Just Say Sew

Cookie Exchange and Kelleigh Bread

2012-01-26T07:41:00.000-06:00

My friend hosted a mother/daughter cookie exchange just before Christmas. We were to bring 7 dozen cookies, six for exchanging and one dozen to share while we were there. I made the candy covered oreos which are so easy to do but a bit time consuming because you have to let them harden. And since you use a mold, you can't make them all at once. I just love how they turn out and it makes me look like I know how to bake.

We make Banana Bread quite often and we actually call it Kelleigh Bread. Grandma Brill renamed it because Kelleigh loved it so much when she was little. Every time she went to Camp Grandma's she would ask for Grandma's special bread. I found a recipe that I really like because it is so simple. My husband offered to help me one day when I was having friends over so I put him in charge of the Banana Bread. He added a secret ingredient and it made all the difference in the texture and taste of the bread. Now he is in charge of making Kelleigh Bread. It turns out perfect and slices very nicely.

My friend Ellyn and I made candy sleighs for a few friends. I decided since they were so cute that my girls were going to give them out as gifts. At first they were not too sure but then once they saw them, it was all good. They were super easy to make and using a little hot glue was the trick needed to keep them together.

Here are some other fun cookie pictures from the exchange...

This cold and rainy day makes me want to stay home and bake. I had already planned to hit a couple of craft stores and the book store so I am sticking to my schedule.

Bonnie Hunter

2012-01-19T10:14:00.000-06:00

Earlier this month Bonnie Hunter spoke at the Garland Quilt Guild after she taught classes at Fabric Fanatics. She is an awesome speaker with lots of energy and wit. She had such wonderful tips to share and really made me realize how spoiled we are with our stashes. There is so much we can use and we don't utilize our scraps enough.

A couple of the girls in one of my small sewing groups took her classes and here is what Sarah completed. Isn't it fun?

Here is Bonnie's version. The venue was not that great...seating was tight and lighting was dark so the pictures are poor quality but you can see them on her website which is Quiltville.com.

Here are a few more of her lovely quilts.

Bonnie was such a huge success that I heard she is coming back next year to our same area. You can check with Fabric Fanatics about classes and there is a possibility she will be visiting other quilt stores in the area. Yeah!! Can't wait to here her speak again!!

Quilting

2012-01-18T11:20:00.000-06:00

I am so proud of Kelleigh for designing another quilt and getting it done. She is entering it in a quilt show in Oklahoma. She has joined her own guild in Stillwater, OK while she attends OSU. These ladies have been so sweet to Kelleigh and she looks forward to her meeting each month. I think she did great on her design.

During the holidays I was determined to get my quilting machine set up to its largest setting. It is right in the living room but there is no other place to put it. Kelleigh was enjoying playing on it and she insisted Skyler give it a try. Well, he actually did really well and seemed to enjoy it.

All three girls happened to be hanging around when I was taking pictures so I tried to get a decent shot. It did not happen but this one isn't too bad. They were so silly that day that they could not stop laughing long enough for a picture. I tried!!

After Kelleigh left to go back to school, Skyler stuck around for a bit. I was trying to lay out a drunkard's path and had decided I was just going to do circles making it look very modern. Um...it looked very plain!! Skyler jumped right in and with Taylor's help, we came up with this design. This was a Marti & Me project.

The lighting was not good that day so the picture doesn't show it off much. Can't wait to quilt it and finish it off.

Texas Homecoming

2011-10-24T13:40:00.000-05:00

Homecoming is always a big event in Texas especially with the tradition of making mums. Girls make garters for the boys and boys make mums for the girls...it is a tradition that we learned about 27 years ago when we moved here. I have no idea how it got started but it is huge here. Taylor's mum was the prettiest I have ever seen. Last year her sweet sister made her a duct tape one that was so cool and you can see it here. This year her date's mother made the mum and she did an amazing job.

Taylor made the garter all by herself and I think she did a great job.

These girls worked hard on getting the garters done. I am glad someone took charge and planned out a place where they could gather to make these with friends.

We have a favorite spot in town to take pictures and I am always pleased with how they turn out. Taylor and her date managed to match without even getting together to compare colors.

Time to hang up the mum and look forward to Homecoming 2012.

Raffle Quilt - Work in Progress

2011-09-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

I am involved in a small Art Quilt Group that has branched off from our local quilt guild. It has been amazing to see the talent of some of these women and some day I will share some of what they have shown our group. But today I am showing you what we are working on for next year. Most guilds make a quilt to raffle each year so they can earn money for workshops and speakers. Two of the ladies in our group volunteered us to make it for next year. I have worked on the raffle quilt the last two years and decided this year, I was out. Well, it did not go that way but I have to say this is going to be a fun quilt to be a part of. We have met several times already just in the planning process and now we are making some progress.

These are just the base blocks. The quilt will have pieced sashing and some applique in the borders. I am just so excited to see how the bright colors look on the black background. Here are my blocks.

This is my favorite. We are calling it the pomegranate flower because that is what it reminds us of.

Imagine these with some thread painting and soft embellishments.

This is the proposed layout which will have the pieced green sashing. The four corners will be slightly different flowers which are a little bigger because they do not have stems. I am sure we will make more changes but we had to start somewhere and we hope to have it off to the quilter sometime in November.

Marti and Me again.

2011-09-23T13:31:00.000-05:00

I love how using the Marti and Me templates make me look like an experienced piecer. These templates are just amazing. This particular month we did a faux Carpenter's Wheel and boy did they make it easy. After cutting the pieces, I did not trust that they were going to turn out so I tried to lay it out by looking at the picture and couldn't do it. Then I had my 15 year old help and she gave up. The next day I placed all the pieces back in the order that I cut them and decided to follow the directions to see if it worked. And it did!! My daughter was even amazed out how it turned out since we couldn't even get the puzzle to fit together.

The difference between this and a real carpenter's wheel are the squares. The original block pattern have all the squares the same size. I cannot stress how much I love that Marti has done all the work for us.

This is going to be the center square of a Texas quilt. It would look spectacular using the recent block patterns that were given out with the Quilt Across Texas tour.

I love the red and aqua colors chosen for this one.

Here are a few more including a Christmas version.

It is so fun to go and see what everyone has come up with each month. One pattern can look so different just by the colors you use.

The Katy Trail

2011-09-09T14:19:00.001-05:00

I am finally getting around to organizing pictures and wanted to share some of mine from our summer bike adventure. It was probably the most rewarding vacation I have ever had. I have been to lots of places including Europe and Hawaii but riding my bike along The Katy Trail was probably my favorite. I love a physical challenge and there is nothing that makes you appreciate where you live better than to be completely without the comforts of your daily life. We slept in hotels but that was because I did not want to haul all my bedding around. It was hot and a tough terrain and our fuel was warm water and Cliff bars. We did usually find a place to eat dinner that was your typical small town bar filled with smoke. We all had our Ipods which besides my husband and my friend, Mary, got me through some really tough spots. I found this shirt for Mary after the trip and knew I had to get it for her. We rode most of the last day by ourselves and it was completely uphill. We now know to start from Sedalia, MO and head to Dutzow, MO.

We tried to choose historic places to stay and the first hotel was Hotel Bothwell in Sedalia, MO. It was really beautiful and they tried to keep everything in its original state.

I love the look of old buildings. It is hard to believe that these were once thriving towns with lots to offer.

These are our loaded bikes. I managed to take a couple of jackets, a book and some sewing along.

Here is my husband conducting business as we wait for our train that was delayed two hours. We got a really late start our first day which made it very challenging.

Finally, our train arrives. The train wasn't even stopped 5 minutes and the conductors do not help you with your bikes. Charlie ended up leaving a bag behind not realizing the train would take off so quickly. He was intending to hop back off to get it but they are apparently on some schedule even though they were late to pick us up. It was a pleasant ride even though we did pick up some newly released prisoners in Jefferson City.

After reading other bikers experiences with The Katy Trail, it was advised that we not ride across the bridge from Washington to Dutzow. That was great advice! It was two lanes and no shoulder room at all. I had arranged for the bike store owner to give us a ride across and he was able to replace the things that were left behind in Sedalia.

Lunch was at 4:30 on our first day on the trail due to the train being late and the deli we had planned on eating at was closed. You can do that when you are in a small town...just put a sign on the door. We found a little bar that actually had wonderful cold water.

Our first night on the trail we stayed at The Doll House Bed & Breakfast. It was outstanding! The owner was super sweet and breakfast was delicious.

It was neat to be riding along and all of a sudden you see the State Capitol of Missouri.

...or deer running through the fields.

We stayed the next night at The Globe Hotel which had a lot of history to go along with it. The owner had most everything moved upstairs because they were expecting the river to flood. She had showed us the flood lines from previous years that were half way up the walls.

She had a lot of antique quilts and linens which I loved inspecting.

There were very few buildings in Hartsburg where we stayed but this one was so ornate.

Before we arrived at one of our rest stops, McBain, we came across Boathenge.

There were so many neat picture opportunities along the trail. We did not stop for all of them or we would have never made it to our destination. Next time we are going to allow more time to take in the scenery.

Our last hotel was Hotel Frederick in Booneville. Another historic place with lots of character.

The cafe there had delicious food!

We saw so many cool barns. I am passionate about barns, houses, and churches. I particularly like the barn with the quilt block above it.

Our last day was completely uphill. I have never been so sore in my life but I have never had such a sense of accomplishment either. I just loved our trip and cannot wait to try some more Rails to Trails adventures.

The Quilt Asylum - Doll Quilt Swap

2011-08-21T17:51:00.000-05:00

Our last swap at The Quilt Asylum was earlier this month. We had to make a "doll" (mini)quilt and it had to have circles in it somehow. Whether that would be in the fabric, design, or shape. I am always impressed with what others come up with.

I made three different ones before I decided on mine. I really decided it was best to keep it simple so my circles were in the shape of the sun, coconuts, and in the design of the fabric.

Kathleen did an amazing job with lots of beading. What beautiful colors, too!!

LaDonna was inspired by the current BOM by Quilt Soup.

I love that Juanita used the circles off the edges of fabric. What a fun modern doll quilt.

Yo-Yo's definitely fit the circle criteria.

Sherry made two using fabric with circles.

Ellyn used this beautiful fabric line...of course, anything with gray is wonderful to me.

This one is so cute! I think it has a bit of Australian flare to it.

Sarah did a bull's eye type quilt that I really want to make some day.

Our next swap is a tote bag and then I think we are doing Christmas ornaments. It really is a great way to keep motivated to sew. It also makes you think about what others would like.

Teenage Drivers!!

2011-08-16T22:17:00.000-05:00

I was glad that Kelleigh was still in town this past weekend and was able to go to The Plano Quilt Show with me. She heads back to college this week and we still did not get to quilt together this summer. We talked about some designs and she showed me some things she did in EQ7 but nothing got started. We love a lot of the same things and had big plans but there is always next break.

The show had a few long arm quilting machines set up to play with and jokingly we told Kelleigh to drive and we were so impressed with what she did. Her first attempt she wrote her name backwards starting with the "h" at the far right. Then the sales lady said that was impressive but if she could write her name like it would look in a mirror then she would be really impressed. She did and the clerk said that was the first time anyone had done that.

That was fun and we went on until another salesman invited us to play. We again told Kelleigh to take the handles and she surprised us with this...a beautiful flower and leaf.

It began to be funny that she had only touched a long arm twice and came up with some decent results. Well, the last machine is the one she liked best. It took us a little bit to figure out what she was designing but then the light bulb went off and I wish I had a picture of the sales clerk's mouth. He was speechless and his jaw was hanging open. He couldn't believe she had only had three minutes experience.

I guess when you are a true artist, you can do anything. We haven't convinced her dad that she needs this $10,000 machine but it was fun and she can't wait to play again.

Churn Dash Drama

2011-08-14T08:04:00.000-05:00

The Quilt Asylum held a Churn Dash block swap recently, in which I participated. It is my first block swap and was quite a challenge. My first set of blocks would not come out to the 9 1/2" size that was required. After I had cut all the pieces and started sewing, I decided I should measure these blocks. Well, they ended up being put aside after I tried to rip some apart and work them into the proper size. That was way too time consuming.

I had started my Farmer's Wife blocks using the Marti Michell templates and decided this is exactly what I needed to make my blocks come out to the proper size. I bought the appropriate templates and started out to make my 84 blocks. After testing the size and finding the templates did indeed make perfect 9 1/2" blocks, I am now hooked on these templates.

Now the drama is what to do with these blocks. I don't know that I want to just slap them together, although, I really do want a traditional amish looking quilt someday. My thoughts are to cut them up and re-sew them together. Kelleigh has drawn up a couple of ideas for me and so I may play around with those designs and then decide. Bonnie had cut a couple of blocks up and sewed it in this manner.

It was fun laying out the churn dash blocks and organizing them by colors. Kelleigh enjoyed putting them in some sort of order.

DMQG Show and Tell

2011-08-12T22:38:00.000-05:00

I finally made it to another Dallas Modern Quilt Guild meeting. It has been a few months due to school activities and vacations. What a fun meeting! We had a potluck dinner, show and tell, and applique demonstrations to include hand, raw edge, and reverse techniques. The demonstrators did a great job and I learned some new things and am anxious to start a new quilt or two. I promised a couple of ladies that I would post pictures of the show and tell. The pictures are not the best but it is hard to get anyone to stand still long enough to get a good shot with my camera. Hope you enjoy the fun stuff that everyone shared.

This was evidently some challenge fabric that was passed out in a previous month.

This is beautiful fabric that a member created using "ice dyeing". It turned out so bright. You can find the process on the internet.

I did not catch the name of this quilt but it looks like a fun one to make.

Juanita brought an antique quilt she was able to find. Also, she took a workshop from Lola Jenkins and showed us what she was able to create in a short amount of time. I recently watched Lola on The Quilt Show and she had so much to share and really encourages everyone to be brave and just create.

Angie has been working on a couple of doll quilts for swaps. This girl loves swaps!

Gina shared a quilt top she was able to finish with the help of some friends. Quilters make the best kind of friends. She also found a good buy on a quilt top from The Quilt Asylum.

I love the blue and yellow this member used to make this wonky 9 patch. Also, what a great way to use up your worn out denim. She made the denim quilt with jeans passed on from friends.

These mini's are so cute and the pieces were tiny. I found a magazine recently that was published in 1994 and they referred to a mini quilt as a "doll" quilt. I thought that was a new term! I was so surprised to see it in an issue dating that far back.

Georgeann brought in a block she made for a great-aunt (?) who is celebrating a very special birthday. They will collect the blocks from family members and make a quilt for her. She also had an antique quilt to share.

Bonnie shared the BQ3 quilts that she made for samples. She will be teaching a class at The Quilt Asylum so watch the calendar for class sign ups.

Bonnie also showed us a sample she had made using Another Brick in the Wall pattern. I love the yellow she used, even though my camera doesn't do it justice.

Michelle brought an antique quilt top, too. I would love to know the history behind these quilts that are found in flea market type stores.

She also brought in a couple of modern quilts tops she completed.

Sarah went on a retreat and was able to accomplish so much. I hope to be able to tour the Celeste retreat center soon.

Here are a few more fun items from show and tell.

These are pinwheels that are being offered on a blog. I can't remember the original blog but you can find it through the SewMamaSew site.

These are just a few pictures from the applique demonstrations.

I have so many pictures to post from the summer. We have enjoyed some great vacation time so I will be back tracking a bit and posting some of those. Also, have enjoyed lots of quilting events and want to blog about those as well.

The Farmer's Wife

2011-07-18T08:58:00.000-05:00

Just before I left on vacation I started my adventure into The Farmer's Wife quilt. I have had the book for quite some time and knew someday I wanted to make this quilt. Lucky for me, it has become the latest rage and now I have lots of friends joining in on the adventure. The book has some great letters from the 20's of women who commented on whether they would want their daughter to marry a farmer. It is quite fascinating to read. The book does not give you exact instructions for the blocks but there are several groups out there helping with directions.

Here is a picture of the finished quilt. There are 111 blocks in the book and some quilters have chosen to do a smaller version. I am not making any decisions at this point as to the size of my finished quilt.

We saw lots of farms on our trip through Michigan and Canada. I couldn't help but think about the lives of the women who live on the farms.

I have chosen to use the Marti Michell templates to do my piecing of the blocks. Yet, another thing I have been wanting to do, perfecting my piecing. I am happy with what I do because I am not a perfectionist but I never want to give anything away because I don't like people to see my corners not matched up. This was a perfect plan...The Farmer's Wife and Marti Michell templates. I am happy with the first blocks that I did but feel even more confident that the next ones will be better.

One great thing about this quilt...it is all coming from my stash!! The Marti Michell templates do cost money but are worth their price because you get perfect piecing every time. I have another blog post to write proving the worth of these templates. They are saving me from pulling out my hair right now on a swap I have committed to participate in. I love gadgets that make my life easier!

Market Review at The Quilt Asylum

2011-07-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

Market Review at The Quilt Asylum happens two times a year just 6 weeks after the quilt market. It is like Christmas...waiting to see the new trends and up and coming designers. These gals work so hard to get quilts and other items finished for us to see. It is such a fun time and there are always wonderful treats. Hope you enjoy the few pictures I have to share.

Modern Quilt Relish

Solids!!...or flats, if you prefer.

This & That - Winter Bliss

Modern Quilt Relish

Swoon - Camille Roskelley

Atkinson Designs - Texas Two Step

More solids!!!

Tablerunner Swap

2011-06-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

I recently participated in a tablerunner swap through The Quilt Asylum. It is fun to have a challenge and a deadline that makes you actually get something done. I used Park Central fabric by Kate Spain mainly because I had some scraps of it left from my Sudoku quilt. I love the colors of this line, although, it does not match anything in my house. That's okay since I am swapping it anyway.

LaDonna combined a couple of patterns to make hers. The theme for the swap was "Summer" and this definitely represents summer.

These colors are so popular right now and Ellyn put them into play with her tablerunner. Super cute!

This one was so fun because it is two-sided. Way to be smart and get double the use out of the runner.

Kathleen had fun using a Gwen Marston approach to her project. I think it would go nicely with Fiesta Ware.

Sherry is always ambitious and does multiple items to swap. One pattern was by Pieced Tree and the other is the one using border fabric.

Our next swap is in August and it is a Doll Quilt and has to have a circle of some sort involved. There are lots of ways to interpret that rule.

Fresh Fabric Treats

2011-06-04T22:39:00.000-05:00

Jenny Garland and Angela Yosten were at The Quilt Asylum today autographing the new Moda Bake Shop book.

This book features 16 new projects by some of the best Moda Bake Shop chefs which utilize jelly rolls, layer cakes and charm pack pre-cuts.

What an extra special treat to get my book autographed. This was such a fun day at The Quilt Asylum with Bring and Brag, Block Swap Reveal, and the autographing of a newly released book.

Pink and Brown Swap

2011-06-04T22:17:00.000-05:00

Bonnie at The Quilt Asylum has started a block swap. Her first one was to choose a 6" block and make it using pinks and browns. The number you made depended on how many people were in the swap. They ended up making over 100 but in the end it was worth it. I did not participate in the swap but I went to the revealing because I wanted to hear about the next swap. Oh my!!!... these quilts were beautiful!!! It was so fun to hear how each of them came up with their final designs. I will just post pictures for you to enjoy. I did sign up for the next one and it is a 9" churn dash using black as the background and solids for the design giving it an Amish feel.

Looking forward to the revealing of the next swap.

Bring and Brag - The Quilt Asylum

2011-06-04T21:46:00.001-05:00

Every first Friday of the month The Quilt Asylum in McKinney, Texas holds Bring and Brag. A few times I have gone even though I have nothing to contribute. The last few weeks have been quite a blur for me but the inspiration I get from these ladies is exactly what I need to get back in the sewing room.

Bettepat always gives a challenge and last month was to make this little bird and a coaster. Lorna was the only one who made the bird so she got 5 extra tickets for the door prize bucket. It was very cute but sounds like it was way too small to make it easy to work with.

Suzanne made this adorable Dr. Seuss quilt using the Pieced Tree pattern Catchanap. The fabric was perfect for this pattern!

She also made this pillow out of a decorated tea towel. What a great idea!

TQA is hosting a table runner swap next week and LaDonna brought hers in to share. It is the Little Quilt Company Calendar Table Runners pattern with a little of her own touch. She changed the birds out for ants. What a fun table runner.

Ellyn made a dress and some hair clips to share. You can see more on her blog about those. She is even being published in a magazine this month. How fun. Check out her blog.

Bonnie brought in a bag she had done along with wearing a skirt she had made. Too cute!

She also shared a quilt she started at a recent workshop taught by Gwen Marston. It was definitely an eye opening experience for Bonnie helping her to work out of her comfort zone. I love the design of this quilt.

Bettepat made an incredible quilt out of an old quilt top. The top could not be used whole because of the condition so she cut it up and made it look so modern.

There were a couple of other quilts shown but I am going to include those in the next post which is about the Brown and Pink exchange.

Mama's New Job

2011-06-01T07:46:00.000-05:00

Our local quilt guild has a program called Storybook Quilts in which we make small quilts to go along with children's books that reference quilts. I chose the book The Berenstain Bears and Mama's New Job.

Mama Bear decides to start a quilting business and she dreams up this design to make.

This is my version of the quilt.

The Allen Quilters' Guild has made several quilts to share and teacher's can check them out through their school library. The kids love being able to pass the quilt around while their teacher reads the book to them.

Cimarron Valley Quilters Sew In

2011-05-20T10:53:00.001-05:00

In April my friend, Carol, and I went to Stillwater, OK to join up with the Cimarron Valley Quilters' Guild to celebrate their 25 years as a guild. They held a 25 hour sew-a-thon at a local church. It just so happens that after we planned the trip, Carol's brother-in-law was assigned to be the new pastor at the church. Well, once the ladies saw Carol's last name, that was the topic of the retreat. My daughter, Kelleigh, is a freshman at OSU and she joined the guild so she could be connected with other quilters. These ladies have been so kind to her and welcoming her into the guild. What an outstanding guild for such a small town and we will definitely be joining up with them again.

I got a few things pieced while I was there. One was a Sudoku quilt top. It came in a kit and you had to finish the puzzle to find out where to properly place the pieces. The fabric line is Central Park by Kate Spain and the sashing is Stone by Kona. Stone is a great color that goes with so many of the new modern lines.

I participated in a swap from Happiness is Quilting where we made 9 witches feet to switch out. I finally got them all into a quilt top and the border is a piano key style. It was so fun to swap and I love how they all turned out. When you join a swap you "get what you get" which may not always be up to your standards. This one was definitely a great swap.

The ladies at the retreat were working on so many wonderful quilts. The gray, black and red one is my favorite! It is a row quilt and they do it like a swap where one person makes the same row several times and then switches rows with the others in the swap. They did this more than once so I will show you different colorways.

CVQG makes several raffle quilts each year to raise money for their guild. One that they were doing was an English Paper Pieced Grandmother's Flower Garden. They each make a certain number of flowers and then piece it all together. It was just beautiful!!

Kelleigh worked on an art project for school making flowers. She also made and owl and worked on a lap quilt.

Carol was busy talking and making connections with the church members. I don't know how much she got done. She did quilt a Storybook Quilt for a friend and I will post that later. She also worked on a Seminole pieced towel which she is a pro at doing. They always turn out so beautiful. The guild provided a kit to make this adorable pin cushion which Carol did get done. It is a free pattern off of The Pattern Basket website.

On our way to Stillwater, we visited four quilt stores and there is a really nice one right there in town called The Quilting Post. I look forward to visiting Oklahoma again!

Recycled Swap

2011-04-28T11:41:00.000-05:00

Our small group from the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild held another swap last week. It was to fit on a 8 1/2 by 11 inch acrylic frame and be made with something recycled. The idea of putting it on the frame was great. You just make the quilt and bind it with a sleeve that the frame fits into. Very fast and easy.

I did my swap out of the new Denyse Schmidt line. It was a recent topic on twitter and blogs and Ellyn decided we needed some since there was a bit of controversy involved. Using the flip and stitch method made the quilting so easy. My daughter doesn't realize I used one of her t-shirts as my recycled requirement. The flower and the BLOOM were made from the back of a her shirt.

Angie loves to embroider and I was the lucky one this time to receive one of hers. The hexagons are from one of her antique shopping adventures. The saying is perfect for this time of year and I love how it looks vintage.

Richard claims these Crown Royal bags were given to him. What a great way to re-purpose these nice bags. And we all know who is the best quilter around so, of course, his quilting is amazing!

Just by looking at these colors, those who know Sarah would pick this one out as hers in a heartbeat. I definitely have to try a dresden plate someday. The recycled buttons are perfect for the center.

Janet was working on some blocks awhile back not knowing what she was going to do with them. She decided to chop them up and use them for this swap. I love how modern it looks with the clean lines.

Swaps are really fun and it is nice having to play by a few rules. We had a great time at our small group and we looking forward to playing again in July. With Quilt Market coming up, our group is busy scoping out how they are going to stock the stores so we are taking a small swap break.

Just One Star

2011-04-21T13:21:00.000-05:00

There is still time for everyone to contribute to the Just One Star program hosted by Moda. They are making 100 quilts in 100 days to give to men and women who are injured in the line of duty while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The deadline is May 1st and just about any quilt store in the area would take your donation of blocks. Click the highlighted link above for all the details. Here are the ones I made and when I went to turn them in at The Quilt Asylum, there was a basketful already.

The hardest part was not trimming them down to make them look nice. They ask that you don't trim them that way they can square them all up to be the same. Way to go Moda and all the quilt stores and quilt guilds that are promoting your efforts!!

Pictures

2011-04-19T14:54:00.000-05:00

I have been spending quite a bit of time going through pictures for our big "6th Grade Graduation" event. I do not really get the whole thing but somehow it got started that our 6th graders should have a graduation ceremony. Well, I have found that our fourth child does not seem to have nearly as many pictures as the other kids...no surprise. While trying to find pictures, I ran across these that I took of some of my mother-in-law's decorations for Christmas. By the time we arrived at her house, the tree and things were already down since we were there for New Year's Eve. I love these ornaments that she displays in a bowl and she told me they were many years old. They were a gift to her and she still treasures them.

As long as I have known her she has cross stitched...

One of her nativity sets is by Jim Shore and since I am a quilter, this is exactly how I like to picture baby Jesus, the wise men and the shepherds.

It has been fun going through pictures even though I don't seem to have what I am looking for. I really need to scrapbook and journal before I forget all the stories that are behind the pictures.

Pillow Play

2011-04-15T08:24:00.000-05:00

A few weeks back I participated in a Pin Cushion Swap through The Quilt Asylum. They held another swap which was 16" Pillow Covers this past week. It was really exciting to see what designs everyone created.

This year I had chosen my "word for the year" to be SIMPLIFY. I just decided that I was adopting this word and adapting it to my life. I have even been enjoying a podcast about the Amish people and the wisdom they have to live a simple life. Well, due to 3 recent funerals of 3 very young people, another theme for the year kept haunting me. My new phrase is "everyday is a bouquet". Life is precious day to day and we are granted a fresh new bouquet each new morning. This is how I came up with my pillow design. It was adapted from a Nancy Halvorsen design with a few minor changes and definitely my own spin on fabric choices.

LaDonna made the the pillow cover that I received. It is a simple pieced cover but the workmanship is superb!! Her points match perfectly and the quilting is precise. I couldn't be happier with what I received and will use it to remind me to slow down and make my sewing projects more accurate.

Here are a few of the other ones that were swapped out.

It is always nice to get a group picture. I appreciate that people took time to participate in the swap making it a fun evening.

Dallas Quilt Show

2011-04-14T15:37:00.000-05:00

I have been going to the Dallas Quilt Show for about 10 years. It always lands right around Spring Break in March. This year was really amazing especially since I had a few friends enter quilts. Mardy Cronister is the one who really got me interested in back-baste applique. I tried other techniques and was just going to give up on the process but she assured me I could do this. Mardy entered "Mardy's Birds in the Garden" that took 5 years to complete. It won a first prize award at the show and for good reason. It is just beautiful! I may never get a detailed project like this one finished but I am not afraid of the "A" word. I am currently working on two hand applique quilts.

I have known Jane Bayarena for about a year since we have been taking a quilting software class together. She is an amazing artist and quilter with a passion for original work. She is not afraid to make up a pattern and very much inspired by her travels. Her work is gorgeous!!

My favorite quilts involve applique and houses so I wanted to include this one from the show. It is made by Stephanie Hanson.

A quilt I would love to do someday is Lollypop Trees by Kim McLean. It is just wild and fun using lots of Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

There are tons more pictures I could post. I am way behind on blogging so hope to catch up in the next couple of weeks. I highly encourage everyone to attend a quilt show because pictures just do not do them justice. The quilting is as much as the art as is the piecing itself.

Nascar Retreat

2011-03-28T17:17:00.000-05:00

Every February Charlie heads to Florida for the Daytona 500 Nascar Race. For the last several years, I have turned our house into a 3-day sewing retreat spending several hours sewing with my small group. It is amazing how much you can accomplish when there are no interruptions.

Only a few of us were actually able to make it this year but we still had such a great time catching up. I worked on several projects since that is how I seem to work best. Festival of Trees is a BOM that I have been collecting. Here is a picture of my blocks and a picture from the book showing what it will look like when it is done.

This is a kit that Kelleigh chose with Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush fabric line. She loved it and knew immediately that was going in her room. She picked out a buttercup color for her walls to match. The pattern was so fun to piece but I would have never picked it up based on the picture on the cover.

I also worked on my blocks from Little Miss Shabby BOM. She suggests you make all the blocks first and then all you have to do is the embroidery.

I also worked on a lap quilt for a friend but it still needs quilted.

Ellyn worked on a hand quilting project and also a pillow cover. The hand quilted item took up most of her time and really makes us appreciate sewing machines.

Carol is so fast at sewing and quilting and always accomplishes a lot. Pepper loved the quilt she finished.

I really like Edyta Sitar and after showing Carol her lasted book, she worked on a scrappy star.

You can never leave your machine unattended. There is always a snake, spider or some other creature that ends up on it. One year we mysteriously had our machines TP'd.

Ellen worked on a very beautiful table runner. The pictures just do not do it justice. She also did some quilting for donation quilts. Carol and her are really good about charity sewing.

Looking forward to many more weekends with this group.

Valentine Swap

2011-03-07T14:33:00.000-06:00

On February 28th our Dallas Modern Quilt Guild small group participated in a doll quilt Valentine Swap. This is our second swap as a group and we have a 3rd one planned for April. Our next one is to incorporate a recycled fabric or item into the doll quilt.

We all stuck to hearts for our theme but they turned out so different. I did some beading and embroidery on my swap along with some fun fur to add character. It wasn't exactly how I wanted it to turn out but I did learn a few things in the process.

I love the color combination that Kristie chose. I drew her number and so this is the one I received.

Susan made this quilt using a weaving technique. It turned out so cute and I think she should make a tutorial on this technique.

Some people are overachievers! Pam did a design on both sides of her swap.

Angie participates in lots of swaps and does such a great job on them. She always goes the extra mile.

If you ever want help with color, Sarah is your ticket. She always has fun color combinations.

Janet did a lot of beading on hers. The pictures probably do not do it justice but it looked like a lot of work.

I am always amazed at how much these ladies get done. They all have families and very demanding jobs and seem to always find time for their passion.

Roses of Rembrance

2011-02-24T12:05:00.000-06:00

A year and a half ago I took an applique class. I had taken one before but it was a total fail and I was convinced I would never be able to hand applique. My patience was shot after that class and, of course, my budget was too because of all the supplies they insisted you needed. Well, I was talked into taking from a different instructor and it proved to be a success. Not only did I find some new friends but I found a technique that I fell in love with.

We worked on Jacobean Christmas last year by Pat Campbell and this year we voted to stick together and do another project. We chose the Roses of Remembrance by Sharon Pederson.

We met in January for our first block and to iron out some details. We actually started on Block 2 because Block 1 is very difficult. We didn't want to get scared off by the difficulty of the first block. Here are a few pictures from the first meeting.

Not everyone finishes their blocks by the next month but we do love it when someone does and brings show and tell.

We are using what is termed the "Back Baste Method of Applique" which is really a very easy technique and can be done by anyone. It is very portable too!

Pin Cushion Swap

2011-02-23T08:55:00.000-06:00

The Quilt Asylum hosted a pin cushion swap in early February. I had no idea what to expect but let me tell you I was overwhelmed by the creativity of the participants. The pin cushions were so amazing!!

This is the one I made using a Vanilla House pattern. I just wasn't up to designing my own but I did have fun incorporating my favorite colors of gray and lime green.

I loved the bee hive! The neatest thing was that the recipient's daughter has always loved bees so it meant way more to her than just a pin cushion.

This little mouse served another purpose too. The way the tail holds the thread for you is just so nifty.

Could there be anything more appropriate for Texas???? This armadillo was just precious and the girl made the pattern up!! She should be designing and writing patterns for pin cushions.

Here are just a few more favorites. Not all my pictures turned out so I am not going to post everyone of them.

Our next swap is a pillow cover...can't wait to see the finished items!!

Funny girl....

2011-02-23T08:29:00.000-06:00

All my kids are so different but they all have some sense of humor. We woke up one day to finding all of these childhood McDonald's toys bearing pleas to help find a missing Flip camera. They were placed in the refrigerator, on the stairs, by the coffee maker, on the dryer...etc. We still have not found the camera but are hoping it is just in a really great hiding spot.

My Valentine

2011-02-15T07:13:00.002-06:00

My Valentine knows me well...he made these for me! This is my favorite way to eat chocolate!!

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SNOW

2011-02-04T10:42:00.002-06:00

Last Friday I sat in the 73* weather on that chair reading. Today is our fourth ice/snow day for the schools to be closed. We have 6 inches of snow and it is still coming down.

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Allen Stampede Cattle Drive

2011-01-21T12:41:00.001-06:00

I know this is old but I have been wanting to post pictures for some time. Actually, since October 27, 2010. Allen had their first stampede to start off the round of events for the rodeo to be held at the Allen Event Center. I skipped bible study to go and was so glad I did. It was one of the neatest things I have ever been to. I loved this picture of the policemen waiting to be escorts.

The "Queen" of the stampede (I am not sure of her title) was there with her court. I do wonder how you get this position.

The longhorns were so mild and we were able to get very close to them. I actually hid behind somebody because they kind of scared me.

The mayor got in on the act and was riding on top of a stage coach.

Definitely watch for this next Fall...it was one of the most exciting things I have done in a long time.

"Who Am I" Swap

2011-01-17T22:00:00.000-06:00

I joined up with a small group from the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild and we decided a swap was something we all wanted to do. The theme was to make the quilt about ourselves which was way too hard for a first swap. We all seemed to struggle a bit with the idea of portraying ourselves somehow in the form of a small quilt. We drew numbers to see who got what quilt and once they were opened and explained we couldn't wait to decide on a new swap. The next one will be simply "Valentine".

Kristie made an applique quilt and her inspiration was Pat Campbell. I love Pat Campbell's designs as well and am still finishing Jacobean Christmas that I had started in Oct. 2009.

Daisies from Janet's wedding was her inspiration. She wanted Daisies and was told that they would be too ugly for a wedding but her mom put one in her bouquet.

Angie loves redwork, little girls and vintage fabric and she was able to incorporate all of these into this darling wall hanging. I know there were some other things she talked about but I can't remember what all represented her.

Sarah is all about hearts, funky and bright. She had so many things on her quilt that told who she was and was even able to find fabric that was printed with things she loves.

Susan designed the quilt that I received and it had triangles, english paper piecing, wonky log cabin and crazy quilting with scraps. She named it "Hoot Am I" since that is the name of the fabric line she used. I just love it and I happened to use the same fabric line for the quilt I made.

My inspiration was a rooster. I have always loved roosters because my grandmother collected them so that is what I remembered most about her. I used gray as the background since that has always been one of my favorite colors. I found fabric that had eggs on it which was so appropriate and quilted it using a hexagon to make it look like chicken wire. Kelleigh designed the layout and insisted it had to be 3D so the squares were actually made and quilted and then sewn onto the quilt. And I used scraps to piece the back.

We had such a great time swapping and are excited about the next one at the end of February.

Hiking in December

2011-01-10T08:04:00.000-06:00

We could not have asked for more beautiful weather when we went hiking in Arkansas. Visiting Petit Jean State Park has been on my list for a long time and December was the only time we had as a family to go hiking. Planning a vacation around college kids is extremely difficult. We rented a cabin in the park which was very clean and comfortable. And hiked through some beautiful areas learning some neat history along the way.

These leaves were so huge and there were tons of them.

Here are my kids and husband who tolerated my hiking trip. Actually, they all pretty much like to hike just not all together. You know how teenagers are!

Grant and I took a little extra hike and were pleasantly surprised by this tree. I knew then that God did all of this "Just 4 Me". It was just a great hike.

After Petit Jean we hiked to the highpoint of Arkansas which is Mt. Magazine. This makes 7 highpoints for me and 8 for Charlie. Would love to accomplish all the highpoints but I am not holding my breath. Each high point has a survey marker which can sometimes be tricky to find.

I can't wait to plan our next hiking trip. Charlie and I spent a full week last summer hiking and now we need to think about where we should go this summer.

Finally time for fun!

2010-11-28T21:16:00.001-06:00

We love puzzles but cannot have them out during our busy season of life because we won't get anything else done. Now that we are only doing one sport, it is time to start a puzzle. Camryn and I stumbled upon a great one this week. It has quilts and barns which are both very special to us.

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Just stuff...

2010-10-30T10:07:00.001-05:00

These blocks are not going in the same quilt but I kind of like them together. The harp is part of the Jacobean Christmas I have been working on. I have several blocks close to being done but I have a gazillion circles to make and I need some instruction on how to do them. It will be my favorite quilt when I get it finished. Not only because if its beauty but because of the new friendships I formed while making it. We vowed to stay together and make another quilt next year...Roses of Remembrance by Sharon Pederson.

The other two blocks are for The Allen Quilters Guild donation quilt next year. Generally, we have a few ladies make the quilt in their small group and then we all sell raffle tickets to earn money for the guild. This past year our small group made the quilt. We gathered on a Saturday and purchased the fabric. We divided it all up and made about 10 blocks each. This is really nice to only make two blocks and we used batiks from our stash. The background fabric for the star blocks was provided by the guild.

This is the Spoolin' Around quilt that the Seams Like Sisters small group made for 2010. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

"MUMS" the word

2010-10-06T22:34:00.001-05:00

Kelleigh made a mum out of duct tape for Taylor for homecoming. It is totally a Texas thing but the bigger the better. Generally, they are made from ribbons but Taylor is a duct tape fanatic so she was thrilled when I pulled it out of the closet.

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SMORES

2010-09-30T13:16:00.001-05:00

I will definitely do this pattern "smore"!! I went to visit my daughter at OSU and she asked me to bring a sewing machine. I took two and a few projects. I like to take the same projects so we can mass produce or at least be on the same page. I had been hoarding these smore print charm packs knowing I wanted to do something for my "lifetime" girl scout. I had the pattern Square It Up by Pieced Tree which caters to charm squares. Kelleigh made one for her friend who was in scouts with her for many years.

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Making something cute...

2010-09-19T18:07:00.001-05:00

I am working on a project for Moonlight Threads and I can still breathe! Maybe we found something I can do without getting sick. I will post a picture when I get one completed.

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Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

2010-09-16T13:44:00.001-05:00

This is so not my style but it was fun and easy to make. It is from the book Have Your Cake and Eat it Too. The pattern is called Tweet d Pie but I bought the book for the pattern Tornado Twister Cake which I have not made yet. It needs quilted as do so many of my projects.

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That Time of Year

2010-09-14T18:54:00.001-05:00

This is one of my absolute favorite snack combinations. The candy corn is so fresh this time of year and mixed with the dry roasted peanuts makes a "Payday" flavor. There goes the diet!

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Apron Pictures

2010-09-06T20:49:00.001-05:00

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Lilly Apron

2010-09-06T20:45:00.001-05:00

I had so much fun making two Lilly Aprons this weekend by Busy Bee Quilt Designs. Kelleigh needed an apron for art class and had picked out a coral plaid fabric. I found this cute vintage button print fabric from The Quilt Asylum that I could not pass up. I teamed it with a leopard print from my stash and I just fell in love with the finished product.
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Football Apparel

2010-09-02T18:25:00.001-05:00

Just pulling out one of my favorite Allen Eagle sweatshirts for tomorrow's game. I can tell you where to get one if you are interested.

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Spoonflower

2010-08-27T10:48:00.001-05:00

Just ordered my free swatch from Spoonflower....I love this fabric. It reminds me of a painting.

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Block swap.

2010-08-26T14:15:00.001-05:00

Just finished my nine blocks for a swap in October. I am never this far ahead of schedule. So thankful for having some free time this week to sew. Not having a car has kept me home and kept me from spending any money.

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It's time

2010-08-23T14:56:00.001-05:00

The dogs always seem to know when it is time for the kids to come home from school.

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Tuffy

2010-08-18T21:15:00.001-05:00

Taylor could not resist trying this eagle head on. She was even brave enough to stand where people could see her. We were laughing so hard especially when she saw the spider crawling in it.

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Roughriders

2010-08-18T21:06:00.001-05:00

We had fun taking the kids to K-State night at the Frisco Roughriders earlier this month. We did not know any of the alumni but there were 8 of us and we had a great time. Camryn actually had strept and we didn't know until we took her to the dr the next day. She was a real trooper traveling back from being gone two weeks and getting right in the car for the game. This is Kelleigh and Skyler molding their free hats.

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Thermometer

2010-08-02T18:19:00.001-05:00

This is what my car was reading as the external temperature today.

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Spoolin' Around

2010-07-17T04:27:00.001-05:00

It was so shocking to go to Rally Day and see the quilt that our small group put together. I knew others would be there selling raffle tickets for their guild quilts but I didn't even think about ours being there.

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TAGQ

2010-07-14T22:57:00.001-05:00

This is the big quilt that the picture from the earlier post belongs to. It is amazing up close!!! If you ever get a chance to see her speak, definitely go.

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TAGQ

2010-07-10T12:49:00.000-05:00

I have been fortunate to spend the day listening to Cynthia England speak at rally day. Her quilts are amazing and she is one funny lady and so energetic.

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MosaicShowcase

2010-07-06T22:12:00.001-05:00

Kelleigh designed a quilt and wanted to make it by the Dallas Modern Quilt meeting on Thursday evening. Although, it is not pressed, we did finish.

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Ready to Quilt

2010-07-06T09:42:00.001-05:00

I finished piecing this Nancy Halvorsen design from her Be Attitudes book. It needs to be quilted and then there are lots of embellishments to add. I love her designs and can't wait to add Tidings to my collection. It has a lot of beautiful projects.

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So Inviting

2010-07-05T14:07:00.001-05:00

After several days of gloomy, cloudy weather we have the most gorgeous day today. I so want to just hang out by our pool. I may just put the sewing aside and grab a book.

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Flag Flying High

2010-07-05T12:59:00.001-05:00

I love seeing our flag flying outside on the house. It means so many different things but mainly reminds me of the freedom we have. God bless America!

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First Pepper of the Season

2010-07-03T18:48:00.000-05:00

I have heard about this pepper growing from a couple of the kids. Today they decided it needed to be picked. Well, as you can see, it was quite small. Hoping the next one is enough for at least one person to eat.

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Coming in January

2010-07-02T14:35:00.002-05:00

I just signed up for the Sharon Pederson Rose of Remembrance block of the month from Blue Ribbon Quilt Shoppe. It has been highly anticipated and is just so beautiful. They are offering it for hand applique or machine applique but I chose the hand version. I can't wait to start on it but it isn't going to be until January 2011. That gives me plenty of time to get some other things done.

Jacobean Holiday

2010-07-01T13:10:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of the quilt I have been making. It is Jacobean Holiday by Pat Campbell. I chose to hand appliqué the blocks and this is my first appliqué quilt after taking a class from Blue Ribbon Quilt Shoppe in Wylie,Texas. I will post actual pictures of the blocks as I finish them. I have several close to being complete.

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American Girl Doll Quilt

2010-06-29T13:27:00.001-05:00

Camryn has been bugging me to make quilts for her American Girl doll. I have had two cut out for quite some time and finally finished one. I really enjoyed making it and am anxious to try more free-motion quilting.

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Preparing for College

2010-06-27T21:53:00.001-05:00

Have been doing lots of shopping for two kids heading off to college in August. Of course, Kelleigh wants some homemade items. We made pillowcases using some Valori Wells fabric and have plans to make a couple of laundry bags.

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Fireworks

2010-06-26T23:05:00.001-05:00

We thought we were towards the back of the fireworks but actually ended up very close. They changed the launching location from the previous years. I just love watching them and listening to the oooh's and aaah's.

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And another...

2010-06-25T17:12:00.001-05:00

I will probably get in trouble for this one too but I loved what Kelleigh did with this piece.

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Self Portrait

2010-06-25T15:43:00.001-05:00

This is a portrait Kelleigh did of herself. I should probably ask her before I post this but I just love it.

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Graduation

2010-05-31T19:34:00.001-05:00

Yeah for Kelleigh! She graduated from high school and is headed to Oklahoma
State University in August.

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Sewing Fun

2010-03-20T18:36:00.001-05:00

Kelleigh and I make a great sewing team. We used the pattern Tahoe Tote by Pink Sand Beach Designs. Love how it turned out!

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No blanket but we have a puppy!

2010-03-14T13:06:00.001-05:00

So it is our first time in the camper and my kids were thinking it would be warmer at night. My son brought his puppy but no blanket.

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Texan

2010-03-06T10:40:00.001-06:00

Kelleigh's award winning art piece.

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Panther Samples

2010-03-01T21:14:00.003-06:00

We have been working on spiritwear samples for schools and here are a few ideas.

Sweet surprise

2010-02-27T17:59:00.001-06:00

I received an unexpected gift today from my dear friend Carol. It was a charm pack of Meadowsweet fabrics. Oh so beautiful!! I thank God for all my friends!! They keep me going.

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Trying a mobile post...

2010-02-25T22:15:00.001-06:00

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Work from Moonlight Threads

2010-01-25T07:38:00.002-06:00

I have really been enjoying my job at the embroidery shop. We get to make lots of cute spirit wear items so I thought I would share a few.

Raffle Quilt for Allen Quilters Guild

2010-01-25T07:33:00.003-06:00

Seams Like Sisters got together and made the raffle quilt this year. It was a really quick process since we were on such short notice. We had the pattern picked out, the fabric bought and the quilt together in a week. It was fast and furious but so much fun.

My Favorite Books This Past Year

2010-01-09T21:59:00.004-06:00

The Hiding Place
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Seedfolks
The Glass Castle
The Friday Night Knitting Club
The Year of Living Biblically
The Wednesday Letters
Good in Bed
Julie and Julia
The Devil in the White City
A Single Thread

Christmas Dinner

2010-01-09T21:43:00.001-06:00

The kids love a low key Christmas dinner and it is beginning to be a tradition of hamburgers and the usual side dishes. This year I set a fancy table even though our food was not so special. The pot was painted by Kelleigh.

Favorite Things

2010-01-09T21:35:00.001-06:00

2010-01-09T21:16:00.002-06:00

Christmas is put away but I had to take some pics of my favorite things. The stockings were stitched by my mother-in-law and I put them together. I have several ornaments that people have made and others that I just enjoy. I don't mind putting away the tree but I like to leave up some of the other decorations.

Cowboy Stadium

2010-01-09T20:49:00.004-06:00

Football season is over and my daughter has turned in her uniforms but not without playing at the new Cowboy Stadium. It was amazing and hard to imagine how much money was spent building this place for pure entertainment. We were able to be there without paying the high prices of going to a Dallas Cowboy game. The first picture is the Allen Eagle Drumline and the last one is under Cowboy Stadium.

My Quilt Room

2009-11-14T08:07:00.003-06:00

We saw beautiful quilts at the Houston Quilt Festival. It was so inspiring and breath-taking and you wished you could take a picture of everyone of them. This was definitely one of my favorites. As we were taking pictures an Asian woman came up and was screaming that this is her quilt. She was so happy to see it hanging and people there admiring it. We asked her to go beyond the tape and stand by it. She said it took her 6 months to make this quilt! She must not have done anything else during that time. The name on the information sheet was Yasukoito and Oharibako.

Rainbow

2009-11-14T07:58:00.003-06:00

It has been a long time since I have posted. We have been so busy with sports and I have taken on a part-time job that has taken up a lot of my time. I am really loving all that I am learning and the lady I am working for is super sweet. I recently took this picture after one of our many storms this fall. We are about done with sports so I feel like I am almost to the end of the rainbow and can play with all the treasures in my sewing room.

Mountain View, Arkansas

2009-09-15T09:03:00.003-05:00

We spent a week in Mountain View, Arkansas where they have done a great job of keeping things from the past. Each evening people show up at the town square to play music. Most of it is not planned as some of the people are just traveling through. It is really interesting to see these musicians and get to know them a bit.

Escadrille

2009-09-15T08:53:00.001-05:00

This link will give you an idea of how big the Allen Band is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zNuqFFLwAw

March-A-Thon

2009-09-15T08:32:00.005-05:00

Each year our high school band marches 10 miles through the city to earn money for their trips. The Escadrille consists of the tallenettes, color guard and band members totaling around 680 kids. My daughter plays marimba which is not a marching instrument so she got to carry the banner. They even marched through Tom Thumb and Lowes.

2009-09-15T08:23:00.002-05:00

I am looking at my pictures from summer and thought I would post a few. We had a tremendous summer and are slowly getting into a schedule for the school year. This could not have been a better sign for my three girls. Although, they are different in so many ways, gardening is something they have in common. They all love to plant flowers and enjoy the rewards.

2009-08-21T10:38:00.003-05:00

Working on a baby gift. Here is a sample of the heirloom train design.

Palm Trees

2009-08-12T12:20:00.002-05:00

Our palm trees have gotten so big this year. They really do grow fast if you are looking for something quick.

2009-08-07T22:10:00.002-05:00

Here is a quilt I did a couple of Februarys ago. It was from a jelly roll and I can't even remember the pattern. I think it was from a freebie that the quilt store was handing out.

2009-08-07T22:03:00.003-05:00

These definitely are not my colors but I do love the way it turned out. Kelleigh wanted to make this quilt called the Kindergarten Quilt and I decided to do one with her. We had fun sewing together. She didn't finish hers yet because she went out of town and now she is busy with band so who knows when it will get done.

2009-08-07T22:01:00.003-05:00

This one is a Disappearing 9-patch. I used a layer cake which made it super fast.

More quilts waiting to be quilted!

2009-08-07T21:57:00.002-05:00

I really need to get my quilts to the quilter. They are piling up and I keep sewing more tops. One that I really like is a small log cabin that forms a cross. It was so quick and easy and I just love the way it turned out.

Time to Catch Up

2009-08-07T21:51:00.002-05:00

It has been forever since I have posted. Summer has kept us busy which has been a really good thing. We took a trip to Kansas to do some mission work. Then my husband and I toured parts of Illinois and Wisconsin. Then we spent a week in Arkansas. The summer is essentially over since we are already doing band events. The days are getting filled with back to school activities. My daughter had senior pictures done today and I decided to take a couple myself since we spent time to get her ready.

Summer

2009-06-25T20:46:00.002-05:00

I love summer! For the next two days I get to spend more time with some sewing friends. Seams Like Sisters are getting together for the first time in a while. We are all too busy with life to see each other but tomorrow is catch up day. We all come from different backgrounds but sewing brings us together. Can't wait!!! They are truly my Sisters away from my sisters.

2009-06-25T20:40:00.002-05:00

Carol working hard on her project....

2009-06-25T20:37:00.001-05:00

Ellyn's Red Letter Day quilt. It turned out stunning with the black borders and sashing. What a way to set off the fabric.

2009-06-25T20:26:00.002-05:00

Recently I was able to attend a quilting retreat in VanAlstyne, Texas. It was wonderful! The home was roomy and clean and the owners were super sweet. It was extra fun since I had a couple of my best buds with me.

2009-06-25T20:21:00.001-05:00

This is my son and his girlfriend posing for a picture. We were at the Water Gardens in Ft. Worth.

2009-06-25T20:18:00.002-05:00

Here is another quilt that is ready to be quilted. It is way brighter than I like but my girls love it.

2009-06-25T20:15:00.000-05:00

I embroidery lots of bloomers for babies. They are quick and so cute.

Bad Blogger!

2009-06-25T20:08:00.002-05:00

I have been so bad at blogging but now summer is here and I should be better at posting. I have done a few things so check out the pics,