Busy with my scraps

I am not sure I knew exactly how many scraps I had when I started...but I know I won't run low, lol. I picked this top up at the flea marketp. I heart this quilt top. Very much a scrap quilt, no pattern, just strips. I would love to hand quilt this for me  soon.

Here are a few scraps and bigger pieces. I love the Southwest colors and patterns. I sorted the Christmas into one basket.

     Now the wool needs to be steam pressed and sorted. It's getting to hot to work with it now...  I might wait for fall or at least a cooler day. Did you know Kellie from Don't Look Now also has a mini quilt with pattern in Whip Up Mini Quilts? I am loving this book. Along with all the quilts and patterns, there is a mini bio on the artists along with thier blog spots...so perfect! This book is so awe inspiring. Back to my ironing and sorting.

                                                                   

My book arrived!

I won this fantabulous book on a giveaway on the Victoria's blog 2 days ago. The book came from San Francisco and arrived at my house in Texas this morning. I cannot put this book down! Please go to this publisher for your online business...they are awesome!

Now, to decide what to try first....pics later today of my stripping adventures, Elaine

Strips, strings and Christmas

I've taken all my little scraps and ones that are odd shaped, after washing, drying and ironing them...and cut them into random widths, nothing over 2", for log cabin quilts. So, if you're related to me and are expecting a quilt for Christmas.....it's going to be a surprise, so act surprised, k?

I may have to save some of the littlest pieces for a few dolly quilts for Kayla and the earth baby.

Stay tuned, pics tomorrow...Elaine

Don't forget to honor yourself too

I called a close friend a few weeks ago, left a message, phone tag for a while, then, she popped by last night to visit. Another girlfriend called this morning to say she was returning a call from a week ago. I saw another friend on Thursday, she's been to busy to return calls or to visit.

It made me very sad for them, and for me. We need to nurture ourselves as well as our girlfriend relationships. Our girlfriends are very important. They can keep us sane and on track. When our families stress us, they can calm us. We need to celebrate our girlfriends more often.

That friend you've been thinking of lately....pop a quick note in the mail to her, it may be just what you both need to jump start yourselves into spending a few minutes together. I'm just saying is all.

Just checking in

So the chickens are doing very well, no more are missing, thank you to everyone who inquired. I am not really sewing on anything at the moment, but don't tempt me! I have been de-cluttering and cleaning my sewing room. I am busily washing, drying and ironing my scraps. I will probably pre-cut some squares and strips from some, then pack them neatly in my Ikea baskets. I may toss some of them. I haven't decided yet. That is my biggest problem, what to do with my "stuff", yuck!

I do alot of felted wool applique. I love to use wool. If you have never tried using it, you must try it at least once. Wool doesn't fray, no need to turn the edges under and you get to try different stitches and threads.  I only wish I could draw...different patterns, but I can't draw. So I cut. Just the scissors and the fabric. I think my fingers see. Am I just crazy....it's always been that way for me. I just cut the fabric and it seems to make sense. But no drawing.                                                                   Oh I can see it now, as soon as I get to the wool to organize it, I'll be lost, again! I will resist as much as possible.

I am expecting company at the end of the month and need to organize before her arrival. I don't want to show her my disorganized mess. I want her to think I am brilliant, artistic and facinating...now I'm laughing.

It's the sister I haven't met yet. She has met the brothers but not me. I am very nervous about her visit, but very excited too. She has grown up in Canada but we are very much alike, as in:

We were both born in the same hospital....just 4 years apart. In January. We both work in health care. She paints, I quilt. She knits and is prolific at it. I can knit, but love quilting more. We have both broken our Left forearms. We have talked on the phone and sent emails and have gotten to know each other very well via the internet. But, have not met yet. This is going to be very exciting, don't you think?

My thoughts are all over the place right now. I can't stay on the pc very long, my impatience drives me to the sewing room to get it finished. I am not writing to my bloggy friends like I have in the past. Is it just Spring that makes me want to do something else? I am not tired of the blog or others' blogs, I just seem to be limiting my time online. Like now, I have to get back to my sewing room. Please have a great week, I'm going to be busy, cleaning, sorting, cutting...now, go quilt something!

The chicken house...or chook shed

Finally, pics of the make do chicken shed. We have several outbuildings on our property, most of them junky.  It's treasure to me...like finding "that" utility quilt in the bottom of a box of rags from the lastest yard sale. We re-purposed a stall into the chook shed. The little dickens even inherited the top of the dogs' igloo for their condo! I found some lovely branches out by the roadside and threw them in the truck...much to my dh amusement. But, he put them up for me!

I took my bff's dog, I am babysittting since mid November lol, out to the chicken yard with me. I figured since they are similar in size she wouldn't chase them. She did try and I chewed her out...you know, the verbal dress down. So she stopped. Then "it" happened. She started screaming, "mawmaw...they are looking at me", after a few minutes I noticed the chicks were gonna jump her....oh my, how funny! They checked her out and then left. She was shook I tell ya, I was laughing! Sorry I can't reconfigure the pics...we had to buy the new machine and now I don't know how to re-size, crop, etc.  I have to go water my herbs and get more goodies together for a yard sale. I hate being a hoarder collecter multi crafter and having a gazillion things clogging my life. How do you decide which items go and which stay? I am curious to know. Wish me luck, Elaine

Real mail surprises and chook shed update

The postal person was good to me today...2 lovely packages from super nice people. The first was from Michele from "down the road a piece",  Michele sent me a huge envelope with a quilt card and then overdid herself in a complete 9 month set of patterns for a gorgeous quilt with piecing and applique! She also sent a Godiva chocolate bar....omg, have you ever had Godiva chocolate? Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit...you have got to push everyone out of the way and go to good chocolate store and buy one now! Dh remarked that I don't eat chocolate...but this is heaven! Yep, ate the whole thing. Michele...if you ever need your house washed down...call me, I owe you girl! I digress about the chocolate, sorry. Go to Micheles blog and check out her applique. She is quite gifted and has a fun blog. She gifted me because I was willing to help her on building her blog. Thank you Michele and if you don't mind I want to pass the patterns on when I finish them...hopefully before the year ends!

                                                                                 

The second envelope came from Jeannette with a gift  of  embroidery. You might remember a few months ago Jeannette was working on The Red Beastie, her words, lol, and was running low on red fabrics. I suggested she make an all call out for some red scraps and she received them. How cool is that to have a quilt, made in New Zealand, that has fabric scraps from around the world in it? She was pleased to receive some scraps from me and sent me some hand embroidery...a pretty little linen hand towel with impecable hand stitching. Wow Jeannette, you do some gorgeous work! Have you guys seen this quilt? You have to check her page out and look at this quilt. Blows my mind.

                                                                                         

I have been working non-stop with the dh on the chook shed...it's done, too tired for pics of it. I will try to get some tomorrow. The latest update...still 23 of the fluffy little dickens!

Good night and remember to check these ladies blogs...very gifted ladies. Go quilt something, Elaine

Next time I'll listen to the routine tornado watch warning!

We went on a "routine" tornado watch Friday until 0200. At 0210, we both woke up to the most terrifying noises imaginable, the worst storm in our lives....I grabbed both chihauhau's and headed for the hallway and told the spousal unit I was waiting out the tornado with my babies. We didn't really think one hit our area but the wind was unreal, trees broken all over the place and our power went down until this morning at 0805. My poor chickens actually did very well until tonight. Something got into their trailer house and  2 of them are not there. What the heck? No feathers anywhere, just 2 lovely chooks missing! See the water dispenser on the right....I had filled it @1 hour prior to checking on them again and it was empty...hmm.

Also, the greater percentage of the kids were on top of the chicken wire trying to get back in....I personally think one of our dogs....the geriatric morbidly obese shephard ate them. It gives me motive to get them to the chook house tomorrow! I have a couple things to do to it and it's done.

Oh..our computer fried too.  You gotta love the storms. Our power company is a co-op, and they try really hard to keep things working for us. I don't know if the co-ops are a stateside thing or not.

The coyotes are howling now...hmm, wonder if they like chicken? Little brats.


Oh, the half a beef in the freezer...among other things...I told the spousal unit to LEAVE THE DOOR SHUT AND HIT THE RESET BUTTON. He actually took some steaks out for dinner with the kids and there really wasn't a problem, most of the stuff was still really froze. Thank you God.

We ate out yesterday at a fast food and had an opportunity to see some of the damage. It made me realize how petty our problems were. I was hoping a small humbling experience would ensue, but nope, I had a full blown attack of the guilts. We  were without power for a day and a half....but it came back on. We had semi-frozen food...but we had food. Since I am a quilter...we had blankets.

No more whining for me, I'll just appreciate my new computer, my 23 feathery new friends and I better keep a better eye on my shephard! Now, I am going to do some handwork and watch Avatar...a little something I was surprised with a few minutes ago...I can't wait...thank you God for my beautiful day rocking the earthbaby...Elaine                                                            

                                                                                 

Season for chooks

My neighbor down the road decided to try her hand at incubating eggs. She did good...I bought 25 of the little dickens! Pic to follow tomorrow, gotta go tuck them in for the night, cheep, cheep....Elaine

What are you working on this month?

Just finished my marathon quilt. I will need to put photo taking/posting at the top of my list, lol. I wish you could have seen the stitching more clearly on the wedding quilt. I used Valdani threads exclusively, the overdyed threads. If you get the chance to use them, go for it.

I need to go work in my garden a little bit, ok fine, alot! It is totally overgrown. In the meantime, here is my raspberry bed!

                                                      

The finish line

The wedding was this afternoon, at 1700.
The binding was finished at 1553, the quilt went in the washer,  and then the  dryer at 1645!

It's a finish, wahoo! And just in case ya'll are wondering...my baboo, the sweet little janome of mine...was not functioning in quilting mode. So after several hours of bad language, I improvised and used the feather stitch feature.. The quilt is 98" square, batiks and Quilters request batting.

                                                          

This is rich...!

So I told Mr.Honey, "honey, you are going to have to fix dinner for the next few days"......he said, "how do you turn the oven on?"

You know, I am going to drag this crap out as long as I can and take my sweet time....muhhhaaa  hhaaaaaa  hhhaaaa!

And thanks ladies, Allie, Lizzie, Michelle (welcome to my little world of weirdness), Jeannette and Vicki, for all the sweet words. Oh, I will be back. Honey had to leave for a few minutes tonight, his dishes are waiting for him! Have a great evening...Elaine