Tag: Christmas

And Just like that…it’s nearly Christmas

Good thing I finished those placemats.

They came out OK. It does make my dining room look festive. My Santa chair covers also help. The stuffed dogs? Well, Raising Cains chickens sells them every year. I recently got 2 new ones (Charlie Brown and Snoopy). Proceeds go to help dogs. My daughter thought they needed to be in the photo. They are always yellow labs in a costume. Super-Cute.

The placemats came out ok. After I made a couple, I was unhappy with my thread choice. It was a pretty red/green twist. It just looks dark to me. Fortunately, my lines are pretty straight so it does not look that bad. I wish I had used thread that matched the background fabric. Next time.

So, I sent my Plaid Challenge Quilt to my brother-in-law. He had a rough year, so I thought it might make him happy and he does have to live with my sister. LOL. They sent me this picture last night of it over thier love seat.

I do love it when I see one of my quilts in use or displayed.

Everyone at my house is not feeling well. Not horrible illness, just enough to annoy you. Makes it difficult to get things done for the holidays. We have been avoiding everyone because it certainly could be the “Rona”. My daughter and I lost smell and taste. I am about 10 days in so on the back side. It just felt like a crappy head cold.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year

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Moving right along…

The Easter Table topper.

What do I like about this table topper – I like the shape. I always like interesting/different shapes. I love my decorated eggs and my colorful peeps.

What do I not like about this table topper – The thread I chose. I love variegated thread, not on this. When I look at the light teal and dark teal (flower looking pieces), they do not line up correctly. The pattern I used looked perfect, but I futzed with it for quite some time to get it to lay right and I still don’t like it. Since this piece is for my table I will have to tolerate the things I don’t like. I would have to make another and see if it came out better before I would give this to someone. Still sort of cute.

I don’t follow directions well – I am sure I am ot the only one. I was looking for something Easter and did not find a lot of patterns. I found this on the Bernina website. It had a lot of embroidery on it which I clearly had no intention of doing. I have two machines that do it and I never do. My 1st late husband and I had a commercial embroidery business, therefore I no longer want to do it and after having commercial machines, find doing it on a one needle sewing machine annoying. So, I basically used the pattern for the shape and the eggs and then went off and did my own thing.

Bambi – Christmas quilt – Off the design wall and being pin basted. I am using a blanket I got for Christmas on the back. It is super soft and very pretty. I think it will be best used on the back of this quilt. I may quilt this on my domestic since I currently have something on my longarm, that is begging to be done. I am finally doing things quilty.

News from the world of Lori – So Doctors have finally figured out what is wrong with me, hopefully. Apparently, my neck has severe arthritis to the point that I do not have spinal fluid surrounding my spinal cord in a decent sized area. So, on February 5th, I will get it fixed. There really is no option, I could wind up paralyzed if I choose not to do it. So, do it we will. Such is life. Yes, I am totally freaked out by it.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Happy New Year – What’s going on?

I decorated Easter Eggs!

/Sounds a little weird for the beginning of January, but all the same that is what I did last night. Of course, not the traditional ones, but more of the fabric ones that I will put on my Easter table topper(Nanette should recognize some of these fabrics)

I found a shape/style that I liked and of course I am going to put my own spin on it. I could never follow the directions. It was actually a topper of the Bernina site that had a bunch of machine embroidery on it. Not my thing, so, I am going to do my own thing. Along with al my decorated eggs will be some brightly colored peeps (fabric of course).

I had a nice long break from work, where I did very little of anything, other than some cleaning and organizing, which was needed. I did sew one top, which I will get to on a later post.

Christmas was nice. My daughter got me a Baby Yoda. Yes, I am a grown woman who still loves some toys. He sits right next to my build a bear Wookie (yes, I am a sci-fi nerd). I do love The Mandalorian. Baby Yoda coos when you squeeze his hand. I am easily entertained.

What’s Coming?

So many people are working on their plans for next year. I am not good with year long plans, so I will be planning sorter spurts. I also got this cool new tool, called a Rocketbook. I plan to show you all it does, as I am finding it quite a useful tool for planning.

UFO’s – Good God – There are so many, that I don’t know where to begin. There are the tops that are completed and need quilted. Will have to count those. Then, there are the projects that are in the piecing stages. They are all in various stages. I would guess there are at least 15 of these. Can you tell I have Quilting ADD? I get bored and have to move to something else for a while. Likely why I am decorating fabric eggs instead of working on a UFO. We are not even going to discuss the quilt on the long arm that has been on the long arm for months. It glares at me when I walk by.

Then there are the things I want to do. I have finally figured out a plan for memory quilts that will include my sister clothes as well as my parents. I will need to make 5 of these ( or 6 f I do one for myself). These take a lot of prep work. Many of the clothes are not woven so they need some interfacing. I spend an evening here or there cutting the clothes into usable pieces. It is really hard to cut into the clothes knowing who they belonged to. But, I keep thinking about my niece and nephew and carry on.

I even tried to figure out what I will be making for gifts for Christmas next year. I only make a few, so not super critical, but it would be nice to get them done in advance.

In between, I work on my charity items, pillow cases and dog beds. I have about 5 dog beds filled with scraps ready, but I wanted to make Dog food Bags to put each one in (pictures later). They don’t take a lot of time, it is just a matter of doing it.

Need to update my blog in general. Have not done that in quite a while. Slacker, I am.

Hoping that I get better at blogging and reading everyone’s blogs. You would think with covid I would have all the time in the world to do it, but nope. Seem to spend a lot of time aimlessly staring into the abyss. Need to stop that.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Holiday season!

So, I have been very on and off with everything. It could be the “covid” brain. Unlikely.

ALERT Boring information below.

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. I rarely talk about it. I like to pretend it is not part of my life because some how in my head I feel it lets me cope better. It has worked for a few ears with little things on and off as issues. I take super expensive medication that I am thankful I can afford.

About two months ago I started having what they call a “flare”. I had read about it, but dismissed it as people being whiners. You have something live with it move along. Well, it totally knocked me on my ass. My knees (which have both been replaced) felt like someone was pounding on them with hammers. My hands began to get numb starting at my finger tips. I have this stupid stress fracture in my foot. I had an elbow that would not straighten and the ruptured disks in my back were singing ( a totally rude song). I was so tired battling pain (pretending it did not exist) that I was exhausted 10 minutes after I got out of bed. My daughter informed me that I was mean and grouchy.

I had an MRI of my head to make sure my feeling tired and stupid was not actually related to a problems in my head. I was given some drugs for my back that made me feel like I was melting from the inside out. Three different ones before I said “no more” on that one. So, the rheumatologist added another RA drug to my cocktail and I had a little improvement. Not a lot, but the exhaustion now gave me 20 minutes before I needed a nap after doing anything. Went to a different doctor about my back who did not throw pills at me, which I was grateful for. She suggested a change in diet, avoiding all things white (white sugar, white flour, processed anything). There are many people with RA that suggest that some foods trigger RA or make symptoms worse. OK, worth a shot. So I cut out all sugar only whole wheat and no processed foods (this was the easy one since we had done a way with most of them a long time ago). The rheumatologist also upped the dosage on my new RA drug.

So where are we today… Better, not great. I still have a boot on my foot. I need an MRI and Christmas is right around the corner. I am no longer exhausted to the point I can barely function. I am still not myself and am concerned that I may never make it back to where I was. I now have a stool in the kitchen to sit on while I cook if I need to rest and while working (thank God form home), I don’t often leave my desk. I stayed up til midnight last weekend and we almost had a party. It was monumental. I am trying to break up larger tasks into smaller pieces (gift wrapping ugh). Before the holidays, Kevin and I always go shopping for last minute stuff for the kids. Last weekend we managed to do that. I did pay for it the next day, but it was worth it to feel normal.

Sewing/quilting is a challenge. Had several conversations at home and with dear Nanette, Lynn and Kevin. The consensus was just go do something. It doesn’t matter what it is, go do it. Ten minutes my make you feel better mentally and you would be surprised how 10 minutes here and there can help you accomplish things.

I did start doing that. It made a difference. I am less grouchy (only a little according to my daughter). It helped me finish the Christmas gift for my neighbor. It is surprising what you can accomplish with ten minutes here and there.

I am on vacation over the holidays. Honda shuts down. I am hoping to do some sewing and organizing. I have plans to do some memory quilts in 2021. It is jut very hard to cut into my parents and sisters cloths. Every time I look at the couple of Dad’s shirts, I start to cry. I know in the end the quilts will be appreciated. I even have plans to make one for myself. I have a long list of many things to accomplish this year, so I have to get much better.

The chickens – My neighbor loves chickens. I am hoping that she loves this for her table. It is cute and whimsical. I will say. that at the points were a giant pain in the butt. Not the 90 degree ones, but the other ones at the intersection of the red fabric. Such a struggle. They are not perfect. It’s still cute though.

I wish everyone the best Holiday season possible!

I will try to do better in 2021.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Progress, I’ll take it

I am actually doing things, just not that much. Have not been feeling myself lately, but who has.

These are gifts. I figured that I needed to get them done. I have a Thanksgiving piece I am working on. Who knows if that will happen. It is just for me, so no big deal if it does not get finished.

I liked the dog and cat prints with Holiday hats. I rarely pass up dog prints. Cats are OK and I did one for my cat loving sister, but I am truly a dog person. Well, actually I am an animal person. I love them all. I am just partial to dogs. Funny, I used to be scared of them. Now I can’t imagine life without them. They are truly my fur babies

I did get the next clue for the mystery quilt, but there will be no more clues until January, so I don’t need to be in a hurry for that one. Phew.

Thanksgiving is next week. I know there is much to be thankful for, but I am just so over things. Here in the great state oh Ohio, we are being told that holiday gatherings are not allowed.

Is covid really spiking? I think we are just testing more so it looks like it is so much worse. Please don’t think that I don’t take it seriously. I just want the actual truth. The media truth which is clearly jaded. What and how thy report seems to depend on what else is going on. Do we need distracted from Politics? Yes, then you are going to die from covid. Is there nothing to report in the world of politics or nothing you want mainstream population to hear, then you will die from Covid.

  • Ruger, AKA Shrek Jr was not happy about his costume
  • Snibble was perfectly fine being a taco since she is Mexican
  • Moka refused to be a Hershey Kiss

This is not a political post. I want news that is actually factual news without political bias. Rant over.

Happy Thanksgiving to all

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

I am still here and I managed to finish my One Monthly Goal

Ok, It still needs ironed.  I will get to that.  Honestly, seems like a miracle that I finished anything thing, let alone my One Monthly Goal.  This month has been crazy.  I had the flu and I managed to get shingles for a second time.  So, for a good two weeks, I laid around and did very little.  When I get sick I am not allowed to take my Rheumatoid arthritis medication, so then there is the added effects of that.  I am feeling better, finally.  Not 100%, but on my way.  I feel like I have been away from my blog forever.  I have missed seeing everyone’s wonderful work.  Need to get caught up on my reading.  I truly believe, if not for the One monthly Goal, I would not have finished a thing this month, including my I wish you a merry Quilt Along Top.

So about my holiday quilt top.  I needed to use up my snowflake fabric, so that is what I used for sashing.  Not sure how I feel about the top.  Need to look at it a while longer before I decide.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a wonderful 2018.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Block #12 I wish you a Merry Quilt Along

Wow, time flies when you are having fun.  My twelfth block of the I wish You a Merry WaterMark_2017-12-09-22-17-55Quilt Along is complete.  I went a bit off the directions with my display of the lights.  It is windy outside and my lights are being blown all different directions.  I kept with all my snowflake themed fabric. that I have collected over the years.  I never thought that I would use them.  Just always liked snowflake fabric.  This quilt already looks festive and it is not even completed.

Now to figure out how to put them all together.  Since completing the top is my one monthly goal, I should figure it out.  I have a couple of ideas.  Just not sure on which one aI will settle on.

I certainly do wish everyone a very festive and happy holiday season.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

My new bag for Guild Meetings and My one Monthly Goal

M friend Lynn was harassing me because every time we go to a Guild meeting I am bringing my stuff in a Kroger shopping bag.  So, I made myself a guild bag.  What could be more perfect for the crazy dog lady?  A dog bag made with pet screen.  I always wanted to try something with pet screen and had bought a piece a while back.  No pattern, I just sort of winged it.  I like it.  It is sturdy and functional.

So, my one monthly goal for December, is to put together my top for the I wish you a WaterMark_2017-12-02-18-51-12Merry Quilt along.  It will be a lot considering that Christmas is right around the corner.  I do have some vacation, but who knows what we will be doing.  So, I will have to make block #12 and figure out how to put it all together before the year ends.  Fingers crossed.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Block #11 The North Star IWYAMQA

This is my block #11, The North Star from the I wish you a Merry Quilt Along. The North StarI totally don’t like my block.  I saw so many beautiful blocks and I had something in mind,  but that is not how it turned out.  I am not a paper piecer usually and had to tear out multiple times.  Notice the threads everywhere?  I don’t currently have the patience to make another one.  I needed to stick with my snowflake themed fabric, but somehow, I sort of wanted it reversed, meaning that I wanted the purple on the outside.  Not much I am going to do about that now.  I will be interested to see what the final block looks like.  Not sure how I will put this all together, but I should be thinking about it.

Ohio State Buckeyes are the Big 10 champions, but sadly will not get to play in the national championship.  Thus ends our college football hopes for the year.  I am sure there will some kind of bowl game they get to play in.  Go Bucks.

watermark_2017-12-02-18-51-12.jpgHappy Sewing

Happy Quilting

I Wish You a Merry Quilt Along Block #8

Well, I managed to get something done after my “Hot Tub Incident“.  I didn’t exactly follow the instructions for this block.  I guess I had something else on my mind.  I think it goes well with all my other blocks and I got to use more of my snowflake fabric.

Thank you to everyone for their well wishes.  It was truly appreciated.  A special thank you to Nanette Chopin Cook for calling to check on me.  It really made my day.  Quilters really are the nicest people.

Today was my quilt guilds “Quilt Wars”.  We drew cards to determine what group we were in and were given a bag of fabric.  Then we had to work together to create a top.  It was quite enjoyable.  They will all be quilted and given to charity.  I was so busy I neglected to get any pictures.  I am sure they will bring them to the next meeting.  Glad I felt well enough to attend.  It is good to get out and be with like-minded people.

So, for my One monthly goal, I finally got to work on the test dog block.  I got everything cut out and even started sewing it.

My mind is always wandering to other projects, but I have so many already started, not to mention the holidays are right around the corner.  Must get to work

WaterMark_2017-10-21-20-01-11Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

I wish you a Merry Quilt Along