After Christmas Chaos!

This week has been slow and unproductive, but I am finally getting back into the swing of things. I spent most of the week thinking about what to do and then decided it was time to finish my quilt top. I finally finished the last row. What I did was, quilt the front with the batting and no backing, next I added extra batting and will attach the back by adding tacking to the rows.

I thought it would be a good experiment to quilt without the back to make it easier and add the back, later. Not sure if that was a great idea, took me forever to hand quilt and still have to attach the back. I think the next one will be machine quilted and the future hand quilting will be done the right way;)

I got out my snap frame and realized I have no backing that fits, so I need to sew a few pieces together, then I can work on it this weekend. The quilt top was made by my friend Kelly, she sent me a couple to practice my quilting on.

I really make a mess at Christmas, making gifts and fun things for myself and I get messier and messier and now my room is total chaos. It is so bad, I hate going in, where do I start, lol. So, I got some new boxes and a lot of the unfinished things and excess will get put away for now and the extra boxes that are cluttering up the room will get cleared out and removed. I have plenty of fabric and patterns on the shelves, so I will work on using my stash and doing the patterns I have been putting off, the rest can wait. My tables are becoming storage units, so those will be cleared and things put where I can find them and maybe some wall bins to put in my scraps of wool. I like having the scraps nearby so I can use a piece when I want something for a small piece. I will also sell anything I have lost interest in, time to do the ones I want and not worry about having to make it all. Maybe use some of the material to make curtains, should be on my to do list. I used my wide angle, so the room looks wonky.

I also wanted to make a rug for my beach room, but I also know I have a long list of things I want to make and a rug would take up a lot of that time. I found a small blue jean rug in the store and got it since it was cheap and wanted to see how it looked in the room, I loved it. So, I searched on the web for the same brand and of course I couldn't find it. I inspected each type of jean rug until I found one that was closest to it and I love the new rug. It is darker than the other, I did like the lighter shades and it is larger than I wanted. I was looking for a 4' x 6' and this is 5' x 7', but it fits perfectly.

Now I feel like the room is a room and I will start working on cleaning out the junk that was in there and a blue jean quilt and matching pillows for the couch. Someday I will replace that with something I can use for guests, as well. Of course I need to make things for the walls and I have some quilts I have been wanting to make, folk art styles with ocean themes, so that will be my winter projects and the room will be ready for summer. It is a lot cooler down there, so it will be a nice retreat in the summer.

Not the best photo, the wide angle tends to fish eye on the lowest setting, but I wanted to get more of the room in. It makes the room look small and narrow. There is also a large closet in the back, needs to be cleaned out and I will have storage for my excess that I can hide away.

Tomorrow is going to be a nice day so we will be off on a hike. I am loving the weekend weather, love being able to get out and explore. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and find your own adventure.

Friday Finish!

Well, I would call it another un-finish, but I got the stitchery done, so all I need to do if make it into a mini quilt. I thought it was a fun designs and a fun idea for gifting to quilting friends. I am not sure if the design is free, but the person offers the design on their site, so I assumed it was free?  Now I am not so sure, since some have other designer's names on them, this has her name only. There is so much  on flickr sites and I know a lot of it is scanned from books, so hard to tell what is free anymore.

It seems the months are flying by and before we know it, it will be December and time for The 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop. I will be doing a post on day 4 and today I have my pieces all cut out and ready to do this weekend. Don't forget to mark your calendars, patterns and recipes for the holidays!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I will be stitching and keeping Nick occupied, and on Sunday there will be a special memorial mass at church and our son will do the honor of carrying his sister's candle, to be lit.

Vote for Dora and Hooked Antique Cat!

This year I won a contest to receive a wonderful online magazine called the Quilt Pattern Magazine.
They are sponsoring a contest and I entered Dora a few months ago and sadly she is no longer with us.
If you would like to vote for Dora, I have a chance to win quilting prizes. You can go here to Vote and see the photos of the kitties.

Here is the photo I entered. Dora always liked to help me sew.

Recently Betsy of Heavens to Betsy bought my Antique Cat epattern and made a hooked pillow with it. I love the wools she used, it really does look like an antique rug. Betsy has the most wonderful wools and you can see how beautifully they hook up with this piece. 

Creations and Gifts!

Today I was in the mood to try machine quilting. I found this wonderful dog pattern at Angie's Bits and Pieces. I thought it would be a fun one to practice on and I will be adding other items as I go along. I didn't do too bad for my first try at following the edge with my star foot. I am thinking that this might be a good piece to donate to our local shelter for their auction. When I found Moki, they took care of all the shots and spaying, for free, so I like to help them out with the auction.



A new friend, Chris Wheeler sent me this wonderful fabric postcard for Easter. I love how she used paper with scripture in the background. I have always wanted to try them myself and she was sweet enough to send me some precuts to make my own. This will be great for practicing my machine skills with, as well. Chris also has some wonderful contests, so be sure to visit her blog.



And I thought I would show you my win from Minick and Simpson. I won a jelly roll of their new fabric line, American Banner Rose. It isn't even out yet, so was thrilled to have won. I am thinking of making two smaller quilts with it. One from the new magazine, Primitive Quilts and Projects and maybe an americana one.



And another blogging friend is sending me one of her art panels. Fannie Narte does such beautiful work with her fabric paintings, I just love the designs. I want to make a purse or tote, so this will go into something I can use for my things when I go to classes someday. Visit her blog and you will be inspired. The panel's name is, "Surround yourself with Magic".
And if you haven't already, don't forget to leave a comment for my Giveaway!

Lazy day and warped dies!

I had a lazy day today, I did some cleaning and some baking, and then some stitching, but nothing big.
I am working on a stitchery heart and experimenting with fabric and ink markers, so that should be done tomorrow.

I am cleaning my sewing room, so I can work more efficiently and find things.
Over the year, I have been creating and throwing things around, now it is a total mess.
With my ribs, I can only do so much at a time, but getting there. I am using plastic boxes and pull outs drawers, so I can store, but get easy access, without making more clutter.

I can't blame the cats, they are not allowed in there. They do want to come in though, lots of things to get into and knock over;)
When I just had Dora, she was allowed in to help me sew, but now she is too obnoxious and the others would get jealous.
This is what happens when Dora helps, she has a fixation with eating things. She has also chewed off all the tips, on one of my fake plants. She will chew on anything, including needles, so I have to keep everything in tight boxes.



On the Accuquilt go front, I am still having problems. I had more free money, so I got the apple core die. It came and I noticed it was warped, so told the company I ordered from and they sent me a new one. The new one is warped, does to happen to others or is it just me? I got a replacement for the hexagon die and was cutting my new ones with the middle size and it bent?
So now I have two warped apple cores and two hexagons, each with a bent blade. Accuquilt's response to the warped die was, try it and if it works, use it. It makes it tough, since i ordered from Amazon and from different companies, otherwise I would send it all back at this point. Time to write a letter to accuquilt;)

Finished Hexagons!

Today I decided to finish my hexagon quilt.
I added ties to the middle of each flower and a couple of reddish orange tacks on some blacks.
It needed more than that, and I didn't want to cover it with ties, so I went with machine stitching in the inner and outer border area. To bind it, I cut off the excess backing and batting to 1 1/2" from the outer seam line.
I fold the black over the backing and then fold that in half to give it a smooth look on the back.
I was not trying to be perfect with this quilt, since I made it for fun and to try out hexagons.
It will make a nice lap quilt though.

As you can see Izzy is the first to try it out. She is happy that Moki is no longer using the office, she likes to sit on the chaise, when I am in here. For the backing I used the fabric that is in some hexagons and it has most of the shades in the flowers. I found that at a thrift store.



Here it is laid out. I think it might be a good piece to leave in my room for when I am sitting and working on designs, this winter. I used two layers of batting to make it warm.

My entry for IHAN's Giveaway

Kelly, from IHAN is having a wonderful giveaway and we had to pick one of the things to do, to be entered.
I choose showing my sewing room, without cleaning it first.
Kelly is giving, on lucky winner, the chance to win an Accuquilt Go fabric cutter and I want one!
Even though I don't want anyone else to win, check out her contest and her store, she carries a lot of wonderful notions and supplies, all at discounted prices.

This is my sewing area. My machine, a really fancy embroidery machine, that I have no idea how to use and don't ask me what possessed me to buy it, that is another story;) It does sew like a dream and I will learn how to use it, someday. I hang unfinished projects on the chair and on the ladder. I find old cabinets at the consignments and use those to store my sewing items in. And I use plastic, it isn't pretty, but it is functional. I have large basets on the floor too, to store yarns and wool in. That is my chair, my favorite tool to use, lol. I can wheel around the room, while I am working.



This is most of my stash. I really need to organize it again. I take things out and throw them back and now it is all mixed up.
I love cabinets with shelves for things I like to see and doors to hide everything else. As you can see, there are cats everywhere.



And this is where I do my main work, cutting and piecing and ironing. I do like to iron and press my seams as I go.
The table is really too low for cutting on, but would be easier with a Go cutter;) I have baskets on the walls to hold my scraps, scraps on the table and a mix of this and that in boxes and plastic under the table. Since I couldn't clean, you can see my rulers hanging. They go with the basket area on push in hooks. It is a great way to store them and easy to grab. Of course my radio is there too, I love to listen to celtic music when I am creating.
So, now you know what my room looks like normally, especially when I am working on a bunch of projects at once. One of these days I will organize better so I can find things and some curtains would be nice.

My at Home Vacation Day

Today was a cloudy day, and since we were not sure if it would rain, we decided to do some shopping and see how the weather went. I hit the Pfaff shop and got a new foot for my machine. I have a closed foot, I use for free motion and I cannot see where I am going, so I got myself a real free motion foot. And we also hit the folk art quilt store and I treated myself to some sale fabrics and a yard of tea stained. I love using the tea stained for applique and stitched sayings.



Then we hit the thrift and an antique consignment. Nothing in the antique store, but at the thrift I found this set of vintage linens. I think they would be great with some prim stitcheries and a walnut bath.



The great thing about shopping in the southern area, is we are close to the ocean. So, of course our next stop was the breakers at Point Judith. It was a cloudy day, but not raining and the air was so fresh and clean feeling. This is one of the interesting stories about how it got it's name. A Nantucket sea captain, lost in the fog off the point. The captain's daughter shouted that she spotted land. The captain, unable to discern anything in the fog, exhorted his daughter to "P'int, Judy, p'int!"
You can see the light going on, in this shot.



The breakers were a perfect place to walk today. The tide was low and no waves threatening to splash you off;)



We walked almost to the end, but at that end point, it is covered in Seagull poo. It is gross and all over the rocks, at the far end. Today they were on the beach, fighting over tidbits in the shallow waters.



For some reason, they weren't interested in this guy. This is a skate, they taste a lot like scallops. Seagulls are scavengers, but I guess they weren't in the mood for skate.



Coming back from the beach, we enjoyed the sweet smell of the wildflowers.



All this rain has turned everything into a lush garden. The dune was covered in wild roses.



As we were leaving, the ferry and a trawler were coming into port. It was a wonderful day out and fun having a vacation at home. Tomorrow more rain, so we will work on the house and my husband can finish the wainscoting in the bedroom. Don't forget, comments left in each blog this week, count as an extra entry into the contest.

New Booklet is ready!

I finally got the new horse booklet done. There are some with a lot of detail, so more time redoing them and cleaning them up when I scan them in. It has 4 of my original patterns that have been done with punch, hooking and painting. Then I added the two new ones with different versions, as well as, the colors I used in those pieces.

It is a great book for punching or hooking, the designs work well, with both. I have raised the cost of this one to 14.00.
I decided to make these patterns into a booklet, which saves from buying one pattern at a time, so I thought it fair. What do you think? I have also been asked to do print patterns and I am thinking about it. But, I do enjoy doing the epatterns, they are cost effective, so I can charge less than I would if I sold them as separate patterns and you can get them and start working on them, the same day you pay. Which way do you prefer? Epatterns or Print?



I also had a request for the sewing kitty and made her up today. She is such a fun pattern and makes a great gift for your sewing friends. I may make another one as a gift and use a lighter background, this time. She is sold as a single. You can find my patterns on my ecrater site, link to the left. I really do enjoy seeing the pieces others make from my designs, so please share them with us.

Scrap Blocks Finished

Today is Sunday and for me, that is a day of rest. It means I do what I want, when I want;)
Today I was in the mood to finish my scrappy quilt, so that is what I worked on. I got all the blocks together and was ready to move onto the borders, but I am tired, so enough for today.

Now I have to decide if I want to make strip colors going around the quilt or strip pieces going sideways.
What do you think? How would you border this piece? It will be finished off with floss ties, so I want to keep it simple and naive looking.

I really liked making these blocks, it is fun and easy. I was thinking they would look great with some scattered appliques on some blocks or some stitchery. It would also be a great way to practice top stitching with different designs in the blocks.



Of course Dora and Izzy had to help out. Dora is mad because Izzy got the window seat. But, they did take turns with the window and bugging me while I quilted. Dora got a bit too close and while I was cutting some fabric with the scissors, I didn't realize she had her tail underneath. So, she got a little haircut, lol. Thank God, that is all I cut. No more kitties in the sewing room.

Kitty Pin Cushions

I am still working on my braided runner, but I think one more round should do it. It is not wide, but the length is what takes time going around. Once I finish that, I can go back to my large hooked runner and finish that.

I made up a some more Kitty pincushions from Rock River Stitches.
They are fun to make and work up quick. I think they will make great gifts to send for fun.

I am experimenting with different materials to see what I like best.
This one I did in black material for the kitty and a homespun for the base. I like working with homespun, it is soft and easy to handle. This one is my favorite, so far. The picture does not do it justice. I had extra room, so I put two spools on it.



The second one I did in ticking for the base and the kitty is made of wool. Wool is definitely easier to work with, and it hides a multiple of mistakes;) I really need to pay attention to my sewing, to keep the circles in shape, but mine end up a bit off here and there. I took some yarn and made a little ball out of it, love the look. I will make more when I get a chance and try different types of wool too.

New Punch Pieces: Kitty and angels

Today I finished up two pieces that I had made. The first one is one I made a few months ago and wasn't sure what to do with it.
I made it into a pillow. I think Pillows are nice because you can hang them anywhere or put them in a group setting, so they are more versatile pieces. This one was based on an antique postcard, I love the design and am thinking of doing another someday in lighter colors.



The second is one I made this week. It is based on a design I found in an old sampler. It was a test sample, I like to see how they work up and what I do and don't like about a design before I make it into a pattern. I will probably rework this one differently and try another punch with it. This one I made into a thinner pillow, so that it can hang flatter on a cupboard or wall. Hopefully this coming week, I can get to work on the patterns some of you have requested and have them done by next weekend.

Quilting with Dora

Today I worked on my cat wall hanging. I finally got the top stitching done and the binding.
Now it is in the dryer, so tomorrow I will show you how it came out.
I usually shut the door to my sewing room, but I forgot this time and guess who came to help out, while I wasn't looking.
While I was working on adding a border design, Dora was busy trying to figure out how scissors work.
I cannot leave anything around with her, she plays, and chews on anything she can get her paws on.

I also finished two punches, but they are going out as presents, so no showing for now;)

New punch Pieces

Today I worked on my rug and was hoping to finish the last dog, but that isn't going to happen, unless I stay up another hour working on it;) So, I decided to show you some pieces I made this month. I have not decided what to do with them, they may be presents, they may go on ebay. I have not had good luck with ebay and hate to put things up to see them go for pennies, I rather give them as gifts.

This piece is based on an antique rug. I love the simple designs and this is what I based my runner on. Love the simplicity of it.
I think it would look good on an antique box.



This piece was based on an old postcard. I thought it would make a nice needle keep or on a sewing box. I used 3 strands for some of the smaller areas and the rest was 6 strands.

The rest of my Sewing Room

I took some shots of the other areas of my room, so you can see how I have it set up. I retook the corner shot first, I changed the wall quilt and put a larger one that I made. That was done for a quilt challenge, where we had to send each other fabrics and embellishments and create a quilt with them and this is what I came up with.



This area is my work station. I used my old large dining table, so I can cut, piece, or pin my projects on a larger surface. It also hold assorted items for now and my serger for rugs. Eventually I will get a real iron board, need a bigger one for the quilts. Shows you how much I iron;) On the wall I have baskets which will be filled with precut squares from scrap fabrics. I plan on having more baskets and filling each one with different colors. I hung my rulers on the wall with hanger tacks, they are great for rulers and easy to put in. Then books and assorted items on my shelf.



The other wall holds my larger cabinet. It is perfect for all my fabrics. The cute kitty in the corner was a gift from my husband last christmas. It is nice to have a husband who doesn't mind my obsession with cats;) The beautiful cat rug was made by my friend Kelley, it was a late christmas surprise, I just love it. Eventually I will add more wall cabinets and curtains, but it is a nice place for me to work and be creative.

Some new decorations in my sewing room

My husband redid a room, so I could have a room just for sewing. I am enjoying sewing again and making quilts and it is nice to have to room to sew and places to work on projects. This is a section of my sewing room. I used my big old desk for the sewing machine, love using it and the drawers are perfect for putting the accessories in. The little cabinet is where I hide my paints and other items. Eventually I will change it out for a larger unit with shelves for my fabric stash.
To the left of that, along the wall, I have my old dining table, perfect for piecing and cutting. I also have my serger there, which I use for the edges of my rug backings. It is a mess right now, so pictures of that side will have to wait;) I still need to make curtains and add more wall decor, but it is getting there.