just stitchin' along

With no real time to sew, not to mention no real desire at the moment, I have not yet gotten to my sewing machine.  But I finished stitching all the red snowman blocks, so for my take alongs I have started stitching them in blue.  DMC 3765 on Kona Cream to be exact.  Check out my blue man group hahaha!  

It sure is loverly outside.  Wish I was not stuck in this back office! 

I have an exciting offer coming up.  I just need to check on fabric details and get photos. 

I also have more chicks to draw or finish, so keep in touch!

CHICKEN CHALLENGE and GerryArt giveaway

Gerry at GerryArt has a GREAT first time giveaway.  I do realize it's a DIY kit but I would love a pair of orange socks, however to show them off I would have to wear something besides my tennis shoes, hmmmmm have to think about that,  lol.  Find her blog and follow her along here. 
http://gerryart.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-first-time.html  it's fun!

back to the chicken challenge:

Okay, they are not totally finished, but here are about half of us, these have only a little cleanup left to do.  The rest are either barely started, have lots of cleanup, or I missed geting them scanned :-(

our quiltin'chicks group so far.................in no particular order.........

Nicki's (Nicole) MONSTERS

These are stitched versions of two of my nieces daughter's drawings.  Although not signed, I'm sure these are Daisy's.  Lilly's to follow soon.  BUT my camera did not pic up the color of the fabric, If you want to see the color check out Kona cloth by Robert Kaufman, I think the color is Honeydew.  I did these in the original size, (they are drawn on 3x5 paper), to check out fabric and thread( is charcoal). Before I make them bigger for quilt blocks, I think i will send them to you nicki so you can see the color.

The Chicken Challenge and the Licorice Twist Quilt

I just got a great email from Linda Lou. She sent me a photo of her version of my Licorice Twist quilt! WOOHOO!  This is the first time I have seen one of my embroidery patterns in a complete quilt from someone I don't even know and I am excited!.  Several of my Quiltin' Chicks friends have made things, Gerry from Gerryart did the baskets and sunflowers and Sharon of  Dunn's longaberger baskets did the MONSTERS in a quilt rather than a book.  They were great too, but to receive a picture from someone I don't know was exciting.  Thank you Linda Lou for bringing sunshine to an otherwise grey day.   If she agrees to let me use her photo I'll put it here for you.

About the CHICKEN CHALLENGE, issued from our Quiltin' Chicks group............................. I have 3 done, and several more almost done!  Here's the thing, my chickens are not doing days of the week things.  They are doing things like hobbies, activities, holding collections of things etc.............so, I need to pick your brains a little.  I need all my Quiltin' Chicks friends to send me an email about your favorite hobbies, collections, activities.   I need info basically only from a few of you, but maybe some of you do things or collect things that I don't know about so everyone send me an email.  Some of you might be surprised that I knew that about you.  So far they are hilarious I am having a great time!  Okay now, you know me and you should know they are not going to be ordinary chickens............... If I can get them scanned or photoed I'll give you sneek peaks.

pile of snowballs

Only have a few minutes.  here's a quick couple of pictures of the snowball stitcheries.  Am going to set it together with some moda fabrics, found a cute Zippety Doo Dah by Sandy Gervais, couldn't find the other red one I wanted in that line so I got a different moda.  A very nice piece of fabric from a Jan Patek collection, silky smooth, mmm! Now at the store it didn't look too bad, and at night it didn't look too bad.  But in the sunny daylight am re-thinking my sashing choice.  It may be a little too tomatoey for my DMC 498.  In the meantime, take a peek at what I've been doing and part of a setting idea I've been toying with.  Snowballs in snowballs with snowball cornerstones.......................snowball fight!!!!! 

Do you think it's too tomatoey? I know that's not probably a word, but it works for me.

Here are the rest the the SNOWBALL blocks, some are only rinsed out, and haven't been pressed yet.

more later.

no unsewing, only re-cutting

The snowball stitcheries are done!!!!! Now if I only had some pictures.  Maybe I can borrow a camera.  Good thing I usually buy extra fabric, while laughing and chatting at our Quiltin Chicks hen party yesterday,  I mis-cut some fabric to set the snowball blocks together, fortunately I had JUST enough extra! whew!  We had a great time but there were only a few of us, we enjoyed ourselves in spite of the small numbers.  However, I went to the party all out of sorts and couldn't get my act together, so I only got most of the cutting done for the snowballs.  Still gave to cross cut the star points.  Too much other stuff to do now, so no sewing probably until Wednesay now. ugh!  maybe I can get a little handwork in here or there.  I still have managed to get my 20 minutes crafting a day in. 
We've had a nasty two days, reminding us that although spring may have started, winter can still rear it's ugly head.  Sleet, the nastiest form of winter fell upon most of us, but at least around us it did not accumulate, nor did it snow.  The weatherman says supposed to be nice for the next few days.       we'll see.  no money placed on that tip. 
.....for those who have read the previous post..............I did not try my new glasses this weekend,  too much going on.  I think I need to try them when it's caaaaaaalm.  Is there such a time?   Oh I know........while I'm sleeping, lol!  Off to do some of my normal 8-5 work.  Yes, I know it's sunday.........but I am behind so trying to do a little catching up.  till later! cyndi

Flirty Aprons GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Flirty Aprons GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!! this website looks like it LOADED with fun! check it out

To see or not to see, I am defeated.

I finally did it, admitted defeat. After horsing around for about 11 years, I finally went to the eye Dr.  I decided it was getting too hard to jump from reading printed text to the computer screen.  Since I was 6, my ability to see far away has been terrible.   Now my ability to see up close has left me too.  For awhile I could take my glasses off and read or do handwork quite well, but then I noticed things kept getting closer to my face, so several years I bought some of those dollar store readers, to wear with my glasses at home.  Now as you can imagine, this looks ridiculous, so I don't usually do that anywhere but around immediate family.  But lately my squinting ability at work, lol, is giving me headaches.  so off to the eye dr. I went.  The idea of having bi-focals was scaring me, I about broke a leg one time going down the deck stairs wearing my dollar store readers with my glasses.  What would make bi-focals any different?  Was NOT looking foward to finding out.  Got "progressive" lenses.  They came in yesterday.  Got two pair, since it was a 2 pair deal.  Tried one pair............................egads, it was like the worst carnival ride ever.  I love roller coasters!  what is going on?  The lady said they would take getting used to......................really?   can the second pair be as bad?   Fortunately, no not quite as bad, but still weird.  I decide to not mess with them till evening.  Decided as I was going home from work, let's see what they are like driving.................... same thing.............roller coaster type effect.  So I tried 2nd pair...........loved them as far as driving, worked well when I got home trying to stitch and watch TV.  This morning,  seemed like I couldn't focus on the computer.  I don't have time for this........aaaghhhhh!   stay tuned, will let you know how things go today. 

Going to our Quiltin Chicks hen party tomorrow.  Any Chick who wants to can sit and sew, crunch and munch, from 10:00 to 3:00.  I am excited., There will be lots of sewing and laughing, reeeaaaaaally hope there's no unsewing. Will be back tomorrow and let you know.

about ready to start throwing snowballs (up on the design wall)

woohoo, snowballs here, snowballs there.  If my camera would work I would show you the pile.  If I was at home tonight I would have thrown the sashing fabric down there with them. BUT YOU KNOW HOW LIFE GOES..if if if ......today was "cars breaking down" day, first daughters, then mine.  Fortunately mine was only a flat tire.  Hers, however, was a two day job and so she needs a ride to work, Mom to the rescue..........
anyway,  14.5 blocks are done 1.5 to go.  Saturday is my "done with the stitching portion and time for the sewing portion" goal so that I can assemble the blocks into a top.  Our Quiltin'chicks group is having a hen party, a 10-3 sit and sew.  I can't wait, good friends, lots of laughs, crunch and munch food, hopefully no unstitching!  Whether I'm done with the embroidery or not, they will be set into the top.  I can always finish embroidering them that way.  They'll just be a little more cumbersome, but not impossible.  I did get patterns packaged individually and complete sets to Patches, Etc and Specialty Quilts, but the directions for a complete quilt are still a little sketchy until this weekend. Now I haven't even finished this quilt and have sketches for a couple more pattern ideas in the works.  Just how long can one do without sleep? LOL!

laughter & tears, death without fear

My Uncle Jim was buried yesterday after a long battle with cancer.  There was laughter and tears, people happy and sad, he died in peace, not really ready to go, but not afraid, accepting that it was his time to walk with Jesus in heaven.  The people he left behind will miss him terribly. An ecclectic collection of  family and friends from hemophia victims and their families to cushman motor enthusiasts, collectors of antique cars, nursing home administrators, church friends, the various groups he belonged to.  From coast to coast the lives he has touched were many.  Through tearful eyes, but with a smile on my face, goodbye Jim, see you again someday.

just thinking out loud.

February came and went with snow, snow, snow on a lot of days. Been many years since we've had snow on the ground that long. I think my niece is 25(she was born the day before the last REALLY BIG snow 23" overnight) We've had many mild winters lately so no one expected this. But we were due. Maybe this year there will be less bugs, but I doubt it. Many are hoping the snow and cold will get rid of many of the armadillos that have ventured up here from the south. Many around here had only seen them on tv or in the zoo or neighboring states, never in central Missouri. they are odd little creatures and are causing trouble on farms or end up being road kill. ugh!

Anyway, have been working on the snowball blocks, I am doing them on cream with red DMC 498. And my stitching corhort, Lori is doing them in med blue on kona off white. I should always stitch things out before I try to sell them in pattern form.............. now that I'm stitching them there are a couple of minor changes I am going to make. Some blocks will have slightly less detail, some a little more. Changes will be mostly to easy in traveling from one area to another so you don't get stuck of somewhere with nowhere to go. I got stuck on the apron. Will post pictures soon.