Bread Tag Wedding Dress

Now this is what I call "thinking out side the box" or "bag".  Stephanie Watson of Australia made her wedding dress out of 10,000 bread tags she collected over 10 years.  I can't imagine how many sewing machine needles she went through by the time the dress was completed. Kudos to her though, the dress looks lovely.
I love the grooms' hat! 

It's Here!

Spring has finally shown it's self.  This cute little guy was on our deck this morning

Spring????

"Officially" spring has sprung but it didn't seem like it at my house this morning, I woke up to a temperature of 23 degrees, brrrrrrr.
Since I think my life currently isn't very exciting I haven't written anything in about a month.  I know "people should have such problems".
I haven't been eating bon bons and watching soap operas, I have managed to keep somewhat busy.

I made a few dresses for little girls in Uganda.  The dress is easy to make and uses just a yard of fabric.
I painted the fireplace surround, what a difference a different color makes. 
I'm still working on the photos, I felt I needed a break from that chore though.
I suppose my main emphasis currently is completing another counted cross stitch project I started years ago.  I see the light at the end of the tunnel, I'm working on the backstitch, lots and lots of backstitch.

Slowly

I am slowly picking away at getting the 400 plus pictures I had Snapfish print for me in photo albums. Since my OCD is alive and well, I want make sure I have the date and the location documented for each picture on the album pages.  I'm glad I don't have a deadline, I would miss it.

Thinking at 2am

My mind works in mysterious ways at 2 o'clock in the morning...how about yours?

Last night for some odd reason I was thinking about the barley soup I made two night ago.  I had frozen some of the leftovers in a plastic container that was much too big knowing eventually freezer burn would occur...I hate freezer burn....and also thinking about the waste of space in the freezer.  Well, at 2am I came up with the idea of popping the frozen soup out of the container and then putting it in a Food Saver bag and vacuum sealing it.  I'm sure I'm not the first to think this up but I'm pretending I am.

Another UFO Finished

Here is another counted cross stitch item I have been working on for a number of years.  I moved along with it at a quick pace, then I got to the backstitch portion and came to a screeching halt.  The reason for the halt, the backstitch instructions were not laid out very well and when the counted cross stitch aficionados I spoke with couldn't figure it out either  I said "I'll just wing it.".
The design is titled "Under the Oaks" by Barbara and Cheryl. Once again, it is a scene from Charleston, SC.

Warm up PLEASE!

This is the winter that seems to go on and on and I want it to go away so I can have "my" table back.  This is what's going on......Jack has a project going on in the garage that he needed "my" table for, the folding table I use to pin my quilts on.  The garage is too cold for him to work in right now so I'm stuck with 3 quilt tops starring at me daily.  I know, I know, I could buy another table but I keep thinking in a few more weeks I will have "my" table back.  When the time comes I will have something to show off....I hope.

Whew, glad that's over

I spent the weekend sorting through pictures stored on my computer that were taken through out our years of RVing.  Luckily, I had printed pictures of the first few years as I put them on the computer, but I got lazy so the pictures kept adding up, 5 years worth.  I think what really set me back was, I had to take time to figure out where and when some of the pictures were taken.
I uploaded 435 of the pictures to Snapfish and now I just have to wait for them to be delivered so I can spend a couple of more weekends labeling and putting them into albums.  It will be nice to have our traveling memories in order by place and date to be looked at on a whim.

It Takes Time

On February 1st we lost our beloved Lab, Dana, and it has taken me this long to write about her and really look at her pictures.

A little story of Dana.....she came to us by way of Delta Airlines from Colorado in January, 2000.  When I saw her I immediately fell in love with her.  She came from a recommended breeder of Labs and her hips were guaranteed to be free of problems.  When she was about 4 months old we found out she had bad hips. Of course we contacted the breeder and he said we could send her back but we knew what would happen if we did, so Jack found an orthopedic vet in Charleston (where we lived at the time) to perform the surgeries on her hips.  The surgeries were successful!

In 2001 Jack and I started traveling the country in our RV and Dana was there for every mile.  She traveled from Key West, Florida to Fairbanks, Alaska.  In fact she traveled the Alaska Highway three times with us.

Dana knew when the weather was cooling off and it was time to go pheasant hunting in North Dakota, she just knew, and would get so excited.

There wasn't a person she didn't like, a stick she didn't want to pick up and have you throw so she could pick it up again.

Her hip surgeries weren't the last surgeries she would have.....a tooth extraction in Reno, NV, cancer removed in Pagosa Springs, CO and knee surgery at The Ohio State University Vet School.  Jack claims he has more money in Dana than he paid for his first house.

In May, 2012 Dana had a neurological episode and we rushed her to the vet, what we were told wasn't good so we decided it was her time to go.  Neither of us could stay with her, we just couldn't.  When we returned home the vet called and said she had recovered so we rushed back and picked her up.  On Friday she had another episode and we knew she wouldn't recover this time.  In the eight months between episodes we could see she was aging fast and we felt blessed we could spend more time with her in our lives.

I stayed with her until the very end.  Jack stayed as long as he could and I respect that.  I told Jack she looked like she was finally pain free.

So Soft

My blogging friend Anna, aka "Woolie Mammoth", has the best slideshows on her posts.  On her November 6th post "Honey I'm Home" the slideshow shows a picture of one of her friends (bestie) making baby washcloths. Since I have a new grandson due in the Spring I thought I could whip up a few washcloths for him. Anna was gracious and emailed me the easy instructions...thanks Anna.  Here is a picture of three of the ones I made this afternoon.

Let me try again.....First UFO of 2013

I am posting this again.  Some of you may have seen it before because I forgot to schedule it correctly and it posted too soon, oops. When I saw my mistake I deleted it because I wanted my Dare to Dresden post to stay "on top" for the weekend.

Now on to the original post....

You know how one thing leads to another?  That is exactly what happen to me a few weeks ago....I was looking for "something" and came across a piece of needlepoint I finished about 10 years ago.  Even though the handwork was "finished" I didn't deem it "finished" until it was framed and on the wall.  The needlepoint measures 3.75 x 4.75 so I am thankful I stitched it with younger eyes.

The setting is one of the many courtyards in Charleston, SC.

Dare to Dresden

I had just finished piecing my Dresden fan quilt top, when I decided to sit down and check quilting blogs to find out what others were up to.  I saw the Dare to Dresden Blog Hop button on someone's post (oops, I don't remember who's) and took a chance to find out if I could join in the fun ....ta da.... here I am.  Thank you Christine at Quilt Monster in my Closet and Madame Samm at !Sew WE Quilt! for a fun event.
   

I used Lynn Graves' top piecing foundation sheets to make my fans. When we had our summer home in Chama, NM, Lynn owned the LQS and I learned her way of paper piecing then.

If you are working your way down today's list, you are almost finished.  Valerie is up next at Pumpkin Patch Quilter. If you stumbled upon my posting be sure to check out the other blogs listed below, you won't be disappointed.

Gingersnap Quilts

Busy Bee Quilts

She Sews the Blues

Traveling Quilter

Grand Mama's Stories

Cherry Blossoms Quilting Studio

Sew at Home Mummy

The Slow Quilter

Pig Tales and Quilts

Annie Oak Design

Jane's Fabrics & Quilts

Tea Time Creations

Mo Broker My Creative Side

Just Let Me Quilt

Words and Stitches

Just Keep Swimming

Sew Many Yarns

Sowing Stitches

Jane's Quilting
My Patchwork Life
2muchfun

Pumpkin Patch Quilter
Quilt Monster in my Closet

Count Your Blessings.

Today is support your LQS day, I wish I could support my LQS. Here's the story.....

The owners and employees of the quilt shop nearest my home, southeast of Charlotte, NC, are not full of Southern charm.  I have been in the store many times and each time I feel invisible.  There is no greeting when I walk in the door and no "thank you" after I purchase something.  The final straw was a few weeks ago, I decided I would give them one more chance, when I walked in the door the owner and one of the employees were in a tiff about something.  I browsed the fabric and notions and once again I felt invisible so I left vowing never to cross the threshold of the store again.  I would have sent them an email explaining my experience but their web site doesn't have a way to contact them except by phone so I sucked it up until today and am writing this post.

My husband and I were in a retail business for many years and we always greeted the person walking in the door with a "hello", no matter how busy we were, and a "have a nice day" and "thank you" when they were leaving even if they didn't purchase anything.

What I have decided to do is either order fabric online or wait until I need a lot of fabric and head to Mary Jo's in Gastonia, NC where the employees are happy to greet their customers and help them in any way they can.

Those of you who have a LQS who values you business, count your blessings.

My new BFF

For quite some time I have had an Olfa 17" rotating cutting mat 

on my Want list but couldn't justify putting it on my Need list due to the cost.  Shortly after Christmas I was looking at Joann's web site and noticed this mat on sale AND I had a code for free shipping.  Well let me tell you, I had that sucker ordered in a flash. 

Fast forward to today.....I was cutting fabric for a charity quilt I'm making and I quickly realized this mat was worth every penny, it made cutting the pieces so much easier.  This is why I have a new BFF.

Friday Night With Friends

Tonight during the Friday Night With Friends "meeting" I finished piecing the Dresden Fan blocks I have in my UFO pile.  I know this quilt block is be the most labor intensive block I have encountered. At least I have, I hope, the worst part complete.  

Next on the list is to figure out a decorative stitch to go in place of the basting thread that shows in the picture.  I"ll think about that out tomorrow.
  
'Night all.

Stash and a kick in the rear

Last night, while reading some of the quilting group messages and blogs I subscribe to, I came across a couple of groups I have decided to join.  I am hoping to whittle down my stash again and give myself a kick in the rear to finish the UFO's I have.

I thought the Block Lotto group might help me with my stash problem and give me the opportunity to try some blocks I have never, or may have never, tried.  If by chance I am a winner of the blocks one month I have decided to make a quilt and donate it.

I think the Project: UFO 2.0 group will give me the incentive I need to finish the projects that have been put on the back burner too long.

Luck and Money

In parts of the South there is a tradition of eating black-eyed peas and greens on New Year's Day.  The black-eyed peas are for luck in the new year and greens are for money in the new year. Not being a daughter of the South.....I got here as soon as I could.....I had never heard of this tradition but from the moment I learned of it I decided I wasn't going to mess with success and I prepare these two dishes on New Year's Day.

The popular way to prepare the black-eyed peas is to cook a pot of Hoppin' John, 

and the greens are usually collard greens or mustard greens. 

Today I was curious about the history of these two traditions.  I found out the practice of eating black-eyed peas dates back to the Civil War.  Sherman's troops destroyed or stole other crops, as they marched through Georgia and South Carolina, but ignored the black-eyed pea thus becoming a major food source for Southerners....thus the "luck".  Collard or mustard greens were grown in the late fall so were plentiful as the new year approached, and being green symbolize money.

I wish all of you (y'all) a year of luck and money in 2013.

Sewing Day Part Deux

In my December 20th post I talked about my granddaughters coming over for a sewing day.  On Christmas, when we talked about how much fun we were going have sewing, both asked "Can we (you) monogram the pillowcases?".  "Oh sure!" I said, not wanting to deny my granddaughters, but thinking "I thought this was going to a no brainer, guess not".  

Yesterday the day finally arrived.

When their parents brought them over they were all excited to get started.  We hopped into my car and headed to Hobby Lobby and picked out the perfect fabric.  The only advice I gave the girls was on the type of fabric they should use for their pillow cases.  It was a good thing they were spending the night so we could design their monograms, get them stitched out in the evening then watch Wipeout while eating popcorn.

Thinking they would get up early, I was up early and had breakfast ready to be served around 7:30....after all we had a full day of sewing ahead.  Around 9:00 here they came.....next time I will plan to eat later in the morning.

Around 10:00 the sewing machines started to whirl and by 12:00 the pillowcases were complete.

Not only did the pillowcases get monogrammed my oldest granddaughter wanted a sweater and a sweatshirt monogrammed. Since I had never monogrammed a sweater I told her I had better pass on it but I would be happy to do the sweatshirt.  She picked the monogram and the placement. 

While we were busy working on the sweatshirt my youngest granddaughter decided I needed a sign for my sewing studio so she designed one for me.  It's a long story how I got the name "Oh No".

Gift making day

Today I decided I'd better get going on making some Christmas gifts for our neighbors.  I made Strawberry Bread which needs Strawberry Butter to go with it.  I also made some Buckeyes in honor of my Ohio relatives.

     Merry Christmas!

Planning a sewing day

During my granddaughters' Christmas vacations we are going to have some fun sewing.  They are very busy girls and I am fortunate they can find some time to spend with me.

One of my granddaughters told me she wanted to make a project that would be quick.  "Hmmmmm, what would that be?" I thought. Then it dawned on me....a pillowcase....not much cutting, straight sewing lines and quick.  

I found the perfect instructions on the American Patchwork and Quilting web site for the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge.  It's going to be fun to watch the girls pick out the perfect fabric for their pillowcases and then seeing their faces when their pillowcase is finished.

Today while doing some chores it dawned on me, even though the pillowcase instructions make the construction look simple I'd better make a sample so I know what I'm doing before I show the girls. 

I knew I had some good fabric choices in my stash so I got busy.

Here are the before and after pictures. 

This pillowcase was so easy and quick to make, I plan on making more for the challenge.  What a great way to whittle down my stash.