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

Stash Report

This has not been a good week for me. I have been sewing daily but have nothing to report. I do subtract fabric from my stash until the project is completed. And nothing has been completed this week.Check out this week's stash report at Patchwork Times!

Used this week:     0 yds
Used year to date: 16 yds
Added this week:   4.25 yds
Added year to date: 19.50 yds
Net Used for 2012: -3.50  yd

At least the fabric was pretty this week!!

In stitches,
Judy

Friday night Sew In results

 

I started this project last as part of the Joann's Quilt Contest. It got so far and then it stalled. I did not like how it was turning out. I was wanting to put on a certain border and I decided it would clash. So I stopped it. At Christmas time my daughter in law saw the quilt and loved it. But it would need to be queen sized to fit on their bed. I will need to make 90 squares to finish it. Not a problem.

I had a lot of scraps and little pieces leftover from the finished Joann's Contest Quilt so I spent a lot of time sewing them together to make bigger pieces of fabric so I can attach the fusible interfacing circles to the fabric. Then turn out like this.

And then the circles are attached to brown backing squares. I am no where near finished but I am making good progress. Check out Friday Night Sew In to see what others have done!


In stitches,
Judy

Monday, Monday

Not much sewing going on here today. It still the weekend for me. Laundry is on the top of my list. The third load is in the washer. One has been hung on the lines in the basement and one load in the dryer. Gather up 4 bags of trash for trash day tomorrow. Still have recyclables to take care of. One full bag of clothes and purses for Goodwill. And the most important thing I found my favorite warm winter night gown. So far it has been a very productive day.

A road trip is the next thing on my list. I ordered some fabric from  the Fabric Shack in Waynesville, Ohio and I will run up the road and pick it up later on today. That will added to my stash for next week's report. Guess I will have to get better and stitch this week to balance it out. I am thinking something purple is in my future.

In stitches,
Judy

Stash Report

I have ordered fabric and it is not here yet so I do not have to add that yet. I do need to get busy this week and use some of the stash to keep me on track. Stop by Judy's blog and see how everyone else is doing!

 Used this week:     2 yds
Used year to date: 16 yds
Added this week:   0 yds
Added year to date: 15.25 yds
Net Used for 2012: 1.25  yd

In stitches,
Judy

So many things on my plate

There are so many things on my plate today. First of all a full day at work. People will be in training so the phones might be hopping today. I am trying to get the rest of binding stitched down on the raffle quilt. I will be seeing my sister tomorrow at a family funeral and it would save me a trip to Kentucky to drop it off. I also want to wear a shirt to the funeral that needs a sweater over it. The sweater is missing a button so I have picked up new buttons at JoAnn's last night and I need to replace all the buttons on that sweater. I have a meeting tonight so that will cut into my sewing time. But I would not miss that meeting except for snow. And none is in the forecast for today. Guess I will be sewing until my eyes cross tonight!

In stitches,
Judy

My kind of snow

It snowed overnight here in southwestern Ohio. And it is my kind of snow. It is sticking to the grass and not the sidewalks, driveways, or roads. Of course, it has been exceptionally warm this winter and all the surfaces are warm and nothing cold will stick to them. But it is still my favorite kind of snow!!

I am coming along nicely on my list for this week of sewing. The three pairs of sleep pants are done, the skirt is mended for the gal at work, the binding is on the quilt and I am working on hand stitching it down. The only thing not yet finished is the pants I am shortening for my neighbor's step dad. But that should be done by the weekend. Sunday is a trip to the Fabric Shack in Waynesville, Ohio. I need some fabric for a project and I know I can get it there.

A half day working at home and the other half in the office, so I best be getting upstairs to get my day started. Any few minutes will be used to work on the binding. Always on a schedule!!

In stitches,
Judy

Design Wall Monday

 

Better late than never. I have stuff to show for Design Wall Monday. I made a real dent in my list for today. I made and applied the binding the for the Villa Rama quilt. Hand stitching down of the binding to be done tomorrow night after work. Check out other masterpieces at Patchwork Times

I finished three pairs of sleep pants for my nephew. Got the head light bulb replaced on my car and my oil changed. Went to the library and picked up an audio book. Went to the guild meeting and had a very enjoyable time. Did not get the rest of mending done but I am moving my sewing machine into the living room next to my desk and if we are slow tomorrow I will be sewing in between calls.

In stitches,
Judy

Happy Monday

Today is the second day of my weekend. The quilting is finished on the Villa Rama quilt. Next on the list is to make and apply the binding. Then stitch up three pairs of sleep pants for Neil. Then mend skirt for gal at work. Then car goes to the shop for oil change and bulb replacement on head light. Laundry and dishes and the guild meeting is tonight. Hope to get the sewing machine moved back into the living room so I can make patchwork circles for the quilt for my daughter in law and son. My sister Karen and I are going to New York City to visit in April and we are driving. It is cheaper to take the quilt with us than to ship it. My list never ends!

In stitches,
Judy

Stash Report

I am a day late for the stash report. I have been busy machine quilting one the raffle quilts for Villa Rama the end of the month. I am ready to make the binding and apply it. It is a shame that I am unable to subtract this from my stash report as all i am doing is the quilting!

Used this week:     0 yds
Used year to date: 14 yds
Added this week:   3 yds
Added year to date: 15.25 yds
Net Used for 2012: 1.25  yd

Stop by  Patchwork Times

In stitches,
Judy

A New Resolve

At our last guild meeting UFO's were featured and how we should either embrace them, change them, or even get rid of them. This is from our last guild meeting. http://youtu.be/c3EDU5AY8xg
 
I have found a hand piecing project that I have worked on over the summer and it is with mixed emotions that I am working on it. I have found that I have measured wrong and where I thought I needed 36 blocks I will only need 20 blocks and I have 19 of them done. For some reason it is not knocking my socks off. I desparately want to put it back in a back and shove it back in a drawer. And I could do that, but I have decided to hand piece the last block and make the small wall hanging. It will be hand pieced and hand quilted and it will make a nice entry in the fair in July. The remaining blocks I will sew together on my machine and make a nice table topper out of. It will machine pieced and either I will keep it or gift to someone. I know I will feel a sense of accomplishment once I have finished both projects!

In stitches,
Judy

January is Over

It is hard to believe that the first full month of 2012 has been put to bed. Lots of things have happened in this first month of 2012. The volume of work has not materialized. There has been no over time at all. Now we are being told to watch out in February. No one is holding their breath. I got some sewing done in January. Not as much as I would have liked. I finished two tote bags and two quilts. Pressed a bunch of scraps in anticipation of starting something new. I got an answer to my medical issue. My kidney stones seem to be stones made from uric acid and the new medication is awesome. I have not had any pain for almost a week. The head cold is subsiding. This is what happens to people who work from home. I am not out enough to be exposed to other people's germs. Oh well, I am all right with that.




In stitches,
Judy

Another Quilt

Today after work I will be pin basting another quilt for the fund raiser for Villa Rama. I have found out that the event is not until the 25th of February, My plan is to pin baste tonight, quilt tomorrow and Monday and bind whenever I finish quilting. These are quilts made by the three first grade classes. I have a nephew in first grade at Villa Madonna Academy but his class quilt is already finished.

The doctor seems to think my kidney stones are not calcium in make up but uric acid in make up. So I have been put on medication for Gout, though no one has said it is truly Gout, and this medication will break up the stones. Yeah!!! I need to take the medication every day and they will see me in a year unless I have more problems. I seem to have picked up a cold which has settled in my chest and throat. Sucking on lots of Hall's and drinking lots of fluids. I still have one more day to take calls before my weekend starts. Last week I took close to 60 calls all day, so I need to keep my voice working. People always want me to talk louder when I have very little voice to begin with. I should have almost nothing by tonight.

I have pressed all the scraps in my Saturday Scrap Bag. Was looking forward to starting something today but that will go on the back burner for a while. I also have enough pieces of flannel that were gifted to me to make sleep pants for my nephew, Neil. They will get in line behind the quilt. I want him to have them while it is still cold outside.

In stitches,
Judy

Answers

Today I am in search of answers. I suffer with kidney stones. And today I am getting a second opinion about the stones. I have been a trooper and not taken any time off work for my stone pain. The medication I have been given for the pain makes me sleepy and hard for me to take customer service calls. I have been existing on ibruprofen and lots of water.  I am not pinning my hopes on the second opinion, but I would like answers and to be able to stop feeding money to the makers of ibuprofen.

In stitches,
Judy

Another Finish

The raffle quilt for Villarama is done!! The next thing on my list is two pairs of sleep pants for Neil. And the swift departure of the dancing kidney stone or stones in my right kidney. The medication my urologist prescribed for the pain should allow me to work. And it did up to a point today. But it did make me sleepy and I ended up with a diet Pepsi to help keep me awake. I am going to take something now and go to bed. I have more training tomorrow in the office but now that desk space is at a premium, I will get paid travel time to and from the training. That is a good thing. Lunch and then travel time and then training and more travel time. Yeah!!!

In stitches,
Judy

Stash Report

I was so proud of myself. I am using restraint in the fabric store and using up my stash slowly in 2012. And a statement like that is always followed by a but statement. And my but statement is that last Monday I was gifted some fabric. Now I am all for gifting of fabric and it is a money saver for me.  And I am not stopping at the fabric store and buying more fabric to feed my stash. This week I was gifted 12 yards of fabric!! I had put my stash on a diet in 2012 and now people are feeding it for me! Guess I will have to get busy and sew, sew, sew!!

Used this week:     0 yds
Used year to date: 14 yds
Added this week:   12 yds
Added year to date: 12.25 yds
Net Used for 2012: 1.75  yd

Stop by Patchwork Times and see how people are fairing this early in the year!!

In Stitches,
Judy

Friday

All kind of things happen on Fridays. My work computer lost connectivity once and knocked me off line altogether another time. Rebooted the whole system twice. We are anticipating some nasty weather this evening and overnight but in the middle of the afternoon my power went out in this whole area. The power company assured me that it would be back on  by 5pm. Yeah. You wish by the end of the week you could get off the phones and relax but in the winter that is not a good wish. It gets cold in the house when the furnace is not working. The power was off for about an hour and it is toasty in my house once again. I am hoping to get to the sewing machine soon and work on the quilting for the fund raising quilt for my sister's school.

Tomorrow after work my sister and her boyfriend are joining me for dinner and a computer clinic. There are a few things not connected on the new computer and a few things that did not make it to the new computer from the old one and I am missing them.

In stitches,
Judy

Preparations

Today I will be preparing to do some cutting. I have found a couple quilts that I would like to try and they are scrappy, which is my favorite kind to do. So I will press all the scraps in my Saturday Scrap bag and cut them into usable pieces earmarked for certain projects. A couple of them would make good leaders and enders projects. I am going to conquer my stash this year. I want to be in charge of it. 

 
I have decided to use some of the flannel I was gifted to make my nephew, Neil some more sleep pants. I made him a pair for Christmas and they turned out so cute that he will get at least one more pair. Bye bye gifted fabric and it will help my stash busting numbers. Win, win for everyone!!

In stitches,
Judy

Sewing Mends the Soul

My daughter in law got this transfer for the wall in my sewing room. There were never any truer words spoken. I find so much peace and calmness in sewing. Whether its cutting, piecing or quilting either by machine or by hand. My mind dances from quilt to quilt that I want to make or have made. I seem to be in my own little world of fabric. It certainly makes me happy. And when I am happy, I have no problem facing the world no matter what it throws my way!

In stitches,
Judy

I was being so good

I was being so good this year. Not buying any fabric unless absolutely necessary. I am already ahead of the game until last night. Went to my small quilting group and came home a pattern to make scrub hats, a quilt that needs some more hand quilting which I adore doing and some fabric. The gal that gave me the pattern for the scrub hat said she had some fabric suitable to make scrub hats. I took the fabric gladly and I did not realize until much later that she had just cleaned out her sewing room. How interesting would scrub hats be made out of flannel. I have enough flannel now to back a couple of baby quilts. So on Sunday I will have to add this fabric to my stash report and then sew madly to get it out of my stash!! Oh well this is life and I must just deal with it and I will!

In stitches,
Judy

Stash Report

So far so good, 2012 is going well for me. I am trying not to buy fabric. I so much in my stash, that I should be able to construct several dozen quilts without buying much fabric at all.

Used this week:     2 yds
Used year to date: 14 yds
Added this week:   .25  yds
Added year to date: .25 yds
Net Used for 2012: 13.75 yd

Check out and see how others are fairing this week at Patchwork Times 

In stitches,
Judy

Scrap bag Saturday

I have decided that I will start a new project on Saturday. And I am calling it Scrap Bag Saturday. I have loaded up this scrappy tote that I made last year with scraps from my sewing room. My sewing machine is currently located in my living room and in between calls today I am going to make something out of scraps in this bag. I am hoping for a couple of shopping bags and a mug rug or two. Or maybe a block or two towards a scrap quilt for summer picnics.

In stitches,
Judy

Cold

Winter is here in Ohio. And it has brought cold and snow with it. Right now it 21 degrees. I only know that when I went out to get my mail this afternoon it was really cold. We got a dusting of snow and it looks pretty. I have started looking for my Winter Survival Kit for my car. I do not drive that often now that I am working from home but I need to get it together. I need some melting compound, a shovel, a blanket, bottled water, snacks, and an overnight bed with a change of clothes and my jammies. You never know what the weather will do when you are out for the day!! I like to be prepared.

My day is over and I am going to go upstairs and get one with my sewing machine. A purple back pack is calling my name. And then what ever else I can get into. I do have to work tomorrow, so my weekend does not start until 4:30pm tomorrow afternoon. No big plans for the weekend. I am hoping to hook up with my sister to snag a quilt top from her that I need to quilt for her school fund raiser.

In stitches,
Judy

Happiness

Happiness can mean many things to many people but to me it is having moved the sewing machine back into the living room near my desk. Of course, we were  busier at work and my kidney stone is dancing so there was no time to sew. But I am still happy!

I have gotten some new pain medicine for my kidney stones. I just have to wait  for them to make their way of my body. Yippee!! The doctor assures me that I will be able to work and take the medication. I am going to start with a half tablet and make sure I am coherent before taking a whole tablet.

Snow has come to my corner of Ohio. So far we have had a dusting and it is so pretty and it is getting colder. More snow is expected overnight. I am so glad that I work from home. I do not have to get on the road and travel with the other crazy drivers in the snow. 

It is time to go back upstairs and start working on the purple back pack. It would be nice to have a beginning and an ending in January. And then maybe dig out a UFO to work on.

 
In stitches,

Judy

Daily Sewing

I am trying to sew at least 15 minutes a day. I could not get to my sewing machine today so I cut fabric instead. 

I have all 16 pairs of 5" charm squares cut for the purple back pack I am doing. I have the fabric picked out for the casing and the straps and the lining. I just need to pick out fabric for the interior and exterior pockets. I have moved all my purple stash from the basement sewing room upstairs to the cutting station in the living room. I am hoping to get everything cut and start assembling the back pack this weekend.

The pictures have been printed and the entry is on its way to Joann's corporate offices in Hudson, Ohio. The quilt is still on the wall in the living room. And the furniture is still out of place but that is okay with me. I will move stuff back tomorrow.

I think it is time for me to turn in. We had system issues at work today and I am hoping things are working better tomorrow and I need to be well rested for whatever comes my way tomorrow!! The weatherman is teasing us with snow!!

In stitches,
Judy

The Picky Photographer

 
I am entering the Quilt Contest that Joann Fabrics is putting. I have been busily designing, cutting, piecing, and quilting my latest masterpiece for the contest. The last item on the list is taking a photograph or two of the quilt on a flat surface. The quilt measures 56 x 62, odd size I know. Just where does one find a flat surface in one's house to accommodate a quilt this size.

 
I decided on my living room wall. I had always been meaning to make something to hang in that spot so here was my chance! I purchased a package of command hooks because my walls are plaster and nasty to get a nail into. I was going to out and purchase a wooden rod but I was having computer issues with my work computer and I was waiting  the "IT" guys to call back. It was my day off so now I am tied to my house waiting for their call back.

 
I am my father's daughter and I "jerry rigged" a rod out of a white aluminum cafe rod and the curtain in my dining room. The weight of the quilt made the rod bow and I was afraid it would fall down off the wall. I took my pictures went on my way to Meijers to have them printed. In the camera they looked fine but in prints it looked bad. Made my inner border look lumpy and pulled funny. And in real life it is not that way.  Plan B went to Home Depot and had them cut 1" PVC pipe to length and I put the other makeshift rod inside of it and now the quilt is happily hanging in my living room. 

I have proceeded to photograph that quilt with in an inch of it's life. I think I have taken close to 50 pictures of the quilt. I never knew I was this picky. I am seeing all kinds of bumps and blemishes real or imagined. I got up this morning and took 9 more pictures at least. The quilt will hang all day today and I am leaving at 4:30 to go to Meijer's to print my pictures. I am done, I think.

In stitches,
Judy

Guild Challenge

Went to my guild meeting last night and it was an interesting mix of ideas and eye candy. We always have an awesome Show and Tell and last night was no exception!     

I showed the Contest Quilt. I have given it a  name finally. Circle Game. It now needs a label stating all the important information. I still need to take pictures of the quilt hanging on the wall and I will post those on the blog later this week.

We discussed how to navigate our website. We have started not mailing our newsletter and having it put on our website. We also discussed the addiction that blogs seem to have. All the quilting blogs that are out there and all the pretty eye candy that comes on a blog, all the cool patterns that our out there on different blogs, and all the cool ideas that are on blogs. The gal giving the talk said it is like opening a new quilt magazine when you open a blog. That is so true. You can read her blog at The Polka Dot Chicken . It is a very interesting blog and reads just like the personality is put out at the meeting last night!\

The other point brought out last night was UFO's. Everyone has them and this year if we each sewed 15 minutes a day it is amazing how quickly those UFO's would become finished projects that could be paraded at the next  guild meeting's Show and Tell. So today I am going to try and find 15 minutes to sew. I am working on a purple back pack. So I am guessing that cutting more charm squares for this project counts as sewing. I would  like to have the cutting done so I can make that finished project.

In stitches,
Judy

2012 Challenge

I am signing up for a challenge in 2012. The NewFO challenge. Start something new every month in 2012 and you don't even have to finish it. Now this is something I can get into. There are a bunch of things I would like to start and this seems like a perfect opportunity.

1. Purple Back Pack. I have actually already started this project this month. I have cut some of my stash for this project. I seem to be on track so far. I would like to try and finish this project by the end of the month.

2. Christmas quilt. I have made two quilts so far from this pattern and I really like it. It takes 480- 3" squares and I am using Christmas fabric for this. I have the red fabric purchased for this project but it is not yet cut into the squares and rectangles needed for this quilt. I have purchased a package of replacement blades for my rotary cutter, so I am ready.

3. Shopping bags. I am trying to go "green" and use my own shopping bags when I go to the store. I have strips cut for these bags. I just need to put them together. I am thinking about making at least 6 bags. Another stash busting project.

4. I have three spots in my house where I hang smallish quilts seasonally. I would like to start a new quilt for each season for all three locations. Some locations already have a good variety quilts others not so much.

5. Tablerunners. I have the fabric to make table runners for myself and my mom, and my sisters. This would be a perfect opportunity to make something pretty for everyone. Not sure how many if any I would be able to finish.

Check out all the other brave souls at Cat Patches NewFO challenge .

I am sure that I will add and subtract things on this list as 2012 goes along, but I am thinking this is a good start.

In stitches,
Judy

Stash Report

So far the stash report is going in a good direction. I have used more than I have bought. Of course, it is only the second week of 2012. We will just have to see how things play out as the year goes on.

Used this week:    12 yds
Used year to date: 12 yds
Added this week:    0 yds
Added year to date: 0 yds
Net Used for 2012: 12 yds

Check out the results of week 2 at Patchwork Times .


The contest quilt is finished. Tomorrow I will post pictures. I am getting up very early for a cat scan of my pelvis and abdomen. My urologist is trying to find out the care of my kidney stones. I was lucky so far this weekend. It flared up on Saturday and since my weekend does not start until after work on Saturday I am happy that it had stopped when I got up this morning.

Went clothes shopping with my mom and sister Becky. I got several shirts on clearance at Lane Bryant's and several undergarments. Then back to Becky's house for lunch (homemade mock turtle soup, homemade bread, and leftover Christmas cookies all provided by my mom), and then it was  time to play Wii. Becky and I aren't any better at winter sports in Wii than we are in real life. But we sure had fun.

In stitches,
Judy

Update on Contest Quilt

I have been busy working on Contest Quilt. I put the binding on tonight. I now have to hand stitch it down. I really like the way it has turned out. This is a project that has gotten me out of my box and made me notice how particular I am when it comes to quilting. I am hoping to have all the binding stitched down by Monday. I will need to take pictures of it and then send the pictures, the entry form and all my receipts showing I purchased all my supplies from JoAnn's. I have a bunch of receipts in a drawer in my bedroom and one receipt in the living room and one in the dining room where I have been sewing. 

Next project is a toss up between a flannel nightgown for me, a pair of flannel sleep pants for me, or start stitching the squares together for a Christmas quilt for me. Hey everything is for me. Now that is so unusual. I am sure that will change. 

I am going to call it a night and get to bed. I will be getting up in the morning to start stitching down the binding!

In stitches,
Judy

Sewing

I feel much better when I can get a bit of sewing done. And after all my adventures last night I should be in bed but now that I have finished sewing I am getting ready to do a spot of exercise that I was unable to do this morning and then I will head off to bed. I have certain things I like to do each day and do not feel complete until all those things are done. 

In stitches,
Judy

Wednesday

In some circles Wednesday is "hump day". Mine not so much. Thursday is my hump day as I don't work on Mondays and work on Saturdays. Yesterday was interesting at work. We finally got busy, but they had sent home about 45 people first! I like much better when it is busy. I did start another dish cloth in Christmas colors and it is about 4 inches tall.

I was hoping to sew last night but I crashed in bed after dinner. I have had a kidney stone moving for the last two weeks and it has stopped for now. Yeah!! But the nausea has kicked in and I just pulled the covers over my head and went to sleep. But last night I could not do that right. Leg cramps and a sty in my eye kept me up. Sounds like I am falling apart. Well tonight is another opportunity to sew!!

In stitches,
Judy

My plans for 2012

I have decided that for 2012 I will try and finish as many Unfinished Projects as I can. That means not just quilting. I have plenty of them but there are other things that I have started around my house and this is the year I am going to finish as many as I can.

This is a bag of cotton dish cloths in the making. I used to make them while taking calls in mail order. Waiting for the caller to find the information I needed, I would crochet. This is the bag of the bits and pieces left over from that time period.

 
Yesterday we were slow at work and here is the fruits of my labor. One Christmas dish cloth that I will pack away with my Christmas decorations so I will have it for Christmas 2012. In fact there is enough yarn to make a second one. Watch out it may show up in a pack at your house some day!!

The contest quilt is coming along nicely. Tonight is stitching in the ditch carefully. Then it will be time to quilt the piano key border. The binding fabric is cut and I will be making the binding tonight. I am hoping to have it finished and photographed and then entry mailed off this weekend. My saving grace is that there is a branch of the Post Office inside Jungle Jim's that is open 7 days a week.

In stitches,
Judy

Thankful

Today I am thankful for many things. When I woke early this morning, I wished I did not have to go to work today and that I could sleep in for a while. Then I remembered I don't work on Mondays! I do work on Saturdays and that is not so bad.

I am thankful that I work from home! Especially today when I woke the second time to find snow covering the driveway, sidewalks, and the street in front of my house. We are used to having snow in this part of Ohio, but the first snowfall covering the roads brings out the "crazy" in a lot of drivers. I am thankful that I can sit in my dining room and quilt and watch the snow falling.

In stitches,
Judy

New Year's Eve

Here is what I did on New Year's Eve. Pin basting. I am going to machine quilt this quilt for the contest that JoAnn Fabrics is having. I spent several hours in my dining room bin basting this quilt. This is the second quilt I did for the contest. The first one did not pass muster and I have set it aside for now. I will add more blocks and several borders to that quilt and finish it for my son and my daughter in law. Hey a project to do in January!!

I have started machine quilting it and it looks really good. I am hoping to finish it tomorrow. Then add the binding which is the teal and get the pictures taken and mailed off ASAP.

In stitches,
Judy

Stash Report

Everyone is happy with the first stash report of the new year. I waited to post until after my trip to JoAnn Fabrics this morning. I am happy to report that I bought some thread and needles, a cross stitch project that all I wanted was the frame that came with it. It is a small project but my Mom uses the small frames to put pictures of her kids, grand kids, and great grand kids on her Christmas tree. We will be having a new great grand baby born due in August. But I can report that no fabric came home with me.

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 0 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Used for 2012: 0 yards

Check out Patchwork Times.


In stitches,
Judy

The Contest Quilt

 
The contest quilt top is done!! I finished it last night and I simply adore it. It will get bound in teal and I am hoping to get it done this weekend. Of course, my weekend starts on Saturday at 4:30pm and ends at midnight on Monday. I will prep the backing today and open the batting and after Church and dinner tonight I will be pin basting the quilt with gobs of pins. I have already decided on the quilting design and it will be quilted in verigated thread on the top and brown thread on the bottom which I should have gotten last night at the fabric store. Guess I will make another stop there after work.

In Stitches,
Judy

Contest Quilt

I am so excited! The Joann's contest quilt is almost ready to be layered and quilted. And this is a good weekend to work on it. I am working Saturday, but I am off Sunday and Monday. I see a lot of quilting in my future. I need to cut some more piano keys strips for the border today in between calls and keep on sewing them together. I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is so exciting. 

My sister (Hi Becky) is such a troublemaker. She told me of several apps that uses on her IPad and that I could probably put on my ITouch. And she was right. I loaded several of them while on the phone with her and then after I could not sew any longer last night I was playing with them. I like to never get to bed last night. She is a teacher on Christmas break and I have to get up and work. 

In Stitches,
Judy

In between

 
It is the week in between the holidays. Today was my first day back to work after Christmas. And we were slow yet again. I am finally cutting the fabric for the piano key border for my contest quilt. I cut a bunch at 2.5 x 7.5 inches. Not as pretty as it could be. I have resized the blocks to 1.75 x 5.5 inches. I am finally happy with the way they look. I will finish cutting them and tomorrow I will be able to sew. Yeah!

My daughter in law is going to take the first quilt for the contest. I will need to add some more blocks and borders in order for it to fit on their queen sized bed. That will be finished this winter.

I have started to formulate a list of the projects I want to finish in 2012. I definitely want to finish projects already started, I want to start new projects, and I want to use up as much of my stash as I can. Sounds like a tall order but I am thinking it can be doable. Month by month, week by week and day by day. Baby steps.

In Stitches,
Judy

It's Christmas Eve!!

 
Happy Christmas Eve!! My kids are almost to their first destination. They should be pulling into Nick's Dad's driveway within the next 30 minutes. They have been driving all night from NYC. I have spoken to my daughter in law and they are tired and excited. And my grand puppy, Frankie, has been a real trooper.

I have a few finishing touches to do and I will be ready for the festivities to begin. Of course, I have an 8 hour day to put in at work before I can get to my mom's. Fingers crossed that we won't be busy and I might get to go home early. Whatever happens is fine with me.

Hope everyone has an enjoyable Christmas Eve with friends and family or however you celebrate!!

In stitches,

Judy

Cleaning

The wrapping is done and I forgot to take pictures of all my Christmas sewing. I will remedy that tomorrow and get those pictures posted after Christmas. We were somewhat busy at work today. All I can figure is if you send enough people without pay, then I am bound to get more phone calls. Cannot imagine what tomorrow will bring.

I have a kidney stone dancing in time with all the Christmas music on the radio. I was hoping if ignored it the dancing would stop, but that has not happened. I have medicine I can take but it will knock me out and I still have cleaning to do. Oh well, life goes on.

Still waiting to hear if my kids have gotten on the road. They are driving straight thru from NYC to Dayton, Ohio. They were hoping for an early start but my son got a new project at work and their departure has been delayed. Maybe driving late at night will mean less traffic. They will be in my thoughts until they are safely home.

In stitches,
Judy

It's a wrap

Today is wrapping day. I will move my sewing machine from the table next to my desk and set up a wrapping station. The first thing in the morning the calls are dead and I will be able to get my meager amount of wrapping done. Then I will set up my mat, rotary cutter and ruler and start cutting the pieces for my piano key border for my contest quilt. Tomorrow will be a sewing day. I have to work tomorrow and I am pretty sure that we will get very few calls.

My kids and grand puppy are leaving NYC today for the drive to Ohio. Their first stop with be with my son's father in Dayton for some much needed rest before journeying to my mom's house tomorrow for Christmas Eve festivities. This will be the first year in a long time that a dog will be joining us. Normally it is babies that we have joining us. And this year is no exception. It will be my nephew, Neil's first Christmas. He is almost 6 months old. He gets Christmas presents and a dog. Oh wow!!

Took both of my contest quilts to my support meeting last night. The ugly one in my eyes got rave reviews and one gentleman in the group wanted to take it's pictures. Most people were drawn the ugly quilt. At this stage the revised quilt is quite tame but I know the piano key borders will wake it up. I am happier with the revised quilt and that is all that matters.

I must fire up EQ7 quickly and then gather up my wrapping stuff and get one the phones for the onslaught of calls that will be coming my way! Have a great day.

In stitches,
Judy

Decisions

Last year at this time I was eagerly joining the UFO challenge at Patchworks Times. This year I am still undecided as what to do about the UFO challenge. I did not make very good progress in finishing the quilts on the list. I gave one of the UFO's away. There were just blocks and since they were given to me, I gave them to someone else.
   
I did actually finish two quilts on the list. Yeah! I would like to finish the items on the list from last year but I think I might need some other kind of motivation. I still have some time to decide. I can join any time. I should wait until after Christmas to make my final decision.

Jennifer was here tonight and we went to Cracker Barrel for dinner and then to Home Depot for light bulbs and Walmart for a few groceries. The kids are coming into town and I will be in charge of feeding them.

Need to call it a night. More sewing will be done tomorrow. I can only imagine that we will not be busy at work tomorrow or the rest of the week for that matter. Oh well, maybe I will finish that dish cloth after all.

In stitches,

Judy

Slow

Today it is slow at work! I am tethered to my phone and computer. Waiting for a call to come in. Boring. I have finished the piecing of my revised contest quilt and I have started on the inner border. I need to spread out more so I have stopped that project and have started crocheting a dish cloth. Pretty mindless stuff. Only 3 more hours to go!!

In stitches,
Judy

Wednesday

My Christmas present has arrived. It is in a big box and I am so excited. It is a new computer. The box is not wrapped and I had to sign for it this afternoon. It is from my children. So last night I started cleaning the basement so the new computer would have a clean space to live in. I got quite a bit done but there is still more to finish tonight. I am working on the  revised contest quilt during the day and cleaning in the evening. It is working out just fine. Wrapping will begin on Friday in between calls at work. Should be able to get it done quickly. Wondering how I am going to wrap the tiaras I got for my great nieces. Issues, issues issues!! Life is always interesting.

I will post pictures of my Christmas projects after Christmas. I do not want anyone to peek at their gifts before the big day.

I already know we are not having a White Christmas in this part of Ohio and I am okay with that. I would really like to have dry Christmas. It is raining yet again in this part of Ohio. Would somebody please turn off the rain faucet?

In stitches,
Judy

The good and the bad

Today there a bit of both. The good was I got most of my shopping done and all of my sewing done. The bad was there is another leak in my roof. I did not get it fixed the last time because there is no more funds available at this time. Today after I called my handyman to come and fix my roof, I called my bank looking for funds to pay for the repairs. And of course, there was no money to be had. But the lady at the bank reminded me that I had a CD for $500 and for a penalty I could cash it in and get my roof fixed. The penalty was $2.70. I now I have my roof repair done just before the rain started again. I am happy.

Val was here tonight and finished her apron for her friend's birthday. I am all done with my Christmas sewing. Tomorrow I will be working on my contest quilt. They did not appear to be busy at work today. I checked in about 4pm and they had already sent quite a few people with out pay. As much as I would like to leave early, the calls that I take do not allow the option of leaving early without pay. I would like to put the CD back in the bank after the holidays so I am glad that I will be staying every day this week for my entire shift.

I am thinking it is about time for bed. It might have been my day off but I was up early sewing and then shopping. It appears that I will be staying home tomorrow. Sewing is on my plate.

In stitches,
Judy

Just when I thought I was done

Just when I thought I could see the light at the end of the Christmas sewing tunnel, I have added yet another project. My brother and his family are going skiing the day after Christmas and my niece is looking for a bag to carry on the plane. Something yellow that has a zipper. I have the front and the bag quilted. I need to run to JoAnn Fabrics this morning to pick up a zipper and then the back will almost be done. I also need to get something for my daughter in law and pick up a red onesie for my nephew to go with his new sleep pants that I have made for him. I have a couple of things left to pick up. But I can do those later in the week.

I am going to spend most of today working on the revised contest quilt. I am going to get the backing fabric while I am out today. I had some backing fabric purchased but I had to use it all making the revised blocks. I am glad that I had it on hand. Soon I will post pictures of both quilts.

Gots to go. Time waits for no one at this time of the year!!

In stitches,
Judy

Contest Quilt

The quilt is ugly. It is very busy and the best thing for it right now is a bag and a trip to sewing room. I will revise the design and start all over today. The only sewing left to do is the dog quilt for Frankie. It is a piece of cake and I will whip that up tomorrow. I only need 42 blocks. I am working today and as long as I am tethered to my phone and computer I can do anything I want to, to fill my time. Cutting and sewing will fit the bill today.

Tonight is sewing with Val. We will share the sewing machine. Tomorrow is a Christmas program at my brother's church in the afternoon and then back to his house for dinner. Monday is my day off and I need to finish up my shopping. Just a few things and I can get most of it at JoAnn's. Coupon sale starts Sunday. I will then set up a wrapping station next to my desk during the week and get the wrapping done. I think I have it all figured out!!

In stitches,
Judy

Sewing

I have finished sewing the center piece of my contest quilt for JoAnn's. And now I am on the computer working on my EQ7 working on the border design. I have an idea in my mind and I want to confirm that this is really what I want to do. And it is. The only Christmas sewing left to do is Frankie's dog coat. It is cut out and I just need to sew it up. That should not take very long and I will do it tomorrow.

Val is coming tomorrow evening for another sewing lesson. She has wisely decided that there is no way she will be able to finish nightgowns for herself, her sister, her niece and her daughter. They will make nice Valentine's gifts. She is going to tackle an apron for her friend's birthday. The party is New Year's Eve. That is a more attainable goal. I can cut fabric for my piano key border and she can sew. It will be a very fun evening.

In stitches,
Judy

Christmas Progress

I am making great progress with my Christmas sewing!! I have finished both pairs of sleep pants. The dog coat is cut out and will be a cinch to put together. That should be finished tonight!! I still have a spot of shopping to do and I will do that over the weekend. Tomorrow will be committed to working on my contest quilt for JoAnn's Fabrics. It is looking good at least in my mind it is. Layers of sewing still need to be done. Pictures will follow once the pictures and entry form are winging their way to Hudson, Ohio in January. Not many of my friends have seen the quilt. I like to keep it under wraps until it is done.

In stitches,
Judy

Christmas Sewing

Christmas sewing has been interesting this year. I started out with a nightgown for my niece and it went together easy as pie. I have been sewing for more than 40 years. Then I got a nasty head cold, flu thing and for a whole week I worked every day and was in bed by 7pm. No sewing done at all. So I am a bit behind at this point. I still have two pairs of sleep pants to make and a coat for my grand puppy. Last night I cut out the coat for the grand puppy and started on the sleep pants. I looked high and low for my tracing paper to trace of the appropriate patterns for the sleep pants. No such luck. Could not find the tracing paper so I went to bed. This morning I found the paper next to my bed. It could not have been there last night, because my sewing machine was living in that spot for the last several days. The tracing paper is on a heavy cardboard roll. So now I am ready or not. Seems the pattern I thought was in multi sizes for the baby's sleep pants is just on size. Large/extra large. He is not there yet. He is more Medium. Now I have to alter the pattern. I went to the basement to look at my pattern collection and I have the same style of pattern in a Medium. I may be able to pull this Christmas sewing off after all. I would like to get them cut out before work and sew them after work. And during work I want to work on my quilt for the quilt contest that JoAnn Fabrics is sponsoring. At least that is my plan.

In stitches,
Judy

I had a party

I had a party on Sunday. I invited 9 gals from work to come to my house for dinner. I made homemade spaghetti sauce, homemade filling for stuffed shells. Today I finished cleaning the house, put up my very small tree, and put together stuffed shells. I have had a terrible head cold for the last week and though I am feeling 100% better, I am still without a sense of smell. I had to have one of the gals come with every time I wanted to check on dinner because her smeller worked and mine doesn't. Dinner was a big hit!! I also made two kinds of salad dressing. We also had salad, bread and two kinds of dessert. We finished off one bottle of wine and made a dent in the other bottle. We laughed, talked and eat. We had an amazing time. Most of us started working together years ago and all us of work from home or are at new positions in different companies. It was so nice to see everyone and I am hoping we can do this again once winter is over.

In stitches,
Judy

Christmas Concert

This afternoon I will be attending a Christmas Concert with The Southwest Ohio Symphonic Band In Middletown, Ohio. My sister, Becky, plays the flute for this band. After the concert we will gather at my mom's house for dinner and tree decorating. Becky promises that this will be yet another awesome performance by the band.

This is the beginning of my weekend. I am off today, tomorrow and Tuesday. Next Sunday I am hosting a group of gals from work for dinner. Most of us no longer work in the office but are work at home people and rarely do we get to see one another. I will be making stuffed shells with homemade sauce, two kinds of homemade salad dressing. The others will be bringing dishes to fill in the menu. I anticipate lots of talking, laughing, eating, and silliness.

I am hoping to finish my Christmas sewing this week. Just need to make two pairs of sleep pants and a dog coat. Simple sewing. Then I can concentrate on my entry for JoAnn Fabrics Quilt Contest. It is coming together nicely but it is still just pieces and not even a quilt top. Busy, busy, busy I will be this week. I would not want it any other way!!

In stitches,
Judy

Friday Night Sewing

 
Friday night was Val's first go round with sewing. She is making matching nightgowns for her daughter, Clara and niece Lana, who are both under the age of two. And she is also making matching nightgowns for herself and her twin sister, Vicki. Such ambition!! I am so proud of her and what she has accomplished so far. One little girl nightgown cut and sewn.

She will be here this afternoon to get back at it. The pattern for both nightgowns are very similar and very easy. We will make a small change in her sister's nightgown. By February she will be a nursing mama and we are adding a zipper.

I am spending the morning hours at work today. Calls for two hours and then training. Then making the dash home on my lunch break to finish out the rest of my shift! It can be done as I repeated this same scenario on Wednesday.  I love working from home.

In stitches,
Judy

Today is Special

Today is the day my daughter in law is sworn in as a United States citizen and as mother in law I could not be prouder. Of course, she and my son are in New York City and I will have to celebrate alone here in Ohio. I do not know all the steps that they had to go through but I know it was time consuming and expensive. My son is an attorney and decided that he could do the leg work but he now has a new respect for the attorneys that do that for a living. There are lots of things required to make this possible. For example, they needed her birth certificate. Seems easy, right? No. She was born in India and has 6 birth certificates. And the one that had all correct information was in Hindi and they had to have it translated and then get an affidavit that it is correct and that she did not do her own translating.

She is traveling with her job and was in Florida until last night. She had a late night flight back to NYC for the ceremony this morning then back to Florida to finish out her presentation. At least for the trip back to Florida my son is going with her and they will celebrate together in warm, sunny Florida.

A very proud mama,
Judy

Christmas sewing

One Christmas sewing project is done. I will take it's picture and then wrap it. I will not post pictures until after Christmas. Not fair to person getting the gift to see it on my blog. I still have a dog coat and two pairs of sleep pants to do and then I will be done. Today will be sewing on the quilt I am doing for JoAnn Fabrics quilt challenge. My skill set at work has changed and right now I have more down time between calls. So I will sew today.

Tomorrow is craft night at the house. Val is coming over and I am teaching her to sew. She is making matching nightgowns for her daughter and her niece and matching nightgowns for herself and her twin sister. The pattern is simple but the prep work is a killer for someone who has not ever sewed before. I will let you know how things progress over time. She hoping that everyone will be decked out in new nightwear for Christmas Eve.

Sunday is my sister's Christmas Concert with the Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band at Lakota High School this year. It will be a fun time and then we are coming back here for dinner. I need to clean!!!

I need to close and get ready for work. I just need to run upstairs gave some breakfast and turn on the computer. The joys of working from home. It is a good gig if you can get it.

In stitches,
Judy

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Hoping you will be spending time with those who are near and dear to you. For those who will not be joining for the holiday, know that they will be with in your heart.

I will be cooking dinner tomorrow at my sister's house. It will be a small gathering this year. I still have a bit of hemming left to do on the table cloth for our table tomorrow. My mom will be meeting me here at my house and we will travel together to my sister's house. My youngest sister and her three kids will also be joining us for dinner an Wii. We will exercise off all that turkey.

 
I will not be attending any of the Black Friday sales this year. I am working both Friday and Saturday! I am aiming to get to JoAnn Fabrics this weekend for some of the thread that is on sale. I have a couple of sewing projects that I am doing for Christmas and need thread to complete them. I will be off Sunday and Monday and I am hoping to get started on my Christmas sewing.

Hoping everyone has a blessed time with family and friends and be careful when out for Black Friday!!

In stitches,
Judy

I am spoiled

 
I am so spoiled and I will admit that. I have a job that I really like and have been doing it for almost six years. In April of this year, management sent a bunch of us home to work including me. I am so in love with working from home. This week or at least the days before Thanksgiving several of us are back in the office for training. The office is located in a rather busy, congested shopping area. It is the week before Thanksgiving and it is raining. That is not a good mix for anybody. Traffic is horrid!! In the morning it is not bad for me but my co-workers are on the road over an hour to get to work. Last night there were lots of accidents and an explosion and fire at the General Electric testing facility in Evendale. Yuck!! It takes me about 17 minutes to get from my garage to the parking lot at work and it took over 45 minutes to get home last night. And now I am getting ready to do this again. I will be happy to be working in my living room on Black Friday and I might even stay in my jammies!!!

In stitches,
Judy

Thanksgiving Plans

 
It is going to be an interesting week. Of course, Thanksgiving is Thursday and our family gathering is going to be on the small side this year. My sister and her hubby have moved to Georgia and they are not coming this year. My son and his wife and their dog will not be making the trip from New York for Thanksgiving but will be here for Christmas instead. My niece is cooking this year in Columbus for her family and a few friends. My sister's husband is leaving town and spending Thanksgiving with friends who live near the airport. My brother never spends Thanksgiving with us and will miss him and his family and will see them on Christmas Eve. So this year we are gathering at my sister's house, where I will share the cooking with my mom, my sister Becky, and my sister Patty. Patty will be bringing my niece, Lily and her two brothers Vincent and Neil. It will be a small but festive group. We will miss all those who cannot be with us this year and hope to see them all at Christmas Eve celebration at my mom's.

I have been sewing. I am working on special project not quite ready for pictures. I did snip a tiny bit of my finger with the scissors that I thought were not quite that sharp. I have bandaged it up and I seem to still have feeling in that finger. I am hoping to do a little more sewing before going to bed.

Tomorrow thru Wednesday I will going into the office to work. I along with about 11 other co-workers will be in the office for training. It will be nice to see these people. Most of us are work at home people and I have not seen them in quite some time. I need pack a lunch and get up much earlier and actually drive to work. I know I will appreciate Friday and Saturday this week when I am working from home yet again. 

I must close and get ready to finish my day. Look for something to wear to work. Find a notebook to take notes in and pack my lunch!!

In stitches,
Judy

Today is my Monday

Sunday and Monday are my weekend. And it has been more fun than one person can handle. Sunday I went to the store and picked a few groceries and made homemade pea soup. Yum!! Did some laundry with the full intention of sewing Monday.

Monday was great! Cleaned up my dishes and to the sewing machine I went. First to machine quilt in gold the piece of turkey fabric I got to cover the whole in way in hallway. My neighbor told me how fix last night. Just what I need, another project! I tore up this house looking for one of the two feet I use for meandering. Two hours later Jennifer and I were on the road to get a new foot!

 Got the foot, then the bobbin cracked from age. Fixed that, then I bent the needle. Fixed that and finished the piece. Then my neighbor dropped by with fabric for me to make neck scarves is for dogs for their Christmas picture. Those are done already!

Just before bed, I heard a noise in bedroom. Drip, drip, drip. We had high winds yesterday and rain and now my roof leaking just above my head. After moving the bed, dusting, I put the bucket behind the bed to catch the water. Water dripping in an empty plastic bucket is quite loud when one is trying to sleep. Added a towel to the bucket to muffle the noise. In the morning, I connected with a gal at work whose former son in law is a contractor that does roof work. He came out on Wednesday and tacked down a few shingles and all is well with the world. 

I was able to finish 3 doggy scarves, the turkey wall hanging and the Christmas wall hanging since Monday. Quite a productive week so far.

In stitches,
Judy

Hello

Life is busy right now. I have decided to treat myself to a top to bottom check up. Not all appointments have been completed and not all results are in but nothing much wrong. Yeah! The kidney stones have stopped dancing for the time being.

I have been hand quilting during the slow times at work. In fact, I am quilting right now. It is so relaxing. My weekend starts around 5pm tonight and I am planning to spend it with my sewing machine. Pictures to follow.

In stitches,
Judy

I have been remiss

 

I have been remiss in adding entries on my blog. My new shift has started at work. I am now working Tuesday thru Saturday 8am to 4:30pm. I am really liking the new shift. I have also been doing some overtime. I am spending my free time waiting for another kidney stone to pass. And getting all of my medical check ups done. I am guessing that will be my Christmas gift to myself and they all should be done in time for Christmas.

I have been doing a little bit of sewing. I am currently hemming 5 pairs of pants for a friend.  And I am working on my hand quilting project in between calls at work. Not much down time at work and not much hand quilting being done. I am toying with the idea of making a quilt for JoAnn Fabrics' quilt contest so I have been working on several ideas. I seem to be more creative when I am somewhat overwhelmed  by life. And that is what is happening in my life right now.

In stitches,
Judy