Hungry For A Snack?!

Not much more I can say about this...!

I Can't Stop Buying Fabric

All of this fabric was purchased on our recent trip to Wyoming.

This fabric I hope to turn into quilts for senior citizens in nursing homes.

 The horseshoes I bought because...hello...Western!  I'm addicted to it.

The hay/straw bales...because that is our main business and I've never ever seen fabric with bales on it...I'm having buyer's remorse in that I only got a yard of each.

 This stuff...just because I liked it..what other reason is there when you get right down to it?  (The picture has a pink tinge to it...new camera)

 The fabric on the right I LOVED because it's so bright and happy...the collection on the left will probably become a quilt for my granddaughter.  I'm trying not to go with pink all the time!  I tried to find a fuschia to go with it but when I did it screamed RED HAT SOCIETY to me...not quite what I had in mind for a tiny baby girl! 

 These cute fat quarters because they are mostly Western...and getting a whole yard would have ensured me walking back to PA instead of driving!  The M&M's are for a jar quilt...sometime WAAAY in the future!

How I Spent My Vacation

Recently we went to Wyoming...hunting elk and moose(not me!)...and visiting relatives.

I had a quilt all cut out(my biggest setback to getting things done!) and I took my machine along.  I never took a stitch on mine, instead I helped my niece make her own quilt.  She was looking at some things I had made and said she wanted to make something-a quilt or tote bag, she just wanted to make something.  She picked the fabric all by herself-it was very cute to see her running around the store with bolts of fabric, comparing and selecting and putting back.  She did a great job of it too. 

We pieced the back out of the leftovers and it turned out really cute.  A few puckers but we only had less than a day to quilt it and bind it since my husband finally got his bull moose and we were ready(more than ready!) to head home(just in time to meet a new granddaughter!)  The puckers really bothered me and still do.  I was glad to show her how to make a quilt and she picked it up remarkably fast.  I think she's a natural and I hope she pursues it.  But I hated to let those puckers go!  I keep trying to think of a way to 'fix' them even though we are 2,000 miles away!  If we get to go back next year I may see if she wants to applique some fun stuff on the back!  (Over the puckers!)

I'm sure it bothers me more than it does her!

I May Have to Change My Blog Name!

Finally, a girl in the family!

After a 19 day trip to Wyoming, we almost made it home in time to welcome a little granddaughter into the family. We would've made it if not for a 4 mile traffic backup in Indiana.

I truly despaired of ever having a little girl in our family but at long last...here she is!

My Last First Day Of School!

Too sad, my youngest son is driving off to his last first day of school. I think it was yesterday I had to get on the kindergarten bus to carry him off. He had fallen asleep in his seat and the bus driver called out the window to me "You'll have to come and get him, he's pretty tired!" I got on the bus, picked him up-backpack and all and carried him off...his little cowboy boots were dangling almost off his feet!

Now today he's a senior with a license!

He'll be home for most of the first half of the year since he will be working here on Co-op through his shop(Agricultural Mechanics) at the school.

But still...

Quilt Odyssey shopping!

I took off yesterday to go to Quilt Odyssey in Hershey, PA with my friend who is also my husband's cousin and fellow Guild Member, Bonnie. We were scheduled to man the Guild's Raffle quilt table from 10-1 but switched with the member who is in charge so she could attend a class. No problem, we shopped the Merchant's Mall, had lunch, went back and shopped for more. By the time we had to take over the table, we were glad to sit down!

I picked up a Lazy Girl Wonder Wallet pattern, an Easy Angle ruler, some bobbin keepers, some magnetic purse closures, a wool pin cushion...and wait, what are those other items?...why yes it looks like I got some fabric too.

More western fabric?!!

Some pretty fushia? fabric and I just had to get that butterfly fabric although I don't have anything in mind for it. Except to fill an empty space on my shelf?!! The merchant I bought that from had a nice quilt kit with it for a mere $75.00 so I just got the material instead.

Stash Report-Just Kidding!

I don't foresee me admitting just how much fabric I really have anytime soon!

So I put most of my stash on the shelves and it actually all fit. There are a few pieces not on there but this is the most of it.

I don't really have a sorting system. I don't like to sort by color. I tried to keep fabric lines together though.

I learned a few things too:

• I have too much fabric


• Apparently if you roll up fabric and put a price on it...I'll buy it


• I love brights


• I favor western prints


• I love novelty prints


• I need more fabric!(see the empty spaces?)


• I need to get busy!
  

I've got the flannels in the bottom three drawers. The 30's prints are in the top drawer. Western fabric fills an entire cube with Western fat quarters stashed in one of the drawers.

The plastic bin to the left has scraps in from other projects and to the extreme left are two quilt tops waiting to be quilted.

Paper bags on the window sill are from the quilt shop-evidence of my addiction!

The cardboard box in the next picture has smaller scraps in it along with batting scraps.

I've got my Singer set up to finish quilting a tote bag since I have the bobbins already wound for it. I've got another whole box of scraps I found in my grandmother's attic, but that's another post for another time.

I still only have half of a small room but it's better than where I was before:

(I'm almost embarassed t show this picture!)

1,000 th post giveaway

No, not me( I don't know if I'll ever get to 1,000 posts!) but Jill from http://jillquilts.blogspot.com/ is having an amazing HUGE giveaway and although I'm probably going to win I'm sharing anyway! Just click on the link and sign up for the giveaway.
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I hope you can click on the above button and get to the right place...I'm not very good at doing this!

Now I'm going to go back and submit my third entry for all this wonderful stuff!

Gathering Birthday Bales!

A few weeks ago my youngest DS turned 17 and it just so happened that we took delivery on our Stinger Bale Handler on the same day as his birthday so we told him it was his birthday present...are we nice parental units or what?!!

Our main crop is hay(over 2,000 acres of it, obviously mostly rented acres!!!) so this has been a long-awaited, much-needed purchase. It's been a kind of dream for years for the guys to own one. They're really pleased with it...and thankful for it.

Wildlife-Up Close & Personal!

My DIL and grandson got to see some fawns up close in the newly mown hay on their farm the other week. Listen to him giggling and calling them "Dadows"...I love that! She had her hands full trying to video and keep him from running to try to play with them!

Doesn't he sound disappointed at the end when they run off?!

Now What?!

So last week I was finally able to pick up my "new"(it seriously is like new) Horn Sewing cabinet. DH helped me unload it off the back of the truck. He asked the inevitable question "How much did this cost? Twenty?!!" Uh...yeah...OK! Thank goodness he didn't really want to know!

It lived in my living room overnight until...

A day later, all 4 of my boys were here and I asked them nicely(because I am a nice Mom!) to carry it upstairs to my wannabe sewing room for me and three of them did it(now I know why I had boys!). So, I got it all set up, carried my machine up and set it in and figured out how to move the platform thingy up and down...(yes that is a bath towel on the window-you know, we live like kings in this house! Note the vertical blinds on the ironing board waiting to be put up).

Then...

Then...



NOTHING! I got NOTHING!



I have not been able to even motivate myself to plug the machine in.

I'm blaming the humidity...no AC for that room and it's been way too hot up until yesterday when I finally put together a set of shelves I picked up at Lowe's.


I realize they won't go very far in storing my stash but maybe I can at least get some of it out where I can see it and actually USE it!

Now to just get that much done. It would probably help if I would get away from this laptop!

Finished Just In Time!

I finished the binding at exactly noon on Sunday.

Just in time for the shower at 4 PM!

This was the fastest quilt I've ever made, from start to finish.

I can't imagine how I'll ever get a full sized one done!

And the back...

Baby Quilt dilemma-solved.

I started this last Saturday night. I'm pretty pleased with it except when will I ever learn not to use similar fabrics like I did in the pinwheel blocks? I can only say I'm in a hurry to get it done as it's for a baby shower on Sunday afternoon. The brown dotted fabric is from Joann's. It's a Debbie Mumm and I wish I had gotten more than one yard. I goofed up cutting it too, so now I have 6 extra 1 1/2" strips. The other fabric, Farm Corner, I got from www.fabric.com a place I try not to go to very often because I cannot help myself!

I've already done the outer borders but I was curious which border anyone else liked.

This one with the same pattern as the blocks or...

This one with the polka dots?

I picked...
The top one.
Pictures of the finished product to follow...when I get it finished that is!

Has This Ever Happened to You?!!

Going thru my stash I found that I had bought the same material twice...I really need to get more organized!

Still working on cleaning out my son's room. Got all the clothes cleared out and the bed is torn apart and partially put away. I'll post before and after pictures...when there is an 'after'!

I won't be able to get my slightly used Horn sewing table until sometime in June so I guess I'll just haul my plastic totes full of fabric up to the room and keep on waiting!

Meanwhile, here is a picture of the latest purse I made. This one is for my cousin. After every one I make(this is #4) I swear it's the last...I wonder how long I'll hold out till I go at it again?! If anyone has an easy way to do the bottom and corners...please let me know! That's the main thing holding me back from cranking these out. The zippers don't even faze me anymore, it's those dreaded corners!

And beside the purse is a UFO rag quilt I started for my mom...for Christmas 2009!

Random Wedding Photos

Mr Cheez-Its!

There's only one way to eat cake...

Fighting over the bride's bouquet...for real...don't worry, they're sisters...

I think they've done this before!

My Family is Growing!

A good thing about having boys is you get the girls after they're all grown up!

Get a good look...we usually don't look this good!

Embroidery 101!

I've got homework...so to speak! My third son is getting married in a few weeks and his fiance wanted to make napkins in her colors(pink and blue) for every guest...So...one snowday we cut out 180+ napkins...then...between her and her stepmother and my other DIL all the napkins have been serged and now it's up to me to put the names and date on all of them! At least I'm breaking in the new machine right!
As of now I have 10 of them done...wish me luck! And wish for strong thread, all goes well as long as the thread doesn't break!

Soon I hope to have a new sewing room, as there will be an empty bedroom after #3 son moves out...I don't want to sound like I'm glad he's going though! It's not easy to see your kids grow up!

On the other hand some of them need a boost in that direction sometimes!

PS...#3 Son is the one in blue in back of the wagon holding the ear of corn with the ornery look on his face in the picture at the top...

I am SEW Slow!

Pun intended! Finally got my Quilts 4 Kids top done...now to quilt and bind it...the Quilts For Kids people are probably wondering where their kit got to!

I keep looking at it thinking there's got to be a misturned block somewhere!

A Little of This and That...

More snow removal! Not only do they have to plow the driveways but they also have to make sure the loads of hay are road worthy.

My Quilts For Kids kit. I had intentions of getting this done on Sunday but we had a full house most of the day and I decided I need to give it my utmost attention so I put it on the back burner. Hopefully this week I can catch a few minutes here and there and get it done. I just seem to need peace and quiet sometimes to "get into" a project. I'm anxious to get into this one and also make a few more...I love the kit they sent but I'm going to make a few girly ones just because I never get to use girly material much!

...and then there is this...I got a deal at the LQS when a customer decided to upgrade to the Diamond model and traded her Topaz in after only a few months. It comes with several embroidery hoops which is my main reason for getting it. Now, to learn how to use it! I have 6 hours of free class time instruction with the first class being Saturday. I'll miss the Guild meeting but this takes first place!

Time to Dig Out!!

Not sure yet of the exact amount of snow but after a certain amount, it really doesn't matter for the guys having to dig out, it's just plain a lot of work!! They have 4 farms to plow and a few neighbors' driveways...just hope it doesn't start to blow or they'll have to do it all over again!

You can see how important I am to the process...never got off the porch! I have to stay in the house and...answer the phone...or something!

A Worthy Cause

I just found this website on Amy's Passions blog: http://skattebo-skattebo.blogspot.com/
The site is: http://www.quiltsforkids.org/patterns/request
You can request a kit to make a quilt for kids who have serious illnesses. There is also a page with patterns to make quilts with your own fabric and send them to the organization. This would be a great project for a quild, or church group or Girl Scouts or any group that wishes to fulfill a need.

Suzanne's Big Giveaway and Sale!

Be sure to check this giveaway out by Suzanne.
Sounds like a great deal to me!

Suzanne’s Great Big Giveaway (and sale)

Two weeks and counting...

It's been two weeks since I've felt like doing anything at all.
It started with what I thought was a sinus infection and settled in my throat which turned into laryngitis and then The Cough. There is nothing like that cough. Uncontrollable. I apologize to all the people I've let loose on! You just cannot keep it in! I finally gave in and took some cherry flavored Nyquil (takes me back to when I was little, that nasty, cherry flavored stuff). So I was finally able to get some sleep and seem to be getting back to normal..ahem...at least as normal as I ever was!
Now maybe I can get some sewing time in...