Two Celebrations

The first and most important is today was my little buddy’s birthday!! Gordon turned 10 today, it is so hard to believe. I let him play hooky from school and we ate at his favorite restaurant and he spent his birthday loot shopping for Xbox goodies. It rained all day but it didn’t ruin our day. We had a lot of fun together. I will miss these days when he doesn’t want to spend time with his old mom.

The next celebration is getting closer!  Starting on April 1st the PAFA Etsy team is going to have it's first ever celebration.  What's a celebration?  Well, numerous PAFA team members have created special items to celebrate the fact Spring has sprung and on April 1st we will all be listing our items for your purchasing pleasure over on Etsy. 

Starting on April 1st, just type in STPAFA in the search box to find all of the wonderful items created especially for the PAFA Spring Celebration.  Here's a sneak peak of one of my items that I created for this event:

I call her the “Key to Spring Fairy Angel,” she has the key that opens the door to the wonderful Spring weather and beautiful flowers. She is my contribution to the celebration. I am hoping I will have some others to contribute also.  I hope that you'll come visit the PAFA Etsy team starting on April 1st to see all of the wonderful items created by these talented artisans. Remember, just type STPAFA into the search box starting on April 1st through 14th and happy Spring shopping!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and finding a little time for stitching.

Jennifer

 

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Saturday Sewing

I wanted to show you some progress I made Saturday night. I sewed all night. I was able to get six angel/fairy dolls sewn and stuffed. I still have four heads to stuff, but I got a great start.

Three bears are waiting to be stuffed and I also have some stuffed wool bunnies and chicks ready for finishing.

I drank a little caffeine and had the music blaring, singing my lungs out. My ears will be hating me later not only from the caffeine but from my singing, but I enjoyed myself. Louise was not at all impressed:

Well I better get off this computer my husband is trying to sleep and I am not being very considerate.

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday and find a little stitching time!

Jennifer

Two more Bears Finished!

I finished the other two bears and I am so pleased with them. I forgot to mention before I used a pattern from Sweet Meadows Farm but I shrunk it a bit because I wanted them smaller.

This is the 15” Bear:

And here is the 13” bear:

I have listed them on Facebook at the Primitives and Antiques Group and the other at the A Primitive Journey (APJ Prim Selling Group) Pages. They are each $35 with shipping included if anyone is interested let me know.

I thought I would give those groups a try and see how it works. I have seen some awesome items listed there.

I had a lot of fun with this bears and the kids already have their requests in for their bears so I better get busy!! Have a great night!

Jennifer

Who is this dashing fellow?

Isn’t he a handsome little guy? I just finished putting him together and I am very happy with him. I made three all together a 13”, 15” and he is 17” from head to toe.  I was trying to figure out what size I liked. I had this fabric someone had given me and I thought it was perfect. I have a couple other fabrics my daughters and I have lined up to try out on the bears also, so be prepared to see more bears. I cannot decide if I want to grunge these up or leave them be they look so sweet.  What do you think?

I also marked down all my fabric on Etsy, so if you want go check it out. All my listings are almost done on Ebay and I think I will leave it that way for a while.

Off to do laundry!!! Yay me! I hope you have a great day and find a little stitching time!!

Jennifer

I did a little more on my Friends for Christmas block. There is not enough fabric to do the bias vine in the kit so I will have to choose something from my stash. I am not in the bias strip mood right now so that will have to wait. I am not putting embellishments on until after I quilt the quilt. Several blocks at the beginning I stitched by hand and put embellishments on already. I thought I would keep them off for now one to make the quilting easier.

I stitched up the sheep pillow and that will go on my selling blog today. It looks sweet sitting in my blue chair.

I will be taking all of my spring items to the Rusty Bucket on Monday or Tuesday. That includes on my selling blog, Etsy and Ebay. If anyone out there is interested in any of them – grab them now because they will be off for the Spring Open House at The Rusty Bucket in Apex, NC.

I hope everyone is enjoying their day and finding a little stitching time. It is actually hot outside here today – hot for me is anything over 65 and it is about 83 degrees. Uggh.

Jennifer

Just call me the Pillow Lady!

I completed a redwork stitchery and a wool applique last night and guess what. I will probably make them into pillows. That seems to be my way doesn’t it. Stitch it, sew it, stuff it. I like pillows because you can put them almost anywhere. I thought I would change it up and make a couple wall hangings but no, I decided today they will become pillows. They are both rather large, about 11” x 14”, wouldn’t they look sweet tucked in a chair or on a bed. I think so. Maybe I will finish them up tonight.

The redwork is a pattern by someone, someone very talented but I cannot remember who. When I figure it out I will let you know. I have this habit of tracing designs onto fabric, I believe I have told you this before, I have hundreds traced out and did not write who did them. So now I have to search my pattern notebooks and locate the patterns to figure out the designer. Isn’t she sweet.

I got the new pattern called “Bunny Tails” by Brenda Gervais.

I changed it up just a little. I love it!

Don’t they both scream spring! I love them. I really want to do the other two projects in the pattern, right now!

So, this morning was kind of exciting. When I got off work I went to have a mammogram – yippee for me. I get one every year. My mother was about 38 the first time she had breast cancer and she passed away after an 8 year battle with it when she was only 56. It will be three years ago on the 27th. She always swore the mammograms were not good enough to detect cancer, she said it missed hers and swore by the ultra sound,  but insurance companies don’t want to pay for that and I don’t have the money, so I will just take my chances with the mammogram and get squished every year.

Well, I should get going. Have a super day and don’t forget to find a little stitching time!

Jennifer

I Couldn’t Resist!

I decided since I was doing some applique on the sewing machine I would cut out the next block for the Girl Gang 2008 block of the month. And then when I got it cut out I decided I might as well stitch them down on the machine while it was ready. I think I may go back over the three blocks I have done because I like how the stitching looks.

I can’t say I like the fabrics that were chosen for this block, maybe after I do some decorative hand stitching on them I will like it.

I also finished up another stitchery pillow yesterday and posted it on my selling blog. The second picture is the fabric I used on the back of the pillow.

On a serious note, I am keeping in my prayers and I hope you are the people of Japan.  I am so worried about my friends April and Gene, I wish they could just come home. But they are the kind who want to stay and help. I know her mother flew over there today and they are volunteering for the Red Cross. Gene is a doctor who before he was stationed in Japan set up mobile hospitals in Afghanistan. They both have always been someone I would want around if I were in need, they are a couple of real good people. God bless them.

Off I go, I am having such fun in the quilt room lately I don’t want to leave it. Have a great Wednesday and don’t forget to find a little stitching time.

Jennifer

Tuesday Finishes

I finished up block number 4 for the “War & Pieces” from the old pattern by Barbara Brackman and Karla Carney Menaugh. This one is the Federal Eagle block. Here is an excerpt from the pattern explaining the block. “This patriotic block with it federal eagle and pair of Union flags represent the fervor that swept across the country when the war began in April, 1861.”

When I was doing the shield I decided to use iron on stabilizer and I was not really paying attention and ironed it to the wrong side. So I had to go through my fabric stash and find similar fabrics. I only had the red and had to replace the other two as you can see.

I also started the last block for my “Friends for Christmas” quilt by Lynette Anderson.

I hope I can finish the block and get the quilt pieced soon. I had ordered this as a block of the month from Homespun Hearth years ago and the fabrics they chose are awesome.  Here is the quilt in case you forgot what it looked like.

Here are three bunnies that are going on my selling blog tonight. These two are variations of a pattern/class I made/taught when I worked at the quilt store years ago.

This one I adapted from a older pattern by Soft in the Head.

Here are all three – Please ignore the dust bunnies – they were fighting to get into the picture also.

Off to cook dinner. Have a great week and don’t forget to find a little stitching time!

Jennifer

I just finished two more blocks for the 2008 Girl Gang quilt I had started a while ago. Both of them are pumpkin blocks.

I did not prep them very well and used the needle turn method. I may end of going back and use pearl cotton to blanket stitch them. I have not decided yet. I have only finished one more block on this quilt, which was this flower pot block.

I am happy I finished these blocks. I feel much more motivated now.

Now to show off some goodies I got this week. Bunny Hill Designs had this cute little Hello Kitty lunch box filled with Cosmo floss, embroidery scissors and a few other goodies. Had to get that!

Time to get into shape. I started off reading the 21 Pounds in 21 Days which is a Detox book. I use to do a lot of juice detoxes when I was a young single gal. I have not come to the detox part of the book yet and I am on chapter two. I hope I get to it soon because I get bored and impatient pretty fast.

And the last of the goodies came from Country Stitches. I ran out of the Princess greenery last year at Christmas and decided to go ahead and stock up.

I am progressing on my stitchery blocks for the Garden Journal quilt also. I have been busy in between work and life and I am feeling very good about it. Nice to be busy.

Have a super rest of the weekend and don’t forget to find a little stitching time!

Jennifer

Bunny

I finished a bunny tonight using the pattern by Sweet Meadows Farm’s Bunnies Galore. I love how she turned out.

She is available for sale on my selling blog here.

I made four all together but I have not made the dresses for the others. Hopefully I will get them done this weekend.

Have a great Saturday - Jennifer

Easter Pillow

Here is a 7”x9” pillow, I stitched it on walnut crystal stained muslin and backed it with wool felt. Great for a sweet Spring or Easter decoration to tuck in a couch, a shelf or anywhere that needs a little primitive decoration. Available on my selling blog here!

Back to the sewing room – hope everyone has a great weekend!

Jennifer

Japan

You may know I have a dear friend who lives in Japan and right now is not the best time to be in Japan. I am asking that you pray for all those affected by the awful tragedy Japan is having to endure. I saw on my friends Facebook her husband talked to his parents and they are okay, I hope they stay that way!

A Fun Trip!

The family and I took a little mini vacation. We went to Wilmington, NC, to see the Battleship and do a little sight seeing. I was actually born in Wilmington but because my mother was military we moved around quite a bit when I was young. I wanted to show the kids where I was born. I remember before we moved from NC going to see the Battleship and thought it was the coolest thing.

We actually stayed in Carolina Beach at an awesome hotel. We were on the 8th floor. We actually had a two room suite, the kids were so excited, they thought it was an apartment. Our room was the second one down on the right. Exciting huh – lol.

Pigges and PIgger got to come on the trip also! Those lucky pigs!

The first night we swam in the pool and hot tub.

We also dipped our tootsies in the ocean. It was very cold. The sky was overcast so it was a little chilly while we were there.

Here is a view from our balcony.

We had dinner at this place, Havana’s. Oh my goodness, I do believe it was the best seafood I have had in a very long time. Pricey but worth every penny and then some. We all decided we would like to make a special trip just to eat dinner here again.

The second day we went to see the Battleship.

With our trusty Captain and First Mate I am sure we will make it safely out of port. (I think that is what they call it – I was Air Force, I am not sure what the Navy ranks are.)

My hubby was wearing two hats while we were at sea, the Chef and the Post Master, oh wait, that is what he is at home

Honestly, Natalie and I got a little bored towards the end, but we fought back the yawns and tried to have a good time.

When you arrive they snap a quick picture of you and then stick you in different images. We bought the cd because it was kind of funny, plus I think this is the first time in a while we were all in the same shot.

For lunch we ate an an awesome deli and ice cream shop. My husband got the hot dog with chili, topped with Fritos, yes I said Fritos, the corn chips. I tasted it and it was actually pretty good. We also did a little shopping at the Cotton Exchange.

We had a great time and it was so nice to get away. I think poor little Louise wanted us gone a little longer though. When I went to pick her up she wasn’t at all excited to see me. I think she was spoiled while we were away.

Now I am off to do some crafting or sleeping. I just got off work and it is raining, perfect sleeping weather but I am motivated to create so I am torn. Have an awesome day and don’t forget to find a little stitching time!

Jennifer