Welcome

Three rows of the denim quilt are half done. That means I am about 1/8th of the way done sewing this. Gonna take some time. I need to cut more batting squares before I can sew any more.

So When I dug out my batting scraps there was a long piece that screamed "Welcome". Yes I am easily distacted.

It felt good to get something accomplished since the denim quilt is taking so long.

I have been out of town for a couple of days visiting family. Had a good visit but nice to be home sleeping in my own bed. My sister and I both brought our embroidery machines to my Mom's house. Sure got loud with two machines running at the same time.

Picnic Perfect

Doesn't the read and white gingham just scream summer picnic. The fabric was thinner than I wanted to make napkins from but the color and pattern was perfect.

See the waffle weave cloth they are sitting on? I bought 2 yards (6 feet) of the fabric. Washed and dried it. Now I have 4 feet. Now I feel bad because I had used some that I didn't prewash and sent it to my sister and mother as some cute towels. I bet they are the size of postage stamps after the first washing. Guess I will have to redeem myself with both of them.

Flowers have the Sun...

A few weeks ago I posted photos of this quilt but hid the top part of it. If you could have read the top you would have known where it ws going and it wouldn't have been a secret.

The quilt arrived at its new home today so I can show you what it says. "Flowers have the sun, daughters have their mothers." It went to my mother of course.

Denim Quilt

I made some progress on the demin circle quilt. All 120 circles are sewn together. And I even starte adding in the squares of batting and fabric. I really did like the look of the bandana color but not the pattern. So I found a different red that didn't have such a distinctive pattern to it. I stopped after the first 10 squares were added.

And then worked on these cloth napkins. I have a picnic on Thursday with a group from work. The 8 napkins for Thursday are all done and I even have another 10 hemmed ready to be appliqued.

The Winner is...

And the winner is...

Kate from Coming Up Rosemary, she is quite crafty and has an adorable little daughter. Check out her blog if you get a moment. I was too busy sewing for my giveaway I didn't even have time to check out the other giveaways. Hers was way too cute.

*kate said...
What a talent you have. This is a great bag!

Kate I just need to know:
what letter you want monogrammed on the towel?
if you want a name embroidered on the cosmetic bag?
and the address to ship your package?

To the rest of you that are still hanging around after all the giveaway madness I have a few of the chapstick holders cut out that I will be embroidering this weekend. Stay tuned to see how you could get one sent to you.

Sew Mama Sew Last Addition

And what big tote bag would be complete without a cosmetic bag to go inside so you don't lose your smaller valuables. 9x6 inches, zippered top and flat bottom so it stands up on its own. It is quite sturdy with fusible fleece on the inside.

This is your last chance to enter with a comment for the Sew Mama Sew bag and goodies to go inside. I will randomly select a winner on Friday the 21st.

Sew Mama Sew Addition #2

Todays addition to the Sew Mama Sew giveaway bag, a monogrammed towel to match your bag. No it won't be the M monogram, unless of course you need a M. You get to pick the letter if you win. The M towel is going to a friend that has a birthday the first part of June.

Just leave a comment on any post from the 17th through the 20th. That gives you multiple chances to win. And check back tomorrow to see what else is added to the bag. I have one more trick up my sleeve.

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Addition

Flipflop chapstick key chain holder that matches the Pink and Chocolate bag will be added to the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Bag. So you can be stylish and have some lip protection this summer.

Just leave a comment on any post from the 17th through the 20th. That gives you multiple chances to win. And check back to see what else I add to the bag this week.

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

Pink and chocolate bag giveaway. It is 15x10x4 inches. Nice size to take to the beach this summer. Simply leave a comment on any post from today until May 20th. Check back throughout the week, last time I added items to the bag as the week went on. I will randomly select a winner on May 21st.

The magic of cropping a photo. Although she would fit quite nicely with room to spare into the bag Buttercup is not included.

Graduation Photos

I made it though the day without crying. Came close a couple of times.

Mason and Kim

Mason and his cake.

Bad to the Bone

My house is clean so I don't have to feel guilty about goofing off sewing today. It was fun to try the in the hoop key chain. It has a little pocket to carry a chapstick. I may just have to download a few more of those.

David's sister, Anita came to visit for graduation. So I had to send her home with a towel. I promise to put a graduation photo up soon. Just too tired to go get the memory card out of the other camera.

Sticking to It

If I had cleaned the bathrooms and kitchen, vacuumed and mopped the kids would have just gotten it all dirty by morning. So I will just wait until Saturday morning to do my house work. That's my story and I am sticking to it. David's family won't be here until closer til noon anyway. I scrap piece of flannel piggie print turned into an appliqued M.

More scraps appliqued into a penguin.

An "I spy" charm turned into a cute appliqued heart.

And one more appliqued cat heart.

The appliques sure stitch out faster than a large design. I will have to keep that in mind when I need a gift in a hurry. David told me to find a source for towels online so I can buy them by the case. I am guessing he has plans for me to make some for his office.

My embroidery machine hit 1 million stitches today. I can't find any information about how often it should go in for a tune up but I am guessing I should take it in soon. David has warned me this is the only one I am getting so I had better take care of it.

Puppy Love

This is the third round of mini quilts swap I have joined. My partner loves dogs and has one named Sparky. When I say mini quilt it is pretty darn mini, 9 by 11 inches. The appliques are some of what I purchased from Planet Applique. They do stitch out nicely. If you are new to machine embroidery they might be a bit confusing. Other companies make it very clear what is a die line and tack down. You just have to know the process with these. I can't wait to try a few more.

Graduation is tomorrow. I have so much to do that I am ignoring. At least I was smart enough not to cook. Food and cake are all being made by someone else. All I have to do is remember to pick it up in the morning.

Planet Applique

I was looking around trying to find another source for some embroidered designs. I ran across a pretty neat site. They don't have a wide range but I sure like the style of the designs she has at Planet Applique. Warning they are very cutsie and childish for the most part but heck that is right up my alley.
The proof is really in how well they stitch out. So I will have to give you a full review in a couple of days. Reasonably priced. $1.50 for most designs, a few free ones on the site, more free ones given with a purchase. Coupon code right at checkout for money off. Alphabet applique sets for $8. I hope the quality is as good as it looks.

Countdown...

Countdown to graduation, only 4 more days. Where did these last 18 years go?
David went though his blue jeans and gave me another 4 pair that he doesn't wear anymore. While waiting on Mason's teacher this morning I was able to get them all cut out. I can get about 20 circles out of a pair of David's jeans. So I think I actually have enough to finish this now.

Extra Scoops

The extra scoops design is free at Embroidery Library. I had to embroider it in honor of the new ice cream maker we bought over the weekend. I refused to let David call it my Mother's Day gift. So he gave me cash also. Mason brought me home my favorite chips and dip. Guess there is an advantage to him working at Target.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Mother's Day.

Ms. Miller

Tuesday is the last day Ms. Miller comes to visit us. It has been an interesting process going through homebound services with Mason. I was totally frustrated in the very beginning. But we made it through together. In the end she really has been great a great teacher to deal with and Mason was fortunate to have her.

Of course I had to embroider her something for her last day. Big surprise it would be another kitchen towel.

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

They are doing it again. Sew Mama Sew is having another Giveaway Day. Monday May 17th. I already signed up to participate. Now just need to figure out what I am going to give away. I highly recommend checking out how to participate. And at a very least wander around blogland on May 17th and see what everyone is giving away.

Page Protectors

I think I might make a trip to Joanns or Hancocks and see what I can find for fabric for the denim circles quilt. I really like the red of the bandana print. But don't like the way the pattern shows. I want to see if I can find another fabric that I just love.
Hopefully this tip will help you if you have an embroidery machine. When I buy an embroidery design I usually print out the color change sheet that goes along with it. I have started storing those sheet in page protectors in a binder. This works really well for applique designs that have a template. I can slide the cut templates in the protector and have them for the next time.

Which Direction?

Not sure which direction to go with the denim blanket.
Red bandana print fabric?

All different I spy fabrics fabrics?

Ladybug seersucker?

I don't think I have enough of just the lady bug seersucker. I would have to add the coordinating stripes. Or make the blanket smaller.

Or go a completely different direction?

Denim Circles

So far I am really liking the demin circles. I didn't have as much denim as I thought, guess I used way too much making the denim rug. I am a bit torn about what fabric to use in the middle of the circles. I have red bandana print left over from the cowboy quilt. Or should I use squares from the "I spy" swap I did. Or I have some really cool seersucker ladybug print. Guess I have to get a few more circles sewn together and audition the fabrics. And I am wondering if I want to put a piece of batting behind each piece of fabric for dimension. Need to do some spring cleaning to find more denim before I make too many decisions.

Gorgeous sunny day here today. Far cry from the weekend.

Floral Quilt Done

Another birthday at the office on Tuesday. She goes to Aruba for a weeks vacation every year. A tropical beach scene was perfect for her.

I have this jumbo hoop my husband bought me that I had never used. Hard to see but on the side it has 3 seperate locations to attach to the embroidery machine. So you can hoop your project once and keep moving it without re-hooping the fabric. And I finally figured out how to put a space in my lettering. Use the _ underscore. It doesn't actually embroider an underscore it just puts one stitch in the middle to make a space. Glad I finally figured that out.

The floral quilt is done also. The only dry place outside to put the blanket on was the tomato plants, they had been hiding in the garage through the storms. In just under 24 hours we had 5 seperate tornado warnings. Two in the middle of the night. One early Saturday morning and another early this morning. I don't do well without a good night sleep. Good news is we are all fine, have no damage and no flooding, others in the area were not so lucky.

I will show you the full quilt after it arrives at its new home.