Saturday, March 28, 2015

I really HAVE to….

…. get back to the sewing room!  I have not spent much time in there for about 2 weeks now.  First, I was house/pet sitting for my son.  Oh, I took projects to work on.  Little things that I normally just pull out when I don’t feel like working on anything major.  I thought it would be a good way to force myself to get something done.  The sewing fates were against me!  I took a paper piecing project.  I had put a new blade in my rotary cutter.  Well, it wasn’t round, but at least it left an impression and I was able to use the scissors… Got a couple more of those blocks done, so I guess it wasn’t a total loss.  Then my son had requested a grill cover for his new grill – a year ago.. Just bought a large painter’s canvas tarp and used that.  It was okay.. but not my best work.  Then I had planned on making some pillows for my daughter-in-law from some fabric she bought 5 years ago and then decided it was too dark for what she wanted it for.  Bought pillows from the thrift store to get the pillow forms.  First one I cut the cover was shredded foam – you can just imagine the mess that made!  That hit the trash.  Guess who still has some really nice fabric that she needs to do something with????? Anyway, things just did not work the way I had hoped..

This week the weather has been so beautiful here in Arizona that I just wanted to be outside.  Now I’m the first to say “I am no gardener”  but I do love playing in the dirt.  So I played in the dirt!  Put in a couple flowering plants.  Bought some seeds and put in some herbs, tomatoes, zucchini and watermelon.  Yes, watermelon.   A few years back I had bought seeds for the kids to plant.  We got nothing… A year or so after that, I found the seeds that were left and just put them in.. Oh my goodness!!! I had the nicest watermelon vines!  And the cutest little watermelons.  Unfortunately, I’d planted way to late in the season so not enough time for them to ripen.  I did pick a couple that the kids ate and said were good.  When I pulled those vines out, I found 8 more little watermelons under the vines.  So, we’ll try it again and see if we actually get something edible this time Smile.  I do love to cook and love working with fresh herbs.  I still have cilantro and Italian parsley growing that I literally threw in last year simply because I found some old seed… Maybe that’s my problem, if I just throw the seeds in without caring if they grow or not, they grow… If I plan it, work it and care – they won’t….. Maybe that’s the trick, just scatter some seeds and see what comes up…..

I got the first baby quilt (see previous post) sent out and most of the top done for the second one.  Maybe I’ll stay inside today and get the borders on it.  I have at least one quilt to make for QFC and a couple more that will be coming my way for quilting.  I had someone approach me about quilting for them.  I told her she could bring it to me and I’d look at it and see what she has.  She told me it was already marked and I’m thinking it may be a whole cloth quilt that has been marked for the quilting – not sure I want to mess with something like that, but if she’s not too picky, I might.

QFC Sew Fest is being held the first week in August this year and will be held in Alabama.  That’s 4 months away but I know how quickly that time will pass and I need to get busy doing stuff for that as well.  This year we’re adding Christmas theme quilts for children.  The red, white and gold fabrics can then be used with our Patriotic quilts as well, the change up will be the greens & blues.  We decided to add the Christmas quilts because so many of us have bought Christmas fabrics on sale (or have leftovers) and those of us who embroider have all these super cute Christmas designs that we’ll never use, and so therefore a bit of Christmas thrown in….

Enough of my ramblings for now.  Hopefully next time I will have some pictures to show Smile

Katie

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Wondering…..

I’m wondering if it’s worth keeping my blog.  I mean let’s face it, it’s not like I spend much time posting anything here.  And maybe, if I was more diligent, I’d have a bit more interest.  I have to admit, I do enjoy looking back over what few posts I have and seeing some of what I’ve done.  I don’t keep a journal so I guess this is a ‘sort of’ way of journaling.  And really, I did start this blog for me….. Okay, guess I won’t be leaving

Instagram?  Twitter?  Facebook? and how many other “social media” places are out there?  I do have a Facebook account.  I do a whole lot more reading than posting.  And I have to tell you I can’t believe how many people ‘share’ from Pinterest and other sights.  And it’s supposed to be because they are bookmarking it??? Have they not thought about sending themselves a link and keeping a folder in their email accounts???? And what about actually saying something???? I don’t want to see all those little signs and pictures people post because they’re too lazy to think up words to say.  Okay, I guess that turned into a rant and I didn’t really mean it to…..  Okay so Instagram – I guess that’s where people post a LOT of pictures.  Now I don’t have a “smart” phone with a fancy camera so I guess I’m not going to ever be on Instagram but seriously, I don’t think I want to take a picture of every thing in my life.    Twitter – quick short notes (I think)…. Oh, never mind…. I guess I just don’t get it…….

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I love these designs.  They are from Quite a Stitch and are very stitch heavy.  Each one of these took almost 3 hours to stitch out.  But I think they were well worth it.  I have one more I want to do and have the frame to match and they will hang in my bathroom as a set.

 

 

 

 

for Steven's Tucker 2This still needs to be quilted.  My great niece is expecting her first baby the end of the month and it’s a boy.  I usually make baby quilts that are a bit brighter but these fabrics are the ones that ‘talked’ to me – so this is her quilt…

Usually this time of year I head to Disneyland with my son and family but I’ve passed this year.  Last year I came home with quite a bit of knee pain and my ortho told me I was looking at a total knee replacement.  Well, until I’m in constant pain and can no longer walk a mile, it’s not happening.  But I didn’t think I could do 5 days of Disney so instead I will be animal sitting at my son’s.  I had told him over a year ago I would make him a cover for his grill and so this is an opportunity to get that done.  My DIL had bought fabric to make covers for the rocker for the nursery for when Tiffani was born but the fabric ended up being too dark and Tiffani is now 5 years old and into everything Frozen!  My DIL put the rocker/glider outside on the back porch, so I’m going to make the new covers for the cushions and surprise her.  I was trying to think of all the different projects to kit up and take with me and then it dawned on me that I’m not leaving the state and it’s only a 25 minute drive from their house to mine….. No sense in hauling a bunch of stuff down there when I can just come get it…..

Until next time when I feel I have something to say or something I feel is worth sharing…. Hope your part of the world is warming up and starting to see the signs of spring..

Katie