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