Tea and Quilts

Pillowcases

2012-01-28T10:27:00.000-06:00

15 Pillowcases

15 Pillowcases all ready to go.

I made these pillowcases plus a few more not shown here for the One Million Pillowcase Challenge. This is a charity event for the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild.

I hope that these pillowcases warms the heart and gives a smile to each recipient.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Mexican Stars

2012-01-20T14:00:00.003-06:00

Mexican Stars...

now hanging in the newly painted master bedroom.

The new paint is a bit more creamy yellow than what shows here.

It is cloudy day here.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

P.S. There is a class for this pattern at a local quilt shop scheduled for January 29, 12 to 4.
The techniques used for this quilt are interesting, not as hard as one would think, and great fun.
Have a great day!

Lately

2012-01-12T11:33:00.000-06:00

As of late I have

rearranged and reorganized the sewing room.

Finished a few mug rugs and coasters.

Two more mug rugs and a coaster did not make it into the picture.

Received a lovely towel perfect for the kitchen.

Note the creamy sweet, calorie free cupcake.

Started a rucksack perfect for winter.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

2012

2012-01-01T17:08:00.000-06:00

Here's to a

Super Great

Healthy

Safe

Bright

Cheery

Colorful

Fabric Filled

Sewing Filled

Stitching Filled

Super Happy

New Year!!

Wishing the Best to On and All!!

Holidays

2011-12-24T11:09:00.000-06:00

Happy Merry Christmas!

Happy Holiday Season!

Wishing everyone the best of the season!

I found a link that will take you to a sleighful of "Quilty Christmasy Things".

Click here!

Have a super great Happy Merry Quilty Christmas and Holiday Season!

Some Sewing and Other Stuff

2011-12-02T14:03:00.000-06:00

Lots of things happening, lots of things going on.

Other stuff is more new paint in my main living area of the house.
This includes the living room, the dining areas, and the kitchen area.

The whole place is lighter, brighter, and cheerier.

Some Sewing Stuff is:

This Crayon/Colored Pencil Caddy.

The front.

The inside.

The back.

I made a slight change in the pattern and made these for myself and friends.

I left off the handle since these are for grown up girls.

I made a pocket for a pen or two.

Hope my friends like these.

You can find a tutorial for making these caddies at Splendorfalls.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

2011-11-24T09:05:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving

Eat, Love, Be Thankful

If Thanksgiving is not a holiday for you -

Happy November 24th!

Enjoy!

Have a super great day!

An Adventure

2011-11-13T20:58:00.000-06:00

This post could have any number of titles such as:

An Adventure

A Journey

A Trip

A Vacation

A Visit

A Shop Hop

Whatever the title should be makes no difference - I have been a bit busy traveling.

On my journey pictures did not come easily, unfortunately.

Therefore, this is a post with lots of links.

I hope this is not too cumbersome for your reading pleasure.

First I went to Houston, Texas.

Checked out the International Quilt Festival held at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

The quilts were stunning, absolutely gorgeous, fantastic, and most interesting.

There were more vendors than one can think about.

They were selling machines, fabric, patterns, embellishments, books, and everything else one can think of. There were many, many, many shoppers taking it all in.

I did visit this Houston quilt shop.

Then on to Phoenix, Arizona and Tucson Arizona.

These pictures show the scenery between Phoenix and Tucson.

My Arizona shop hop included this shop, also this shop, and this shop.

We also saw some friends and we had dinner here and had one fantastic, delicious steak here.

All worked out well, went smoothly, and was most enjoyable.

Hope that you find it all interesting.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

"Go Crazy, Folks!"

2011-10-29T10:29:00.000-05:00

...as Jack Buck would say. He also would say "That's a Winner!"

Four out of seven games made the St. Louis Cardinals

WINNERS

of the 2011 World Series.

Congratulations St. Louis!

Congratulations St. Louis Cardinals!

Well Done!

Have a super great sewing, stitching, and celebration day!

(World Series History)

Had To Let You Know...

2011-10-25T10:23:00.000-05:00

...to go here. Go here, that is, if you would like to try and win a Go! Baby.

I have been trying to win one of these for some time now with no luck.

No surprise there. These giveaways are quite popular.

To have a fourth entry here I had to post about this great giveaway.

So here I am creating a simple blog post about the giveaway.

This is also a really nice and great and wonderful blog with lots of great sewing and stitching stuff.

Its creator is very nice, a great lady, and a wonderful person as well.

So go here for a giveaway to win this.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Enough Said

2011-10-19T15:49:00.000-05:00

New wall color for the laundry room.

That is where I have been for awhile.

Enough said.

I think I will find a painter to finish my main living area to "rest my tendinitis stricken arm".

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Happy Fall!

Happy Spring down under!

Shangri La

2011-10-11T21:04:00.000-05:00

I am showing a bag that I made using a charm pack from the Shangri La line of fabrics from Moda.

I made this bag several years ago at a sewing day with my friends Nancy and Anne.

This was a pattern from one of Anne's Australian quilting magazines.

It is a nice roomy bag. I put an antique button to hold the loop.

And then what to my wondering eyes should appear but a giveaway win of....

this big and beautiful stack of the Shangri La line of fabric from Moda from Kelly at Charming Chatter.

I was a lucky winner in this giveaway.

Decision time is upon me. I want to use this fabric soon, as in very soon.

Kelly has a quilt along in progress on her blog.

So what I am going to do is use the Shangri La fabric with her current quilt along.

Time to start planning and cutting.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

'Grand Reveal'

2011-10-08T17:09:00.000-05:00

Today was the 'Grand Reveal' Day.
'Grand Reveal' Day?? What are you talking about?? you may ask.
(So sorry if this is improper sentence structure.)

The St Louis Modern Quilt Guild met this morning.
Our 'Grand Reveal' was the Habitat Challenge quilts.

And as usual the camera was at home. I had a camera battery in my purse (how or why I don't recall).
So all I have to show is my Habitat Challenge quilt.

My Habitat Challenge quilt.

Those participating were given 6 Fat Eighths of the Habitat line of fabric designed by Jay McCarroll for Free Spirit Fabrics.
You could add any 100% solid fabric plus any additional Habitat fabric.

I chose three solid colors that were found in the Habitat prints.

I put those together as shown in the picture and made my quilt sandwich I then fused various sizes of the Habitat prints onto the quilt top stitching through all three layers with a zigzag stitch (stitch width and length both at 2.5). This did work quite well and easily. Starting at a center point on one side of the quilt I did some straight line quilting going all the way around the around the quilt but not quilting within the various sized shapes of Habitat prints. I was trying to emphasize the fabric. The binding is made from scraps of the Habitat prints that I had left.

The inspiration for my quilt was found in McCall's Quilting, the September/October 2011 issue.
The name of the quilt is Rag Tag Cuddler and is found on page 24.

Just a note:
The fabric shows up better in person than in a picture.

I hope you can get the idea from this picture.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Another note:
On the headache front:
I have been diagnosed with a nerve dysfunction or a neuropathy of some sort.
I received an injection of a half dose of a medication to help decrease the inflammation.
I now feel a whole lot better, like a new person.
All must continue to get better.
Thank you all for your kind words and good wishes.

A Big Thank You

2011-10-06T19:01:00.002-05:00

To my blogland friends:

Thank you for you wonderful comments. All are greatly appreciated.
Tis true and I agree,

I need to destress, not worry so much, put friends and family first, exercise for the sake of my bones, and find more time for the things I really like to do such as sewing.

Time to research this. Time to concentrate on this.

As to the headaches, I continue to get these checked out and do more research.

I am working on it and appreciate your good wishes and kind words.
Kind words go a long way and help so much.

Thank you, Thank you!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Time, Headaches, Reality, and a Lack of Pictures

2011-10-05T11:52:00.000-05:00

I have not really been neglecting you, my blogland friends.

I have been watching and looking at blogs. I have been sewing and have met challenge deadlines.

I have had issues, issues that have grown and grown.

Time -- there is just never enough of it. You would think that being older and with just hubby and me time would not be such an issue.

Time is a big issue. Time goes way too fast, just way too fast.

I don't know if it is an age thing or what.

I just can't seem to get to all the things that I want to do.

Headaches-it seems that I always have a headache.

I have been to doctors.

All I get are medications that have disastrous side effects.

I am at a total loss as to what to do about these headaches.

Has any one had experience with chiropractors?

Reality -- the reality is that I can't get it all done the way I would like to.

Hopefully, the work on the house will wind down. I don't think so, though.

The outside work is almost done.

Hubby and I have main level walls to paint, lots of walls.

Part of it we will have to get some help with as this wall goes from the lower level to the top of the cathedral ceiling in the upper level.

I am just getting too old for all this house stuff.

Enough of the confessions of a young lady who feels her age.

I have more things to share with you but I also wanted to let you know that I have been on one of those odd turns that life takes from time to time.

I am on a journey to find some help towards taking some of the load off and thus creating more time.

Thank you, my blogland friends, for listening to this lamenting about life.

All of you that I have met over the waves of the Internet are wonderful people and I appreciate each one of you.

Tomorrow or the next day I will have something more fun.

In the meantime --

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Just Some FYI

2011-09-19T09:11:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to point you in the direction of some

Mug Rug Madness.

Thought this had some great and fun ideas especially with the holidays coming up.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Legos and a Cancellation

2011-09-15T15:46:00.000-05:00

Have done a bit of traveling lately,

I visited this museum, the National Building Museum.

Know anyone who has spent hours at play with Legos??
Great entertainment and play for the little ones, boys and girls alike.

I saw this exhibit about Legos.

I know, this is not sewing but I did find these few facts and structures of interest.

Just a few facts about Legos.

These Lego structures are amazing.

The Frank Lloyd Wright house, Falling Water.

One of the Twin Towers.

The St. Louis Arch.

The unfortunate part of my recent travels was that the outdoor quilt show was cancelled.

I have no idea why but it was cancelled.

Bummer!

We had a good time anyway.

I know, I do need to get back to sewing. I have missed it.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

A Festival

2011-09-04T21:23:00.002-05:00

It has been a while since I posted.

Life issues had to be tended to. Nothing major but they did take time.

Today I had the opportunity to go to the Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

This is an annual festival held at the garden to celebrate the Japanese culture.

I attended the Kimono Fashion Show.

Here are some of the models in their kimono.

I saw some gorgeous Ikebana.

These floral arrangements were stunning.

I saw amazing Bonsai.

Some of these plants had been trained for eight or ten years to create their amazing shapes.

This was the grand prize winner.

I walked through the garden and its many visitors to the Japanese Garden.

I saw these colorful parasols.

These carp flags were blowing in the wind.

It was a great day. And is was cool for a change.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Road Trip To...

2011-08-24T20:31:00.000-05:00

...Paducah, Kentucky!

After the painting we took a super quick road trip to Paducah. I took a quick tour of The National Quilt Museum. This was something that I wanted to do at a time apart from the AQS Quilt Show.

I saw this exhibit of quilts by Velda Newman. No pictures were allowed. The quilts were spectacular.

I did find this wonderful Moda Bake Shop book.

I found this useful device at Quilt In A Day. It is a non-skid pedal holder called Pedal-Stay.

It is a piece of pliable plastic like you would put under an office chair that is on carpet. The black center area is a fuzzy Velcro type material.

This is the underside of my foot pedal to my machine.

My Pedal-Stay device came with these two squares of the other half of Velcro material that I stuck to the underside of my foot pedal.

I then placed my foot pedal on the black fuzzy material and placed it under my machine.

I tried it out and it works very well. No more chasing my foot pedal.

I also went to a Civil War Museum and to this rest stop.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

New Colors

2011-08-16T20:57:00.000-05:00

New colors for the home office, white on top, Cardinals red on the bottom.

New colors for the lower level family room, an off white/beige on the walls with Cardinals red to accent the fireplace wall.

It has brightened up the whole house.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

A Link and Hexagon

2011-08-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

Last post I showed this pillow that I made in a paper piecing class taught by Marsha.

She will be teaching the class at the Quilted Fox August 24 and September 23.

Go here for all the necessary information.

Marsha is a great teacher, gives easy to follow instructions, and walks you through each step so that you learn the process easily.

This is a table topper that I made from a piece of Australian fabric.

I used six 60 degree triangles to make the hexagon shape. I cut the shapes, then sewed the upper three together, then sewed the lower three together, and then sewed the two sections together. I layered the front and the back, right sides together, then added some batting, and then stitched around the hexagon shape leaving an opening for turning. I trimmed the excess batting and backing fabric, turned the table topper right side out, and did a top stitching on the outside edge and a serpentine stitch on the seam lines. Very simple and easy to do.

I hope to talk more about this a bit later.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Paper Piecing

2011-08-05T20:58:00.000-05:00

I was able to take a paper piecing class from Marsha Bray. Marsha taught us a method of paper piecing that she learned from Judy Mathieson. This method eliminates the need to tear out papers while creating perfect piecing.

This is the flower that we made. We made two while in class. Then our homework was to make two more. I put my four flowers into this pillow.

I love the bright pink, yellow, and green.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Your Help Please

2011-07-21T20:46:00.001-05:00

Not so long ago I won these three half yard cuts of fabric from a giveaway at Hawthorne Threads. This business has some fun and cheery fabrics.

This fabric is "dots & daisies" from Alexander Henry.

This is "park & ride", also by Alexander Henry. I really like this fabric.

This fabric is "park & moo", also by Alexander Henry. I really like this fabric. I call it my "chocolate cow" fabric.

Now the question is what do I make with this fun fabric???

What would you create with this fabric???

I look forward to your suggestions.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Something Summery

2011-07-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

I took a Machine Applique class from Cindy at Hyacinth Designs. I took the class to refresh my machine applique skills but came out of the class with new and better machine applique skills.

Fellow students and I made this lovely tulip pillow.

I made mine so it was bright and summery.

It is a refreshing break from the super hot heat of this crazy Midwest summer.

My tulip up close.

The background and border fabric is Girlie Girl by Cheri Strole for Moda. I used #10785-13 and #10782-13.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

I Just Noticed

2011-07-11T19:55:00.000-05:00

I just noticed that my Follower list has grown. I am honored.

Many, many Thanks to all.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Something That I Did Not See Until Today

2011-07-10T11:16:00.000-05:00

To my Blog Friends:

I found something inappropriate and totally not who I am on my list of blog friends.

I have deleted it, terminated it, eradicated it, made it gone forever!

Please allow me to apologize for that bit of inappropriate stuff.

I am sorry, I did not find it until today as I have been way to busy.

How it got there I do not know but it is now gone.

Thank You for Accepting this Apology.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Happy Birthday, USA

2011-07-04T10:52:00.000-05:00

Happy Fourth of July to All!!

Enjoy the Day!!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!!

A While Back...

2011-06-28T21:46:00.000-05:00

...I was lucky enough to win this...

lovely line of fabric from Moda.

I have not been able to get to this project as much as I have wanted to.

All in good time.

I have been...

painting a bathroom and a hallway and a small wet bar area in my lower level.
Yes, that is an official St. Louis Cardinals shower curtain on the shower.

The Solids Only Challenge Quilt was hung in the upper level living space.
It adds a bright spot to the room.

I made two sets of these blocks for the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild charities.

I have done a bit of sewing, a bit of painting, plus a bit of this and that.
Time flies so fast.

Enjoy!
Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

I Almost Fainted..

2011-06-14T09:36:00.000-05:00

...and then I started to cry.

Yesterday the UPS guy place a box on my porch.

Hubby brought it inside. It was from United Notions.

I had not ordered anything from anywhere. I had no reason to be receiving a package.

I opened the box to find a gorgeous bundle of fabric.

I am blessed to be a winner of a Moda Bake Shop kit from the Paducah Quilt Show. I had put my name in the box for a drawing in their booth at the quilt show.

I almost fainted. I started to tear up. The fabric and jelly roll is just gorgeous, so bright, cheery, and summery. I just love it. What can I say!?!? Thank you Moda Bake Shop, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! :-) I love it!!! :-)

The fabric is the Hideaway line designed by Lauren and Jessi Jung. The Moda Bake Shop pattern for the fabric is Cabin in the Hills by Julie Sebire from

Thank you Moda Bake Shop! You made yesterday very special!

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Interesting Reading

2011-06-13T15:23:00.000-05:00

I found some interesting articles in American Quilter magazine. Thought I would let you know about them.

May 2011 issue

Part 1

July 2011 issue

Part 2
First is a three part series regarding history of the Quilting Movement in Japan.
A most interesting article.
The first part is in the May 2011 issue, the second part is in the July 2011 issue, and the third part will be in the September 2011 issue.

Then the July 2011 issue also has an interesting article regarding the Modern Quilt Movement that is bringing a wave of new and exciting quilters and fabrics to the quilting world.

Modern Quilting article July 2011 issue
Another most interesting article.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

My Solid Challenge Quilt

2011-06-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

Since January many of the members of the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild have been sewing and stitching preparing their Solids Only Challenge Quilts.

Today all was revealed. All of the quilts were very modern and all very different. It was amazing to see all the creative use of the solid fabrics.

Here is my is my Solids Challenge Quilt. I put the brightest colors on the front of the quilt.
I started out with one thing and ended with these 'Dancing Colors'.

This "filmstrip" is part of the back of the quilt.

I used all 41 charms in a Kona Cotton Charm Pack. Five colors on the back and 36 colors on the front. I then did simple serpentine stitching on the seam lines for the quilting.

Go here for more pictures of more of the quilts.
This lady took some amazing pictures.
The show and tell went way to fast for me to get pictures that were not blurry.

Enjoy!
Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Down Time Accomplishment

2011-06-07T11:50:00.000-05:00

During some down time while doing all of the landscaping work I was able to finish these word blocks. These were free during 2010 at Snickerdoodle Dreams. I cannot tell you if this pattern is still available on the site. They are all stitched, not my best stitching but they are stitched.

Then over the birthday weekend I was able to begin piecing these blocks with other blocks.

The other blocks are a variety of florals from my stash. The original finishing instructions did not include a sashing or cornerstones and was supposed to be in a random arrangement. Unfortunately for me and for others and for aesthetics, this is about as random as I could do. For some reason these had to be arranged in an orderly fashion. As a result, one minute I like it and the next minute I don't. This quilt seems to have a lot of emotion in it. It must be all those words of inspiration.

There is more to do on the quilt top. It is way too warm (actually downright hot) to work outdoors so we are working indoors.

Enjoy!
Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Flowers and a Birthday

2011-06-03T10:52:00.000-05:00

These are my birthday flowers. Hubby surprised me with them last evening. The bouquet includes two yellow daisies, two white daisies, two orange carnations, two white roses, and two other flowers that look like they are from the lily family. This bouquet is perfect for any Gemini birthday. Everything is in twos.

Today is my birthday. Unlike Jamie at Sunflower Seeds I will not say which birthdays this is. It is just my birthday.

The day is bright and sunny so it will be a good day.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Pictures

2011-06-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

Nancy and Sue have asked for pictures of all the landscape work that has been happening at my house. Sooo....

....I have a few.

At the front entrance we removed six (I think) over grown evergreen shrubs that were choking the Japanese Maple tree. We leveled the dirt so water would drain away from the house and put down a weed preventing ground cover fabric. Then we put what seemed like a "gazillion" bags of red lava rock on top of the ground cover fabric. The light colored round "thingies" (I think they are round patio blocks) that I found in the back of the house I brought up and placed in the lava rock for some color contrast. Then I put two pots in place and planted a few annuals in the pots. The plants are two varieties of petunia. I was wanting to keep it simple.

We did something similar across the front of the house away from the front entrance.

(No picture of that as it is a bit nondescript.)

At the north side of the house, the garage side, we removed another 6 shrubs that were over grown as well as growing up under the siding and everywhere else they could go. We again laid down the weed preventing ground cover fabric.

Then I hauled by small bucket loads (that is all I could lift) of this rock up a little hill taking it from a poorly landscaped place at the back of the house to the space at the side of the garage.

I tried to artfully arrange the rock as much as one can artfully arrange rock.

This space at the garage door held an over grown evergreen tree that did not let the downspout drain properly so we removed it. This spot was the final destination for the rock that I was hauling up hill. Now the water from the downspout drains away from the house. These changes also opened up the area and made it look bigger.

So, Dear Blog, I can say that in this case change was a good thing.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Dear Blog

2011-06-01T15:25:00.000-05:00

Dear Blog,

Yes, you have been sorely neglected. It is not something I wanted to do but none the less it has happened.

You see, Dear Blog, I have been working hard. Yes, I have been working hard on landscaping.

I have been on a woman on a mission.

What has been my mission you ask.?

Well, I have been on a mission to recycle, reuse, and re-purpose the landscaping block, bricks, white rock, landscape edging, and 1.3 ton of concrete cinder blocks. All of these itmes were left with the house when we bought it. So rather than pitch these out we are on a mission to make use of these with a new landscaping plan.

It has been quite the job of digging, moving stuff from Point A to Point B, taking out over grown plants...well, you get the idea.

So, you see Dear Blog, it wasn't true neglect. I just had to put my attention to the landscaping. And there is more to do.

Friday, if all goes well, I plan to be here with a couple of the things I have been able to sneak in at a down moment.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Found at a Garage Sale

2011-05-21T19:57:00.006-05:00

Today a LQS (local quilt shop) had a garage sale. Now, from that sentence one might think that a LQS might be selling excess or out of date merchandise in a garage.

Not exactly.

Fellow quilters and I were able to rent a table at the LQS to sell sewing items from their/my personal stash. I took and sold a few things.

What did I find at the sale?

I found....

...this Botanica Collection Art Gallery Fabrics.

(Something different and exciting for me.)

Then I found...

...this Heather Mulder Peterson fabric.

I liked the way these colors went together.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

This Became...

2011-05-15T09:57:00.000-05:00

This table runner was taken apart and made into...

...this table runner by adding the green flange pieces around each block.
I spoke about it here.

This table runner is now complete...

..with some of the same green used in the flange and with some added teal fabric for the binding.

I had to introduce another color as I had used all of the green fabric.

So I call this table runner my 'Make Do, Use What You Have, Introduce Another Color, Mardi Gras Party Table Runner'.
It is now done pending a label.
I call this a Mardi Gras Party Table Runner as there are tiny figures of party hats, etc. in the pink fabric and as there are so many bright colors in the yellow and purple fabrics as well as in the black borders.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

A Day of Sewing

2011-05-10T20:49:00.000-05:00

Saturday last was a wonderful day of sewing with friends and fellow guild members.

The St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild scheduled a day of sewing. This wonderful day was organized by guild president Kristy. Kristy deserves a big, big round of applause and super big thank you for all of her work in getting the sew-in ready for all to enjoy.

So, Thank You, Kristy for your good work.

Go here to see Nancy's really good pictures and her review of the event.

Had I remembered my camera, I would have taken pictures as well.

I was slow in getting ready.

One project was a Jelly Roll Race. Go here to get the scoop on a Jelly Roll Race.

Nancy has pictures of the resulting quilt tops made by four ladies who participated.

Nancy came in first. I came in third.

This is my Jelly Roll Race quilt top. I used Kate Spain's Flurry Jelly Roll.

It reminded us of rolls of Christmas wrapping paper laid out and ready to wrap the gifts.

Another big Thank You to Kristy for the wonderful day!

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Sharing Information

2011-05-02T14:15:00.000-05:00

Some friends have shared some things that were new to me. So here I am to share this good stuff with others.

My friend Nancy sent me an email about this great site and a sweet, adorable little apron for when you have friends over for tea. Now I am not one for aprons. I don't think I have ever used one. This lovely little apron just might make me think about using an apron maybe just once.

My blog friend Caroll showed us some delightful animal fabric that would be great fun for the little ones who are special to you. Caroll also showed us this fun link for a tutorial for a Japanese-X block. Looked super fun and very modern.

In my email I found some great information from this great site that spoke about pressing your seams to one side or pressing the seams open. I have been pressing seams mostly to one side depending on the block and the quilt. How do you press your seams??

Anyway, just some information sharing.

Enjoy!!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Changes

2011-04-30T21:16:00.001-05:00

There has been a lot to think about lately, borders, sewing, Paducah, a wedding.

This is the new wallpaper border in the kitchen.

Brightens up the kitchen just above the counter top.

Then...

this table runner top went from this...

to...

this.
Note the tiny strip of green around each block.

I took the borders and sashing off and added a tiny green flange around the blocks. Then I put the borders and sashing back in place. This made the blocks stand out more and added some much needed pop. I have the back ready and hope to do some quilting soon.

I missed the big wedding as I was getting ready to visit the American Quilters Society Quilt Show in Paducah, Kentucky.
It was a great show as always with stunning, gorgeous, fantastic quilts.
Go here to see the winning quilts.
Enjoy!!
Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Made It Pop

2011-04-21T12:07:00.001-05:00

I made this pillow/cushion top using a tube quilting technique and adding borders.

I think I made it pop by adding the small flange of teal blue.

What do you think??

Enjoy!!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

A New Link and a Giveaway

2011-04-18T17:01:00.000-05:00

Check out this link for a new, bright, cheery line of fabric that will be available in July.

Check out this link for a giveaway for a fat quarter bundle of the fabric.

Check out this link for a new, very modern pattern.

I think you will like it.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Things Done In Between

2011-04-17T11:42:00.000-05:00

The weather has been good so that meant yard work. We have many overgrown shrubs that need to be removed. So that is where my days have gone. But in between those chores I did get a couple of table runner tops made.

I had some half yard cuts of some bright fabric that I had purchased in the last decade. So I used them to try a new technique called tube quilting. It was a method that was demonstrated at our March meeting of the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild and looked like great fun.

I first made this square. It was made from four smaller squares cut from a tube made from the pink, yellow, and purple. I then added sashing and borders to make...

this table runner and...

this pillow top.

I am thinking of adding a little flange of bright teal blue between the orange border and the purple in the square.

Today is nice again so I must go and help with the yard work.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.!

A Meeting and a Swap

2011-04-10T16:45:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the April meeting for the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild.
One event of the day was the Mug Rug Swap.
The members came up with some really unique and fun mug rugs.

This is the Mug Rug I made for the swap.

I used Anna Griffin's line of fabric called Fido and Fifi.

I could not make just one so I made two mug rugs for use with hot beverages.

I couldn't stop there. I also made coasters using the same fabric for use with cold beverages.
I also included a recipe for Chocolate Snowball Cookies.

Oooops! I forgot to take a picture. The coasters were very simple using a single nine patch block with a binding and backing to match the mug rug.

This is the mug rug I received in the swap made from a lovely green and embellished with hexagons.

It was really great to see the members making use of the techniques we learned at the March meeting.

Our program this month was a Who's Who of Modern Fabric Designer's.
Go here to learn more.
(You will have to scroll down aways to find the link.)

A Star

2011-04-05T21:21:00.000-05:00

Just One Star

can comfort a soldier.

This is my star that I made for the Just One Star Can Comfort a Soldier Challenge.

The St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild is collecting stars for this great challenge.

They will be sent to the Moda people to be made into quilts.

Go here to read more about it.

Today I finished the eight batik mug rugs that were in the works.

These were made from a tutorial created by Ryan Walsh.
Just wanted to show the final product. I had great fun making these mug rugs for friends and family. But now is the time to move onto something else. How about the back for my St.Louis Modern Quilt Guild Solids Challenge.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Mug Rugs and More Painting

2011-03-31T20:16:00.000-05:00

Mug Rugs and Painting do not go together at all but that is what I have been doing.

I painted all the baseboards in the main living area of my house. It took me five days to recover, I was so sore. I painted the doors to the coat closet and the interior side of my front door all of which will require a second coat.

But enough of the boring stuff and on to something more interesting.

In between all the painting and while my sore muscles were recovering, I was on a Mug Rug roll.

These mug rugs I made a couple of weeks ago for friends. I think one set of these might go the the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild as an attendance prize.

Then I got on a bigger roll and made more.

I made eight of this type of mug rug using a charm pack of batiks and some yardage of a lovely coordinating batik. I am ready to sew the bindings in place.
This pattern is from Ryan Walsh and can be found here under tutorials.

These mug rugs were fun to make. I also came to like working with the batiks. The colors were bright and cheery. It was easy to press and to quilt. Loved making them.
And I would like to make more.

Enjoy!

Have a super great stitching and sewing day!

A Quilt Show

2011-03-23T12:03:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was the Thimble and Threads Quilt Guild's Quilt Expo. The show was at the recreation building at Queeny Park, a county park in St. Louis.

There were many lovely quilts to view. Then there were vendors waiting to show you the latest fabrics, notions, and sewing machines.

This quilt was dated 1864, is made of wool, and was made for a union soldier.

This quilts was made with various shades of green, blue, and purple batiks.

The hexagons on this quilt were made from vintage feedsack fabric and appliqued in place on the white background.

An interesting scrap quilt.

A very bright and interesting quilt.

A quilt on the modern side.

A well done miniature quilt.

A well done machine applique quilt.

Another quilt made of batiks with a twist. Notice the direction of the "S" curves.

A colorful wave quilt.

A quilt with some interesting curves.

There were many quilts and vendors to see.

This was my purchase - a kit to make yet another table runner with this Lovely Charm Pack from Moda. Perfect for spring and summer.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Two Finishes and a Win

2011-03-21T20:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I finished this Sunflower Table Runner. The pattern called it a Dresser Scarf/Wall Hanging. I think it is a table runner. It was from a kit from the ladies at Crooked Nickel Quilt Designs. It was fun and easy to do.

Today I finished this Sunflower Siesta Pillowcase. This was a kit that I have had for a while and I decided that today was the day to make a pillowcase. I love it.

Then......today a wonderful little package came in the mail.

Back in February I enter this giveaway.

Today a package neatly wrapped in this tissue paper and snazzy red and white string arrived.

In the package was.....

this lovely butterfly necklace and three butterfly magnets in their own little tin. These are made from old Scrabble game pieces by the lady at Livy Lou Designs.

Livy Lou has a Facebook page.
Livy Lou Designs can be located at her Etsy shop.

I thought these were rather unique.

Enjoy!
Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Welcoming Gifts

2011-03-19T19:52:00.000-05:00

When I went to Australia a friend welcomed me with the above gifts.

She made a wonderful mug rug with two matching coasters from various Australian prints. Love the mug rug and coasters.

She made a wonderful pincushion from some batiks and a lovely fabric bucket to catch thread tails and the like. Love these useful sewing notions.

The magnet is shaped like Australia with a kangaroo.

The lovely hand towel features different cities in Australia and the Frangipani, a deciduous shrub or small tree that grows only in more tropical climates. The Frangipani produces a very pretty flower.
A big, big Thank you to such a lovely lady.

I know it is a bit late but I thought it was about time I shared these lovely gifts from a lovely lady as I am making use of these gifts and the magnet is on my refrigerator.

Here I am using the pincushion to hold pins while stitching the binding on mug rugs for a friend.

Here I am using the pincushion to hold pins from stitching the binding on mug rugs for another friend.

I don't know why but I was to make one mug rug for a swap with the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild and I ended with six and I want to make more.

They must be a bit on the addictive side.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

More Finds

2011-03-17T09:47:00.000-05:00

More Modern Quilting things found to day!

Crafty Girls Workshop has Fresh Modern Quilts group pool which is a grand burst of color.

Check it out!

Then Amy's Creative Side is showing two colorful quilts from her book.

Check it out!

Enjoy!

Have a super great St. Patrick's Day!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Now to work on mug rugs and other modern quilting stuff.

A Find

2011-03-16T11:32:00.000-05:00

I found an interesting modern quilting blog.

It is new to me and looks very interesting.

It is hosted by Alissa Haight Carlton and Kristen Lejnieks who have collaborated on a new book The Modern Quilting Bee: Block Party.

The book is due out in a few months they say.

You can check out their book and blog at:

http://www.blockpartyquilting.com/

In past posts they have given tutorials on making some very modern quilt blocks.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Seen At Retreat

2011-03-15T15:38:00.000-05:00

Nancy spoke about our retreat at this location.

We were there with some great ladies who were also awesome quilters.

Some of the quilters can be seen here.

This is Dee and her bright, cheery, and whimsical Cat Quilt.
Well done, Dee.

This is Linda's Tweedie Bird Quilt.
Well done, Linda.

This is Rhonda's first quilt made with Oriental Fabrics.

Well done, Rhonda.

This is Sheila's Double Wedding Ring.
Well done, Sheila.

Nancy B.'s (three ladies named Nancy in the group) Log Cabin made with Batiks went from this.......

...to this. Here Nancy B. is deciding how wide the next border should be.

Well done, Nancy B.

This is Veronica's Turning Twenty Quilt.

Veronica added triangles to opposite corners of the blocks.

Well done, Veronica.

(Note to self: Do a Turning Twenty Quilt.)

One of Susan's Star Blocks.

Well done, Susan.

And stupid me, I forgot to take a picture of Nancy's wonderful and very modern pillow cover.
Click here to see Nancy's very modern pillow cover and her inspiration for the pillow cover.
You may have to scroll down a bit.
(Another note to self: Take photos of your friends' sewing achievements.)
Don't you just hate it when you forget to take pictures of something quilty??

Enjoy!
Have a super great sewing and quilting day!

Quilt Retreat Time

2011-03-13T14:49:00.001-05:00

I had the good fortune to be invited to a quilt retreat.

It was wonderful.

I completed the tops to two table runners, one table topper, one small quilt, and finished a really small quilt.

This is the Little Triangle Scrap Quilt. It was made from a kit from Little Quilts, a quilt shop located in Marietta, Georgia.

I completed the top for this table topper and then finished it at home.

This table topper is from Terry Atkinson's book Let's Do Lunch.

The pattern is Taco Salad.

This is my Waffle Time table runner, another Terry Atkinson pattern.

Terry's instructions are wonderful and easy to follow.

This is my Sunflower table runner.

This Simple Point table runner was a kit from Crooked Nickel Quilt Designs .

The pieces came already cut to size and were fused to piece of Pellon Quilters Grid On Point #821. You can see the fusible around the edges of the table runner.

This is a Mary Englebreit Vintage Bow Ties mini quilt.

The pattern is Vintage Bow Ties from the book Bits and Pieces by Karen Costello Soltys from That Patchwork Place.

I took the Tea Salad table topper to the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild meeting this past Saturday.

Everyone thought it was very modern.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Hoping This Is Modern

2011-03-05T13:08:00.000-06:00

This unsteady start to make a quilt with all solids has morphed into something else.

This is for a quilt challenge for the St.Louis Modern Quilt Guild.
Minnie Mouse wasn't much help here.

Don't ask me how but it has morphed into this quilt top.
I hope I did not break a rule from the quild challenge by showing this quilt.
Not sure of where to take it next.
I need to let it sit a few days and go from there.

I had a visitor for a couple of days and my visitor brought me this wonderful hyacinth.
It reminded me of this designer.

I think the blooms are going to be yellow, one of my favorite colors.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

A Giveaway

2011-03-01T13:52:00.000-06:00

There is a great giveaway at Pleasant Home for an Accuquilt Go! Baby with three dies.

Hope you can hop over and check it out. This is a super great blog. Lots of interesting information.

Today's feature along with the giveaway is a wonderful Wonky Stars baby quilt.

It is very modern.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-02-27T15:31:00.000-06:00

Yes, I have been busy....

with a paint brush.

Some baseboards are now white. Some walls are a different color.

This wall is now....

this color.

Enough said about painting.

I have been trying to come up with something unique for a quilt made with only solid colors. This is a challenge for the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild.

What started out to be this is morphing into something else that has more life in it and no white and black stripe.

This is due in June so I better get busy.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Just a Quick Post

2011-02-21T09:47:00.000-06:00

I learned that I have not forgotten how to paint woodwork. Painting and cleaning up after painting has been my most recent task.

Before painting I did manage to finish these word blocks.

These were started with this post. These blocks I started with Kelly's Sewing Party on January 29th. I have a fifth block that is two stitching lines from being completed.
These blocks were a free download from Snickerdoodle Dreams. I came across these sometime in 2010.

Take a minute to visit Kelly at Charming Chatter. It is a lovely blog.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Honoring Stan

2011-02-16T10:31:00.001-06:00

This post is off the quilting path but I had to write about it.

Last fall in this post I spoke about a particular baseball game at which the spectators made a "Stand for Stan". This was a community wide effort and a big vote from the area for Stan Musial to receive a 2010 Medal of Freedom.

Yesterday "Stan the Man", Stan Musial was given the Medal of Freedom in a special ceremony at the White House. Mr. Musial is very special to the St. Louis area and this event was a big, big deal to St. Louis Cardinal fans. You can see it here.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Pincushions

2011-02-14T10:56:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday turned out to be a great day for pincushions.

The St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild had one super fun meeting with a pincushion exchange.

There were some mighty nice pincushions available for exchanging in all sizes, colors, and shapes. Unfortunately, I was without my camera so I did not get a picture of all the pincushions.

Here is the pincushion I made.

This was a free pattern from Heather Bailey. The pattern has great instructions and was easy to put together. I used some bright colored prints that were in my scrap stash.

This is the pincushion that I chose.

This is a lovely little wrist pincushion made of a mermaid fabric. It was made by a lovely young lady, Jessica. Jessica added some pins and a sweet little octopus pin made of an air dry clay. The octopus added to the charm of the pincushion and its mermaid fabric.

This is a closer view of the Octopus. I think I will name him Olly.

I don't know who designed this pattern I am sorry to say.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

The sun is shining and the snow is melting.

Spring is coming.

More Wildlife

2011-02-13T10:12:00.000-06:00

More from Featherdale Wildlife Park, Doonside, NSW, Australia.

This kangaroo had a joey sticking his or her little head out of the pouch.

Feeding a wallaby.

A Saltwater Crocodile taking in the view.

Don't mess with these guys.

Enjoy!

More tomorrow about the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild.

Have a super great sewing day.

Featherdale Wildlife Park

2011-02-09T11:37:00.000-06:00

We visited the Featherdale Wildlife Park in Doonside, NSW, Australia.

We saw wildlife that was native to Australia.

We were able to feed the Kangaroos.

We took lots of pictures. Here are a few.

Enjoy!

Feeding a young Kangaroo. It may have been a Wallaby.

A Kookaburra bird.

The Cassowary.

A White Peacock.

The Koala.

Enjoy and Have a super great sewing day.

More in a day or two. Got to dash off now.

Challenges

2011-02-07T11:14:00.000-06:00

Last week was a week of Challenges.

Challenge One:

Shoveling the snow from two double driveways two different times over four days.

Enough said about snow.

Challenge Two:

Dealing with 10 loudly beeping/chirping smoke alarms while trying to shovel snow.

Batteries changed, no more beeping/chirping.

Done.

Challenge Three:

36 Kona charms in these colors.

Add a white and black strip to make a quilt using only solid colors.

This is a challenge for the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild. The quilts is to be finished for the June meeting.

With Miss Minnie's (see top left of the above photo) I will get it done.

Check Anne's blog for some great mini quilts.

Check Nancy's blog for her Little Miss Shabby BOM and the snow.

Have a super great sewing and quilting day.

Snow and QVB

2011-02-02T17:01:00.000-06:00

Today was a day for snow shoveling. The piles of snow are getting big.

It is piled high around my mailbox.

Now for something more interesting.

While visiting in Australia we visited the Queen Victoria Building, now known as the QVB.

It is very much like what is pictured in the above link.

The Queen Victoria Building was designed by George McRae and was completed in 1898. It replaced the original Sydney Markets and was named in honor of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. At the time of construction Sydney was in a severe recession. Many skilled craftsmen who were out of work were employed to construct a grand building of Romanesque style architecture. It originally housed a concert hall, coffee shops, showrooms, warehouses and a wide variety of tradespeople. In later years the concert hall became the city library.

During the 1930s Art Deco 'remodeling' occurred to accommodate the Sydney City Council. After near demolition, a huge restoration project took place. The Queen Victoria Building reopened her doors in 1986. In 2009 a major refurbishment restored her further. Today the QVB stands as a testimony to the original vision for the building and to the craftsmanship of the artisans who built and restored the building.

The Queen Victoria Building with over 180 different shops is more than a place to shop, it is an experience and a step back in time. There are two levels of shopping below ground, Lower Ground 1 and Lower Ground 2, a Ground Level, Level 1, and Level 2.

Beginning at the Ground Level in the center of the building there was a very tall Christmas Tree, a very, very tall Christmas Tree.
I could stand under the tree.

The top of the tree pointed upward to a stained glass dome.

The stained glass dome.

The middle of the tree.

The bottom of the tree.
We could stand under the tree. The stem of the tree was well lit.

The crystal icicles that were on the tree.

The ornaments that were on the tree.

An example of the stained glass windows that are in the building.

I could talk about this building for a long time. But I will stop for now. Visit the Queen Victoria Building here.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day, Stay safe and warm, Sew Lots.

Word Up Sewing

2011-01-29T17:14:00.000-06:00

This is my Word Up project.

It is a project that involves words the same as Kelly's Word Up Sewing Party.

I got this project pattern from Snickerdoodle Dreams from Australia.

The fabric I won in a giveaway from an Australian quilter.

So I am making an Australian/American word quilt.

Happiness is one of the words in the project. It is not my word in the Word Up Sewing party but it is on Kelly's list of words.

My word is 'Peace'. Peace comes in block 7.

I have a ways to go.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

A Party, A Bridge, A Pincushion, A Tree

2011-01-29T11:20:00.023-06:00

Sydney has two big icons that are most prominent. One is the Sydney Opera House which I posted about here. The other is the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

This is an amazing structure. It was built from both ends much like the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Construction began on both sides of the harbour in 1923 and was joined in 1930. The bridge weighs 53,000 tons and takes 10 years to repaint using 6.600 gallons of paint.

One of the stone pylons at the south end of the museum houses the Harbour Bridge Pylon Lookout and Museum. This museum tells all about the construction of the bridge and has most excellent views of the harbour and the Opera House.

One of the most exciting things that one can do to explore the bridge and the harbour is to do a Bridge Walk. Now this was not on my travel agenda. To do this it is a bit on the pricey side and you have to not be fearful of great heights. It does sound like an experience of a lifetime. You can go here to have "a feet safely on the ground" idea of what the climb is all about.

Now for some sewing stuff.

I did, after three tries, make this pincushion for a pincushion exchange at the next meeting of the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild. This Square Deal Pincushion was a pattern from Heather Bailey. This pattern was much easier that the first two patterns that I tried. I hope it is modern.

This is the Christmas tree that I made in January for a December challenge. I got snowed under with the house stuff and missed the whole challenge so I made mine in January. This is from a Japanese magazine that a friend shared with me.

Don't forget to check out Charming Chatter blog and the "Word Up Sewing Party" that takes place today. It should be great fun. Kelly posted a lot of words that are great food for thought. Today is the day to share those words with our online friends.

Have a super great day, stay safe, and enjoy!

How I Spent Christmas Day

2011-01-26T14:42:00.000-06:00

In this post I told you about Christmass Dinner.

After that lovely meal and the poppers/crackers we strolled to Circular Quay (pronounced Key) the gateway to Sydney Harbour. Circular Quay was originally known as Sydney Cove and is the sight of the European settlement of Australia beginning 26 January 1788.

We strolled around the Sydney Opera House. The Opera House is actually a building within a building. The exterior was designed by Danish architect Joern Utzon. During construction there were engineering and budget issues. Mr. Utzon resigned. A Sydney architectural firm was called in to redesign the interior. The Opera House was officially opened in 1973. The first theater production was Prokofiev's War and Peace. The first event in the concert hall was Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

These steps lead up to one entrance of the Opera House.

This end of the Opera House faces Sydney Harbour. Special events are held in the enclosed tent area.

The glassed area in this picture is the Opera House equivalent to the "Green Room" that we hear about on U.S. television where celebrities await their appearance on stage.

One view from the Opera House shows a crane used a naval ship yard.

Another view across Sydney Harbour to North Sydney from the harbour end of the Opera House. There were many families enjoying the day in their sailboats.

Looking back at the City of Sydney from the Opera House.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge from the Opera House side of Sydney Harbour.

The exterior of the Opera House is covered with a million of these anti-fungal tiles weighing 158,000 tons.

This was our view when we stopped for a beverage.

Encircling Circular Quay is a Writers Walk that honors famous Australian authors. These plaques describe their careers and work. This one is Arthur Conan Doyle.

Also, along the path at Circular Quay were markers that detailed the original shore line of Sydney Harbour. I did not get a picture of this, just made a note of it.

This marker honored those going off to war in 1885.

From the Quay you could take an elevator to the street level. This is the view of Sydney Harbour from the street.

This Aboriginal gentleman was demonstrating his skills with the didgeridoo. There are many such "buskers" along the path of Circular Quay.

We walked along this path on the Sydney Harbour Bridge side of Sydney Harbour. The building to the left is where cruise ships dock so their passengers can visit the city. There is a fancy restaurant on the lower level which was closed for the day. In the big picture windows...

...I caught a reflection of the Sydney Opera House.

This made for one very exciting and thrilling day. We loved every minute of it.

Enjoy!
Have a super great day, sew lots, and stay safe.

A Good Assistant

2011-01-24T09:48:00.000-06:00

I have known for quite sometime now that I am a good assistant. This is the case for about any household project that is to be done.

I have been assistant snow shoveler.

I have been assistant wallpaper remover and painter.

I have been assistant plumber.

I have been assistant carpenter.

Most recently I have been assistant electrician.

We replaced a large, overbearing, scroll filled chandelier in the dining room with one that has more simple lines.

It is just like this one.

This is the chandelier in the breakfast area.

Yes, I put a duplicate chandelier in my dining room. I don't know what an interior decorator would think of it. It may not be the wisest of decorating decisions but it is one that works for me and makes the dining room look more open and lighter.

My new dining room chandelier. It works for me.

Then I assisted in adding light kits to two ceiling fans that did not have a light attached. These were very simple light fixtures. I now can turn on an overhead light when entering the dark bedroom. (The bedroom had no overhead light nor did it have an electrical outlet that was connected to a wall switch.)

We also covered the cornice in the family room and got it installed. The installation was tedious but we "got her done".

It is a solid color of a soft teal and looks great on the pale milk chocolate walls.

Last week was one busy week. Hopefully this week won't be so busy so that I can show more Sydney stuff.

Have a super great day, sew lots, and stay safe.

Riddles and Answers

2011-01-18T14:21:00.000-06:00

Riddle # 1: Why was Cinderella no good at football?

Because her coach was a pumpkin.

Riddle # 2: Why was 6 afraid of 7?

Because 7 8 9.

Riddle # 3: How do you keep cool at a football match?

You stand next to a fan.

Shannon had # 2 correct. I think Shannon likes brain teasers like this. Sue and Anne had heard these in the past but could not remember the answers. I won't remember the answers two days from now. So all is okay with that.

Now that you have seen the answers feel free to groan and say how silly.

Silly: yes! Goofy: yes! Fun: yes!

Shake you head when you don't know the answer and then the find out the answer: yes!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

Hope I made you smile today.

Poppers/Crackers

2011-01-17T16:27:00.000-06:00

In my last post I spoke about "poppers" or "cracker" that were at our table when we went to Christmas Dinner.

These were the place cards that were nestled in our fancily folded napkins at the restaurant.

Each popper contained a folded paper hat, which remained folded, a prize, mine was a little travel sewing kit, and a riddle printed on white paper with Christmas designs.

Riddle #1: Why was Cinderella no good at football?

Riddle # 2: Why was 6 afraid of 7?

Riddle # 3: How do you keep cool at a football match?

(This question refers to Aussie style football played in warm weather.)

Who can answer these riddles?

Christmas Dinner -- Aussie Style

2011-01-15T17:16:00.000-06:00

Christmas Day was bright and sunny and warm. No coats, sweaters, or jackets came out of the suitcase. The sky was clear, the temperatures were warm.

We took the train to the City Centre Station and walked to...

this hotel, the Citigate Central. It was very, very nice. This hotel also has a very, very nice restaurant, the Field House Restaurant and Bar.

We were impressed, absolutely stunned, taken by surprise, overwhelmed, and utterly delighted. Our reservation was for noon. We arrived on time, even a tad early. We were seated by a lovely young lady.

Check out the dining here.

Our table was set very formally with the knife and spoon on the right side, two forks on the left side, a fancily folded napkin in the middle, and a traditional "popper" or "cracker" at each place. Each table had a centerpiece, actually it was quite simple, a 20 or 24 inch long by six or eight wide strip of a very fine weight gold tulle that was scrunched up a bit and placed diagonally across the table. In one of the folds they had placed a large glass Christmas ornament. All the tables were the same except for having a different ornament on each table.

The meal was a buffet style so we could get our meal not long after we were seated. There was a lot of great food to choose from. This was like no other Christmas dinner I have ever eaten. There were four salads. The only one I can remember is CousCous which was ever so good. One of the other salads had sweet potatoes in it. I tried all four and loved them all.

Then came the main courses. There was turkey, dressing, ham, fish, octopus, and prawns. The vegetable was green beans with almonds along with potatoes (I think these were similar to our gold potatoes). There were rolls, both brown bread and white. There was a pretty little design pressed into the top of the butter.

The turkey was wonderful, so full of flavor. It looked like it had been shaped into a roll with dressing in the center and then cooked in the oven. Then they had another dressing that had been made separately. The ham was very good ham, made to perfection. I am not sure what type of fish was served. I do know that barramundi is a popular and very tasty fish in Australia. Now, the octopus was breaded and fried. I was not brave enough to try it. The prawns were boiled in their shells/skins so that you had to break the shells/skin to get to the meat. They are also very good, a lot like shrimp.

We returned to our table to eat. A young lady brought a finger tip bowl for one to use to clean their hands after peeling the prawns. I had never seen this before. Then a nice young man brought each person pink champagne that was ever so good. You could also get tea, coffee, water, or soda.

Then came dessert all made by very good, most excellent pastry chef. Chocolate extraordinaire came in the form of a small candy with three very small holly leaves and one tiny red holly berry. The filling was also chocolate. Very rich and very much chocolate heaven. Another dessert was a lovely light spice cake with a thin layer of raspberry filling through the middle. Very good. A very rich but tasty tiny fruit pie was another dessert. It was no bigger than a 50 cent piece with a little pie pastry star on top. It was also very rich.

This meal was so good that calories should have been no object.

This is the lobby of the hotel with the restaurant.

This lovely Christmas tree was in the lobby. The ornaments were purple and silver.

This was a super great meal and a super great place.

Enjoy and have a super great day. Stay safe.

I should have taken more pictures.

In Honor of Traveling

2011-01-14T16:43:00.000-06:00

Spring is on the way, according to the calendar. I hope everyone is safe and warm or safe and cool depending on your location.

So...in honor of the soon to be here new season and in the spirit of travel to warmer climates I have changed my background on my blog. My hope is that it will enhance the upcoming pictures.

Over the weekend I will post about a Christmas Dinner that I will never forget. We ate at this hotel in Sydney.

I have to take a moment and be a loyal St. Louis Cardinals fan and go with hubby to the Cardinals Winter Warm Up. This is an event put on by the St. Louis Cardinals to raise money for the charities sponsored by the St. Louis Cardinals. These charities work to make sports and team play available to children around the area. They also do much to encourage education, sportsmanship, drug and alcohol free environments, and abstinence of any tobacco products.

And speaking of charities, lets not forget about the flood victims around the world. Say a prayer, make a donation, whatever you can do will be most appreciated.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

One Wonderful Trip

2011-01-12T18:45:00.000-06:00

My destination was Sydney, Australia. Sydney is a very interesting place full of the history of Australia's foundation. For a long time now I have been interested in what life was like for those who lived "back in the day" of the founding fathers of the U.S., Australia, and other nations.

We departed St. Louis on this airline and flew to San Francisco. The flight was good. We were late landing in San Francisco for reasons I do not recall. We rushed to the international terminal. Fortunately, since we and a few other passengers were connecting to the flight to Sydney, they held the plane, we boarded, then departed with no problem.

(A travel tip here: If you should use this airline for an international flight, opt for more spacious seating. Just a word to the wise.)

We landed in Sydney mid morning to a hustling and bustling international terminal at the Sydney International Airport. We were met by our host, slowly found our way through traffic to find a shower.

We had lunch at this lovely little cafe restaurant in Parramatta Park.

Parramatta Park is in the City of Parramatta which is a precinct of Sydney. The weather was a tad cool but comfortable. We dressed in our summer clothes.

Here is the Parramatta Park Cafe. It is a popular place for bicyclists, walkers, and runners who make use of the lane around the park to get breakfast, lunch, a snack or a drink. I think you could even get a glass of wine if you so chose. The park includes a Rose Garden along with picnic and playground areas along with several historic sites important to the history of the founding of Sydney and the surrounding area. More about that later.

This shows the pond that was behind the cafe. The day I took this picture it was overcast and a bit on the rainy side. A gentleman was trying to do some fishing in the pond but the fish did not seem to be taking the bait.

Here is another view of the pond with the fisherman. Everything was very green and lush. Some flowers were blooming. There were a lot of ducks and birds about.

This was a very calming and refreshing area for a meal.

This is the main entrance to Parramatta Park. At one time you could drive through this entrance but now it is open only for those on a bicycle, walking, or running. Lots of moms and dads were taking their little ones for an outing in the pram (stroller).

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

A Winner!! Yeah!!

2011-01-09T21:10:00.000-06:00

And...

the winner is Sandy A.

Sandy guessed that I went to the land Down Under - Sydney, Australia.

And she was so right on target.

Congratulations, Sandy!!

Sandy first guessed San Diego, I may have flown over San Diego.

Then she guessed Honolulu, I may have flown over the Hawaiian Islands.

So then she guessed Sydney, Australia.

Send me your mailing location and I will send you the Prairie Grove Peddler pattern.

QuiltingSue also made some good guesses, Boston and then San Francisco, the location for my departing flight.

Since QuiltingSue is in a totally different time zone and missed a chance for a third guess I will also send her a pattern.

So send me your mailing location when you can.

Congratulations, ladies!!

Sydney's most famous landmark, the Sydney Opera House. This picture was taken from a ferry going from Circular Quay to Manly Beach.

It's Done -- The Break, That Is

2011-01-08T16:14:00.000-06:00

I hope that you had a Merry, Merry Christmas and a Happy, Happy New Year.

This past Holiday Season went absolutely way too fast. Maybe it is an age thing, I don't know.

Did you make any New Year's Resolutions??

I have made resolutions in the past and have never met a single one, not even a little bit. So this year instead of making New Year's Resolutions, I decided to set some New Year's Goals.

My Goals for 2011 are:

Posting about my break and other events

Completing 3 patriotic quilts for 3 special people

Becoming proficient in EQ6 and EQ7

Completing several UFOs

And what ever else catches my fancy

I think I will need to make a list and a schedule to get it all done. Does a list and a schedule help to get sewing done? Any hints or ideas on this topic??

And now for something completely different --

I would like to share this useful tip that was sent to the American Quilters Society e-newsletter.

"While I am working on a roll of fusible webbing for my applique tracings, I keep the roll in a paper towel cylinder until completion, which keeps the tracings safe and tidy." -- Alexis Statia.

I found this on the American Quilters Society's e-newsletter, On Point, which can be found here.

And now for something wonderful --

My Break!!

Does any one recognize this skyline?? Nancy and Anne, you already know, so no guesses from you. Cindy, too.

The first person to guess correctly will win a quilt pattern for your next Christmas Quilt.

The pattern is from Prairie Grove Peddler and can by seen by clicking on Winter Quilts.

(I have two of these patterns, so I thought I should share.)

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!!

A Break for the Holidays

2010-12-22T09:42:00.000-06:00

Tis that time of the year. Time to take a break for the Holidays but not without Holiday Greetings.

Wishing everyone out there in blogland a super duper extra special Holiday Season!!

Merry Merry Christmas and a Happy Happy New Year!!

Happy Holidays to all!!

See you all next year with lots of good things to share.

Enjoy the Season!

What Have I Been Doing??

2010-12-17T15:43:00.000-06:00

What have I been doing you may be asking.

I have been an assistant electrician during these last few days. Dear Hubby and I have replaced four light fixtures. And, I must say, these changes were badly needed not only to provide improved household lighting but improved lighting for sewing. Plus, the new light fixtures are very sleek and modern.

This is the new lighting fixture in the kitchen area over the kitchen island. The lighting is excellent especially for cutting fabrics for the new kitchen valance.

This is the new chandelier in the breakfast area. It matches the fixture over the island and it provides great lighting for eating meals and for everything else that happens at the breakfast area table. I have used 60W Reveal light bulbs in both of these fixtures. These bulbs imitate natural light on a sunny day. (The dark red is the wall in the great room. That will most likely be changed at a later date.)

This is the new light fixture in the sewing room. My new sewing room is something in the neighborhood of 17 feet by 23 feet. The light that was in this room had a dark frosted globe that blocked a lot of light from reaching any work space in the room. I found this light with much different globes that will put the light in the direction of the work spaces. This fixture uses CFL bulbs. I also use Ott lights at my sewing table, my cutting table, and my pressing table.

What light are you using for sewing?

Have a super great sewing and quilting day.

Brown Bag Exchange

2010-12-14T21:38:00.001-06:00

In my last post my machine found her home. On my sewing table was my secret item for the Brown Bag Exchange for the December meeting of the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild.

I made this modern potholder. I had the vice president's brown bag. Mary had provided in her brown bag the grey and gold fabric. She had also included fabric with a motif that looked like pages from a dictionary. I made this very modern potholder with a vocabulary lesson on the back. I added some pieces of Holly Jolly and Merry and Bright to add some Christmas cheer. This was a pattern that I found in the Holiday 2009-2010 Quilting Arts magazine.

A nice lady, Margie, found the red with flowers in blue, pink, and yellow in my brown bag. Margie was so nice. She made me these two small bags for carrying sewing or other goodies. This is a pattern for clutch bags using a metal tape measure for a closure. An example can be seen here. Margie added the blue and the pink strip. Thank you, Margie. I love these! They are so bright and cheery.

We had a fun meeting. Go here to learn more about the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild. Go here to learn more about Modern Quilting in the U.S.A.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and quilting day!

She Is Home

2010-12-10T20:05:00.000-06:00

At last, my sewing machine is home. She is set up in her special little place in my sewing table. She has even been used.

Here she is in her home, her favorite place. Please excuse the clutter. I am not completely organised. I have been doing a bit of sewing and quilting.

On the table you can see a bit of a mini quilt. This is for a Brown Bag Exchange that is due tomorrow for the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild. It is supposed to be a surprise so no telling allowed, please. It is going to be interesting to see all the results for this exchange. I have to remember to take the camera.

Have a super great sewing and quilting weekend.

Thanks for visiting.

And Now For A Close-up View

2010-12-03T20:54:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I posted about this gorgeous Christmas Stocking.

Today I am showing some close up shots of the lovely stitching that made this stocking special.

This is the toe of the stocking. The silver feather stitch is done in a metallic thread as is the quilting and the French knots. The green and yellow is done in a Pearle Cotton.

This is the heel of the stocking again using the Pearle Cotton and the silver metallic thread.

This is the upper part of the stocking. I hope that this picture shows the wonderful quilting done with the silver metallic thread.

And here is the fun, soft, fluffy faux fur.

The stocking is made entirely by hand by one of our group's nice Japanese ladies. The stitching is excellent and adds so much to the stocking. I was honored to receive this in our gift exchange and the stocking is a welcome addition to my collection of Christmas goodies.

I hope that you were able to see the stitching in these pictures and enjoyed the show.

Have a super great sewing day.

A Really Nice Break

2010-12-02T21:15:00.000-06:00

Today I took a break from all of the moving in business. Actually, a good friend said I was going and I was smart enought to agree with her. Every year at Christmas the Redwork group that I attend each month has a little get together and a small gift exchange.

Among the members of this group are two delightful ladies from Japan. These lovely ladies speak very little English but they have a great time at the meetings. And....they do absolutely exquisite needlework all by hand. Earlier this year they did a program on origami that I blogged about here.

Today, as part of the gift exchange, I had the honor of receiving a gift from one of these Japanese ladies.

I received this lovely, wonderful crazy quilted Christmas stocking. The top cuff on the stocking is made of a very soft, fluffy, fun, faux fur fabric.

I was so honored and surprised that I forgot to take close up pictures of the lovely stitching and quilting. She even used some metallic threads.

I think I had better make time to post tomorrow with more close up pictures.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day. Look for me tomorrow or the next day.

Moved In But...

2010-11-29T08:58:00.001-06:00

...far from settled.

Most of the items and boxes pictured here in my great room are my sewing stuff. At this point I was waiting for the freshly cleaned carpet to dry. This stuff took up most of the great room.

The carpet did dry, the ceramic tile was also cleaned along with all the air ducts. Hubby has allergies to pet dander and an over abundance of dust.

Then...

this is the sewing room awaiting the "blind guy" to shorten the new blinds. I keep wondering if my sewing stuff will find its new home. It also reminds me that I have been blessed to have so much nice sewing stuff.

I will get there.

Now for something completely different!
Referring to this post - Stand for Stan - Stan Musial, who turned 90 on November 21, will receive the Medal of Freedom in January from our president.

Congratulations, Stan!!

That is my bit of news for the day.

Everyone have a super great sewing and quilting day.

Moving and More Moving

2010-11-23T22:05:00.000-06:00

We have done it!

We made the big move to downsize our living space and what a job it has been!

It has taken two weeks and we are still not done.

We have run into a few snags along the way.

I have been cleaning and scrubbing because our new home was in great need of such.

I have been an assistant carpenter building storage shelving. I have been an assistant mover of boxes of all sizes and weights that held sewing and quilting items along with many other household items. We found the home to be in need of much "Tender Loving Care" which we have been happy to give.

Soooo....as you can see, I have been way too busy with many other aspects of life and the quilting has been patiently waiting for my attention. I will get to it soon. I hope that soon comes soon.

Wishing everyone a Wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh, Where...

2010-11-05T22:06:00.000-05:00

Oh, Where, Oh Where is my trusty BabyLock???

This table is her favorite place to be. It is home. She likes it there. She likes it when she is used for making quilts, blocks, table runners, bags, etc.

She is packed waiting the big downsizing move.

Packed and ready for travel.

I really haven't done much sewing. I have been packing.

I have discovered I have way too much "stuff". This is not half of my sewing related "stuff".

I think for the new year coming soon I need to sew more and shop less.

Do you have a lot of "stuff"???

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

This....

2010-10-22T21:21:00.000-05:00

became....

this....

The first picture is a set of 4 1/2 inch squares sewn together so that the edges make a zig-zaggy sides.

The first row is two squares, second row is four squares, the third row is five squares, the fourth row is four squares, and the fifth row is two squares.

They are sewn together in an offset manner so as to create the uneven edges.

Then with careful sewing and following the instructions I made this spring bag.

Now you may be asking yourself why a spring bag in the fall???

I purchased the kit for this bag from a vendor from Australia. And at the time, it was spring in Australia so thus a spring bag. Now I will be ready to visit Australia in the spring.

Enjoy!!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!!

Asterisk

2010-10-17T12:20:00.000-05:00

It has been what seems like forever since I have been here. Life is always an adventure and keeps one busier than they want to be. And so it goes...

Still needed is a nice family with children to like and purchase our home. We have been cleaning, maintaining, and staying in a state of readiness for the right family to come along.

Check it out here.

I have managed to do some sewing. Yeah!!!

I belong to a quilt guild that meets at a LQS. This wonderfully creative lady is the current leader of the guild. She recently sent an email out to all members to make a certain block for the November meeting.

This is the block I made. Our leader specified bright colors and a black and white fabric for the strips. I liked the red fabric with the little squares of color including the black and the white. I also prefer a white with black rather than a black with white fabric for the lines.

This block was part of a quilt-along and tutorial on this blog.

It was incredibly easy to do. I did think that there would be a lot of bulk in the center of the block but it is not bad at all.

Hope you can hop on over to this blog and check it out.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Stand for Stan

2010-10-11T10:59:00.000-05:00

In this post I spoke of 'Stand for Stan' Day at Busch Stadium.

Stan is none other than Stan Musial, a St. Louis icon.

This link describes the 'Stand for Stan' Day so much better than I can.

This link gives some history about Mr. Musial and his career.

Mr. Musial has never forgotten his many fans.

(I would swear that hubby is his biggest fan.)

I know this is not quilting but I had to share. Thank you for visiting.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

A Long Week

2010-10-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

It has been a long, long, long week. We have been so very busy getting ready for a realtor's open house and then another open house for prospective buyers.

I have cleaned, scrubbed, dusted, and rearranged everything in the house.

Luckily, the old muscles held out with and we got organized.

We had a successful realtor's open house with lots of good comments and advise.

We did follow through with some of the comments and made further improvements.

Here we are ready for prospective buyers. We are clean and tidy, ready and waiting for a nice family to take over. The neighborhood is family oriented with lots of school age children.
I have all the proper information should you know of someone in need of a new home.

In the midst of all the 'getting ready' I went to my final post op visit from my cataract surgery and I got the all clear. My eyes are good and I will need glasses for driving just to be safe. New glasses will be ready soon.

Then came the best break from house stuff that one could ask for -- My friend Nancy and I attended the Oct. 9th meeting of the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild. It was a great meeting with some wonderful ladies in attendance. Show and tell displayed some art quilts along with some quilts that were 'very modern'. A recap of the meeting is here. The November meeting has something interesting, something to peak curiosity - Project Brown Bag. Read about it here. Go here to learn more about the Modern Quilt Movement.

Nancy and I missed our friend Anne. Anne is a very modern gal.

I am so sorry that I do not have more sewing pictures to show. I made a name tag for the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild. That was the first time I had touched my machine in over a week.
It should get easier from here (I hope).

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

(P.S. I started this post on Saturday 10/9 and finished on Sunday 10/10.)

Not Lost Yet

2010-10-02T21:47:00.002-05:00

No, I am not lost yet, just busy.

Getting your house ready to sell is time consuming. Trying to calm all the fears and concerns that go with it is also time consuming. More about that later.

Today was sort of a special day for hubby who is a devoted St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Today was "Stand up for Stan" Day at Busch Stadium.

The "Stan" I speak of is the one and only Stan Musial. Mr. Musial played for the St. Louis Cardinals back in the day. He has been retired from playing baseball for 41 years. In November he will be 90 years of age. His team number '6' has been retired. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Mr. Musial has remained in the St. Louis area and in contact with the Cardinals organization throughout his retirement from playing baseball. He has many, many, many fans. A group of fans began a petition for Mr. Musial to visit the White House to receive a Congressional Medal of Freedom. So today was the day for the fans to show support and honor Mr. Musial.

Today was "Stand Up For Stan" Day at Busch Stadium.

This is the fun little giveaway that was given to all spectators upon entering the ballpark.

Everyone was taking a picture of their "Stand for Stan" cutout.

Highlights of Mr. Musial's baseball career were shown on the gigantic electronic scoreboard.

The between innings word game spelled out "Stand for Stan".

The flags in the picture represent each of the Cardinals World Series victories.

Mr. Musial greeted players and staff of the Colorado Rockies. Our seats were along the third base line.

Mr. Musial greeted the players and staff of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Everyone, including Colorado Rockie fans, held up their "Stand for Stan" cutout and cheered.

Go here for the best pictures of this event.

All in all it was a great day. Hubby got to see his hero. We were able to show our support and honor a good man. And the Cardinals won in extra innings.

No quilting done here. I almost went into "tea withdrawal" because there is not tea at the ballpark, only beer, soda, and water.

Have a super great day. And, thank you for visiting.

The Top is Done

2010-09-24T10:26:00.000-05:00

The top is done at last.

The last borders for my Jelly Roll Sampler quilt are now in place.

The next step is finding the backing fabric. I am thinking piecing the back with the few left over fabrics to make it more interesting. I do have to look for one larger thirties reproduction fabric to put with the leftovers.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching weekend.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-09-21T09:29:00.000-05:00

I am just way too busy. But I did get some sewing done.

This is the lower half of my Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt.

This is my Jelly Roll Sampler with the two halves together and all of the white sashing in place. I then added a small border of randomly selected scrap strips for an extra border before adding the final blue border.

(Just a note here.

Moose on the Porch is having another great sew along. Hope you can join the fun.)

This is as far as I have been able to get at the moment. I am working diligently to get my home ready to find a new owner and family. We are making that downsizing move soon.

While thinking about holiday sewing you may want to check out the giveaway at this wonderful blog. Quilt Sue is offering this book.

Best wishes to all who enter Sue's giveaway.

Enjoy!

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

This One Is....

2010-09-15T17:07:00.000-05:00

...done and sent.

This is the quilt that I was making for little girl of my son's friend who recently did a favor for my son. I started posting about it here. Then I posted about it here and here.

The quilt is now finished and on its way to this little girl.

This is the back of the quilt.

This shows the pocket that I put on the back. It holds a Thank You note using my computer card making program. This is a play quilt or a put the teddy's to bed quilt or just a quilt for family fun. I put the pocket on the back for little girl treasures.

Hope that the family has fun with it.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.

What I Won

2010-09-14T09:18:00.000-05:00

Back in this post I was fretting about my poor memory. I could not remember which giveaways I had entered on which blogs.

But I found it! Yeah!

This is what I won.

These lovely patterns and the nice note were from Heidi at the Hen and Chicks Quilt Studio and her Hen and Chicks blog. Thank you, Heidi. You made my day when I found these in the mailbox.

The first pattern starting at the left is Sunrise Blossom, the second is Reflections in the Pond, and the third is Candy Dish.

I look forward to using these patterns. I hope that is not too far down the road.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day.