GRACIE OLIVER ARTS

2012-02-10T14:00:00.001-05:00

This poem was written by Stephanie Husted

Somewhere
Somewhere...someplace... today...
A family is waiting to hear...
Is something wrong with their baby?
The answers aren't quite clear...
This family has entered an unwanted world...
And they just don't know what to expect...
Somewhere...someplace... today
They first heard the words: heart defect.
And how they hoped this was not true...
And thought... this cannot be...
I too... know just how this feels...
For one day...this was me.
Somewhere...someplace...today...
A man and a woman embrace...
Their baby is in surgery...
They long to see her face...
They haven't got to hold her yet...
Without...a cord or line...
They pace the room awaiting news...
And hope she'll be just fine.
Prayers fill this busy waiting room...
And mom and dad are scared...
Somewhere...someplace..today...
The tiniest hearts are repaired.
Somewhere...someplace...today...
A child's growing fast...
Smiling,laughing,thriving...
His mom thinks...can this last?
It's almost easy...to forget...
That anything is wrong...
Somewhere...someplace..today...
Her child seems so strong.
Somewhere...someplace... today...
A little boy fights...just to live
A father holds his tiny hand...
His love...all he can give...
The doctor's are all baffled...
They fear that he might die...
Somewhere...someplace...today...
A family says goodbye...
Somewhere...someplace...each year..
More than 40,000 families will see...
What it means...when something's wrong...
They'll face a CHD.
Today...for just a moment...
Stop...remember...reflect...
Make time to tell someone you know...
"I've been changed by a heart defect".
Some bonds cannot be understood...
Unless you have walked them before...
A path that I would not have chosen...
A future I just can't ignore.
We've all watched our children intently...
Memorizing each line...
And let them leave our loving arms...
And prayed things would be fine.
We've paced the halls awaiting news...
And wondered just what lie in store...
We've felt our own heart's racing as...
We walked through an ICU door...
We've seen the child we love so much...
Struggling to overcome...
The lines...the cords....the monitors...
No thoughts...no words...would come...
We've prayed for an improvement...
We've laid it in God's hands..
We've cried...we've hoped...we've worried...
We've wondered of God's plans.
We've learned just how a heart works...
Each valve and artery...
We've asked a lot of questions...
We've faced each surgery.
And somewhere down this well worn path...
We've met more families...
Who know exactly what it means...
To live with this disease.
We've smiled at every triumph...
And shared in every sigh...
We've prayed for a child that struggles...
And each family that must say goodbye.
Some battles are fought with bullets...
And weapons made for war...
While these are fought in silence...
Behind a hospital door...
We've wondered what lies in our future...
We've been thankful for just one more day...
We've stopped and watched with tear-filled eyes...
Our children...as they play.
We've struggled with ounces and weight gain...
Why won't my child just eat?
But heart mom's ...we're a tough group...
We've learned how to face a defeat.
We've faced those moments...others do...
When life has got us stressed...
But it doesn't take long to remember...
That we are richly blessed.
We've taken on a whole new role...
One we we wouldn't exchange if we could...
We know that life is difficult...
We hold onto all that is good.
God chose each of us carefully...
I do believe he smiled...
Some bonds begin with strangers...
And just one special child.

One in one hundred children will have some sort of heart defect. Heart disease is not just for adults. Please pray for continuing research and funding to help more and more of these children survive.

This post is dedicated to little Madison who, at 9 months, is an inspiration to me in strength, bravery, hope, and fortitude.

2012-01-20T14:08:00.000-05:00

My 12 Wonky House Swap Blocks are all finished! Because no one will receive more than one of my blocks, it wasn't necessary to make them different. Many of the swappers are doing just that....making 12 different blocks.....but due to time and not wanting to get overwhelmed, I chose to make the same basic block. They all ended up being squared up a bit differently, just due to the construction.....more sky....less sky......more ground.....less ground....more to the right....more to the left. A few of the roofs are different and a few of the ground fabrics are different.

I just need to sign my siggy blocks and get them all in the mail next week. I won't receive my swap partners blocks until mid March-ish and I'll post them when they arrive. I can't wait to see all of the different wonky houses!

2012-01-11T13:30:00.000-05:00

Along with 12 Wonky House Blocks, we are to make 12 signature blocks to enclose with each house block. I made these last night and just need to sign them. They are 5" square. It was nice to have a quick project to work on and complete in just 30 minutes. Now, I must get back to house construction....

2012-01-10T16:06:00.001-05:00

I'm finally able to reveal another Christmas project. It arrived last night and now I can show some photos.

This wall hanging was made for my SIL, Patti, who went on an African mission trip last summer. I wanted to make something that would bring back memories of her trip. First of all, this is not my design. It was made from a pattern called "My Favorite Earrings!" by Sandy Fitzpatrick. The only change that I made to the pattern was to reduce the pattern pieces. The hanging was supposed to measure 40" x 43" and mine ended up measuring 22" x 38". I figured it would still be plenty large at this smaller size....and....what if she didn't like it.....I didn't want it to be too overwhelming. Here's the full wall hanging.

It was fun to pick out all of the batik fabrics for this hanging. Many of the fabrics came from my stash. I did have to buy the background and the backing (same fabric). None of these pictures show much of the quilting. The entire brown background was stippled and the bright border just has straight stitching lines, about 1/2" (or less) apart. All of the applique pieces were fused and stitched with a narrow zigzag stitch. The small lines on the butterflies were hand back stitched.

So that's it for Christmas 2011. I suppose I'd better get moving on Christmas 2012!

2012-01-05T14:25:00.000-05:00

I've been working on my Wonky House Block exchange and I'm finding it to be quite challenging. I started out with paper piecing, but found it wasted too much fabric because of all of the angles. You paper piecers will understand this issue. Anyway, I switched to a template method. I cut most of my pieces larger than the templates and it went together fairly well. I knew that I could trim it down to 12 1/2" if it turned out too large. Being "wonky", the rules of normal quilt block construction just don't apply which is a saving grace. Accuracy, as such, is not as important as regular piecing. No points to match, etc. Here's everything cut out and ready to sew. I had the first two rows pieced before I realized that I wanted to take a before picture.

This is the finished block, trimmed down to 12 1/2". I may switch a few of the fabrics on some of the next blocks.....I have eleven more blocks to make....but they will all be similar to this one. It all depends on how much of the same fabric that I have. For instance, I know I don't have enough roof fabric to make 11 more roofs with this fabric. I'll just "build" one house at a time and see how they turn out.

2011-12-29T16:42:00.000-05:00

I've got a miscellaneous day today. Some of these pictures have been in my camera for a few months and I just haven't spent much time blogging. I'll try to be more on top of things.

First off, I spent my birthday gift certificate today. Thanks, Kathy! :) I've been waiting for their year-end sale to get the most for my money (gift certificate). I didn't go crazy, just picked up a few things. I was almost out of white Fairy Frost, which is one of my staples, and I picked out another white on white fabric that doesn't have the shiny sheen. A Christmas panel, a Christmas print, and a pattern round out my purchases.

This is Oliver, expecting to help me cut fabric today. I had to disappoint him, as today was just a shopping and design day, not a sewing or cutting day.

Next up is my Christmas cactus. I bought it last year in the reduced area at Lowe's. I think it was $1.00, maybe less. I was thrilled when it actually bloomed this year, although this was its one and only bloom. I'm not sure if I did something wrong or if this is just because it was a small cactus. Guess I'll see what happens next year. The bloom was such a pretty shade of coral and I was looking forward to many more colorful flowers.

These next two photos show the loot I picked up at a garage sale in October. (Yes....I should have blogged about it then.) The patterns were $1 each. Great deals!

The fabric was sold at $.12 per inch, a great price in this world of expensive quilt fabric. I got the charm packs for $3 each. This garage sale is once a year and I always look forward to it, hoping to find some great treasures!

Finally, an applique kit that I bought awhile back, also on sale. Do you see a pattern in my shopping habits?? I buy way too much fabric and too many sewing goodies, but at least I wait for sale prices. (This is my way of justifying my bad habit.) I love McKenna Ryan's patterns and kits.

That's it for today. I've got a few more pictures hanging out in my camera and will post them soon. Hope your sewing day is a good one!

2011-12-28T19:13:00.000-05:00

I started playing around with my EQ5 this afternoon and this is my design for the Wonky House Block Swap. It's easy to get carried away with the endless fun angles and designs that I could come up with but I had to tell myself that the design had to be sewable...and....I need to make 12 blocks. Anything too terribly complicated might cause me trouble in getting things finished in time. These aren't the colors that I'll be using, just some colors that I was playing with to get some contrast ideas.

Oh, BTW, the swap is now closed. I had posted that the fourth group was forming....it's now full. I'm not sure if any further groups will be opening up.

Here are some of the fabrics that I've auditioned for the blocks. So far, everything has come from my stash. We were told to use bright fabrics with no Civil War fabrics or calicoes. I may try to find a novelty fabric to fussy cut for the window and/or door. I have some novelty fabrics in my stash that might be cute, but I think I'll look around a bit before doing any cutting and sewing.

2011-12-27T09:22:00.000-05:00

I'm finally able to show one of the Christmas gifts that I made. It was delivered yesterday and I think it was appreciated!

My friend, Kathy, has two sweet little schnauzers and this is a table runner with some character interpretations of her schnauzers. (The schnauzer pattern came from Fat Cat Patterns.) Kathy has one black schnauzer and one gray schnauzer. Here's the whole table runner. It ended up being about 16" x 46"....... pretty long.

A close up of the two pups.......

Lola......

Dutch.......

A bone for a treat.......

This is my third attempt at stippling and I'm finally getting the hang of it. My biggest problem has been with the tension and getting a decent stitch on the top as well as the bottom. I just kept experimenting with sample sandwiches until I found success (somewhat). Your upper tension needs to be VERY tight. I had mine set almost as high as it would go, high enough that it was even a little tough to pull the thread out of the machine to clip threads when you finished an area. Hope this helps you with your efforts.

And finally, here are a few gifts that I received for Christmas....... the sewing and quilt related gifts, that is. The vintage lusterwear bear is going to become a pin cushion..... that's why he's shown with sewing items.

I love them all!!!!! (Thank you!)

2011-12-26T12:28:00.000-05:00

Just joined a new Wonky House Block Swap at Jane's Fabric's and Quilts. A new group of 12 folks is forming and there are still some openings. Click on the house to find out the details. The blocks aren't due until March, so there's plenty of time!

Please join in the fun!

2011-12-25T09:08:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure what year this picture was taken, but I do remember being terribly embarrassed because I did not believe in Santa Claus! We went to visit Santa with our neighbor, Mom's best friend, and her two sons. Mom said she thought both of the boys still believed in Santa so I had to play along. Now, decades later, this picture brings sweet memories and I'm glad that Mom dragged me along for a photo op. (Mrs. Claus took the Polaroid photo!)

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.
(Luke 2:10-11)

Merry Christmas to you and yours! May you be blessed with sweet memories, past and present.

2011-11-24T10:26:00.000-05:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOURS!

2011-11-12T10:14:00.001-05:00

It's been ages since I've done any craft posting. Sorry about that. Life has just been getting in the way and my time for creating has been slim to none.

So today, I have a little show and tell. I was lucky enough to win a give-a-way in October during a blog hop that featured the"Ghastlie" fabric line by Alexander Henry.

Here's a picture of my prize when it arrived.....all dressed up and ready to be opened!

Here is my wonderful gift. An apron made from Ghastlie fabric, sent to me from Katherine. I had entered on her blog and was the lucky winner. This picture does not do it justice. It's just beautifully made....her construction is perfect......and she really made the Ghastlie fabric stand out. I told her it was too pretty to use for messy cooking, but would be perfect to wear while handing out candy to the little gremlins in the neighborhood. Thank you soooooooo much, Katherine!

Now, here's the bad part. I'm in love with this fabric collection. All of the projects that were highlighted in the Ghastlie blog hop were so creative. I just had to have some of this fabric too! I don't have specific plans, so for now, I'm just fondling the fabric and thinking of all of the great things that I could make using this quirky fabric.

Thank you again, Katherine!

Click on this link to see an amazing line up of Ghastlie creations!

2011-11-11T07:33:00.000-05:00

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
(Isaiah 6:8)

This scripture is engraved on the tombstone of my friend that was killed in Afghanistan last November. A true servant. Thank you to all of the military, past and present, who keep us safe at the risk of their own lives.

2011-10-31T16:27:00.000-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2011-09-15T16:43:00.000-04:00

I took a little time out this week to complete (I'm using the word complete loosely) the Project Runway challenge. The contestants worked in teams of 5 (we were on our own) and were to design three fabrics and five outfits, one outfit from each designer on the team. We only had to make one outfit, but were encouraged to sketch the other outfits. I was lucky to accomplish the little that I did.

Here's my fabric. Apparently, the contestants were only able to use grey scale, as their printer must not have had color capabilities. I stuck with the grey scale although many of the mini designers used color in their fabrics. It was also to depict a city theme in some way. I chose a clip art of a city scape, reduced it several times, then cut and pasted it multiple times until I filled up the letter sized fabric sheet. It was then just printed through my ink jet.

Here's the completed outfit. Simple, simple, simple, but I think that it still addresses the challenge fairly well. You could easily make a coordinating line with slacks, a jacket, longer skirt, different tops, etc., using the same city fabric and turquoise accent color.

2011-09-11T19:01:00.000-04:00

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the LORD.

The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but victory rests with the LORD.

Proverbs 21:30-31

2011-09-07T14:59:00.000-04:00

Please check out this link for specifics for donating quilts to the victims of the Texas wildfires.

And if you can't donate a quilt, United Notions

is asking for pillowcases.

Calling all Quilters: "Here in on County Texas we have had some bad fires like all of Texas. I am asking the sewing community to step up and make at least one pillowcase this week for these victums to try to make a small diffrence. You can mail them to me at Country Living Quilts 1816 CR 427, Marquez, TX 77865 Please post this every where"

2011-09-02T16:10:00.000-04:00

No Project Runway design for you this week. Sorry. I just ran out of time and it had to be put on the bottom of the "to do" list. Hopefully I'll have time to tackle next week's challenge, which looks like a fun one.

This is the free fabric piece that I received from Spoonflower. They offered any of their fabric swatches for free...shipping too, or you could design your own, also free. I posted about this earlier. I only found out about it right before the offer was going to expire, so I quickly chose this pattern from thousands and thousands of patterns. I do love my bots!

This is a great site. You can make fabric out of photos that you have, drawings that you have made, or just about any other source. If you can't find the fabric that you want in the stores....design it and print it yourselves! I was very pleased with this sample. Nice quality.

Next up is my loot from today's shopping spree. I'm still using my gift certificate from Fabrics and Friends in Roanoke, Indiana. (Again....thank you for voting for my wall hanging!) This weekend, everything store-wide is 25% off so I really got my money's worth! And......I still have some money left. He-he!

Two jelly rolls, one charm pack, one fat quarter pack (38 FQ's)and a great book! Yippee!

2011-08-25T09:37:00.002-04:00

It's all about the accessories! As usual, I left the Project Runway challenge until the last minute and only had a couple of hours last night to work on it. You'll have to use your imagination a bit on this one.

The challenge was "It's all About Nina." Nina Garcia, fashion director of marie claire magazine, that is. We were to design an outfit that Nina would be able to wear during the day at work, and transform into an outfit that she could wear to an evening trade event, with only a change of accessories. We were given some guidelines....styles she disliked...styles she liked....colors, etc. Basically, she likes classic styles with a little pop factor, no loud fabrics or prints, but not too boring.

I didn't have time to accessorize this outfit, but I think it answers the challenge fairly well and I can actually visualize Nina wearing this outfit. The fabric is a day into night fabric and is a nice color for Nina's skin tones. Simply changing jewelry, shoes, and maybe even the hair style, could make this work friendly, then evening friendly.

My "pop" factor is using the selvedge edge on the top and the pants. I liked the way the selvedge looked and wanted to add it to the outfit. I made a band to go around the waist-hip area of the top and simply left the bottom edge of the pants unhemmed, using the selvedge edge for the finish.

This outfit had my first sleeves and my first pants. The pants were fairly easy, but I did have some fitting problems with the sleeves. They pull a little bit instead of hanging loose and free.

So use your imagination.....think of Nina wearing some beautiful earrings, a necklace, bangle bracelets, wedge shoes.......then upgrade all of those to fancier evening accessories, probably all in gold, and dressy shoes. I think it could work!
(Edited to say that this fabric is hunter green, not black. I'm getting some comments about the black fabric and thought I should clear that up.)

2011-08-19T08:40:00.000-04:00

Free Fabric Swatch at Spoonflower!

(Free shipping too!)

I just came across this offer and it expires at noon.....so hurry over to Spoonflower to either pick an already designed swatch of fabric or design your own. Either way.....it's free until noon!

http://blog.spoonflower.com/free-swatch-day-spoonflower.html

2011-08-18T15:19:00.000-04:00

Project Runway reveal time....... This weeks' challenge was to make an outfit for a model wearing stilts. A really goofy challenge, in my opinion, as it seems like the challenge was simply to make a longer outfit than normal. The runway on the TV show was outdoors, so I've taken Cara's finished shot outdoors too, while hoping that no neighbors came out to see me playing with dolls!

These are the fabrics that I chose. I was happy to be back to a normal fabric, instead of pet supplies, but still found lots of difficulties making this outfit. More later.

Here is Cara in her "stilts." I used plastic straws for her stilts and simply taped them to her legs. She wasn't in these very long, so I don't think it was too rough on her. I only started this challenge last night, so there wasn't much time to make the outfit or much time for her to have these things strapped to her legs.

Here's my finished project. I wanted to make a palazo pant with an over skirt, but too many things, including time restraints, kept me from making what I had designed in my mind. I had to simplify just about everything to get the outfit finished in time. I had also planned on sleeves...but again....didn't have the time to make those. An easier halter was made instead. I used chains to trim the waist and to tie her halter top in the back.

Here's a great shot of the back of her melted skirt! Yeah, really. Those stripes are Cara's stilts showing through the melted hole. I used my mini quilting iron which is just the perfect size for these tiny seams. I had tested the temperature and had no problem until I let the iron sit for awhile, then touched the fabric. Instant melting! Apparently, it got considerably hotter while not being used. It was too late to start over, so I had to leave it. I also had problems sewing the fabric. Nothing has gone smoothly yet, but the finished project.....from a distance......is somewhat acceptable. And, as usual, more lessons have been learned the hard way!

2011-08-16T19:19:00.000-04:00

This doesn't look like a quilting picture, but that's what I was doing while watching these two come down to the pond for a refreshing drink.

I got to spend the day with my friend, Joyce, who lives in the country. Deer visit often......much too often, if you ask her. Her home is surrounded by woods but I think the deer find her shrubs tastier. Yum....

It was just so pleasant to spend the day chatting, quilting, and watching the deer and the birds at the feeders. No sounds other than bird songs. Delightful day for this urban girl! Thanks, Joyce!

2011-08-11T14:44:00.002-04:00

It's time for this week's Project Runway reveal. Click on the pictures for better details. First, a few notes on the process.

To start, here's a picture of the back of the bag. I forgot to post both sides last week and since I used part of the back, I wanted you to see where all of the parts came from.

Next up is a photo of the Velcro that I found at Jo-Ann's that works just great. I do believe that it's the exact type of Velcro that Mattel uses, as it looks and behaves just like the Velcro that I removed from the Barbie swimsuit last week. It says on the package that it's not recommended for fabric, just crafts, but if you sew it down (it's sticky backed), it seems to work wonderfully. The nap on both parts of the Velcro is very short and close to the correct scale for tiny model's clothes.

Here's Cara in her pet shop supply outfit. Everything was made out of the cat food bag, with no additional supplies used. Working with plastic was a real pain and another learning experience! I was going to start over, once I learned some tricks, but decided to leave it as is. You can only sew the plastic one time as it pokes holes in the plastic which will tear if you work with it too much. When I sewed the skirt and turned it right side out, it made horrible krinks and wrinkles. I tried to use a hair dryer to heat the wrinkles out, but it was a really fine line between smoothing out the wrinkles and melting the skirt. Again....I left it as is.

Full view.

And lastly, here's a back shot of her boots. I told you that her feet were wider and flatter than regular Barbie feet so it's hard to find shoes to fit. These work as long as she stands up against a wall!

On to next week's challenge!

2011-08-08T11:26:00.000-04:00

Here's my next Project Runway challenge. We are to make our creation out of pet shop supplies, trying not to use regular fabric products, like a dismantled dog bed, but unconventional materials. They can be applied to a muslin base, if necessary. I've chosen the bag from my cat's food. It's made out of a plastic material, not paper, and all I could think about was that I wouldn't need to turn under any tiny raw edges or worry about fraying. However, I have no idea how working with plastic will turn out. (I've already tried melting it with a match and it didn't work very well.) I give myself the right to completely change my challenge materials if this is a bust! Having had every kind of pet imaginable, I have an endless supply of pet products to use if this bag doesn't work out. Hopefully, I'll have some sort of finished product to post on Thursday!

2011-08-07T19:07:00.002-04:00

And the headline could have read "Local Woman Killed In Buffalo Stampede!"

No joke....it could have. I went to the Wild Winds Buffalo Preserve on Saturday to take a buffalo tour. This is a fairly popular tourist attraction in Northern Indiana and I knew several people that had visited and highly recommended it.

There were six of us on this particular tour truck, all seniors looking for a relaxing commune with nature. It was just the freakishly perfect storm. The buffalo were startled by something (later, the tour guide said it was the horses that some people were riding outside our fenced acreage) and they started running towards us, all 250+ of them! Because of the way our truck was positioned, backed close into a corner of their area, they had very little space to run around us and could not help but "bump" into our truck. They weren't trying to cause us any harm, they were just in a panic mode and running in an uncontrolled frenzy. This truck was just an open bed pickup that was outfitted with some planks for the visitors to sit on and short plank sides to lean against. I don't know what the babies weighed.....maybe 200+ pounds, but the adults weighed up to 2000+ pounds. 2000 pounds running at 35 miles an hour, bumping into the truck was frightening. In addition to feeling the ground shake and the truck being jostled, I could feel our truck lifting up. It lasted about 20 to 30 seconds, but it seemed a bit like slow motion. I instinctively went to the side of the truck that was lifting (like ballesting a tipping sail boat) although my weight would have done little against the tons of weight pounding us. When it was over, I told my friend Jerry that I thought we were about to tip over and he said I was nuts. The tour guide confirmed that I was right and that it was close to tipping! Why we hadn't been warned about this possibility, I don't know. The guide said it had happened once before, but it was extremely rare. If it had tipped, we faced the possibility of being crushed by the truck or run over by the buffalo.....neither choice particularly apealing. I was the only one (outside of the guide) that even realized the danger we were in, so we all went back to our casual chatting and asking questions about the buffalo. Surreal.

Amazingly, after this episode was over, everything was as peaceful as it was before the stampede. The buffalo are a naturally peaceful animal and they went back to grazing, scratching, swatting flies, and calmly checking us out as we watched them.

The calm before the storm!

You can see the peaceful expession of this face! And I understand that they are very intelligent too.

There's more to this story, but that's enough to tell. I would still go back and take the tour again, believing that it wouldn't happen twice! Like lightening....right??!!

2011-08-05T15:58:00.000-04:00

I went fabric shopping today and here's the loot! But wait.... there's a catch......it was free! I won second place with my little cat wall hanging (earlier post) and the prize was a $200 gift certificate! Shazzam! They.....Fabrics and Friends in Roanoke, IN (no web site).....were having a great sale today too, so I have almost $150 left after making these purchases. I was one happy camper!

I love Halloween fabric and Bigfork Bay has the most comical patterns, right up my weird alley. I may go back tomorrow too, as I also have a 40% off coupon. And it will be free.....did you hear me.... free! I'm so blessed! Many grateful thanks to all of you who took the time to drive to Roanoke to vote for my wall hanging!

2011-08-04T15:51:00.001-04:00

Here's my big Project Project Runway reveal. Let me tell you, this isn't what I had in mind! (You can click on her photo for a closer look at her outfit.)

I used every bit of Cara's swimsuit. The top was cut apart and the bra cups were inverted to make pockets on her top. I split open the bottoms and removed the crotch area, then added the gathered skirt.

I had problems just because everything is so small. You cannot sew these tiny clothes the same way you would sew normal sized garments. After I had removed the crotch area from the swimsuit bottom, I tried to sew my gathered skirt to the bottom. My sewing foot was too big to even get to the area. I can't even explain everything that went wrong, but the skirt seams started out on the sides with pockets, but when I couldn't sew it to the swimsuit bottom, I had to split all of the seams on the bottom, move the skirt around, remove the pockets......blah, blah. You had to be there to understand this. What I did learn is that everything has to be done in long seams.....for instance, there is no way you could sew a set in sleeve the normal way...you'd have to sew it to the shoulder, then sew a long seam up the sleeve and down the torso. Still can't explain this, but you clothing sewists will understand this.

I won't know what the next challenge is until tomorrow, but I know that my brain will have to adjust to tiny construction techniques and not normal sewing methods. None the less, it was fun to play around with this challenge. Here's a link to check out the other contestants' entries. Many are really cute and clever!

Cara, my sweet model has no shoes yet! Her feet are not made as small and curved as the regular Barbie doll feet, they are wider and more flat. I'm on the lookout for wider shoes. Next picture session, I'll just cut off the photo and not show her feet!

2011-07-31T14:31:00.028-04:00

Meet my new Project Runway model, Cara. More about her later.

I recently found out about a challenge that mimics the Project Runway TV show except that the models are a bit smaller than the television show models. The challenges are similar each week, using our miniature models. I'm not sure if I'll have the time for this or not, but I signed up anyway and promptly hired my model.

As you can see, Cara was a swimsuit model and being the end of the season, she was looking for work. Her contract price was affordable, even for me, so we have agreed to take on this challenge together, whenever time allows.

The challenge this week was to make a garment out of what the contestants were wearing....for this challenge, it was their bed clothes, and a single top sheet from their beds. For our copy challenge, we are to make something from whatever our model was wearing, or we could use a piece of fabric resembling PJ fabric. In addition to this outfit or PJ fabric, we may use a 10 x 10 piece of white cotton/cotton blend to duplicate a mini bed sheet. The completed projects are posted next Friday when we also receive our next challenge requirements.

I had never seen Project Runway because I don't have cable TV. However, I'm able to watch it online and watched the first episode last Friday and I'll be able to keep up do date by watching the program the day after it airs. Should not create a problem.

If you'd like to play along, check out the Project Runway Challenge and sign up. You can find out more of the specific details for the challenges. It will be fun to see what the other "contestants" create each week!

2011-07-28T14:15:00.002-04:00

I had a Shutterfly coupon for a free 20 page photo album and it was about to expire. It took forever and a day to put this thing together and upload some pics. Basically.....it's a cat photo book (with a few friends tossed in), but that's no surprise to any of you. I'm excited for the real copy to arrive!

Click here to view this photo book larger

2011-07-28T14:11:00.001-04:00

2011-07-23T14:05:00.000-04:00

I finished the keyboard cover that I talked about a while back. It's not the fabric that I showed you in that original post. I found these cute musical cats a few weeks later and knew that I had to move on to Plan B.

Nothing too fancy here, but the cover does have an opening for the music stand to come through. I figured there would be many times where I'd want to cover the keyboard but wouldn't want to remove the music holder.

Cool Cats!

2011-07-20T17:08:00.001-04:00

Have you seen this pattern design tool? You can pick your quilt pattern, adjust the size, and pick your fabrics. There is a limited selection of fabrics, but you can certainly get the idea of what your quilt would look like with similar fabrics and colors. Once your design is finished, you can print out the fabric requirements and directions then take it along to the quilt shop. Have fun!

2011-07-06T17:13:00.000-04:00

Thank goodness that I live in a neighborhood where this amount of fireworks would cost a month's salary (or more). I saw this huge pile of trash set out today when I went to a friend's house. This is a little over the top and I'm glad that I live nowhere near this person!

(Size reference....the box on top is as tall as me and the pile is as deep as it is wide.)

2011-07-04T07:37:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July!

Although I've inserted a light hearted comic today, I'm not forgetting the amazing sacrifice that is made on a daily basis by our military personnel.....our past, present, and future military. May God bless you all and keep you safe in His loving arms! And....THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!

2011-06-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

I finished my contest wall hanging....the one from a few posts down. We were given a packet of precut, fusible applique pieces, plus a background fabric. We were allowed to do anything we wanted, as long as we used all of the provided shapes and the background fabric. From that point, we could add more fabric, buttons, any kind of embellishments, etc. Well.....here's my finished wall hanging!

My hanging is approximately 21" x 24". The cat was my addition and the flowers and bugs were redesigned from the original picture that was provided. I used a small zig-zag stitch to sew all of the pieces down. After seeing how many pieces were going to be attached, I thought a satin stitch would eat up too much thread....I'm a cheapo....so the zig-zag stitch was chosen. The background was stippled and the border was just evenly stitched around. I have never stippled before and was quite nervous about wrecking all of my hard work. It ended up being pretty easy, once I relaxed and just let the needle do it's job. My tension was all wrong but I decided to just leave it instead of taking all of the stitches out. The next attempt will be better. Live and learn.

My butterfly and dragonfly are three dimensional. I folded the shapes in half and fused them together, making them a double layer, but half the intended size. I added floral wire around the shapes on the wings and covered the wire with a zig-zag stitch, which makes them flexible and stable enough to stand away from the hanging.

I delivered my hanging yesterday. It was due July 1st and I managed to get it finished between a summer cold and a pulled back. It's amazing that the housework can be put off but not a sewing deadline! All of the hangings will be hung on July 1st and will be voted on during the month of July. If you happen to be in Roanoke, IN at the Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shoppe, I'd appreciate your vote!

2011-06-08T16:15:00.001-04:00

I haven't had a lot of time for sewing lately, due to summer yard work. Not that my yard is anything special, it just takes me a few days a week for general maintenance. So anyway, sewing is only done in spurts, when time and energy allows.

I finished this purse a few weeks ago and mailed it off to Patti for a retirement gift. This is the pattern that I used. Lazy Girl patterns are very user friendly, and I highly recommend them. They are fairly simple, if you take your time and read each step before proceeding.

Here's the front of the finished purse. Patti had talked about getting an RV and doing a little traveling after retirement, so when I spotted this fabric, I thought it would be perfect. I think it turned out pretty cute. The front is divided into two large pocket sections.

This is the backside, which really shows off the cute RV's!

Inside shot, showing the pockets. The same pocket arrangement is on the other side too.

And finally, a close up of the recessed zipper. I had no idea how to do this, but again, if you follow the pattern and take your time, it's pretty simple to get a good finished result.

Patti has received this now, so I can finally show some pictures. I have some fabric cut out to make one for myself using different summer fabrics. As usual....it will be added to my "to do" list for the time being.

2011-06-07T19:29:00.005-04:00

For all you knitters out there! A knitted short.....Enjoy!

2011-06-06T11:21:00.000-04:00

Mail call! Look what I won! Calamity Jane's had a random give-a-way and I was one of the lucky winners! I won this great fat quarter selection, plus the two patterns in the picture below.

Thank you so much, Bonnie! I love them all!

2011-06-04T17:41:00.000-04:00

Road trip yesterday!

I got an email on Friday night that the "Fabric and Friends Quilt Shop" was giving out free...yes, free...wall hanging kits to the first 50 people. Needless to say, I changed my Saturday plans so that I could hit the road first thing in the morning. And....I was able to get one of the kits!

Now here's the deal.....you bring back the completed kit by the first of next month to be entered in a customer judged contest where you can win a $300 gift certificate at the quilt shop. Pretty great prize! Here's the front of the kit package.

The rules are simple. You must use all of the pieces supplied in the kit, but may add anything else that you choose....more fabric...more pieces....buttons....lace......whatever. It doesn't have to look like the picture on the front of the kit. The included pieces are pre-cut with fusible backing, ready to iron on. I'm not sure what I'm going to make yet and I don't have much time to ponder on it. I've got a few ideas floating around in my mind............ time's a tickin'! I sure hope that I'll have a post within the next three weeks with a finished wall hanging!

And while I was at the quilt shop, I had to buy something....I think that's the unspoken rule. This fabric was in the discount section and will be used to make a keyboard cover. Of course, that project will have to wait a bit.

To the drawing board.........

2011-05-30T08:55:00.002-04:00

Animations provided by MySpaceAnimations.com

2011-05-29T16:52:00.000-04:00

It was nature day at my friend Jerry's house the other day. This first picture is a nest of baby robins. The nest was constructed on top of his electric meter...there are actually three in the nest. Although it's only been a few days since this photo was taken, these little babies have already flown the nest. Only one was out of the nest two days ago and was trying to flap its way around to strengthen its wings. The next day, all three babies were out of the nest and apparently on their own. They grew so fast that you could see the difference from day to day. The mother bird was so busy, flying back and forth all day to feed them. I'll bet she's glad to be off of the feeding duty.

Next up is a snapping turtle that my friend found trying to cross the road.....why did the turtle cross the road? We think to lay some eggs, based on some Internet research. He stopped to pick up the turtle, as the prospect of reaching the other side without being run over looked slim. She will now be placed in an appropriate river area to do her thing....whatever that may be. Is this a cute face, or what?! Oh, and she is a huge turtle...her shell is easily 12" from front to back.

And finally, a really large iris in full glory. The next day, we had some severe storms and it didn't fare very well. It surely was beautiful while it lasted.

2011-05-20T15:18:00.001-04:00

We've had tons of rain in Indiana for the past month and a half and the spring flowers are thriving. This is a close up of my weeping, flowering crab apple tree blossoms. The flowers don't last long, but they are a paradise for the bees while they are in bloom!

Here's the full tree. It's about 10 years old, I believe, and has grown quite well with no attention.....my kind of tree!

Happy Spring Gardening!

2011-05-08T16:16:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom! She's been with the Lord for many decades but her memory will live on in my heart forever!

This picture was another newspaper photo. I'm not sure why we were in the paper, except that it included my Mom's apple pie recipe. I guess it's a good thing when the most exciting news in the town is an apple pie recipe!

I sure did hate my curly hair, which was naturally stick-straight until the days of home perms and Spoolies. (Remember Spoolies?)

Happy Mother's Day to you all!

2011-05-02T08:46:00.001-04:00

I went to my local Amish market over the week end to look at the new plants and flowers that just arrived. They have the best plants in the area, always healthy and bright. You need to get there as soon as they open because they sell out very quickly. I didn't buy many plants, as I have to remember that I will then have to plant them when I get home and that will mean lots of back breaking work. I just bought a few flowers to fill two large planters on my patio. Simple, quick, and easy!

2011-04-23T20:02:00.005-04:00

Happy Easter to you and yours!

This is a blast from the past. I always hated my Easter hats, which were almost always "pill boxes." This photo was taken by a newspaper photographer as we were leaving church on Easter Sunday. I still have the yellowed, well loved article.

May your Easter be filled with the promises of God and new beginnings!

He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.

Matthew 28:6

2011-04-20T16:13:00.002-04:00

When I got to Bible study this morning, the parking lot had a section of the lot blocked off by these orange cones. Kind of an odd spot...no sign of any potholes or repairs needed.......

Here's the area from the opposite direction...... hmmmmm.......

And here's the reason why the parking lot was blocked off...... a mama goose, sitting on her nest!

I'm not sure why she picked this spot to construct her nest and lay her eggs. Right in the middle of the parking lot, under the street light. No protection, no covering. The church sits on several acres of ground, which isn't exactly wooded, but it has lots of mature trees and grassy areas. Obviously, she knows something that I don't know.

I hope that everything goes well for her and we will soon see some little goslings trailing after her!

2011-04-18T07:45:00.005-04:00

I know you've been waiting to see how my rhubarb is doing this year! ;-) Well, here it is. It's doing quite well due to all of the spring rains. I did loose one plant, the one that was closest to the A/C unit. I think the hot, blowing air that comes out of the unit was just too hard on the rhubarb leaves. It struggled through last summer and just didn't emerge this year. Since this is my third year of growth, I'll be able to harvest this year......Yum!

2011-03-28T12:40:00.006-04:00

I've been nursing a sprained back and sewing moments have been few and far between. I'm seeing a little relief and have been working on the Mennonite Hunger relief donation quilt. The first picture is of the runner that is going to be the item that I donate. I made another table topper and was not happy with the results. There is a picture of that project, following this one. Anyway, this is the runner that I'll be focusing on. It turned out to be 22" x 48". I absolutely love the fabrics! They are bright, happy, spring fabrics and I like the way the different fabric lines worked well together. This is the runner that will have to be hand quilted, so I didn't want it to be too large to get overwhelming. The big border is 4" wide, which will give me a fair amount of space to quilt. And, of course, the busy fabric will hide my stitches! And this is the topper that will not make the cut! I designed this one too and used EQ5 to make my pattern. I think the mistake that I made was in setting the measurements to round to the nearest 1/8", not 1/16". Since most of my rulers don't have 16th measurements, I adjusted the templates for 8ths. The little blocks within the 12" blocks are only 4", and those little 4" blocks just multiplied the distortion. You can see that the setting triangles are puckering a bit. This should quilt out, but it will take some maneuvering to get it flat and keep it from puckering during quilting. I just got frustrated with the whole thing and moved on to make the runner. I'll finish this topper and use it for myself. Oh, the topper is 41" x 41". (As usual, sorry for the picture quality. The fabrics look washed out instead of bold and bright.) Have a blessed, peaceful day!

2011-03-08T15:11:00.005-05:00

Just a miscellaneous day today, with lots of odds and ends.

I was doing a little under-the-bed cleaning and found a box of fabrics that I had totally forgotten about. My guess is that they are from the 80's and perhaps the 90's. This first shot is of some Christmas laminated fabric yardages. I thought this was a fairly new concept in the past few years, and here it is, in my old stash, laminated fabric! The fabric seems to still be in pristine condition and I'm kind of excited to find a project for this laminated fabric and see how it sews. It sure pays to clean out those under the bed boxes!

Next up, found in the same under the bed box, are these embroidered, homespun fat quarters. Again, totally forgotten about! They are also looking like new and will make cute additions to projects.

Here's a close up of one of the cows;

And here's a close up of one of the ants. I love the ants!

Well, yesterday was a vintage day. After finding the long lost and forgotten fabric, I got out my vintage 1974 yogurt maker. I wasn't sure if it would still work, but after 10 hours, I had some great homemade yogurt. I had kind of forgotten about this little appliance when a FB friend passed on a recipe to make yogurt in a crock pot. This sparked my interest to dig out the old yogurt maker and give it a go.

I even found the little instruction folder to give me the specific instructions.

I also made three sets of kitchen curtains yesterday. (I had a very productive day, thanks to God!) I looked for "ready made" curtains, but they were just so expensive. Most were sold by the individual panel and I needed six panels. Regular kitchen curtains, which were cheaper, were simply too short for my windows. I didn't want the valance and shorter curtains, just a regular pair to hang in each window. I had been fabric shopping and also found that yardage was quite expensive, knowing that it would take about 7 yards to make them. I finally found some discount fabric at Walmart for $1.50 per yard! It was a nice, textured white blend, that was perfect for curtain use. The bolt only had 6 yards, so I had to sew the curtains differently than planned. Instead of an enclosed rod casing at the tops, I just hemmed all four sides and used cafe rod hooks to hold the curtains. I'm actually glad that I made them this way, as it makes opening and closing them very smooth and easy.

Next up is the fabric that I bought to make a quilt to donate to the Mennonite Hunger Relief auction in September. I found this fabric on sale, designed a pattern, and now I'm ready to begin. I'm only making a wall hanging, probably around 42" x 42", and it will have to be hand quilted. That's the part that I'm not crazy about, but I know that I can do it! Each of these yards of fabric comes from a different fabric line, but I thought they went together beautifully. I'm excited to see if it all turns out as I see it in my mind.

And lastly, here is a link for another charitable cause. It's "Just One Star", a project sponsored by Moda. All you have to do is make a star block which will be put into a quilt, then given to a wounded veteran. The goal is to receive 1800 star blocks and make 100 quilts. Deadline is May 1st to make your blocks. Go here for a pdf download with all of the details, the instructions for the block(s), and the address to send your block(s). I hope you will join me in making at least one block for a deserving vet!

2011-02-19T09:43:00.008-05:00

Mail call! Look what arrived yesterday.......the mug rugs from my secret swapper, Cindy!

I had not requested a specific theme or color, just "surprise me". The first one is a very simple one with a great use of fussy cutting to highlight the cup and the side wording. It's really cute and effective!

The second mug rug is pieced in pink, gray, and white. The colors look a bit off in the picture, but the white is crisp and bright.

Thanks so much, Cindy, for participating and sending such cute mats!

Yesterday was also a great day because my Aunt Dottie and Cousin Lisa came for a visit. I haven't seen them in ages and it was great to shop, lunch, and catch up. Lisa gave me this group of batik fabrics that came with a paper foundation pattern to make two leaves. I love batiks!

And she also brought along this fabric applique sheet with cute blackbirds, cherries, and watermelons. Very sweet! Thanks, Lisa! (Come back soon!!!)

2011-02-17T16:56:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday, it was 13 degrees below zero. Today, a week later, it is 57 warm degrees. My crocuses seem to think it's time to make their spring appearance. It's too early for them to be above ground, but they always seem to be OK, even when more cold temperatures, frosts, and snows will be coming their way. In any case, it won't be long before spring really is here and these little guys will be soaking up the sunshine.

2011-02-14T13:25:00.005-05:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

(Thanks to all of you that sent Valentine's Day

cards and messages!)

2011-02-12T11:06:00.016-05:00

I joined a mug rug swap recently and finished them today. I mentioned that I had joined this swap in an earlier post, but didn't give any details since the swap was closed. Oh, there were 330 swappers from 25 countries.....that's one HUGE swap!

The swap instructions were to make two 6" x 10" mug rugs for a secret swap. In a secret swap, I send these to ???? and I will receive two mug rugs from someone other than ????.

I made two coordinating mug rugs to match ????'s kitchen colors.

Here's a shot with a mug in place. These are large enough for a mug of coffee or tea, joined by a cookie or snack. They are washable, of course.

Another "action" shot. I used Insul-Bright for the batting, so these would also work well as trivets.

I enclosed a little goodie in the package too, a Simplicity mug cozy pattern. I bought a pattern for myself too, thinking these would be great for storing small items.

And finally, I made a third one for myself (or maybe it will become a gift). It ended up being a tiny bit smaller than 6" x 10 ", so I decided not to send it along. I paper pieced this one, as the tree blocks are only 4" square.

These were fun, quick projects that didn't overwhelm me to meet the deadline. I'm planning on making several more for myself and for gifts. They are a great way to use up your fabric stash.

OK, now on to real life, where I am nursing a leaking roof in my den. My gutters are so full of ice and snow that as they melt, the water seeps under the shingles. It has been cold enough over the past 3 days, that the dripping has stopped, but we are expecting very warm temperatures over the next several days. I have the furniture covered with tarps and pray that there will be minimal damage. Thankfully, there is a ceiling fan in the middle of the room and that is where the water is dripping from. If it weren't for this place to release the water, I'm sure my ceiling would have collapsed! Hopefully, a few more days of monitoring the water will end this latest winter saga!

2011-02-05T13:05:00.005-05:00

Yesterday started off pretty sadly with frozen main water lines in my neighborhood after the bitter cold day. We are so spoiled and expect to go to the faucet for a drink or to wash dishes and when nothing happens, it's no fun at all. After several hours of this, the postman knocked on my door with a package. In a heartbeat, my day improved dramatically!

It was an early Valentine's Day for me. I was fortunate to have won a drawing earlier in the week for a wonderful felted mouse created by Robin Andreae. Her blog is listed on my sidebar, "Needle Felted Art", and her creations are spectacular. There were 209 entered to win this latest creation, and my name was drawn!

Presentation is everything, right? I'm not showing pictures of it all, but the box contained a photo Certificate of Authenticity, and the the whole box was tied up with ribbon and roses in pink bubble wrap. Under the bubble wrap was this Valentine box.

Inside was "Lucky and His Cheese". I think I'm the lucky one! Lucky is a pretty large mouse and quite handsome. He was also very cooperative as we began our photo shoot. I took lots of pictures and he stood tall for all of them.

I thought that he must have been pretty tired from his cross country trip, but look what I found in the cabinet a few hours later! I can see that I'm going to have to keep a tight watch on him. I guess he wanted to sample the almonds and sunflower seeds, along with his cheese. Who can blame him after being cooped up for days in his little Valentine box?!

As a thank you to Robin for her generous give-a-way, I'm sending her a lampwork bracelet that I made. I attached the paw and heart charm, as she is an avid animal lover. I haven't done any torch work in awhile, as my garage studio is cold and snowed in, but I had already made these beads and they needed a worthy home. I hope she likes it!

Oh, and my water was restored after about 20 hours. The street is a dirty mess, the ice is thick from the water spills, the snow is piled high.....but.....I have water!

Now, I have to face another round with the shovel. More and more snow keeps falling and I simply can't keep up with it. I have always loved the snow, but I'm just so weary after so much. OK, it's pretty and bright, but does it have to be so deep? Enough, already!!!

2011-01-27T19:32:00.005-05:00

I received notice yesterday that my most recent Kiva loan has been repaid in full. There is a link on my sidebar to Kiva's web site, where you too, can loan money to a deserving individual or group to help them better themselves, their families, and their communities.

Tonight, I helped fund a loan for a woman from Kenya that needed extra help to buy carrots and potatoes to sell at market.

This is my sixth loan and it has only cost me $25 for all six loans because you re-loan the same money, over and over, after the loan is repaid. The system is wonderful and I highly recommend it.

Click on the link and see if there is someone that you would like to help!

2011-01-25T11:04:00.003-05:00

I just finished another batch of little log cabins. 27 in this batch, the same as the others, for a total of 81-4" blocks. I still don't have a specific design, although I have several ideas circulating in my brain. Right now, I'm a little tired of making log cabins and could stop at this point and make a small table cover. We'll see.......

Meanwhile, I've joined another swap which I will tell you about when I post my finished projects. Don't worry, the swap is closed, so I'm not deliberately leaving you out. Now that the Christmas holidays are over, I felt like I could commit to a small swap, one that wouldn't take too much time. I've got my design and my fabrics picked out from my stash, so it's time to begin!

2011-01-22T15:12:00.003-05:00

I needed a little shopping therapy yesterday and took advantage of the coupons that I had received a few months ago for entering a challenge at a local quilt shop. I had been hanging on to the coupons, keeping them as something to look forward to on a dreary day. I picked up the jelly roll at half price and the yardage of batik fabric was free. The charm packs came from an online store, at 40% off, so they were a great buy. It was fun to shop, knowing that the bill would be minimal. Yippee!

And now, for the

BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL!

Can you guess what this is??..... Give up?.....

Last night, I was having trouble sleeping so I went out to the kitchen for a glass of milk. The blue light from my coffee maker is bright enough that I don't turn on a light when I go on a midnight raid. With my head tipped back as I finished the last sip of milk, I saw the blue glow from the coffee maker through the bottom of the empty glass. I wondered if I could capture this glow with my camera in the darkness. It worked!

This view is the exact same picture with a flash. Still in complete darkness, but with the added flash. Interesting, huh? You just never know where and when you'll find good subject matter. Keep your eyes open for photo ops!

2011-01-06T08:57:00.004-05:00

And if the last free Block of the Month series didn't appeal to you.....here's another! Be sure to read the story behind the squirrel (under "general instructions"). Enjoy!

2011-01-06T08:34:00.007-05:00

Here's a link to a new (free!) Block of the Month series. It combines a super simple block with some hand embroidery for darling results! It just started.....so click on the Birdie and jump in!

2010-12-31T12:56:00.005-05:00

My name is Jeanie and I am a fabriholic. And I have the most wonderful enabling friends that help to keep this obsession strong and ongoing. (You know who you are!)

Here's my latest project material, all possible because of the above enablers! This will be my first batik quilt. I've always loved the fabrics and have even done my own batiking back in the 60's and 70's. Still, beyond a small project and even some clothing, I simply haven't attacked a full sized quilt using all batik fabrics.

The jelly roll fabrics will be made into a pinwheel type pattern.....the beige will be the background of those pinwheels, as well as the first border...... the next bold fabric will be the bigger border.......the next milder fabric will be the binding....and the last fabric will be my backing.

It was hard to choose the fabrics because the variety is so extensive. I just love the bright colors and the unique shading of each one. Hopefully, it will turn out the way it looks in my mind's eye.

Here's another shot of some new fabrics....again from one of my enablers. Don't know what this will be used for, but I love the bright kitty fabrics. More goodies for my never ending stash!

Hope that you all have a safe New Year's Eve. May God bless you with a new year full of delightful surprises and friends that warm your heart!

HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY,

BLESSED 2011!

2010-12-28T18:49:00.003-05:00

My pictures are uploaded backwards.....in the wrong order, that is.

This is the baby quilt that was in an earlier post. It is all finished and I put it in the mail today. I had hoped for a sunny day to get some good pictures, but that didn't happen. We did have some sunny days, but I wasn't around at the right time to get the quilt spread out for shots.

This is the back side, an all over animal print that matches the animals on the front.

This is the front side of the quilt in the large animal area. The quilting pattern in this area is kind of a wavy grass blades pattern.

Here's one of the gold corners with a loopy quilting pattern. (Sorry about the blue thread.....these close up shots are not very forgiving!)

The stripes along the sides each have a different quilting pattern. I thought that it looked really cute to use a different pattern in each section.

Here's a corner shot with a little mix of everything.

And lastly, an overall shot of the whole quilt. As usual, I couldn't get far enough away to get the whole quilt in the picture, plus, it was a gloomy day.

I'm happy to announce that Patti's grand niece was born on December 19th and everything went well for Mama and Baby Molly. I hope Molly will have many snugly naps under her new quilt!

2010-12-24T13:09:00.004-05:00

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

2010-12-21T09:17:00.002-05:00

Here's another picture-loaded post. I took several pictures of this quilt because none of them were turning out very well. This quilt was a Christmas gift for Patti and I bound it and mailed it on the same day, which happened to be a cloudy day, and my only day to take pictures due to the time crunch. Oh well.....

Here's an overall shot, nice and dark. You can't see the much of the quilting, but it was done by Lisa Olinger, a long arm quilter, and she did a fabulous job. Later on, there are a few shots that actually show the detail of her quilting.

Finally, here's a picture that shows some of the quilting in better detail. It was a "simple" meander of wondering roses. There's nothing simple about it, if you ask me, as my quilting skills are just not this precise.

More of the meandering rose quilting.

This is the backside flipped over. I didn't have enough fabric left over from the front to even piece the backing. I found this neutral thistle pattern and thought it matched the colored thistle print on the front pretty well. Plus, it gives you the option to turn it over and use this side too for a totally different look.

This quilt was a labor of love and I enjoyed piecing it throughout the year, all along thinking it would be a great quilt to make and give to Patti. I hope she gets many years of enjoyment out of it and will think of me when she wraps herself up in it!

Today, I have another quilt that needs to be bound and mailed out but I'll try and get some pictures taken on a sunny day before heading to the mailbox.

Hope your day is a good one and that you are getting all of your Christmas projects completed too!

2010-12-18T14:55:00.001-05:00

Ahhh.....Winter...... my favorite season......

....chestnuts roasting on an open fire....

But wait....... I don't have any chestnuts to roast....... and I don't have a roaring fire in the fireplace........ and I don't even have a fireplace..... but I do have this;

A $2 DVD that crackles and plays accompanying Christmas music! It may not be quite the same, but I can almost feel the warmth!

Merry Christmas! Make the best of what you have

and you will be blessed!

2010-12-11T20:59:00.001-05:00

2010-12-02T12:36:00.003-05:00

Warning! Picture heavy and may cause drooling!

Patti and I went to the Festival of Gingerbread and here are just a few of the creations. (I wish I had smell-0-vision on this blog to add to the drool factor!) Enjoy!

2010-12-01T16:10:00.003-05:00

My Sister-in-law, Patti, is awaiting the birth of her second grand niece, sometime in December. While she was visiting for Thanksgiving, we worked on a quilt for the baby-to-be. It was a super simple pattern with a big center focal panel. Sorry about the picture....I couldn't get far enough away to show it squarely. It needs to be quilted next, then I'll post the finished quilt.

Here's a close up of some of the critters on the fabric. Aren't they cute?!

2010-11-29T14:07:00.003-05:00

I hope that you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. I had a nice Thanksgiving with a visit from my Sister-in-law, Patti, and for that, I am very thankful.

Along with the blessings of Thanksgiving, was Kevin's funeral and deep sadness. I have to tell you that Kevin was given the send off that he deserved, that of a true American hero! The procession from the funeral home to the cemetery was fairly long, maybe 30 to 40 minutes, and every few hundred yards or so, was a display of some kind of tribute to Kevin. The day was very cold and windy...... a blustery, although sunny, day. The streets were lined with police, firemen, firetrucks, Veterans, Patriot Guards, and patriotic citizens that just wanted to show their support of a fallen soldier. I've never seen so many American flags! They were even hanging from huge cranes in a couple of spots. The people along the road stood at attention in respectful salutes or with hands over their hearts, all holding American flags. Even more than the funeral itself, this public display of patriotism, love, and support was heart wrenching and inspiring. These people did not even know Kevin, they just wanted to thank him for his dedication and sacrifice for his (their) country.

And, publicly, I would like to thank them for standing out in the freezing weather to send a fallen hero home to his final resting place in the style he deserved.....to his eternal home with God. Thank you!

Rest in peace, Kevin. You will be missed, but never forgotten!

2010-11-20T14:37:00.004-05:00

I had no idea that my last post, "Freedom Isn't Free", would directly come into my life this week. Kevin is at peace with his Heavenly Father, safe and sound, but his loved ones must follow Kevin's example and be brave and strong as the journey of grief begins. God Bless you, Kevin, and thank you for your sacrifice to make the world a better place! You will be missed!

2010-11-11T07:40:00.000-05:00

2010-11-05T13:33:00.004-04:00

Where can you buy a quilted purse for concealed weapons?.......why at the Houston International Quilt Festival, of course! I just had to laugh when I saw this on a blog. Texans......gotta love em'!

2010-11-04T14:34:00.005-04:00

A little inspiration to jump start your creative muse.

(1620 individuals each made a frame!)

2010-10-31T11:59:00.003-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Being a fan of rats, bat, cats, and spiders, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Gee, for whatever reason, the other holidays don't feature these wonderful, fascinating creatures.

Have fun tonight and don't eat too much candy. Be safe!

2010-10-23T09:03:00.002-04:00

I don't think we ever get tired of looking at leaves! Spring, summer, fall, and even winter. Each season has it's own special display of leaves. This is just one tree, across the street from me, and it simply glows when the sun is shining.

2010-10-20T18:54:00.003-04:00

One of our local quilt shops had a garage sale last week end and this is what I picked up. The Moda charm packs were $2 each.....so how could I resist!? Also got a pattern for a needle/sewing box and a Christmas panel. No plans for any of it....just adding to the stash.

And this is what I received just for entering the little Valentine hanging (a few posts down). I already have this fabric marker and it's a $12 gift, plus they added the needles. I also received a coupon for a free yard of fabric and a 50% off of anything coupon. Not bad for simply entering the challenge!

2010-10-15T13:13:00.003-04:00

Here's a great tip idea that just came in my newsletter from Quilters Club of America today. A great way to have a design wall without making it a permanent fixture, plus, it would be very inexpensive. My walls are covered in pictures so there is no bare wall space. This trick would enable me to put the little clips between hanging pictures, then take it down afterwards. Thanks QCA!

Winning Member’s Tip – Portable Design Wall
This month’s winning tip comes from member Janet Arnett:
“I have an inexpensive idea for a design wall. This idea works great at retreats and classes. I purchased two 3M Command Spring Clips and a flannel-backed tablecloth. The spring clips come with mounting strips that can be reused and are easily replaced. When I go to a retreat, I try to get a seat close to a wall. I mount the spring clips on the wall when I first arrive to give them a chance to adhere while I set up my sewing space. I then clip the table cloth up on the wall and I am ready to design. When it is time to go home, usually 2-3 days later, the clips are easily removed by pulling on tabs that release them from the wall. There is no damage to the wall, therefore no worries and it does not take up space in an already crowded sewing room. A tablecloth also affords a lot of wonderful space to display your project in process. Great for getting input from everyone in the room.”

2010-10-10T11:37:00.003-04:00

This is my haul from a fabric and craft garage sale this week end. (I'm kind of focusing on fall fabrics right now.) I really don't know the full story, but the gal that has this yearly garage sale is a semi-professional quilter and crafter. My understanding is that she makes commissioned quilts for individuals and businesses. In any case, every year, she has a garage sale to move her old stash out of her house to make room for more fabrics. She sells her fabrics for 10 cents and inch and it's all quilt shop quality fabric. A great deal!

She also had boatloads of patterns that were 12 for $10. Another great deal when you consider the price of patterns these days. Here's my pattern haul.

Can't wait until next year!

2010-10-05T10:48:00.004-04:00

Look what I won at Quilters Showcase ! It's a wonderful paper foundation pattern that is so cute!

And look at the size of some of these pieces!! 8 little bits of fabric in the size of a penny! I've been using paper foundations for a long time, but I've never worked with anything this intricate. I'm excited to see how it turns out, although it may be awhile before I begin this project. Christmas is coming very soon, you know!

And lastly, can you even guess what this is?! I was lucky enough to go to the Steven Curtis Chapman concert this weekend with my friend Joyce, and this is the BEST photo that I took. Steven is up there with his son, Caleb. Geeze......I even went into the bathroom for some light to see what was going on with my camera. It wasn't until I got home that I found that I had bumped the "secret" button that gives you the choice of photo settings for the circumstances. (Thus, the horrible pictures at the quilt auction, too.) I've never changed that setting and thought that my camera was broken. Must have been jostled and switched in my purse. Live and learn.....

Anyway, the concert was very inspiring and I would recommend going to one if you get the chance. The Chapman's have had a horrible tragedy in their lives and faith has carried them through.....and continues to carry them, day by day. I left there feeling rejuvenated, uplifted, and feeling even stronger in my faith. Go Chapman's!

2010-09-30T16:32:00.003-04:00

The Mennonite Quilt Auction was last Saturday and I'm finally getting some pictures posted. I apologize for the quality of these photos. With the flash, they were almost black, without the flash, they were blurry. You get the idea though...........

Here's a shot of the crowd and this was taken after most of the quilts had been auctioned and the people were thinning out. It was still a good crowd and there were around 250 quilts listed in the auction booklet. The auction stage area is toward the left of this picture.

Here's the first quilt that was auctioned from "our" group of quilters. This one was made by my friend, Joyce, and her sister. I've posted a picture of this quilt in an earlier post on my blog (you can get a better look at it). The auction was not bringing in its usual high prices this year, probably due to the economy, and we weren't expecting it to reach as high a bid as it might have in earlier years. At this point, only one quilt had reached the $2000 mark and one had gone for $1500. Joyce was praying for a $1000 bid. Well, I'm happy to report that Joyce's quilt went for $4100!!! The bidding just kept getting higher and higher and Joyce and I were in tears! What a blessing for hunger relief!

Next up in "our" group, was our Psalms quilt, made by six of us, Kathy, Bev, Joyce, Fran, Lois, and myself. The bidding on this quilt did not go very high.....just $225. It was a disappointment, but we still felt blessed that it did sell and $225 can provide a lot of food for the hungry.

Last up is this little runner that Joyce's 12 year old granddaughter designed. It went for $100, a great price for a little quilt.

Overall, we learned a lot from this auction and what kind of quilts might go for higher bids. Small wall hangings went for a fair amount, anywhere from $100 to $450+. When you factor in the price of the fabric and whether or not you have to pay someone to hand quilt your entry, small may be the way to go.

It was a wonderful, exciting event and I thoroughly enjoyed my day with Joyce and watching all of the quilts, trying to predict which ones would go high.....which ones might not be so lucky. I'm already thinking about next year and what I might want to make. I think I'll do my own project, a wall hanging of some sort, then go back to enjoy the anticipation of the auction results!

2010-09-14T14:21:00.003-04:00

When I stopped in one of my local quilt shops last week, I was handed a small rectangle of red silhouette fabric (about 5 1/2" x 7 1/2") and was told that they were having a little contest and everyone that entered would at least win some discount coupons. Good enough incentive for me!

I went with something simple, of course, as it has to be turned in next week when they would be having a shop-hop and wanted these items for display. The fabric line is called "Love Letters", so I had to make something to hold those letters.

Here's the little hanging holding some Valentines. Now I need to deliver it to the shop and see what kind of coupons I'll win......and just for entering!

2010-09-11T10:23:00.002-04:00

Do not be overcome by evil,

but overcome evil with good.

—Romans 12:21

2010-09-03T12:28:00.003-04:00

I've got the next batch of Jo-Ann fabrics 4" log cabins done. This time, I spent several days working on them, little by little, bit by bit.

And here are the finished 27 blocks.

I'm off to start the next color batch!

2010-08-27T20:37:00.001-04:00

Sorry about this tiny little picture.....but click on it to see a great commercial. And by the way...... don't do this at home. NEVER let your dog hang out of the window like this without wearing Doggles. Something could hit their eye and cause blindness or serious damage. OK....with that warning being said....I can't help but chuckle every time they play this silly commercial! Enjoy!

2010-08-27T16:39:00.003-04:00

As I continue designing my Jo-Ann fabrics quilt, I decided to use disappearing 9 patch blocks (DNP) along with the log cabin blocks. If you aren't familiar with the DNP block, it's a really simple, yet deceptively complex block. And easy, easy to make.

Just start with a 9 patch block. I wanted a plain block with only the purple center for my splash of color. (Again, the center block is a true purple, not a blue-purple.) Obviously, you could use as many as 9 different fabrics, which would give you lots and lots of setting options.

Cut your 9 patch into quarters. Cut the block in half, rotate, and cut it in half the other way, making four smaller blocks. Your basic 9 patch has now disappeared!

This shows two 9 patch blocks that have been cut into DNP blocks. I now have 8 DNP blocks made from two 9 patch blocks (they multiply like rabbits!) and I just lined these up without any particular planning. You can see how the setting possibilities are almost endless. And also try to imagine how complex these settings can become if you were using more colors in your original 9 patch.

I hope you'll give these a try. You can really complete a quilt top pretty quickly using this method. My DNP blocks are 4", just like my log cabins, so it will be fairly time consuming to make boatloads of these, but normally, you would be making larger blocks and building your quilt very fast. Have fun!

2010-08-26T18:54:00.002-04:00

Today was my monthly fellowship with some of my quilting friends. It's always wonderful to see what projects they have been working on and catch up on their lives.

Joyce brought this beautiful, hand quilted quilt that will also be donated to the Mennonite Hunger Relief Auction. She and her Sister made all of the blocks.....which, by the way, are only 6" blocks, set them in this beautiful arrangement, then sent it off to the quilter. The blocks are very complicated with lots of pieces in each of the tiny blocks. The hand quilting is just excellent with small, even stitches. The blocks represent women of the Bible so each block has a story to tell. My picture does not give you a very good perspective of the quilt and it doesn't show the binding, which was made up of the colors of the quilt blocks. Oh, and the back is a wonderful purple! I'll let you know how the auction goes......this quilt is a real beauty and I hope it goes to an appreciative home.

This next quilt (top only) was made by Fran. Again, my picture does not do it justice. She used a wide range of beautiful Batiks and the colors are just fabulous. The pineapple leaves are composed of many, many shades of green. I love the way the keyboard border blends from shade to shade to shade around the perimeter. This is one that you should see in person to really appreciate the beautiful colors.

So......another wonderful day with my dear friends! Can't wait until next month!

2010-08-23T15:38:00.005-04:00

Look out! It's time for one of my soap box posts!

I joined a student mentoring program last year and it's time again for me to be matched with a student and guide them, via email letters, as they read 5 different genres of books throughout the year.

There are thousands of students, all looking for a reading mentor, and it could be you! Click on the logo above and see if you think this could be a ministry for you. It doesn't take that much time and you will, as always, receive much more than you give. Joining is simple. Your only cost will be for a police background check. I found all of the books that my students chose at my local library, so I didn't even have to buy any books. I ended up with two students, as they are always short on mentors and the program significantly grows each year...... they really need you! In2Books has won many awards and the program continues to improve as they work out the kinks. All of the details can be found on their website.

Please think about joining this great organization. It won't take that much of your time and you will thoroughly enjoy the letters that you receive from your student as you discuss the latest book and get to know each other.

OK......click on that link and check it out!

2010-08-16T17:23:00.003-04:00

Here's the first batch of blocks using the Jo-Ann fabrics. I've always loved the Log Cabin block and thought they would work out pretty well for the overall pattern that is growing in my mind. Initially, I was going to use paper foundations, then decided that it would be much quicker to just chain sew them with strips. Since these strips were going to be cut at 1", I figured it would be just as precise to cut and sew these the quickest way. After sewing, these logs are 1/2" wide. The center block is a true purple, not the blue purple that my monitor shows.

This block shows the scale of the blocks. They are 4" finished.

And the backside. If you press as you go, your seams will be nice and neat. I pressed toward each piece that I attached, to get them to all face away from the center.

And here's the finished stack of blocks. There are 27 of them and making them took the entire afternoon....about 6 hours. Had I gone with the paper foundations, I would still be working on them. Now I have tons more to make of different color combinations. They are a bit tedious to make, but I still like a good ol' Log Cabin block and the setting possibilities are endless!

2010-08-10T08:40:00.003-04:00

A room with a view..........actually, this is the view from all of the rooms in my house this morning. The high humidity combined with air conditioning produces this greenhouse effect. I'll sure be glad when the high humidity and the high temps break for the freshness of Fall!

2010-08-09T12:46:00.003-04:00

These are the fabrics (most of them) that I'll be using for the Jo-Ann quilt contest. There's a link for this contest a few posts down. I don't have a total plan or layout yet, but I do know the size of the blocks and the pattern of the blocks that I'll be using. As usual, it will just evolve as I sew. Whether I get it done in time for the contest or not, is yet to be seen. It's OK if I don't get it done, it's the process that I enjoy. One thing for sure, it will be a bright quilt!

2010-08-07T15:56:00.003-04:00

Here's the 12th and last BOM of this series! I left all of the fabrics alone and put the block together as the quilt shop intended. Now I'm ready to set the series into a quilt. I bought some fabric for the sashing and one border, but I may change my mind on the original plan. We'll see.....

2010-08-01T16:48:00.006-04:00

Here's a link for you to check out. Jo-Ann Fabrics is having a quilt contest and they are giving away some great prizes! The only restrictive condition is that you MUST use Jo-Ann Fabrics.

Good Luck!

2010-08-01T13:59:00.003-04:00

I picked up our charity quilt that had been off to the hand quilter for quilting. The following pictures show the front and back sides of several different sections so that you can see the patterns that the quilter used. She did not quilt this the way that I would have quilted it, but it still looks pretty good overall. Her fee was very reasonable for over 35 hours of hand quilting and she got it done in a timely manner. So here you go;

Braided quilting on the sashing and the key board border, front side.

Backside of same.

Front side of one of the pieced blocks. She hand quilted all of the pieced blocks with the same crossed X kind of pattern.

Backside of same.

Front side of one of the applique blocks. Each applique block was simply outlined around the shapes. Because the appliqued pieces were all fused, our quilter was unable to needle the appliqued pieces themselves.

Backside of same.

I'm going to work on the binding today and will, hopefully, have a full sized picture of the quilt soon. I will be glad to have this behind us and delivered to the auction in September!

2010-07-25T18:53:00.003-04:00

Happy 13th Birthday, Lily!

My friend's granddaughter turned 13 today (going on 21). I've known her since she was born, have changed her diapers, have watched her grow into a young lady, and the years have just flown by. She had a swim party and sleep over with several of her friends. You know the best thing about a birthday party for a friend's 13 year old granddaugher? I get to go home and leave the giggly girls when I get tired! ;)

2010-07-15T13:20:00.004-04:00

Although I play Farmtown on Facebook, nothing compares to the real harvest that took place today.....my first ripe tomato!

I'm heading out to the kitchen to slice into this beauty! Yum!

2010-07-06T16:34:00.006-04:00

The dog days of summer have certainly arrived. 90's, served up with humidity, is way too hot for me. From Mutts;

And this is how my cats handle the heat....all piled up on top of each other. Of course, they do live in air conditioning, so they aren't suffering too much. They have both been really tired after several days of noisy fireworks. They aren't afraid of the noise, but they snooze lightly....get startled awake.....snooze lightly......get startled awake. You could just see the expression of annoyance after each rude awakening.

Five minutes after the sleep picture was taken, Gracie took a racing lap through the house, leaving no rug unturned. She slides into each rug as if she's making the game winning home run!

This was left by my blue jay friend that stops to take a cool down in the bird bath everyday. He's been a regular with the excessive heat.

This picture doesn't capture the soft iridescence of the feather. It easily caught my eye when I walked by it outside on the sidewalk. God certainly has a good eye for color!

2010-07-05T09:24:00.003-04:00

Hey....I'm on top of things for a change! OK, I'm only on top of one thing and that is July's BOM.

I changed quite a bit on this block. The planned block had just the upper left hand star block and the rest were stripes.....a flag kind of set up. Also, the sections had different widths of stripes. I didn't like the flag pattern done with pastel fabrics, so I made two of the star blocks to break up the flag setting. I also changed the fabrics in the striped sections. The supplied fabric was a very light blue and a light pink. I'm not a pink person and I liked the contrast with the darker blue.

I'm pleased with the way the block turned out. We only have one more month in this BOM series, then it will be time to set the blocks and finish it up.

Hope you all had a nice Fourth of July! I'm always glad when this holiday is over because it means I'll get more than a few hours of sleep......zzzzzzzzz!

Here's my cats cousin, Punkin, fresh from the groomer and decked out in her patriotic bandanna!

2010-06-28T08:25:00.003-04:00

June's BOM is finished. I waited until the last minute again this month. This block really appeals to me, both in the design and in the fabrics, and I didn't change a thing.

This next picture was painted by Tao, an elephant. Sorry about the picture quality...the sun was glaring, even with shades drawn, and the flash only made things worse. Oh, and the frame is not wonky, it's perfectly rectangular. I've had the painting since 2001 and never had the wall space to hang it. Yes, every bit of my walls are covered....from floor to ceiling, and I've been taking some of them down and doing some regrouping and rearranging. I'm also eliminating several of them, as they no longer appeal to me. So anyway, I've had this painting for years and there is some controversy about the humanity of having elephants paint. At the time of purchase, (and I don't even want to tell you what I paid for this!) it was recommended by National Geographic and that the proceeds helped both the elephant and the elephant's trainer. It provided food, shelter, and protection for both. Recently, I've heard that it's not as wonderful as they once thought, although I believe that it's still a better life than trying to simply survive without basic provisions.

Tao painted this when he was only 4 years old, and recent articles say that his painting style has "matured!" He was born in Thailand in 1997 and has been painting since he was two years old. The canvas is a little rough, with what I'm assuming is a little elephant snot and a few smudge marks here and there. None the less, I like the colors that he chose and his "composition."

Here's Tao doing his thing. I have this little picture of him on my bookshelves. I pray that he continues to do well and that he does find enjoyment in painting!

2010-06-20T07:09:00.003-04:00

We’re thankful for our fathers, Lord,
They’re special gifts from You;
Help us to show we honor them
By what we say and do. —Sper

Good fathers reflect the heavenly Father.

In church today, we sang "This is my Father's World", which is one of my favorite hymns. It always brings tears to my eyes, no matter how many times I hear the beautiful lyrics.

My first "encounter" with God was when I was very young and my Dad would take me for walks in the woods. My Dad knew every tree, plant, bird, and animal, and loved to share his knowledge with me. He knew each bird call, what plant to eat, what plant to avoid, what leaf came from what tree. I learned to love all of the critters, from snakes to spiders, as my Dad would tell me that people only feared what they did not understand and that God had a purpose for each and everyone of them. I'm so grateful that he passed the love of animals and nature on to me. When I'm feeling overwhelmed and lost, I still retreat to nature to restore my soul. It's where I go to feel surrounded by God's grace and beauty....it centers me and brings me peace.

Today, (and everyday) I'm thankful for the love and guidance from my Heavenly Father and from my earthly Father. (Miss you Dad!)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

2010-06-18T15:18:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was a full day of wonderful quilting with wonderful friends! Six of us (only four were able to be there yesterday) made two blocks each, to put into a quilt that is destined for the annual Mennonite Auction to raise funds for hunger relief. We've had the blocks done for quite awhile, but didn't have a plan to put them together......the layout.....color choices......sashing, etc.

Here's Joyce, Fran, and Lois (Kathy and Bev were unable to join us) and the keyboard pieces that were to become the outside border.

Here is the quilt before adding the outside border. We laid everything out on the floor and auditioned the sashing fabric and the cornerstones. The original plan was to use black for the sashing but after we laid everything out, we decided that the green made it a softer, happier quilt.

This is the finished quilt top. We were all very happy with the end results. The blocks in this quilt all represent different Psalms and the appliqued blocks have the corresponding Psalm embroidered on them. We now need to have it hand quilted. Unfortunately, this auction will only accept hand quilted quilts, although the piecing can be done by machine. We are hoping that someday they may expand their quilts to include machine quilting. This auction is always extremely successful and if they opened it up to machine quilting, they would get many, many more entries to auction. Although I am able to hand quilt......I do not enjoy hand quilting a large top. I would also not be able to get it finished in time, so I will be contacting a local church group to see if they will be able to quilt it for us.

Ta-da!

2010-06-11T17:58:00.001-04:00

Oh boy! New templates....new fonts.....new colors.....new backgrounds.......I'll be playing with these and changing frequently! Thanks Blogger!

GRACIE OLIVER ARTS

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the LORD.