A Charity Quilt and a quick tablerunner

Ok, shield your eyes. This quilt is a little bright. The fabric was given to me at a quilt meeting. It was Hancock's BOM fabric several years ago. One of our ladies worked at Hancocks and they gave her the leftover BOM's for charity. I have several more packages to put together for charity, this is the first....I love the border fabric. I made this to go to a bigger child or as a lap quilt...





This is a tablerunner that I made from a kit. This was alot of fun. It went together very quickly....Anyway, I'm just going to quilt it in the ditch and call it finished. I have to dig through my stash and get some backing fabric for it first. The kit came with the pattern and fabric but no backing fabric. I really like the fabric...Of course, it doesn't go with anything in my house. I really just bought it for the pattern so it didn't matter at the time that it really wasn't my colors but I really like it. Hmmm, we'll see what it looks like after it's quilted. It could turn out to be a Christmas gift for someone.

Lazy weekends and a little tatting

I worked on several quilt blocks this past Saturday. I'll post a picture of those later. I'm trying to get caught up on all my BOM's and get back on track. I am still trying to finish things up. I am working on a BOM from 2007. I have all the big blocks done, now I just have to do all the completer blocks or small blocks that go with it. This is the first 30's quilt I have done. I was enjoying myself but started getting hungry. I came downstairs to eat lunch and made the mistake of turning on the TV while I ate lunch. I got interested in a program on TV and didn't go back up to my sewing room at all that afternoon. I had such plans, but since I don't have to get up and go to work on Saturday mornings anymore, I feel so lazy! It is really nice just to relax and enjoy sewing or relaxing with a nice cup of coffee and not having to rush around. I should have done this years ago.....Well, I can't just watch TV and not do something with my hands so I started tatting some little motifs. I'll do some more sewing this next week and post those pics this week.

I am so proud of myself, I just had to tell you.... I tried doing this little pattern a few weeks ago and I just couldn't do it. I tried it several times and just kept messing it up every time. I had a blockage where this pattern was concerned. I know this is not a hard pattern, I was just misreading the directions everytime I tried it... Anyway, I finally did it and it wasn't hard at all. I've seen this on several people's blogs and I just had to try it one more time. It went together so easy this time...This was from an old Workbasket magazine. It was really fun to do this time. Go figure...I don't know what was wrong with me but I really felt like I had done something when I finished this one!



Here's one I did last week and forgot to post. This is another Heart's Desire, pattern is by Susan Fuller. It is my favorite heart pattern. This is in the same thread as the butterfly above. This is Lisbeth thread...Marble. I love the thread. It is one of my favorite colors...I saw this tatted in this thread on Intatter's - Fox Tats and I loved it. I just had to have one of my own. Thanks Fox. By the way, she's got a new blog called Tat-ology.com, isn't that cute....Check out her blog, it's great.




I also saw another motif Fox had tatted called Mardi Gras, the pattern is by Patty D and I just had to tat that one too. I had fun doing this one too....This was challenging with the SSSR (Single Shuttle Split Ring) but I so enjoyed the challenge. I'm working on it again and making another one. I'll be sharing this pattern with my tatting group tomorrow. This thread is size 10 thread called Mexicali by J.P.Coates. It's a heavy thread but I just love the colors. I'll do it again in a smaller thread later.




Now, here are some other little motifs I tatted during the week. I just didn't have a chance to post them til now. The little crosses are from Jane Eborall's website and they are called Small Cross. I did these to learn the self closing mock ring. I love doing these. Lots of fun.... You can get the pattern off of her site at this
link....Jane Eborall Jane has a great blog and website. Lots of patterns and lots of help with tatting....I hope you look at her blog.





I tatted the purple one at the tatting group last week and the other one yesterday. I'm sorry but I can't remember what book it came out of, I'll find out tomorrow. I ordered the book and should get it in the mail. I'll update this and let you know where I got it. I told you I liked that thread. I think it's a fun thread to use...(Mexicali)




I did this one and I don't remember what or where the pattern came from. I just wanted to use the thread. It is Omega and tats up very stiff. It would be really good for coasters.



I'll post my other quilting pictures later. I need to get off for now and do some tatting and get ready for tomorrow. Til next time.....

Getting ready for a binding class-Ironing mats or hot pads

Here's some pictures of what I did today. I am doing a binding class for my sewing group. Some of them are quilters and some are not but they wanted me to show them how to bind a quilt. I had to come up with something that all of them would like and be able to use even if they didn't want to make a quilt. I used cheater cloth, cotton batting and the silver silicone fabric (you know, like on ironing boards) to come up with this project. I made blocks as large as 11 1/2 inches and as small as 10 inches, whatever I could get out of the fabric....I quilted these blocks "in the ditch" and I will let the girls sew on the binding in class. The finished product can either be used for a hot pad or a little ironing mat for classes or retreats.





Here's what the finished products look like... I hope they like them. This is the first one I made out of small left over fabrics. I just sewed small pieces together and came up with a size I thought was workable.



One of my friends was throwing this away but gave it to me when I told her not to throw fabric out. This was one of those pre printed panels, you know like for pillows or small wall quilts. I think it turned out real cute even if I do say so myself plus it will come in handy to iron on in a class.



All of the fabric and the batting was left over from other quilts. I didn't buy anything for this project and I hope my friends like my idea. I guess I'll find out in May when I teach this little class. I might use up some of my orphan blocks for these in the future, depending on the response of this class. I want to see how well received they are before I make up my mind.
til next time....

Susan Boyle

I just fell in love with Susan Boyle. Wow, what a voice. I think she's wonderful. I have added my playlist back on and I hope you enjoy her as much as I do. For those of you who have not heard of her, she was on Britain's Got Talent and has been all over the web the last couple of days....Anyway, she gave Simon a thrill. I cried when I heard her. I hope she stays around for a long time.

An Introduction and a request

I want to introduce you to a little friend of mine. She came to live with me this past week. I adopted her from another friend of mine who couldn't keep her anymore cause she had too many little friends like her. Her name is Hilda Highpockets and she now lives at my house and I have introduced to alot of new little friends here.
I think she is so cute, I just couldn't pass her up. She is sitting in front of a little quilt that I also acquired from my friend. She made this little redwork quilt and I thought it was really cute so I brought it home with me too. After all, Hilda had to have something familiar to her so she would be comfortable the first couple of days. Well, to say the least, she has gotten very comfortable in my home and says she never wants to leave. She has made so many new friends here.




Look at the redwork blocks, aren't they cute.




Here are some heart shaped pillows I made this week. My quilting group and my sewing group make pillows like this and we donate them to the Breast Resource Center at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. Every breast cancer patient that has surgery there gets one of these or something like it. We have made alot of these over the years and they always call me for more. The patients really appreciate someone thinking of them as they go through this tough time in their lives.

Ok, I posted these to ask you or remind you to please punch the pink button on the right of the screen to click on the Breast Cancer site. Each click is a free donation to someone that cannot afford a mammogram. This site is trying to get 200 clicks this month and they will make a sizeable donation to breast cancer research. Please take a moment and click on the pink button. Thanks for helping....

Tatting -Mickey's Dreamcatcher

Look at this, Mickey(one of the many talented ladies in my Tatting Group) had no pattern, she made this up herself. This is amazing. She did a wonderful job...now you know why I call her the teacher's pet, she deserves it!
Future designer, huh?! Lovely work, Mickey...

Tatting Tuesday

I went to tatting last night and had a great time. I FINALLY learned how to do the SCMR (Self Closing Mock Ring). I didn't think I would ever get it but the light bulb went off...I did 3 little crosses and I was able to close the ring like it should be. YOO HOO.
I have been really disgusted with myself the last couple of weeks because I wasn't able to do this technique and then last night at the meeting, Kathy looked at what I was trying to do and she told me what I was doing wrong. Then it just all came together...I felt really dumb but now I feel a whole lot better. I'm going to try that pattern again that I could not do three weeks ago and see if I can do it now. I'll take pictures later. I don't know how something so trivial can undermine our confidence but it sure does. Ok, I'll let you know later what I do and I'll also post some pics I took last night of all our tatted Easter eggs. They were really cute. Til next time....

Pigtales and Quilts Give Away....

What a wonderful giveaway. Go check out Pigtales and Quilts...she is having a celebration in honor of her daughter turning 30. She's having a 30 Fat Quarter Give Away....Doesn't that sound like fun? 30 Fat quarters can make a Turning 20 quilt, a bag or several bags, or sharing some with some lucky friends....Click here and it will take you to her blog to enter...Please let her know I sent you....Good luck.

Easter and Grandkids

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter holiday. We got up and went to early church so I could come home and cook for the family. It was so wet we couldn't hide eggs outside so we had an Easter egg hunt in the living room. My grandkids came and dyed the eggs first. That was alot of fun. I even learned something about dying eggs from my 5 year old grandson. I always put the egg into hot water to shrink the egg sleeve decoration but he told me we could shrink it with a blow dryer. It works. He said, see, Grammy, I told you you could do it! We had a good time doing that and putting stickers on the eggs. Then, I hid the eggs and they searched for them over and over again. Little kids are so much fun to be around. We had a wonderful day with them and the family. Here's some pictures of my beautiful grandkids.

This is Brandon (age 5), Alayna (age 4) and Trent (age 4 months).




Here's another picture of Trent. I think he is the happiest baby I have ever been around. He is at the cooing and laughing phase and it is so adorable to hear a baby laugh. Sweet, sweet sounds from a sweet, sweet baby....


Til next time....

New blog and new quilt

I have started another blog. No, I am not stopping this one. I started a new one to go along with the new quilt BOM I and several other people will be working on this next year. (Yes, I have completed my 10 items on my list and I will show some of those later this week....)

The new blog is called Thomas Quilt 2009 and is geared around a new Marti Michell pattern BOM that we will be making through Thomas Sewing Center in Mesquite, Tx. We did a Marti Michell quilt last year and it was beautiful. It is the quilt you see when I comment on other people's blogs... Anyway, this is a BOM and is a $5.00 quilt. If you make your block each month and pick your block up on time. The blocks will only cost you the $5.00. New blocks will be available the 2nd Saturday of each month. Yous can click here and see the blog. Come on over and see what we are working on this year. The fabric is called Return to Romance by Willowberry Lane and it is beautiful....If you get a chance check out the fabric. Til next time....

Tatting Hearts and Gloria Snowflake

Here's some finishes for my tatted hearts collection....

The top left one is called My Heart by Eileen Stafford. The middle one is called Easy Little Heart and it is by Ruth Perry and the little heart at the right side is called Mini Heart by Gillian Buchanan. All of these little hearts were free patterns from the internet...





This is called 34 Hearts by Emma Crew. I plan on doing this one again too.





This is a pattern by Ruth Perry and is called Gloria Snowflake. I so enjoyed doing this one...It was a real challenge for me but I love it. I plan on doing this one again in a different thread. I used a size 10 thread just to see if I could do it. Now, I'm going to use some good thread for it.

Some pictures of the Tyler Texas Quilt Show

Here's a few picures of the Tyler Quilt show. It was a fun show and was well worth the drive...I hope you enjoy these....

A Quilt Finish

Ok, here's another little quilt that I finished. I had to hurry so I could give it away for a raffle for a kid's camp. This was fun to do and I hope it gets a little bit of money for the kids.

Happy Tatting Day

I've always known this day as April Fools. It's nice to know that it is known for something else....Happy International Tatting Day!!!