Catching up

Well, I survived the shopping trip with our 16 year old daughter!! LOL! Seriously, it was a lot of fun because she enjoyed herself alot. I'm sure it is a lot more fun shopping for clothes after you've lost weight and are beginning to like yourself more. I'm so proud of her and all that she has accompolished!! Here are a couple pictures, even though she'd kill me if she know I put them on here.





I got some packages yesterday too. Unfortunately I was too tired from shopping to post them or play with them yet. Hopefully tomorrow I can sew some! This first picture is of the great kids prints that I received from Nikki in VA. Thanks so much!

I also got a box from Rebecca in MO. She had offered a "PIG" on one of my email lists and I was lucky enough to respond first. So, I got these awesome basket blocks and a bunch of really beautiful coordinating fabric. I really can't wait to start playing with them!

She said that since there was still room in the priority mailing box she decided to include some fabric for me to use as strings. Yea! I love to make Heartstring blocks and it is always good to add new strings to my containers.

I haven't sewn since the other day when I got all those tops done for Sunshine. I had sewed for five hours straight that day and unfortunately I have been feeling it since then. My right arm and shoulder have been killing me! I'm hoping to get back to my machine tomorrow, atleast for alittle bit.

Thanks for all the great comments on the Moda Make Life fabric! I am really hoping to talk my husband into buying it for my birthday and our anniversary. I need to pick a pattern and just ask for the amount of fabric I need. Of course, if I can convince him to buy me more of the fabric that wouldn't be so bad either! LOL!

So, we watched American Idol all this week. I have to say I'm pretty happy with who got sent home this week. I still think Casey James is great but I'm starting to really like Lee Dewyze too. I like the rock quality to his voice! We haven't watched Survivor for this week yet - so don't tell me who went home!

Bye,

Oh man!! I really want this!!!! :)

So, I just discovered this wonderful new line by Moda. It is called "Make Life by Sweetwater" and I am absolutely in love with it!! Here is a picture of all the fabrics in the line.



Now, here is a picture of the fabric I think I like the best out of the line. It is a white background with all the words written in bright multi-colors. I love how cheery and fun it is!!

Here is another picture of all the different fabrics in the line. You can really see the prints better in this one. Aren't they great?!?!

Here is the thing. I have never had any Moda fabric before. Actually, I probably shouldn't admit this but I've never really had any quilt shop quality fabric. Everything I've ever purchased has been from JoAnn's Fabric or Walmart. Pitiful, I know! But money is always tight and I use what we can afford.

I've had friends from the internet send me stuff before and I'm positive that fabric has been quilt shop quality. But it's been just small amounts or scraps for the most part. Don't get me wrong, I totally appreciate it though!

My birthday and our wedding anniversary is in March so I'm hoping to convince my wonderful husband to buy me some (if not all) the fabrics from this new Moda line. If anyone has any suggestions on the cheapest way to get some of this fabric I would really appreciate it. Also, if you have suggestions on the smallest amount I could get and still make a generous lap-sized quilt that would be awesome! Oh, and of course, if you have ideas on a great pattern to highlight these fabrics (especially the ones with words printed on them) I would love that as well!!

Bye,

Working hard today!

I've been sewing up a storm today! I finished three different tops for my Sunshine group. I'm going to start a box of tops to send to one of the quilters on the list. These are my first additions. I made them from the kits that Ann in CA. Next I'm going to work with the crumb blocks that Missy in NY sent me. I sure love working with crumb blocks, they are so fun and easy!


I decided to call this one "Baby Crumbs" because the plain blocks have pictures of little babies in bink and yellow. I think it's fun too because of all the crumbs that usually come along with babies!

I called this one "Sunny Days". The plain blocks are made of the brightest orange fabric with random suns and flowers all over it. It sure made me think of summer while I was putting them together today. Of course, it's still cold and snowy outside so summer is quite awhile away still!

Finally, I called this one "Purple Mountains". The plain blocks are made out of a print with cowboys and indians, plus the border fabric is a pretty purple. It just made me think of purple mountains so I went with it!

We're going shopping for new clothes for our daughter tomorrow. She's lost 40 pounds!!! And as a result her clothes are all hanging off of her. She wants to lose more so we aren't buying everything yet. But we plan on buying atleast alittle bit of everything. She's doing so great and I'm so proud of her! Of course, since shopping with a 16 year old girl can take all day I probably won't be sewing any tomorrow. Maybe on Thursday though!

Bye,

Lots of stuff!

I got a delivery today from a friend on the Sunshine email list. A box of beautiful crumbs came from Melissa in NY. There are 85 kids crumb 8.5 inch blocks and 125 "country" crumb 8.5 inch blocks. Awesome!!!

I also got the rotary blades that I ordered from the LP Sharp company. Go to their site at http://www.lpsharp.com/ and check them out! Great prices and really great service.

My husband and I went out today to run some errands too. While we were out we went to Hobby Lobby to get me some fabric bowl supplies. They had macrame cord so I decided to give it a try. The price per foot was alot cheaper than clothesline!!! I also got some heavy duty "jean" sewing machine needles. Fun!

Unfortunately, now I'm too tired to sew. Hopefully I'll get a second wind later tonight!! I hope everyone has a great day and a fun weekend!

Bye,

Survivor & UFOs

Well, we just finished watching tonight's Survivor and I had to write just a little bit. I am NOT liking James right now!!! I hate the way he acted tonight - too loud and bossy. Plus the previews look like he is going to be that way next week too. On the other hand, I am really liking Boston Rob. It scared me when he passed out but he's going to be fine That team sure wouldn't be the same without him and his leadership!

On to quilting stuff, I've decided to sorta make a schedule for myself. My husband keeps teasing me that I have way too many UFO's. I only have about 15 so I don't think it's that bad but I need to get working on finishing them! But I've really been bitten by the donation quilt bug. And, I keep getting such good ideas from everyone's blogs and emails.

So, here is my plan. On Monday and Tuesdays I'm going to work on donation quilts. On Wednesdays I'm going to work on something new. On Thursday and Fridays I'm going to work on UFOs. And on Saturday and Sundays I can work on whatever I want. Plus, I'm going to try very hard to work for atleast 15 minutes every day. I really like to have a plan so this is probably going to be good for me.

Today I did cheat just alittle because I wanted to finish my second fabric bowl. I got it done! I used up all the clothesline that I had. I really want to make more of these bowls so I have got to get more clothesline or something. Somewhere on a blog I read that somebody used macrame cord instead and it worked just fine. That would probably be alot cheaper!

I did follow the plan today too and worked on my UFO for a whole hour. I had started a Y2K quilt about two years ago - I wasn't really crazy about quilting back when it was really the year 2000. Anyway, lots of great friends sent me 2.5 inch squares and I had big plans of making them into my own Y2K quilt. Of course, life got in the way and the project became a UFO. I dug it out today and got lots of pairs of squares sewn together in an hour. Combined with what I had already sewn, I have about 330 pairs right now. It felt good to work on that today and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow!

Bye,

Something new!

I've been busy the past couple days trying out something new. I found this blog http://www.craftstylish.com/item/33825/how-to-sew-a-fabric-bowl and have been wanting to try it. I finally did and I have to tell you, I'm addicted!!! They are so fun to make! And I love the way they look.


This is the first one I made. I used four colors - blue, green, red and tan. I just did it scrappy and didn't plan out the stripes or anything. I like the way it turned out! There are things I could've done better but it isn't too bad for a first try!







This is the second one that I'm working on now. I'm using the same colors but I'm doing it more planned. I marked the start of my new colors with that painters tape. Then I'm doing two rows of tan in between eight rows of each color. I love the way it is turning out too!

I'm planning on putting these on my sewing table to collect my scraps as I'm sewing. I'd like to get more clothes line to make more things though! I was thinking I could use this idea and make coasters, placemats, rugs, tablerunners, and purses. I really, really love making these fabric bowls!!

So, is anyone watching American Idol?! We are and I already have a favorite. Usually every season I pick out who I like during Hollywood week. A few times I've even picked the winner - like Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry (alright, he didn't actually win but he should have!). Anyway, this year I've got a favorite and I'd love if he won. It's Casey James, the guy with longish blond hair. I really like him!

Oh, one more reality show to talk about. How about Survivor: Heroes vs Villains? I am really liking it too! I'm pulling for the Heroes, especially James. He's great! But if a Villain wins I'm hoping it is either Russel or Boston Rob.

Bye,

Lots to talk about

I haven't been quilting very much because I've been playing nurse for my husband. He is slowly recovering and getting his strenght back. I think the resting is starting to drive him crazy though! He's ready to get back to his old self. I'll admit that I am ready too - I'm missing my loving husband!

I did sew alittle bit yesterday. I started my first fabric bowl using clothes line. It is fun but it was kinda difficult to get started. Once I got the hang of it, I really enjoyed myself. Hopefully I'll get it finished soon and then I'll post some pictures.

One of the Yahoo groups I'm on, Stashbuster, has been having a very interesting conversation about charity quilts. We have been discussing the fact that sometimes people thing that making a quilt for charity isn't as important as a personal quilt. That it is alright to use below standard fabric, or to make only simple patterns, or that the quality of the stitches or quilting has to be higher. All of us have been saying that we don't feel that way at all. That we want to make just as beautiful and high quality quilts for charity as we would for our friends or family. One woman mentioned using the term "community service quilts" instead of charity quilts and I love that idea! I'm going to use that term from now on.

We're getting more snow today!! I can't believe this, it seems as though we are never going to see the grass again. They are forcasting that we may get another six to nine inches today. It really is beautiful as long as I am able to stay inside.

bye,

Surgery is over and everything is fine!

Tom's surgery went just beautifully today. We had to be at the hospital at 6:00 this morning - that is very early for this household! His surgery started at 7:45 and was over by about 8:30. Then we were in recovery until almost 1:00. He had a hard time coming out of the anesthesia. Once we got home he spent the rest of the day resting in his recliner and sleeping. He has a prescription for Vicoden so that is really making him tired, but it is keeping away the pain.

Thanks to everyone for praying for us and the surgeons. It's a relief to have the surgery finished. Now we can focus on getting him better and back to himself! Having him get sick and needing this procedure has really made me reflect on how much I rely on him. He's everything to me and after almost 19 years of marriage I can't imagine my life without him. Praise the Lord that everything is fine!

Bye,

More deliveries!

I got a great box of scraps today in the mail. They are from Tanja in MI and I met her through the Sunshine Yahoo group. I love, love, love all the scraps in here! She said she's going to make a "Lisa Box" to sit on her cutting table and she'll fill it with scraps. I'm excited about that and I love the idea!

I also got my order from Connecting Threads! I love all the beautiful colors in my Essential Threads and the cone holder is going to be so nice. It seems really sturdy too.

I haven't sewn any yet today but I'd imagine I will fit some time in later tonight. Tom's surgery is tomorrow. We have to be at the hospital at 6:00am!! Yuck! I'm alittle nervous so I probably won't get much sleep tonight. It's alright though because I'll pass the time with my sewing machine. Please keep him in your prayers!

bye,

Two more finishes!!

I spent some time quilting last night and most of today!! I got my Quilt for Kids quilt finished. I love this fabric so much.

I also got another quilt finished. This one is made from some of the 9 patch blocks that Pat in UT sent me. It's so pretty!

That makes a total of four quilts I'm going to send off to Quilts for Kids!! I can't believe I got that many finished in just a few weeks. That is one reason why I love making kids quilts, they go together so fast!

I've decided I'm going to spend some time on a quilt for us now. I got this beautiful fabric with some Christmas money and made these quarter square triangle blocks. I've got them quilted together with flannel as the batting and the backing. I'm going to put them together using the quilt as you go technique. I spent some time today getting them all trimmed up and ready to go. Now I need to work on cutting all the connecting strips. Fun, fun!


We're getting another snowstorm today and it's supposed to last through atleast tomorrow! I think it is just so beautiful!!! Tom's gallbladder surgery is Thursday and I'm praying that they have the roads cleared out by then. I'll be driving him home from the hospital and I'm a little nervous about driving in the snow!

Bye,

Lots of packages today!

The mailman is probably getting tired of bringing me so many boxes, but I am loving it!! Today I got 5 different packages!!

These are three kits to use for Sunshine quilts from my friend Ann in CA. The kits are of crumb blocks and plain squares. They should be alot of fun to put together!

I also got a big package that travelled all the way from another country! My friend Barbara in Canada sent me some scraps to play with. There were also a pile of pieced blocks that should go together into a quilt pretty quickly!

And last, but certainly not least, my friend Stacia in WA sent me three boxes full of scraps! That is right.....THREE boxes! WOW! There are a ton of great fabrics in there. Also, there were four pillow panels of Jeff Gordon racing fabric. I'm going to comine them together into a boy's quilt. So fun!

I haven't gotten to sew any yet today, but I probably will be fitting some time in this evening! I've got two quilts sandwiched together so I'll starting the quilting soon. I sure do love my new sewing machine!!!!

Bye,

I've been sewing!

I've been playing with my new machine today! So fun!!! I have been working on my Quilts for Kids kit. It's probably going to be a boy's quilt but I know my daughter would've liked it when she was little. Even though there are other dogs on here I automatically think of 101 Dalmations! Here is the top that I finished today.

I decided to do the border the same way I did the last one. It started out as an "oops!" but I've actually decided that I like it a lot. And it sure makes putting the borders on much easier! Here is a close up.

I think I'm going to go take a nap now. I was up until 2:30 in the morning finishing "The Runaway Quilt" by Jennifer Chiaverini. I really, really liked it a lot. I'm reading through the Elm Creek Quilters series but I'm trying to read it in chronological order instead of the order she wrote them. She's got info on her website about the suggested order and I found some other advice on Amazon. Anyhow, I finished "The Runaway Quilt" last night and will probably be starting "The Lost Quilter" tonight. But right now I'm super tired from staying up so late so I'm off for a short nap before dinner!

Bye,

It's here!!!!

This morning there was a big brown box on my porch waiting for me!!

Of course, I quickly got it into the house and ripped it open! Inside was this wonderful, beautiful box!!!! I can't believe it got delivered so quickly since I used the free shipping option on Amazon. I figured it'd be here next week sometime. Instead it is here now! Yea!

Here is a picture of everything that was included - of course you can't really see all the goodies but I promise they are there!

I spent a long time reading the manual cover to cover - I know, I know, I'm a nerd! And then I started playing and I didn't want to stop! I was having alittle trouble with the tension but I think I've gotten it worked out.

Here is a picture of some of the stitches I can do! It's so fun to have all these different choices. I can't wait to really start sewing and using some of the neat stitches when I'm quilting!

And look at this...... I actually was able to write out our names with the free motion quilting foot! I can't believe I was able to even sorta write "Lisa", "Tom" and "Ashley"!! The back looks terrible but I think I'll get better after I practice some more.

So, you guys can imagine what I'll be doing all weekend long! Oh and we are having a HUGE snowstorm here in Ohio. My husband measured the snow a couple hours ago and we had 5 inches. Plus it's still be snowing strong and heavy. So pretty!!!! And that means we probably won't be going anywhere so I'll have lots of time to play with my new toy!

Bye.

My husband is the greatest!!!

Guess what my wonderful husband let me order from Amazon.com tonight!!!!! A brand new sewing machine! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I have been sewing on a very, very basic Brother machine for the last 5 or 6 years. Before that I had a super old machine that my mother in law had handed down to me. So this new one is going to be just awesome for me! It's a Brother CS6000i Computerized machine. It has lots of features that my old machine doesn't have - like being able to drop the feed dogs, needle down position, extended table attachment, electronic speed control and lots more.
Plus the above presser feet are included. I have never sewn with a walking foot so that is going to be a new experience for me. And the quilting foot will be fun to play with now that I can drop my feed dogs as well. Oh, and the quilt guide is going to come in very handy!

Gosh, I can't wait for it to get here!!! I will be posting lots of pictures for sure when it arrives! I have the best husband in the world!

Bye,