Hotpads

I made a few more hot pads for gifts. These are made with homespun fabrics. I have not washed them to make them chenille yet in this pic. Bottom layer is fabric, then insulbright, then 4 layers of fabric. Sew channels diagonal across the square, then cut thru 3 layers of fabric and bind. I started with a 8.5 inch square and trimmed down to 8 because the layers shift slightly while sewing. The chenille cutter was pretty handy but my blade was just a tad dull so I started cutting with small scissors and finished with the cutter. They didn't take to long but I got bored sewing straight lines.

little bit of everything...

Kristin made this quilt a few years ago, never finished binding it so I serged the sides and now it lives in my truck. We call it Cosmic Cherries and it's made from double knit polyester backed with t-shirt knit. I need something tough to live in my truck that's warm and I can't think of anything tougher than double knit!

My mom is out to save the world from plastic bags, on her trip to Arizona she saw the landscape littered with plastic bags and wants to do her part to clean up. I made her Earth Day presents. Two light weight totes to replace plastic whenever possible.

Another little boy baby quilt has been created this week. I got the blocks in a drawing and they didn't match the other 8 so I started building and this is what I came up with, nothing to fancy but the green fabric is soooooooo cute! I did a little custom quilting on it also, (I did say a LITTLE so don't look to close) I need to practice it more often so small quilts are perfect for practicing on.

This is a quilt that mom brought back from AZ. to be quilted for her friend Linda. She made it for a gal who is expecting their first baby this month. I think it's rather a pleasing effect with the floral fabrics. It's now on the way back to AZ.

I have had a busy week....more pic's to follow....

Presents

I've started my Christmas sewing! The top pic is two color book bags with pockets on the outside for crayons. I liked the Mary Engelbright print for little girls. The next bags I make I will quilt a yard or two on the quilting machine and then assemble them. I think they make great presents!

This pic is hot pads made with 5 layers of flannel and insulbright. Slash the top three layers and wash to chenille them. This is before washing..........I wanted to try the method before I bought a cutter, don't think it's worth buying the cutter for two hot pads. (mom told me she has one so I'm going to borrow it) Hot pads are on my list of things to make for little gifts, I like to give practical gifts and who doesn't need hot pads?

I spent Earth day thinking of ways to save and reuse. I have been reading alot of stuff about saving and such latley and have come to the conclusion that I already do most of the hints and tips the experts give for saving money and saving the enviroment. I have been doing most of the stuff they suggest for years, all the way from breast feeding and cloth diapers to taking lunch to work to fabric shopping bags......so my goals this year is to be even cheaper than I usually am, spend less money, use it up, go without and still have a little fun along the way. Not sure how I'm going to get cheaper but where there's a will there's a way!

This is just a short list of the little things I thought of today that helps save......

1. Cooked dinner in the crockpot, beef roast we bought by the half from the local locker.
2. Drank water from the tap. (don't buy bottled water)
3. Shorter shower this morning. (have water saver shower head)
4. Ate leftovers for lunch.
5. Opened windows instead of turning on airconditioning.
6. Washed laundry in cold water.

The way I look at it every little bit helps and it saves $$$$ too!

Tar Heels

I made a North Carolina Tar Heels baby quilt this week. It's on its way to a new baby in Tar Heel country! I found the fabric in Co. Bluffs after Linda told me what she was looking for, I used 4.5 yds and there is nothing left over, I also added a yard of dark grey, for binding and border, plus a foot print. I am happy with the results and I hope the parents like it.

a days work

I spent last Friday canning, I know that's a strange thing to be doing in April but it had to be done and none of it was veggies. I started with 5 jars of beef, moved on to 19 jars of chicken broth and ended with 7 quart and 5 pint of bean soup. I made the bean soup for Bradley but he told me it looked 'weird' so I don't know if he will eat it or not. He's used to me making bean soup with great northerners, not mixed beans. Kev and Brian both thought it looked good and they really thought it smelled good while cooking. I love to can stuff and my basement if full of goodies I've canned, now just getting my family to eat out of the basement more is the trick!

Happy Easter

Sara made cookie's on Saturday and decorated them while I napped before work. I think her frosting turned out interesting considering it was pink to start with.

Sunday morning Sara helped me with Easter bowls, the Easter Bunny came home sick from work last night so she didn't get baskets made up ahead of time. Sara is the new official Bunny helper. I think she enjoyed it, I do miss them not believing anymore.......

Sara got a new dress for Easter and she wore her bracelet that my Uncle Danny gave her. He told her that my Uncle Charlie brought it back from Mexico and it is spun silver. She likes it and is happy that he gave it to her. I stayed home from Easter dinner today, didn't want to share my germs with everyone if I wasn't over being sick. I do feel pretty good now so I'm going to work in a few minutes. Hope everyone had a great Easter!

Just a few things

I started cleaning out my truck tonight, unloaded some stuff at moms house and this is only a few things I grabbed on the way in the house. Someone made the hotpads for my grandma and I found them in the bedroom drawer so they must of meant something to her.

Sara is all about the cooking ya know...this is what she picked out. Got to share the story behind this blue bowl. Saturday morning we got to Co. Bluffs early and took Sara out to Gordmans to waste a little time, while going thru the housewares she sees brown/grey/orange speckled bowls by Rachel Ray. Sara tells me the whole story about the 'garbage bowl' and how she'd like to have one. Well I took one look at the price and told her to look in grandma's cupboard for a bowl. I told her I remembered almost the same thing from when I was a kid. Look what we found when we got there and opened the cupboard doors.....there is very subtle speckles of darker blue in the bowl. Sara thinks its cool to have her very own Rachel Ray look alike bowl and she thinks its really cool that she found it at her grandma's house.

I am up with my cat tonight having kittens, she is just starting to go into labor. I knew something was up when she picked a fight with my Sammy my dog. So I'm going to babysit the cat for awhile and count babies.

Sample Quilt

This is a sample quilt for work, I got it quilted in 2.5 hours today. It measures 36' square. I am really happy with it and I hope they like it too. If anyone is interested they can call Quilter's Candy Shoppe in O'Neill Ne. for the kit. One was enough for me, I forgot how out of practice I am at machine quilting and it didn't help that I am using my mom's machine, not my fancy stitch regulated Bernina. All that's left is the binding and the boss is sending it in the mail this week.

Red Hat Ladies Bag

I finally got around to taking a pic of the tote bag I made for the CPQG Quilt Guild Auction in Norfolk. They raise money for different programs and charities. My boss donated the fabric(all I had to do was cut around the damaged parts) and I got it made up last week. I looked at the pattern then threw it away and made up my own so I have no idea what it's supposed to look like but I am really happy with mine. I found the perfect button in some I bought at the thrift shop in a button jar. I think all Red Hat Ladies should have a little bling! There are pockets inside and the panel is a pocket on the outside too. I took a pic of it on Helena's finished quilt, I hope she likes it.

old and new

This is a new project, I am making a T-shirt quilt for Adam who graduates this year. I used to babysit him and his brothers and sister 8-10 years ago. He is quite an athlete! I got the center sewn up tonight before I quit, just 12 blocks so it won't take long to sew up the top. I have to have it done this month because he graduates early May.


This is an old project, thought I would quilt it while I have pinkie/peach thread in the machine. Sorry the pic is sideways, seems to be the story of my life....always a little off kilter. I got this quilt kit awhile ago(OK years ago) and finally got around to finishing it. I think it will wait for the binding fairy to return.............

I am getting quite a stack of baby quilts built up here, I think I have a compulsion to make them. Maybe it's a sickness, all I know is that no baby I know will ever be cold!

Happy B-day Helena

My brother's girlfriend Helena is having her 26th B-day this week, I made her a quilt today. Ok I don't have the binding done and since the binding fairy is going on vacation(literally!!) I will have to do it myself tomorrow. I have a stash of pink fabric's I cut into and picked up some yellow's last time there was a big sale at the quilt shop, then I found the perfect border in the remnant table at work. It really helps to work at a quilt shop!!! Can you see the birds in the center fabric on the second pic? Helena loves her chickens and I thought the fabric was perfect! I like that her favorite color is pink, is so much easier to make presents when I love working with pink!!!

Grandma's house

We finished packing up Grandma's house Sunday. Well we took what we wanted and left the rest for my Uncle to have a garage sale or to keep himself. I found a few things I wanted to keep that I remembered from my childhood and a few things I could use in everyday life. I'm sure I will blog about some of it in the next few weeks. It went very well and the three of us, my mom, my aunt and I agreed on everything and split things up fairly. I did bring home quilts, some mom and I made for her and some from the 50's that grandma and great grandma had made(those are cutter quilts and will be turned into pillows, framed blocks,etc.) I do also have a garbage bag full of linen's that I have to wash and sort.
My grandpa built the house as a garage to start with, when my grandma got sick they moved into it and paid on hospital bills instead of building the house that they had planned. My grandma had experimental brain surgery in 1958. I remember sleeping in grandpa's bed beside the garage door (it was where the picture window is now on the left side of the pic) and my uncles slept on the porch. The church next door bought the property and they plan on keeping the house for awhile to house visiting missionaries and ministers.

Snow and Mud

Well that was quite a storm I missed by going to Co. Bluffs over the weekend. This is my cute little red truck after 9 miles of mud and slush. I stopped and took a pic by the drift that was plowed twice yesterday and twice again today. The dang thing keeps filling with snow and I'm sure it will have to be plowed again in the morning! Sara and I thought about staying with Mom last night but Kev had been out about an hour before we got home and he told us to head on home but hurry up before the drift closed up, we almost had to walk a half a mile.....ugh!!! The kids had late start and Josh missed his assessment tests in Norfolk because him and Kev got stuck at 6a.m. I don't think he was to worried about it but he's really a good student in computer stuff and I hated to see him miss those tests. I'm hoping this will be the last blast from winter!

weekend

This weekend is cleaning out time, we're heading to my grandma's house to go thru stuff and clean it out. Right now I'm waiting on Sara to get dressed, the car is packed and my mom is getting ready for us to pick her up. I'm not really looking forward to this but it has to be done. I am going to go to the Log Cabin Quilt Shop in Omaha while I'm there, my boss will be surprised to see me! I got the cutest tote bag done (no pic yet) for the Quilt Guild Auction in April. My boss donated the fabric for it. If you are a Red Hat Lady you would love it and I suggest you come buy it at the auction the 3rd Monday in Norfolk Ne. at the Senior Center. Ok Sara is ready.....we're off!!!