Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Unbelievable!

I just wanted to change the needle!!

But, I accidentally tried to loosen the screw that holds the foot on.
And GOOD GRIEF!! The head of the screw fell right off.
But the shaft is still in the machine!!

I am feeling very grumpy. Very grumpy indeed!

Little by little

Look what's finally in the machine!

Look at what didn't make it in the machine.
I thought they would be the perfect borders, but they weren't.

And what about a little fun with a charm pack.
Thanks for the inspiration Jan.

What are you stitching up these days?

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Purple Love

On Monday, my friend Loris came by for Bible study.
And she brought me this!!

She said it was an early birthday present, but my birthday is a long way off!
Thanks Loris.
I love it!!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Rain Totals

It's been kinda wet around here.

5" in just under 24 hours!

Fat Quarter Yeild

A few months ago, at one of my guild meetings, this little info sheet was passed out to the members. Maybe you have seen it before, but it was new to me.

What can you get from a fat quarter:
(99) 2" squares
(50) 2-1/2" squares
(42) 3" squares
(30) 3-1/2" squares
(20) 4" squares
(16) 4 1/2" squares
(12) 5" squares
(12) 5-1/2" squares
(9) 6" squares
(6) 6-1/2" squares

I have not verified these numbers for myself, but they look pretty accurate.
Hope you find it helpful.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Progress

Little by little, it's coming together.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy St Patricks Day!

As if you didn't already know that!!

Happy St Paddy's my friends.
And hey, give a listen to our favorite Irish Band. We love these guys!


Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Design Wall

So what's on your design wall these days?

Here is what you will find on mine.

These garden girls were inspired by some friends of mine. There will eventually be 12 of them, but so far I have only managed to get 3 of them finished. The first 2 are Linda and Launi, (twin sisters) and the third is by bff Melanie.

This is the center of a quilt I started in a Mary Mashuta class last fall. I am entering it in the Seven Sisiter's Quilt Show next month, so it is front and center on my to-do list.

This is my summer rose quilt that I started last month in a Mindy Bula class.
I will finish quilting it tonight!

And this is just a peek at a sample I am putting together
for an applique class I will be teaching very soon.

Happy quilting!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Not Again!

Yesterday I was busily stitching away,
when all of the sudden it happened.
Again!
I ran out of fabric.
AGAIN!

I dug through all of my scraps,
rounding up every little piece that was left.
But it was not enough.
Not enough by a 1 1/2" square!
Good Grief!!

So, then I was sitting on the floor of my studio thinking:
1- Why does this ALWAYS happen to me, and
2- Maybe head banging really works
When my little eye caught sight of this:

A pile of unfinished projects.
And inside that zippered bag, resides a dark colored scrap quilt.
And I was in need of a dark colored scarp.
Could it be?
Oh please, could it be?!

So I opened the bag and quickly scanned the partially made top.
And there it was. One single piece of THE fabric.
Right in the dead center.
And joy flooded my little soul!

It took me all of 2" to pick that piece right out of
there and press it into service elsewhere!

I am sure I have learned my lesson here.
Never again will I run out of fabric.
Never!
Right!!
(que peals of wild laughter here, that fade off into the distance
as the quilter heads back to her sewing machine!)

Friday, March 4, 2011

Workin' it out

For Christmas, my daughter gave me a big bag of gladiola bulbs.
I planted them all in this great pot.

Our cat promptly took up residence on top of it. Which was fine for a little while, but spring is coming and she needed to move on. Problem is, she didn't want to. So, I had to get tough. I moved the pot from the shelter of the eaves out into the pouring rain. Then I brought out a nice basket full of straw as a replacement.

Looks comfy, right? Luckily, she thought so too.

Problem is, so did the dog!
Hilarious, huh?! She barely fits in there!!

But, they're workin' it out.

Check out that yawn!
Guess she is still pretty comfy.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

All God's Creatures

It is cold and gray and rainy here this morning.
But, when I opened the back door the air was filled with birdsong and chatter!

All the little creatures are out and about.

Having a little breakfast.

Seemingly unaffected by the weather.

Such a pretty sight on such a dreary day!

On another note...
How about that frightful creature called the leviathan?!
Job 41:9 says any hope of subduing him is false.
41:10- no one is fierce enough to rouse him.
41:18- his snorting throws out flashes of light
41:19- firebrands stream from his mouth
41:20- smoke pours from his nostrils
41:21- his breath sets coals ablaze
41:33- nothing on earth is his equal - a creature without fear

He's a scary dude, that leviathan!

But here's the part I really want to share with you. Because I think it is so funny.
41:5 can you make a pet of him like a bird or put a leash on him for your girls.

Put a leash on him for your girls! That is so hilarious to me. Probably because I raised two little girls. And we had leashes. Lots of them. For all the stuffed animals. And sometimes they would find their way onto the cat! I had to rescue that poor ol' cat on more than one occasion. It was her lot in life to love and be loved by a little girl. But here's the thing, God knows all about little girls and leashes!

And how about 41:8 if you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again!

Never do that again! Also hilarious!

I know, it is probably just me and my weirdness. I am sure most of you read that with reverence and awe. But, sometimes I just think that God is funny. Now, please don't think I am completely irreverent. I'm not. Really. I promise I'm not. Honest....

Job 38-41 are some of my favorite passages, and I'll bet that you will enjoy them as well. To be able to see creation through the eyes of the Creator.. now that is awesome! Check it out.

And maybe later we will talk about some other funny verses.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

My Guy and Cherry Pie

Yesterday was my Bible study meeting day. We are just about to finish up Beth Moore's study of The Patriarchs, Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (If you are looking for an excellent Bible study, I would heartily recommend this one to you!)

So, she mentions in the video that she is not a very good cook. (I know, this is so not where you thought this post was going. Sorry.) And she goes on to say that in her entire marriage her guy has never once announced that he has had a hankerin' for some of her cooking. The way she said it was just hilarious.

Well anyway, that got me to thinking that in my entire marriage my guy has ever said that to me either. And I am a good cook! Hey, what is up with that?!

So, last night I made bean soup and corn muffins for dinner. And for dessert...cherry pie. Yum.

When the pie came out of the oven, my guy announced that it looked "perfect" and that it looked like it had come from a "fancy bakery".

Well, don't you know I perked right up!
Perfect. Huh?!
Fancy bakery. Huh?!
I guess that's just as good as a "hankerin' ".

Yes, somehow I will manage to get by on "perfect".