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Monday, December 31, 2012

Hexagon Quilt

The Hexagon Quilt got a home.  My friend took my dog for over 3 weeks while I was recuperating from hip replacement  and this is a thank you gift at her home.


Saturday, December 29, 2012

I Spy Swap

I am participating in my first online fabric swap.  I am excited!!! I am participating in Polly's I Spy Fabric Swap  and I am really excited!  Thanks Polly for hosting it!



Here are my 4 inch squares for the exchange!






Saturday, December 22, 2012

Scrappy Quilt for Donation

I am still on the get rid of scraps kick and so far doing well.  Of course, I have a quilt to quilt and another one to finish but instead I am procrastinating and working on my mission of scraps.  Wilkes County Quilt Guild donates quilts to many different places.  One is the children's home where foster child go when necessary.  The guild gives every child a quilt to have with them for life.  There is a specific pattern for this quilt.  On Friday's I go to Breakfast with the Biddies ( with an older member of the guild and a few other people not guild related).  My favorite biddie suggested that in order to get my scraps used up to make a quilt for the children's home.  This is what I came up with:





It's a bit orange but not finished or near finished.  What amazes me is this is just from fabric that I had in my stash!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Scraps scraps and more scraps

I have been trying to do something with my scraps of fabric for about two years.  I tried sewing them all together, cutting them into squares and making a quilt.  I had gotten it mostly together, let is sit for a few months and then recently took it apart into all those 8 in squares.  And there they now sit.

We had Bonnie Hunter as our guest speaker for our last Quilt Guild meeting and since then I have been ironing, cutting and sewing scraps, scraps and more scraps.  I think I like the monotony of it all right now as I am still recuperating and energizing so I can be back to more normal soon.  (I go back to work in two weeks and I still tire easily)

Here are a few pictures of what my scrap collection was and then became.  Don't get me wrong!  I still have lots and lots and lots of scraps in my sewing room.  But I do feel like I made a dent in them!

Orange Half Square Triangles

Green Half Square Triangles

Scrap pile on the ironing board

Second Scrap pile

More two inch squares


What am I going to do with all this?  I haven't quite decided but I must say I am excited and going to continue to make more and more and more.....then I'll get back to you!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Hearts from Guild

Our Quilt Guild gives out heart blocks for anyone who is under the weather.  While I was in rehab, the guild had sent me the heart squares.  I was under the impression that I would get one square but instead I got 12 squares.  I knew right away that I wasn't going to keep them and one of my guild friends told me every time she gets some, she returns them (so they can give them to someone else).  I decided to make a baby quilt for one of my two donation quilts.  Here is what I came up with so far.
Tell me how you like it and what else I can do with it!


Birds vs. Squirrels

Ever since I moved to this house (6 years ago) , I have had a struggle with the squirrels vs feeding the birds.   I would find the squirrels eating from the bird feeders all the time.  I would open the door and throw stuff at them to get them to move.  I would sick Chuck my vicious Chocolate Lab to chase them away.  A year and a half ago my son was visiting and he bought me two squirt guns so then I would just have to open the back door and shoot!!!

NOTHING WORKED!!!

Today, I caught them on film!  Damn you squirrels!!!  Damn you squirrels!!!


DAMN YOU SQUIRRELS!!!

Secret Santa 2012

I participated in the Secret Santa that Colorado Lady hosted.  I find these swaps to be exciting and fun.  This year I was down for the count for part of it, so I sure hope my gift was creative enough for my Secret Santa from Texas!

Yesterday, I had our Quilt Guild Christmas party where we did an exchange of gifts and then when I got home I noticed a package at my back door.  I was excited when I realized that it was from my Secret Santa who is also from Texas!  This is not who I sent my package to!!!

Opening my package was so much fun:  first thing I noticed was everything was purple (my favorite color!!!)  Thank you Secret Santa, that was exciting.  I want to thank you Secret Santa from Texas for all my gifts.  I will use all of them with the excitement of this exchange.  Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy and safe Holiday Season!!!


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Thank you Bonnie Hunter for my new addiction!!!

Our guild meeting had a guest last month, Bonnie Hunter from Quiltville and I now have a new addiction.  I looked at her Easy Street but because I recently had hip surgery and my attention span is still that of a flea, I decided to start easier then her Easy Street and just cut 2" squares and make 4 patches from them.  This was fun and easy and I saw how she said whenever you sew, always add a few 2" square sewing in to the beginning and end of whatever you sew.  She also said when you cut fabric for a quilt or project to finish cutting the piece.  I have done that and cut everything I can into 2" squares.

I have thoroughly enjoyed doing this and find it very relaxing....but now I have a bazillion 4 patches and I am not sure what I am going to do with them but I must say, that I love them and I love them together.

Here is an example of some that I just had to throw up on my design wall.



So THANK YOU BONNIE HUNTER!!!  I LOVE MY NEW ADDICTION!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Donation Quilt

At our guild September meeting, we did a strip swap where all of us had to buy a yard of fabric and cut it into 2 1/2 in strips for an exchange.  Most of the guild members will do nothing with it but I figure since we need to make donation quilts that I would put together a baby quilt from those strips.  Here it is:

Add a 3 in border and I'm done!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Last Winter / Praises to the Seam Ripper

Last winter I decided to start using up my scraps and I would just sew them together and later cut them up into squares.  At the time, I really really liked how it was turning out.  I took it out again yesterday and tried putting borders on it and all of a sudden I decided I did NOT like it this way.  So today is seam ripper day and I will take it all apart.  I think I might put a border around each square and try again.  I am not sure what color to use because I tried black and it was just too dark.  Any ideas??

Sorry picture is so bad...something about the sun coming in !!  LOL

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Bored?? Make Felted Soap

It has been three weeks since my hip replacement and while I am getting better quickly, it is still a slow process.  I am making progress every day and for this I am thankful.  I noticed that I am somewhat bored yet I still have the concentration of a flea, so today I got creative and took down my box of roving and my bar of Dove soap and went to town.

Dove Soap

Roving

Side one


Side 2

Not bad for my first try!  I didn't have anymore soap in my house otherwise I would have gotten even more creative.  Let's see what tomorrow brings creatively!



Sunday, November 18, 2012

Work in Progress

One of my side projects (pre hip surgery) was to take my old garden rake and make it into a necklace/electronic cord hanger.  When I found this project on Pinterest, it was for a necklace hanger but I keep all my electronic devices cords in my bathroom hanging from a sconce and decided this project would work for my cords.

I took the rake, sanded it well (I had no clue it was a yellow rake), painted it and now its waiting to go up on the wall.  Meanwhile, in my bathroom, I have taken most of the wallpaper down and stain glassed two areas under my mirror.

It all started one day while sitting on the toilet and the wallpaper next to me was peeling.  I have lived in this house for over 6 years and never liked or changed the ugly wallpaper in my bathroom.  So I started peeling the paper and then a day later as i was looking in the mirror, I realized that what I peeled off looked like my last boyfriend.  Tall, big bell, long torso, short legs and small ass.   In person, he was better looking and tall.  Remember he is my ex boyfriend.



This lead to more peeling and other doings in my bathroom.






I still don't have it on the wall because I need to finish taking the paper down and paint the room.  I think I might paint it a sage green.

Then I decided to stain glass part of my wall by the mirror.  This still isn't finished as I need to grout it and then it's done!  Just a small set back...




I completed the stain glass at both sides of the mirror.  I, obviously just don't have a picture of it.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

I'm still here!

It's been a long while since my last post and all I can say is I have been taking care of myself physically.  I now have my new hip and am recovering well.  It's not like I haven't been crafting, sewing or being creative.  I just have had a different focus:  a more selfish focus.

I have expanded out some to where I am about to try batiking fabric scraps.  I am gathering all the equipment while I am recuperating and in two or three weeks I will make my first attempt.  I am excited about it as I am so into using up all my scraps and batiking will help me use up my muslin scraps.

Here are a few pics of what I have been doing the past few months.

 I am making this one for my dog sitter.  One of my dear friends took Chuck during my recuperation.



This one is for my friend who has been my nurse, my babysitter and dear friend who helped me thru the rough times.


This is some knitting projects I finished up on:  a draw string bag, an adult hat and a baby hat.


And this is my boy:  who I am missing and ready to get him back home!
Thank you to everyone for your help and support thru this!  Words can't express my appreciation!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Hippity Hop

       I am going for hip replacement in two weeks.  I have had trouble walking, lots of pain, depression and overall it just plain ol' sucks.  I know about depression so I am trying and struggling to stay on top of it. I know to keep busy and when I finally got rid of some "male" excess baggage, it was amazing how some of my creativity came back despite the pain and depression.

I have a friend, D, who has been taking care and checking up on me since I came back from Alaska in mid August.  Since I have no family local, she will be taking me to the hospital and keeping an eye on me and my house.  Thank you, D.....you have been my life jacket, nurse maid and babysitter.  You don't know how much I appreciate all you have done for me.  It is difficulty for me to take gifts, show weakness and to be sad, in pain and depressed in front of people.

I have S, who will be taking care of my dog for almost two weeks.  S and I have been friends for a very very long time.  While she is a nurse, I do NOT want her to be my nurse during this.  She has supported me mentally for the past 12 years or more.  She and her dog, will be good doggie mom's while I heal.  Her bedside manner just isn't what I need and she lives 1 1/2 hours from me.  Sorry S!

I decided the way to return their generosity and to keep myself from driving myself crazy:  I am making them both a quilt.  I have enjoyed making both of them although they won't be finished in the two weeks I have left.  The top to S's quilt might be finished today or this week but D's won't.  The lady in the local quilt store recommended the pattern for D's quilt because it takes a lot of sitting down work that I can do while recuperating!

Here's S's quilt:
                                                                       

                                                                        From this:





                                                                        To this:



For D's quilt, you work each 15 x 15 inch square separately.  At first, it was hard to sew each piece but as I was told:  the more you do, the easier it is to do.  I agree, now!   I am working on each square separately but plan on leaving a few to cut while I am home recuperating.  D will not get her quilt before Thanksgiving....or maybe her birthday which is is mid November.  I won't have to send hers out to get it quilted which is a bonus.  So far, I love each of the three squares that I have done on her quilt.  It's been fun....




Two totally different quilts and I am having fun doing both!!!


Sunday, September 30, 2012

Wow!!!  I have been thinking about this blog for a long time and haven't posted anything to it in a long time.  Today, I will post and hopefully continue to post for a while.

A lot has been going on but I am not going to try to write about all of that.  One major thing is that I spent two months in Anchorage Alaska teaching Montessori preschool for the summer.  It was the best experience I have had in a long time!!!  I have always wanted to be in Alaska and without much money, a job was definitely the way to go.  Last year sometime, I told my two children that I wanted to celebrate my 60th birthday by us renting  house in AK and everyone coming to visit.  I don't think that is in the cards because I have made arrangements to teach summers there for the next few summers.  So next year, my 60th will be in Alaska but I wont have to worry about my kids (age 29 and 23) arranging for a house!



When I got back, my house was a mess with mold and mildew,  I found out that I need a new hip and I broke up with a BF of 3 years.  Now that the dust is settling from all that, I am sewing and knitting again mostly because I am having difficulty walking.

I have arranged for caregiving when I get my hip and I am feverishly making quilts to give to my caregivers.

Here is what I am working on:

                                                              This is the patttern


                                                       These are some of the fabrics!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Gone for a while...now I am back!

I am not sure why I have been gone for so long but I am back. I haven't sewn since December when i was pumping out those Mug Rugs for all my friends and their friends. Did I burn myself out? Not sure. Today was the first time I went back into the Sewing Room and I moved stuff around and threw some things out. I also found some stuff. The picture below is a baby quilt for our guild. I had all the pieces together, now i should sew it up. Here it is: