I SEWED TODAY...

I know it is close to Christmas, but at G's suggestion I sat in front of my sewing machine today.  I had intended to make several of these for family members, but time just got away from me...and the bug that has been making its way through my family finally cornered me!  I feel yucky!  G and I thought that maybe doing some sewing would take my mind off of how bad I feel.  It did, lol, until I realized that I had misread the instructions!  Ack, I do feel a bit loopy from the medication.  I made extra sure I was using good sewing safety since I'm out of it slightly, but I should have used extra READING safety, too!  Oh well, I finished it up anyway and used a bit of Liquid Stitch where things were not secured properly.  I haven't decided if I will give it to my aunt to try for a while, with a promise of a new (properly sewn) one after the holidays and this bug are over, or keep it to try in our house.  I may give it to her anyway.

I will admit that G's suggestion of sitting down to sew was a good one, however I think I will wait until my head is firmly attached to my body, LOL

Toodles...

Gift for Mommy and J...

My Dear Grandson wanted to make an ornament for his Mommy and J for Christmas.  I saw this simple ornament made from clothespins and thought it may be perfect.  This morning I showed him the video on how to make it and his huge smile told me it was a winner!  As per the instructions, I grabbed 8 clothespins from my bag and he happily began twisting them apart.  A few were a bit ornery and grandma helped yank them apart.  Then came the dangerous part!

While Grandma used the hot glue gun to arrange the pieces into the proper shape, K went through my ribbon drawer and picked out the perfect ribbon to hang the star from the tree.  He measured off a 14" piece of ribbon and after I made the cut I fashioned it into a loop and glued it in place.  There is a little more glue glopped onto the back than had been used in the video but the glue was just not holding well.  Does anyone know if glue sticks have a shelf life?  No worries, though, as I pulled the thin plastic from the inside of a pill bottle lid and wrote on it his name and the year with Sharpies.  When the ornament is finished the label will be glued onto the back.

Next comes the painting.  Of course I have absolutely NO acrylic craft paint in my supply cabinet!  What kind of crafter is without acrylic paint?  Once I drop K onto the school bus I will run to JoAnn's to pick up some paint and also some iridescent glitter.  Glitter wasn't part of the video, but he wants his star to shine!  He also wants something blue and shiny on the front!

While the paint may not cover every inch of the star, he had a BLAST painting.  While the paint was still wet we sprinkled on some super fine glitter.  I don't think I will ever get all of the glitter out of my sewing room rug, but that is what childhood is about, right?  A bit more glue glopped onto the heads of the upper portions of the clothespins and the "blue shiny button" stayed in place.  I just hope he can keep quiet until Christmas morning to give it to them!  He is SO excited!!!

Today he and I played chess.  It has been quite a while since we played and surprisingly he still remembered everything.  Now that he is really beginning to strategize it is even more fun.  We have a "standing date" for noon Monday through Friday before he goes off to school.  I will get his "little gray cells" all warmed up for his afternoon kindergarten.

Life is good!

Toodles...

GEARING UP FOR 2018...

It has been almost a month since Dear Hubby and I returned from our two week vacation.  We stayed at our usual beach front resort in warmer climes and I feel emotionally rejuvenated and ready to make 2018 our most frugal, CALM year yet!

As part of my mounting frugality I have begun a "Money Stash" book.

In this book I track my "change stash", ie all quarters and dimes that I have saved.  If I have either $1 in quarters or $1 in dimes I drop them into a large jar and log them in my book, calculating the running total each time.  If I cannot make $1 in quarters or in dimes I put the coins in a cash box until I have enough to transfer to my jar.  Any other coinage is dropped into Dear Hubby's 5 gallon coin jar.  Our change is taken to the credit union, counted, and deposited frequently because it doesn't take many coins to weigh a whole lot!

I am also trying to stash "paper cash" for Dear Hubby's impending retirement.  With the state of employment in the U.S., I fear he could be forced into retirement before his intended date and we are NOWHERE near ready!  So, any cash I have left in my purse at the end of the month, dollar bills I receive as the result of a store transaction, and any "found money" (such as the $20 bill I found in the street while on vacation!) is placed in an envelope and logged into my book.  When the envelope stash hits a point where I am uncomfortable with it hanging around the house, it is immediately (and I mean IMMEDIATELY) transferred to a bank account.  I struggled too hard to have the fruits of my labor stolen in a home invasion!  An MP3 player and about $10 in change for tolls was recently stolen from Dear Hubby's car...in our driveway!  I fear our once peaceful and safe neighborhood is headed downhill.

I have also continued the purge of our home.  After almost 29 years we have WAY too much "stuff" in here to live a calm, comfortable life.  Certain things have "gotta go"!  So I have been listing items on eBay to see if I can recoup at least a portion of the money we spent on the item.  Money from any  eBay sales is directly deposited into a Paypal account and logged in my book.  Anything not sold after a few listings is immediately donated.  For some reason sales have been down, but at least I can get a tax credit and someone else can benefit!

I am also trying to watch videos and do searches through MyPoints or Swagbucks.  When I have enough points I redeem them for gift cards that I can use for practical living expenditures and gifts.
For years now I have made purchases through MyPoints to help build my point tally.  Over the years I have experienced many occasions when MyPoints failed to issue earned points.  In order to keep a tighter reign on this issue I have begun a small notebook where I list the name of the company and the date I made the purchase through MyPoints.  It really is keeping my points going where they belong!  I can question missing points and provide proof much more quickly and will not lose out due to waiting too long to submit the query.  I have also begun purchasing through Ebates when the store is not MyPoints eligible or when I will get more "bang for my buck"with Ebates cash!  I track these purchases, too, though I have yet to experience a loss of credit through Ebates.

In addition to our finances, I am trying REALLY hard to address the stress in my life.  Stress is hard on any body, but especially on a body already compromised by various medical conditions.  I have begun to faithfully use my essential oil diffuser and my salt lamp.  When I began delving into oils, I set up a storage system to house these precious liquids.  However, accessing them is far from convenient and sometimes I was just too tired or just too sore to make the effort.  Bad me!!!

So, I pulled out a few of my favorite oils and placed them on a small table right next to my diffuser.  However, the oil could do major damage to the surface!

Five minutes in front of my sewing machine and I had a cute little mat to hold a few bottles.

I truthfully haven't accomplished much in the way of sewing since we got back, but I feel like I have established a solid foundation to move forward with a frugal, creative, healthier new year. 

What are your plans?

Toodles...

I FINISHED MY FALL MINI...and it feels SO GOOD!!!!!

I have been basically away from my machine for six months now!  Quilting this made me feel like a total newbie...but within a very short period of time it all started to come back.  Guess it is like riding a bike, LOL. 

It took me two days to quilt and bind this mini, but I was filled with joy the entire time.  Quilting really IS my therapy.  I still don't know why I walked away from my hobby at a time when I needed it most.  Maybe deep down I didn't feel I deserved to be joyful after losing Mom.  Whatever the reason (and I'm sure a psychiatrist somewhere would have a ball with it), I'm back and planning tons of quilts moving forward.  For right now, though, Ellie (my sewing machine) is in the shop for a much needed once over.  I just realized yesterday that I never took her for her yearly check up!  Life just got away from me. 

Tomorrow I will take down my Spring/Summer mini and hang this beauty.  First thing on the agenda when Ellie gets back?  A small topper for the "catch-all" table just inside the front door.  Dear Hubby even asked if I could make different quilts/wall hangings to hang on the walls throughout the house and change them throughout the year.  That is a request I will be happy to fulfill! 

Toodles....

I DECIDED ON EMBELLISHMENT...

Somewhere between my last post and now, I decided that my mini quilt really DID need "something more".  I "think" I love it, but I'm still not completely sure LOL.

What I WAS sure of was the need to sew up a tiny table topper for the little white table also in the foyer.  I cut off one of the other panel blocks to use as the center section of the topper.  It turned out to be the entire topper!  Some quilting and a multicolored binding and it was good to go!  Easy, Peasy!

That is the extent of the quilting/sewing I have done since we lost mom.  I just haven't had it in me.  Until recently.  During a meeting with the bereavement counselor who had come to my parents' home, she began commenting on the beautiful quilts in their family room.  They were the quilts I had made for my dad and then, the following year, for my mom.  The counselor has encouraged me to get back to my quilts.  My quilts have been my therapy, but in my time of greatest need I have failed to reach for my machine.  Maybe she was right.

So today I began rummaging through the TON of mending piled on top of my sewing table and came upon a Fall mini quilt I had begun way back...when?  To be honest I don't remember when I began working on this piece, or if I even showed it to you before, but I think it is time the work continues!  I need to get back to the creative side of my life.  This year has seen the full gamut of emotions for me....concern, confusion, anger, disbelief and heartbreak.  Now it is time to concentrate on the future and the happy times ahead.  Mom would want it that way.

Wedding plans are moving ahead and G and J will be married on my mom's birthday next year.  She loved her only grandchild with all of her heart and wanted nothing more than to see him married and meet her first great grandchild.  While she may not be here in person for their wedding, she did spend time with The Little Guy and was as crazy about him as he was about her.

I'm sure that when they say their "I DOs" she will be watching from above, proud of the wonderful man her grandson has become, and filled with love for the wonderful woman and precious child who have filled our lives with joy.  And, for every ensuing anniversary, as they celebrate their love, they will honor the woman who loved them with all of her heart.

I'VE BEEN GONE TOO LONG...

I looked today and realized that the last time I posted anything here on my blog was March 30th.  I am so sorry.  Time has disappeared somehow while my life has been crazy, hectic and heartbreaking.

On the twelfth of April I lost my precious mom.  Some days I don't know how I'm existing without her and other days I remind myself that she is no longer suffering and that thought gets me through.  It's been tough, but I know she would not want me to stop living...so I keep plugging along, hoping for more of the fleeting moments when I can remember her with a smile on my face, and less of the moments that rip my heart to shreds.

We have had some good times, though.  Our son, J, became FORMALLY engaged to his wonderful girlfriend, G.  Her ring was on order when my mom's condition took a turn for the worse.  Fearing her sudden change in condition and wanting her to know their good news, they took a picture from the jeweler's catalog to show to mom.

In her last lucid moment my mom recognized them both, smiled from ear to ear, congratulated them and told them that the ring was "beautiful...not gaudy at all".  Amazingly, she remembered discussing some overly ornate rings that G had dismissed as ugly and mom had agreed were "gaudy"!

My mom, who for DAYS had not recognized anyone, or even spoken, gave J and G a wonderful lasting memory.  For a few short minutes, when it really mattered, she was "MomMom".  Five minutes later she retreated back into her far away world...never rallying again before she passed away.   
 
G and her adorable son have moved into our home while they save for a wedding and a place of their own.  I have found joy, and hope, in the little guy.  He is the grandson of my heart and I would give my life for his.  Just the sound of his voice calling for "Grandma" can instantly lessen my pain.  He and his mommy have saved us all.

Last week I sat in front of my sewing machine for the first time and completed this mini for my foyer.  My original plan was to add embellishments such as buttons and beads for bling, but it's a thought still caught in limbo.  I am finding it difficult to make even the smallest of decisions...so unlike my usual decisive nature.  I find my mind drifting off, a million miles away, only brought back to the present by those around me.  When, oh when, will I once again live fully in the here and now?  I guess that, too, is beyond my control at the moment.  Maybe tomorrow will be the day?

TODAY I'M MENDING...

...my future daughter-in-law's favorite jeans.  You know what I'm talking about, the soft, "worn in" (though slightly "worn out") pair of jeans that your hand reaches for almost on auto pilot!  G had asked me to mend these jeans months and months ago...but my quick fix just wasn't enough.  The rip continued to spread until it had grown larger than the previous patch!  I needed to be much more aggressive this time!  Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the process. 

I removed the outer patch, while leaving the inside patch where it was.  I cut a larger square of denim (from her son's old jeans) and sewed it around the edges to hold it in place.  Then I used Fray Check to keep the edges intact.  Once that was dry I used a zig-zag stitch all the way around the edge.  The patch was firmly adhered to the jeans on unshredded fabric and reinforced by the denim patch inside.  However, the shredded area in the middle was still not secured, and was likely to grow as it had previously.  What to do?

I searched my sewing machine stitches for something that seemed like it would "cover a lot of area" with each pass.  I have absolutely NO idea what this stitch is actually used for!  I reduced the size so that the stitches would be close together (I've blown up the photo of my practice fabric so you can see the stitch).  I filled the entire center of the denim patch, one row at a time, slightly overlapping the previous row.  When the inside of the denim patch was covered, the fabric had taken on a firmer texture, like the patches that were so popular in the 60's and early 70's.  I still remember my denim jacket, covered in patches, fondly.  Gosh I wish I had saved that jacket.  Sigh...

But I digress.  Since G loves pink Real Tree camo, I cut a piece of camo to the approximate size of the "darned" area.  I used Wonder Under to make the camo fabric fusible.  Then, using an iron, I adhered the camo rectangle to the denim patch.  I then fray-checked the edges of the camo fabric and sewed a line of stitches approximately 1/4" in from the edge. 

I'm hoping against all hope that this patch holds.  The fabric in that area is SO thin and frayed!  If this doesn't work, I'm afraid her jeans will be goners :o(

Toodles...

TWO LOOSE TEETH...

...prompted me to spend a bit of time in front of my sewing machine.  Sure hope the tooth fairy likes it!

SPENDING A LITTLE TO SAVE A LOT...

As I said before, cutting out all spending is impossible.  However, spending money wisely (such as when frequently used items are on sale) can save you a bundle! 

I am a crafter.  I always have been and I always will be.  I can't remember a time in my childhood when I wasn't painting by numbers, embroidering hand towels for my mom, crocheting granny square hats and bags, or using my toy sewing machine to sew little pouches to hold my baseball cards, jacks, bottle caps and marbles.  Now that I am retired, quilting, sewing and machine embroidery fill my heart and dreams with joy.    

Anyone who crafts on a regular basis will tell you that crafting Is. Not. Cheap!!!   I will admit to having spent a rather large amount of money on my crafts during the first five years of my retirement.  In my own defense (grin) it has taken me that long to hone my savvy shopper skills.  Now-a-days I only spend money on items that are:  a) needed to complete a project (on sale of course),  b) on deep discount to pad my stash, or  c) going to save me money well into the future.  

A recent sale at Forth Worth Fabric Studio prompted me to add to my very meager trim stash.  Things  bought now at low prices are things I will not need to buy at higher prices or when we are living on Dear Hubby's retirement income.  I was THRILLED when my beautifully packaged order arrived!  I would love to show you a picture of it in all of its glory, but I once again forgot to take a photo before pulling it apart.  But, here they are all wrapped up!

Pretty, huh?  I just love the cardboard "spools" that they are wrapped around.  They were made with my fabulous Sizzix cutting machine.  My machine, and the assorted dies I buy to be used with the machine, fall into the "save me tons of money in the future" category.  In the past I have used these spools to wrap leftover quilt binding.  Every little scrap of fabric I keep means more money saved in the future!  Now, how to store these gorgeous trims?

Like most families, we have plastic containers left when food products are consumed.  I think this container held peanut butter filled pretzel bites.  I hate to see these great storage possibilities go to waste.  A quick washing and label removing provided me the perfect jar (free) to hold these trims...and any I add in the future!  The label is a free printable that I happened upon years and years ago.  At the time I placed the printout into a page protector and filed it in my "Masters" binder. 

Now I simply photocopy it onto cardstock (bought in bulk at a reduced price), punch a tiny hole (punch bought at a thrift store) to thread a ribbon (free on a gift I received) through and write the contents with a Sharpie marker (free with purchase of office supplies). 

My trim treasures contained within, along with a few empty spools to grow my collection.  The sound you just heard was me squealing in delight! 

Toodles...

STASHING CASH...

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I don't remember if I have told you in the past, but Dear Hubby has begun to talk about retirement...actually quoting the number of days until he can put his career behind him.  While I am thrilled that in around four years (the latest), or possibly even NEXT YEAR (The sound you hear is me fainting!), he will be leaving his stress filled job and horrible commute; I'm nervous about our unwise lack of preparation.  Ack!  We should have been preparing for this day from the day we got married!  However, "tomorrow" and "retirement" have always seemed So. Far. Away!  Until now.  Believe me, the reality is hitting hard.  

As a result, I've begun a campaign to really tighten the belt! Again.  I've tried in the past, but have always fallen off the wagon.  No more.  I need to get serious!  I need to "stash cash" like our lives depend on it...which in a way, they do!  He is not leaving the stress of his job to be greeted by the stress of struggling to "make it" on his retirement income.  We need to spend less, pay down our bills and stash whatever cash we can!  FAST!

While I would LOVE to be able to stop spending completely, that isn't realistic in today's world.  So I need to find ways to get everything I need at a cheaper price...and maybe even FREE with enough work and diligence.  Every day I embrace a few more activities geared toward saving money or accumulating points that can be used for money off of necessary purchases.  There are a million ways to save, but none of them work unless they are implemented. 

The most important element of saving money is PAYING ATTENTION.  How many things do we do without thinking?  A lot, I'm sure.  A prime example is heating/cooling our home.  About five years ago we purchased a programmable thermostat to regulate the temperature within our home (based upon our routine activities and daily schedule).  It has worked well in the past, but the unpredictable nature of the weather recently has rendered the program moot.  For example, today has been a beautiful day in my neck of the woods.  When I first came downstairs I pulled the screen down on our storm door (a wonderful feature for anyone looking to purchase a new storm door), walked into my sewing room and opened the two windows looking out onto the front porch.  Oh...it was lovely.  A cool breeze was blowing into the house and I could hear birds chirping in my front landscape.  Heavenly.  Or so I thought.  Unfortunately, I walked into the family room a few moments ago (many hours since I came downstairs) and could hear the distinct hum of the heater directly below.  Oh no!  I've been letting in the beautiful cool breeze...which is triggering our thermostat to pump out more hot air!  I wondered how many times the heater has cycled on throughout the day while I, oblivious, breathed in the cool breeze flowing through my windows.  I was enjoying the beautiful day (free), while causing my heater to burn our hard earned cash!  Dang!  I practically ran to the thermostat to shut down the system, but the damage is done.  Sigh.  I needed to find a way to keep this from happening in the future!

What I need is a reminder...a checklist that I can run through every day to make sure I am plugging the holes in our budget.  My mind immediately jumped to the "Things To Do" tablets that Dear Hubby had gotten FREE (score!) from work many moons ago.  I grabbed a tablet and wrote "Turn off thermostat and open windows" in ink on the first line.  Every day I can make a light mark next to the reminder.  At the end of the week I can erase them.  One page should last through the spring and summer months.  Making things last longer has a big impact on your budget, but that is a whole other topic!  Hopefully I've plugged one hole, but I am sure I need to focus on a whole lot more!  

Is there anything you need reminders to do in order to save some of your hard earned money? 

Do you find yourself always paying a high price for gas because you wait until the "little light" comes on?  Shopping around for the cheapest gas in your area (or even near work) can save you a bundle.   There are phone apps that will give you the cheapest price according to location.  A post-it strategically placed near the coffee pot can remind you to check prices while drinking your morning brew.  If the price is low, top off your tank on the way to work.  Even if you aren't completely empty, any gas you add to your tank at a cheaper price is money in your pocket.  If the gas station participates with your local grocery store, offering discounts on gas based on the money spent on food, you have really hit the jackpot.  Using these points to lower the price of gas can make even a higher "app price" your best bet. All it takes is being mindful and a little bit of calculation to be sure you are getting the best deal.   

Can you save your soda cans to turn in for cash at your local recycling center?  Getting them into the recycling stream is wonderful, but getting paid to do it is a win/win. The same applies to glass bottles.  If you can return them for money - do so!  Back to cans.  Obtain a wall mounted can crusher with coupons, or even free if you can score one.  Check your local thrift store.  I've seen them at ours numerous times.  Once you have your crusher mounted, place a bin lined with a large trash bag under the crusher.  Instruct the family to crush their cans instead of placing them in the normal recycling container.  Hang a sign above your normal container to remind everyone that "Soda Cans Get Crushed!"  We toss our cans into a bin and when our 5 yo grandson comes over it is his "chore" to crush cans.  He gets a check on his "chore chart" (worth $.10) and we can fit many more cans into each trash bag.  When the bags of cans threaten to take over the garage, a trip to the recycling center is in order.  On a recent trip to the center, our grandson made over $16 to add to his piggy bank.  He knows that crushing those cans leads to money in his bank.  Hard work leading to reward is a lesson all children need to learn, no matter how young they are! 

There are tons of money saving practices...if we just REMEMBER to use them!  More suggestions coming soon!

Toodles...

 

BABY QUILT LABEL...

I've never made a baby quilt before, but I knew I wanted the label to be something a little "more" than the plain Jane embroidered letters on my previous quilts.  I was pretty sure I could find something adorable, flowery and girlish at Embroidery Library. 

My heart flipped when this little cutie popped up on the screen.  Be still my heart!  I couldn't put my payment information in quickly enough.  While some of the flowers mimic-ed the flowers in the fabric, the colors weren't all a match.  A little swapping out of threads and I was ready to go.  

I would love to tell you that the process went smoothly and quickly.  Oh no.  The flower border was done in less than 30 minutes and it was time to begin filling in the middle.  On the first line of baby stat's the thread broke!  I will admit to yelling out a very un-lady-like expletive.  Over and over I tried to get back to the point in the lettering program where the thread had broken.  Over and over again the embroidery began with the wrong letter.  I was bathed in sweat, just about in tears from frustration when J's wonderful fiance walked into the room.  In a wisdom older than her years she said, "Walk away, Mom.  Let's go outside and get some air."   

After some girl time and a cooling breeze I was able to approach the problem with a clear head.  Shortly thereafter the label was finished...and it looked just like I had envisioned. 

I laid a piece of fabric over the baby's name for privacy...but isn't it the cutest thing you have ever seen?  While I am writing this post today, I will not publish it until the gift has been given to our dear friends.  This is one surprise I really wouldn't want to ruin!

Toodles...

MY FIRST BABY QUILT IS FINISHED...

...well, except for the label.  I need to go to JoAnn's and pick up some embroidery thread in the colors above so I can machine embroider the label.  I hope to do that EARLY tomorrow morning and get it sewn on in the off chance that our friends may be around this weekend to give them their gift.  I am SO anxious to give it to them!

I absolutely LOVE this fabric.  It is Garden Girl sold by Riley Blake Designs.  I still may buy another charm pack just in case I am someday Grandma to a little girl.  If not, I could always make a charity quilt with it! 

Toodles...

MAKING PROGRESS...

I am making progress on the baby gift for friends of ours.  The blocks are not in any particular order yet, just placed up on my board to make sure I had at least one block of each fabric pattern going vertically and one horizontally.  Oops, I guess that is placing them up there in "order"!  What I should have said is that the blocks are not arranged according to any design yet. 

Once I had "paired up" all of the pink and green blocks accordingly, I began making blocks with the remaining fabric "singles".  I have to tell you, I found it really hard to place those lone blocks up on the wall! Maybe my love for Hercule Poirot has left too much of an imprint on my psyche?  Or maybe I'm just a wee bit compulsive, ;o).  Which ever it is, in order for the quilt to reach the dimensions I want I will need to use up ALL of the charm squares in the pack...whether they have partners or not!  Deep breath...really deep breath!

After dinner I had planned to begin working with the the last group of charm squares, those having a white background.  Planned, mind you.  Unfortunately, that is not going to happen.  Sundown and horrible lighting in my sewing room have conspired to stop me in my tracks!  Sigh...I was really on a roll!  I guess I am going to have to move "lighting for my sewing room" higher on the ToDo list.  During the summer I was able to "manage" with the poor lighting, but the darkness of winter is impossible to overcome.

Oh well, I think I will join Dear Hubby in the family room while he watches the Super Bowl.  I'm not the least bit interested in this game so I will take one of my new Block magazines to read.  I used a Christmas gift card from Missouri Star Quilt Co. to purchase the 2015 and 2016 boxed sets.  Beautiful quilts, a cup of tea and a bit of relaxation sound good right about now!  Hope you are having a wonderful Super Bowl Sunday!

Toodles...

BIT BY BIT...

My sewing room/office is a MESS!  This is not the "Therapy Room" I had set up back in January 2016!  Life has gotten nuts and there are additions to my ToDo list flying at me from every direction!  This weekend I decided that I HAD to start chipping away at all of these items at once...or I would go out of my mind before I ever reached the end!

So...

Yesterday I spent the day in here catching up on some mending.  J and G both needed clothing mended, and I was able to finish all of the items they gave me this weekend in a relatively short period of time.  But see the giant pile of mending still to be done?  Eventually...

Then I finished up making hourglasses with all of the colored background charms in the Garden Girls line.  These will be combined with solid white squares to make a baby quilt for my neighbor and her husband...something they can keep in the house for when their first little grandchild comes to visit.

I began sewing the hourglasses into "four-patch" blocks.  These blocks are not in any particular order.  I am simply sewing one four-patch block with the hourglasses vertical and one block with the hourglasses horizontal for each fabric design.  I will keep all of them on the left side of my design board as I design the quilt on the right.  I like being able to see my remaining options as I build the quilt.  Unfortunately, I ran out of the Kona Snow white charm squares.  I have placed an order online and should have my package by February 4th.  I also bought a few yards for the first border.

While chain piecing the blocks, I have been using "leaders" and "enders" a-la Bonnie Hunter.  I love that my good fabric isn't being "buggered up" (as Dad would say) when I first begin stitching and I also love the fact that these scraps will be turning into something usable while I stitch.   I placed all of my sets of 2.5" fabric, shingled for ease of grabbing, into a small tin pail next to my machine.  It should keep them from falling all over my sewing table.  I just hope I can remember that the matching tin closer to my iron is my thread catcher.  I can see my nice neat little pile of squares all covered in threads, LOL.

I have been doing tons and tons of paperwork for my folks over the past couple of weeks.  As a result, I haven't gotten anywhere near my own end of year piles!  My "Need to Keep" container is rising above its capacity and the pile of coupons I need to sort through and medical papers I need to file away until next year are falling all over the floor!

I still haven't finished my charity quilt and I need to do a bit of sewing for my mom.  I also need to print out a photo for her.

This extra large hockey goalie bag is filled with yarn and my "in progress" afghan.  I need to finish that some day, too...

See that large cardboard box?  Dear Hubby has asked me to cover it with contact paper so that he can keep the "stuff" in the trunk of his car all corralled in one spot.

The items in the bankers box need to be listed on eBay, and I promised J I would help him sell his two guitars and two amplifiers.  Oh, and I also told him I would help him log all of his Magic The Gathering cards onto a website where he would get an idea of their worth and sale-ability.  That tower of boxes behind his guitars is FILLED with cards.  I think he has WELL over 1000 cards.

Do we think I bit off more than I can chew?!?!?  I REALLY need to stop volunteering myself to do things for my loved ones when my ToDo list is already longer than my arm, LOL!!!!!  I forget that I am no longer the woman of my past who could multi-task and accomplish anything at any time.  Hard lesson.

SO.....I am going to work on taking tiny bites and bit by bit this mountain of stuff will be handled and moved out of my sewing room.  I can't wait to get my calm, serene, sewing therapy room back in order.  Is there anyone else out there who finds it hard to work in chaos???

Toodles...

MY 2017 GOALS AND A BABY QUILT...

Happy New Year dear friends!!  This is what my cutting table looks like at the moment.  I am in the middle of designing/constructing a precious little baby quilt.  Last month good friends of ours became grandparents for the very first time.  They are thrilled, and we are thrilled for them!  So, how does a quilter express such feelings?  She makes a quilt!

I had hoped to start this quilt over the holiday break but, as usual, life got in the way.  That's okay, though, because this quilt isn't for the little princess (I'm quite sure she and her parents have received more than enough gifts to cover her), but a gift for her grandparents.  I hope that they will use it whenever she visits.

In making this quilt I am trying to become more comfortable with several quilting techniques, including the formation of quarter triangles from two 5" charms sewn with right sides together.  I know.  I know.  It is a very basic technique, but something I had never attempted in the past.  I am also trying to use leaders and enders to improve my stitching, primarily, and wrangle in my scraps, secondarily.  

In the next month I hope to finish the fall mini quilt that I started months ago, as well as starting AND FINISHING a small matching fall table topper for the table in my foyer.  Then, if life goes as planned, I hope to make a table topper to match the Valentine's mini quilt that I made several years back.  While accomplishing all of that I hope to finish my charity quilt and make a HUGE dent in my grandson's quilt.  Oh, and then there is the issue of my HUGE pile of mending.  When I was first introduced to quilting I often wondered how quilters managed to accumulate UFOs.  If you didn't start a second quilt until the first was finished...how could you fall behind?  Haha...the quilting gods have decided to teach me an important lesson, LOL.

While setting and hopefully reaching goals in my sewing room, I have a mountain of goals to be reached throughout the rest of my home.  It is going to be a BUSY 2017, but hopefully I'm up to the challenge.  

Wishing you a year filled with love, laughter and quilts!

Toodles...