Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Belated Christmas gift....

I asked Santa to bring me this Sew-Ezi portable sewing table and it came just a little late for Christmas morning, but that is ok. I can hardly wait to use it.






There have been a couple gals at retreats that I have attended that have brought these. If you have ever been to a retreat, you end up putting your machine on a table and thus the machine is not very ergonomically correct making it somewhat tiring to work at your machine for any lengthy period of time.


This table is portable, has it own carrying case, folds up flat, has great wheels and the insert is cut to fit your particular sewing machine. You can get different inserts for different machines. I, also, got the insert that serves as a light box. Oh.....if you only knew how many times I have taped an applique pattern to my window and traced from there (that doesn't work at night) or used my stained glass coffee table to trace (the leaded glass pieces help to distort your pattern), so this will be a great improvement.


Also, I got this to use here at home for the Elna that I won for the on-line quilt contest a little over a year ago. So, I will have both of my machines (Viking I Plus and my Elna 8600) set up at the same time and just may have them going at the same time, too. I'll be sewing on one and embroidering with the other....LOL!


Anyways, if you are interested in checking out this great quilter's/sewer's gadget, check it out here. http://www.seweziusa.com/


Now I think I will go and put my machine in it and see just how well it works.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Idle hands during the holidays....

Well, with all the hustle and bustle of the holidays you wouldn't think I had idle hands, but after everyone left, I was feeling antsy, so I picked up my left over yarn from the previous two neck warmers and used them both on one for myself.




I started this one Christmas night and worked on it most of the next day. Had to run to the store to get buttons to complete it and needed buttons for the eyes of the ducks for my "Just Ducky" quilt...which by the way I got back from the quilter this week. Since the shower is a week from today...and I had the time....along with idle hands....I thought I would apply the binding and the eyes and now the "Just Ducky" quilt is finished....except for the label; but I have all week to do that.....right!!!





"Just Ducky" finished out at 43" square and I used twelve 1/4" buttons for the eyes. I, also, had to show the lovely quilting my quilter, Karen McDavitt, did on this quilt. I gave her to the 1st of January to finish this. That would have given me a good day to do the binding, buttons and label, but she had it done just before Christmas.
So, anyways....I am feeling "Just Ducky" to be so ahead of the game for a change. Of course, I won't mention it if I am making that label the night before the shower. ;D







Thursday, December 24, 2009

It's a Santa kind of day.....

Especially when you have grandkids. So I am going to share a few of my Santas and then.....



wish you all.....



a very Merry Christmas!!!!

Friday, December 18, 2009

PWP.....giveaway

Who wouldn't want to win this give away from Patrick Lose's "Party With Patrick" club.




I love dots and this is the whole line of new fabrics that are all "DOTS"!!!!! If you want to try and win this lovely tower (7 yards of fabric), go here..... http://www.patricklose.blogspot.com/

I would be in "dot heaven" if I won this fabric. (sigh!!!)

Sunday, December 13, 2009

I think I am hooked....

Yes, I have been working on my wool project and I think I am hooked. The colors, the feel of wool, the ease of working with wool and the folksy look that it exudes. Today I have fused all the final pieces onto the background using Misty Fuse. I am only going to show you some closeups, so that I can save the completed project for later when everything is completely stitched down. Here are the pennies (I just love them!!!)



Then here is one of the pineapples.



A closeup of one of the hearts and vines.




...and I just had to lay out a few of the tongues just to get an idea how they will look.




So, all the first steps of stitching are done....top two layers of the pennies and the three layers of the tongues are stitched. Don't look too close at the pennies. Working at night, I started stitching them in a variegated thread thinking it was a gray/black variegated, but it was my dark green (which I don't have too much of); and even though I was told that I should probably stick with one thread color for a particular piece, I didn't; but hey....it's folk art, so I hope I won't be sorry someday. Like I said earlier though.....I am loving this project and can't wait to get it done and put it somewhere in my living room. Ok....I am off to stitch some more.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Get togethers and wool.....

My mini group and I met yesterday for our monthly meeting and gift exchange.







These are the packages that I had ready for them. I just fell in love with these beautiful papers. I would have loved to have fabric to match both of them.

But to my dismay, we were having so much fun, eating, chatting, doing show-n-tell, and opening presents that I did not take one more picture even though the camera was sitting on the table in the middle of us the whole time.


I have to say though that I got many great gifts and enjoyed being with my friends for the afternoon. Oh, by the way, I gave my friends, Nancy and Sharon, the bendy light that fits on your machine. I have one and love it.


Now ....onto my next project. I almost hate to share it with you because I am such a slug at getting things completed, but then maybe with my putting it out there, I will feel obligated to have a "finish" so that I can go onto the next thing in blogland.


I am starting a wool project. I have never done one, but I am so in love with the folksy, dark wool, primitive look and I was looking for something to do that was handwork. I had purchased this kit from Quilts Plus in Indianapolis on my way down to St. Louis this summer for a retreat and now that it is getting cold outside, this just seemed the time to get it out.





I have it all cut out and thanks to another friend, Sheila, who gave me a quick tutorial on how to start and stop the hand buttonhole stitch AND helped me out by letting me go through her "two tubs of wool" for some green as the kit was short green wool for the stems, I now have it all cut out and ready to get it started.





The funny thing (I don't know if you know how expensive wool is and that many times you buy it by the ounce!!!!) is that I have saved EVERYTHING ...or almost everything in the scrap department. You never know when you might just need a little leaf or little berry and that is why you save ALL your scraps when it comes to wool. This pile of scraps is the kind of stuff I would have thrown out if I were just quilting. Oh well!!!





Ok, I have committed myself. I am going to get busy on this project. I AM anxious to get it done, so with the incentive of wanting it and having "said" that I am going to get busy on it, I hope to show you a "finished" project real soon.

Michigan quilters, take note

  Come see us at our first Quilter's to Quilter's sale.   Don't know what that is?  Well, it will be 28 quilters/vendors selling...