Quilty Indulgence

Rainbow Wrap - A Wonderful Scrappy Gift

2011-11-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

Again, keeping to the Scrappy Theme, I just completed the wrap you see above and I found it to be one of the most wonderful projects I have tackled in quite some time. It's called The Rainbow Wrap by the Rag Merchant. I can't find a website for the company, but found numerous vendors selling this, and other, wonderful patterns by this company. If anyone out there knows Jill Abeloe Meade or anyone connected with her company, the Rag Merchant, point me in the direction of that website. I want to do more of her creations - they are gorgeous. Below is a cover shot of the pattern.

OK, back to the wrap. Seriously, I am going to find it impossible to give this away. I saw this wrap on the shoulders of a vendor at the Jacksonville Quilt Fest in October. This vendor wasn't selling the pattern - she was simply keeping warm. If you've ever been to the Jacksonville Quilt Fest you are nodding in understanding right now - that place is air conditioned so well you could store meat there with no concerns of it going bad. I digress, but it's true. OK, back to the wrap - I was struck by its beauty and once I realized that it was made entirely from scraps strips of batiks, I squealed like a pig! This wrap is gorgeous. It feels as good on you as it looks. Last night after I finished mine I wrapped it around my shoulders while I worked on some paperwork and it was positively cozy. Not too heavy, but just right and oh, so soft. I immediately realized that this wrap would be wonderful on a car trip, airplane ride, or even in a movie theater. As you will see, this wrap is not only gorgeous, it's incredibly versatile.

Worth mentioning is that this wrap is extremely easy and fun to make. It took longer to sort and cut the strips than it did to sew it up. As stated on the pattern, "The frayed edge wrap is constructed of narrow strips of bright cotton fabric and it's trimmed with bias binding. For best results use fabrics that look good on both sides like the batik fabrics..." While constructing this, you get to use all those fancy stitches on your machine that we can never think of what to use them for. If your machine is limited in decorative stitches, no worries, the pattern shows you how to use just a straight stitch that will make it just as lovely! It's so fun to make and wouldn't this make the perfect gift? To give you ideas for color choices, I found some photos of finished wraps online and I also included the one I saw at Jacksonville. Aren't they gorgeous? Also worth noting is that the wrap finishes 18 inches wide and it is light enough to fold in half and use as a regular scarf if you need a traditional scarf in cold climates.

Scrappy Lil Twisters

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

My newest obsession (like I need one) is the Primitive Pinwheels tool from Primitive Gatherings. This one uses 3.5 inch square scraps of fabric and my goodness are the possibilities endless! I finished my first one and immediately bought a stand to hang it in. Now I have made different ones for different seasons and holidays.

Above is my favorite Christmas wall hanging - it was designed by The Gathering Room and is called Twisted Christmas (beware - their webpage loads as slow as molasses - so be patient). The pattern calls for 5 inch squares, but you can easily substitute 3.5 inch squares like I did above and get the same exact design, just smaller. So it would fit in the hanger, I left off the borders. I became so addicted to the Christmas wreaths, I made three different sizes. One using the 5 inch squares, one using the 3.5 inch squares, and the even smaller one using the 2.5 inch squares. Again ... made from scraps, quick and easy (three hours, start to finish!), and most important - FUN! Happy Holidays, everyone!

Scrappy Christmas Idea for that Dog in Your Life

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Recently I had need of a doggie gift for my son's new dog and I was at a complete loss as to what I should make. He already had a dog bed, which was my first choice, so I decided to make a blanket for his cage. I dug into my flannel stash, and this is what I came up with - a flannel rag quilt. Instead of using a little square of batting in each square, I simply used a piece of scrap flannel. Look what a beautiful "bloom" I got from doing that. So, I was cutting three layers of flannel instead of the typical two layers. I was thrilled with the end result!

Obviously, my daughter-in-law liked it as well, because I recently noticed it in a cell phone photo of my grandson. I wonder if the dogs ever got a chance to lay on it.... hmmmm.

Either way, it sure turned out to be one cozy quilt.

How About a Scrappy Christmas?

2011-11-07T11:52:00.001-04:00

There's still time to make some spectacular scrappy Christmas gifts! I just completed a few gifts that were very fast and very inexpensive. I already had everything I needed to make these projects, so other than my time, they were free and during these not so great economic times, what could be better?

Above and below is my newest creation for new mommies - the play mat quilt. The one that is sashed with white fabric was made for my newest Granddaughter, Nora. My daughter loves it because it's only about 40" x 40" and very easy to grab, throw down for a quick diaper change, or to lay across the couch when Princess Nora is propped up in the corner of the couch where she "holds court". It truly is a very versatile quilt and because it's not very fancy, there is no fear of ruining it with use. It's made to be used! Utilitarian in nature, it really doesn't look it if you pick striking fabrics.

In fact, my daughter liked it so much I made a "boys" version for her to give to her friend when she has her baby boy. That one is shown above and is sashed with lime green.

Here is a close up of the label and the simple quilting I used. Oh, and below you see a gratuitous shot of Nora, happy as can be, giggling on her quilt. Isn't she a cutie pie??

The quilts are made from 5" squares. I didn't use charm packs as I wanted to use up scraps. It takes 49 - 5" squares. The sashing is 1.5" strips that when finished give you 1" sashing. Once complete, I quilt it myself using a decorative "soft" zig-zag stitch on my Janome and away I go. What could be easier?

And from previous blog posts, here are great inspirations made entirely from scraps, that I think go nicely with the play mat.

Of course, I had to make a quilted scrappy bib, using my Quilty Indulgence Toddle Bib pattern... It really does wash like iron and last just as long... I made the bib using 3" squares with 1 inch sashing.

There are more yo-yo toys to come... I am becoming obsessed....

Meet the Teddy Bears

2011-10-07T09:20:00.001-04:00

This past January I decided that I was going to learn something new and take a Teddy Bear class from the Master, Francy Gordon of Bears: Plain and Francy. I am very lucky because she lives locally and teaches out of a local quilt shop, Country Quilts and Bears. When I started the class I knew I was going to be making three Bears. One for each of our three grandchildren. Funny thing is that shortly after I choose the fabric and mohair to make the three bears, I got a call from my oldest Granddaughter, Madelyn. She called to tell me we were going to have another grandbaby. I was going to need four bears!

What you see above is the first three Bears. They are sitting on the lap of Francy's biggest bear, Boo Boo. From left to right they are Isabella, Rory, and Olivia. I picked the name for each bear based on the grandchild it was going to go to. In naming the bears I used the last name in the list their parents had before they picked the official name for each grandchild. Does that make sense? Lucy was supposed to be Olivia - when she was born her parents named her Lucy instead. Lucy's bear is now called Olivia.

Here is Hazel with her quilt. I couldn't very well give them a teddy bear without a custom quilt to go with it, now could I? Hazel went to Nora. Nora is our youngest grandchild.

Here is Olivia. She went to Lucy. Lucy is nearly three years old already. How can that be?

This is Rory. He went to my only Grandson, Jackson. He, just like his owner, is cute as a button!

Here is Isabella. She went to Madelyn, my oldest grandchild. This was the first time I made a square in a square quilt. I will buy that ruler if I do it again...

I can honestly say that I have never been more proud of anything I have made before. These bears are spectacular - when you take a class from Francy, you really leave with a wonderful product. She is one of the best teachers I have ever had. These bears are heirlooms. They are made from real mohair and are absolutely wonderful to hug, cuddle and play with, as well as to just admire. If you are ever in the Tampa Bay area, give Francy a call and see when her next class is. Making a bear with her is truly a wonderful experience! If you don't want to make a bear yourself, she sells her creations on her website. She also does a great deal of custom work for clients. You can take to her that old fur your relative left for you and have her make it into a teddy bear. Check out her website - it's fun to see her bears!

Jacksonville Quilt Fest - Fun Fun Fun!

2011-09-25T13:46:00.000-04:00

Quilty Indulgence Quilted Toddler Bib

Here in my lovely state of Florida we have a wonderful quilt show called Quilt Fest of Jacksonville. It is put on by seven amazing guilds who who come together as a group, calling themselves "Seven Sisters" for the purpose of this show. And what a show this is! I was in awe of the beautiful quilts on display as well as the 70+ vendor booths. Wow! It was row after row of quilter eye candy and goodies! I met many wonderful people and I spoke to several about my Quilted Toddler Bib pattern. Everyone loved the design I put onto the bib and I promised to post the source for the design and the bib here on my blog. The pumpkin is a free machine embroidery pattern from Sew Swell Embroidery Designs (scroll down - it's in the fifth row) and let me tell you, the quality of their work is amazing. I love their work! The font was one that came installed on my machine. I believe it's called Kidz. There - that's the source list for the whole project. Now all I have left to do today is unpack, do the laundry, catch up on paperwork, vacuum, empty the dishwasher, dust, sort through the mail, do more laundry, change the sheets, sweep, and get groceries. Yeah, a relaxing Sunday for sure....

Fabulous Feedback!

2011-09-20T00:30:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful surprise it was when I discovered this darling photo of finished jackets and hats that were made from my super simple Quilted Baby Doll Jacket and Hat pattern. These gorgeous jackets were made by Beate Kingsley (or Sewloonie, as she calls herself on etsy) who left this photo as feedback on my etsy shop. Beate hails from the southern shores of Georgian Bay, which as she states in her profile on flickr, is sometimes called The Sixth Great Lake. It is actually part of Lake Huron, separated from it by the Bruce Peninsula which is located in Ontario, Canada. She is very lucky to be just a few hours north of Toronto. Whew, there is everyone's geography lesson for the day! Beate is quite a seamstress and by the photographs I have found on her flickr accout, I can tell she loves her grandchildren! She's a quilter, a knitter, and obviously loves to sew for children and babies. It's worth the trip to flickr to see what she has created up there in Canada. One of her albums, FOE FUN, has me wanting to learn all about this Fold Over Elastic.....

As I sit here and type this, I am willing to bet that my new friend from the great white north isn't wearing shorts and flip flops like I am. It's still in the 90's down here. Where is our fall??? Yoo hooo ... we are ready for you... tap tap tap....

Nora Pearl Has Arrived

2011-09-13T19:34:00.008-04:00

Here she is, my newest grandchild, Nora Pearl. She was born on August 24th at 1:25 a.m and weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces. Princess Nora wasn't due until the 30th, but she got bored and decided that the time had come to make an entrance. I think she knew there was a hurricane coming and that it was aimed straight for the east coast. Nora's pretty smart because she realized that that would cause Grandma some (serious) travel problems, so she ended everyones stress and came before the storm. What a good girl!

Here she is with her mommy a few days after she was born. Isn't she a cutie??

Above you see my oldest grandchild, Madelyn, holding her youngest sister, Nora. Madelyn has been the best big sister. I'm very proud of her!

Above you see Lucy, also a big sister now, holding her baby sister. Doesn't Lucy look angelic here? Three girls in one house - that's going to be fun to watch, especially since I, too, was one of three girls so I know the fun that they are all in for.

Above is a picture I took of Lucy's foot with Nora's tiny foot on top. Just before Nora was born Lucy's feet seemed so small, now they look so big! Check out Lucy's anklet. I soooooo love Lucy!

Here's Jackson! He's nearly one already - how can that be? Isn't he a doll? Look at those eyes. They melt me every time he looks my way. Did you notice the Christmas tree behind him? And the gifts wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper? Yes, you guessed it. It was GRANDMA CHRISTMAS! We had it on a Sunday morning at Nikki's and it was fabulous. I will post photos of the teddy bears I made for each of the kids very soon. I will say this - of all the things I have made through the years, I am most proud of those bears!

So there you have it - my four Grandchildren. The loves of my life. I am blessed!

Quilt Retreat and a New Grandbaby!

2011-09-07T20:14:00.016-04:00

And what a retreat it was!!! That's Renita in the photo above. She and I drive together. Well, when I say "drive", what I really mean is that she drives and I ride. We usually bunk together, too. She's a perfect retreat buddy.

One of the wonderful things about a quilt retreat is the inspiration it naturally inspires. Renita finished a fabulous quilt at the retreat. I loved everything about it. It was called "Nice People Nice Things". Renita did her handwork in a beautiful pink floss and then sashed the blocks in a delicate line of pink and green fabrics. Did I take a photo of that quilt? Nope. I had to go searching for photos of blocks made by other people using the same pattern and then snitch them to show you all here.

Aren't they fabulous? Just pretend they are bordered in pink and green fabrics with all pink embroidery floss.

I can't wait to finish the BOM, Birdie Stitches, and get started on my own set. Yes, you heard me correctly. I found the whole set of iron on transfers for sale in the "Sale Room" at retreat. This set usually retails for $56.00. I got mine for (sit down for your own safety) $2.50!!!! It was complete serendipity!

I think this will be Nora Pearl's quilt one day. Oh, who is Nora Pearl you ask? She is my new granddaughter! We will get to her later. She was born about 30 hours after I got home from retreat....

How appropriate that I found a photo of the "friends" block just in time to introduce you to Pat and Judy (see below). Judy is on the phone with Aiden and Pat is on the left. You will all know Pat very soon as she is the author of the soon to be famed blog, Pattypiecer.

Below is Flo - she is making a pretty amazing Twister Quilt using the 6.5 inch blocks. I can't show that one because it's a secret...

Below is Cathy. She was a wonderful new addition to our group and I thoroughly enjoyed her company. I also thoroughly enjoyed her steam iron - see photo above. I dream about that thing at night. Really, I do.

This brings me to Judy, who you see below, holding up her Primitive Pinwheels quilt from Primitive Gatherings. She and I did this special project together - I did mine using batiks, and she used civil war fabrics. Both of our small quilts rock!

But they weren't as small as the one this crazy lady made. It's a smaller version of the Primitive Pinwheels quilt that Judy and I made. I nearly died when I saw hers. I am still trying to understand why...?

Well, it's mighty late and I just can't type another word so the Nora Pearl post will have to come next week. Sorry everyone, but this is one tired Grandmom! May all your dreams involve thread or grandbabies! Night all.

It's That Time Again!

2011-08-17T22:39:00.010-04:00

Yep. It's that happy time again - Retreat Weekend! I have loaded the Bug (see above) and my friends are assembled (see below) and we are ready to rock n roll! There's Judy and Renita and Pat and Donna and even Flo! Yes, that's Flo in the purple dress, of course. WAIT!!! Is that Aiden under the table?? How did he get there without being detected??!!

See the suitcase on the back of my Bug? That's the suitcase I have packed for when I go to NY. We are expecting our the 4th grandchild soon and I have to be prepared, just in case I get the call. Nora isn't scheduled to arrive until August 30th, but you never know... I will keep you all posted.

OK, I will be honest. Yes, I drive a VW Bug, but sadly, it's not a supremely cool one like the one shown above. It's only a regularly cool one about 50 years newer than the one shown above. Second, my dear friend Renita is driving us to the retreat in her Mini Van, which as I type this is packed to the gills. Renita, I know I've said it a few times today, but seriously, you rock. Really. You do. Now, Ladies, Start your sewing machines and let's get this party started!!!

...and I will remember to take photos this time! Mare, it wouldn't hurt to send me a few texts to remind me.... Roni, I know you are busy with the wedding, but send us a text or two so we feel like you are with us. Pam, you will be missed - have a wonderful trip north!

Updated Scrappy Toy Bag

2011-08-08T16:52:00.012-04:00

Here is the updated Scrappy Toy Bag after the name change. I even embellished both sides with wonderful flowers made from the Clover Kanzashi Flower maker. Even they are made from scraps and old buttons! This is definitely my Scrappy Summer.... Oh, and I am putting the label on the quilted play mat that also goes in that bag and as soon as that is done I will post photos of that as well. Oh, unless I get "the call" and have to grab my suitcase and run to the airport. WooooHoooooo! A whole week of nothing but grandchildren! Does it get any better than that??? NOPE!

Quilted Scrappy Toy Bag

2011-08-06T22:25:00.014-04:00

Remember the Scrappy Balls from a few posts back? Well, here is the Scrappy Toy Bag I have made for those balls, and a few other things, to travel in. My newest granddaughter is due to arrive in a few weeks and I firmly believe that every baby should have a bag of toys for when they go visiting. Now, from this photo I bet you are thinking that her name is going to be Hazel. Well, that just isn't to be. You'd think that I would have learned... but nooooooo. As of this morning I have taken the Hazel pocket off and have embroidered two new pockets that say, "Nora's Toys". Yes, let's pray that name sticks. I believe her parents are still trying to choose her middle name. I was thinking they should name her Nora Grace Hazel Eloise Pearl.... That's the list of names that this little peanut has held for short times during her gestation. Certainly one of them should work for a middle name..... wink wink wink...
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This is a very easy bag to make - I literally made a mini-quilt top about 18 by 36 inches out of nothing but scraps. I then layered the quilt top with batting and backing, quilted it and then applied binding all the way around the rectangle. Once that was done I applied the pocket and placed the handles on top of the quilt top and over the side edges of the pockets, sewed up the side seams, and wa-la! I had a scrappy toy bag. I will show you the contents of the bag in future posts. I will also let you know the name of this wee one when she arrives and the birth certificate has been filed with the state of New York....

Scrappy Clothesline Baskets

2011-07-23T08:38:00.009-04:00

Isn't she lovely? This weeks scrappy project is a basket made with 3/4 inch strips of scraps wrapped around cotton clothesline. I love making these baskets! They also make excellent gift baskets - you can use use a theme (here I used brights), or you can use a holiday theme and pack it full of holiday type items. I have made these for Christmas using reds, whites, and greens and then filled them with baked goods. What a gorgeous gift that was! How about just reds and whites for the Redword enthusiast? Or what about school colors for the college bound? Oh, oh, oh...! How about fall colors to sit on that wonderful fall table runner.... as you can see the options are limitless!

This one is going to be a handwork basket. I used Clover's new Kanzashi maker to embellish the basket. I love those things and what a wonderful finishing touch! There are three different flower makers, each in two different sizes, making six in all. I used an old button for the middle of the flower. I used my favorite thread, King Tut number 918, for the fun, blended and colorful look. You will be seeing Kanzashi flowers pop up on numbers projects in the future! A Happy, Scrappy Weekend to all!

Scrappy Balls

2011-07-11T19:31:00.013-04:00

OK, so I am a few days late (probably Linda's fault) but I think it was more than worth the wait, wasn't it? Here's this weeks scrappy project, Scrappy Balls. What child doesn't like to toss around, or hopefully roll, a colorful ball? They ALL love to play with balls! These are made from 100% scraps - and a bit of new stuffing, a lot of love and very little time.

Aren't they happy balls? I had a pattern for a medium sized ball, similar to this one, and then I simply enlarged it twice to make two bigger balls and then I reduced the original to make a smaller ball. The directions are here...

Isn't is a wonderful set of balls? And seriously, this is a very easy project. My girlfriend, Renita, will attest to this. She was very skeptical so I invited her over and she was amazed at how easily and quickly these little stash busters went together. Renita was so pleased with her balls that she took them north with her to give as a gift! I loved them so much I am making a scrappy bag for them to go into. Wait until you see that! It is going to my newest grandchild when she is born at the end of August... this scrappy summer is mighty productive...

**UPDATE: Roni took the challenge and I am thrilled!! Go visit her place and see what she is up to... Sadly, Mare has NOT taken the challenge. She has instead opted to go to somewhere in the Great White North to swat mosquitoes or some such thing... I have faith that if she ever finds her way out of there, she will participate. That's IF she makes her way out of there...

My Scrappy Summer

2011-07-02T08:09:00.016-04:00

This summer I am bound and determined to use up some of this copious stash. That is my goal, and as a result I will be posting photos of projects that use up stash. I will be posting every week. Hopefully YOU will be inspired as well.

This weeks project was the YoYo Elephant you see above. The pattern comes from Indigo Junction and is as easy as pie. It uses the Clover YoYo maker in two sizes. I used about thirty 5 1/2 inch scraps and about thirty 4 1/2 inch scraps plus some little bits for the head and the ears. By my quick mental calculations, that's about a yard of Aunt Grace scrap pieces gone. Wonderful! What child wouldn't have fun with this? So, a bit of my Aunt Grace scraps gone, and a treat for a granchild. Win-win in my book.

Mare, I am challenging you to attack your stash, too! Can you do it???

Roni, don't think you are getting off scott free. I challenge you, too!!! Now get sewing!!

Seriously Late Quilt Retreat Update

2011-05-05T08:48:00.011-04:00

Yes, I know. Pathetic. But better late than never, eh? So.... here are some photos from our fabulous quilt retreat back in February - or was it January? I can't remember now... Funny thing is I couldn't even find the photos I took of my group of gals at the retreat. I actually had to Google "Camp Blanding Quilt Retreat" to find photos that hopefully someone had posted online, and as luck would have it, I found some!!! These photos are not mine. Once found, I had to phone the owner of these photos and ask permission to use them and after I left a rather long, rambling voice mail, I received an email and was granted permission by the wonderful Julie, from Stitches of Love. If you are on facebook, you can find Julie here. I lost several hours of my life drooling over photos in the many photo albums they have on facebook... It's worth the trip...

This is the view in front of the building where we sewed from 7 in the morning (if you were up!) until midnight! It was great fun and a beautiful setting. There were 180 wonderful quilters (not just women!) there and it was glorious! The hum of the machines, the chatter, the cocktail waitresses... whoops! Was I supposed to mention that?

Strolling through the large room to see what everyone was working on was inspiring! I loved it! Again, this was my first retreat and let me tell you, the bar is now set pretty high. This retreat is organized by the ladies of Olde Green Cupboard and let me tell ya, they rocked it! Camp Blanding was a marvelous setting, and boy oh boy did they feed us well. We were served prime rib, lobster and numerous other outstanding entrees. It was stellar. Even the accommodations were wonderful. Clean and incredibly comfortable.

A marvelous time was had by all and we fully intend to do this again as soon as possible!

My First Quilt Retreat - Camp Blanding, Here We Come!!

2011-02-24T23:28:00.004-04:00

I know - it's been forever since I had a chance to write a blog but here I am, excited as can be to tell everyone that I am going on my first quilt retreat to Camp Blanding in Stark, Florida. I am going with 5 wonderful Quilty Chicas and I am so excited I can't even sleep. Seriously! Roni posted some of the details here. When I return I will post photos and let you know what I think of quilt retreats.... something tells me I am going to love this. Wish us luck and have a great weekend!

New Doggy Bags

2010-11-28T09:35:00.006-04:00

I have been working like a dog making these custom Doggy Bags for customers. I just finished a few more and realized I hadn't done Show and Tell yet. I have been making these for sale in my etsy shop as well as here locally. Here are photos of the first two that started the craze...

Their "Grandma" is going to put them under the tree with a bag of their dog food, a few treats and maybe a few other items. Now when they travel to Grandogs house they will do so in style!
No more plastic store bags for these dogs!

New Grandbaby!!

2010-10-15T20:30:00.007-04:00

Introducing my newest grandchild, Jackson Scott. He was born on Saturday, October 9th and let me tell you, he's a big boy! His momma was quite a trooper and she put in an amazing two days of labor to bring this wonderful little man into the world.

Look at that hair!! He sooooooo gorgeous!

And there he is, on the scale proving that he weighed 9 pounds, 13.6 ounces!! He looks three months old! I get to meet him on Monday and I can't wait! Just look at that face! He needs to snuggle with Grandma, don't you think?

Penelope! The Easiest Quilt I Have Ever Made!

2010-09-23T13:52:00.007-04:00

I know that you are all shaking your head. I am not kidding. This is the easiest quilt I have ever made and believe me, it doesn't look it when it is finished. The designer is Patricia Pepe and let me just say that her work is fabulous! The blocks are literally strip cut squares, that are then trimmed a bit to make the angular pieces, that are then transformed back into simple squares yet again. It sounds confusing, but it isn't when you are reading Ms. Pepe's instructions. The trimmings are then used to make that amazing border. I put my quilt together in two days! What you are looking at here are photos from McCalls Magazine and the designer's website. My version is on display at Country Quilts and Bears in Clearwater, Florida and I forgot to photograph it. If you are in the area, they stock the pattern, too. They also stock the most amazing batik fabrics if you are looking to make one similar to the one in these photos. I have already packed my camera and intend to go there tomorrow to snap a shot or two or three.... Can you see the secondary patterns? Isn't it great??!!!

I will be teaching this class in October and if you are interested, shoot me an email and I will give you all the details. I believe the class date is October 23rd. If you are not in the area, here is a link to the pattern. The pattern that was in McCalls magazine did NOT call for the X-Block Ruler, but the pattern itself (which seems to be identical) calls for it. I did NOT use the ruler and construction was easy. The results will speak for themselves...

Do You Think It's Time to Clean the Machine?

2010-09-01T10:40:00.000-04:00

My beloved Janome 11000 was acting up. Believe me when I say that this is very rare behavior for her. She NEVER gives me trouble. I typically clean her out very quickly every Sunday, but I guess I have missed a few cleaning sessions....Wow. I nearly choked when I unscrewed the needle plate and found this nest beneath it! Really, it did seem like just yesterday that I cleaned her out.... When was the last time YOU lifted your needle plate and gave your machine a good dusting and a thorough vacuuming? And while I am at it, when was the last time you changed your sewing machine needle? Just like a good man, a good sewing machine needs a little attention and love once in awhile. Make today the day!

Monsters, Piranhas, Dinosaurs, and Rock Stars!!!

2010-08-17T16:02:00.004-04:00

Yes, Grandma has been very, very busy! As I mentioned in a previous post, we are happily expecting a new grandson. He and his parents live in New York and I have flown up there (I wrote this blog before I left for New York) for a visit. This is my "show off" post. I hope it inspires some ideas in addition to stroking my ego....

The denim shirt you see above is one of my favorites - I bought the shirt and embellished it with designs I purchased from my favorite machine embroidery website, Emblibrary. Isn't it just darling?

Here is the quilt that I made for Jackson. I have to admit that currently this quilt is classified as my "Most Fun Quilt Ever." I drew the biggest piranha by hand and then copied it, making it smaller by maybe 20% and then smaller again by another 20%. I say "maybe" because honestly I don't remember exactly what the percentage was but in my mind (and that's a crazy place to be sometimes) 20% seems to be about right... Then I designed and built it as I went along, literally with no real plan, until I ended up with what you see in the photos. The best part (I think) was when I decided that the quilt needed more "teeth." Finally, I was able to put Prairie Points on a quilt. Aren't they the perfect piranha "teeth"? I had never done Prairie Points before... and for the record, I can almost guarantee I won't do them again... but that is another post.

Then I found these plain white bibs (below) at Babies R Us.... so I embroidered them with a design or three that I got from my fav machine embroidery website, Emblibrary. When I finished embroidering them I thought they were still too white, so I sewed a coordinating row of stitching around the outside of each bib. Then they were finished...

Then I found this newborn onsie (below) at, yes, you guessed it, Babies R Us. There were actually three in the package but I was still learning to properly embroider on fine knits and well, two of the onsies didn't make the cut. Also, I decided that the embroidery design couldn't touch Jackson's skin because it would be too rough, so I embroidered it onto the butt of the onsie (over the diaper). And FYI, there is great iron on interfacing called "fusi-knit" that my friend, Alison, of SewBeeItClothier on Etsy turned me on to. When you are done with your machine embroidery design, you can iron this wonderful product onto the back of the design to make it silky smooth next to baby's skin. And that's a good thing...

And then the fun really began and I got to make some of my Quilted Toddler Bibs for the little peanut. Since my red-headed step child said I couldn't embroider a bib that said, "I probably will not like Country Music," I compromised and embroidered the bib below. Yes, you guessed it, I am not a fan of country music (that blog link sums my feelings up nicely, and is hysterical!). I have asked my Grandbaby Momma to lay pillows over her belly to muffle the sound while she and my son are listening to country music.... Sadly, I doubt she complied.

Then I found the FABULOUS fabric below and made another bib.

And then I found this fabulous turtle fabric and, yes, I made another bib....

And then I started digging in my stash and I made this one....

and then this one...

Yes, Grandma has been very, very busy!

Creative Summer Vists!

2010-08-12T08:00:00.015-04:00

Right now we have a visitor. Being that it's summer here in Tampa Bay, it's mighty hot out. Today we have a heat index of 110 degrees and that makes it difficult for many outdoor activities. We even ride our bikes early to try and avoid the heat. Since outdoors is a bit much we have been hanging out by the sewing machine where it's nice and cool. Above you see the tote bag we made - the machine embroidery design came from Urban Threads - boy do I love that site! They are trendy, tend not to create embroidery designs that look and feel like body armor and are cool, cool, cool.... just like me!

Above and below you see some photos of Heather, my red-headed step child, working on one of our creative summer projects. Heather lives in Muncie, Indiana and is a full time student at Ball State, majoring in Geology. Very soon we hope (she will come to her senses and) decide to attend one of the fabulous central Florida colleges for her masters, or maybe even just to finish up her Bachelors Degree... but that's another post. I digress....

Heather has a friend who apparently likes bacon a whole lot and she wanted to make some bacon magnets for her new apartment. Heather is making them from felt, using pipe cleaners to make them bendy and then she paints a face on each silly strip of bacon. I think they are quite funny. We were even thrifty and used old magnets from the covers of phone books, etc, to recycle.

Here they are being tortured in a frying pan...

WAIT!! Heather! How did we NOT photograph the Roll Up Travel Jewelry Case we made? That soooooo rocked our week of creativity. Send me a few GOOD photos, ASAP. Hugs!

Covering The Sewing Chair

2010-08-05T11:33:00.005-04:00

As promised here is the newly created washable and reversible chair cover. I made a muslin pattern by draping the fabric over the chair cushion and continuously snipping and clipping until I had what I thought would be a pretty good fit. I used the muslin as the pattern, stipple quilted two pieces of fabric with batting, washed the piece, dried it, cut out the pattern and then bound it.

I then decided I wanted it to be reversible so I sewed double buttons on (a button over top of each other). Then I decided it needed darts in the front so I sewed them in to reduce the flair, tacking them down on both sides to maintain the ability to reverse it down the road. I must admit, the chair really does look better in person than these photos show. Oh well - I have said it before - I am a pretty good quilter, but a lousy photographer. We all have our specialties....

Either way, I just increased the lifespan of my most comfortable sewing chair. I am thinking i need to make a pillow that hangs over the top. What do you think? Oh, and I don't want to cover the chair back with the same fabric - I tested that out and it was just too much for the small room ... maybe that hanging pillow will pull it all together. I do have to remember, however, that old saying, "Sometimes more is just more."

Sewing Chair Questions...

2010-07-27T07:00:00.001-04:00

What are you all sitting on while you sew? I have a very ugly office chair that I have had for years. My husbands family owned and operated a magnificent fine dining restaurant in Cassadaga, New York, many years ago. When they closed the restaurant the chair from the office was about to be rolled out to the dumpster. I grabbed it because I knew it had good bones and it was fabulously comfortable. It just looked horrible and, well, smelled a bit like garlic. Time fixed the garlic smell and I fixed the ugly blue tweedy fabric by recovering it with a fine tan canvas. Then to finish the chair off, I tied a big bow around the back of it to match the sewing room decor at that time (I KNOW! But honest, it really did look good when I did it!) and have happily used it for about the last 8 years. The photo below is the front view. Yes, it gets worse. Funny how we don't notice sometimes how awful some elements of our decor actually look.... I do remember the day the seat cushion got the apple juice stain on it, though. My granddaughter and I were having such fun - she sits on my lap and pushes the buttons, lifts the presser foot, and chooses the stitches, etc., while we sew. I was surprised that the canvas stained like that... Anyway, what did I do to hide the juice stain that looked mighty suspicious? I covered it with a towel. Really, I did. In the interest of full disclosure I took the towel off the chair for the photograph so you could see how really terrible this chair actually looks!

So, the reason for the post? Really, what are YOU sitting on while you sew? Does it need a face lift like mine did? Currently I am making a quilted cover for the seat cushion. I am stipple quilting it right now and will finish it off in the same way I do the Quilted Toddler Bibs and Quilted Toddler Jackets. I will show you the process in the next post. I can't believe how easy it is to do... although it isn't done quite yet... but we shall see...

Good Grandma Advice

2010-07-19T17:53:00.018-04:00

Currently I have two wonderful Granddaughters and we are expecting our very first Grandson. Jordan and Andrea are expecting a baby boy the first week of October and I couldn't be more excited. I will be going up north very soon for a visit and I will be taking some sewn items up there with me when I go. (One item has me over the top excited and I simply can not wait to show you all! It is just so cute... but that is another post). Now, back to the reason for this post. None of the items I have made for him have been personalized. I can hear you all gasping. I know! Me? The queen of personalization and machine embroidery NOT doing this for her own, and first, Grandson??!! We even know his name - or so we think we do. They have told us that they intend to name him Jackson. Now I am sure you are wondering why I have not embroidered his name on anything.... well, here is why. See that darling little peanut to the right? For nearly nine months, while she was being cultivated in my daughter's belly her name was Olivia. I created and embroidered many things with "Olivia" on them. Oh, how excited we were when we got the call that "Olivia" was actually on the way... Funny thing is, though, that Olivia never arrived... Lucy did! Her parents decided to name her Lucy after she was born. Can you imagine?? What nerve! Will I make that mistake again? Nope.

I have to admit, though doing so is difficult for me, that the name Lucy is sooooo perfect for her. I can't envision her with any other name. She's a Lucy through and through, so her parents were right.....!

So for now I will just make cute lil generic boy projects and leave the personalization until the baby's name is legally filed with the state of New York. Not such a bad thing, just a fabulous lesson we embroidering Grandmas should remember. Oh, and in that photo below are Madelyn, who is hugging her little sister, Lucy.

Clothesline Purse and more Team Edward

2010-07-10T18:41:00.007-04:00

My goodness am I enjoying this little detour I have been on! I promise this will be the last post (well, for a little while anyway!) regarding clothesline projects! As I wrote about in a previous post, I discovered these wonderful projects and patterns by pattern designer, Aunties Two. The Bali Bag pattern really motivated me and as I have said before, one thing led to another, and then I found the book, "It's a Wrap" by Susan Breier. Above you see what I made for myself using the technique from "It's a Wrap" and honestly, I really love this bag. Its sturdy and I can very easily find exactly what I need in it without any effort. It sits so nice in a shopping cart, and looks darn good while it is sitting there! The bottom line is it was a very fun bag to make and I used up a ton of scraps doing so. Really, seriously, it is made from three quarter inch strips of fabric just wrapped around a cotton clothesline and then zig-zagged together. Now I am thinking gift bowls for Christmas filled with bagged yummies… baby shower baskets full of baby necessities…. Quilt guild give-away baskets… secret pal gift baskets… you get the idea.

Oh, and in case you didn't believe me when I said I was an official member of Team Edward, below is proof. That is me and my very dear girlfriend, Jennifer, on opening night of the wonderful movie, Eclipse. We had a ball! If you haven't read the Twilight series, let me make a suggestion.... do so! It is such fun! I couldn't put the books down. Seriously.

Hope everyone had a marvelous 4th of July. I know I did. It was my husband's 50th birthday. Yes, he is my little firecracker. Every year he thinks the entire nation is celebrating his birth with fireworks, parties and cookouts. It takes a lot of pressure off me, so I let him continue with that thought... it works out so well for both of us!

Come One, Come all! Bib Class in Clearwater!

2010-06-29T10:22:00.012-04:00

I will be teaching a Quilted Toddler Bib class at Country Quilts and Bears in Clearwater, Florida on Saturday, July 10th. The class will run from 10 a.m. until 4:30. Many will leave earlier than 4:30, but if you want to make a day of it, you certainly can! We really have fun in our classes there!

The Quilted Toddler Bib is a fabulous blank canvas that allows you to practice and learn any and all of the following if you are interested:
* Basic piecing
* Machine embroidery placement / personalization
* “Whole cloth” stipple, meandering or grid quilting
* Hand or machine appliqué
* Bias binding creation and application

You leave this class with a smile and a finished project in hand. You also leave with nearly all the skills necessary to create the Quilted Toddler Jacket. Be sure to stop by our website and view the “Photo Album” as well as the Quilted Toddler Jacket pattern for inspiration. My website is http://www.quiltyindulgence.com/

Above is my darling Granddaughter, Lucy, wearing the small size bib on her first birthday. See how well she is covered? It is marvelous! Coverage isn't the only plus for this bib, either. It wears like iron. It can be washed over and over again and is as comfortable as an old quilt.

These patterns sew up to make great gifts and with the holiday season fast approaching, it is a wonderful addition to your repertoire! I can promise you that once you make one bib, you will have to make more! They are great stash busters, too. You can use up those orphan blocks you have laying around. You can make a bib or two from leftover charms or jelly rolls. You can use plain denim with the edges finished in bias binding and no quilting.... the options are limitless! Let your imagination soar!

Catching Up, Summer Fun, Current Classes and ....Twilight!

2010-06-24T10:16:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! It's so good to be back here! I have many things to show you so I won't delay. Above is my newest bag - I made it large so I can schlep it everywhere I go. It's made of nothing but clothesline and scraps! Sturdy as can be and not bad to look at, either. I love it. I made it using the Bali Bag pattern from Aunties Two. That pattern really motivated me and as I have said before, one thing led to another, and then I found the book, "It's a Wrap" by Susan Breier. This woman is amazingly creative and talented and her book prompted me to try my hand at bowls. My first attempt is below. The photo really doesn't do them justice, but you get the idea. These were made from a very ugly fabric panel and the purple, greens and golds really do look better in person than they do in this photo.

Below is the next creation I made using the cotton clothes line. It is amazing, to say the least. Again, I used a pattern from Aunties Two, the Bali Briefcase. For this one I used Bali Pops instead of scraps. One word. Wow. Those people at Hoffman Fabrics really know what they are doing. Look at how marvelous that bag looks.

Needless to say, I will be teaching "Clothesline Creation" classes at Country Quilts and Bears in July and November. The class samples I am working on are amazing and I am having such fun making them. I will show them off as soon as they are done! If you are interested in a taking a class, the first one is Tuesday, July 6th at 10 a.m. at Country Quilts and Bears in Clearwater, FL. Give the shop a call and sign up. We will have a ball, I promise!

That's the cover of the Bali Bag pattern.

On to my next discovery.... Ever hear of the Twilight Saga? Well, about two months ago my dear friend, Jennifer, handed me the "crack pipe," so to speak, in the form of the first Twilight book. Now, mind you, I am nearly 50 years old, have grown children and a college degree. How ridiculous. These books that were written for 'tweens, right? I should read them? My goodness, I don't think so..... but in the interest of being polite, one evening I opened the cover..... and I never put the book down. I am not kidding. I have now read and completed all four books, have seen both Twilight and New Moon on DVD, and I find myself daydreaming about those vampires and werewolves from Forks, WA. The worst part of the books? They ended!

I like to carry a drawstring backpack so naturally my new love for Edward inspired me to embroider the drawstring backpack that you see above. I made one for myself and am now selling them in my etsy store. Below is the shirt I embroidered to wear to see the movie Eclipse on June 30th, the night it opens. Oh, and my dear friend, Jennifer, who opened the door to this wonderful, magical world for me, she will be wearing the Team Jacob shirt I made for her to acknowledge her allegiances. Stop laughing. Seriously. If you are feeling a little humdrum, let me just say this: I will always remember the summer of 2010 as the summer I felt young and giggly again. It takes a lot to throw a nearly 50 year old woman back into the excitement of adolescence, but that wonderful Stephenie Meyer is doing just that for women all over the world. Well done! I'm a Twi-Mom Twi-Hard and proud of it!

Oh, and one more thing. I will keep this one very short. On January 6th of this year I decided that after 33 years of smoking I simply did not want it to be part of my life any longer. So I quit. It wasn't easy - but I did it and if anyone out there is feeling the time has come for them, and you want help, shoot me an email and I will tell you what I learned. There is no one out there that can't quit smoking - you just need to WANT to quit and then you will have the power TO quit. Also, there are a few tricks I discovered along the way to success, and I will happily share them. Big, healthy sigh of fresh air. There.

Free Scrappy Pineapple Block Pattern

2010-03-12T13:57:00.009-04:00

So after about a gazillion email requests I have finally gotten around to posting the free Pineapple Paper Piecing Block Pattern I created to make the Scrappy Pineapple Beach Bag you have seen in a previous post. You can find it very easily on my website by going to the Free Pattern Section.

I really do love the bag and have found it to be incredibly useful. I drag it to quilt guild, on plane trips, on the boat, and wherever else I may need to tote a ton of stuff.

Go download and print the FREE Foundation Paper Piecing 6 inch Pineapple Block and start using up your scraps today!

What's a Grandma to Do?

2010-02-24T11:57:00.009-04:00

I am very excited because my two granddaughters (and their parents) are coming to Clearwater from New York for a visit tomorrow! So what's a Grandmother to do but get busy and make their visit as special as she can. Here is one of the things I came up with. First off, I got this table second hand dirt cheap (nothing!!). It is solid wood and in my opinion it is gorgeous. It could use a bit of oil, but I didn't get to that. That will occur before the next visit... I decided that my little princesses needed placemats for their "new" table. I started digging through my stash and what you see below is what my stash told me to make. Yes, I sometimes hear voices... but that's another post! I love purple and lime green together, and I love pink and green together, so I thought (or the voices told me) why not use all three? So I grabbed a bit of each, and then remembered my Hoopsisters design CD and the rest, as they say, is history.

For the names that I embroidered onto the placemats I used a font from the Embird alphabets. I made the bias vine using my wonderful Simplicity Bias Tape Machine, and the whole project was done in no time at all. Or so I thought.... When I set the table I thought, "Geeze, wouldn't it be nice if I had some pink napkins...." Back to the stash I went and sure enough I had enough pink fabric from the binding left over to make coordinating cloth napkins. Then I was sure I was done, right? Nope. The table needed flowers. After considerable digging I found, hiding in my linen closet, this vase and I couldn't believe my luck. A perfect match! Now I am ready for my Princess Granddaughters to come and visit...

And so is Baby Sally. She can't wait until the party begins...

In the meantime, Go USA!! Don't cha just love the Olympics?

Quilter's License Plate Search

2010-02-23T11:12:00.001-04:00

I have been searching like crazy for a vanity license plate that says something cute about quilting. I don't need a frame. I have that. I need a cute plate to go inside the frame on the front of my car. See, when I attached the current plate to my car, I made a few mistakes (to say the least) and now I need to have a plate there to cover up the extra holes.... I am astonished but I can not find one to purchase! I would have thought that there would be a multitude of quilter's license plates to purchase. Is Florida the only state that uses only one plate on the car anymore? I don't get it, but either way, does anyone know of a place to purchase a Quilter's vanity plate? Post a comment with the link if you do!

Way Tooooo Long!

2010-01-25T21:43:00.009-04:00

I have been very busy lately - though that is no excuse for not posting new blogs. THAT, I promise, will not happen again. I have stuck to all my resolutions this year except that one and the time has come to make that last resolution good, too.

So that gorgeous bag above is what Dora made at her One on One Machine class last Saturday at Country Quilts and Bears in Clearwater. After I started teaching quilting classes, I quickly discovered that some of my burgeoning quilters hadn't had the time or the opportunity to take classes at the shops they bought their machines at, thus they weren't as comfortable with their machines as they could be. I saw a need, threw out a notice in the shop newsletter, and I was amazed at the response. I am doing machine embroidery classes and regular machine classes and I have had such fun with them all. How can you not have fun when you see someones face light up when they become comfortable with their machines and create such beautiful projects?
Dora has the Janome/Memory Craft 6600 Professional. What a fabulous machine that is. Next Saturday I am in Key West at the Seam Shoppe teaching a Jelly Patch Quilt Class and then the weekend after that I am back at Country Quilts and Bears teaching a Janome/Memory Craft 10000 class. I really love what I do!

Here is a link to a story about the class I am teaching this weekend. It's called A Cautionary Tale...

Free Pattern Section on my Website

2009-12-10T22:20:00.006-04:00

Here's a photo of our Bitty Baby sitting so nice in her new cloth diaper. I just uploaded the free Bitty Baby cloth diaper pattern to my website and you can head right over there and get your copy today! I have received many emails asking for free patterns and I finally found the time to get them up there. This pattern fits the American Girl Bitty Baby and other 15 inch baby dolls. It is a great stash buster and can also be made from repurposed clothing. Let your imaginations run wild and have some fun!

I also uploaded a tote bag pattern to the free patterns section. It's a very simple sewing pattern, with fabulous illustrations, to help the beginning sewer. These totes make great grocery or all purpose totes as well as wonderful gifts. I like to embellish mine with machine embroidery, but they are just as nice without embellishments.

Enjoy the patterns and Merry Christmas!

The Bitty Baby Patterns are done!

2009-11-23T13:41:00.011-04:00

The baby doll patterns are finally finished, printed, packed and ready for shipment! Whew! What a busy month it has been. As most who read my blog are aware, I have a website where I sell my patterns. My patterns and sewn items are also for sale on my etsy site. Through both of these websites I have recieved numerous requests to create pattens that match my toddler pattern series for the Bitty Baby and 15 inch baby dolls. It's been quite a journey because the proportions of these dolls are very different from that of a real child (to say the least!). My goodess, what a journey it has been! At any rate we have completed the patterns and they are ready to go.

I have also completed a free pattern section on my website, www.QuiltyIndulgence.com. Currently there are two free patterns on there, with more to come very soon. The first pattern is a free tote bag pattern that makes a great carry all or grocery tote. The second, and most popular, is a free baby doll diaper pattern that fits the Bitty Baby and other 15 inch dolls. Go take a look and download your patterns today!

My First Brown Bag Challenge - DONE!

2009-11-19T21:40:00.000-04:00

My quilt guild, The Procrastinating Quilters of Clearwater, has a yearly challenge called the "Brown Bag Challenge." This is my first full year in the guild so it is the first time I was able to participate. What fun it is. What you see above is what I created.
SIDE NOTE: The wall hanging really isn't wonky. It just looks it because it was blowing in the wind.

Here is how the guild describes the challenge to us:

"What is a Brown Bag Challenge?" It is a time for you step out of your comfort zone to do something fun and receive something wonderful in return. The following outlines what you need to know in order to participate:
1. 3 COORDINATING FAT QUARTERS
2. Place the 3 COORDINATING FAT QUARTERS in a brown lunch bag with no markings (I will have extra bags if you don't have one); please no notes requesting a particular item to be made - that takes away from the challenge.
3. Bring your bag to the guild Summer Party
4. Hand it in
5. Near the end of the Summer Party, you will select a brown bag that is not yours for the challenge. From these three fat quarters we are instructed to do the following:

Use the 3 COORDINATING FAT QUARTERS on the front/outside of your project.
Please use at least 75% of the fabric provided on the project.
You made add as many other fabrics your heart desires - quilt store quality please.
The project MUST be QUILTED - machine or hand.
The project MUST be FINISHED.
The project should be no larger than a lap size.
Please put a label on your project.

We call the party that we have in November, "The Big Reveal" because that is where we reveal and give what we have made to the person who owns those three fat quarters. I didn't set this blog to post until after "The Big Reveal" because the surprise is such a big part of the fun.

There is my label and the three scraps that were left over from making the project - it's nice to include a piece of each color (if you can) because many of us forget what we put in the bags seven months ago! It's OK if we forget, thank goodness, because the person in charge of the challenge records each bag handed in.

A Cautionary Tale...

2009-11-06T11:14:00.014-04:00

This is my newest completed quilt. I'm going to call it "A Cautionary Tale." Really, I am.

The definition of a Cautionary Tale is as follows: A traditional narrative (e.g., a fable, proverb, urban legend, or quilt) with a moral message warning of the consequences of certain actions or character flaws.
Character flaw: Self confidence and arrogance so high as to encourage my NOT following the pattern designer’s directions
Consequence: Bias issues
The quilt you see here is made from the Jelly Patch pattern. It's one of the patterns from the "Straight to the Point" series, published by Make It Easy which is a QuiltWoman.com Company. When I saw this quilt hanging in my local quilt shop, Country Quilts and Bears, I knew instantly I had to make it. A dear friend, Carol McPherson Hemmingsen was going to be teaching it. She did a marvelous job teaching and the class was one of the most enjoyable I have ever attended. Sadly, I was only able to attend day one of the two day class. That left me to finish the quilt myself. No problem, right?

I must state, before I go any further with this tale, that I have made many, many quilts through the years and I have never had any bias issues with a finished quilt. Honestly, not even one wonky quilt. Oh, the arrogance this omission of tragedy can breed.... The creation of this wonderful on-point quilt is amazingly simple. The blocks are constructed using Jelly Roll strips and then the completed blocks are sewn into rows. Once this is completed, the quilt top is cut into three sections and re-sewn, resulting in an on-point setting. The directions in the pattern offer two VERY SIMPLE options for stabilizing the bias edges before cutting. I opted for neither. "Why would you do that," you ask? In short, I trace the roots of that decision to an over inflated sense of confidence and arrogance. Me? Bias issues? Never happen. HA! When I received "The Call" from my quilter, I was instantly humbled. I could feel my face flush, and knew instantly what had happened.

Because I have a fabulous quilter, Marlene Hooten of Lucky Sew and Sew, my Cautionary Tale looks (nearly) perfect! Marlene worked the wonkiness smooth by steaming and stretching until it is nearly invisible. Needless to say I am eternally grateful to her and I will be turning this into a teaching moment when I teach the Jelly Patch class next weekend in Key West at the Seam Shoppe....

And here is a shot of Carol holding up one of her finished Jelly Patch quilts. They really are gorgeous quilts!

Quilt Ingredients: I used the Berry Bliss Hoffman Bali Pops to make mine and Carol used an assortment of 2.5 inch batik strips to make hers. Both are the "throw" size. The only thing we changed was the outer border. The pattern called for a 4" border and Carol made hers 6". I then copied hers.

Ann the Gran picked up my patterns!

2009-10-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

I woke up this morning to find the most wonderful of emails! Ann the Gran confirmed that they have picked up, and listed for sale, my patterns on their website! This is a wonderful website that is very well established and offers a wide selection of machine embroidery designs, as well as sewing and quilting related products. They also have a tremendous amount of software, tips and techniques, thread charts, and free stuff. Prior to them carrying my patterns I had purchased many designs from them and love their website. It's needless to say that today I am one very happy quilter!

Halloween Treat Bags - FREE!

2009-10-21T13:33:00.006-04:00

It's no secret that I have two beautiful granddaughters and naturally, as Halloween approaches, I start to think of projects I can create for them. Lucy is going to be a little Pumpkin, and Madelyn is going to be a Fairy Princess for the big day. I decided that I wanted to make them treat bags and then got to thinking about how silly it would be to spend a lot of money on that endeavor. After all, they drag them around while they are Trick or Treating and only use them the one night. Besides that, I am really trying to use up some stash. What you see above and below is what I came up with.

First I embroidered the designs - they were free downloads that I already had on my computer. I also used a font that came on my machine. I constructed them from felt using a plain tote bag pattern that I've had forever. I was so surprised, after a bit of digging around in the sewing room, to find that I already had everything I needed to fancy them up and make them worthy of my precious little peanuts!

So, the purpose of this post? I wanted to show how, with a little digging, you can create wonderful things without spending a dime! Don't have felt? Use fabric! Use up those scrap embellishments you've had laying around for years! Dig through those boxes and I bet you'll be surprised at what you find. Get creative and wait until you see how good you feel when you create something wonderful that didn't cost you a penny!

The Magic Number is....

2009-10-19T09:24:00.000-04:00

I can not remember the last time I was this excited about something in the quilting world. I think it was when I first read Quilter's Home Magazine and discovered Mark Lipinski. Let me tell ya, Cupcakes, that's saying a lot!

Last night I was working on a quilt project for my guild's Brown Bag Challenge and was doing a bit of designing. This project, which I can't show yet becuase it is always a surprise, required many different sized quarter square triangles. I was a trimming and guessing fool. A BIG light bulb went off after I had to rip one quarter square unit apart. It was laying on my cutting mat and I saw that the original square I had just used to make a three inch finished quarter square triangle was 4¼ inches square! I say to myself, "By George, I think I've got something here...." I quickly whipped up some samples to try this theory out and sure enough, it worked!

So this is what I learned:
The "magic number" for quarter-square triangles is 1¼ inch. All you have to do is add 1¼ inches to the required FINISHED SIZE of your quarter-square triangle unit.

So, for example, if you want a 3" (finished size) quarter-square triangle unit, you need to cut two squares that measure 4¼ inches each. It is perfect every time!

I am sure this is not new news to the majority of quilters, but it sure was news to me. I knew about adding 7/8 of an inch to the finished size to get perfect half square triangle units, but had never made quarter squares for an improvised pattern, and thus I just didn't know this. It's the simple things in life...........

Are there any other Magic Numbers out there I don't know?

Quilted Media Case Is Done!

2009-10-10T08:22:00.002-04:00

So this is the pattern that created the need for a new website. I've written how one thing leads to another in the past, and well, this is another perfect example. My red-headed step child came for a visit recently and we did a bit of sewing. She wanted a case for her iPhone. Here is the post I wrote about the one we made for her. Then I decided I needed a case for my beloved iPod Touch. I listen to audio books while I am sewing, cleaning or working in the garden and if I don't have a pocket, then I have no place to tuck the iPod while I am using it. I was constantly standing up to go to the ironing board, and PLOP! Down it would fall to the floor. Not good. Enter necessity, and on to invention.

This is what I came up with. It solved so many problems for me. I can wear it around my neck, or strap it to my arm using the Velcro straps. I have even hooked it through a belt loop.

Then I started making them to fit my moods. I really like flamingos...
When I made this one, I was feeling old, so I used 30's fabric. All kidding aside, it has just been so handy for me. Now when I sew or clean, even when I am in my jammie pants, I have my iPod in my ears so the job goes so much faster and I'm not fussing to hold the iPod while I do it. Even when I am not using my iPod, I keep it in the case without the straps so it stays safe and sound, protected in its very own quilt.

I'm curious: Do you listen to audio books? If so, what are you listening to now? What is your favorite audio book?

I'm listening to Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

Favorite is probably Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - best narration ever!

Website Published!

2009-10-06T10:25:00.007-04:00

Holy moly, am I tired. Below is a photo of why I am so tired. I just finished building the new website. I can not believe how long it took me to build it. I used what is supposed to be the "Idiots Guild to Web Design" and let me tell you, the IQ necessary for success using that software far exceeds what I have to work with. I used "Website Tonight" from Go Daddy, and I am going to call them to find out exactly what planets "night" they are referring to in their title. I don't believe they are referring to a "night" on earth, because that is nowhere near long enough. It seems far more likely to me that they are referring to a night on Venus. It has a 224 day "night."
Either way, I haven't been sewing. I have been computing and I can tell you this; I like sewing a whole lot better. I had to get the website done so I could add a new pattern, The Quilted Media Case, to the site. The old design, which I had built as well, wouldn't let me add a new product. I tried every which way but Tuesday to no avail, so back to the drawing board I went. Now all I have to do is change that photo up there in the top left hand corner to that of a quilt block or quilt. Heck, that should only take me three weeks to accomplish...

I'm open for any and all website design software suggestions. This is getting ridiculous! What have you used that is understandable and successful?

FYI: (from Wikipedia) The phenomenon of day and night is due to the rotation of a celestial body about its axis, creating the illusion of the sun rising and setting. Different bodies spin at very different rates, however. Some may spin much faster than Earth, while others spin extremely slowly, leading to very long days and nights. The planet Venus rotates once every 224.7 days – by far the slowest rotation period of any of the major planets. In contrast, the gas giant Jupiter's sidereal day is only 9 hours and 56 minutes.[1]

Quilting in Paradise

2009-09-29T19:50:00.009-04:00

Occasionally there are times in our lives when we get to sit back, sigh and be truly grateful. I recently had a weekend where I got to do just that. I was invited to teach a Toddler Bib class in beautiful Key West, Florida at The Seam Shoppe on Truman. First, I get to actually work doing what I love to do most - quilt! Add to that that I got to do it in a setting like Key West? Are you kidding me? I hit the karmic jackpot on this one. Ahhhhhhh....

I had a great day and I got to meet more amazing, fun quilters. Aren't quilters just the best people to hang out with? First, let me introduce you to the wonderful lady above. That's Meg up there pinning her bias binding on the bib. She lives in Key West and came to The Seam Shoppe to take the class. She was a wiz at sewing and I loved her fabric choices. The watermelons were so cute, and she left with a darling bib ready to catch melon drips!

This lovely lady, Lynn, (above) has a grandson she is sewing for. He lives quite a distance from his Grammy so she is going to be shipping many packages overseas. After some rather frustrating sewing machine issues (we've all been there!) Lynn took right off and was stipple quilting like a pro. Lynn, I'm waiting for a photo of that finished bib......

Above is the firecracker, Betty. She has been sewing for awhile. Betty, however, tried to cut a corner or two and not stipple the entire rectangle, but I caught her. Slacker....wink wink. Either way, she did a wonderful job on her bib and if I'm not mistaken, she finished first. We won't mention that she jumped ahead by making the bias binding at home before class. Hey wait, I think Meg did that as well... there's usually only one over achiever per class. This class seemed to have two! That's not in keeping with the laid back Key West way of life, now is it?

And this photo shows the view from one of my favorite places in the Keys. A boat! This was taken while we cruised through a great section of the Channel Keys on Sunday before we headed back home.... Ahhhhh.... what a wonderful weekend it was.

Inspired by the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

2009-08-26T13:52:00.009-04:00

It's no secret that I am absolutely enamored with the Outlander book series authored by Diana Gabaldon. I suggested to my sister-in-law that she might enjoy the series and that it would make magnificent summer reading. I explained to her that the seventh and final book in the series, An Echo in the Bone, is due out on September 22 and unlike most lovers of the series she could read through all seven books uninterrupted. She started reading the books, fell in love with them, as well as Jamie Fraser, and the rest is history.... and if you know the series, it really is history.

I saw this embroidery design and immediately thought of Jamie Fraser. The design is the Celtic Tree of Life. Roughly, and very abridged, the design symbolizes the concept of the interconnectedness of life on earth. As often is the case, one thought led to another, and I knew I had to embroider the Celtic symbol onto a piece of duck cloth and make a bag for Sara to commemorate her summer with Jamie Fraser. Ahhhhhh......

Interesting side note: The final book in the series, An Echo in the Bone, hasn't been released yet and as I type this post, the book is #18 in sales on Amazon. That gives you some indication of the following these books have.....

Embroidered iPhone Case

2009-08-21T14:25:00.007-04:00

Whew! What a busy summer we have had. Much traveling and many visitors and a few projects here and there.... My 21 year old red-headed step-daughter (yes, I am truly blessed with a red-headed step child!) came down for a visit recently and this iPhone tote is one of the projects we made while she was here. She chose the design, we embroidered it onto a scrap of canvas, and the end result is the bag you see below. The bag is just big enough for her iPhone, can hang on her tote bag, protect her phone in the bottom of her nonexistent purse, or hang from a belt loop should she choose to do so. I made two different size ties so she can use whichever one fits the task. We didn't have a pattern and just made it up as we went along... For essentially no investment we ended up with a great, usable item. And I ended up with a really good idea....

Quilted Laptop Bag - Great Scrap Buster!

2009-07-31T18:41:00.006-04:00

My Summer Scrap Busting has continued, and here is my latest project. I was getting ready to travel up to New York to see my grandtots and naturally I need to take my laptop with me. My laptop bag had broken on our last trip and I had yet to buy a new one because I just couldn't find one I liked. Every bag I looked at weighed a ton and was soooo much bigger than I needed. That landed me back in my sewing room, looking at my fabric. Basically I made two quilted rectangles and sewed some pockets in, made a strap, attached it to the larger rectangle, folded the whole thing in half, sewed and bound the side seams and this is what I got.

I can't tell you how many compliments I got in the airports. Honest. And this didn't take me more than a couple hours. More scraps gone, and another useful item that I actually like.

Scrappy Pineapple Beach Bag!

2009-07-10T12:14:00.013-04:00

UPDATE 3/12/2010: I have uploaded the FREE 6 Inch Paper Piecing Pineapple Block Pattern to my website. You will find it in the free patterns section at http://www.quiltyindulgence.com/

So here is what I made using my "Chip Basket" of scraps. A super huge beach bag that was made entirely out of scraps. First I made 19 six inch paper pieced pineapple quilt blocks using 100% scraps - and small scraps at that! The blocks made quite a dent in my Chip Basket and the lid is now neatly back on the container that was overflowing less than two weeks ago. For absolutely no new cost I have a very functional, very cute, large tote bag that is big enough to hold a beach blanket and at least three beach towels. In the photo below it has three large towels in it with room for much more!

I had exactly one yard of the lime green fabric, and that became the backing of each section of the stipple quilted beach bag. I pieced the batting from scraps by giving each piece a clean cut, butting them together and then zig-zagging them into larger pieces. This diminished the pile of batting scraps I had stacked up. I covered some ugly olive drab cotton webbing I had with some purple strips of fabric I had left over from a previous project, and that became the handles. Even the binding used up bias binding pieces I had leftover from Quilted Toddler Bibs I have made as gifts and for pattern cover photo shots.

I took this photo to give you some idea of how large the bag is. I really love how colorful, bright and happy it turned out! Oh, and I covered the inside seams with seam binding made from the lime green fabric - still from that same yard of fabric.

Here's the bottom of the bag.

And these pouches are made from four patch blocks I never used from a block swap. I put webbing straps on the back of each bag which will allow them to be snapped onto the pole that runs up the dash of our boat. The red one is for my husband and the purple one is for me. It will keep our wallets, phones, camera, ID's, etc., handy, safe and secure while we are out on the boat... yet more scraps used up! I just had to share this project and give everyone ideas regarding their scraps. The fun part of this project for me was that I literally didn't buy a single new item to complete this. I just kept digging until I found what I needed to complete it! Dig into your scrap buckets and start sewing! What can you come up with?

UPDATE 3/12/2010: I have uploaded the FREE 6 Inch Paper Piecing Pineapple Block Pattern to my website. You will find it in the free patterns section at http://www.quiltyindulgence.com/

Scrappy Pineapple Quilt Blocks

2009-06-29T15:26:00.013-04:00

UPDATE 3/12/2010: I have uploaded the FREE 6 Inch Paper Piecing Pineapple Block Pattern to my website. You will find it in the free patterns section at http://www.quiltyindulgence.com/

What you see above is my "Chip Basket." That's what I call the little container that I throw all my scrap bits of fabric and odd half square triangles, wonky strips and any other little leftover fabric pieces that accumulate as I piece together quilts. I even save those first cuts of yardage you are left with after you square the fabric up prior to rotary cutting. Either way, we all have these little scraps. As you can see by the photo my Chips had grown too large for the container I was keeping them in and this past weekend I thought I should go purchase a larger bin. "HOGWASH," I said out loud, as I quickly came to my senses! I decided right then that I would start using them up!

The Scrappy Pineapple Block to the left is what I came up with. I vowed to myself, and now to all of my online quilting buddies, that I will make one of these blocks every single day, no matter what, until I can at least put the lid back on the Chip Basket without having to sit on it to get it latched. Believe me, the bin can't stand that level of abuse...

I was given the most marvelous gift from my Quilt Guild secret pal recently and that helped me decide what direction I wanted to go. She had bought for me the June Tailor Perfect Piecing Transparent, Blank Foundation Sheets for paper piecing. This is a marvelous product, let me tell you! I stuck it in my printer, and it printed up the block lickity split. It is so easy to use, you can see right through it without having to hold it up to the light, and it tears away like butter but only when you are ready to tear it off! The photo to the right shows a block before I sewed on the scraps.

Here is the back of two blocks. See how easy it is to see through and thus to work with? It is a gift from the quilting Gods, in my humble opinion.

And here are Saturday and Sundays blocks, even sewn together. I have put the free 6 inch Paper Piecing Pineapple Block on my website for everyone to use. Dig into YOUR scrap bins and make something bright, happy and useful today!

Recycled Clothing and Stash Busting

2009-06-18T12:25:00.017-04:00

In an earlier post I mentioned that I had gone searching for a few bibs I had made. While searching, I stumbled on a box of clothing that I had saved for future projects. Had no idea what I was going to use them for, but I knew the fabric was just too good not to use. What you see on the left is the back of a wonderful linen tank top that I got bleach on the front of. I loved the rust color and the weight of the fabric, so I decided to make a purse out of it.

I embroidered two simple designs on the fabric, cut out a big rectangle, cut the lining from another very old linen shirt, threw a zipper in, hung an old bead from the zipper, and I had the purse that you see at the top of this post. The purse was literally made from two old, useless, discarded shirts!

I was so pleased with the first one that I got to digging, and found some old purple velvet, embroidered two designs on it and ended up with the bag you see on the right.

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Then I found some black velvet and yes, you guessed it. I made a black bag. I just couldn't stop - these are just too easy! So, the reason I am posting photos of these items is to remind everyone that from our stash and Goodwill bag, we can really make some useful, beautiful items for little to no investment!

Yes, I am a bit Obsessive Compulsive, so I made one more bag. This one is made from a small scrap of blue canvas I have had for years and years. It was so dusty I had to take it outside and shake it like mad before I could even iron it! Was it worth the bother? I sure think so!

One Thing Led to Another...

2009-05-26T17:32:00.017-04:00

You know how one thing just leads to another? Well today, for me, is a perfect example of how this happens and even the best laid plans can go astray. It all started last week when I stopped by my favorite fabric shop in Key West, The Seam Shoppe. It is located on Truman Ave and I have been going there for 15 years. That store always puts a skip in my step - they have the best batiks and island prints anywhere! As luck would have it they carry my Quilted Toddler Bib pattern and I needed to stop by and pick up some fabric to use to make a sample bib for them to display in their shop. The bib to the right is the sample I made for their store. Then, as is often the case when I begin to sew, one thing led to another, and another, and another, and that's why I didn't get any laundry done today.... isn't it?

While I was sewing the sample for The Seam Shoppe, I remembered the fabulous citrus fabric I had bought there a while back and I decided to make my darling Granddaughter, Lucy, a bib with the remains of that fabric. Isn't it grand?

Here is the back. I love it!

And then, as luck would have it, I had just enough left over to make Lucy TWO "drool bibs." Here is one of them.

And when I finished the drool bibs, I remembered the fabric I had left over from the aprons I made my daughter and her girls for Mother's Day, and, well, that led to this bib here on the right ------->

Then I remembered another sample I had made for a machine embroidery website, so I started digging through boxes until I found that bib so I could include it with the other bibs I had made today. I couldn't send the box without this one in it, right? You wouldn't believe the stuff I found while hunting for this bib.... but that's another post entirely...

So all of that is why I didn't get any laundry done today. Or dusting. Or bookwork. Or the newest pattern uploaded to the Library of Congress. One thing just led to another...

Hey! How did Lucy's photo get on here? Now that it's on here, I certainly can't delete it.... Isn't she darling? Just look at those eyelashes!

Swap Blocks!

2009-05-16T06:43:00.002-04:00

I have definitely been busy working on swap blocks for my local guild, The Procrastinating Quilters. The gals that run the swap sure keep us in stitches (couldn't resist!). The Flip Flop blocks really caught my interest, since that is my shoe of choice.

I generally make 12 blocks to swap, and then 12 to keep, but with the Flip Flops I did three of each, keeping one of each set of three for myself. If that didn't make sense, what I meant to say was that I made six for myself and 12 to swap. When I get the 12 swapped blocks back I will make more for myself, filling in with Flip Flops that are the "missing" color or style that I think my quilt needs. I machine embroidered all the embellishments onto each block. That's why there are only 18 total blocks. Machine embroiderers will understand the design placement nightmare I created for myself with that one....
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.....I liked the paisley the best...

And my goal this month is to use up some of my green stash, because it is taking over the house. I tried to use only green fabric for the flips. Somehow, after I was done the green section seemed to have gotten larger. Go figure.

Each time we swap there is an appliqued block pattern and a pieced block pattern. For this months swap I decided to do both. The pieced block was to be red, white and blue and as luck would have it I know someone who has his birthday on the 4th of July. Odd thing is, I have never made him a quilt. So, below are the 24 blocks that shall be the beginning of the "Little Fire Cracker Quilt." I have some paper piecing patterns, and some other cute red, white and blue blocks that I am going to scramble up and use to make my little fire cracker his quilt.... one day.

The Happiest Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T06:00:00.008-04:00

Now that I am a grandmother I realize that the greatest gift you can recieve on Mother's Day is to see your own daughter become a wonderful mother.

My goodness, how time flies. Wasn't it just a few years ago that the only food Nik would eat was green beans? I am sure it was just a year or two ago that she refused to go to school until every "bump" was gone from her hair? It sure feels like just a few months ago we were praying as she drove out of the driveway alone for the first time, hoping that she wouldn't kill herself or anyone else on the road? I am certain it was just a year or two ago that we had to leave her crying in the hall of her dorm at Kent State? Now she is raising our grandchildren with such amazing skill and poise that we couldn't be more pleased.

Every day Nik is making the most wonderful memories with her girls. They do crafts, they bake, they play games, they have sleepovers... While looking at photos of a recent "baking day," I came up with an idea to make baking days just a little bit more special at their house.

For Mother's Day I made my daughter and her two sweet girls matching aprons. I found a great apron pattern, modified it a bit, and here is what I came up with. It makes me smile just to think about the three of them in the kitchen all decked out in their aprons, chatting away while they stir the batter....

Oh, and a fun side note. The buttons I used on the aprons are from my Great Grandmother's button stash, which somehow (in my mind, anyway) grants them some very good energy!

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

First Hand Applique ~ Done!

2009-05-04T15:21:00.015-04:00

So here she is. My first guild challenge, and my first hand applique all finished! The tip of my middle finger on my right hand may never regain it's pain free existence, but I am pretty pleased with the results. I actually think I will do another hand applique project when I stumble onto a project I like.

As I had stated in a previous post, this was the President's Challenge from my local quilt guild, the Procrastinating Quilters. It is titled "The Paint Chip Challenge."
Here are the paint chips that were in my sealed envelope. I think I did pretty good on the fabric choices, but we shall see...

Here is the back of the quilt. I spent an eternity quilting this puppy. I really got excited as it started coming together and I could see the patterns on the back unfolding....

And yes, though I always drag my feet, the rules insisted on a label, so here it is...

And here is where my quilt shall sit. Don't you think it is the perfect place for a "glass tea party*" with my granddaughters?

*"Glass tea party" is what my granddaughter, Madelyn, calls her tea parties when she gets to use the real china tea set.

A Sweet Slice!

2009-04-12T00:01:00.006-04:00

I am taking a bit of a risk here, but what the heck. I like to live on the edge and I love to show off so hopefully I am not giving my identity away to my Secret Pal.... In my quilt guild, Procrastinating Quilters, we do the "Secret Pal" thing. It is the first time I have ever done this, and I am having such fun with it! I am hoping my secret pal doesn't read my blog because I simply have to share what I made for her for her birthday. Her birthday is today, Easter Sunday.

MY secret pal found me the most recent issue of Quilts and More, Spring 2009, and in it was a pattern for this pincushion called Sweet Slice. It was "easy peasie lemon squeezie" to make and what a wonderful thing it is! It is filled with "Ground English Walnut Shells" which I bought at PetSmart (never even heard of the stuff, since my husband and I don't have a need for reptile bedding....). This is what the directions called for and I was totally amazed at what a wonderful, perfect, filler it is. The natural oils in the walnut shells keep the pins from rusting and it makes a very stable pincushion. I am going to make myself one next. And probably another for a special quilter I know...

Also, if MY Secret Pal is reading my blog, I have to tell you that you are wonderful! I love everything you have given to me! When you gave me the most recent issue of Quilts and More, I was ecstatic. I had just gone to JoAnns and this issue was sold out and I thought I was going to have to buy one on ebay because this would have been my first missing issue in years and years! Also, I love the pattern and fabric, and everything else you have gifted me with and I especially LOVE Mary Ellen's Best Press. I am way too cheap to treat myself to that and now I am hooked! Love it! Thanks so much...

YUMMY!!!!

Stepping Outside of My Box - Hand Applique

2009-04-05T10:45:00.012-04:00

I belong to a wonderful quilt guild, The Procrastinating Quilters. Our president, Cathy Starman, has come up with a challenge she titled "The 2008 Presidents Paint Chip Challenge." I was so excited to get involved. Each member who accepts the challenge is given a closed envelope with three paint chips in it - you don't get to choose the colors. My paint chips are shown above, but the color in the photo isn't true. The real colors are a very warm grey, a pretty pink and a very light blue grey. Not seeing the colors before you choose your envelope allows us to step outside our comfort zones in the choice of fabric colors. There are also size restrictions. The perimeter of the quilt can not exceed 100 inches and must be no smaller than 60 inches. In the spirit of stepping outside our comfort zones, I decided that after all these years of quilting it was high time for me to try hand applique. As you can see in the photo above, I have started the project. I based my challenge on an applique quilt pattern I had saved for years from an old magazine. Thankfully, I had to modify the pattern because it was for a bed quilt and that didn't fall into the size limitations. Thank goodness I didn't have to make it bed size because my grandchildren would be out of college and I would still be working on the hand appliqued flowers! What you see above is the first of four flowers. It took me longer to sew that one flower down than it did for me to piece and cut the entire top. The flower isn't even done, as the center circle hasn't been applied yet. My goodness, do I have new respect for hand appliquers. I have machine appliqued hundreds of designs, and I must say, this IS quite the challenge for me. I am using the freezer paper method where you iron the freezer paper template onto the right side of the fabric and then turn the seam allowance under using the needle. What a sadistic process! I will post photos of the finished project or the entrance to the insane asylum I am residing in, whichever comes first....

There has been some fun and excitement in my life recently. My Grandtots came down to sunny Florida to visit Grandma and Grandpa with their parents. They stayed for 2 and a half weeks and it was glorious! Above is Little Lucy, who took quite well to the beach life. Below is Madelyn who, as you can see from the photo below, loves the water. That photo was taken at the Florida Aquarium's little water park for the kids. What a great place that it! The Aquarium is in Tampa and if you are ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit. There is something there for everyone!

The Most Important Quilt I've Ever Made

2009-03-22T13:32:00.004-04:00

Occasionally, as quilters, we get to make some very important quilts. The quilt hanging below is an example. My wonderful brother-in-law, Scott, passed away nearly a year ago. It was very unexpected as he was only 45 years old. This photograph is one of my favorite of him, standing outside, sippin his coffee, in the outdoors he loved, in Colorado. He and my sister were married 20 years. Scott was a fabulous person, a wonderful husband, incredible uncle and friend. Shortly after he passed away I spoke with my sister and told her that I could make a quilt for her using Scott's shirts if she wanted. She sent me a box of shirts that held some special memories for her. For weeks I browsed through patterns, trying to find just the right fit. The shirts were knits and wovens, and some were quite bulky so I needed something that didn't have a great deal of seams coming together, and one that wasn't too intricate. I found the perfect pattern and I honestly couldn't be more pleased.

I used the Atkinson Designs pattern, Slide Show. First off, it seems wonderfully symbolic and secondly it was the perfect pattern to highlight the actual fabric of the shirts. I used ten shirts to make this quilt. I could have used less, but I liked the variety that ten gave. A shirt back is the perfect size to get the two large blocks and then the strips for the smaller blocks. I couldn't believe how easy it was to sew using the bulkier than usual shirt fabrics. The only thing I changed was the ironing direction of the seams. In the pattern you were instructed to iron the seams towards the fat quarters (in my case, the shirts). Changing this kept the bulk to a minimum and my longarm quilter didn't have any problems at all.

When I was finished with the quilt, and it was safely delivered to Marlene Hooten, of the famed Lucky Sew and Sew longarm machine quilting company, I surveyed the leftovers and just knew I had to use them for something. Brenda travels for a living, so I thought a little quilt, or a lovie as we call them in my family, might be a nice thing for her to stuff into her suitcase while she travels.

When the little lovie was complete, I still had more leftovers... That led to the large tote bag. Everyone always needs a large tote bag, right? This one I quilted, following the line of the blocks, both up and down, before the side seams were sewn. Then I sewed the seams and covered them with seam binding cut from the background fabric. This bag will wash and wear like iron.

Here is a shot of Marlene's fabulous quilting on the regular quilt. We choose the "Bending in the Wind" pattern for the quilt. It is outdoorsy and I really like the way it turned out. Marlene never disappoints.

Here is the quilt label. I even used one of Scott's shirts for the label. I was very pleased with the way that the label turned out - all thanks for that go to my beloved Janome 11000! So, quilters, if ever you are looking to make a quilt such as this for a loved one, the Slide Show quilt pattern is the perfect fit for shirts and such.

Best Quilting "Notion" EVER!

2009-03-02T20:46:00.010-04:00

In my mailbox the other day was the newest edition of my very favorite quilting magazine EVER, Quilter's Home. If any of you haven't had an opportunity to savor this masterpiece, run out and grab a copy today. It will be more than worth the cover price, I promise you. I have never opened up a quilting magazine that offers so much. First, the creator of this magazine is hysterical. Oh, and irreverent. He is exactly what the quilting world needs. In addition to his wonderful personality and wit, he never fails to have within the covers of that magazine a project that I absolutely have to make NOW. This months magazine didn't let me down and is the reason for this post. Today I made what I am sure will be my favorite quilting notion for years to come. It came out of Quilter's Home Magazine and there is no one out there that can't make this themselves! The magazine tells you, step by step, how to make this amazing "Easy Portable Ironing Table". You start with this style TV Snack Table. I bought mine from Wal-Mart for $9.00. Yes, you read that correctly. Only nine dollars!
Once your table is home all you have to do is cover it with one layer of cotton batting, then a layer of Insul-brite (available at JoAnns) and top that with silver Teflon treated ironing board cloth (available at JoAnns). You need a piece of each of those items that is 5 inches bigger than the width and length of the table top. You layer those items on the floor in this order:

1. Teflon treated ironing board cloth - face down.

2. Insul-brite - non shiny side up.

3. Cotton batting - some people use two layers, I only used one and it's perfect for me.

Lay the snack table upside down in the center of the fabrics. Wrap the edges of the fabrics around the edge of the table and using a staple gun, staple through the layers to the underside of the snack table, covering the sides all the way around. Pull the layers tight so that you have a neat and tidy ironing surface. It's that simple!

The table is perfect for sitting next to your sewing machine if you are paper piecing, at a workshop, or simply putting blocks together. It is fabulous! Quilter's Home didn't use the Insul-brite, but I had some so I used it.

Grandchild update! This is my precious little Lucy Ann (second grandchild) who I wrote about in my last post. I am thrilled to let you know she is completely recovered and growing like a weed. In fact I think that she and the rest of her family will be coming down to visit her Grandma and Grandpa at the end of the month. YEAH! I also have to thank each and every one of you that answered my "Call Out to Quilters" for Project Linus quilts. It is a wonderful gesture and it reminded me that quilters really are the "Best of the Best." Thanks to all of you!

And not to be overlooked, and in my attempt to provide equal time, here is my first granddaughter, Madelyn, who proves that it is never too cold out to eat ice cream. Bless her precious little heart...

A "Call Out" to Quilters: Project Linus is there for us, too.

2009-02-03T13:50:00.008-04:00

This is my precious little angel, Lucy Ann, who was born on December 8th. She is our second grandchild, and the little sister of our first granddaughter, Madelyn. Many of you know Madelyn since I have managed to shamelessly work her into as many posts as possible throughout her two and a half years. Last week Little Lucy became ill with a virus called RSV. RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus, commonly causes an infection in small children and babies. RSV is very contagious and almost all babies get it before the age of 2. Many babies get only a cold from RSV. Some babies with RSV develop potentially serious lower respiratory infections such as bronchiolitis, an infection of the small breathing tubes in the lungs, or pneumonia. Luckily, she didn't get pneumonia.

She did, however, end up in the hospital with bronchiolitis. It was very frightening to all of us as she is only seven weeks old and thinking about a little peanut like her struggling to breathe was terrifying and heart wrenching. My husband and I had just returned to Florida from New York, where they live, so we weren't even there to help. When my daughter called to say our Little Lucy was in the hospital and in an oxygen tent, I knew I had to be strong and reassure my daughter that her daughter would be just fine and that the hospital was the best place for her.

Nik then went on to tell me that there was a quilt waiting for Lucy in her oxygen tent when they arrived. It was a Project Linus quilt and was made by a woman named Ruth in Pennsylvania. It touched my daughter so and made her think of me, her own mother, and also a quilter. I hung up the phone and couldn't hold down that lump in my throat any longer. My precious little granddaughter was wrapped and warm in a quilt that someone had lovingly taken the time to create for sweet, sick little babies. How touched I was, especially since I wasn't there, to know that she was cocooned in quilter's love while she was getting better. We quilters are an amazing bunch, aren't we? Warming the hearts of so many.

(Lucy getting a breathing treatment from her mom)

Lucy is doing much better now and is home with her family. We are so thankful! I realized that I have to "repay" that very special quilt, and throw in a few extra for good measure. That quilt meant so much to our family last week. My hope is that this post will inspire a few quilters to also create a Project Linus quilt to donate. After all, sometimes even we quilters and our families are recipients of this kindness and love. What a wonderful organization.

And Ruth from Pennsylvania, I can't thank you enough. Your loving gesture kept my granddaughter warm in that big oxygen tent and warmed the heart of her mommy at a time when they needed it most. What a gift!

Oh, The People I Have Met!

2009-01-19T11:37:00.006-04:00

Teaching and taking quilting classes allows all of us the opportunity to meet wonderful new people. At a few of my most recent classes I have met some "standout students." Country Quilts and Bears in Clearwater, Florida is where I met Alison, a fun and energetic lady, to say the least! What a lark she is. Alison took my class because she has a new grandbaby coming soon and she thought it would be fun to make the Quilted Toddler Jacket. She is literally a master seamstress, but had never quilted. I think Alison was surprised to find that she already had all the skills she needed to make this jacket and hat. She did a beautiful job!

Above and below are Alison's finished products. They are gorgeous, aren't they?

Below is Sue. She came to the class to learn how to make TWO Quilted Toddler Jackets for twin grandchildren. She did one in class then went home and sewed the second one. Sue was such a joy to have in class. She didn't have a great deal of sewing experience and also had a new sewing machine, but let me tell you, she plugged along and mastered the entire process. She didn't even whine when I forgot to take a lunch break! I was so proud of her. What a joy she was to have in class!

Below is Sue proudly showing off her finished product! Isn't it gorgeous?

Dora is below. Dora was also a complete joy to have in my class. She had minimal sewing experience (but had been a longarm quilter!) and she left the shop a pro. Dora rolled up her sleeves and dove into the project head first and literally never looked up! She pieced the entire project and because that wasn't enough work, she then appliqued Mickey and Pluto onto the jacket back. I liked the finished jacket so much, I bought the same fabric so I could duplicate it!

Here is the front of Dora's jacket laying across one of the many stuffed bears at Country Quilts and Bears.

Below is Dora's hat. She completed the hat at home. I love that she sent me a photo of the hat actually on the head of the recipient. Is that not the cutest, ever? Dora even appliqued Mickey and Pluto onto the brim of the hat! I love it!

Sewing Out Samples

2009-01-12T10:18:00.008-04:00

I have been very busy sewing up a Quilted Toddler Jacket and Hat pattern and a new Quilted Toddler Bib pattern for this wonderful quilting and embroidery site, Ann The Gran. They are going to sell my patterns and asked if I would sew up a few items using their machine embroidery designs. So that's what I have been doing. The bib pattern was a tremendous amount of fun to create. I used their Jacobean Style embroidery designs and let me tell you, they sew out beautifully! It was especially fun for me to make that bib since I have a new granddaughter named Lucy. She was born on December 8th and we just got back from spending nearly two weeks up in New York with Lucy, her big sister, Madelyn, and their parents.

Here is the jacket I made for a little boy using Ann The Grans Zoom Zoom design pack. I was nearly knocked out of my chair at the detail and precision that these designs sew out with. They are amazing and I couldn't have been more pleased to put these on a finished jacket.

The font is Arabesque from Ann The Grans web site as well. It happens to be my favorite embroidery font and I use it all the time. I actually bought this font months ago, long before we were in talks about them selling my patterns on their site. It is fabulous!

I would also like to point out the condition of my lawn. I am sure that if you have read this far down the blog, you are saying, "What is wrong with these people. Their lawn looks like a hay field." Well, let me tell you what's wrong with "these people." My husband decided to "go green" and buy an electric lawn mower that you plug in and charge, then you unplug it and mow. Well, you can see by the height of our lawn just how reliable this "green" lawn mower is. Since day one it hasn't had enough charge to mow all of our incredibly small yard. Our lot is only 50 feet wide and 100 feet deep. On that is our house, a shed, a double driveway and flower beds. That doesn't leave much lawn space. So, suffice it to say that when you "go green" and buy an electric lawn mower, you literally "go green" because in no time at all you have a hay field!

"Dreams of Santa" Pillowcases

2008-12-21T11:58:00.001-04:00

I found this fabulously fun fabric and had to think of something to make using it! Being that I live in Florida, and my grandchildren and nieces live up north, is seemed especially appropriate for me to make something showing the southern side of Santa. I made these pillow cases and sent them up north for the girls to open on Thanksgiving. Doesn't every little girl need a special pillow case to lay her head on as she dreams of Santa and all the magic of Christmas? They take little more than a yard of fabric, much of which you can pull from your stash, and less than 30 minutes to make! I found several free pillowcase patterns online. Here are links to a few pillowcase patterns from the Ohio LongArm Quilters, The Mother Lode Quilters Guild, and Quiltmaker Magazine .

And here is my Granddaughter, Madelyn, holding her own pillowcase and standing on her baby sister's! It is amazing how I am able to work a photo of her into nearly every post! I do so love being a Grandmother!

Christmas Apron for an Angel!

2008-12-16T12:51:00.004-04:00

The night before Thanksgiving, I truly had something to be thankful for. My sister-in-law and darling niece came down from Chicago to spend the holiday with us. Prior to Lily (she's the niece!) arriving, I had spoken to her on the phone regarding the Thanksgiving menu. She informed me that she really didn't like pie, but she sure did like Chocolate Chip Cookies.... Well, that meant that when she arrived we had to make chocolate chip cookies!

Lily is now four and a half, so I got to thinking that she was probably old enough to start to learn to sew. I knew it had to be a fast project, what with 4 year old attention spans being what they are and all, so I came up with a special apron for cookie baking. Lily sat right on my knee as we sewed the apron, she handed me all the pins, and helped guide the fabric through the machine. She even helped choose the fancy stitches for the pocket! The best part for me was that she was very proud of the apron she "sewed!" I am shamelessly cultivating future quilting and sewing buddies. Success and pride in beginning sewing projects will help. It is a wonderfully simple project and can be made from scraps. I made my pattern up as I went along, but at the bottom of my post is a list of great links to free apron patterns for the wee ones in your life!

This is Lily and her wonderful Mom showing off their great Pilgrim Hats for holiday.

Quilt Block Apron Pattern

Reversible half apron

Better Yet! Here is a site that has an amazing list of 54 free apron patterns!

Happy Sewing Everyone!

Penny Pinching Patchwork Post ~ Re-Purposing Clothes!

2008-12-06T11:29:00.025-04:00

The house dress you see above has been hanging in my closet for more than a year. It was a gift from my wonderful mother-in-law and well, I just never wore it. She bought it for me at Neiman Marcus and it was a fabulously soft cotton fabric and even she said when she gave it to me, "I don't know what I was thinking..." It seemed such a shame to never use it so my creative quilter's brain got busy. You will not believe how many useful items and gifts I made from this one article of clothing!

First off, I made the Quilted Toddler Jacket and Hat that is shown above.

Then I made TWO Quilted Toddler Bibs!

And this photo shows you the the entire clothes line full of booty that I got out of ONE unused article of clothing! I was able to make ELEVEN quilted, and very useful, articles of clothing for babies and toddlers. The baby bibs would make darling baby shower gifts and no one would ever know you made them out of re-purposed clothing! A good movie on the TV, a seam ripper in one hand and a hot cup of tea in the other, and before long you have fabric just waiting for a new career! I pieced together the batting from scraps and used old yardage for the backing before I quilted the pieces, and made my own bias binding from stash fabrics. The entire clothes line was made from fabrics that literally were just laying around my house!

If you don't have anything laying about your house that you are not wearing, one trip to the SA Boutique (Salvation Army Thrift Store) and you could have for less than $3.00 enough fabric to outfit a baby's layette. I went there this past week and found several BRAND NEW floor length flannel nightgowns for $1.50 each that would make perfect burp cloths, bibs, changing pads, and jackets. During these difficult financial times it seems to make incredibly good sense to use our creative brains to re-purpose that which isn't being used. Buying from the Salvation Army is also giving to a good cause!

Penny Pinching Patchwork Post - Burp Cloths

2008-10-26T14:29:00.016-04:00

I understand very well the current need for all of us to become more thrifty in our quilting endeavors in this financially difficult time. I have decided to start writing occasional posts with thriftiness in mind and do my part. I am going to call them Penny-Pinching Patchwork Posts. This past week as I was staring at my meager flannel stash (don't use much flannel down here in sunny Florida), and loving the softness of the fabric, I came up with a project that turned out a wonderful and functional gift, used up some flannel stash, and used a great deal of the cotton batting scraps that I save for projects such as this one. The project? Burp Cloths!

All of us, after having sandwiched and quilted our quilts, trim off the minimum of three extra inches of batting from all the way around the quilt. What do you do with those long strips of batting? I save mine! Those pieces can be made into a larger piece very easily and they then can work wonderfully for projects such as burp cloths, tote bags, pot holders, etc. You just straighten up and trim one long edge on each piece with a rotary cutter and then butt the two edges together (do not overlap them) and zig zag the pieces together. Keep (frugally) trimming and adding pieces until you have the desired size. Normally I use natural colored or white cotton thread, but for the purpose of illustration, I used purple cotton thread. I made eight burp cloths for my soon to be born granddaughter, Olivia, using nothing but scrap flannel and cotton batting. Next time you have a baby shower or a new loved one about to be born, whip up these ever so soft and necessary gifts!

After I pieced five "all one cloth" burp cloths (they measure about 10 x 2o inches finished) I found I still had some scraps of the fabric left over. None of the pieces were large enough to make one burp cloth, so I pieced four small pieces together four times (four pieces to a side) to get two more burp cloths!

Below you see the entire set, minus the Christmas one I made after I took the photos. Olivia is due December 9th, so when I found a piece of Christmas flannel, I knew immediately what I was going to do with it. Every Christmas baby should have a special burp cloth for that day.

Below you can see some of the fun edge stitching I did on each burp cloth. Prior to cutting the flannel, I washed and dried it to get the shrinking out of the way. Then I ironed each piece of flannel, cut out the shape I wanted from the flannel and batting, and layered with flannel right sides together and batting on top of that. I then sewed the seams leaving a small opening to turn it right side out. Once turned right side out, I ironed it nicely and then topped stitched it with a straight stitch. Inside of that top stitch row I sewed a fancy row of stitching. I found that this keeps the cloth nice after washing and drying it - it keeps the cloths from getting all wonky. Then as a final step I sew one straight row of stitches from side to side across the middle where the cloth would lay across your shoulder. It is a wonderful gift for a new parent!

To finish off my Penny Pinching Patchwork Post, I am including one of my favorite quotes regarding thriftiness:

Industry, thrift and self-control are not sought because they create wealth, but because they create character. ~Calvin Coolidge

The Importance of Keeping up with Current Events

2008-10-13T18:06:00.013-04:00

Well, this was certainly a few weeks full of lessons for me. As I had mentioned, I will be teaching a Quilted Toddler Jacket class in a few weeks at Country Quilts and Bears. I have been a busy beaver sewing up samples for the shop that illustrate the many methods that one could use to create this jacket. I wanted to show a variety hoping to encourage quilters to sign up and take my class. I had made a bunch of jackets but I gave them all to my beautiful granddaughter like any good Grandma would, so my "jacket stash" was depleted. They were her size, after all. So, in my infinite wisdom I decided that I needed to make a jacket that was suitable for a boy, and another one for a girl. Hmmmmmm, what do little boys like? BASEBALL! Not thinking much farther than that, I decided almost immediately on making a Boston Red Sox jacket because their socks are just so darn cute (and I already had an outline of socks from a prior project) and what a wonderful way to show off my applique skills, right? WRONG!

I worked on this Sox jacket hours and hours before my husband noticed and says in the sweetest voice, "Honey, do you really think that a quilt shop in Tampa Bay is going to want to put a Red Sox jacket on display in their shop? Especially since there is a very good chance that Tampa Bay will actually be playing the Red Sox in the playoffs?" WHO KNEW??? Let's think about those odds for a few moments... I could have died. Cut ahead one week, and guess who's playing who in the playoffs? Yep, you guessed it. It's the Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox.

This past Friday I go marching into Country Quilts and Bears with my Boston Red Sox jacket in my tote bag and showed it to the wonderful owner, Marilyn. Oh, the look on her face. It was priceless. "Oh, my," she says. You see, as luck would have it, her husband and partner in the shop, John, is a die hard Rays fan and understandably this just isn't going to work. So home I go, humbled and laughing, with teal and yellow fabric under my arm, because after all, where do I live? TAMPA BAY! I really must start reading something other than quilting magazines.

So long story longer, here is the Tampa Bay Rays Quilted Toddler Jacket that is now prominently displayed on the counter in the quilt shop in Tampa Bay.....

Pieced Curtains from Scraps!

2008-10-05T08:25:00.013-04:00

In addition to working on samples for my upcoming class where I will be teaching the wonderful women at Clearwater's Country Quilts and Bears how to make my newest pattern, the Quilted Toddler Jacket, I have been making some curtains for my little angel's bedroom in western New York. Her mommy thought that pieced curtains would be nice, and that the fabrics and colors from the quilt I made for Madelyn when she was a baby would look great. The quilt is on the foot of her bed, and there is a better photo further down showing Madelyn laying on it when I gave it to her. So, as luck would have it I still had some of those fabrics left laying about and after a quick trip to Country Quilts and Bears I had enough fabric to complete the project. A quick trip to JoAnn Fabrics for lining and I was ready to sew.

I cut the fabrics into 5.5 inch squares, and started piecing to fit the sizes of the windows. Obviously, their beautiful 200+ year old home needs custom curtains because when I measured the windows I found that even when a window is on the same wall, and looks identical to it's neighbor, the measurements can differ by as much as 5 inches! I guess back then they built the windows on site, and didn't order them from Pella.

Never one to miss an opportunity to stick in a photo or two of my little angel, above is my peanut playing in her room. Below, showing how much she has grown, is a photo of Madelyn on the quilt the day I gave it to her.

The last photo, I must admit, I have put in for purely self-indulgent reasons. Isn't she just the cutest thing ever? That is a photo of Madelyn at her first dance class, standing there in her first Tutu with her dance tights drooping around her ankles and her Tutu sliding off her shoulder. Oh, to be that unconcerned with clothing perfection again. She is so excited just to be there, with friends, taking it all in. Big sigh. Grandchildren are the biggest gift of all.

SA Boutique Original

2008-09-19T17:22:00.005-04:00

Creating for Quilty Indulgence hasn't been the only thing I have been up to recently. I did a bit of shopping at the SA Boutique recently and purchased a few items for my darling granddaughter. One of the great items I managed to purchase was this wonderful denim shirt. Imagine, a denim shirt for only $1.49! Yes, you guessed it, the SA Boutique is what I affectionately call our local Salvation Army Family Thrift Store. This is a very good brand name shirt, was in excellent condition and just needed a bit of "sprucing up". I laundered it as soon as I got it home, started browsing through my machine embroidery designs, made a selection and below is the finished product. Not bad for only a $1.49, eh?

I also bought another shirt, a wonderful grey sweatshirt, and on it I embroidered "I'm the big sister" with some pretty flowers. Sadly, I didn't take a photo of that shirt prior to giving it to my little angel. Oh, and that shirt was only $1.29!

Here is a photo of the back of the shirt.

I like shopping at the SA Boutique because often times it inspires my creativity, it recycles perfectly good clothing, and the money goes to a good cause. It is a win, win situation all the way around!

Quilted Toddler Jackets

2008-09-13T08:23:00.009-04:00

Here is my little darling modeling her new hat and jacket that Grandma made for her! The quilted fabric I put into the previous post became this entire ensemble - quilted jacket and hat. It is a pattern I designed that makes the jacket out of a one piece pattern. It is sooooo very simple and what a scrap buster it can be! You piece (or go "whole cloth") a small quilt, cut out the pattern, bind it and this is the final result. If anyone is interested, the pattern is copyrighted and available at my website, Quilty Indulgence.
Madelyn Mary seems to take the modeling very seriously by all indications in these photos that were taken in western New York last weekend during a Grandma visit up there, but that really wasn't the case. She kept bolting for the hills - it was very comical and reminded me of when her own Mommy would run through the house (away from me!) with pieces of Halloween costumes or new outfits on her that I was trying to fit. Two year olds are simply not natural models or patient mannequins!
Here is another example of the jacket pattern. The one with the monkey applique was pieced. The citrus one is a "whole cloth" jacket. Either way, it is a simple quilting project and the scraps make the hat (pattern and instructions are included for that as well) so there is no waste!

Here is the pattern cover.

Still Quilting...

2008-08-05T21:19:00.004-04:00

Yes, I am still quilting, as busy as ever. Trouble is, the items I am making are gifts and I know that the people that these gifts are going to read my blog. So, here is the first ingredient of something that I am creating right now. Can't say what it is, or what it is going to be, but I can show you what the first step looks like. Sorry for all the secrecy, but my hands are tied.....

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and looking forward to the Olympics as much as I am. I love to watch those kids strive for their dreams - I am such a softie for that kind of thing.

Quilty Indulgence Goes Live!

2008-06-26T11:36:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday! I have finally finished the big secret project! I have completed the copyright for my bib pattern, the Quilted Toddler Bib and have launched the website, www.quiltyindulgence.com, today selling the pattern. I have some more patterns that I am working on and will get them copyrighted and posted now that the website is complete. I must say that I have a new appreciation for those wonderful geeks that create websites for a living. Let me tell you, creating a website is no easy task. I spent far more hours building the website myself than I have ever spent creating a quilt!

The bib pattern grew out of necessity as I watched my angel of a granddaughter eating her first little bowls of baby food. Her daddy would warn you to watch for what he termed “blow back”. Then there was the “waterfall of food” and a number of other potential actions that were a constant threat to whatever my little darling was wearing. I immediately saw the problem and needed to think of a solution. Thus the Quilted Toddler Bib was born. I chased my granddaughter around the house with an old T-Shirt, snipping and clipping to get it to fit properly in order to make the pattern and then, because she wasn’t the most patient of models, I kept modifying it at home and taking it back for fittings. We finally got it just right and I started making them for her.

That’s when the fun really began because as the parents of my granddaughter’s friends saw these bibs, they wanted some for their own children. I became a bib making machine and then a light came on in my head and I realized that I really had something here. I just had to get it all down on paper, and then get that paper printed!

I wanted the actual bib pattern to be full size (not one you had to tape together), so that required “big girl software” so that when I took the final drawing to the printer, it would print all in one piece. The paper needed to be 24 X 30 inches and my home printer certainly couldn’t handle that task. During this time my granddaughter turned two and outgrew the original bib, so I then I realized I had to make a larger size. So back to the computer drawing board I went, and I overlaid the larger size onto the same paper, like you do with sewing patterns and back to the printer I went. The printer I was using specializes in construction blueprints and such, and talking to him about sewing patterns was quite a lark. He just couldn’t wrap his head around what I was trying to accomplish until I stated, “this is the blueprint to build a bib.” Suddenly we were on the same page! The rest, as they say, is history.

Stop by my website, if you will, and have a look around. I love company! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Oh, and the inspiration for the bib is the little princess below, Miss Madelyn Mary!

Miraculous Teak Oil

2008-06-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

I believe that my thought for the day, though it doesn't involve quilting, should definitely be shared. It is quite simple, actually. Above you see a teak Adirondack chair and stool. It is three years old and was looking terribly grey and nothing like it did when we received it. I was talking to the genius at Home Depot and asked him what stain and varnish I should use to revive my Adirondack chairs and stools and he said, and I quote, "Why don't you just rub in some Teak Oil?" Who knew? Certainly not me? At any rate, the above photo is the before shot, and the one directly below is the after. That stuff is amazing and I danced in circles I was so happy with the end result. A very good thing. Miraculous actually.

Widget on the Right Announcing....

2008-06-19T07:00:00.002-04:00

YES!!! I am so blessed! My daughter and her husband are expecting a new baby December 9th! That means I will have TWO grandchildren from the best parents in the whole world. I am so proud of those two, and my granddaughter is very blessed to have "choosen" them for parents. So, Grandma being the nerd that she is, I found what I think to be the coolest baby countdown graphic ever. Scroll down - it is on the right and shows the developement and days left until my new little peanut arrives.

The photo above was taken minutes after my first grandchild, Madelyn Mary, was born -That is me holding her. Big sigh... life is really good...

Quilty Friendships Begin Here

2008-06-12T07:00:00.004-04:00

It has been said the a true friend knows you better than you know yourself. I can agree completely with that statement, and I have proof hanging on my porch. Little more than a year ago I was blessed enough to have another quilter stumble onto my blog and post a comment. That led to emails back and forth. Literally thousands of emails have been swapped, and there was even a trip to the International Quilt Fest in Chicago where we were able to meet in person and spend one of the best days ever. Words just can't describe just how fun that day was.

All that being said, many months ago I received in the mail a package that contained the print that is shown above and below, hanging on my porch wall. When that box arrived in the mail from my dear friend, the porch didn't even exist. We hadn't built it yet. When I opened that box, I literally gasped. It was a scene that I had seen many times in my mind. For 15 years my husband and I have privately spoken of "the porch" that one day we would sit on, in wicker chairs, watching our grandchildren playing in our back yard while we sipped tea and looked back on our life. One year he even found a greeting card for me that depicted the exact scene we both had seen in our minds, describing our hope for our future. We had never discussed this with anyone else - it was just our quiet wish to one day own our own home in sunny Florida with a porch that we could sit on and reflect. We have been very blessed since moving to Clearwater, and the dream is now the reality, and today I was able to hang the final piece on that porch of my dreams - the print from a friend who knows me well enough to see something tangible and know that it matches me - right down to the exact wicker chairs and the hanging baskets of red impatiens. I am a very lucky girl. Thanks Mare. You're the best.

Copyright Pending....

2008-06-06T19:18:00.005-04:00

Yes, I know I have been away for entirely too long. However, as much as I detest excuses, I must say I have very valid ones. I have been extremely busy with family and work, as well as my new pet project which I can only hint at today. I will tell you that it involves quilting though! Oh, and the photo above is a close up of one example of the finished product. Oh, and obviously it isn't a pattern for a Dresden Plate - THAT has already been done. The Dresden Plate is only an example of an embleshment option. This embroidery design from Hoopsisters is outstanding and if you have an embroidery machine, you should check it out.

I created a quilting pattern that is in the process of being copyrighted as I type this, and as a result of the pending copyright my legal counsel asked that I not slap it all over my blog until he has all the legal, yet terribly boring, things in place. He could suck the joy out of the most joyful of events. At any rate, I will tell you that I now have a huge appreciation for anyone that has created a pattern for sale! I created the pattern, after much trial and error, and loved the result. I was so busy making these "things" that it took me awhile to realize that I really had something there. SO, that is when the real work began. First I had to create for a printer, on my own computer, a 24 X 30 inch rendering of the pattern for insertion into the package. This had to be done exactly to scale so that when it printed it was the exact size and dimensions of the well worn pattern I was using already. No easy task. I had to redo that file no less than 15 times before I got it right. Right now I will tell you honestly that I detest curves. They are evil. Simple, yet very evil. I also had to learn new software because Microsoft Publisher and all my other computer programs would insist on breaking it up for 8 x 11 paper no matter what I set the page size at. Craziness - simply craziness. Then I had to create the step by step directions. Might sound easy, but let me tell you, that is no easy feat either. When you can do something in your sleep, and then have to write up how to do it, you keep skipping very important steps that you think, "...goes without saying..." Nope. You have to write it ALL out and back it up with real live photos. Step by step. THAT took me weeks.

OK, so all that being said, it is now in the hands of my amazingly talented "Presidents of Pattern Testing" and I await their response. I feel as though I am waiting for the doctor to tell me, after my children were born, that everything is just fine.........

Birthday Travels

2008-05-07T11:15:00.003-04:00

I just got back from visiting New York for this little princesses second birthday. Here she is, sitting on my lap, after opening the dress that I made for her. She is just the cutest little thing and I adore her! I had that wonderful fabric and just could not find anything small enough to use it on - and then I thought of a dress for my peanut! The perfect fit!

I Have Strayed

2008-04-18T10:06:00.009-04:00

Yes, I strayed from my sewing machine a bit since November and hung out with the knitting needles. I started this scarf for my sister-in-law, Dr. Sara, in November with every intention of having it completed in time for her to use to brave those cold Boston winds of winter. Obviously I didn't make it in time but now she certainly will be ready for NEXT winter! It is made from the most luxurious yarn and I loved touching it while I was knitting. It is Alpaca, Cashmere, Camel and Yak yarn. You just can not believe how wonderfully soft and cozy warm this yarn is. Sara bought the yarn at a great yarn store in Boston called Woolcott and Company that we stopped by while visiting her in Boston. Amazing selection of the best fibers available. So, all that said, better late than never and another DONE on my list of UFOs. Woo Hoo!

Oh, The People I Met!

2008-04-15T16:22:00.009-04:00

International Quilt Fest – Chicago, 2008!

What you are looking at here is a photo of Mare, Vanessa and I at the quilt show. One of the show photographers asked us (Yes, us!) to pose for a photo and here we are. I just “borrowed” it from the website so everyone could see it. If you want to look at the photos the professionals took of the show, click here (once on the webpage, click the link on the left of the page that states "On The Show Floor"). That is me, with my back turned to the camera, doing my first “professional” acting.

I must say that other than the birth of my children and Granddaughter, I have never had a more exciting and pleasing day. The real draw of the show for me was to meet my Blogsister, Mare, and her truly darling daughter Vanessa. It was so exciting I couldn't even sleep the night before. Hard for me to believe, but she is even more wonderful in person than I had perceived her to be from our literally thousands of emails. I am counting the days until next years show in Chicago. We are definitely going again!

Well, this past Saturday will certainly go down as one of my all time best days ever! Yes, that is a photo of me and none other than Alex Anderson from my favorite show, Simply Quilts. I nearly hyperventilated when I turned my head and saw her standing there. I am going to work on staying calm during future celebrity interactions. I fear I may have frightened this very kind woman.

I have many photos of the glorious quilts we were lucky enough to see in person. If nothing else, the Fest was a truly humbling experience. I will post them in days to come. They were amazing. This one here was one of very favorites. I loved the simplicity.

International Quilt Fest Chicago - Here I Come!

2008-04-10T10:04:00.006-04:00

In six short hours I board a plane in Tampa bound for O'Hare in Chicago and I am so excited I can barely function. I am going to the Quilt Fest!!!!! I am a very thankful and happy girl. What a wonderful thing. Not only do I get to attend the Quilt Fest, but I get to do so with my cyber friend from Mares' Nest and her daughter Vanessa. As if that were not enough, we are staying at my brother-in-laws house and get to celebrate our niece's 4th birthday with her. It just keeps getting better and better!

I promise many photos after the 'Fest! Have a great weekend everyone.

12 Blocks Complete!

2008-04-06T12:45:00.006-04:00

I met my quota - 12 blocks done before Monday. There will be 59 blocks total with 11 or 12 each of five different fabrics for the trees. The blocks are a 12 inch finished block.

Now, my question to all you wonderful quilters out there: What about all those bias edges? If I am very careful when assembling the blocks for the top, and then do a nice border on the quilt top for stability, will I be OK? Is there anything I should do to be certain it doesn't get wonky? Should I reduce the pressure on the sewing machine foot while piecing the blocks (someone told me this helps with bias edges)? Suggestions please........

Brenda's Quilt Takes Shape

2008-04-05T14:01:00.009-04:00

The strips. Well, most of the strips that will create the finished block.

I finally have had time to get back to sewing. I am working on a quilt for my middle sis, Brenda. Her paradise is in Golden Colorado, on the side of a mountain, with evergreen trees all around her. The absolute opposite of my paradise, which is all flat and surrounded by palm trees! The dichotomy is just too funny. So, all that being said, I promised her that in 2008 I would make her a quilt. I showed her some options I thought that she might like and she choose one that was all pine trees, set on point. It was the quilt that I liked the best, so I was happy with her choice. I had seen the quilt in a bedding catalog and tore out the page to show her. It seemed a very simple pattern and I was sure that I could find one to purchase when I had more time to shop. Well, that wasn't the case. I ended up making the pattern myself and in the photos above and below you will see a few of the steps I took to create the finished block. I need 59 blocks to get the size I am looking for.

Here I used painters tape to semi-permanently mark the proper placement of the 12 and a half inch template that I will use for trimming. The only thing that is a bit upsetting to me is the amount of waste. I just can't seem to come up with a pattern that doesn't have that much waste.

Wa-La. The first finished block! Only 58 twelve inch blocks to go...........

I Am Baaaaaack....

2008-03-31T11:07:00.011-04:00

Yes, I know, I have been missing from Blogland for awhile. I promise that I will have more of a presence in the future. In the mean time, here are a few things I have been up to in the four weeks since last I posted. The chair that is pictured above I recovered for my darling granddaughter. I can't even begin to tell you how ugly it was prior to it's face lift. I used a nice cotton canvas and my embroidery machine to make the new seat cushion and back pad shown here.

Second, my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter came for a visit. They stayed for two weeks and even though we all got the flu while they were here, it was glorious having them for so long. Above is a photo of Madelyn at Disney. We spent two days in Orlando and had such a good time - she loved it. The photo above was taken while we were all watching the parade.

This photo shows our new living room in use. Another of the reasons I have been absent from Blogland for so long. We are in the middle of finishing up the addition and boy, oh boy, has that taken some of my time. The photo above is my daughter, son-in-law, and Madelyn. The Easter Bunny brought the most amazing bubble "gun" to our house and Madelyn loved it. Notice the quilt in action under the slide. We brought the "slide down" into the house so Madelyn could play with it more. Grandparents will do anything for the wee ones, won't we?

I created a blog for my family showing the remodeling and construction of our house as it progressed - you can take a peek if you would like. It is called http://www.freeberyfamily.blogspot.com/ .

Enjoy your spring everyone!

Kayla Gets her Quilt

2008-02-25T23:06:00.006-04:00

About a month ago I posed the question, "To Border or not to Border" regarding this quilt. I added up the responses from all you wonderful quilters out there, and overwhelmingly the election went to "not to border". Today I took the quilt over to Kayla's house and when I left there, I felt like I had gotten a gift myself. Really and truly. Everyday Kayla has more to deal with than I have ever faced in my life and she simply "deals". She never complains. Ever. Kayla is seven and her family just found out she has leukemia seven weeks ago. She is going through chemo and even has a broken leg. Still, she never complains or gets cranky. The strength she exhibits every day takes my breath away.

I pieced this quilt for her, and then sent it to the most wonderful long arm quilter in Colorado. Anne Frampton is her name. She is the cousin of my very dear friend, Greenmare. She immediately quilted the quilt and had it back in the mail 24 hours later. Can you imagine? A 24 hour turn over! Not to mention that her quilting is exquisite. She suggested a quilting pattern called "Angel Wings" and I can't imagine a more suitable pattern. Her children helped in the project by choosing the thread color (I couldn't have made a better choice myself) and her daughter Lizzie machine embroidered the label. This quilt truly was created with many loving hands.

Here is Kayla opening the quilted bag that Greenmare made for her and then filled with goodies. Kayla really had fun today. I loved showing her how to use the Pez dispenser. She loved the pillow case, crayons and coloring books. Kayla then showed me all the different Pretty Ponys in her new coloring book - I had no idea there were so many, nor could I have ever imagined how important their little roles in Pony land were... Mare and Anne you both helped make a little girl very happy today. Thank you both so very much.

To Border or Not to Border

2008-01-30T23:22:00.000-04:00

...That is the question. Here is my latest scrappy quilt. I made this quilt for my business partner's daughter who is 7. She is a very ill little angel and I think she needs a quilt as soon as possible. She has just started her first round of chemo to treat leukemia and I wanted to make something very happy and bright for her. Well, this sure fits the bill, doesn't it? At any rate, what I was hoping for is some input from all you quiters out there - does this need a "calming" border, possibly a great psychedelic border, or no border at all? Why can't I decide on this one? I keep staring at it and just can't seem to come to a decision. The quilt is so far outside of my comfort zone, I think it froze me up! I am stuck, for sure. Help me out on this one. I need to get it done!

GPS Carrying Case

2008-01-21T23:58:00.000-04:00

For Christmas my lovely husband bought me a wonderful GPS device. In many ways I believe he also bought it for himself in an effort to preserve his own sanity. See, I am admittedly terribly navigationally challenged and as a result have been known to frequently phone him and frantically demand he get me "un-lost". We have lived here in Clearwater for more than four years and I just can't seem to get a grip on the streets, etc. It became evident that if I hadn't gotten it after four years of living here, odds are I simply am not going to get it. The embarrassing thing is that I am a part owner of a real estate company and occasionally have to take clients out looking at properties. One particular afternoon still makes my face turn bright red when I think about it. I had met a client at an address and after looking at that one we were going to go looking at several other properties, with her following behind me in her car. I got so turned around while trying to get to the second one, that I just didn't know what to do. Then my phone rang, I picked it up and it was my client calling from the car behind me to tell me we had passed the same house three times. Would I like her to look at the map and see if she could help? Oh, my goodness, was I embarrassed! I pulled over, she looked at the map and offered to lead for the rest of the afternoon. It went very well.

I installed the GPS holder on my dash this past weekend, and decided it probably wasn't a good idea to leave the device mounted on my dash when I wasn't using the car. It is easy to pop in and out of the holder, so I can just bring it in the house with me when I come home. I didn't like it just laying about, and I also don't want the screen scratched so what would a good quilter do? Well, quilt a bag of course! So, I found this great paper piecing pattern with arrows on it and that seemed the natural choice. I whipped up a few blocks using my scraps (of course!) and sewed them together, quilted it and made a simple bag. I then cut up 2 very heavy pieces of plastic to divide the inside of the bag into three compartments. This allows me to slide the GPS between the two pieces of plastic, and thus offers more protective covering for the device. This way I can put the GPS in the middle and the cords on either side and everything is safe. As Martha would say, that's a very good thing.......

Boston Red Sox Quilt for My Son-In-Law

2008-01-06T22:48:00.000-04:00

Happy New Year everyone! Here is the quilt I have been referring to as "The Secret Quilt". I was forced to call it that because my most wonderful son-in-law is a bit of a snoop. He is also very smart and given just a bit of a clue, he can run with it and before long, the puzzle is put together!

All that being said, I am thrilled with how this quilt turned out. Bonnie Hunter did the quilting, and I created the appliqued Bo Sox emblem in the center, and naturally I did all the piecing. The quilting is an all over star pantograph done entirely in white thread, so it stands out beautifully on the red and blue fabric. The backing is solid red, so there the stars really show up well. My son-in-law really loves the quilt, and I do believe that he was very surprised by the gift. It so warmed my heart to see the joy this quilt created.

The photo below has my Granddaughter looking a bit perplexed. I think she sensed that Gammie was packing up to leave New York to head back to Florida. She is the cutest thing ever, I do believe. Big sigh...I miss her. I bet she misses me right now, too.

Two More Scrappy Quilts Done!

2007-12-09T23:52:00.000-04:00

I am so very pleased - I finished two more quilts this weekend for two very sweet nieces in New York. I created this pattern myself and used up a ton of medium value scraps and I am thrilled with the end result. I quilted them both myself, as well. Also, for the first time ever I have put quilt labels on both quilts...I know, I know... I came to the game a bit late.

All that being said, check out my "What's Cooking" list to the right. I have registered four more "DONES!" I am getting a bit blurry-eyed, but it is Christmas and doesn't that happen to all quilters? It is the natural progression of things. I will say I am ripping through my stash, and feeling quite good about it. I just love Christmas. WooooHoooo!

And, Mare - I am still alive, I promise, just sewing like a crazy woman trying to get all these project done. I know I set my expectations too high sometimes, but the fun part of Christmas for me is the old fashioned giving of gifts from the heart. Corney, yes, but 100% me. I just can't help myself. I will get back to the emails as soon as I feel like I have a chance to make my deadline!

Bitty Baby Dresses

2007-12-06T00:37:00.003-04:00

**BITTY BABY PATTERN UPDATE November 23, 2009: A new post was just put up announcing the release of our new line of Bitty Baby clothing patterns. There is even a new page up on our website with a free Bitty Baby pattern for immediate download. Jump ahead to this blog post and see what's new...or stop by http://www.quiltyindulgence.com/ for some inspiration and Quilty Indulgence!

I think that my little darlings are going to have very happy Bitty Baby's this year. I just can't seem to stop myself. What fun I am having! Shouldn't Bitty's have clothing choices, too?

So, Mommys, Grandmas and Aunties, here are the patterns. I found them online and they are free patterns. I just couldn't resist. The site is called Bellaonline and there is a whole list of free patterns for American Girl Dolls, as well as Bitty Babies. I found the Bitty Patterns by searching their site for "bitty baby". You can print out, enlarge and sew until your little heart is content! The dress pattern and the pinafore were so easy, I highly recommend checking out this site. It is well worth the trip!

Double the Joy! It's Twins!

2007-12-03T11:56:00.001-04:00

Ahhhhhhhhh! This is the kind of thing that makes creating a gift for someone so worthwhile! These two beautiful little girls are the children of friends of my daughter. Brianna and Mikayla were born six months before my granddaughter and thus they are all wonderful friends. Their mom had mentioned once that she would like "kid size pillows" for these little darlings, and I just couldn't resist. I made them from the most lusciously soft flannel and then embroidered their names on the cuff of each pillow case so they could always recognize their own pillow. These photos just made my day! Sweet dreams, little ones....

Christmas Doll Quilts and Bitty Baby Jammies

2007-11-29T10:49:00.000-04:00

Here is my latest completed project, Bitty Baby accessories. I made four pairs of Bitty Baby pajamas and four Bitty Baby sized scrap quilts for my Granddaughter and two nieces (one has twins!). The doll quilts were made from the leftover "bonus" triangles from the Pineapple Blossom Quilt pattern I used to make the HoHoHO Quilt pictured in the previous post. They certainly came in handy! The Bitty Baby pajamas were made from Christmas material I purchased after Christmas last year. I am very pleased with the results and I think that my most favourite girls are going to love these gifts.

Ho Ho Ho Christmas Quilt

2007-11-14T21:18:00.000-04:00

Here is my latest completed quilt. I call it my Ho Ho Ho Quilt. I made it with swap blocks from the Penny Pincher 5 Ho Ho Ho block Swap that was held earlier this year at http://www.quilting.about.com/. We used Bonnie Hunter’s Pineapple Blossom quilt pattern, and as luck would have it, I had it quilted by none other than Bonnie Hunter herself. You all know Bonnie – she’s the star of Quiltville Machine Quilting and the Quiltville Blog. It seemed to me to be the natural order of things to have her do the quilting. She used the Whirly Gig pantograph pattern on it and I am very pleased with the end result. I have wanted a Christmas quilt for myself ever since I started quilting, and now I have one! So, let the Holidays begin! I am ready!

Peas and Carrots

2007-11-06T15:42:00.000-04:00

Since my darling little Granddaughter moved to the "country" I felt it necessary to outfit her accordingly. I whipped this up last weekend, and must say I am quite pleased with the results. The shirt and overalls came from Old Navy, and the peas embroidery design came from Ann the Grans free design section. The lettering is a built in font in my Janome 11000, and the carrots on the overalls I just drew myself and then appliqued using WonderUnder. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy...

Halloween Bragging Time

2007-10-29T14:51:00.000-04:00

Here are some of our kids, all dressed up in costumes they made themselves, getting ready to hit Duval Street for Fantasy Fest 2007 in Key West. I am not kidding, the kids literally made these costumes themselves using the green foam you buy at Joanne Fabrics, PVC pipe, felt, high density foam for facial elements that were then carved with an electric turkey carver, lots of glue, paint, sweat... My only contribution was 50% off coupons for Joannes and I sewed the pant legs, sleeves and hands out of felt they had purchased. I am blown away at how good they are! It wasn't enough that they made Spongebob and Patrick costumes - they then had to make pirate costumes for their costumes! I couldn't be more proud! Oh, and did I mention they are seven foot tall?!!!

Above, from left to right, Kate the Pirate, Justin dressed as Spongebob the pirate, Joseph the Spongebob Security Guard, and Jeremy as Patrick the pirate.

My favorite shot..........

Scrap Bag for Snips and Things

2007-10-24T23:25:00.000-04:00

Well, the day finally came when I could no longer tolerate the ziplock bag taped to my sewing table. I used this to conveniently put all those clipped threads, clipped points and the little pieces of tear away stabilizer that we seem to accumulate while sewing. I found a great design that is perfect for the sewing room, grabbed a hunk of old pinwale corduroy, and whipped up the perfect solution for collecting these scraps. I made two straps, put a button hole on the end of each, then I screwed two small screws to the inside of the door, hung the straps on these screws, and Wa-La, I have a new trash bag! I used up an entire hunk of fabric that is probably ten years old and have something to look at that is more pleasing that the ziplock bag taped to the top of my sewing table! I will thin down this stash...I will thin down this stash...

Odds and Ends

2007-10-16T11:18:00.000-04:00

Yes, I have actually been sewing up a storm these days. I am using up some fabrics I have had laying about for quite some time, so I feel good about the completed projects. I really need to thin down the stash because my sewing area is microscopic - and I do mean microscopic! Sooo, whining aside, here are a few of the items I completed this week.

First, and probably my favorite, is the Halloween costume for my wonderful nieces American Girl doll. I had this great black velvet, just sitting on a shelf collecting lint, very close to this fancy red silk that seemed to be screaming to line the witch's cape, and Wa-La, you have the perfect costume for a doll!

Second on the list was this bag, also made from the same black velvet, but this is lined with fabric I purchased in New York City that depicts the city in blacks and white. I embroidered a scroll design on the front of each side to spice it up a bit. It is a great pattern from Butterick and I intend to make more bags using some patchwork for one, and brown corduroy for another.

The third project for this week was also for the niece that had received the American Girl costume. She wants to be Dr. Seuss's Thing 1 and to have her little girlfriend be Thing 2 so I made for their costumes embroidered "Thing Emblems". That wasn't good enough for me, so I then made them coordinated Trick or Treat bags. I sure do love my Janome 11000 - it is so easy to embroider and personalize!

The fourth project I can't show you here because it is in a package on its way to Mishicot, WI and I don't want to ruin the surprise, and I know that the recipient reads my blog.... she will just have to wait.

Cities, Quilt Shops and Whales

2007-09-26T21:16:00.000-04:00

My husband and I just got back from making a trek north to visit New York City and Boston for a few days. I have been to New York City many times, and never tire of it. In fact, every time I go I am amazed at the way the city energizes me! I love it there. We went to see a show on Broadway, Phantom of the Opera for the first time and I was awestruck. A fabulous evening, to say the least. I would recommend it to everyone. If you have never seen a live show, you really are missing something. The talent in front of you is truly a gift - I feel so blessed to have seen the few I have thus far. At the top of my mental "To Do" list is "See More Shows". I intend to follow through.

Naturally, I also had to hit a quilt shop while in the city. The City Quilter is more than worth the trip if you are in the Big Apple. My husband and I had been out for a nice stroll in Central Park when a rip roaring down pour began. I knew I would never find a cab in the storm and I was quickly getting soaked to the skin. My husband, always willing to support the arts (and probably avoid a tantrum), changed his afternoon plans and escorted me to the door of the quilt shop. The people in the shop were as nice as can be, and the stock was exemplary. I was in heaven and spent some of my children's inheritance while there. They will love the quilts more than any money I could leave them anyway, right?

The second half of our mini vacation was a trip up to Boston, a city I have never been to. That, too, should be on everyones "To Do" list. My sister-in-law lives in a neighborhood adjacent to Cambridge, a great place called Davis Square. I know that many people carelessly throw the word "cool" around, but honestly this place is totally cool. I loved it! From there we went whale watching, took a helicopter ride over the city, and ate some of the best food I have ever had. I don't want to be one of those people that drones on and on about their vacation, so I will end here, but honestly people - Boston is a city we should all go visit. Oh, and just so you know, my husband actually took that photo of the whales beside our boat.