May 24, 2013

Say It Flowers Blog Hop Schedule--coming up next week!

WITH TWO EXTRA DAYS!


Mdm Samm of Sew We Quilt and her cheerleader and right hand gal  Carol of Just Let Me Quilt  had so many applicants for the hop that they added two extra days into June, the 3rd and 4th.

Here is the complete schedule though I will be posting each day's listing as I have on previous hops.  My assigned day is Thursday, May 30th so I hope you will stop by to say "hello".   I may have "flunked" those kanzashi flowers earlier this week but I am pleased with how my two entries turned out and am anxious to show them to you.  I see some of the same folks I have been hopping with so I know we are all in for a treat but there are also some new participants!  Should be fun-------

 


Monday, May 27th



Tuesday, May 28th

Wednesday, May 29th



Thursday, May 30th

Friday, May 31st

Monday, June 3rd

Tuesday, June 4th



May 22, 2013

beats cleaning the bathroom!

I got up this morning thinking that I would clean my bathroom since I had spent part of my Tuesday dusting, straightening, vacuuming my bedroom and sewing room.   Yeah, right!  That notion lasted till about 9 or 10 a.m.  I like things to BE clean but I do not LIVE to clean.  Know what I mean?

I found a ziploc bag on my sewing room pegboard yesterday afternoon with the kitted up grocery bag holder from the sew-in.  Shelia had walked Aline and I through the process at the sew-in and had all the materials ready for us but I didn't take any notes.  See, no paper in front of me!  How did I expect to remember especially when I had other creative things on my mind?

I DID find  THIS TUTORIAL on a site called Make It and Love it.  I don't think the tute used batting but Shelia had some packed in there.  I spray basted the fleece to the backing and we were to do a sew and flip method.  Then I was lost.


I could not remember what Shelia had said to do about a casing for the elastic so I kind of, sort of followed the tutorial---maybe.  I stitched it down like you would mock piping sewing the cut strip with right sides together and a 1/4 inch seam, single thickness though so not quite like binding.  I folded the fabric up to the edge of the quilted piece and then using another tip Shelia gave us, folded it up to the sewing line and dabbed a bit of fabric glue on the edge to hold it for machine stitching.  It looked perfect front and back. Then I did the "elastic on a safety pin to push through the channel thing" with a hemostat clamped on the other end to keep it from slipping inside.

I used about 6 1/2 inches of 1/4 inch elastic in the bottom end to keep the bags in the bag and about 11 inches in the top for loading purposes.  I have to say that my Brother really bulks about sewing through about 4 layers but I got the job done and the strips all line up fairly well.  Shelia did the recycle labels on her new embroidery machine but didn't quite get them centered.  I was too quick to get it machine appliqued down, like before I figured out which way the strips were supposed to go.

Lastly we made a quick run to the big box store for some black grosgrain ribbon that I wanted for the hanging loop.  I didn't do handles as one, I should have stitched that into the casing first and two, I did not want to try to stitch through that bulky seam again.  I put the loop in the back near the center.  

Yeah, I know we should use cloth bags and I do when I remember to haul them in the store but we also need the plastic ones for cat box clean out, wet kitchen garbage, liners for the bathroom wastebaskets etc. 

So here it is stuffed to the gills and hanging in its new home in the laundry room.  The old wastebasket we used to use will be used for recycling the pop cans and plastics. 

We have had some rounds of thunderstorms today plus I was getting super aggravated with the computer today freezing up and updating software.  I signed off for several hours and finished reading a library book I had started last night.

Maybe tomorrow I will feel more compelled to clean up the bathroom?  I'll find something else to capture my attention--probably my version of the Tammy bag.   It will be a new experience for me working with that purse clasp thing.  Wish me luck, LOL.

And sew it goes-----------

May 20, 2013

this and that on a Monday EDITED

I may have flunked Kanzashi Flower Making 101 as there looks like I have too much thread and maybe did not follow the instructions quite to the letter?

It is not the Bitty Bits and Pieces tutorial fault, I do not believe but I just don't know how tightly you are supposed to string the petals together.  My friend and fellow Bama Belle Bev might be able to straighten me out at our next meeting as she has been making these with the Clover doo dads.  I know you need a long sturdy thread.

I was using 7-cut 3 inch squares for this version and also cut out 8-2 inch round circles of the reverse coloring to try one from a tutorial found on Fabric Flowers.  It gives a little different look for varying squares and rounds.  Really I am just goofing around but may put one of these on an existing purse for the upcoming flower blog hop.

EDITED:   From the Fabric Flowers site I found a couple other tutorials for the flowers.  The one by rodneybones on instructables for kanzashi simplified hair clips looks good.    And after folding itty bitty cones from those 2 inch round circles this Anna's Flowers tutorial from Sew Ritzy Titzy looks even better.  She uses a larger cut circle then sub-cuts into half circles and then works the magic plus some of the work is done on the machine!!  Pinning, bookmarking and converting to pdf on my end!

Though I cannot show you my wall hanging till the 31st, it is finished, much to my relief, with about 10 days to spare.   I took the last stitches in the binding and buttons yesterday afternoon. Woohoo!   It is currently hanging in the place of honor above my bed.

Though the sun was not really cooperating, I tried to get some outside shots of it on the  neighbors fencing again.  That worked out quite well last time with a decent picture or two.  I've got a couple that should work.  Glynda said to move the flower pots around if I wanted but dead head the petunia so I didn't get some dead blooms in the shot.  LOL   Actually I knew she would be in the shop on Monday's and I needed to verify my next hair appointment too.

Then it was off on the grocery run and lunch.  Chatting with my pal Norma as she is off work today, this being Victoria Day in Canada.   Meanwhile I debate about what I might sew next----work on the May and/or June rows for guild to get caught up OR start on my Tammy bag for the mid June hop?  Just to get the decks cleared a bit I am thinking Tammy Bag.  Not sure what I am talking about?  See Sew We Quilt  THIS POST

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Speaking of blog hops, I am happy to announce that I won a couple of giveaways in the bird hop!   First I heard from Jan in GA who posts on Sew and Sow Farm.  I had won the Crazy Daisy charm pack from Benartex that she and her wild chicken Daisy picked out.   Rather than spreading them all out and getting a shot where you can't see them anyway, try THIS LINK  if you are not familiar with the line.  Fun fabrics!  I am debating whether they would work in my Farmer's Wife Inspired Sampler OR just combine them with existing stash for possibly a various sized circle quilt.

Then today I got an email from Fiona of Celtic Thistle Stitches informing me that I would be receiving some patterns from Helen at Bustle and Sew.  I'll quote Fiona's blog notation here.  .  Since she is in Ireland arranging with Helen for pdf files to be sent was a wonderful idea!  No one is out the mailing costs. 
 "The winner will receive a copy of the Birds on a Wire pattern, Seagull Cushion Cover pattern and, in keeping with the It's for the Birds Blog Hop theme a copy of this Summer Birdie Bag pattern too!
 Fiona had made her rendition of the Birds on the Wire and the Seagull Cushion for her blog entries.

THX again to both generous ladies!  I surely appreciate it and am surprised my name got pulled from all those entries!

Well, looks like it is almost time to go scare up something for us for supper.  We will be doing a bit of cleaning out the freezer again but I never mind that, it keeps the grocery costs down when I can re-purpose the meal.  DJ was just happy to see the rest of the Blonde Sheet Cake come out of hiding, LOL---Mr. Sweet Tooth.   He also paid me a rather backhanded compliment saying  "you used to do a passable job but now you are a GOOD cook"  He was saying that he had never been interested in cooking and I said that was not a good thing as what do you do when your wife is not available---eat out or open a can of soup, either way it is either pricy in the long run or not good for you.  He then went on to say that he bet I was a better cook than my mom.  Who knows?  Modified diet for medical reasons, could be.   Maybe because I can make a variety of different ethnic foods and do often?  Growing up it was 8 mouths to feed and stretching the food budget with basic home cooking, what I learned to cook.  I am a champion potato peeler as that was my job to help out.  Oh I can hear the phone ringing now, LOL.  Love you, Mom and Dad.  I do NOT know how you two managed it.

And sew it goes-----



May 18, 2013

rain, rain go away

This particular rain system started up about 8 last night or so, I think.   Wave after wave has come through and the weather alert radio went off at around 3 and 5 a.m. warning of flash floods.  I believe it! 

We live on a hill that was cut away with our lane being the old road and the new below about 6-10 feet down.  Ignore that crappy view of the neighbors back yard (SIGH) and maybe you will see the water standing in the yard and also rolling down that slight incline.



It always puddles at our driveway entrance for some reason while rolling down that slight incline.  I don't know that I can capture it but it is pouring----again!




When we got up at 0730 there was 4 inches in our gauge.  Another half inch has fallen since then and it is still coming down.  I asked DJ if this is the most we have ever had, because I sure didn't remember quite that much. 


He thought we had had 4.5 before but would have to check the notes in his little pocket calendars.   The gauge only goes to 5 inches.  Enough already!  DJ said there are rain chances tomorrow as well.  I just hope that this has improved the drought status down in the lower counties.  The farmers said they needed a dry spell up here to plant.  I have a feeling no one is going to be happy at this point. 

I had planned on quilting today but there are occasional thunder bumpers.  We'll see.  I did start a bit last night but am not fond of the way this machine (my Brother)  is quilting and will swap out for my trusty friend (the Viking) to continue. I was not feeling "as one" with the machine, at all and I don't want any mess ups.

And sew it goes----till it doesn't, LOL.  I may be doing some redwork or knitting today instead.