Counting down the hours

I am counting down the hours, I leave tomorrow to go back home to Ohio and leave my kids and my grand baby, Elly. She has grown and changed so much since my visit in October. She is almost 12 pounds and 24 inches long. She is now starting on teeth. I cannot wait for my next visit. Must get Skype set up. Soon!!

In stitches,
Judy
 

Stuff

It appears that there is snow at my house. I, myself, am in Brooklyn and it is dry here. I have seen pictures and listened to weather reports and spoke with my mom, who got 6 inches of snow, with more expected tonight.

I am having such fun in Brooklyn with my family. Elly is smiling a lot and starting to coo. I have been cooking bunches while I have been here. We did 3 different kinds of chickens for Christmas, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and chocolate raspberry truffle pie. Today I boiled the chicken bones with veggies to make chicken stock and in turn I will be making chicken soup with rice. And baking powder biscuits.

I have been thinking about what projects to start and what projects to finish in 2013. I know that my sister and I are trying to finish one project a month. I have decided for January to make my flannel night gown and flannel sleep pants as well as put my flannel quilt in the floor frame and start hand quilting it. I would like to do at least one charity quilt for Kids Komfort, our guild's charity quilt project. I would like to use as much of my stash in 2013 as humanly possible.

And of course, I will be dong some sewing for Elly. I have bunches of patterns that I can hardly wait to try out!

In stitches,
Judy

2012

Family

This is a picture of my Brooklyn family. Elly is wearing her Christmas dress. They had just decorated the Christmas tree. I am going to take a few more shots of Elly in her dress once I get there. Off to the left is my grand dog, Frankie. Usually she takes good picture but not at that moment!

In stitches,
Judy

Almost Done

It has been a very busy couple of days for me. I was almost done sewing and then I decided to add a couple of tiny things to my list. Elly is being baptized on Sunday, December 23rd. She will be the fourth generation to  be baptized in our dress. It needs a slip. We had one but it has been misplaced. So I have to make a slip. Not a problem. Elly needs a pretty bonnet for her Christening. I will be making a bonnet out of a man's hankie. My friend, Carlene sent me several examples of bonnets, some lace, ribbon, and hankies. I have gotten some different lace and some embellishments and I will be making a bonnet tomorrow.

I still need to do some laundry and pack. Gather some recipes for our Christmas dinner, wrap a few presents and work. I did get a shiny Christmas present for myself this year.

 A new exhaust system for my car. My mechanic said it was shiny when he installed it on Monday but I am sure it is no longer all that shiny. But my car no longer sounds like a hot rod and I am quite happy. Mine is the car on the right.

In stitches,
Judy

Surprise Sewing

I gifted the surprise sewing to my friend, Barb yesterday. She was so excited. The nightgown was a big hit! Everything else was appreciated, but by far the nightgown was the best.

I have almost finished the Christmas dress for Elly. The entire dress from top to bottom is 14" and it called for a 9" zipper. Really?!! Plan B is buttons and thread loops on the back and matching bigger button where the bodice meets the skirt. I will finish the dress today and get it in the mail. So she will have it in time for Christmas pictures.

Next up is the nightgowns. And they should be done by the weekend and then the quilt for Tania's dad. And some time I have to sneak in some shopping and a tad bit of wrapping. I really am right on schedule. And not a bit worried.



In stitches,
Judy

Sewing

 

It seems that for every project I have completed this month, I have gotten a new one to replace and just in for Christmas. I have finished a cozy flannel nightgown and a purple and yellow bag for my friend.I will post pictures of these tomorrow. I don't think Barb reads my blog, but I want to see her face when she opens the backpack. I will tell her it is packed with paper like they do in fancy stores.  I have Elly's Christmas dress cut out and I am putting it together tonight. I have three nightgown to finish for another friend. And I want to make a bonnet for Elly to wear to church for her Christening. Let's now add a quilted wall hanging. Nothing big, just a picture of Elly, border and some quilting. My son's in-laws are going to be sharing Christmas with us and her dad is enamored with my quilts and this quilt is her idea. I will run to JoAnn's and pick up photo transfer paper and to staples to get some more ink for my printer and get busy. I have loads of time, I leave on the 22nd of December. No pressure!!

This the most current picture of Elly. Seems my son was up quite late working and needed a nap. Elly was fine to keep him company but she was not going to nap!

In stitches,
Judy

Sewing

Yesterday I was able to get some of my surprise sewing done.And I marked more of my Christmas squares for my bow tie blocks. I cut out and sewed a hug for a friend. I call a cozy flannel nightgown a hug for a friend. It is all done except for the button holes and buttons which I will  finish in the morning. Then on to the purple and yellow scrappy tote bag for her. I have gotten the measurements from Elly's mommy and I will be starting on the Christmas dress this week. I am off tomorrow and I am having a friend  for dinner. She would like me to finish the nightgowns for her, her sister, and her niece. That is all of my Christmas sewing. I could be done by next weekend. Then I have a bit of shopping to do and some wrapping.

I spend the afternoon with my mom and my sister and I brought home my hand piecing project that I am still trying to find reasons not to finish. I left it in a drawer at my sister's when we celebrated Thanksgiving. I am going to be compiling a list of projects to finish in 2013 and that will be on it.

In stitches,
Judy

Surprise Sewing

I am meeting my friend from work on the 10th of December for lunch. We both work from home and we are both off on Mondays. So I am going to be a bit of sewing for her. I have located my nightgown pattern after some digging. I bought the fabric last year but time got away from me. And I have hoarded some purple and yellow fabrics to make a tote bag. I also have been asked by another friend to finish the sewing she started last year. Flannel nightgowns for herself, her twin sister, her daughter and her niece. The little girls will  have matching gowns and the big girls will have matching gowns that will co ordinate with the little girl's gowns. I am still waiting on the measurements for Elly's Christmas dress.

Elly wrapped in the afgan I crocheted for her daddy some 30 years ago!!

In stitches,
Judy

Wednesday

My Christmas sewing this year is meager. I am making Elly's Christmas dress. She is being baptized on December 23rd, and I am making a bonnet for her to wear to the church. She will be wearing the family gown. My mom wore it, all of her 6 kids, and most of her grand kids, and now her great granddaughter. I have a few ornaments I want to make for the tree in Brooklyn. Most years the kids are here and do not put up a tree. This year we will be in Brooklyn and they have very few ornaments. I have been haunting Pinterest for ornament ideas. I have have found a few that I am going to try and a few I want to do once I get there. I have a little shopping to do. And then I am done. I will put my tree up but it is small and I carry up and down from the basement. It is decorated and lighted. Just plug her it.

This is a picture of my son and his wife Tania. You can see my meager tree in the background. But it works for me and gifts end up on the floor around the tree!

In stitches,
Judy

Sunday

In stitches,
Judy

Welcome Home

Today I stopped and picked up my sewing machine. I am so glad to have it back. I have two other machines and I could have used either one of them to sew with, but the Bernina is my favorite.
I also took back the fabric for my grand daughter's Christmas dress. I had purchased red crushed panne and I exchanged it for cream crushed panne. I still need to get the measurements from my daughter in law and some kind of embellishment for the waist.

I also stopped in a quilt shop in my area. I had never been there and it was little hard to find. I found the back entrance and a sign on the front of the building. It was have been nice if either the sign or the gal I spoke to one the phone had mentioned they were on the lower level. My knees bother me and I went up and down the stairs twice first to the upper level and then to the lower level. I got this pattern. Looks like something I will start in 2013.

   I did get to do a little bit of sewing this afternoon. I made 6 dog scarves. Three of each color. My neighbor has three rescue dogs and they grace her Christmas card every year and need a new scarf every year. It is a quick and easy project to make.

In stitches,

Judy

Slow days

I worked on Thanksgiving and we were so slow. I marked a bunch of fabric for hand piecing, make homemade pizza sauce and homemade crust for my dinner, changed a light bulb on my front porch and I was tethered to my phone in case I got a phone. I ended up taking 10 calls in an eight period and four of them were hang up calls. Today was almost as bad, the bosses were sending people home right and left. I was one of the lucky ones that got to stay until the end of my shift. Finished marking my squares for my 3-D bow tie blocks and then started a stack of squares in case I decide I need more bow tie blocks. Saturday looks to be slow again, but my sewing machine is coming home from it's spa treatment tomorrow so I suppose I will be sewing. I have an order to make 6 dog scarves for my neighbor so I will work on them tomorrow afternoon and keep at it on the marking of my squares.

I am going to get the measurements of my grand baby, Elly, so I can start her Christmas dress. As a good quilter I rarely throw things out. I have the Christmas dress pattern I made for my god child many years ago and I am going to be using that pattern. I want to get it into the mail so they can get her Christmas pictures done.

In stitches,
Judy

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Judy

Busy work

Today is busy work Wednesday. I have done my dishes from last night, done a load of laundry, hung it on the lines in the basement. I have a dryer but rarely use it. The door does not stay shut and I have to jerry rig the door. I use the dryer for towels and that is about it. I also made my own fabric softemer . I have done this before but instead an expensive conditioner I use Suave Coconut Conditioner. It smells good and it is cheap. This weekend I am going to make Laundry Soap and Hand Creme. The pioneer spirit is alive and well in southern Ohio.

We have done our Thanksgiving celebration this past Sunday so there is no rushing around and cooking being done here tomorrow. I am working a different shift than normal so I will need to get to bed shortly after I get done this evening. But I am pretty sure that we won't be busy, so I am going to spend time making Christmas ornaments for my kids and marking the take along Christmas project. And I will take customer calls.

In stitches,
Judy

Stuff

The last few nights, I have had trouble sleeping and so I have been reading blogs and playing with mine. Not a good thing. The blog reading is fun and is giving me  bunches of ideas. Messing with my blog and it's layout is a very bad thing. I have this lovely new design and I hate it. I wanted a cute, pretty design and I cannot figure out how to get that one back. I cannot play anymore as it is almost time for me to fire up the work computer and take care of callers.

My take along Christmas project needs some work. Pieces were pinned together but not marked. There was not a good hard surface for marking. I can see that I have a bunch to do before I am able to make this the take along project. There was a bonus in the bag, yet another start of a project. With no direction or idea of what my intention was. Another "guess what I am" project. 

The car is fixed and back in my garage. The car has new front brakes, 4 new tires and an oil change. It took a good chunk of my savings, but it is only money and I cannot take it with me. Now I am waiting on my sewing machine and then all will be right with the world. 

 Had to share the picture of my son, Elly and Frankie {short for Francine} my grand dog and the "big sister". I heard that she had a bow on ear, but made quick work of it!!

In stitches,
Judy

Another project

I am spending my morning at the mechanics where my car will  be getting 4 new tires and an oil change. I will be waiting for my car and I need a project to work on.

 I found a project from several moves ago. I vaguely remember cutting a bunch of 2.5" squares from various Christmas prints. And I remember finding them in a bag but I cannot remember what I had planned for them. At least two years ago I thought about a wall hanging using 3-D bow ties and of course hand pieced. I a small amount finished and bunch marked and pinned for stitching. And a bunch of squares. So I have found my next take along project. I am excited about this one and I intend to finish for Christmas. It may not be this Christmas. And it may be a wall hanging or a throw for the couch. I just have to get busy and see where my needle takes me.

In stitches,
Judy

Vicious Circle

My sewing machine is in the shop for a much needed tune up and I miss it. So to pass the time in the evenings, I have been browsing quilt blogs. Checking out my favorites and reading new ones. Of course, I find new projects I want to start and then I remember my machine is in the shop! The vicious circle syndrome. So today I will start putting my dining room back together. Make it less of a sewing room and more of a dining room. I only have a couple of projects that need to be done for Christmas or before.

I am already looking towards 2013 and projects I would like to finish or start. I am thinking of doing one wall hanging a month. I have three places in my house right now where I hang quilts. A new wall hanging a month will give a chance to try out new techniques without tying me down to a larger quilt. I would like to quilt up some my tops.

It seems like an ambitious list for 2013 but seeing it in writing makes it more real. I think my sister, Karen, in Georgia will be joining me in making something every month in 2013. Hers probably won't be quilted but either drawn or painted as that is where her talent lies. We will be able to encourage each other. And hopefully we will do better on this challenge than we did on our last joint challenge. Or maybe we will finish our first challenge. Only time will tell.

In stitches,
Judy

That Project

We all have "that project", you know what I mean. That project that you find reasons not to finish. I have one of those projects. I should tell you that I love hand piecing and hand quilting. I have a hanger in my living room that needed a new wall hanging. I had found some bland scraps in the sewing room and I added some yellow fabric to it and made some unequal nine patch blocks. Four blocks across and five rows down, very simple. It has been over a year since I have started this simple project and I have to force myself to work on it. So yesterday I pulled it out yet again and worked on it. Saturdays are slow at work and I thought this would be the perfect project. All the blocks are sewn into rows and two rows were sewn to each other. And a third row was partially sewn to the two rows. I finished that row and partially sewed the fourth row. I was on a roll!! I have picked out the border fabric and I had dreams of starting the hand quilting. But today I took my little project with me to our Thanksgiving celebration at my sister's. And because I am trying to find reasons not to finish this project, my quilt project in tucked safely in drawer in my sister's house. I will see her in a couple of weeks and I will get my project back.

In stitches,
Judy

Friday

This is a picture of the quilt that I mailed to Brooklyn for Elly. It matches the bedding I have made for her co sleeper. I do not have pictures of the bedding for the co sleeper, I am waiting for pictures of it once it is on the co sleeper. The bumper pads are still on the back burner. They may or may not get made. The sewing machine is in the shop and should be home in about a week. Yeah!! I miss it already. Time to start cleaning.

Here is Elly sleeping peacefully under her new quilt. Right now she is hanging out on the guest bed while the co sleeper bedding is being put on the co sleeper. Pictures to follow I am sure.

In stitches,
Judy

Vacation

I know it must seem strange to talk vacation in November, but my vacation for 2013 has been approved and I will be visiting warm and sunny Georgia in February. I will be escaping the cold, dreary Ohio weather to spend some time with my sister, Karen. We tried to do this in September but it did not work out but it is set now and I cannot wait. She and her husband will not be joining us for Thanksgiving on this Sunday and she is not coming north for Christmas. I am going north for Christmas, spending it with my granddaughter, Elly and her family.

I am doing a little bit of sewing today before I pack up my machine for a trip to the shop for a tune up. I have decided that I will be cleaning the house while the machine is in the shop. And I will get my flannel quilt in the floor frame in the basement and start quilting on that. I have so many other projects to keep me busy while the machine is gone. Don't we all?!!

In stitches,
Judy

Time

Time has a way of catching us off guard. I thought I would have to work on Thanksgiving this year, so I moved our family celebration to the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Do you realize that is less than a week away. I am cooking at my sister's and that is a good thing. But there are so many details that go into that. And it turns out that we are not working on Thanksgiving, but they were looking for volunteers to work Thanksgiving. So my hand went up and that is fine. I work at home and I will not have to fight traffic to get to the office. And I imagine we will not be that busy. The extra $$'s will be nice for Christmas.

I am going to be doing a little bit of sewing this afternoon. I was going to take the sewing machine into the shop today, but it is raining and I don't want to be on the road with all the crazy rain drivers. I will be making some blocks for Hurricane Sandy relief. This seems to be an easy block and I am going to whip up a few today and take them with me when I mail out the package to Elly and the sewing machine to the shop tomorrow.

In stitches,
Judy

Stuff

 

I am so proud of myself. I have finished the cover for the co sleeper and the little extra thing for the baby. I cannot say any more about that in case Elly's mommy is reading my blog. I am taking my sewing machine to the shop on Monday. It is in dire need of a tune up. I still have a bunch of sewing to do for Christmas and I need the sewing machine to be in tip top shape.

I have spent part of my evening looking for the quilt top mentioned in the previous post. I looked in all the obvious places and it was not there. I looked in the space bags where a portion of my stash is hiding and it was not there. But my gut told me it has to be in the basement sewing room. After several more minutes of searching I have found the top, the batting, and the backing. I already know where the perle cotton that I am using for quilting is and I know where the floor frame is. I am trying to decide where to put the frame. Either in the living room or here in the basement. Decisions, decisions!!

In stitches,
Judy

Sewing

I have been busily sewing these last few days! I am working on the cover for the co sleeper. I think it will be finished tomorrow. Then on to bumper pads. And then one more surprise for the baby. Then it will be curtain and Christmas dress time.

I have decided that my quilting will be taking a backseat to baby sewing. I am thinking about putting up the floor frame in the living room and put this quilt on it.

  It is flannel on the top and the backing and cotton batting in between. I am going to use a running stitch using black perle cotton. I need to start finishing some of my UFO's so I make new UFO's!!! I was hoping to make a new Fall wall hanging for my basement landing but that looks more and more like a new UFO for 2013. I do not want to run out of things to do!!

In stitches,
Judy

Sewing without patterns

I am back home from New York and Hurricane Sandy. I had to stay an extra day waiting for the airport to open. I was happy to have an extra day with my granddaughter, Elly!! I have found my camera for Skype, just need to download it to my computer.

I have gladly accepted my new sewing assignment. Sewing for Elly. We have decided on  the pattern for the Christmas dress and I have decided on the fabric. Red crushed panne. Looks like velvet, but it is polyester and easy to launder in case of spit up!!

Next is the sleep cover for the co sleeper. It is a handy thing to have but it is kind of ugly. But I have the whole thing figured out in my head and now I need to make that along with bumper pads. Got all the stuff for that project and I hope to work on it this weekend. I do have to work tomorrow, but I can get started on it. As soon as I have finished the sewing and get it mailed to New York, I will post pictures!!

In stitches,
Judy

An extra day

I  get to spend an extra day in Brooklyn! Extra hugs and cuddling! We are having such a good visit. Will spend part of my day taking measurements for curtains and clothing. A trip to Joann Fabrics is in my future. Elly needs her Christmas dress and a pretty cover for the co~sleeper. Such a busy time. The Fall wall hanging is fading fast. I may be working on it after Christmas. But it will be done for next year!



i

stuck in New York

I am in Brooklyn with my granddaughter, Elly. We survived hurricane Sandy but my flight home has been cancelled!! Guess I will have to stay and cuddle Elly.  I missed the first snow of the season in Ohio. Oh well! Time for me to cook dinner tonight is homemade pizza and tomorrow is stuffed shells with the sauce in the freezer from my last visit.

No sewing this week but I have a list to keep me busy! Bonnets and hats more pants with elastic at legs and the Christmas dress and shoes and a curtain for the master bedroom and something foe Elly's room. Gramma will be busy!

In stitches,
Judy

Traveling Stash Box

The Traveling Stash Box has been quietly living in my living room with the stuff I need to put in my suitcase for my visit with Elly. It is time to pick the lucky recipient of the box. Lucky #4!! Melinda!!



Melinda said...
I would love to have the box stop at my house. I have lots of things I could put in it.

Please contact me so I can get an address from you.

I am so excited. I leave early Sunday morning to go and meet my granddaughter, Elly. Yesterday was her actual due date. She weighed in at 6lbs 10oz and 20 inches in length. She has come a long way in these past 8.5 weeks. I plan on taking lots of pictures and will post them when I get home.

In stitches,
Judy

Sewing

I have finished my baby sewing, for now. I am getting ready to go and see Elly on Sunday and I wanted to finish the rest of Elly sewing. I made 2 pairs of corduroy pants, three pairs of fleece pants, a bunting and another nursing cover for Elly's mommy. I will post pictures after I return from my trip to New York.

Now that I have finished Elly sewing, I can start working on my Fall wall hanging. I need to busy on it before Fall is over and winter comes calling.

In stitches,
Judy

Baby Sewing

I have been baby sewing. It has been a lot time since I have made pants for anyone and I cannot remember making pants this small, but like a true pack rat, I had patterns in my box from my sewing time for my niece Lily. She is ten now. So I was able to whip up 5 pairs of pants for Elly. The waist and the length were great.

The width of the legs were not so good. As you can see, the legs are quite large.  They tell me it looks like she is wearing a long skirt. I have more fabric to make 5 more pairs. I will be cutting down the leg portion of the pattern. I am hoping to finish them today along with her bunting.

In stitches,
Judy

Traveling Stash Box has arrived!!

Actually it arrived on Thursday but today I was able to get unpacked and will repack it and have it on it's way by next Saturday.

The box was certainly stuffed with many goodies. It was like Christmas opening the box.

These are the things I decided that needed to stay in Ohio with me.

Here are the gems that are going into the box



I would very much like to get this on it's way to someone else on October 27th. So I will pick a lucky recipient on Friday, October 26th some time after 11pm est.So if you are interested in the Traveling Stash Box, leave me a message. Good luck to all!!!

In stitches,
Judy

Sewing

I have been busy sewing for my granddaughter, Elly. She is out of premie clothes and needed some pants. I would show you a picture of the 5 pairs of pants I made for her, but the package is still in transit and I want her mommy to see them before the rest of you see them. I also made a nursing cover for her mommy. I did not take a picture of that. I still have to make the purple bunting for Elly. I will take that with me when I go up to see her at the end of the month.

This is my favorite picture of my son and two of his favorite girls. Elly his daughter and Frankie his dog. Frankie likes the baby and likes to lick the top of head whenever she gets a chance!!

In stitches,
Judy

Baby sewing

Today I am starting some sewing for my granddaughter, Elly. I am going to start a purple bunting. If it works out and mommy likes it, I am going to get some red flannel and my sister, Karen is going to embroider something Christmas related on it. Right now I am preshrinking the flannel. I am trying to get my Saturday projects lined up. I guess I will be making more half square triangle units for the Fall wall hanging. I need to get busy before Fall leaves and Winter arrives!

Elly is snuggled in the baby afgan  I made over 30 years ago for her daddy.

In stitches,
Judy

Tuesday

 

My work week is starting in about an hour. No sewing today, but I did chase down a couple fall panels for a friend. They are packed up and in the mail. I did buy some flannel for a bunting for my granddaughter. Purple with tiny white dots. I have been told, no pink or blue. They have bunches of pink and blue things. I am leaving on October 28th for a trip to New York to meet my granddaughter. Need to have it done by then. Should not be a problem. I am a super sewer!!

I have gotten all the bugs worked out for my Fall wall hanging. Tomorrow I start on the half square triangles for the pinwheel border. Working backwards. That is normal for me.

In stitches,
Judy

Yesterday I went to Governor Bebb Metro Park in Butler County with my mom and my

 sister, Becky. Lots of fall in the air. Costumed people telling the history of the area. Crunchy leaves and cooler weather and the scent of fire in the fireplaces of several of the buildings. Yum!

The quilt I made for a friend who became a grandma this summer. The squares are from a crib sheet that matches the baby's nursery.

This a ruffled scarf that my mom knitted for me. It is Red Heart Sashay yarn. It is fun!!

In stitches,

Judy

Saturday

I work every Saturday taking customer calls. I work in my living room. Today I made a list of everything I needed to prep for several projects. We are usually not very busy and as long as I am tethered to my phone I can cut, sew, or read. I finished cutting the fabric for my black Chain Link quilt. Or so I thought. I found one more Batik that needs to be cut. I will finish that on Sunday. I finished the design for my pumpkin wall hanging. I am going to start working on it on Sunday. I was going to butcher some old magazines for foundation for string blocks but I ended up chatting with a friend and did not get to that.

Fall is here in my part of Ohio. The leaves are changing and the air is cooler. In fact, today I turned on the furnace to get the chill out of the air. It was not on very long before it got hot in the house and off it went. I suppose if I wasn't tethered to my desk I would not have been cold and the furnace would not have been turned on.

Tomorrow is sewing time and family time. My mom and at least one of my sisters and I are going to one of the Metro Parks in the area for Pioneer Days. I will have to take my camera for sure. I would like to get some shots of Fall in Ohio.

In stitches,
Judy

Elly and her quilt

 
This a picture of my granddaughter, Elly. As you can see, she is just a peanut. And her quilt seems to drawf her.The burp cloth is from my sister, Karen. She embroider several diapers. To be used for burp clothes.  Elly is a premie. She was almost 8.5 weeks early. And she has put on about 2 pounds since birth.

In stitches,
Judy

Cutting

I am trying to use the fabric that has made upstairs to my dining room where I have my sewing machine set up. I have been trimming my scraps into strips to start making string blocks. I am going to use my telephone book pages for the foundation. I am hoping to make at least two blocks a day. I am also cutting fabric for another Chain Link quilt. That is the pattern I used for my granddaughter's quilt. It will be bit different. I am using fabrics that are either solid or read as a solid. And black.  A black border so the blocks will look like they are floating. And hand quilting it with black thread. I may be crazy. I will let you know once I start the quilting.

And then there is the Fall wall hanging that I am still designing. I am going at it backwards. I have picked the fabrics, decided on the size, have decided on the size of the border and the colors, whatever area that is left will be the center. I have the backing fabric and the quilting thread all picked out. And I have found a couple of pumpkins that will grace the center square. I should be able to get to it this weekend. Saturday is always a slow day on the phones. I work from my living room that customer service calls. My cutting mat and ruler and rotary cutter live on a table next to my desk. And some days I move the sewing machine out  by my desk.

I have found a bag in the living room with a bunch of fabric in it. Some of the fabric is cut in nice 5" squares. I wonder what my plan for those squares are?! I am hoping as I dig into the bag there will be a pattern or a magazine in the bottom of the bag. I need to starting making notes when I cut fabrics, so I will remember what I wanted to make.

In stitches,
Judy

It's finished!

This is my big finish for 2012! It is a rather large baby quilt for my granddaughter. The quilt is 50" square. Something for her to grow into. Machine pieced and hand quilted. I had great plans to have it done in time for the baby, but my hand quilting skills are rusty and I did not get it done in time for the shower. In fact, there was not a shower after all. The day before my kids were to leave New York, the doctor put my daughter in law in the hospital. Pre eclampsia. Yuck for her. No trip home for a baby shower or two. The doctors were wonderful and they went into attack mode. Gave the baby steroids to develop her lungs in case she had to make an early arrival.

   And she did. This is Eloise Sona Nayak Kamphaus. Elly. She was born 8.5 weeks early, but she is doing well and home with her mommy, daddy, and Frankie the dog. I am still trying to figure out how to get to New York to cuddle Elly.

In stitches,
Judy

Wow

It has been a very long time since I put thoughts on paper for this blog. It has been a very busy here since my last posting. i have finished several quilts. One for my new granddaughter, Elly. One for a friend who also became a grandmother this summer. I have finished several projects that were almost done. I have started several new projects. I have a design in my head trying to get out. I have bought the fabric for it. Now I have to get out the paper and colored pencils to make the idea in my brain a reality. I do not have pictures down loaded of the projects I have finished. Maybe later in the week.

Fall is coming to this part of Ohio. The days are starting to have a crisp feeling to them. It is time to pull out the flowers from the summer and start jotting down ideas for next year's flower beds. Time to start big pots of soup to cozy down with in the evenings. Time to pull out that flannel quilt that I need to start quilting. Winter will be here soon enough. 

In stitches,
Judy

Busy, busy!

I have been busily sewing. I am making 12 backpacks and 12 purses for an order. If all goes well this could be my new part time job and $$'s for my new car! I take customer service calls for a living! I work in my living room and have my sewing machine set up right next to the desk! The calls have been odd this week! Please do not hang up on me, if you do not like my answer. Do not think if you hang up and call right that you will get me again and that I will remember you. Not a chance! And please do not swear at me, I am NOT your insuance company and I did not for e you to take this policy.And do not threaten me with the death of your patient if I do not approve the mess you are prescribing. I am following the criteria that is outlined by your health plan. I am so happy that I have my fabric nearby to fondle before, during, and after a call!!! In Stitches, Judy

My hump day

My hump day falls on Thursday and it has been an odd one so far. I went to the vein specialist today for the swelling in my legs. I am now sporting unna boots that are not rigid but are being used to bring down the swelling before I get fitted for compression stockings! Right now I am hot and itchy and I will need to encase my legs in plastic bags and duct tape in order to pop in the shower. I have to do this until Tuesday! Oh what joy! But I can still operate my foot petal on my sewing machine! In stitches, Judy

Time has flown

Summer is here according to  the calendar, but our weather here in southern Ohio states that summer arrived much earlier. I have been busy with my flower beds. I put in 50 Impatien plants and I can say that they are growing great guns!! I have almost finished weeding all of the beds and on Monday my girlfriend is coming here to make a flower and bush swap. I have several small bushes that she wants and she has some naked ladies that she will bring me for my flower beds. I am still waiting on my sister to pull the flowers from her yard that she does not want and I will put them in my flower beds. Then I will fill in with whatever is on clearance.

I have been sewing. My hand quilting project is coming along nicely and I have found a spot in my kitchen that is screaming for a quilt. I have made a cute summer bag and almost finished the patriotic wall hanging for my basement landing. I have the pillow forms ready for the new couch pillows and on one of the pillow covers are cut out and waiting for there time at the sewing machine.

I have also suffered a set back with my health. I am off today to see a vascular doctor to see why I have been retaining water and why my feet look like chubby boats. I have been taking a water pill and those it helps, the constant trips to the bathroom are annoying. And being on the phone all day does not lend itself to multiple potty trips. Hopefully we will find something out today.

In stitches,
Judy

Overtime

Why does overtime sound so good when you volunteer for but it sucks to do it when the comes! I work second shift and volunteered to do two hours of overtime at the end of shift. My butt was dragging near the end. I did get a little hand quilting done earlier in the day. In stitches, Judy

life

Life seems to have a way of putting up road blocks whenever I want to sew. I have lupus and a touch of arthritis and the arthritis is rearing its ugly head and bothering my fingers. I am having other health issues with swelling and am working on getting that checked out. I still like my new shift but I am tired before the shift is over.

I have been hand quilting on my wall hanging, have gotten fabric for a patriotic wall hanging for the spot in the basement landing, and I am still working on my Saturday blocks. I think I need 90 blocks and I have 35 blocks in various stages of being done.

I have given up on the mowing of my yard for the time being. I have weeded the front flower bed in anticipation of receiving some plants from my sister. The other front flower bed and part of the side yard still need some attention as well as the back bed. I have been trying to start Moon Flowers from seed and this year it is not working. I will try one more packet of seeds and hope for the best. If not, there is always next year. I am going to put some marigold seeds in the pots going down the front steps and see what happens. I have planted 50 Impatien plants and they are looking good!!

Time to get things ready for work. I have a few more things to do before I turn on the work computer and start my shortened work week. I am taking off Saturday for a concert in the park that my sister is playing in. Picnic in the park and good music and a three day weekend!!

In stitches,
Judy

Wednesday

 

Not much sewing going on here. I did a bit of hand quilting on my wall hanging earlier in the week, but today it is weeding and planting. I have 50 impatien plants that need to go into the ground ASAP. So I an going to find my tools and my gloves and get busy. Maybe there will be sewing when this project is done. I have been eyeing that tub of scraps and I think I have a plan for them. More details later.

This is one of my very first quilts. It was made for my son while he was on his 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C. That was about 16 years ago. This one was tied. I have not tied a quilt since then. 

In stitches,
Judy

Chores

It is Saturday and the last day of my work week. And there are a few chores that I need to do before I go to work. Weeding. I hate weeding, but if I want to plant my flowers, I need to weed. And I will.

Get the box of fabric out from under my bed. There are several projects in there that are almost finished. We probably won't be busy at work tonight and I figure I can finish these projects and get the box out from under my bed. Yeah!!

And then there are a few projects that require using my drill!! Yeah for power tools!! I need to hang a quilt rack on the wall behind my bed and a wooden holder for my calendar. It goes in the kitchen and requires installing wall anchors. Maybe that will be a Sunday project.

In stitches,
Judy

Friday

I have plans to sew today. I am going to be working on two different projects. One is the purple back pack for my mom and the other is to make another tote/grocery bag out of the little scraps leftover from "Beach Houses". The bigger pieces will go towards a nice bright summer quilt. I am trying to use the scraps that are upstairs with the sewing machine. I also found fabric in the living room for a red, white, and blue wall hanging and another bright, summery quilt partially cut out. I guess I have found several projects to finish. It is never dull when there is fabric involved!!

In stitches,
Judy

Beach Houses

 

I have been busy!! I took this pile of fabric and added a few pieces to it and after the third attempt I have made what I call Beach Houses!

 
 I am so pleased with the way it has turned out. I has also ripped out all the pieces from option one and thrown after the pieces that were not worth saving and I will use the scraps to make a new grocery bag for me. It will bring sunshine into a chore that is not always fun.

In stitches,
Judy

Saturday plans

The road trip yesterday was quite successful!! I got the fabric I needed for my wall hanging. I have decided on a pattern and the setting. Now I just have to get busy. That will happen today. I have a few hours before I have to get on the phones for work. I am figuring if we are not busy, I will be at the sewing machine. The joys of working from home. My work station is a "U". The desk, the sewing machine and the ironing board.

In stitches,
Judy

Road Trip

I love taking road trips. I am running to Waynesville to the Fabric Shack  to pick up some more fabric to go with the bright fabrics in the previous post. I think I have enough for the design I want to do, but I would feel better if I had extras. Then tomorrow I am hoping to get started on the wall hanging.

In stitches,
Judy

Good news, bad news

I am working on a project for a contest. I am now addicted to entering my quilts in contests. After designing the perfect block on my EQ7 and having a devil of time making the block. I scrapped that design for another one that I had done several months ago. I got it together and it looks great. And I have started hand quilting it. Then the company sponsoring the contest asked for pictures of the works in progress and I happily sent them my pictures.

 I got an email back stating I had won a prize, but that I had used a fabric in my design that was not an "approved" fabric and that my quilt would be disqualified if I sent them pictures of the finished quilt. Oh my!! So I am back to the drawing board trying to come up with a new design that I can finish in a couple of weeks! I am working feverishly on a new design. This seems to be the story of my life, but I would not change it for anything.

Going to fire up my EQ7 now and get busy designing the next great quilt. Glad it only has to be no bigger than 40 inches square. I have a fighting chance!

In stitches,
Judy

New shift

 I have completed one day of my new shift and I have mixed feelings. At the beginning of my shift we were busy and calls were coming back to back. It slowed down around 6pm and it slowed down as the evening progressed. I had  a call at 9pm another at 10:15pm and then nothing else until it was time to log out at 11pm. I did get some quilting done. I quilted then tore that out. I quilted some more and tore that out. The third time I was happy with the results and did not tear it out. I just need to have something to sew in between the calls. If we are not busy I guess I will get a lot of stuff done. And stitching helps me stay awake. I was dragging towards the end.

Time to go cut the back yard. I did the front on Monday but it rained yesterday and there was no cutting done.

In stitches,
Judy

Tuesday

It is Tuesday and the first day of my new shift at work. I do not start work until 2:30pm and off at 11pm. Of course, my body said get up at 6am you don't want to be late. I am getting a few things done around here. I have a quilt that needs spray basting so if we are not busy, I can start hand quilting it. I did finish a quilt for Ami Simms
and her Alzheimer's Project. I forgot to take a picture of it. I used the scraps from my hand quilting project. Oranges, yellows, pinks, and lime green. Bright and cheery it was.

I have gotten some yard work done this week. I edged the driveway and walkway to the front door. Used a shovel and have the blisters to prove it. Next I need to start my seeds for my flower beds. I am starting Moonflowers, Marigolds and Impatiens. The flower beds should look awesome this summer. Lots of color!! More inspiration for the next quilts.

In stitches,
Judy

Such is Life

Good and bad things are happening in my life. I have finally decided on pattern for the bright colored fabric from a few posts back. I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel on that wall hanging. It is going to be awesome! I have finally gotten back to the sewing machine and I am quite happy.

My shift changes a week from today. I am still working Tuesday thru Saturday which I really like but now my hours will be 2:30pm to 11:00pm. Not my favorite but I am looking for the silver lining. I have decided that if we are not busy, I will be getting more sewing done, I will be able to pick up overtime in the morning without being pulled of of letters for phones, I will be able to make all my doctor's appointments without taking time off of work, gardening in the early morning before the sun is high and bugs are bad. We are going to try breakfast picnics.

So now it is time for me to get upstairs and prepare for my day on the phones. I have the sewing machine next to the desk in case we are not busy and I can sew these nine blocks together and get ready to add the border.

In stitches,
Judy

Home

We had to cut our road trip short. We had planned to stay in New York until Monday but Mother Nature had other plans for us. She suggested there might be snow in the higher elevations of Pennsylvania. And my sister and myself being the chickens we have always been about driving in the snow, left on Sunday around dinnertime. I had made homemade spaghetti sauce, homemade filling for stuffed shells. Everything was put together except for adding the sauce to the shells. We packed our car did a quick tour around Manhattan, left the kids on the curb and started our drive back to Ohio. We got a hotel room in Harrisburg and slept the night away and we were back on the road by 7am. My sister, Karen, was the driver and I was the navigator. And we were on the road for about an hour when it started snowing. (in April). The roads were pretty clear and well treated. We did hit a few patches of snow on the roads, but slow and steady wins the snow race. Once we hit Ohio the sun was out but it was chilly. We made it home without incident.

I ended up with a head cold and on Saturday I was pretty much out of it. I was running a fever, coughing, sneezing and blowing. My sister, Karen, and my kids Nick and Tania left the apartment to explore the Brooklyn Flea Market. They got some cool things. Food. Jewelry. Art work. Karen got her ride on the subway but no taxi ride. Karen made dinner for us on Friday night and it was yummy. My son had three helpings!!

The quilt was a big hit with the kids. It is on the bed and even Frankie, my grand dog liked it. I had a wonderful time and wished that we could have stayed longer! Guess I should start planning my next trip to Brooklyn,.

In stitches,
Judy

Road trip

We are on the road! Who knew stopping along the highway for a hotel would be so tough? The third stop yielded a hotel! Also found out that us Ohio gals are spoiled! Stopped several places in Pennsylvania after 9pm looking for a grocery store or drug store. Closed!! It is expensive to get cold medicine at a truck stop convenience store. Oh well!! Getting ready for bed! We are due in Brooklyn at 6pm! In stitches, Judy

When did Quilting become so hard

Don't get me wrong, I love all aspects of quilting, but when did it become so hard to do. I am struggling with a design. I bought the fabric before the design was in place and now after much trial and error I have the design worked out. I have been to the local JoAnn Fabrics to get another yard of the yellow fabric I am using in the design because I cut the nine patch units too small. Last night, I went to cut the last pieces for wall hanging and low and behold there is not enough. I got this fabric at the Fabric Shack. So I went online and ordered another yard of this fabric. I am hoping that I will be able to run up there tomorrow and pick it up. Plan B is to have it sent to my mom's house as I am leaving for my road trip on Wednesday and having all my mail held at the Post Office until I get back.

In stitches,
Judy

Stuff

Life has gotten the better of me lately. I have been working on a wall hanging design that has kicked my butt. I have EQ7 and it is a wonderful program, but it does not give directions for constructing the block. I am a smart gal and with some trial and error, I have finally overcome the design and this weekend I should be able to assemble the blocks. I had to dig thru books and templates to finally get to this point. I used books that I had brought and barely looked at. I am so glad that I have such a nice library and I will start using it more often to get other quilts started and finished.

I will be posting the fruits of my sewing these past weeks, later this weekend. I am so excited about everything that I have finished.

I am getting ready to go on a trip to Brooklyn, New York to see my kids and grand dog. My sister and I are leaving Ohio this week and driving to Brooklyn. I will be cooking for them once I get there and I think we may be helping my daughter in law finish emptying the boxes from their recent move. And who doesn't love a good road trip.

Got to get upstairs and fire up the work computer. I have an Alzheimer's quilt for the Ami Sims initiative to work on until the calls get hopping. Hope everyone has a great day. And remember the weekend is almost upon us!!

In stitches,
Judy

Done

The yard is finished. It only sprinkled on me as I finished. And I am fine, though it is a shame that I don't melt in the rain like sugar does. My Alzheimer quilt is pin basted. Cannot decide if I am going to hand quilt it or machine quilt it. I have started hand stitching the binding on the quilt I have been hand quilting. Still have two more sides to do. Should be finished before Easter.

I am having issues with a quilt I designed. It looks great in EQ7 and it looks great in the mock up I did with fabric and a glue stick, but I am having trouble getting the angles just right. Guess it is back to the drawing board for the quilt. I am going to enter it in Timeless Treasures quilt contest. I am sure that it is going to work itself out. I just hope that it is soon. Trial and error is not my strong suit.

In stitches,
Judy

Getting things done

I think I have accomplished quite a bit today. I finished appliqueing the grandmother's flower to the background fabric for my Alzheimer's quilt for Ami Sims' project. I worked an eight hour shift. Even with a lupus flair up, I was able to cut the front yard. I also got 2 hours of overtime in after cutting the front yard. Made couscous. I opened 750 safety pins for my next quilting project. Sounds a bit disjointed but I am happy with everything I got finished today. We are finally busier at work and they are offering bits of overtime. I am hoping to replace my car this year, so the overtime will help with my down payment. Time for bed!!

In stitches,
Judy

Days to go

I am counting down the days until I leave for my trip to New York. I have packed in my mind, so hopefully, I won't forget anything. Doubtful! The quilt for Nick and Tania is done!!! I am hoping if the weather co-operates tonight to get a good picture outside. I am also hoping to get the front yard cut tonight after work. I have had a flare up of my lupus and most all weekend could hardly walk. I am feeling better and thinking the front yard is calling my name. And of course, the back yard is saying "Pick me on Wednesday"!!

I have a tiny bit of quilting to do on the hand quilting project and then stitch down the binding. I am doing a quilt for the Ami Sims Alzheimer project and I need to get that finished. I am hand appliqueing a block. I have not done these in years. It is restful. And almost done. And then I want to start on the bright orange, yellow and pink fabric. I have my design and I need to execute a block to see if it will work. It worked fine when I did the mock up with fabric and glue stick but sewing it on the sewing machine is much more different and not as forgiving as glue.

I need to get my stuff together and find the chair for my desk. It is time to start my week at work. From what I have heard we had our first bit of the promised overtime last night and I went to my guild meeting instead. Imagine that. I had a good  time at the meeting and we had some awesome show and tell and a speaker. I am hoping there will be more overtime in the near future!!

In stitches,
Judy

Over doing it

I have finished the bulk of the machine quilting for the quilt for Tania and Nick. Tonight I will quilt the border and add the binding. Another hand stitching project to finish before the guild meeting on Monday.

Mom and I had a nice time at the play Guys and Dolls put on by the Hamilton Rotary Revels. She fixed a light lunch from the leftovers she had from the dinner she had made my sister, Becky, on Friday night.

I cut my yard. It is good exercise and today I am sore all over. It did not seem to bother my lupus. I guess now that I have started the yard it will be a summer job for me. I also took a hand saw to the low hanging branches on my ornamental pear trees in the front yard. I hate having to dunk and sway while trying to cut the front yard. I had to move them all to the driveway to cut the yard and then move them back to the grass when I was done. In case I needed to leave for any reason, the branches were completely blocking my driveway.

Now I am ready to face whatever comes my way at work today. And the rest of the week. Also looking forward to getting a lot of sewing done this week!!

In stitches,
Judy

Kate and sewing

Monday is my day off and I always pack as full as possible and yesterday was no exception. I was excited I was having company!! I got up and straightened up the house and the sewing area and made homemade pizza sauce for lunch.

My niece, Kate was coming over for a sewing lesson. She had two things she wanted to make. Snack sacks and a lunch tote. She had seen something she liked on line so we took measurements and she drafted the pattern added the seam allowances and away she went. She made three of these bags and added a vinyl window in each snack sack.  

For the lunch tote we looked at a couple of patterns that I had for regular purses and totes and came up with our own design. She had a specific size she wanted and this is what it turned out to be. 

We had a good time and I am sure she is already planning the next project for the next time she comes to sew.

In stitches,
Judy

Busy weekend

I worked yesterday and every Saturday. Each Saturday is a gamble. Two weeks ago I was busy from the time I signed in until the time I signed out. Yesterday not so much. I think I took about 15 calls all day. I did get quite a bit of stitching done on  my hand quilting project. Tomorrow I am going to add the binding even though not all of the stitching is done. I am also working on the quilt for Tania and Nick. I only have 30 more squares to quilt out of the 180 total blocks. I am going to do a simple stitch on the border. I would like to have both quilts done for our guild meeting the first Monday in April. I need to get stitching.

Today I went to see the play Guys and Dolls put on by the Rotary Revels in Hamilton, Ohio. It was very good. What I did not like was the man sitting next to me. I should have asked for rent from him. The entire time we were there his left elbow was lodged in my ribcage. Did he really think I was his arm rest? I was almost sitting on my mom's lap! I am thinking that if I could have taken off my right leg and put it in my purse, there would have been more leg room for him. I was so stiff when the play was over I could hardly stand up from sitting like a pretzel for most of the play!

Now I am off to finish machine quilting the quilt for Nick and Tania. My sister and I are driving to Brooklyn in April and I want the quilt to take the road trip with us. Tomorrow is looking to be a busy day. My sister in law and niece are coming for a sewing day. My girl friend Jennifer is also coming. I am going to make homemade pizza crust and homemade sauce for whoever wants lunch. And I will probably work on the hand quilting of my scrap quilt or work on the Orange Crush fabric. Looks like it is going to be a busy day.

In stitches,
Judy

As my weekend ends

As my weekend ends it has been such a wonderful weekend. I have finally gotten the quilt for my daughter in law pin basted.

 It is full/queen and I think I used about 2000 pins to baste it. I have started the machine quilting on it and I have 3 rows out of 15 rows quilted. I am planning on quilting every night after work.

 

 

My mom and I took a road trip today.

  
 I had to drop off a quilt for Rising Sun Quilt Fest in Rising Sun, Indiana.

  
 We turned off the Garmin Lady and took the scenic route hone along the Ohio River. Saw this flag carved into a tree stump.

 
 Stopped and took a few pictures of the Anderson Ferry. A good place to come this summer with my sister and her kids. We can take the car ferry across the Ohio River and then to Shawnee Lookout for a picnic.
Can't wait for summer. The warm weather is already here. It is not even spring and it was 81 degrees today!!

Tomorrow I will have to go back to work and if the calls are slow I have a project that I have been hand quilting and I will get to add a few stitches to that! At this rate I should finish this quilt by the end of the month!!

In stitches,
Judy

Spring fever has struck

This last bit of warm weather has given me spring fever. I so want to go out and work in the yard. I would like to start edging the walkway from the driveway to the porch and the driveway. It has rained here yesterday and the soil is moist enough to do it so after work tonight I will go out and dig in the dirt. I have been collecting ideas for my flowerbeds and purchasing seeds to start in the house. I will not start the seeds until I get back from New York City in April. They will set out on the deck during the day soaking up sunshine and come back into the dining room once the sun goes down. I also want to take apart my porch swing on the frame, sand and stain it. It has been many years since that has been done. There is a bench in the front yard that needs it screws tightened, So many ideas, I just can't wait to get started.

Tonight I will work on the quilt for my daughter in law and start pin basting it. I am hoping to start quilting it after work on Saturday. Busy, busy, busy!!!

In stitches,
Judy

Life

This has been a very interesting week and it is only Wednesday. I did a mock up of the block I wanted to use with the Orange Crush fabric in the previous posts. I really like and cannot wait to get started on it. I have finished sewing the circle squares together for my daughter in law's quilt. I need to press the segments and join them all together. I will add the borders and hope to start pin basting it this weekend. I have put everything back in my refrigerator, even though it still  makes a noise. It is not as loud now and when I am working and busy I do not hear it.

Yesterday was my birthday! I had a very full day. I worked my whole 8 hour shift. I applied the new sticker to my license plate so I can drive another year without getting pulled over. I voted. I went to the library and went to the grocery store. My mom stopped by at lunch time with a lovely bouquet of yellow flowers. Yellow is my favorite color. I got to talk to my kids in New York City. They moved on Monday to a bigger place and my sister and I will be driving up there in April for a visit. All in all it was a wonderful day!!

And today I had a home visit from the company I work for. At one time or another each of the work at home staff gets a visit. It has been warm outside so I had the wooden door open and was watching out my storm door at the birds, squirrels and any thing else that caught my eye. A big car pulled up across the street with a gentleman looking kinda lost inside. I knew he was the company rep I was waiting for. As he started towards the house, I called to him to move his car as he was in a no parking zone. I have to admit it is not well marked. I think there my be two or three signs on my long block. But I did not want my visit to stand out by him getting a ticket. He was here and gone in under 8 minutes!! If I do not hear anything in the next few days, I know I passed. But I am sure I passed. No telling what tomorrow will bring. But it is off to bed for me now!!

In stitches,
Judy

Refrigerator saga

I am still having issues with my refrigerator. Right now it is smack, dab in the middle of my kitchen, along with a cooler full of my perishables. I emptied the entire refrigerator over the weekend. Unplugged it and opened the doors. This morning I cleaned out the entire thing with baking soda and water. I cleaned the floor behind the frig and plugged it back in. I put something in the freezer and a diet pepsi in frig. And the darn thing is still making a noise when the frig turns on. Something is loose in the back. I am still waffling whether or not to call the repair service. So far now the frig will live in the middle of the kitchen but the cooler is going back to the garage. The food I took to my mom's is staying in her freezer for now. I will not starve. The freezer in the basement is full!!! I will have to think about this bump in the road for a few days. My next days off are Sunday and Monday!!!

In stitches,
Judy

Fabric Magnet

I seem to be a fabric magnet. I was at two different JoAnn Fabrics on Sunday and the magnet worked then. Came home with several pieces of fabrics, most of them are earmarked for certain projects. That is a good thing. Tonight was our Guild meeting. Once again, the fabric magnet was working. I came home with a bag of fabric from one of the other quilters. Next week my stash numbers are going to be out of this world. I really need to get a handle on this.

I have decided on a pattern for this bright fabric. I have designed a block on EQ7 and I need to make 9 blocks for the quilt. I purchased some yellow fabric to use in the block. Pictures will follow.

In stitches,
Judy

Sunday

It is Sunday and I am getting ready for a road trip to Blacklick, Ohio. Going to a birthday party for a two year old. I have my Garmin ready and gas in the car. There are couple of things I need to do here before I can leave.

My refrigerator is just over a year old and Wednesday it starting making a noise. Of course, it is out of warranty. I thought I had it figured out. I had packed the freezer to fully and there was no air circulating and it sounded like something was dripping into the drip pan. I took a bunch of stuff out and put it in the freezer in the basement. Problem still there. I was told that perhaps things were frozen and it would take it a few days to unthraw. It has been more than a few days. Last night, I took all the stuff out of my freezer and drove it to my mom's. She has a huge pretty empty chest freezer in her basement. I now have brought the cooler in from the garage and before I leave on my road trip, I will empty the stuff in my refrigerator into the cooler add a bunch of ice and unplug the refrigerator and let it rest for 24 hours. Then I will plug it back in and see what happens. In the meantime the refrigerator is in the middle of the kitchen. I will have to make sure that I have plenty of ice to keep my perishables happy. I am hoping that once I plug it back in the noise will have gone away. If not it is time for a visit from the refrigerator repairman. But at least I will have done everything I can to fix it!!

In stitches,
Judy

Happy Saturday

It is Saturday and I am getting ready to start working. I have the circles for my daughter in law's quilt that need to be sewn together. I will work on them today if we are not busy with calls. I have 90 circles to add to the quilt. I have figured out I want to add them, now it is just a matter of doing it right. I do know where the seam ripper is so I should be fine.

I have a few projects that I am going work on around the house this weekend that are not sewing related. I have to get my drill out! Watch out a quilter with power tools!! There things I want to hang on the walls and my walls are plaster. Pictures will follow.

I have a birthday party to attend up near Columbus, Ohio tomorrow. I think the Garmin and I have worked out our differences, so we are ready to roll!!

In stitches,
Judy

Happy March

I am not sure what happened to February. I had such plans for stash reduction, but that did not happen. I thought for sure I would finish more projects but that did not happen. So I am going close the door on
February and open the door on March with hopes getting more things accomplished. I just need to keep moving forward.

I had such a nice day on Sunday with my sister in law Kathleen and her daughter and my niece, Kate. They are such creative people and we had such fun. Kate is going to come back and dig in my stash, play with my buttons, do crafts and learn to sew on my sewing machine. The possibilities are endless!!

Sleep has been a fleeting thought the last two nights. It is almost time for the alarm to go off and I have already been up for several hours. I am hoping we are busy at work today because I need the stimulation to stay awake!!

In stitches,
Judy

Stash Report

Not much has changed this week. Only used one yard this week.

Used this week:     1 yds
Used year to date: 17 yds
Added this week:   4.25 yds
Added year to date: 19.50 yds
Net Used for 2012: -2.50  yd

Check out Judy's blog.

In stitches,
Judy

Busy Sunday

It is Sunday and I have been so busy and it is not even noon yet. I have done up the dishes, cleaned the  bathroom, moved my sewing machine into the dining room for some group sewing this afternoon, straightened and dusted the rest of the house. My sister in law and  niece are coming for group sewing and I think I am going to the gambling boat with my sister and her hubby later on this afternoon or evening. Those plans are still up in the air. My mom and my sister Becky want me to go walking with them but I am not sure how I will be able to squeeze that in to my already busy day.

In stitches,
Judy

Sewing

I have been sewing! I am making reusable grocery bags using scraps of fabric. And I have bunches of scraps. I am trying to use just the scraps that are upstairs with sewing machine. I should be able to make 4 shopping bags before I run out of scraps from the upstairs. I am also cutting the interfacing backs out of  the 90 circles for my daughter in law's quilt. Nothing new on the Orange Crush design. That will be a weekend project.

It is Friday in Lent and it is meatless. I go meatless at lot on a regular basis but it seems to be harder during Lent. I do not like fish or sea food and fried food is not a good food choice for me. So a Lenten Fish Fry is out of the question. So today I will make Black Bean Chili using TVP . It adds protein and I use it a lot when I am cooking. I put it in my mini crock pot and let it cook all afternoon and it will be ready to eat after work.

In stitches,
Judy

The Garmin Test

I tested my Garmin GPS last night after church. It was able to get me home from Kroger's after pumping gas! I has a certain way I go home and my way made the Garmin lady mad. She had to recalculate several times. I am going to program it to get me to my meeting tonight. Of course, it will insist on highway driving but a rush hour I will not get on the highway. That will make the Garmin lady mad. Oh well.

I have been toying with a few ideas for the Orange Crush fabric and perhaps this weekend I will make a small mock up to see how it works. Or figure out how to scan the fabric into my computer and into my EQ7 program. I could do it on my old computer but I am having problems with my newfangle computer. The weekend is coming and the projects just keep on piling up.

Time to get back upstairs and get ready for my day to start at work. Still not very busy. The company offers Voluntary Time Off without pay. I rarely take it. I need a whole paycheck to make my bills and feed my fabric habit!!

In stitches,
Judy

A present for me

I can earn points at work for various things and I have accumulated 732 points. A meager amount and I have been saving my points for gardening equipment, maybe a weed wacker. But last weekend I was invited to a birthday party in the Columbus, Ohio area. Now I can get to the Ohio State campus as that is where my son went to school and there is a quilt shop up there I used to go to but beyond that I will get lost. So I took my points and ordered a Garmin GPS. It came yesterday and last night I spent a good portion of the evening downloading all the updates and the maps. The big test comes tonight to see if it can get me home from the library. Good thing I know how to get home in case I have screwed something up!!

In stitches,
Judy