Antique quilts

I went to someones' blog today and found myself deep in this antique quilt heaven. Have you been there yet? You have got to see this site. I was checking out the quilt tops and found a breathtaking baby, a blue work mourning quilt.

Mourning quilts were a way for women to express their grief over a loved one that has passed. I have loved one such quilt for a number of years and have found it in several sources. One of them is, America's Glorious Quilts, 1987. It's not a little book, 11"x14 3/4". On page 74 and at this site, you can view this beautiful quilt. The historical significance is outstandingly wonderful. As a mother, I cannot imagine the pain this woman went thru. What an innovative way to remember.


I read this blog of Jennys' today and laughed. We took our tree down right after Christmas and sorted thru 30+ years of decorations and ornaments, gave some to the kids, thrifted some and threw a bunch of junk away. Then on to the livingroom. I refuse to feel guilty about dusting or not dusting...out it goes! I am on a binge here people, and I love it.

My dh bought me this set of patterns and this set , with the fabric included, and they sit. I need to just do it. I have had a few lovely ladies offer to help me if I needed it. I just need to do it.

These aren't resolutions, they are wishes for me to do better for me. I also wish to start my Christmas gifts NOW so that I may take some time and really enjoy the journey of my craft.

What wishes do you have for yourself for next year? Do you have unfinished projects you wish to finish? Or maybe some other unfulfilled dream.

I am going to finish my baby sewing for my sweet dil, the earthmama. Maybe I will remember to take some pics...diapers, diaper wraps, double sided receiving blankets, swaddlers, and most important, the laying in quilt for earthmama...have you ever made one?

Hugs, Elaine

Christmas morning at our house was busy, then our new (lived with us for 3 months), rottie, Zipper, decided to regurgitate on the carpet. My dh cleaned it up since I have been known to projectile at least 2 days worth of food if I do it. She kinda acted a little sluggish all day. We called the vet and he told us to keep her npo (nothing by mouth) for the rest of the evening after giving him her s/s (signs and symptoms). At this point I should bring up I am an ER nurse. Shouldn't I also be able to read dogs minds too? I guess not.

Zipper died @ 2320 (11:20 pm) on Christmas night. Our extremely wonderful son came over the next morning and dug a grave for her. Thank you Lord for that boy.

The point of this blog post:

Some big dogs, like Zipper, have a predisposition to GVD . If  you have a large dog, or even know someone who has one, please read this.

I can't even talk about it right now but feel compelled to warn others. Maybe I will be back on track next week, I don't know.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I walked past the dining room french doors and yelled at DH to grab the camera...omg, what a beautiful bird. Funny thing is, the branches from our lone pear tree are on the right. Hmm, coincidence...maybe.

Yesterday it was 75 degrees, pic to the left shows the snow at 4:14 this afternoon. Weird.

Our tree is so pretty this year. Lots of chili pepper lights, hand made ornies from years of the kids in school, a black cowboy hat and pink flamingo adorn the top of the tree.

So DH and I did our Christmas decorating. Not very conventional but very cool! Why yes, that is a pink pre-lit tree on the porch, red chili pepper ristras hanging from the eaves and red chili pepper lights adorning the front of the house. After decorating this, snapping the pic, I added the ultimate...a 2' tall wire pink flamingo with it's left leg/foot and beak/head moving. I get very weird here.

It's just the DH and I, the kids visit and probably laugh like hell when they leave. Am I humiliated properly...ah, no, I just smile. When I leave this earth and my kids are still here, they will remember me when they see similar pepper lights or Christmas flamingos!

And Jesus smiles too. Happy birthday Jesus, thanks for visiting my humble but weird house.

And to all my world wide bloggy friends...I love you all bunches, have a beautiful Christmas, kiss your family, eat lots of fudge, kick back and relax.

Merry Christmas everyone...Elaine

I'm back

Finally...never thought I would land on terra firma again, yuck. I had the best  visit with my daughter and her family. Her 3 year old is a pistol! She was busy almost done moving, what a nightmare that is, huh?

My new granddaughter and I had some lovely visits...you grandmothers KNOW what I mean. She thinks I am wonderful and loves me to death! I just couldn't get her away from my little girl long enough to stuff her into my carry on, darnit! And if I could figure out how to get the pic link from facebook to my blog....grrrrrr!!!!

Off to see my new granddaughter!

I'll be back in Texas @ the 15th of December, my new baby awaits my hungry arms! My etsy shop is on vacation mode, plants brought in, dogs petted...and dh will be missed. See you in a few weeks, Elaine

Thanksgiving is for the birds...

yep, turkeys of course! I love Thanksgiving and the food that goes with it. The memories that go along with the food is what I am the most thankful for.

My grandmother (my maternal) always made the best pumpkin pies and cream cheese stuffing for the celery. She also made this wonderful cranberry-jello-orange salad. You have to use that weird food grinder clamped to the table to make this salad...what, use the food processor...oh heck no! You have to clean up the juice from the berries and oranges for days, lol!

I know this is a quilting blog but we have to eat too, don't we?  I am into the cream cheese stuffing, ya gotta love it.

Beau Monde celery stuffing
1 8 oz brick cream cheese
  Soften cheese on counter (grams recipe!) in a bowl for a few hours. Add:
     1 teaspoon each: thyme, savory, marjoram
     1 tablespoon Beau Monde seasoning
     1 tablespoon water
     1 tablespoon dried parsley, crumbled.
Mix everything together and stuff celery, yummo!

Cranberry salad
Put thru grinder: 1 package cranberries, 1 orange (quartered...peels and all), 1 cup walnuts.

Make 2 big boxes black cherry (the cranberry jello wasn't out yet while gram was alive) with 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Open 1 small can crushed pineapple and drain juice...add the juice with water to equal 1  and a half cups, add to jello. Mix 1/2 to 1 cup sugar into cranberry/orange mixture, fold into jello, refrigerate.

I have tweaked the recipe over the years and have no idea what the original really was, lol. I have found that the few people like this salad. My son loves it and I am glad. Maybe he will include it in his family traditions in the coming years.

And speaking of family traditions, the "pumpkin pies" tradition. I have tried to make them, I really have. They just don't scream grandma. So I buy mine. I know, gross. Does anyone have any suggestions for pumpkin pie?

What does Thanksgiving mean to you? Do my bloggy friends in other parts of the world, Germany (hi Liz), Sweden (hi Stina), Australia (oh dear, where do I start...chookyblue, Rhonda, Lizzie, Janet, and bunches more) have a similar celebration?

I have some sewing to do before I get my shopping list for all the things I forgot...lol. Have a great day, Elaine

Clipping the seam lines....or, where is that kid?

The spousal unit reappeared, fed him and now for the pics! You will want to do this when you lots of time and your kid (s) is around. Using the fun little clippers, clip up to the seam line, NOT THROUGH IT. I have seen lots of patterns where you clip every 1/4-1/2". Uhhh, nope, nada, uh-huh. I like to do the clipping every 1/8", every seam and the outer seam line.


You might want to zoom in on the pic to see where the clipping is. Remember to do those "horrible" little corners where the blocks meet.

I like to move the clippers in and clip one or two layers at a time...saves on the fingers!

I also wanted to point out...if you zoom in on the unclipped section, you will see some pretty awful sewing! This is a fun project, try to relax and enjoy it.

After clipping the seams you may want to take it to the laundry mat to wash/dry. It creates a lot of fuzz, and you would have to clean the lint trap every 10 minutes for the first hour it dries.

The first one I made, it went to the laundry mat. I also took my clippers with me...good choice! When it came out of the washer, I found the spots I didn't clip, go figure!

You can also use school colors for the backing. They make great football blankies for the bleachers in colder climates. If you make them 12 blocks by 20+ blocks, it will "fit" a few spectators. My hateful SIN, who hates everything, loves his couch cuddler. Who knew?

I want to get on with my other Christmas projects. I will post a pic of this finished jean quilt next week, before I go to visit my new granddaughter. But...if anyone has any questions or comments about this quilt-a-long, let 'er rip!

Thanks for joining me, hope everyone had fun, Elaine

Are you ready for the next installment...

....of the jean quilt? Ok then, good, you're all keeping up, lol.

Now it's time for the clipping. Remember when I told you to get 2 pairs of clippers...and recruit the teen or spousal unit? This is the part where you need them. I clip on the sofa with the vacuum at standby, seriously. I have even put a flannel sheet under the quilt and spread out from the sofa. I do like this one since the flannel picks up the strings and fuzz better then a regular cotton one.  Come back later this evening for pics of clipping...dh isn't home and I need him to take pics for me! Later, moi

Onward with the blue jeans quilt

Sorry, babies sidetrack me to the point of stupid! So anyway, how is everyone doing on the jeans+batting+backing?

Great...so get your 120 squares and get ready for the big adventure, or as I like to call it, I am not ripping any seams out here missy!

Take 2 squares, flannel sides facing, as in pic above, and sew along 1 side. Continue sewing 2 squares together until all 120 are sewn, using @ 1/2" inch seam. Be careful as you sew, take note if any seam includes a metal button to avoid!

Now, take a two pack, match up with another 2 pack, flannels facing (see the seam lines in this pic?) and sew these together. Move the seams with your fingers as you sew, otherwise you might have to sew over a 1" hump! This is the wierd part...now your quilt will look hopeless and weird, don't dispair, it will turn out very cute, trust me!

Keep adding 2 packs until you have 10 rows of 12 squares each. It (the quilt) is going to get very heavy, put the ironing board (stop laughing, you know you have one SOMEWHERE, or your mom does, lol) in front of your machine to help hold the quilt up  while sewing on it. Once you have the top all sewn up, topstitch around the entire edge, all four sides, @ 1/2" in.

Have fun finishing the sewing of your top, just 1 more step. So, while you are sewing, start thinking about reasons you NEED the hubs or teen to "assist" you with the next step, you really need to trust me on this one!

Don't forget to

pick up a pair of these babies, not the jeans silly, the clippers. We talked about these earlier, remember, Lowes or Home Depot, used to be @ 6-10 bucks a pair, depends on your part of the country. They are made by Fiskars...notice the trend here? I love power tools as well! Get 2 pairs, refer to prior paragraph. Just tell them they surely don't know how to clip...works for me!

Get sewing, later...

Welcome Kayla...pic!

 A pic of my new granddaughter, looks just like her momma at birth!

Feeling much better now

Monday at 0505, one of my grand daughters decided to land into this world, via c-section. She is perfect, gorgeous and downright huggable! Her name is Kayla Mae and she weighs a hefty 6 lbs and 10 ozs. I say hefty because she originally wasn't due until 9 December. My daughter was on 2 different controversial (because I say so) drugs to stave off labor. Kayla is having difficulty with her blood sugar and is being watched carefully, a result of mommy having gestational diabetes. I am going to meet her on 3 December, can't wait!

Keep on cutting, sewing and getting your squares in order. More later, tea time for this mawmaw, Elaine

Do you have all your flannels done yet?

I was lucky enough to find a HUGE chunk of pink felt when I was ready to sew these squares up. This is the difficult part for the ocd people out there...thank God for them when you're doing regular quilting! Remember, the denim and flannel are both 6 1/2" square, but the filler needs to be smaller. I cut the felt up 3-4" square. No math, no headache inspiring measurements here....wing it! Same goes for the batting, if that is what you're using. And, yes, you can mix it up, little of this or  that! Get creative, use your imagination here. I usually take the narrow weird little strips of batting left over from my regular quilts and save in a bag until it overfills....that is usually enough for a couch cuddler.

Place your stacks together....and take an empty slick glass or bottle

or a coke, lol, unopened! Place it down on top of the stack of flannels or denim and twist the bottle to the right, while holding the stack still on the bottom. Continue in this manner

until the stack begins to fan out...like a stack of cocktail napkins at a bar...don't ask! No, I don't know as a customer either! It makes it easier to pick up the squares!

Now on to layering: take a denim square, right side down, add the filler square and top off with your flannel square right side up.

I love to chain stitch mostly all my quilt pieces, this is no exception. Take the squares and feed one at a time through your machine, like this (from 1 corner to the next):

in a half X, don't cut the thread,  continue on. Don't worry to much about the batting shifting, just hold in place with your fingers while sewing. When you are finished with this, turn the squares to the next side and finish the X sewing again from one corner to the next.

Now stack 'em up and get ready for the next installment of Christmas on a budget.....

Check out these denim quilts!

Not getting much sewing done tonight, darn it! But I did check some of my favorite bloggers and found one you might find interesting, this nice lady has made some awesome quilts, go quick and take a peek!

On with the flannel

Now that everyone, (stop me, I am laughing hard now), has their 6 1/2" denim squares cut out....it's time for the flannel squares.

If you're cutting flannel from the bolt, the long ruler is invaluable! I do not prewash the flannel for this project.

Please pray for our soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas

My heart, along with millions of others, is broken with the tradgedy that unfolded today.  Pray for our troops. May God bless them and you, Elaine

Don't tell on me...

...I just had to share my camping blanket with you!

Mama made it from 4 1/2" squares, otherwise the same as the big one. Stupid Chihuahua,  keeps taking it for herself....silly dog, quilts are for girls!

Blue jeans and maaaavaaluuus stuff

In attempting to minimize costs this Christmas, I, like lots of you, have decided to make lots of my gifts. My son always brings me his blue jeans he no longer wears.  I think his expecting wife NEEDS a new apron for the grill. A fun project inspired by this lady and her project.

Ok, back to the jean quilt. Did you get all of your jeans whacked up yet?  Mine usually look like this when I am done and before I cut the squares,

just right for next step.

Are you ready? You will need a 6 1/2" square ruler or a 6 1/2"x24" ruler. And since we are trying to cut costs as much as possible...if you don't have one of these rulers you can use the plastic side of a milk carton, laundry detergent bottle, plastic insert for bacon...you get the idea. Use a ruler, mark off 6 1/2" and cut out. 

I like to start at any corner, use a pen on the wrong side of the jeans and start marking off the squares. If you have a large rotary mat, ruler and cutter, you can cut the jeans into strips and then into the squares, like this:

You will need 120 squares for a couch cuddler, @ 50"x60" finished, or 10 squares wide by 12 squares long.  Any questions so far.....?

Week 2~~~Cutting the jeans

Now that you have collected, borrowed or stolen the jeans...it's time to start cutting, wahoo! See these handy, dandy clippers....Lowes or the big orange box, @ $10, get a few pairs, trust me, the teenagers helping you will appreciate them. So you can start cutting at the front top of the jeans, right along the seam line for the zipper...blow the pic up, you should be able to see it.

 

Continue cutting next to the seam, through the leg seams, up the back and straight thru the waist band.

 

Easy, peasy so far....right? If you are a mom of a kid who likes to wear name brand jeans and they are big, take care when you cut them up. You will want to incorporate the fun design elements of the jeans...like the leather name tags, cutsey pockets, logo stitckers, etc. You may end up sacrificing some of the usable denim for the cool logos, you won't be sorry.

 

I like to leave the waist band on, sometimes using it in the blocks.  Cut up all the jeans until you have a pile ready for block cutting. Great job for the TV or that chat on the phone. Remember, if the jeans have frayed knees, paint spills or unknown spots, ignore them. Don't let that little voice take over....embrace the process!

 

Send me pics of your jean piles, I want to see them.

How many pairs of blue jeans have you collected?

Are ya ready......grab your scissors and a spare teenager to power those babies up....almost time to get started on the really, really cheapo quilt!  Monday is the day...wahooo...

A peek at the blue jean quilt

Just in case you're wondering...what is that woman up to...is it gonna be cute?....well, I am up for fun times making this quilt and of course, it's gonna be cute! Dog not includeded.

Did you notice her Christmas dress? She will wear it for weeks, knowing she is the bomb!

Quilt in picture is for dh back seat for his little princess, Ola Meja, his baby boy Poco and the new girl on the block....Zipper...dont' ask! As you can see, the "kids" love em, so do  our 2 legged ones, lol, they wash very well and last forever!

I had someone ask...do we have to use flannel shirts for the back? Nope, just trying to make it a penny pincher delight. You can also use a flannel sheet in good condition, or if you have a friend or relative who has flannel scraps, beg them off for this one. If you want to spend the $, you could always pick up 6 yards of flannel...can be pricey if you do this. The further along in the project you might find something perfect...don't get worried about it yet, take a breath, something will work out.

Let me know if you are going to follow, we'll get your names up on the side bar and have something fun going, k? Off to bed for me, rough nite and another 2 coming up. Full moon, Saturday nite, Halloween....oh please, let me work in the ER! Ha,ha,ha.....what WAS I thinking? Don't let me fool ya, I love it! See ya tomorrow...Elaine

Blue Jean quilt-a-long answers

I hope this answers a few questions about the blue jean quilts. There are many patterns, this one is my favorite.

I use a 6 1/2" square of denim, a 6 1/2" square of backing and @ a 4ish" square of batting, like this:

You can use any fabric you would like for the backing, I prefer flannel as if feels softer, like the jeans, after many washings. If you would like, you can sew the jean squares together and eliminate the back/batting altogether. If you notice in this picture,

the flannels are different. One is green plaid the other is a Christmas print. This is a great way to use up pieces of odds and ends to make up the back. Scrappy is good, emptying the scrap box is great! If you don't want to use flannel shirts, then use something else. I am also using jeans that are really old fashioned...remember the acid wash jeans? OMG (oh my gosh), I just aged myself! If you also notice, the jeans pictured above appear to have paint splatters, just adds to the design! Trust me, you're gonna love this project...that is, if you ever wanted to make one of these quilts. Relax, have fun with this and just see how "cheap" you  can get! (see the little leftover chunks of batting...the pink is actually a large piece of felt I picked up somewhere and chopped up for this project...yep, felt works really well!)

I am off to work for the weekend and won't be back until Monday sometime. I am not going to answer any letters personally, just collectively, time crunch. If you have any questions, just ask and I will try to answer in another post. Thanks for reading...Elaine

A thrifty quilty quilt-a-long, join in!

I mentioned to a friend a few weeks ago that she should consider making a jean quilt for her 2 boys since she was lamenting the cost of everything these days. After reading another blog I discovered that a lot more people then I had realized were in the same boat, so to speak, of needing some thrifty presents for the holidays. I have made all the son in laws, bils, nephews and children, friends of...well, you get the point. No one has complained, they actually love them. I made a smaller version for the hubby to put in the back seat of his truck for his dogs. These quilts are easy care for, throw em in the wash and dryer. They actually get softer with each use.

The first thing to do, this week-end, is to collect jeans, wash and dry them. You will need @ 20 pair for a queen size quilt, or 12-14 pair for the couch cuddler size. It doesn't matter if they are frayed, paint splattered, greasy, or holey. If you have ocd, you need to put it on hold for this project!

Now, hit the yard sales, flea markets, and thrift stores. You will also need several long sleeve shirts, preferably flannel, to use for the backing of the quilt.  Pre wash the shirts, DON'T IRON THEM EVEN IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE TO...remember the "leave your ocd at the door", it still applys.  Cut all the buttons off the shirts and start your own button jar! (You might also ask the clerk if they have any shirts or other fabric items they can't sell...you might get them free! Try not to pay over 50 cents a pair for the jeans...takes the thrift part out of the quilt. Call your sisters, aunts, neighbors...bug everyone you know for a pair or two...they will gladly get rid of them, hopefully!)

Stay tuned...Monday will be the next installment of the Christmas thrifty quilt-a-thon! Elaine

Fun things to do with blue jeans

My camera has dead batteries...omg, how did this happen? Oh right, I did it! Dh says I can use it tomorrow.

In the meantime...how many things can you  do to a pair of jeans to extend their life...

Think about it, Elaine

I survived Ikea.....wahooooooo!

Am I like the very last person on the planet to go to Ikea? Unreal, I tell ya. It rained all the way in to north Dallas and on the way home. Now they doing high water rescues in parts of Dallas, Fort Worth and nearby. The TV news just showed a UPS truck trapped...and the driver refused to leave his packages. I love UPS.

Anyhoodle...I bought $300.00+ storage units for my sewing room. I also bought a couple chunks of fabric...how could anyone resist? I love that store, I want to go back tomorrow, lol. I should work there. I wonder if they hire nurses, lol?

So what do you think of the star quilt? I may need to buy the whole line, simply wonderful gorgeous stuff.

I have more units to pound together...I love the instructions...pictures only, no words, perfect! I am so excited to FINALLY get some storage solutions for my fabrics. No, I haven't forgot my magazines either, just in the "thinking" stage, attempting to digest all the wonderful comments you all gave me. Stay tuned...Elaine

It just don't get any better then this!

I had such high hopes today.....

Post pics of the civil war pre-order quilt kits that won't be available until Feb of next year. This is an exact replica of a found quilt, down to the cheddar shades. It is truly awesome. I can hardly wait.

Finishing up my baby bibs and burp cloths for the new babies.

Quilting some flannel tops.

Lots of things needing done....then dh asked me if I wanted to head out to Ikea...sorry, have to go!

Giveaway winner

...and the winner is:


               ARLETTE from Costa Rica! Congrats Arlette, I hope you like your prize!

Thanks everyone for entering and for the wonderful ideas you all gave me. I tried to respond to all the comments. If I missed you, it was not on purpose.

My forearm/wrist is feeling much better, thanks to your ideas on that issue.

My Moda rep was by today and showed me what is coming...be prepared for some delicious inspiration. There is a pre-Civil war quilt that is remade and will be coming in a kit. I'll try to upload a pic of it later tonight. You will be able to pre-order it...you won't believe the cheddars in it! Gorgeous quilt.

Off to make dinner then some sewing is in order. Now, go quilt something, Elaine

Giveaway continues

I found some little tops, or could be tops, for dolly quilts. So I put them together for the girls. I even found a sugar sack for the back of one of them. Machine quilted, washed and dried for the crinkle.

So, do you think they will be a little surprised when they get older and realize mawmaw signed and dated them BEFORE they were born, lol?

The giveaway is still going. Don't forget to answer my question: what to do with all the quilting mags I have collected? I need to take a pic of them...but I don't have them together...takes too much space!

Better view

This could possibly be better pics...sorry, I need lessons or a better camera...

The giveaway continues...and more pics

These are the two baby quilts, side by side. They are very unlike each other...really. The one with straight line quilting, in white thread, is for Allie, the wavy line quilting in Valdani (lucious overdyed) thread is for Kayla. If you zoom in you can see the quilting much better. I had to show little slices of the lawn...this is what 4 1/2" of rain does to a burned out lawn, lol. Get out the boat, matey!

This is the backs of the quilts. I took hints from several online quilters for these two. The backs are pillow cases and leftover pieces, loving this look! It's going to be hard to get these babies off in the mail, I love em both! Oh well, better get busy on another.

All that is left is to sign and date them. I'm kind of like Millie, the ones I have just finished are usually my favorites. Thanks for all your comments, still a few days to go for the giveaway...don't forget to blog about it and let me know you did.

...Elaine

Pics of my giveaway items

I went out to that big store...oh, you know which one, lol...and purchased the wrist splint and feel like I have a new life! Wow, what can I say? It works, and thank you bloggy friends for the little push.

I tried to take pics of the giveaway goodies but I am not to be admired for my photo abilities. Check out the lucious pumpkin orange bella solid...according to one of my brick and mortar, "it's Bevo orange", hmm, ok. Bevo is the name of the longhorn associated with the Texas A&M University mascot. If you never hear from me again...it's because I blew that one! The chocolate is on the right...one yard of each. The pattern is by SuzGuz designs and is fabulistic...I LOVE her patterns! Below is #35 wt Valdani hand dyed cotton for either machine or hand sewing, embroidery, tatting, serger, or longarm. To the right of the pattern is a box of 3 ply embroidery cottons, overdyed in the most gorgeous tints and colors, all ready for your next project. This too is  from valdani.com. Keep those comments coming while I search for those elusive double issues of my quilt mags, lol. Like anyone would ever want them!

I wanted to put up pics of my granddaughters baby quilts. I have had so much fun making them. This one is for Allie, she is coming the end of January.  I'll show the back tomorrow. Later, Elaine

Missing in Action

My right arm is giving me fits especially when I type. I think I may need to find some kind of wrist support to help alleviate the discomfort so I can get back to my blog. I read everyone elses but need to take 800 mg of Ibuprofen after more then 2 minutes of typing and before I know it, weeks have flown by and my little blog is still empty.

I have attempted to set my sewing room into a workable happy place...omg, give me a break! Boxes falling on my head, plastic bins stacked high enough to give a cat a nose bleed. Sheesh...then I watch a few episodes of Hoarders and the frenzied attack begins. I have saved quilting magazines since the mid to late 80's and have bought dozens at used book stores, thrift shops, yard sales, flea markets, etc.

So now my question is: do you save your old quilt magazines? I have them stacked in my sewing room but they are taking up so much room. It seems like I am always running across a different quilt I want to make.

Are you a magazine hoarder?

Do you just save pics or patterns?

For the best answer to my dilemna on what I could/should do with my quilting magazine hoard, I will be happy to send the winner a few of my doubles, lol, of my hoard. Omg, I am hopeless!

 Now all you have to do is blog about this on your blog and let me know you did. If I get 25 comments, I'll throw in a yard of pumpkin orange.

For 50 comments I'll add a yard of chocolate brown fabric.

For 75 comments I'll toss in a Suze Guzman pattern. Keeps getting more interesting, hmmm?

For 100 comments I think a nice assortment of Valdani threads are in order. Have you ever used http://www.valdani.com/ these fabulous threads? To die, or should I say dye, for you can use on your machine or by hand. I love this stuff!!!!

Now be a good little blogger and spread the cheer. And since I love my International friends, they are included in this.

This will end on the 19th of October in the US. Now, wish me luck on my wrist support and help me figure out what to do with these magazines! Thanks, Elaine...the magazine queen!

A friend in need

If you haven't heard yet...a quilting sister is in need of some hugs. A friend of hers is organizing a quilt block gather. She has all the details on her blog, check it out...she isn't asking for a lot and it won't take long. Check it out, she is also having a giveaway...now, go quilt something, Elaine

The Bee Balm

I haven't been around lately...why, you ask? Issues, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! I joined an online bee, the Bee Balm, with lots of artistic ladies. It will be fun. I have just finished my block and will get it in the mail to Tara in the am.

Other then that, busy making baby quilts, and baby quilts and....you get the picture! Hopefully I can learn to chew gum and walk at the same time...pics in a few days.

Gotta finish Allie's quilt...new not yet born grand daughter, due the end of  January! Lots of pink, lol.

Now, go quilt something, Elaine

Sewing in the baby marathon....and a goodbye

Dear Annie and Krista goats:
Mom says I am too much to handle and need to go visit a new farm. I am headed out to farmer Kingsfords place! Dad says that I will have lots of fun there! I guess this is goodbye, have great lives...you and your unborn little ones! Love, Billy Goat

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On to a more pleasant subject. I have so many babies coming this fall~ grands, girlfriends grands and who knows? So I checked out crazymomquilts tutorial on bibs and (of course) tweaked it a bit and added matching burp cloths.



Having fun in babyland~~~Elaine

Have you visited this blog?

I get stuck in blogland. Do you ever find yourself so immersed you can't move until you check out the VERY NEXT BLOG!!! I found this lady, homespunliving.blogspot.com and keep returning over and over again. She has the most awesome eye for decorating with her finds. She did a tutorial on her hotpads that is so cute. While I was out "thrift" store browsing I ran across 4 wool squares that were crocheted and were just the right size for hot pads. I dug through my scraps and vintage fabrics and found some fabrics to use (check out the fabrics she used, way to cute!), quilted them and put onto the wool. I wasn't sure what to use for the hangers when I found a twill tape from Moda (original use was to tie a jelly roll up) and cut it into 4 pieces...perfect! When I visited my friend in Fort Worth (I had invited myself to spend the night at her house, lol), I took 2 of the hotpads to her as a hostess thank you. She loved them! (My version is nothing like hers, no laughing now!)

If you don't have time to make your own little gifts, check out the giftshop she has on her blog...very cool items!

Elaine

New Christmas Quilt top done, wahooo

Finally...last borders on and ready to quilt, 60" square, all Christmas flannels. Probably in a grid-like pattern. Now on to my disappearing 9 patch. I know this went around a long way back but, I travel at my own speed, lol. Get to quilting, Elaine

Check out Frummies Quilted Garden

My First Give-a-way
This is from a new blogger, very cool blog, check her out! She is giving a 2 yard medley away.

So what has everyone been doing today? I have finished up with my new flannel quilt top and just need to sew the remaining borders on. Gee, 1 down and how many to go, lol?

Have a nice week, get lots of quilting done, or stitching. Elaine

Who's busy now?

Do you ever wonder where the time goes...just sewing along and then you take note of the time....oops, dinner is going to be late again! My poor husband just doesn't cook, doesn't like it at all. I don't mind, I actually love it, and the trade off is priceless.

He washes the dishes and cleans up after me...everytime!

No, he is not for rent, even if you whine.

I did make him a nice dinner, quick and easy. I took 3 medium size potatoes, scrubbed them and cut into lengthwise pieces, drizzled olive oil on, garlic salt, pepper and fresh rosemary. Popped em in the oven (425) for about 30 mins. While they were cooking, I took some pre-tenderized beef and cut into "finger" chunks, dipped into flour, salt, pepper and dropped into pre-heated veggie oil (medium high) and let them cook until light brown, turn and continue until 2nd side is light brown, done! I also grabbed a bag of frozen broccoli tops out of the freezer, microwaved them and slathered the butter on.

One of the things I couldn't get used to in Texas (please forgive me all y'all Texans) is chicken fried steak. Just can't eat it more then 1-2 times a year, lol. My poor husband was raised here and he doesn't care for it either. We do like steak fingers...kind of a mini version of chicken fried steak!

I better get moving on my latest project...the disappearing 9 patch. I found one on someone elses blog and thought it was way cool! Hope so, will let y'all know, lol!

Don't forget to head over to: http://faithfulquilter.blogspot.com/ for a giveaway of Civil War fabrics, yummy! Her name is Elaine too, coincidence...you decide, lol!

Giveaway winners!

Wahoooo, it's time to draw the winners!

(drums in the background, Margarita in hand....lol, NOT!)

The International winner is:

Stina from Sweden...you lucky little quilter you!

The winner from the US is:

Angel from Washington state...wahoo to you!

This has been the very best giveaway, ok fine, my 2nd, but it was fun! I had entries from the USA, Sweden, Argentina, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, a ton of talented ladies from Australia, Brazil, England, whew!

If you ladies, Stina and Angel, will email your snail mail addys to me I will be ever so happy to send your secret packages to you. I hope you like them!

Thank you to everyone for entering and letting me know what all you are making for Christmas. Now, if that nice young lady in Germany would like to send those quilt tops...lol!

Gotta finish my new top up, Elaine