This is all I’m saying:

Designer Mystery Block-of-the-Month 2008

Two posts in one day – I am getting carried away.

I pulled out another one of my kits that I had started. I have made a little check off list and I have to have a certain number of blocks done each month. A friend suggested finishing one and then moving on but for some reason that is more daunting to me than having twenty projects going.

So this is one I received from Fat Quarter Shop in 2008 and I had done two of the blocks already, I finished up the third one today.

  Block One - Designed by Brenda Riddle - Acorn Quilt & Gift Co.Block Two -  Designed by Sandy Gervais of Pieces From My HeartBlock Three - Designed by Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts

I am so excited I am getting some projects done. Last night I had a big mess up. I put my extension table for my sewing machine on the floor next to my chair, which I don’t normally do and I got up to look at something and stood right on top of it. The legs broke into a million pieces. It had one broken leg already from an Alice accident and now it is destroyed. I am taking a bow! Good job.  Nothing a little duck tape won’t fix – hee hee!!

Busy Busy!

Well I have been super busy the last couple of days. Yesterday, after I posted I worked on my Kansas Troubles quilt I had packed away.

It is called the Kansas Two Step and all I have left is the appliqué on the borders which I am fusing. I cut the flowers and leaves and started the bias strips.

I notice as I was cutting out the leaves, Alice put her mark on one. I have not worked on this quilt for almost two years so it was funny seeing it. I believe it was during the time then she was practicing writing her name on EVERYTHING. I can’t figure out what she used because it appears it was actually scrapped on their, luckily it did not go through to the fabric.

I also finished up stitching my block for my Friends For Christmas quilt by Lynette Anderson. I had also started this one  a couple years ago and received it as a block of the month from Homestead Hearth. I decided not to put the embellishments on it until after I quilted it. A couple of the other blocks, which you can see if you go to my Flickr page, I did put the embellishments on and wish I hadn’t since it may make the quilting harder. I love this quilt, the fabrics are awesome and it is so whimsical!

After doing some stitching I got hungry and decided to take a break. But, I got side tracked as I usually do and started doing this: I know pretty crazy huh? I had promised Alice I would try to put some of it together. After an hour I had this done:Louise decide she would help me out – thanks Louise!

I decided to call my friend Jan for reinforcements and asked her to come over. Before she got here though I was finished. It only took me an hour and forty-five minutes to put it together. Call me super woman! We went to pick the kids up from school and we tricked them into thinking it wouldn’t probably be for another couple weeks until it was put together because we were just too busy. I wish I had a picture of their faces when we pulled into the driveway. Priceless!

After letting them  and us play on it for a bit we decided to go to Joanns to get some fabric to make them pajama bottoms. I spent way to much money. The kids love that store and find all this cool crafty stuff. The fabric choices were not that good but they were able to find something they liked.  I also found this lunch box which I am totally in love with:

When we got home we started Alice and Gordon’s pj bottoms before it got late and Jan had to leave. Alice had fallen asleep on Natalie's bed with her stuffed pig Muddy, it is one of those big Squishables. She also had Silly Putty in her hand. When I went to get her up her head was actually stuck to Muddy and all the Silly Putty had melted into her hair and Muddys. So after spending about 45 minutes in the tub while I used dial soap and warm water I was able to get it out. Her hair still feels kind of funky but that could be also from the soap. Muddy, I don’t think, will recover. I told her I would try to cut it out but I am not sure if that will work. My husband just says buy her another one. That will not be happening for a while, those things are like forty bucks.

Today I finished up the two pair of pj bottoms, did 4 loads of laundry, cleaned the pets cages, gave all 4 of them a bath.   Harry (the guinea pig) was so upset about the whole situation he bit me on the arm. Little rodent! I am allergic to guinea pigs so my arm swelled up pretty bad but he did not break the skin, just left teeth marks and hives. It seems better now that I took my allergy medicine and put some Benadryl cream on it.

I think I am done with chores for now. I work tomorrow and Monday nights and then I will be on my regular schedule for a couple weeks of only working two nights a week. I hope to continue catching up on my projects I have neglected and house cleaning, oh yeah, and bugging the kids!!!

Happy stitching!!!

War & Pieces – A Civil War Reproduction Sampler

It has only been two years since I started getting this block of the month from Homestead Hearth. They chose lovely fabrics for the kit. I love Civil War fabrics, well you know me, I love any fabrics, but I have to say they are my favorite. Anyway, this pattern was put out way back in 1999 by the Sunflower Pattern Co-Operative it was designed by Barbara Brackman (love her!!) and Karla Carney Menaugh. The pattern is great, each one gives you a little history lesson of the block and what inspired it. 

I had started the first block when I originally was receiving the kits each month, but I became side tracked by the 20 others I was receiving (this was in my big mindless spending days). I had used the starch and templar method of appliqué but I have changed my mind and I am now using the needle turn method. I thought I have so many appliqué quilts to do and I have always wanted to become proficient in the needle turn method why not start now.  By the time I finish all these BOM’s I have started or in tubs I will be a pro.

The first block is Hopes of Peace. “It was inspired by a block in a sampler on the cover of Jane Bentley Kolter’s book Forget Me Not: A Gallery of Friendship and Album Quilts (Main Street Press, 1985).” (from the pattern) That is all I am giving up since the designers spent so much time on the pattern I do not want to give away all their secrets.

Here is mine all stitched up – minus the signature part. I have yet to decide if I am going to include that.

I have the second block almost ready to stitch, but I am going to do this one and my others (I will not admit to how many I have – we are talking double digits folks). This quilt has two border options I believe, because you know I can’t remember, I have the appliqué version just because of the bulk of background fabric I received.  I know many of you do not like Blocks of the months and most of the time I would rather pick the fabrics myself, but I have received many from Homestead Hearth and they do an awesome job on the selection of fabrics and they label each piece – sweeeet!

Yesterday was a something of a day. When I got home from work it snowed like crazy, the delivery truck pulled up at about 9am with the trampoline and I was able to get some sleep before picking up the kids. I feel good this morning – so good in fact I am going to head to the quilt room – which has now been cleaned and work on yet another block of the month I had started. Hopefully I can post it tomorrow since the block I was working on is almost complete. Then I must, since I promised Alice, break open the box and begin the task of assembling the trampoline – fun fun! Have a great day!!

Bird In The Hand Primitives

I don’t know about you guys but I cannot get enough of embroidery. I love making dolls, make-dos, etc, which seems like forever since I have made any, but I guess since embroidery is more of a travel-friendly thing I do it all the time. (I will soon be getting glasses I think because of this). One site I love is Bird In The Hand Primitives. Not only are her (Robin Leuschen) patterns the cutest ever but she always has free doodles, well she calls them doodles, but I think they deserve a much better title. I have done many of her designs. I have this little guy almost finished up. Actually I started him last October because I was making him into a vampire bunny for a friend at work, his boyfriend loves “gothic looking” stuff – so this sweet little guy is not looking so sweet anymore. Anyway, pop over to her site and look at all her patterns and designs!! I think the link above should work, if not use this http://birdinthehandprimitives-robin.blogspot.com/.

Winter Weather

Are you feeling it?  I bet a lot of you are. We are – this is Central North Carolina – we are not supposed to still be cold.  Now they are calling for snow sprinkles later this afternoon. I am done. We have had more snow this year than any year we have lived in NC.  I remember going back up to DC to visit friends in March one year and they were shocked because I already had a tan, I don’t lay out it was from gardening and playing with the kids outside. That wont be happening this year. It is has been pleasant enough, don’t get me wrong, but it has been a colder year.

The kids are driving us crazy – we had ordered them a trampoline a long time ago, it was a Christmas present from their Grandparents and then we covered the rest because they wanted the bigger one. It was supposed to be delivered this week and still no word. We ordered it from one company and some other company does the delivering. When I call to check on the estimated delivery time it just keeps telling me it is reroute to their distribution center, and of course it is one of those places where you cannot speak to a human. So everyday, every morning, we they get picked up from school, when they get dropped off at school, probably even during the school day, they are asking “Is the trampoline here yet.” And I have to give them the same answer and see the same sad faces. I sure wish this delivery company would get it together. I am ready to do some jumping too!

(By the way the picture is from an email I received from a friend of mine – I couldn’t resist using it since I know some of you are really getting pounded this year.)

Snowbound BOM

Thanks to Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs I have started another cutey-cute free block of  the month.  I was behind but I finished up my first two blocks last night. I have decided to do it in wool. I am happy with how they turned out. Now I just need to finish up A Tisket A Tasket BOM, I still have three to go. Yikes!!!

Still thinking about my fabric situation. It is so hard for me. I go in and one minute I look at it all and think of all the wonderful things I can make and another minute I am thinking “What was I thinking?”. Maybe when work settles down everything wont seem so overwhelming. It sure is a mess in there though. I have just been spending small amounts of time in there so I go in there, throwing things around and it looks like a tornado went through or Alice :). Just kidding Ali-bear!!!

Redwork Block 4

Redwork Block 4
Originally uploaded by stitchin.thyme

I can't remember now if I decided to do 12 blocks or 9 for my redwork quilt. I just got home from work and believe I am too tired to think.

I have decided to do something I didn't think I wanted to do. My friend has been telling me I should sell some of my stash that I don't use, and I keep saying "No, I may use it someday." I have all this pretty fabric, quiltshop fabric, not cheapy stuff, you have seen the pictures, if not take a look at my quilt room pictures on my Flickr page and you can see it. The pictures don't even show it all. It is ridiculous. I will never use it all. So, I think I am going to have a "spring cleaning" of my quilt room, including fabric, patterns, everything. I feel the need to clean, I feel so overwhelmed by it all. Maybe it has something to do with working all these hours, I am not sure, but I NEED to pare down. I haven't planned it out, I know I wont be giving it away, no freebies - at least I don't think, I am not made of money, heck some of it is probably not even paid for yet. I keep thinking there has to be some in there I don't really like anymore and I use to binge purchase so there is probably some I never really liked in the first place. I will keep you posted, so keep a lookout.

Have a great day!!!

Flea Market

What fun we had yesterday at the Flea Market downtown. It was a beautiful day, a little cool at first but the sun came out and it was awesome. Perfect treasure hunting weather. It was packed – everyone had the same idea – including this little fellow who was riding in style:Natalie was our photographer during the outing. She took a ton of pictures.  They had a Ford car show going on. Gordon was able to get his fix on cars. Do you like Gordon’s pants, we cannot tear them away – they are like 4 inches too short, he doesn’t care, and the shirt, don’t get me started, I will just say it gets washed about 4 times a week.They even had an old North Carolina Highway Patrol Car. Gordon loved it:Gordon was also in bottle heaven. He collects old glass bottles and couldn't get enough of them. He is very selective, which is a good thing. He really wanted these  little tiny blue ones:They were over $150 a piece. We didn’t get them.

Alice and Gordon also found these sewing machines. They had great prices on them, I am not sure if they worked or not, they looked to be in great shape.

A strange thing happened while we were there. Everywhere you looked there was some type of naked statue or item. What was funny was they were all at different tables except a few.  Natalie set about taking photos of them all, here is just a sampling:I think my favorite is the salt and pepper shakers – what were they thinking?

My kids had a blast, Natalie only because she could take pictures and she found a zillion glass ball weights. She collects the round ones. She doesn’t really like the “treasure hunting” thing. Gordon on the other hand would stay out there all day – picking through boxes. He loves looking at all the different treasures.    

I had Natalie take a picture of this guy – I thought he was pretty cool:We had a great time. We walked around for a little over 3 hours. We were all pretty happy to sit when we got to the car.

Here are all the treasures we got:

Log Cabin Quilt

I began working on a log cabin quilt last night and thought I had the colors all picked out. But as I was laying them out to sew together I didn’t feel there was enough contrast or something. Something was not right. But then I looked at them and thought I liked them but the colors were not like a traditional log cabin – or at least what I thought of as a traditional log cabin. My question to all you quilters is – in your opinion does a log cabin block have to have the darks on one side and lights on the other or does it matter. Can they be all jumbled up?? I like them all jumbled up but do they look funny?

The block on the left is all messed up – I didn’t pin and realized I am not that good that I cannot pin!!

Okay off to sleep for me, work tonight. My last week of 4 nights – yippeee!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited. Have a great day!!

Gary!!

Gary is finished! Unfortunately, Alice is sleeping so she cannot see it yet. I am much happier with it now that I took the other stitches out and re-quilted it. Alice will love it – I hope!

Sorry about the crooked picture!

Melly & Me

I finished up the Princess and the Pea block for the Melly & Me quilt “Once Upon a Time”.  This is such a cute quilt. I can’t wait to pick the fabrics to go with it.  Today was a great mail day. My friend Sharon from Liberty Rose sent me the rest of the Calendar Girls blocks. I cute the fabric as soon as I got home from picking up the kids. I will trace then tonight. Sharon has been really sick so lets all send her healthy vibes!!

Also tonight I have to finish quilting on Gary. I had quilted it once, and ended up pulling out stitches all night at work. I made  Alice cry – she did not like what I had done to it and told Natalie I “ruined” it. I wanted to cry. I thought she would have loved what I had done, I quilted her name, Gary and added some embellishments in Garys bowl that looked like food. She hated it. So at work the other night, I picked out stitches. I will quilt it tonight and hopefully not “ruin” it again.

I am very excited, we (the whole family) are going to go to the Flea Market tomorrow. Yippee!! I love the Flea Market, the kids love the Flea Market (well maybe not Natalie so much), hubby I hope loves the Flea Market. We pretend we are treasure hunting-  because of course – that is what we are doing.

Have a great weekend and I hope you have a stitchy one!!!

 

Crazy Among Friends

Tall Basket w/Star
Originally uploaded by stitchin.thyme

My friend Janet and I started a quilt last year from the Buggy Barn book Crazy Among Friends. We have not worked on any blocks for some time so yesterday we decided to start it up again. We did the tall basket with star block and they turned out very nice. I uploaded the pictures of the other blocks we had done onto Flickr so if you want to see those just click on the basket image. We had a nice day sewing and sometimes maybe a little swearing (yeah this style of piecing takes a little getting use to and we haven't done it in a while).

It is off to bed for me - work tonight - hope you guys have a great one!!

Redwork Quilt

  I finished up another block for my redwork quilt. I thought I was doing so well until I counted my blocks and I only have 3 done. What was I thinking?

I got off work this morning and headed straight to the dentist. I had a cavity that needed to be filled. Don’t you know I had another cavity!!!!!!!!! What in the world.  Growing up I never has cavities and now every time I walk into the dentist office I have another one. I had the two filled and she had to take another xray of the tooth that is bothering me, the one that is cracked from grinding my teeth. Doesn’t look good. I have to have a root canal and maybe – If I am lucky – she says just a crown but she thinks she may have to pull it because of the crack. I vote for just pulling it, it would save me a bunch of money. With the insurance covering half it would still be over a grand to have the root canal and crown. PULL IT OUT!!!!!! I will not be doing it any time soon. So I will just have to continue living with the pain. I am up for it.

Good news is everybody is well – no sickies in this house (today).

More good news – my friend Janet is coming over today and we are going to work on the Buggy Barn Friendship quilt we had started last year. Seems like forever since we have worked on it.

I am very excited – I would smile but my face is still numb. I tried to take a picture of myself to show you my numb face and I got to playing with the Picknik site and I have a before and after picture of me:

Isn’t that hilarious – the picture on the right shows what I looked like about 12 years ago or so with a little blush etc. I have found my new love. I will be playing with this site forever. Pretty cool! Love it! I look marvelous!!!! HA HA

Okay the dogs are crying- that usually means one of them was a bad doggie!! Gotta go!!

Frances the Fish

Frances the Fish
Originally uploaded by stitchin.thyme

Well we thought Alice was finished but Saturday was another day of the bug. Poor little sweetie, she was absolutely miserable. She was so let down because she thought (and we thought) it was over. I had plans to finish up the Gary quilt for her but I didn't have time, she needed to cuddle and I can't do that sitting at the sewing machine. I was able to finish up the second block from Willowberry Designs Free BOM. Isn't he adorable. It looks like Alice may be getting this quilt also, she loves the designs.
Alice seems to be better today. My husband and I are both feeling "weird" , a lot of body pain and nausea, but so far nothing coming out. Natalie and Gordon seem to still be in the clear, lets hope it stays that way.
I think I am off to work on Gary, I hope I can!

Beckys Tablerunner

Beckys Tablerunner
Originally uploaded by stitchin.thyme

I can finally post the table runner/wallhanging I made for Becky my swap partner in the Tea/Coffee Flickr group. I had so much fun making this. I have not used bright colors in so long it was great diving into the colors. The pattern is "Folk Art Stars" by Cotton Way. This version is much different than the original. I tried to pull colors from a cannister set she has in her kitchen. I am so glad she likes it!!

Today is a better day…

Alice is feeling a bit better today. She slept last night and I am trying to get her to eat a little, but she is complaining her stomach hurts too bad.  She did eat a little crackers, but she is drinking well so she is on the mend.  Now the rest of the family anxiously awaits the next victim!!

Yesterday I received my packages from my “Tea/Coffee Buddy” from the Flickr group I belong to. Becky is my buddy, and oh what a great buddy she is. The goodies she sent me are beautiful. She is a very talented lady. Take a look: She spoiled me – Thank you Becky!!! Her package had not arrived as of yesterday, she lives in an area that just got pounded by snow so she couldn’t make it to her mailbox. I am so anxious for her to get it, I think I might tell her to slap some skis on!!!

Poor Little Ali-Bear!!

My little Alice caught the gastro/intestinal bug from school. My husband called me at work this morning at about 1:40 a.m. and said she was throwing up.  Poor little Alice called me about 4 times on my way home.  I got home at quarter to eight and she was still going. Let me just say the house smelled lovely.

I had gotten up the morning before at 6:30 a.m. so it had been 25 hours since I had slept last, I was fearing the worse. I went ahead and called into work which I feel totally bad about. It is hard to get 3rd shift covered and March marks my year anniversary – and I have not missed any days, oh well, didn’t quite make it.

My husband took Natalie and Gordon to school and I put Alice in the shower and began cleaning. I would much rather smell Clorox  cleaner that what I was smelling. Alice was happy, she said she was glad she didn’t have to smell that smell anymore. I put her in bed with a cold rag on her head and you would have thought she won the lottery. She thought the cold rag was the most awesome thing ever. I think the worse was behind her.

This was my Ali-Bear all day: I’ve been having her sip on water all day and she seems to be keeping it down now. She is moving on to better liquids – she is so thirsty and wants to just guzzle – so I can’t leave a drink alone with her!

The Girlie Monster!

I will start off slow with this post, I don’t want to put those who know me well into shock.  I have always been the type of person who likes different things. I go from one extreme to the next like it is no business. Almost like a split personality or something. My fabric collection is a sign of that. I have pretty pastels and then I have fabrics that I have dyed the grungiest they can be. I have always been like that in life. Clothes are no exception.  I am just as happy in a pair of ratty, holey jeans and a “Rancid” t-shirt (yeah you will have to look that one up – it is a punk band)  as I am in a pretty pastel shirt and skirt. Well maybe not as comfortable but you know what I am saying. I don’t do my hair, I don’t wear make-up, I don’t get my nails done (probably because I bite those off). But every once in a while the “girlie monster” deep inside of me wants to be heard. This past weekend was her weekend to bug me. I say bug me because I don’t have a lot of pretty things, at least pretty things that actually fit me anymore. So to satisfy her I would actually have to buy something.

We went to the mall this weekend with the kids. It was great. Because of working so much we don’t really have much time to do things together so it was great to be able to do. Alice got her ears pierced. I couldn’t actually get a good picture of her ears – she was getting ready for school and a little too tired. But she is a cutie and in her eyes all grown up with those pierced ears.

We parked outside of Macy’s and had to walk by the handbag department. I am a sucker for bags, not really purses, but bags yes. You know the kind – you can throw everything in it and have room for a lunch and some sewing and maybe a change of clothes (okay maybe not that big). Well, this bag catches my eye, oh man it is pretty (to me). I drag the family over to look at it and I pick it up, it is beautiful and soft and it smells of leather.  I am so sorry animal activists out there – I do love animals and I feel guilty for loving it but we don’t really decide what we love do we? So I “fondle” it just as I would a beautiful bolt of yummy fabric. I put it over my shoulder and model it for the family. They are not in the least thrilled. I put it down and walk away after seeing the price tag. Not going to happen – I think of the fabric I could buy for that price. But I keep looking back at it – wishing for it – longing for it like a forbidden love.

We do our shopping, have a great time. And as we are leaving the mall the girlie monster shows her face again at  the show department.

Here is a little background - Before we had kids my husband and I both made awesome money and we spoiled ourselves. It got to a point where my husband would not let me bring in a new pair of shoes without getting rid of a pair. We just didn’t have the room for them all.  Now it is not so bad, I have my flip flops, my converse, and a couple pairs of work shoes. But mainly for work I wear my boots here:

I’ve had them for about 7 years and they are nice and comfy. So these are mainly my work shoes. If life was perfect I could just wear my flip flops everyday.

I could not find a picture to show you the shoes that caught my eye. Here are some that are similiar:

Crazy cute right?

But I thought – okay I could wear them with my jeans, but I have no shirts that would go, so then I would have to buy shirts. Then that would lead to okay, maybe I do need some pants or a cute dress/skirt to go with them and then that would lead to I should wear makeup and get my hair done, you see where I am going with this. Not going to happen, I didn’t even look  at the price tag.

There were these also, but it doesn't really stay cold long enough here to warrant these:

The two little ones decide they want to ride up and down the escalator a couple times, so my husband takes them over and tells me to go look at the bag. What is he thinking, I know what he is thinking. He thinks there is no way I will get the bag because he knows that I will be thinking about the fabric opportunities that amount of money would give me. So he comes over after the ride and he is like, “Are you going to get it?” Then the sales lady comes over and says it is twenty percent off and since Alice is wearing red it is another twenty percent off of that (they were having some sort of promotion for wearing red). At this point I am sweating – what do I do, this is ridiculous. I pick it up – put it down, hug it, throw it over my shoulder again and again. My husband is like just get the bag, you deserve it. Ah man, he is killing me.  A lady comes over with her two daughters and says she has been looking at that bag for two weeks.

At this point I have my four family members, the sales lady, this lady with her two daughters, they are all staring at me. Oh my what to do, I say YES!!!! I want the bag, and it is done and I feel guilty for a moment, until my husband says not to feel guilty, I deserve it. He is the best!!! So I have the bag, it is great, I love it! The boots would look nice with the bag don’t you think?

So enough about fashion. I did finish up the next redwork block for my quilt. This was a free design from Barbara Parrish.  I used the two strand Cosmo floss I got from Crab-Apple Hill’s web site. Even though it feels like silk I still had a problem with it fraying and breaking.  I use a fusible woven stabilizer for the backs of my stitcheries and I am wondering if that is not the cause of my floss fraying and backing.  I will have to do some tests on that. Okay – I am off to do some dancing with Wii Fit. The kids got this game for Christmas called ""Lets Dance” or something like that, has a bunch of 90’s songs from MC Hammer, Dee Lite, Spice Girls, groups like that. Songs that annoyed me when they came out but now that I am old I think it is pretty funny to dance to them. I played the game for the first time last week and it was a blast. I was soaked with sweat after about 45 minutes of playing it and my body hurt for 2 days, but it was fun. My days of clubbing are over, but I can now pretend I am in the privacy of my living room with the kids at school and the husband at work. No peeking in the windows!