Category: grandchild

My One Monthly Goal Finish….

I would say it was a miracle that I completed my One Monthly Goal, but I have already used that headline…LOL. I finished my “Starry Starry Night” quilt.  This was a top that I paper pieced for Denise at For the Love of Geese as a pattern test (She does have some lovely patterns).   It came out not too bad, considering I don’t consider myself a very good paper piecer.

I had a lot of fun quilting this project.  I think that is because I like how the quilting cameWaterMark_2018-05-23-19-12-25 out.  I wish I had chosen a different thread for the front, because I wound up liking the back a lot.  I used a variable thread on the front, and all I see is the the light part of the thread, which shows any mistakes.  I do not have a long arm, so I am always using my domestic machine and I always want to get the “longarm” look on my WaterMark_2018-05-23-19-10-53domestic machine.  I know it takes a lot of practice to become proficient and I have been working on it.  However, I found these rulers (not sure why some are called rulers) at my local quilt shop.  I quilted this using the Star shape.  It made making beautiful stars on my 20180422_135918.jpgdomestic machine easy.  They come out nearly perfect.  I am still getting used to using them, so not every star is perfect, but I like it.  I think I will keep this quilt for one of my future grandchildren.

This is the last photo I have of my birds.  They have all flown the nest.  I see them in the yard, learning about life, trying to get food.  It was wonderful watching them hatch and grow each day.20180523_175037_resized

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday weekend.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

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Starry Starry Night….a secret project

So, I have been working on a “secret” project, meaning that I could not blog about it until it was ready.  I have tested a pattern for Denise at For the love of geese.  I volunteered to test this pattern for her, mostly because I really don’t paper piece but wanted to do it/get better/be less chicken.  That way when I see some of the beautiful paper pieced patterns, I won’t just dismiss them because they are paper pieced.

I previously attempted to paper piece a quilt and gave up.  So, I am always up for a challenge and really wanted to be able to paper piece confidently.  By the time I was done with this quilt, I was pretty confident with it.  It looks so hard, but it really wasn’t.

I actually like this one so much, I am going to finish it and put it up for my future grandchildren.  Funny thing was that I did not find the paper piecing difficult at all.  What I found harder was putting the blocks together.  I wanted to make sure all the points were perfect.  They are not, but not too bad.

Now the dilemma, How to quilt it?  I will have to think about that one for a bit.  If you are interested in this pattern, please visit Denise at “For the Love of Quilting“.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

My One Monthly Goal…Safari Madness

I managed to get my One Monthly Gwatermark_2017-11-28-18-08-02.jpgoal completed.  It is a miracle since I have been struggling doing any quilting.  Totally felt like I lost my quilting mojo.  So I think that I have appropriately named my quilt Safari Madness.  I chose this name because, well. I was so annoyed about the three camels being all together , RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER.  Whew.  Got that out, feel better.  Then there are the Zebra’s.  Here I chose to pebble the grass.  Totally was not thinking.  Duh.  THere is also the weirdness of one set of zebras looking the opposite direction.  I had nothing to do with thawatermark_2017-11-28-18-07-20.jpgt one, but did not notice til someone pointed it out.  However, my original intent was for this to be for my future grandchild (could be ten years, could be thirty, who knows?).  Just in case I never get to know this grandchild at least they will know that their Grams loved them ( I quilted the word love all around in the green border)  and was slightly goofy(three camels in a row and pebbles in the grass).

This was really the most quilting I have ever done on a piece.  I am not unhappy with it. I will not shy away from quilting, even designs a little more complex.  It looks not to bad from the back also.  I a, glad not that it is done that I don’t totally hate it, especially after all that work.  Happy Sewing.  Happy Quilting.WaterMark_2017-11-28-18-10-21

What to do, What to do???

These are my daughters receiving blanket from when she was a baby.  I had put them in my cedar chest to make a quilt from them.  I need to make room in that cedar chest for “other things” (more quilts)  for all my future grandchildren.  However, I have a block on this one.  I usually “see” in my mind what I want to do.  I have been staring at this pile for weeks and have come up empty.  There are 13 flannel blankets (several duplicates) so it is a good bit of yardage.  Most are about 36×36 and a few are a bit bigger.  I think there is plenty pf fabric.  I just can’t figure out what to do.  I am thinking it will not be a baby blanket, but something bigger maybe for my future grandchild that might be a big older who would understand that it was made from all the blankets there Mommy was wrapped up in.  Gosh, I sound like a fruit loop!  Being that I did wait until I was 40 to have Haley, I am always thinking that I won’t get to meet her children.  This will be may way of letting them know who Grams is in case I am not here.  If she waits as long as I did, I may not meet them.

If anyone has any suggestions on type of pattern or anything to release my mind block, please let me know.  I always get such good advice from our blogging community.  Thanks!

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Fat Girl Falls Down Again

I feel I am allowed to make fun of myself.  So, what dumb thing did I manage to do this time?  As I was getting out of my lovely new hot tub, the steps slipped and I went with them.  Falling about 3 and half feet to the concrete.  Let’s see I had a baseball on the back of my head, the underneath part of my arm is black and blue, about a soccer ball sized bruise on my left side rib cage and and equally sized one on my backside.  Also sprained

a wrist and black and blue right kneecap (not sure how that one happened everything else was left side).  Needless to say, everything hurts.  Thank god it was dark out.  I imagine it was quite a site.  Of course my cell phone went flying so I had to crawl to it to call Kev for some help. He spent the rest of the night checking on me to make sure I did not have a concussion. Well, I am pretty sure this will take a bit of time to recover.  Thank God I did not break my arm or wrist. It would have seriously impacted my projects.  Whew.

So, when I am not falling down, I seem to be wandering form project to project, not doing what I really should be doing.  These baby bibs have been laying on my sewing cabinet unfinished for months, so I picked them up and finished them.  I will put them in the cedar chest for my one-day grandchild.  They are up-cycled from my jeans.  I need to be working on my one monthly goal and my quarterly goals, but of course I am doing something else.

This weekend I am supposed to be attending Quilt Wars with my Quilt Guild, however, given my current condition, I am not sure I am going to make it.  I am uncomfortable sitting, laying basically anything.  The only place I am not uncomfortable is in the hot tub and that is what started the whole mess in the first place.  Ugh.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Quilting Like A Crazy Woman

I certainly have gotten brave in a fairly short time with my quilting.  Not only did I put pebbles in the sand, but I did some thread painting on the palm trees.  I am thinking that my alternate personality must be taking over again.  She seems to be better and braver with quilting than I am.  I should name her.  I will have to think about that one.

I am finding that this quilt with all the quilting is quite time consuming.  I don’t mind, especially since this is for my one day grandchild.  I think about that while I am quilting it.  My daughter, who is only 13, thinks I am totally crazy.  But being an “Old” Mom, I worry about not being around when she has children.  If she waits as long as I did, it could happen.  I need to make sure that those grandkids have quilts from me whether I am here or not.  While she thinks I am crazy now, I hope she apprecaites it some day, whether I am here or not.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Stay Safe Florida

Going on a Safari….Baby quilt Top

So, I found this fabric when I was going through my stash and decided that it would make a cute baby quilt.  I must have thought that when I bought it, because I also have matching fabric for the back.  After I cut out all the animal squares, I turned around and sewed them back together with sashing.  My daughter thought this was totally crazy and a big waste of time.  She kept asking why I was cutting them up and I told her “So I can sew them back together”.  She just looked at me with that dumb founded look as if Mom had completely flipped out.

Even though she thinks I am crazy, it still came out cute.  It went together quickly, mostly because it was simple, I am sure.  Either way, I like it.  Not sure how I am going to quilt it, likely something simple.  It will make a great gift or go in the cedar chest for my someday, way way off grandchild.

My daughter is 13 and being an “OLD MOM”, I am always concerned that I may never meet my grandchildren.  So, I make quilts for them now, just in case. Whether I am here or not, they will have a quilt form their grandmother.  I know, in the words of my daughter, WEIRD.

 

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

A Day Off

So, today I did not go to the hospital (Check Miranda’s Journey page for the latest updates). Last night I fell asleep after dinner (before 6pm) and did not wake up until 8:30 today.  Guess I needed it.  So, I did some laundry and made dinner.  I also got  little sewing time in.  Decided that I needed to see something finished.

20160925_175920I actually made these bibs for my future grandchildren (just in case I don’t get to meet them).  They are made from recycled jeans.  Jeans that belonged to me and my late husband Derrick.  I am hoping that will someday mean something to Haley and/or Miranda.  No to bad on the applique portion.  Over time I will make more to give away.  But, sometimes you just need to see 20160925_175930something finished.

I am still working on my Hospital Hexies.  I should have an update on that soon.

Thanks to all my quilting and blogging friends for caring about Miranda and my family.  It truly does mean a lot.

Happy Quilting

Happy Sewing

Treasure your Family

Embroidered Baby Bibs for my future GrandKid?

So, While I was going through boxes of sewing supplies, fabric etc… I came across these baby bibs. I believe I made them over 20 years ago. I had no children and I was not even thinking about getting married.

Ever since my older sisters had kids and I became an Aunt, I loved making things for babies and kids. My sister Karen’s kids had the greatest Halloween costumes. I made my nephew a dinosaur once. The tail was so long and big he had to tie a roller-skate to it so he did not drag a hole in it. I made my niece Minnie mouse and a belly dancer costume. My daughter has also had a butterfly and a witch costume (with a fancy witch gown). I don’t do much costume making these days, but spend lots of time on quilts and other crafty things.

I remember making these bibs. I used Kona cotton and traced the design with a pencil while I had them taped to the sliding glass door of my single girl condo. Oh the memories. I will put these away for that Grandchild I hope to meet one day.

Happy Sewing.