Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Stash Digging

I did a little stash digging last night. A craft fair is the perfect opportunity for me to destash a bit of fabric.

The good news the majority of this fabric was bought in a big lot from craigslist. So I won't feel bad about cutting it up. My goal is to use some of what I have before I start buying more for the craft fair.

Right now my list for the craft fair is:
Bibs and burp cloths
Small and large zippered cosmetic bags
Totes and shoulder bags
Tissue holders
Coupon holders (thank you Michele for the idea)

Still need to narrow down how many and styles of each. I have about 5 weeks before the first craft fair. If you have any suggestions for me, I am all ears.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Short Stack

One set complete except for snap on the bib.

Diane I hope you recognize the flannel. And it just so happened I had some green minky fabric that matched it perfectly.

Still need to do the top stitching on this short stack of bibs and burp cloths. My mother had given me so gingham in many different colors and I also had a little terry cloth left over. I am trying to clean out some of my fabrics for the craft fair. Might as well use what is already in the craft room. Now just to find extra hours in the day.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Sweet Sixteen

Craft fair progress has already started. I used left over fabric from the I Spy Swap.

Sixteen small cosmetic bags are done. I have made a great dent boxes of zippers. I may just have to steal at least one of the strawberry bags and send to Iowa. Really need to get that list done for the craft fairs.

Committed

I committed to two craft fairs with a friend in November. Yikes. Maybe I do need to be committed. Sewing should be fun not stressful.

I started out the weekend with my list laying on the table in the craft room. I did get all 80 of the hourglass blocks sewn. Unfortunately these will not be worked on again until I get things done for the craft fairs. So the woman with the October 16th birthday is getting something else and this may just turn into her Christmas.

Need to get a new list for the craft fair written out so I can space this out over the next month and not get stressed out.

Friday, September 25, 2009

"I'm Surrounded by Idiots!"

One of the ladies that works for me went to Disney last week and brought me back a hot button.

When pressed Scar says "I'm Surrounded by Idiots!". Kids, husband and about 1700 employees all fit into this category today.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Buffet

I have been doing a little sewing. Working on the Mill House Inn Quilt.

As of today I think I am turning it into an hour glass quilt.We will see if that is the plan two days from now.

And this is the yummy surprise in my craft room. Craft room also happens to be the dining room. Although couldn't tell you the last meal we actually ate in there. We found this buffet cabinet 50% off. I love the extra pull out shelves. I have never seen anything like that before. Two large drawers and shelves in the big cabinet underneath. Hope no one opens up a door looking for a gravy boat they will be mighty surprised. I have lots of fabric hid in there already.


Kim is sewing her Homecoming dress. You can't really see it but the bodice has a glittery lace overlay on it. That was an idea we came up with at the fabric store. And she is executing it marvelously so far. The zipper is coming up soon. She gets so frustrated that I won't do it for her, but in the end she really is happier that she did it all by herself. Hancock fabrics has their satin fabrics paired with the overlays and linings in the same colors. It made it so easy to shop for.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Stay Tuned


No sewing I have spent the last couple of evenings clearing out this space. You will just have to stay tuned to see what happens here. From the looks of the photo it should be a good vacuuming. And no I am not painting... yet.


We will be eating ham all week. The ham bone was a big as Buttercup so we gave it to a friends dog instead.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Crockpot

Not sure if I am more excited about my new shoes or new crockpot I got this weekend. Probably the new crockpot. A very nice programable 6 quart one. Made a generous amount of chicken and stuffing in it yesterday. Had I not put some away for David for lunch today there wouldn't have been any of it left. It has a ham in it today. Meat probe will cook to a certain temperature and then keep it warm. David saw the Probe jack and thought it said Phone jack. I guess he thought it would call him to dinner.

Thursdays kid is done. Only have two more days to go.

I joined a I Spy Charm (5x5 inch squares) swap. These are my three fabrics not sure why I chose cats. I don't have a cat, I don't like cats. However, I do like strawberries. I got all my fabric cut for the swap last night. I will use the left over fabric for some zippered bags.

The scrappy quilt top is done. I haven't cut it in half... yet. I still need to decide on a backing and binding for it. And I can't find University of Memphis fabric anywhere. I did start work on the Mill House Inn quilt. Took Kim shopping for satin for her homecoming dress, she is sewing it now me. Worked with Mason on a project for school, wonder if I will get an A?

Need to leave work early today. We have another pipe leak at the house. I think that makes 6 or 7 in the last 18 months. It is something to do with the copper pipes and minerals in the water.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Thumbs Up

I finally found an oven mitt pattern that I could successfully make.

It has a matching apron. My husbands friend Rocky should enjoy them. Whenever I need cooking advice he is always the guy I call.
And a special thanks goes out to Diane. I copied her zig zag quilting on the oven mitts. And I peeked inside to see how she finished off that notorious inside seam. Sure made my life easier having something in hand to copy.

Friday, September 18, 2009

DIY Bag Lover

Another great site for some sewing inspiration.

DIY Bag Lover has several links to free bag patterns on other blogs. It is a great single source for a wide variety of simple bags to sew. I may just have to add a bag or two or three to my sewing list for the weekend.

Rain Rain Go Away

Seven days of rain is enough for me. Unfortunately we have another 5 in the forecast. The only good news is that means I don't have to help with yard work this weekend.

I didn't do a list for last weekend and my productivity really suffered from it. Hoping my list for this weekend will help me stay focused. 
  • LSU apron and pot holders for RL
  • Memphis Tigers apron, pot holders and onesie (got to find the fabric first) for JW
  • Finish scrappy quilt top, (buy backing, binding and batting) scallop borders or not? Cut quilt in half??
  • Birthday presents for:
  • DN – Mickey pot holders
  • SR – rice heat bag
  • Start Mill House Inn Quilt- bought Kona bleached white fabric yesterday
  • Finish the Kids of the Week embroidery

I am seriously considering cutting the scrappy quilt in half and making two quilts. I know that sounds drastic. Want to take bets on what I end up doing?

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Quilt Inspiration

If you are looking for inspiration for a quilt. Quilt Blocks Galore probably has something to suit your tastes. I really like that all the blocks are in one place and come with a difficulty rating system. I have used a couple different blocks for inspiration. I have a package of Moda Turnovers (triangles) in Mill House Inn. Mason bought it for me for my birthday.

I am thinking about a simple quilt block similar to this for them. The worst thing about their website is trying to decide. There are some fabulous quilt blocks.

Going Green

The green outer border was added last night. Well it was added on three sides of the quilt. I needs 8 more inches of it. Off to the store at lunchtime today.
Wish I had been paying attention to how big this quilt was before I started. Approximately 80x100 inches. Larger than I normally sew. Need to start thinking about binding and backing. And I am seriously considering attempting a scalloped edge border on it.
The season finale of Big Brother was last night. We haven't missed a season yet. 15 minutes before the start of the show big booms of thunder and sheets of rain started coming down. I joked with David that it was about time our local tv station did their breaking weather coverage so we would miss the finale. Less than a minute later we lost power, karma coming to haunt me. Sat in the dark for 5 minutes. But we did get our power back on and no "wall to wall" weather coverage. So glad Jordan won.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Progress

I am making progress. A little taste of the scrappy borders on the quilt. The colors are so much better when I can take the photos outside. But we have rain forecasted for at least three more days.
I had a request to make a Memphis Tigers apron from someone at work. Of course they were all out of Memphis Tigers fabric. But I found LSU Tiger fabric instead for a completely different person. I searched for months last fall trying to find some LSU fabric and was unsuccessful. I found what I hope is a decent pattern for matching oven mitts.
I forgot to share Mason's closet all finished. If you think Mason doesn't have many clothes you would be right. He is so particular about what he wears it would be pointless to keep extra stuff around. I do have several boxes of his old clothes in the garage that will be donated soon. Trust me he isn't running around naked.

Monday, September 14, 2009

More Bags

I did get a chance to sew a few other things.
Well not just things. Zippered bags of course. I think I am starting to make a dent in the zippers. The three plastic boxes that hold the zippers now actually close. Cranberry zippers for the pink lined zippers and lighter olive zippers for the olive lined ones. I did make four. One isn't in the photo because it has been returned to quality control. Fabric keeps getting stuck in the zipper. Maybe I will just send it to someone I want to annoy. Note to self, the corduroy is just yummy. I may have to buy some other prints of it. When I was looking for the olive fabric I ran across a little chunk of skull fabric from a project earlier this summer. Made a couple smaller bags from it.
Three of the four scrappy pieced borders are on the scrappy quilt. Hope to get that fourth one on this week and finish it up with the green border. I thought it looked good without the additional sashing and borders but it really does finish it up. Photos coming soon. Lots of rain in the forecast this week so as soon as it dries out a bit I will get a photo.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Tired

Feels like I put a couple extra days in this weekend. Maybe if I go to bed early tonight I won't start out my week tired.

It looks like the scrappy quilt top is done but it isn't. Several more layers of sashing and a scrappy border. It will give me something to work on this week. I did find the right green for the outer border. It is the same value as the blue just a limey green instead.

Three of the people that work for me have birthdays in October. And my sister and niece have birthdays mid October. Guess I need to start thinking about those this week.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Changing Seasons

It is getting cooler here in West Tennessee. Fall will be here before I know it.
I was in JoAnns the other day and found this fabulous navy corduroy fabric in the remnant bin. Just 1/3 of a yard but great bargain for making a few zippered bags. I knew when I bought it that it didn't fall into the brights spectrum that I usually buy. But look when I pair it with the bright pink it looks great, that would be a fabulous summer bag. And Look when I put it with the olive it looks great too, making a more earthy autumn bag. The olive is from my Mom's stash. If you know me at all I am not an olive person.
Headed off to the University of Memphis with Mason. Need to start making some college choices and fill out applications for next year.
Will work on my project list in my head, got to find some time to get a few things off my craft table.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Photos

This post is primarily for my mother. She always complains I don't get in the photos. And the rest of you just get the bonus of my smiling face.
David took me to lunch yesterday and the resturant manager took our picture and gave us a copy of it to take home. And while I am at it. This is my favorite photo from Mason's graduation pictures.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Kids of the Week

I have been embroidering my way through the week. Tuesday is done.
Wednesday is done. Although I am a bit disturbed by the dolls head falling off. Wouldn't have been my choice to make the girl cry.
This little birdie was begging to be finished. Not sure what I am going to do with them once finished. I guess turn them into something and send them back to my Mother.
Interesting statistic, 97% of the kids in Mason's high school class will attend college. So out of 500 students 15 won't go to college. Not bad odds. I wonder how many actually finish with a degree? We are visiting the University of Memphis on Saturday.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Today...

Today is a memorable day.

Not only is today my birthday. Today is my sisters anniversary. She got married on my 18th birthday, wasn't there a movie about that... 16 Candles? Today is also the anniversary of the very first episode of Star Trek, which happened on the day I was born. You can look that up and do the the math.

Also celebrated today are:
  • International Literacy Day
  • Miss America Pageant Birthday
  • Monster Mash Day 1962
  • National Pledge of Allegiance Day 1892
  • Fight Procrastination Day/Do It Day (my personal favorite)
  • National Date Nut Bread Day

A good friend of Mason's killed himself on my birthday last year. Hopefully I make it through today as uneventful as possible.

Scrappy Quilt

After all my list was complete I had a chance to work on something fun.
Started assembling the blocks for the scrappy quilt. I do like the blue. Now just need to find a second color that goes along with it for the outer border.

Monday, September 07, 2009

Upcylced Stuffie

The two upcycled stuffies are done. Well they are as done as they can be today. I might add few more details once I find out who my swap partners are. This was the last thing that was on my list to complete this weekend. Now I have the remainder of the day to work on something fun.

Zippers aren't so scary anymore. After you use a couple dozen of them they get easier.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Crossing My Fingers

If feels good to finish this one. I had a goal to have it done by Labor Day. Barely made it. There was no way I could machine quilt this with the puckers around the embroidered letters.
Tying the buttons actually went very quickly.It is a a little over 6 feet long, making it a good lap size quilt for a tall man. And of course it had to have a checkerboard on the backing. I will get it shipped off to its new home in Iowa this week. Crossing my fingers I won't get into too much trouble for cutting up Rex's shirts.

Check Back


Check back with me in a couple of hours and see if hand tying buttons on the Purina quilt was a good idea. So far going smoothly.

Pink Twins

Kim thought the K bag was for her. Nope, the K bag is for a swap partner. Now just to load it up. The V bag is for the only person I know that has a V name. Her daughter can't take it with a V monogram.

Saturday, September 05, 2009

Wildlife

I went in search of a hummingbird... instead I found this.
Dragonfly almost as big as hummingbird...
There he is. Luckily he decided to take a moments rest. Those darn things are fast. If only my sewing could go at that speed.

Friday, September 04, 2009

Mondays Child

Yes I know today is Friday. But I finished Mondays Child last night. Started working on Tuesday. It will be slower going now, none of the other days had any stitching done.

Buttercup is ready for the weekend. She can't wait to have everyone home for three days. That is lots of laps to take naps in.

Top on my list is the Purina Quilt. Finish the pink bag, and make a couple more zipper critters. Wow with a three day weekend I should have more on my list. When I finish those three projects I can add more. But nothing else until they are complete. Anyone believe that?

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Doxie Bags

It seems like I spend more time cutting fabric than sewing. The sewing part goes pretty quick. My swap partner for the small bag swap likes Dachshund's. I recalled seeing the fabric at JoAnns last week. Took me forever to locate it, I hate when they move the bolts around. But it was so worth it. Dachshund's in sweaters... what could be better?
If I had tried to line up the seams I couldn't have gotten it this close. This was purely by accident. Two more zippers gone. Only 200 more to go. But I am so thankful to have the stash of zippers, it is fun to go shopping for just the right color without paying a dime.
Long weekend on the horizon. I really need to get a list together to stay on track.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

The Sweetest Gifts

My crafting abilities came from my mother. Although I can sew, I cannot knit or crochet. I leave that to the experts. My Mom sent me a package full of water bottle holders and wash clothes. I love feel of the cotton yarn. And the colors are just amazing.
I worked on the pink bags, I stopped without sewing the final seams. I am thinking about putting a monogram on them. So I will wait until I have my swap partner's name.
I cut and preped two bags for a different swap partner. Gotta love those doggies in sweaters. Using yellow for the lining.
And a wonderful friend I have made online sent me a package to die for. She made the sweetest ruffled apron and pot holders.
And she sent me some fabric, books and needle booklet. And she didn't even know it was my birthday next week.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Birthday Package

I did sneak away into the sewing room long enough to prep a couple of lined bags. I had joined a pink swap. And it just so happens I have some pink fabric. Surprising isn't it?My sister also sent me a wonderful birthday package. Several embroidered hankies. Snaps, which I really did need but was afraid to ask. The nicest glass nail file, I work for a glass company so it is super cool when I have neat glass items to show off. Seems like I am forgetting something else she sent me.... oh yeah cinnamon... who could forget. My sister is pretty darn awesome.

Treasure Hunt

When I visited my Mom several weeks ago it was like a treasure hunt going through her stashes. My sister of course was happy to let me take home the treasures. I found a whole set of embroidery pieces that had barely been started. The lighting is odd, the background fabric is actually a pale pink.
Last night I broke out my embroidery floss, Sunday's child is finished.
Opps forgot to take a photo of Monday's child before I started. The only thing I added so far was her blonde hair. The family has been feeling a bit neglected since I have been sewing so much the past few days, these are a great little project to work on and can sit in the same room with everyone else.