Thursday, February 25, 2010

Here are pictures of one of the things that I have done in the past few days. Finished the squishy baby blocks with full alphabet and numbers 0-9, also each block has a side with a special hand embroidered object, 6 of which spell out her name. Most of them have different kinds of sound makers inside. There are 8 total even though my picture only has seven. Sophia's mom has the first block. I wish now that I had made the number sides with different textures as well. Oh well, live and learn. they were fun to make next time more planning



With all 8 of the blocks you can flip them once they also spell "LOVE YOU". Unfortunately because there are only 8 blocks some of the blocks have 2 numbers so you can only line up 1-8.

I think Sophia will love them. I know her mom does, now I've to get them to her. BYE BYE baby blocks!

Keeping up with gerry and their 20 minutes a day group has still been a problem. Since I decided to to do 20 minutes a day, once I get started I can't quit and I spend at least 3-4 hours sometimes up to 7-8 hrs embroidering, sewing, sketching, etc. LOL! Who needs sleep?

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

about gerry's 20 minute a day thing

Well, so far Gerry's 20 minute a day crafting group/thing that I thought i should join in un officially has not been a problem. I spent 3.5 hours Friday night, had to go to work saturday and then go to town and get groceries, so only about 4 hours on Saturday. Sunday, did wash, worked on a new pin keep pattern, did wash, pin keeps etc, made chili, watched the quilt shows on PBS while sketching and sewing and washing clothes. Made and set aside ideas/samples that seemed good until put to the test with fabric, sketched several more pin keep ideas. However I didn't find(nor did I look for) any time for straightening/ unburying my sewing machine. Still using daughter's functional machine and it did not even cause me any grief so it's growing on me. Back to the drawing board and sample sewing.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

thoughts about blogs and my sewing machine

I've been out and about reading other people's blogs, you all are an amazing bunch of people. It's homey and comfortable like our little quiltin' chicks group meets once or twice a month, only I can visit whenever I can get to the net!!! SOOO cool! I can get answers to sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting, etc. I can be soooooo inspired to do more things. And after reading gerry's blog at gerryart now I've even been a little motivated. I probably won't not join their 20 minutes a day group but I think I will try to do keep up with that idea and join in spirit. I miss my sewing machine and need to unbury it from the piles of projects that I've stacked around it. I even borrowed the machine I bought to use at my daughter so that I could sew.(she never uses it, but I was teaching my grandaughter how to sew) How sad is that? So maybe 20 min a day crafting/designing and 20 min a day straightening and re-organizing the sewing area and maybe soon I can use my dear old friend! The new I bought for daughter's house is plastic and sad, no love in it! But it is functional.

I think I shall start offering freebies of the month, but I shall have to give some thought as to what. It needs to be something nice, so many ideas whirling around in my head! love homemade pin keeps and needle keeps.....mmm still thinking! check back!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

snowballs, had enough yet?







Since most of the U.S. is covered with snow, I thought I'd entice you with a little more. My latest creation Snowballs, 16 - 6.5" designs done in red or blue are going to be lots of fun. Do one or all, I even reduced them in size and did some little bitty. enjoy! For patterns call Chris or Linda at the numbers at the top if you'd like.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

elves, more elves and even more elves








The elf quilts now number THREE. First "Jan's Elves", a truly scrappy quilt with blocks embroidered on point!!! Quilt number 2, "Elves waltzing around in Tennesee" is another scrappy looking quilt but was actually done with a jelly roll in the Tennesee Waltz pattern. The last scrappy looking quilt is "Elves enjoying a Kansas winter" and is made from one of Moda's Kansas Troubles layer cakes. All are done from the same pattern. (for those of you who bought the pattern years ago, email me and i'll send you the new revisions and some directions for quilts 2 & 3.) They were so much fun, now I'll have to give to each of my girls whenever they come back from the quilt stores. bye for now!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

monsters

A year or two ago I created a monster pattern for a fabric story/coloring book. Now I'm going to turn my niece's kids monster drawings into a quilt. I am excited about it, but what I didn't realize, was that the picture of her monster wall with framed monsters on it was of drawings that were very small, about 3.5" x 5 ". I have been thinking that I should blow them up into variuos sizes, possibly embroider them with various sizes of flosses or threads too. I also was thinking about the settings, maybe with uneven sawtooth (monster teeth) borders???? S o this will be one of next adventures. Maybe if I blog about it it won't get stashed away.

Monday, February 8, 2010

will try again

With limited access to the internet, blogging seemed impossible. But I've decided full time access or not that I really enjoy other people's blogs, and that limited access was not going to stop me. I want to blog too. So, my posts may only be here or there but I will show you what I have been doing lately. The latest release.....................Snowballs, 16 of them, they look great in red or blue!!! Watch for pictures soon.