Showing posts with label embroidery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label embroidery. Show all posts

2/7/24

February Blues

It's February and I have the blues,

Oh, February, you tricky little month, always bringing a whirlwind of emotions my way! Last year, I bid farewell to Mom (can you believe it's been a whole year already?), and 12 years ago, I lost my dear hubby. So, you see, February's like an emotional rollercoaster for me. And don't even get me started on Valentine's Day... SMH! Honestly, I usually treat it like any other day. Not that I'm anti-love or anything, just not big on the whole shebang. But hey, I reckon some of you can relate, right?

Now, let's rewind to October through January, when work had me doing the hustle and bustle, clocking in those 70-plus-hour weeks! Phew! But amidst the chaos, I snuck in some "me" time, working on some projects. Tell me, who else finds solace in quilting and embroidery? There's just something about the rhythm of needle and thread that soothes the soul, am I right?

I finished a springtime embroidery piece (ignore the cat hair). This is from The French Needle.
These are some of my string blocks, which I now have finished, and just need to put together for a quilt.
Current wall hanging I'm working on. I actually started this after Christmas, which means it should be done by next Christmas, right?
My current embroidery piece. This is going to take a while!

I made this cute little fall table runner. I found the idea on Pinterest somewhere.
Such a fun, relaxing little project.


Oh, and speaking of life's crazy ride, my eldest grandson, Hudson, turned 10 in January! Time's sprinting by faster than Usain Bolt, I swear. And my "baby" grandson? He's turning 6 soon, and I'm still in disbelief... Wasn't he just a tiny bundle yesterday? And brace yourselves, folks, 'cause come fall, my oldest granddaughter, Lilly (yes, Baby Lilly), is off to high school! Yup, time's playing some serious tricks on us.

Now, onto brighter horizons! Summer's coming, and guess who's packing her bags for Scotland? Yours truly! I'm practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. It's an Outlander trip, so we will visit some of the places in the show Outlander. And guess what? I got so carried away, I signed up for an Ireland escapade next year! Call it my older-than-midlife crisis, but I've decided to trade in my recliner for some passport stamps. Italy, Switzerland, and a sprinkle of other dreamy destinations are on my radar too. Oh, and let's not forget Hawaii again, 'cause who can resist those sunny shores?

I'm thankful that February is a short month! I am looking forward to attending the Dallas Quilt Show in a little over a month and until then I'll work on my projects and reflect on my husband and Mom, thankful they were a part of my life, and dream about Scotland.

Happy Sewing, Quilting, and Embroidering!

9/29/23

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Fridays are always great for me! Off work for the weekend and time to quilt and embroider.

I'm off to Denver in a couple of weeks for a small family reunion with my cousins. I'm so excited to be traveling somewhere again and excited to see my cousins. I haven't seen them for several years. I had a trip planned and then COVID hit, so it's been a while. I also can't wait to go to a cooler climate! It's still a million degrees here in the Lone Star State and I'm waiting for summer to be done with. Maybe next month? Who knows?

I have finished a quilt top (photos soon) and started on an autumn quilt 🍁(did I mention that I'm tired of summer?). I cut a few of the pieces wrong and had to order more fabric, so I'm waiting on that (not patiently) to come in. Yes, even after all these years of quilting, I still manage to screw up! But once the new fabric arrives, I can finish my autumn quilt and hang it up (because I'm claiming it as my own).

I've also been embroidering like a mad woman trying to get a few things for Christmas 🎄 gifts done (photos below). One of the kits I really enjoyed, while the other kit was on fabric that I really did not like at all. I had to switch to a smaller needle on that one and threading a small needle was quite frustrating. My eyes are better, but apparently not good enough to thread small needles anymore. Anyway, I finished that one and decided it will get incorporated into a quilt or a quilted wall hanging at least.

This is the one with the fabric I did not like.

This kit I really enjoyed working on!

As I mentioned before, I finished a quilt top, which I think turned out pretty well. Is it quilted yet? Why no, it is not. And here's why. When I moved last year, I inadvertently got rid of the giant cardboard I had to baste larger quilts (this one is 42 x 60) on my bed. So, now I'm looking around 👀 for a large box (like water heater or refrigerator size) to cut and use or something that will work as well. In the meanwhile, I have nowhere to baste my quilt. I mean, yeah, there is the floor, but if I get down there, I'll never get back up! LOL! 😂 The autumn quilt is much smaller so I shouldn't have an issue basting that one on the dining room table.

My middle grandson is turning 8 (!!!😳) next week, so next weekend I'll be at his birthday party. And also Miss Lilly turns 14 (!!!!!😳) next week! I really don't know how she's turning 14 when I feel like she was just born! My oldest daughter just turned 40 and my youngest turned 38...now I really feel old!

Well, that's about it for now. I plan on going to some quilt shops in the Denver/Boulder area when I'm there. I should have plenty of time to shop! (Don't tell my wallet!)

Happy Quilting, Sewing, and Embroidering!


8/9/23

Another Vacation and Another Quilt

Hi Folks!

You read the blog title right! I took another vacation this summer because I'm all about "me" time. 

Last month I went to visit a friend in the Aloha state of Hawaii and it was amazing! I'd never been before and I'm so glad I went and was very happy that I got to visit my longtime friend, who I hadn't seen for several years. 

Note to self - next time I'll pay extra for a direct flight! Yes, it is a very long flight from Texas and it took several days to recover when I returned. Whew!

There was a small tropical storm when I was in Hawaii, but all was well and it turned out not to be too bad. It gave my friend and I a chance to stay inside and talk and drink wine...of course. 

I shopped and shopped but unfortunately didn't make it to any of the fabric stores that I had planned on visiting. Next time! I did pay a visit to the Pearl Factory where I got to pick out oysters and see what pearls were inside. Of course, several pieces of jewelry later, I had to stop myself! It was a lot of fun and I would definitely do it again.

I went on a dinner cruise on the Star of Honolulu by myself (it was wonderful) and on a tour of Kualoa Ranch where they film a lot of movies (Jurassic World, Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates) and shows (Lost, Magnum PI). Both were affordable excursions and well worth it!  I also treated myself to a massage. If you've never been to the islands, just go!

Below are a few photos of the many that I took.

Waikiki Beach



Me on my dinner cruise

Where they filmed Jurassic World!


Kualoa Ranch

The views were stunning!

I also finished a quilted wall hanging just in time to gift it to my friend in Hawaii and she absolutely loved it! It is based on a quilted wall hanging from Karen Eckmeier's book "Accidental Landscapes", which is one of my favorites. Somehow I wound up with 2 copies of it!

And now, I'm back at work just dreaming about returning back to Hawaii one day. I still need to download the photos from my camera, which hopefully I'll get to this weekend. 

I started a little embroidery project while I was traveling and am hoping to get that done soon to share with you. Meanwhile, I haven't finished the bigger embroidery project that I was working fast and furious on, but I'll get to it.

The current quilt project that I'm working on is a lap quilt with a beach theme that my friend in Hawaii requested. Since she loved the wall hanging so much, she wanted a quilt she could cuddle under while watching TV in the evenings. Photos to come soon!

All my grandkids started school today and it's still 106 degrees here! I'm so looking forward to Fall and cooler weather. I think all of my trees and plants are too! 

I had both granddaughters over last weekend and let me tell you, they are growing like weeds. Leylia is almost 14 now and Mia is 9! Hard to believe.

Well, that's it for today.

Aloha and Happy Quilting, Embroidering, and Sewing!

Foamy Mai Tai at Monkey Pod restaurant. I highly recommend!

4/18/23

Vacation and a Quilt Show

Hi Everyone!

It's been a busy couple of months for me! Whew! And next week I'm going on vacation for the first time since before COVID! 

I'm so excited because: 1) I'll be off work 2) I'm going to the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah, Kentucky!!! (Can you hear me screaming!

I've never been to this quilt show before and I'm thrilled that I will be going. I've wanted to go for many, many years but haven't had the opportunity. So, a friend of mine, who is actually building a house in Kentucky, and I are driving out for a fun-filled week of beautiful quilts and scenery. I have traveled to Kentucky before and I know it's beautiful out there. I also found out that another quilting friend of mine and her sister will be there. I always look forward to seeing her at quilt shows and missed her at the Dallas Quilt Show this year.

After losing my mom in February, and renovating my kitchen (yes, it's done!) I need this break to get away from my life for a minute. I don't know what my kitty, Miss Tilly, will think of me being gone and ignoring her for a week, but I'm sure she'll get over it. Don't worry, my daughter will be giving her plenty of treats while I'm away!

Speaking of my kitchen, here are some before and after photos. You can see why it needed redoing! Also, the corner banquette is my favorite new spot in the house now. I absolutely love it! My kitchen even feels bigger now (I mean...it's not, but it sure does feel like it!).

Before


After



My favorite spot!

Well, I'm off to do laundry to get ready for my travels! If you see me in Paducah, please say Hi! 

Me (not the best picture, I know! But you get the idea). If you see me, say Hi!

I'm thinking about taking my actual camera (not just my phone!) on my vacation to take good photos of all the beautiful quilts. I know AQS will post the winning photos on their website, but I'll be taking photos of as many quilts (winning and non-winning, but winners in my book) as I can.

Oh...one more thing, I've been working hard on my sewing room and it's almost ready! Photos after vacation!

Oh...and another thing, I finished the spring embroidery (photo coming soon...I promise!) I was working on and have another embroidery in the works!

Happy Sewing, Quilting, and Embroidery, and Happy Vacation to me!




3/2/23

Farewell February and Hello Spring!

Hi All,

It's been a bit since my last post but with good reason. February is not a great month for me to begin with, since it's the month my dear husband passed away. Then sadly my mom passed away a few weeks ago in February, so doubly hard for me. 

I miss my mom. She was 98, almost 99, years old. But it doesn't matter how old your mom is, she's always your mom. I miss her dry sense of humor! Mom had Alzheimer's but always kept her very dry sense of humor, which I loved...and I may or may not have the same sense of humor (okay, I do)! She lived her last 10 years in a nursing home nearby and was well taken care of (which is saying something). I visited her often and whenever I attended quilt shows would take lots of photos and show them to her. She really enjoyed looking at all the pretty quilt photos. My love of quilting and embroidery came from her mother, my grandmother, who was a talented quilter and embroiderer. I'm a bit lost without my mom.

My sweet mom. Love you, Mom!
I arranged her celebration of life and we had that last weekend. I'm grieving but moving forward with a lot of things, like my kitchen renovation, which is nearly done! I've been without a kitchen for a month now and I will be excited to get my kitchen back next week! So, to say February was a difficult month is an understatement! Good riddance to February and hello spring! I need some flowers and light in my life right now.

Speaking of flowers...I'm still (yes, still) working on my spring embroidery piece. Because of the things in my life that happened last month, I didn't work on it as much. And I'm a little afraid of doing the bunny on this piece, mainly because I haven't quite decided on which stitch to use. The pattern indicates thread painting, which I have discovered I love the look of, but really hate doing, so switching it up a bit. I'm considering the turkey work stitch...but not sure yet.

I'm also excited that today my oldest granddaughter Lilly (how is she 13 already?)is getting her first sewing machine! I talked with her mom the other day about which one to get for her and she is getting a Brother sewing machine! Personally, I'm on a Janome kick now but used Brother machines for many years. Lilly loves to piece together outfits and wants to sew her own. I can't wait to give her sewing lessons!

My sewing room organization got put on hold because of...well, life... but it's getting back on track now. I have a storage unit put together and in the room and just have to take all the fabric out of bins and load up the storage unit (WHEW!). More to come! Once it's done, I'm back to quilting with embroidery in the evenings. I ordered some new fabric (like I need more!) from Keepsake Quilting and it should be here tomorrow. I call it my motivation for finishing my sewing room! HA!

Well, that's it for now! I hope Spring is kinder than February was!

Happy Quilting, Sewing, and Embroidering!


1/3/23

Christmas is a Wrap and Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and is enjoying 2023. I mean, I know it's only day 3 of the new year, but here's to a great year!

We had a nice family Christmas on Christmas Eve and then I had Christmas Day dinner at a dear friend's house. I had a quiet week off work and now it's back to the daily grind.

I am making progress in organizing my sewing room! Not quite finished yet...but I'll get there! Christmas decorations are all put away and I'm working on purging some stuff (more stuff)out of the house.

I did finally finish the embroidery piece I was working on (yay!) and have started a new one with a spring theme (I'll keep you posted). Photos are below. I used some metallic threads for some extra shine in the piece but I'm not quite sure you can see the shiny bits in the photos. Metallic threads are not easy to work with, however, I do love the effect they provide.



Latest embroidery piece!

The kit is from The French Needle and below is a photo of the kit. As you can see, I added my own flair to the piece, which I am prone to do with most pieces. I actually bought 2 of these kits, so maybe for the next one I'll stick to the color scheme in the kit...or not!

Embroidery kit from The French Needle

That's it for now. I'll be back later with more updates.

Happy Sewing, Quilting, and Embroidering!

Cheers to the New Year!


12/15/22

Ten Days to Christmas! I'm Not Ready!

Hey everyone!

I literally just realized today that we are ten days (10 days!) out from Christmas! I'm so not ready! Yeah, I've bought a few gifts, but they aren't wrapped and I'm pretty sure I'm not finished shopping yet. I just thought about Christmas cards yesterday and still haven't done anything about writing them or getting them out. To say that I am behind is an understatement! Are you ready for Christmas?

If you, like me, are not in fact, ready for Christmas, here is a link and another link, and just one more link (you're welcome) to some quick and easy Christmas gifts that you can make. Guess, I'd better choose which ones to make and get crackin'!

I am working on my embroidery piece...still! Not sure it will be ready by Christmas but I get an A for effort, I guess. 

Next week I'm off work for the whole week and I'm so excited. My plans are 1) get ready for Christmas...wrap presents...send out cards 2) organize my sewing room, which is long past due 3) get another quote for new kitchen cabinets (Monday) 4) finish embroidery piece 5) get some rest. I'm not sure I'll get any or all of that done! I already have babysitting for my grandsons scheduled on Saturday, so one day down. We'll see what happens.

My daughter sent a Christmas photo of my grandsons. They've grown so much! My oldest grandson will be 9 in January along with my youngest granddaughter (how are they 9 already! Weren't they just born?!) Geez, time flies!

My handsome grandsons with Santa!

I also celebrated another spin around the sun last week. Funny, I don't feel older, but my body would beg to differ! I guess you are really as young as you feel...not! LOL! Anyway, my oldest daughter made me a ginormous delicious chocolate cake and I had the whole family over for dinner. Yes, I cooked (and cleaned) on my birthday! But we had a great time.


Me with my ginormous chocolate cake!

Here's to looking forward to the holidays and a new year.

Happy Sewing, Quilting, and Embroidering!

And if I haven't told you yet, Happy Holidays! 🎄🎅🤶



12/1/22

Another Successful Surgery and a Cold Front

Howdy Folks!

Just stopping to let you know that my second cataract surgery was a success and I am recovering well. 👀 I was nervous about it, but there was no reason to be and now it's all behind me...well, except 4 more weeks of eye drops and another ophthalmologist visit. Ha! 

One of the nurses at the surgery center asked me if cataract surgery was a Christmas present to myself. I had to think about that one for a minute, but...um...yeah...I suppose it was! 🎁 So Merry Christmas to me!

I woke up to near-freezing temperatures this morning and frost on the ground (I mean...it's Texas, so that's newsworthy). So, it's truly winter here...at least for a few days. LOL! Just wait a minute and the weather will change! Sunday it was 81 degrees, so Texas weather is like a roller coaster most of the time, except in the summer when it's just HOT! 🔥

My embroidery piece is coming along, but I have to rest my eyes for a few days at least before I can get back to it. Not to worry, I have more Christmas shopping🤶 to get done and I'm working on a big project at work, so I'm staying busy!

Gotta go rest now.

Happy Sewing, Quilting, and Embroidering!

11/29/22

Turkey, Surgeries, and Christmas Shopping

Hey there!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving! I know I ate my fair share of turkey and stuffing!🦃 😉

Now it's on to Christmas. Speaking of which, did you do any Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopping? I sure did! Trying to get gifts for the kids and grandkids. I found most of the gifts on Amazon and a few at Target and may have bought a few things for myself along the way 😉 I always forget (every single year) just how stressful (and expensive) Christmas shopping is. I still have some shopping left to do, so trying to save up. 

When I was at the doctor's office last week, I was chatting with one of the nurses who mentioned that she had all of her Christmas shopping done by August! August...I don't even think about Christmas shopping until after Halloween, or even Thanksgiving! I'm curious as to how many people get their Christmas shopping done early 🤔

I also had cataract surgery in one eye 👁 and am going in tomorrow to get the other eye done. I am so hoping this will not only improve my vision but also my night vision. Haven't driven at night for quite a while now. Surprisingly, the first surgery was fast and easy (I was quite nervous!), so here's hoping tomorrow's surgery is fast and easy too. 

My Christmas tree is up! I actually bought a new tree this year (on sale) and put it up the day after Thanksgiving. Now, I'm not normally a tree-putter-upper but decided that since I'm in a new house and I have the kids and grandkids over more often (because...bigger house) that I would go ahead and put up a tree this year. 🎄 So here's a photo of my new tree! (I'm still waiting on some decorations and tree skirt that I ordered...so don't judge the bareness of my tree)

My new Christmas tree!

I'm still working on my next embroidery project and hopefully will be finished soon. It's been hard to finish it with the eye surgeries, but I promise to post photos as soon as it's off the hoop!

Here are some photos of the grandkids from Thanksgiving week, and also my tree out front is changing colors and it is beautiful!



The boys had a concert at their music school.


My beautiful tree, changing to autumn colors!

Happy Sewing, Quilting, and Embroidering!


 

10/27/22

Las Vegas and Latest Embroidery

Happy Thursday!

It's hard to believe that the end of October is here already! Seems like October just began and Halloween is in a few days. I have a couple of costumes to choose from for a Halloween kids' party on Sunday, so I just have to decide which one to wear. 💀👻

I was in Las Vegas for a work conference last week and it was...exhausting! (You thought I was going to say fun.) I mean...it was for work. I'm not a gambler, however, I did play one slot machine...just for the heck of it...and after winning $24, I walked away a winner!💲

One thing about Vegas that I discovered is all the walking! Everything seems near enough but then you walk miles to get there. One of the ballrooms in the hotel where the conference was held was a quarter mile of walking each way. Now, that may not seem like much but when you walk it several times a day, the steps really add up. The good news is, I did get all my steps in last week! My tip for going to Las Vegas is to wear comfortable shoes!

Me in Vegas

Amy Pohler was one of the main speakers at the conference and she was really interesting to listen to. I was excited to be able to sit near the front of the audience and got some good photos of her.

Amy Pohler in Vegas

More photos from Vegas


My next trip is in a few short weeks for vacation. As mentioned in a previous post, I'm going to Tennessee for a Lizzy & Erin craft show. I'm just really excited to be taking a vacation for the first time all year! 😃

After I got home from Las Vegas and rested up quite a bit, I finished an embroidery piece I've been working on for several months. I was happy to be done with it and have moved on to another embroidery project for Christmas. And yes, I know, Christmas is looming!

My latest finished embroidery project

The printed fabric for my latest finished embroidery project is from The French Needle (link on the right) and the thread colors are my own. Most of the thread I used is from Sublime Stitching (link on the right). My next embroidery project is also from The French Needle and I'll post it when I'm done with it. It's a small piece, so should go pretty fast.

Happy Quilting, Embroidering, and Traveling!

9/12/22

National Sewing Month

Hey there!

Did you know that September is National Sewing Month? Well, it is! Learn more here about National Sewing Month. Tell me what's on your sewing table!



It's a nice reminder for me to get to sewing! I worked on organizing and unpacking my sewing room this weekend...still not finished...but made some good headway. You don't realize just how much fabric you own until you start digging into it, at least I don't. And fabric is heavy! I moved fabric around this weekend until I was sore. I am anxious to get everything sorted and organized because Christmas is coming fast! In truth, I should have started any sewing projects for Christmas months ago, but somehow it always sneaks up on me. Work has been very busy these past few months and based on a call I had this morning, it's not going to slow down anytime soon. We'll just call that job security! :)

I did do a lot of embroidery this weekend in an effort to finish a larger piece I've been working on for the past few months. I'll admit that I'm a bit of an embroidery kit hoarder and have several (okay, a lot) other embroidery kits that I'm anxious to get started. 

I have a plumber coming out to look at the shower in my master bathroom, which started leaking this weekend. I love my plumber but talk about an expensive unexpected expense! Homeownership definitely has its advantages, but the maintenance costs have gone up so much in the past couple of years as has everything else.

That's it for now. I wish you a beautiful day of sewing or embroidery! It's starting to almost feel like fall. It's still in the 90s in Texas and I'm looking forward to October when we will actually get cooler daytime temperatures. But until then, we enjoy the cooler evenings.

Happy Quilting and Sewing!

9/17/13

Quilting as Therapy

Why do you quilt? What do you get out of quilting? Quilting is certainly not an inexpensive hobby...at least not anymore. So why do you quilt? 

I was thinking back to the reasons why I started quilting, and there were several, but mainly relaxation. Yes, quilting, with all of its frustrations, is very relaxing to me and great therapy! My aunt was a fiber artist for most of her life, and she was a very gentle and relaxed soul. I believe it was because she worked with textiles and took great comfort in the feel of fabric. Have I mentioned lately that I love fabric?! :) 

Since I started quilting again after my husband's death, I am finding that relaxation factor, but it is also quite energizing. It gets my mind going and I start designing quilts in my head. I get a feeling of accomplishment and the sense that I am doing something positive in my life. Even just sewing something as simple as a baby burp cloth gives me great satisfaction and relaxation. Most of us work at jobs that, well let's face it, are not terribly exciting, so having a hobby that is fulfilling and relaxing at the same time is priceless. And, as I have discussed here before, quilting and sewing can be as expensive or inexpensive as you want it to be, because you can recycle/re-purpose fabric from old clothes, sheets, blankets and a variety of things. Buying quilt fabric from a quilt shop is a lot of fun...but that's where quilting and sewing gets expensive. Shopping for fabric yardage at a thrift store is fun and challenging...not to mention more cost effective and "green". So, why do you quilt?


And now for a change of subject...Embroidery

I'm so excited! I ordered some embroidery transfer patterns from one of my favorite quilt sites http://www.sublimestitching.com/ and got them in the mail yesterday! They were having a 1/2 off embroidery pattern sale, so I took full advantage! Here is a pic of what I got!


Embroidery Patterns


Baby Quilt

I am making progress on the baby quilt...the quilting is nearly finished and I can't wait to start on the binding! I am posting photos, so you can see the back and binding fabric I chose for this quilt. The back is a black polka dot print...and normally I wouldn't use a black back for a baby quilt, but for this quilt I challenged myself to use fabric, thread and batting that I already have and buy nothing new. So far, so good! This quilt is all from my stash! I believe I will be able to finish it without having to buy anything for it. BTW...my stash got smaller when I moved, but my sewing room is still too full! Oh...and also, I had a piece of Fusi Boo batting (http://www.fairfieldworld.com/product/51) large enough for the quilt, so I saved myself a lot of baste pinning and time!
Yellow is the binding; Black is the back

Quilted top
This weekend I will start on a crib skirt for my daughter's nursery...she is having a baby boy, and wants a crib skirt, quilt and matching pillows. Then I will make all of that for my daughter in law, who is having another baby girl! Yes, I have my work cut out for me...and I couldn't be more excited!

More later...
Happy Sewing and Quilting!


12/28/11

Finishing 2011 Projects...2012 Projects Coming Up!

Alien Baby Quilt

One of the cute little aliens!


Another cute little alien!







Youngest daughte and GBaby Lily!

GBaby loves cake pops!

Grandpa & GBaby Lily!











No, I have not dropped off the face of the planet...as some of you must have thought by now! My hours at work have increased so much that when I get home in the evenings I am a brain dead zombie...and that does not lead to beautiful sewing! So, hopefully this grueling work schedule will end soon and I will be back on a normal schedule and back to sewing, quilting and posting!

A couple of things before I begin on the projects...finished and not finished. First of all, my humble and delayed apologies to Bebas Enterprises LLC. In previous posts I had mentioned that I really love the Salem cutting mats, but unbeknownst to me, there were some legal issues with the folks who bought out Salem and...long story short, to get these great mats please go to http://www.bebasboutique.com/ to buy them, or call 1-888-209-4087! They are no longer called Salem, but are now Bebas cutting mats. They are truly the best cutting mats you can buy! Bebas Boutique also sells other items as well, so check it out!

So we are getting ready for my oldest daughter's wedding at the end of March. It is pretty much planned and we just have to wrap up the small details, but there are the wedding showers, etc in te next few months too. Anyway, I am sure that I will be somewhat busy with all of that, so if you don't see me posting here as much as last year, don't worry, I will try to check in at least once a month...hopefully more!

I did actually finish a baby quilt the first of December!! This one only took me about 7 months!! Hahahaha...mostly 7 months of not working on it...but you get the idea. I call it "Alien Baby Quilt" because it has some of the cutest little aliens on it (photos above). I really like the way it turned out and would love to keep it, but it was for a commission....and I do need the money...so I will be delivering it next week! Hubby really likes it and is sort of hoping the buyer will decide not to buy it...uh...I don't think so!! But, thanks Hubby for liking my work so much!!

Still working on my youngest daughter's quilt...months later! Well, the good news is the top is done!!! (yeah!) I actually bought the backing at the Des Moines Quilt Show in October, just need to baste, quilt, bind and present!!

Also still working on embroidering kitty dish towels for the kitchen! I am on the second one now and these are actually coming right along. Oh...and for all of you embroiderers out there a couple of great embroidery websites...
http://www.needlenthread.com/
This is Mary Corbet's website and she does some beautiful embroidery, also has tutorials online for various stitches and techniques...
http://www.sublimestitching.com/
This is Jenny Hart's website and features some very unique embroidery designs for sale..as her tag line states "This ain't your gramma's embroidery"...and it surely isn't.

Check out these great websites and get your embroidery on in 2012!

My 2012 projects...sigh...the list is long!! I am prepping my first t-shirt quilt for my future son-in-law...he is a firefighter, so the t-shirts are all his fire fighter, EMS shirts. I am hunting appropriate fabric right now, but have the t-shirts cut up and will get the fusible web put on shortly. There are two quilts I have ready to quilt or have started quilting, that I would dearly love to finish in the upcoming year! I also want to do a few of the Karen Eckmeier wall hangings (http://www.kareneckmeier.com/) this year. These are so great, fast and fun to do! I have done a few of them, but really want to do more, like the tropical one with palm trees for my living room! Fabric for a Dr. Seuss quilt is sitting in my sewing room calling out to be made into a quilt, as is a mountain of other fabric! Oh...and then there is the long neglected Pirate Quilt...yes, I am stuck on the last block and once that issue is resolved, I can finish the block and move on to finishing the quilt! What are your 2012 sewing/quilting/embroidery projects? Post your comments, so I can feel like I am not the only one with piles of projects!!

Oh, and have I mentioned my sweet GBaby Lily??! She is 26 months now (I know...time flies) and smart and beautiful too! We don't get to keep her near as often as we did when we were jobless, but still get to keep her about once a month. She has such a great sense of humor for a 2 year old...reminds me much of my youngest daughter at that age! What? Photos of her...why of course I will post photos of her!! Need you even ask?

Well, that's it for now! I have some tutorials in my head that I need to get onto this blog, so hopefully that will happen in the next month or so! Keep checking in here...and post your comments!

Happy Sewing and Quilting right into 2012!!!