if you are willing to receive them.
15. Take time just to think. Action is good and necessary, but it's fruitful only if we muse, ponder, and mull.
16. Make time for play at the things you like to do. Whatever your age, your inner child needs re-creation.
17. Learn to stand back and let others take their turn as leaders. There will always be new opportunities for you to step out in front again.
18. Take time to read. Thoughtful reading is enriching reading.
19. Take a day off--alone. You can learn from hermits without becoming one.
20. Pet a furry friend. You will give and get the gift of now.
21. Work with your hands. It frees the mind.
22. Take time to wonder. Without wonder, life is merely existence.
23. Sit in the dark. It will teach you to see and hear, taste and smell.
24. Once in a while, turn down the lights, the volume, the throttle, and the invitations. Less really can be more.
25. Take a walk-but don't go anywhere. If you walk just to get somewhere, you sacrifice the walking.
26. Count your friends. If you have one, you are lucky. If you have more, you are blessed. Bless them in return.
27. Count your blessings - one at a time and slowly.
28. Let go. Nothing is usually the hardest thing to do - but often it is the best.

enjoy your day!

Quilt Camp Update Part IV

the last update from quilt camp.

we all made it home even with all of the snow that we got while we were there.  it was a great camp.  great ladies.  lots of laughter.  lots of sewing.

come back Wednesday to see what i worked on at camp.