The Happy Bumbler

Farewell, Old Friend. Hey There, New Love!

2012-01-06T10:26:00.000-06:00

It was a sad day when my trusty Brother got cranky and finally decided he had sewn his last stitch. The day wasn't without tears and desperation. But light began to shine again and through a few resources (including selling some handmade items--if you'd like to purchase various items like Bible covers, coin pouches, tote bags, etc... let me know!) that were made available to me I was able purchase a new one.

So, this is farewell to Brother. I sewed my first quilt on him and he was a great teacher as I learned different sewing techniques. I enjoyed his ease of use and simple instructions. Thank you, my friend.

The time has come to upgrade. And upgrade I did! May I introduce to ya'll to my fancy new Janome MC6300P! MC for short. She arrived UPS and when the man finally got here I leaped up and ran to the door! I ripped the box open and look what was inside!

Here she is all put together with that lovely, spacious quilting board! She was so much larger than my old machine I had to come up with a new table to put her on. I finally ended up setting her on an old sewing cabinet that actually has a Kenmore sewing machine (that doesn't work) under her. This is a temporary fix until I can find a more suitable table. Right now, she is too elevated and my chair is too short so I'm reaching up a bit which makes for painful shoulders and back.

Here she is sewing her first stitches in her new home!! I think she is excited! I can't believe how smooth and quiet she sews. It really is amazing. I love how you can wind the bobbin separately and don't even have to unthread the machine to do it. I also love the button that cuts the thread after you finish sewing! That just amazes me every time! She also came with a knee lifter (not pictured) that I can use to lift the foot with my knee when I need to keep my hands on the fabric! Wow! Sometimes I just sit and admire her! There are foots galore that I can't wait to explore and I'm sure she does even more things than what the booklet says.

Ok, enough of this! I have to get back to my sewing studio!

Christmas Presents

2012-01-02T15:16:00.001-06:00

Here are the last of the Christmas presents I made this year.

This is a set of a table topper, grocery sack dispenser, and a hanging dish towel set.

Two fabric stockings held little goodies.

I should get my sewing machine this week and I can't wait to share it with ya'll!

Barn Raising

2011-12-28T14:56:00.001-06:00

I made this blue and while quilt in a barn raising pattern for my mother-in-law. It is made up of almost 600 squares.

I quilted it with white thread and a loose stipple all over.

This picture is a little blurry. I took it in a hurry before I wrapped it and it was too wet outside for a photo shoot. But you get the idea of the pattern here.

Modern Stripes

2011-12-27T14:28:00.000-06:00

This quilt was a Christmas present to my mother. I will be featuring all the Christmas presents I made over the next week.

I used brown, tan, blue, and green. Colors to match her home.

I pieced the back with leftover fabrics from the front and I love how it turned out. The result is a reversible quilt that looks as good on the back as it does on the front.

I quilted it with all over stippling in a neutral thread.

Here is a full shot of the back. I had to get creative to piece enough together to make the back as I quickly ran out of fabric from the front but I like how it turned out.

And the reception was pleasing to all. Especially the dog!

(My trusty Brother sewing machine decided to give up the ghost recently. Thankfully after I had finished up my Christmas sewing. I will be purchasing a new one soon and will post about that later. )

iPhone Case!

2011-09-30T12:33:00.002-05:00

With the much anticipated turning on of a cell phone tower near our home we now have great cell phone service in our home! Husband and I decided to get new phones (we were using models that my pre-teen niece wouldn't know anything about!). I found this cute fabric on clearance at Hancock's Fabrics. It is by M'Liss and I just love it!

Here is a pic of it all closed up and being cute!

Here it is open. I used Velcro to close it.

Here is a peek at the interior fabric. It's also from the same M'Liss line. Adorable! I just love my new phone and cover!

I got the tutorial here.

Pumpkin Pickin'! A Finish!

2011-09-15T16:58:00.000-05:00

May I present to you Pumpkin Pickin':

Edith though she added to the fall look


See the bird nest to the left? Cute!

Pieced back from left over pieces

Final resting place

This pattern comes from the 2008 Oct/Nov issue of Quilt Magazine. Free motion quilted. Poly batting. Machine applique.

Fall is on its way!

2011-09-13T11:01:00.000-05:00

We are having crisp nights and cooler days here in Kentucky! The beginning of September means it is time to decorate for Fall! Fall is my favorite season. All the beautiful colors, the farmers working to harvest their crops and the smoky smell of tobacco barns working overtime. The clean crisp smell of Fall is like no other smell and I'd rather be no where else but here in my Old Kentucky Home experiencing every minute of God's beautiful splendor. I hope you take time to reveal in this season.

I've been decorating my home to welcome Fall and wanted to share some pictures with you. I made this wreath mostly from things I found at Wal-Mart on clearance last year.

Here is my staircase with leaves and pumpkins:

I fixed up a couple of these baskets with some random pumpkins, pine cones, and leaves.

I have never made anything quilty for fall because I never really had any fall fabrics. I changed that problem this year and am working on turning these cute appliqued pumpkins into a throw. I'd also like to make me a table runner and a table topper but we will see how far I get with those plans. Christmas is approaching fast I have to get to work on gifts!

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Triple Blessings!

2011-08-23T15:31:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine is expecting triplets soon and I made these three adorable quilts for her much anticipated little ones: Harrison, Leah, and Cara.

The boy quilt was made using madras and flannel turtle prints. I loosely quilted it so as not to make it look girly and for extra softness on the flannel.

This one I quilted with my free motion foot and I used various prints.

This one is also quilted free motion and much of the same prints in the other girl one so they would match, but not be matchy-matchy.

From the ooohhh's and awww's of those in attendance of the shower and a few tears from the mom-to-be I know these quilts were well received! We all can't wait to meet the new additions!

Vintage Bricks Quilt

2011-07-20T15:54:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the bed size ~~spring~~ summer quilt that I had to put away because I got so mad at it!

I made a pieced backing with vintage sheets and the bricks are also made from vintage sheets.

This quilt is huge. It is the largest quilt I have ever done and I can't believe I actually got it shoved under my machine to quilt it. I way overestimated the top. I must have messed up some math somewhere (which wouldn't be beyond me!).

See how it matches my artwork I had previously made for the wall? Now it is nice and summery!

Pillows!

2011-07-15T09:17:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to make new pillow for the couch for a long time and I finally got around to it yesterday. I used some upolstery fabric scraps that my Dad brought me after picking them up from a craigslist posting from a store who was cleaning them out to make room for new.

Here is the before picture. These pillows came from a yard sale and I bought them with the intentions to use the pillow forms but they stayed on the couch for way longer than I wanted!

Here is the after! How cute are they? I am so pleased with how they turned out. I used this tutorial for the round pillows and I made the one in the middle by just cutting random strips and sewing them together.

Here is the back of the pillow in the middle. It is reversible! The round ones have the same backing.


Close up of pillow in middle

Round pillow

Other round pillow

Once I made those pillows, I had to made some new covers for the loveseat pillows! They needed to match! Here is the before...

And here is the after! These are made with 16 4" squares and a 1 1/2" border. They are removable.

Loveseat pillow close-up

They make you want to just sit on the couch all day with them and tell them how much you love them!

Laying it aside

2011-06-14T14:33:00.000-05:00

Me and the quilt have been ~~having it out~~ discussing the idea of laying it aside and moving on for a while. After I made some mistakes like not making the quilt back big enough, sewing things together wrong, and general frustrations I have decided to put it up and move on to something else. I can't handle it right now! So, here is a photo glimpse of the finished top for you to view. I will return to the quilt after I have regained my sanity.

I decided to mend some old quilts that have been needing it for quite a while. This one is an applique butterfly quilt pieced by my great-grandmother and (after many years finally) hand quilted by some ladies at my grandmother's church. I loved relaxing under it and sewing on it while thinking about where the fabrics came from and how my stitches intertwined with her's that she put in so many years ago.

I found little quirks in the quilt that I hadn't noticed before. It is hard to see in the photo but she had pieced a very small corner of back to complete the butterfly body. Such a small piece I probably would have cut the whole body smaller. I wondered why she had done that.

Some of the butterflies were in bad shape and some only needed a small stitch to keep it tacked down. This one was the worst. Here it is before:

Here it is after I stitched it down and cut away the fraying pieces. I had to really alter the shape but at least it won't come off in the wash. This quilt now has its washing orders!

I also wanted to share this wreath I made. The whole thing probably cost me a dollar. I bought the vine wreath at a yard sale and got the flowers for free.

Still working...

2011-06-07T16:43:00.000-05:00

This quilt is one I wish I hadn't started! I want the quilt but I'm struggling to get it done. It is hot upstairs and I just want this thing done! Ya'll ever feel like that?

Numbered rows

I found a trick to keeping the top on the table. It kept wanting to slide off while I pinned so I found these bag clips and clipped it to the table.

The top is finished! Yay! I'm almost finished with the back. I had stop mid-sew and just leave it. I was sweating and getting frustrated by the second! Perhaps once I start quilting it I will feel better.

Work in Progress

2011-05-18T14:23:00.000-05:00

I've been dreaming about a vintage sheet quilt for a very long while. I have browsed patterns, tutorials, and magazines to find the right pattern for the job and I have settled on a bricks design. It seemed fitting for the fabrics and a good way to feature them without being overly complex. The quilt will be queen sized for the bed. I cut the pieces today:

I also finally got around to making these:

They are embroidery hoops in different sizes with vintage sheets showcased. I've seen them many places and wanted to try them myself. I found the hoops at a estate sale along with the sheets. The whole display cost me under $3!

Looks like I will busy at my machine tomorrow! I've got to get this quilt finished before it gets hot outside!

give it away, give it away, now!

2011-04-26T18:35:00.000-05:00

I made these two quilts for a local Child Advocacy Center. The center gives the quilts to children/teens during a medical examination as a means to comfort them during that scary time. The child/teen then takes the quilt home with them. Kids go to the advocacy center if they are abused or mistreated and thinking about that just breaks my heart. No child should ever have to go through the unspeakable horrors that echo off that center's walls.

The lady I emailed with at center said they were in need of teen style quilts. I went through my stash and came with this cute pink and black combo.

This was my first attempt of a pieced back and I enjoy it very much! I will be doing that more in the future.

This quilt is geared towards "boy." I always find it hard to make a quilt for a guy! I just went with solid gray and that ~~cute~~ awesome penguin flannel print. You can just see the softness in it!

Here they are! Ready to be given away! When they are stacked like this, you can really see what a difference different types of quilting make. See how much loft the penguins seem to have? I quilted those very loosely with my walking foot verses the pink and black one that is quilted more tightly with free motion loops.

Sounds like I'll have the Red Hot Chili Peppers in my head for a while now!

Garden Pinwheels Quilted Table Runner Tutorial

2011-04-15T19:12:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my very first tutorial!!! I was searching for a pattern for a new spring-y table runner and just couldn't find one that suited the fabric I purchased. So, I made one myself!!

The completed runner measures 11" x 55". You can add or omit some blocks to make yours the right size for your table.

I chose four print fabrics and a crisp white. These fabrics are from the Fresh From the Garden line by M'Liss. You will need about a half yard of each.

Fabrics

For each pinwheel block you will need:
2- 5 7/8" squares print
2- 5 7/8" squares white
For the rail blocks you will need:
2- 5 1/4" x 10" print
2- 5 1/4" x 10" different print
Sashing:
6- 1 1/2" x 10 strips
2- 1 1/2" x 54" strips
Backing & Batting:
14" x 56"

Half-Square Triangles

Make your HST by laying the 5 7/8" white squares on top of your print squares and drawing a line on the diagonal. Sew 1/4" on each side of the line and then cut on the line so you now have 10 HST blocks. Trim them up and iron.

HST trimmed and pressed

Lay out your four HST blocks like the picture below to make a total of three pinwheel blocks. Sew together using the chain-piecing method.

Now, you have you completed pinwheel blocks. I made two the same and one different so I would have the two in the orange on the ends and the red one in the middle.

Three pinwheel blocks

Take your 5 1/4" cuts and lay them out like the picture below. I alternated the prints. Sew them together!

Rail block layout

Now, you have your two completed rail fence blocks!


Completed rail blocks

Take your six 10" long sashing strips and sew them on each side of your pinwheel blocks. Then, sew your blocks together to get this:

Grab your 56" long shashing strips and sew those to the top and bottom of your runner.

Completed runner top

Layer your backing, batting, and top. Baste and quilt! Add your binding. I used the yellow word print from the top of the bird in the garden print.

Enjoy you new lovely spring table runner!!

I know this little birdie will!

Please don't use this tutorial as your own and always link back to this post if you are going to discuss it on your own blog! Thank you! I hope you enjoy it! Let me know if I made any mistakes or if you have any questions in your comments!

Vintage Love!

2011-03-19T16:03:00.000-05:00

I hit up a few tag sales Friday and discovered these pretty vintage sheets! They were $0.50 each and pillowcases were $0.25. I was so happy to get them because I have been wanting to make a quilt entirely from vintage sheets but I really didn't have a good variety. Now I do!

Just look at those colors! I love the green.

The orange and yellow daises are my favorite in this bunch. It looks like someone cut the sheet and sewed it back together for some unknown reason, but it is still good for my purposes.

I love the butterfly pillowcases I found. I don't think I'm ready to cut those up. Those will be going on my bed!

My trees are blooming! They are so pretty now. It has been so nice outside all week and that makes it hard for me to sit at the sewing machine. I love being outside and will probably be working in my flower beds and garden soon and spending less and less time in my sewing studio.

Promise of Spring Part II

2011-03-02T13:42:00.000-06:00

After I made the quilt I posted last, I had to use it because it got really cold outside but recently it has proved that yes, in fact, Spring is on its way! Yesterday we had highs in the lower 60s and today we have highs in the mid 60's.

While looking at the computer I looked up to find Cricket staring at me:

He seems to do this quite often. I think it is a part of him going senile.

During the beautiful days I got to do some yard work that desperately needed attending to. Edith is always ready to help outside. She was talking to me in the photo but it looks like she has bitten the twig in half! Ha!

Bud are starting to appear! Some of my buttercups and iris are shooting up through the ground too.

I love this tree in our front yard. It is huge and will look so lovely when all the leaves are green.

Yes, it seems the promise of Spring really is coming soon!

Promise of Spring

2011-02-23T09:27:00.000-06:00

The pattern comes from February 2011 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting and is the featured quilt for the front cover. It is called "Row by Row" but I call my quilt Promise of Spring because of the warm week we had. It also looks kinda Easter-y. I varied from the original pattern only slightly by adding two more borders to make it bigger so it would be a generous throw size for curling up on the colder winter nights while waiting for spring.

Some of the fabrics are vintage like the blue flowers and daisy stripes. I threw in some solids to break up the print and to have places to rest the eye. The binding is pieced from the scraps left after finishing the top. The back is a vintage sheet. The batting is an 80/20 blend. It is perfect weight and has already been approved by the cat and husband who said it is his favorite quilt thus far!

My brother is back!

2011-02-21T15:16:00.000-06:00

And he has a lot to catch up on! I should have a finished quilt to show you soon!

The bad news is that he has a terminal illness. The sewing machine doctor said that he could last a week and he could last a year. The motor is just getting worn out from usage. He suggested a higher end machine because of how much sewing I do. I'm saving my money and eyeing some beautiful Janome machines.

On pause

2011-02-02T14:35:00.000-06:00

My sewing is on pause. Mr. machine went to the shop this morning. It was sad leaving him there but there seemed to be plenty of other machines to keep him company. It will take two weeks and $70 to get him all oiled and cleaned so he can run good as new. Sigh. I miss him terribly. Maybe I can get some of that cleaning and organizing done I have been putting off.

I'll leave you with a picture of a hawk that slammed into my deck door and ate his prey on the deck. He didn't remember his manners because I had to get husband to clean up his leftovers.

Under the Weather

2011-01-21T12:48:00.000-06:00

My machine is under the weather. ::insert sad and depressed face::

(Ignore the out of date calender)

He has lots of work to do too and I had wanted to get this top finished by Monday. That isn't going to happen now.

I have to find someone to fix him now. He makes a loud noise while sewing that almost sounds like grinding. Also, he kinda freaked out a little yesterday mid-sew on top speed. I think he may have said a few choice words at me when I tried to keep going so he's quietly resting now until I can find somewhere to take him. Until then, there will be no more sewing. ::insert saddest face you ever saw::

Feedsack Fun and a Sack Sack!

2011-01-13T15:19:00.000-06:00

I had purchased a couple feed sacks at an estate sale last summer and wasn't sure what to do with them at the time I bought them, so I just got a few.

The other day I was thinking about I didn't like the curtains in my laundry room. They are just some that were left here when we bought the house. Lacey curtains really aren't me. I got to thinking that I could make some new ones out of the feedsacks I had bought. So, I went to work!

Here is the before photo:

And, here is the after:

I think they are just too cute! I really like how it changes the look. I wish I bought more of them now so I could have enough to make some more curtains for the dining room. They would be adorable in a kitchen but I don't have any windows in there!

I also needed a new grocery bag holder or a sack sack as I like to call them. I used this tutorial. I didn't use the charm pack (I cut my own squares) and I left out the elastic from the top so it would be easier to load the sacks inside. I also used a cute piece of trim for the loop instead of the elastic.

The quilting made it really sturdy so this one is sure to last a lot longer than my previous one I made.I really like the look of it too.

My new year sewing to do list is growing by the day and I can't possibly keep up. I find myself getting distracted by other tasks that need to be done like cleaning and the ever important task of surfing the internet for new tutorials and watching Little Hose on the Prairie!

Evidence of Giving is better than Receiving

2010-12-29T13:54:00.000-06:00

The following pictures are of gifts that I handmade and the people who received them.

My mom with her apron, oven mitt, pot holder, and house-shoes.

Mama's handmade kitchen set matched the colors in her kitchen and, of course, were very well received.

My husband with his Titans fleece hoodie.

Husband's hoodie was very appreciated and he has only taken it off long enough for it to be washed.

My granny with her new quilt.

Granny was over joyed at her new quilt and exclaimed, "I was wondering when you were going to make me a quilt!"

Me and Granny with her quilt.

My husband opening his quilt for our anniversary.

Husband has been wanting me to make him a quilt and had been ~~complaining~~ asking for handmade items for himself as he saw all of these other handmades being created and given away. So, I set to making him a quilt around the time it was just beginning to get chilly outside.
I knew I wanted to make him an Austin Peay State University quilt because he loves AP almost as much as he loves me. We both graduated from there and attend all home basketball games. I created a logo AP pattern out of newspaper and cut out my pieces and appliqued them on. I set it off with two borders and quilted it. I'm pretty pleased with the result.

full view of husband's new quilt

quilting

All ready to cuddle under while watching his favorite team.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-21T14:23:00.000-06:00

This is my favorite nativity I have ever seen. It was my grandmother's and she gave it to me. Even though it doesn't include the usual wise men, cows, Mary and Joseph the focus it still there. I love it for many reasons but this year I notice that the main focus is the baby Jesus. Attention isn't diverted by elaborately dressed kings bringing gifts or even a cute wooden manger draped with moss. I love this nativity because Jesus is the center of attention. He is the focus.

Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

  Luke 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

  Luke 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

  Luke 1:29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

  Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

  Luke 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

  Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

  Luke 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Luke 2:6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

  Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

  Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

  Luke 2:9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

  Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

  Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

  Luke 2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

  Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

  Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

  Luke 2:15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

  Luke 2:16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

  Luke 2:17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

  Luke 2:18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

  Luke 2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

  Luke 2:20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Christmas Card Wreath Display

2010-12-10T14:46:00.000-06:00

I found a little blurb in my Martha Stewart Living mag about a "pinup wreath" for one to display Christmas cards. It looked easy enough so I gathered a few items I needed that I didn't already have from the local Dollar General (hot glue gun and clothespins).

A few days later I complied the listed items and began to work.

You can see said blurb in the left corner of the above photo. It is page 78 if you have the magazine. I knew I had a large hoop but I didn't know what size it was. All I knew was that I had one I didn't use and I needed somewhere to put my cards. When I went looking for it I was disappointed it wasn't wooden, was blue, and only 10" but I figured it would look ~~acceptable enough~~ modern. I also didn't have any pretty cotton ribbon so I used what I had and that was white paper cording that I unfolded and used for my bow. The coffee was also necessary for a morning project ;).

Here it is all completed! I think it looks pretty good. It serves the purpose. I put it in the kitchen in the place of a picture I had on the wall. The clothespins are hot glued one and half inch apart alternating in and out. It was very simple to make and although it doesn't look as nice as Martha's, it suits me.

In other news, I have been a wrapping machine and my ~~ping-pong table~~ sewing table is overrun with bows and various paper.

I wanted to show you this wrapping paper I have. We found some at yard sales and Husband found a huge box of it in the paper recycling bin last year and brought it home. We never have to buy wrapping paper again but what I wanted to show you were some of my favorites. I wish these were fabrics. The kittens are my total fav, followed by the white and silver with red birds. I'm not sure what else I can do with it but wrap gifts but I'd love to hear someones crafty ideas on how to make something with it.

Let me know if you make the card wreath too because I'd love to see a picture of yours! Leave a link in the comments of this entry.

Tour Of Homes

2010-12-08T16:18:00.001-06:00

I've been meaning to post this for weeks now but I haven't had the time or energy because of various Christmas activities and one long cold that would not go away. So, here is the Christmas photo tour of my home:

Living Room tree

Tree Skirt I made

My little snowy village

The mantle

Christmas fabric wreath I made

Table topper I made

Dinning Room tree with a theme of birds/penguins

<> The tree skirt I made <>>

The staircase

Merry Christmas!

Peppermint Pinwheels

2010-11-16T19:42:00.000-06:00

I finished the Christmas quilt I have been working on for so long! May I present to you, Peppermint Pinwheels!

The texture on this quilt is wonderful! I used a machine quilting needle and it worked beautifully. It is very soft and a nice weight from the cotton batting.

The backing is from a king sized sheet and it took up almost the whole thing! I think I cut about three inches off. I bound it with solid white to have a contrast against the busy border print.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! I can't wait to get all warm and cozy under my new quilt!

Oh my aching back!

2010-11-11T14:49:00.000-06:00

I FINALLY got a backing for my over sized queen Christmas quilt! Kohl's had sheets on sale for $12.99 so I set out this morning with intentions on finding something suitable for a backing. I was going to get red because they had a nice Christmasy red sheet set that would go well. However, when I saw this print I thought it would go even better. See how it matches the white print I used in the top? (backing on the bottom and the top is folded)

200 or so pins later, I had this:

I also gained an aching back, sore knees and finger tips. I think this quilt will be well worth it all, though.

I plan to start quilting Monday. I'm not sure how long it will take me. I'm going to stipple it without going over the red stars. I can't wait to get it finished!

Estate Sale & Craigslist finds

2010-10-31T17:50:00.000-05:00

I got some good stuff this weekend ya'll! Check this out:

It is a Lane Antique ceder chest! I got it on Craigslist for $35! At some point someone painted it white and the paint has worn to the point of looking shabby chic. So, I just wiped it down and cleaned the inside out and it all ready for my living room!

The chest's home is in front of my double window in the living room with a couple of quilts lounging on top. It is empty now but I plan to fill it with seasonable quilts.

At an estate sale I found the following:

vintage magnets!

Look at all this I got:

antique sewing caddy full of vintage notions, two plastic sewing boxes with more vintage notions, and a huge 2yd sized cutting board

here is the caddy all folded up

I also got this cute vintage "writing paper" set with paper and envelopes. It says, " for fancy ladies" on the front! Cute!

Absent

2010-10-22T09:16:00.000-05:00

I won't be posting about my quilting adventures for a little while. My in-law's house caught fire Tuesday night and everything since then has been a blur. There is a lot of work to be done. I most likely won't be participating the Blogger's Quilt Festival as I had planned and I may not post here for a while.

I just wanted to give a quick update of what is going on. Our family would appreciate your prayers.

Beauty and The Beast

2010-10-18T15:19:00.000-05:00

I bought this table top ironing board at a yard sale over the weekend for $1. As you can see, the cover is a bit sad. It is dirty and a weird fabric and a not so pretty blue. Being the frugal lady I am I didn't want to buy a new cover. I found this tutorial and went to work!

So, here is the beast:

And, here is the beauty:

The tutorial was wonderfully simple and I was able to do this very quickly! It was so fast and easy I decided to recover my main board also.

The beast:

The beauty:

I'm not procrastinating on finishing my Christmas quilt I have been posting about. I just have not found a backing for it yet. I do not like to buy things full price and haven't been able to find a sheet marked down anywhere big enough for it. I found a nice red sheet at Target but it was a full and I need a queen size. Oh well, good things come to those who wait.

Go Light Your Candle

2010-10-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

Today is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day. It comes October 15th of every year and for many it means nothing much. I didn't even know it existed before this year. Everyone all over the world is asked to light a candle at 7pm so that for one whole day a candle will be burning in remembrance of all babies lost for various reasons.

I miscarried two babies this year. The first was June 2nd. My husband, Adam, and I had been trying for a child for a year and seven months and then I finally got pregnant. I couldn't believe it when I looked at the two faint pink lines of the test on May 31st. I showed Adam and he just grinned and said, "Oh boy!" What a happy day that was. It was more than happy, it was plain joyful!

We immediately started guessing if I was going to have a girl or boy and fantasising about a child playing happily in our living room floor. I was thinking about how my time had finally come after all those months of hoping and praying.

All that joy was short lived, however, because two very short days later on June 2nd I miscarried my baby at five weeks one day along.

The hardest thing to deal with is that I have nothing to show for my baby. I have no grave to visit and I had no funeral to grieve at. All I had in my mind was an image of a baby lying in a sewer pipe crying for his mother to hold him. Worst of all I didn't even receive a birth certificate. My baby is not even recognized by the state. I had to remind myself that my baby was recognized by God and He is all that matters.

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

I had many well wishers try to comfort me during that time but they hadn't gone through what I had and didn't know what to say. Unless you have experienced a miscarriage you don't know what to say to one who has. The most comforting words came from those who had went through what I had. Words like, "it is ok to feel whatever you are feeling and grieve however you want," were a blessing. Other words were well meaning but didn't help like, "you can try again," "at least it was early," and "those things just happen." A word of advice: if you don't know what to say to someone who has had a miscarriage simply say, "I'm sorry."

I grieved heavily for a few days but then I felt a determination to get pregnancy again. I learned that one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage and many people I knew had miscarriages and just didn't tell anyone. I was optimistic I could get pregnant again and have a child just like all those other women.

I got a positive pregnancy test August 4th and I soon learned that having a miscarriage once robs you of more than a baby. It robs you of having pure joy ever again while you are pregnant. You will never be at peace while pregnant because you are terrified of it happening again. You feel you can't get attached because you may loose that baby at any moment.

I made an appointment with my doctor immediately because I just couldn't have that dreaded circumstance happen again. I had my HCG tested and it was going up and up. Everything looked great. I was happy but still a bit guarded. I got through the five week mark with no problems and was beginning to slowly allow myself to feel joyful. I silently thought, "this is it, I'm getting my baby!"

I made it to six weeks and I was really happy then. Adam and I even cruised down a few baby isles thinking about buying those little outfits and pastel colored toys and soft blankets. I had an appointment at six weeks, three days and I was worried sick waiting on the results of the ultrasound. The doctor said I was measuring at four weeks, not six weeks. I hid it but I knew something was wrong. I was thinking in my heart it was just a matter of time. The doctor said not be worried and that maybe the date had just been figured wrong. I really think she was lying to me then.

I got the results of my HCG back on my birthday, August 30th, and they weren't good. The nurse told me they were falling and I should expect to miscarry soon. Her voice was cold and matter-of-fact like. I felt numb and didn't know what to think. I think I was still holding out hope that it wouldn't happen. But it did. That evening my second baby slipped away to be with the Lord.

Another pregnancy without a baby. No grave, no funeral, no certificate. All I had was an empty womb and an even more empty heart. Turns out that baby stopped growing at 4 weeks and while I was dreaming about what he or she would grow to be, they were already with Jesus singing beautiful songs to Him.

I have since been to a different doctor who has preformed several tests and could find nothing wrong with me. There is no reason for my losses and no reason I can't carry a baby to term. At least, she hasn't found one yet.

Today, I'm not sure I can try again. I'm not sure I am strong enough to go through another loss. I look at pregnant women today and think, "Why are they so happy? Don't they know what could happen?" Many don't. They push miscarriages under the rug like a dirty secret. Some states offer birth certificates for miscarriages at any stage in pregnancy, others will only issue one after so many weeks. It isn't about who is pro life or pro choice. It is about having your loss recognized as an actual loss. Please seek out your state politicians and encourage them to pass new laws supporting the issuing of birth certificates for miscarriages at any stage of pregnancy. Don't allow more lives to go unnoticed without official certificates of birth.

Please light your candles tonight at 7pm. If you don't know anyone who has lost a baby in pregnancy or infancy, remember mine.

Finished Top

2010-10-14T16:34:00.000-05:00

Yay! I finally finished the Peppermint Pinwheel quilt top! I purchased the darker red print fabric for the outer borer this morning and sewed it up today. I was worried it wouldn't go well, but I think it is a nice accompaniment!

I hope to get this quilted next week. I'm going to have to shop for a backing over the weekend. I'd like to do a red or green sheet but I will see what I can find.

Gathered Clutch

2010-10-13T14:49:00.000-05:00

I made this today while I am waiting to get some fabric tomorrow to finish my Christmas quilt. Isn't it cute? I found the tutorial here.

I had a little trouble with sewing the zipper but I figured I was just not used to my zipper foot. I think this may be the first time I used it. (I'm seriously afraid of zippers) So, making these should ease me into the world of sewing zips.

Don't you love the print? It is vintage and I have very little left. I thought this would be a great way to use it.

I see many more of these in my future!

Pinwheel Progress

2010-10-12T13:12:00.000-05:00

I feel like I have been working on this quilt FOREVER!!! I feel as though I will never finsih this thing!

Here is what I have so far:

All my blocks laid out.

Everything sewed together with two borders.

Ok, so I am stuck right now. This quilt needs another border that is a darker print than the rest to tie everything together. I need somewhat of a modern print since the rest of the prints are modern. Right now it is about 85in square and I need it to get it to at least 96in square.

I have to wait until Thursday for the Christmas fabric to go 50% off at my favorite store before I can purchase what I need. So, this top is waiting for me until then. Sigh.

Slowly I Sew... Stitch by Stitch

2010-10-07T11:52:00.000-05:00

I turned all those HST units into 13 pinwheel star blocks! Pretty, huh? They are called Peppermint Pinwheels.

Now, I must make some rail fence blocks to go with them from these prints:

Sew them all together and add a few borders and I will have this:

I love this pattern for Christmas quilt, but I wouldn't call it a beginner project, nor would I be able to complete it in a weekend as the description says. In a weekend, really? Maybe if you weren't doing a queen size quilt, didn't have other obligations and lived as a hermit. Even then I'm not sure I could complete the whole thing in one weekend.

On to enjoy the wonderful weather we are having outside and then back inside for some more sewing!

Progress

2010-10-04T14:12:00.000-05:00

I think 158 half-square triangles is enough for one day. Don't you?

Yard Sale Goodies

2010-10-02T13:45:00.000-05:00

There were a ton of yard/tag/estate sales in the paper but I only found a few that looked like they would be any good. So, off we went early this morning, at about 7:30, because I heard of a few sales with fabric. Around here, the fabric won't last very long so we had to get out early.

The first sale I found a bin with sacks of fabric for $0.50 per sack. I got two; the others had fabric for upholstery and clothing. That is where most of the fabric in the picture came from. Starting from the top: vintage orange/brown paisley, blue/white plaid, orange/black halloween print, vintage blue flowers, and a red/white plaid at the top.

The next yard sale was actually an estate sale where they sell everything in the house. In this case it was a flower shop business. I got the three bottom fabrics above: blue flags, blue stars, and vintage blue with flowers. There is nice yardage on all of them. I got all the fabric in the pic for a total of $3.50.

I also found a stack of quilting books. I would have bought them all but I picked out a few that I couldn't leave without because a few of them were priced way to high. I got two BH&G Quilting magazines from Oct 05 and Feb 06. They always have nice patterns in them. I also got Time Crunch Quilts by Nancy Martin. I thumbed through it and saw lots of quilts I'd like to make. The other book is Quilting for People Who Still Don't Have Time to Quilt by Marti Mitchell. It is filled with simple quilts made from squares and strips using easy piecing techniques. Lastly, there is a small book called Vintage Gathering by Kaye England. It has well-known quilt patterns in it using stars and squares. I got all the books for $6.50.

If you noticed a cat tail in this photo, you would be correct. He ran through right as I was taking the shot. He had to be sure and examine each item I bought!

I have been cleaning all week trying to get the house in a nice clean state so it will be pleasant to stay inside during the winter. I didn't do any sewing this week but I hope to get started this coming week on a nice warm winter quilt for our bed. I better hurry because the cold is approaching fast!

Fabric Wreath

2010-09-29T15:40:00.000-05:00

I used this tutorial to make a fabric wreath. I've been working on it the past couple of days in small spurts of time. I found it hard to sit very long and tie all those fabric strips on the wreath. It is hard on your fingers!

I followed the general tutorial directions but didn't use a honey bun. I pulled fall-looking scraps from my scrap bin and cut them into 2x5in strips. I ended up not cutting enough fabric and didn't have enough to go around my fourth wire on the outside so I stopped at the third. I used a couple different types of fabric in order to give it more depth and texture.

I love the way it turned out. Things I would do different next time are cut more fabric and not use thick pieces of fabric because they were hard to tie.

I've got one more wreath and I plan to do that one in Christmas fabric. These are tedious and I hate tedious things. However, I love the look of these so much. So, looks win. I'm secretly hoping I can find more of these wreaths at yard sales or clearance so I can make a few more for other holidays/seasons.

Yard Sales Finds

2010-09-25T14:45:00.000-05:00

I did pretty good this weekend at the yard sales after having two to three horrible weekends in a row of bad sales.

From top of the photo: eembroidered Pillow case with purple flowers. It has no stains and is in great condition. I may use it for crafting for I may just use it as a pillow case! It was $0.10. Next to it is an embroidered hankerchief with yellow flowers. It is also in great condition and I got it for $0.10 also. I got the litter box liners for $0.10 and was ecstatic when I found the wire wreath forms! I needed those for an upcoming project and was putting off buying them at the store. I am so happy I found them for $1 for both! You can also see the blue/green goblet I got up in the corner. Here is a better look:

Isn't it cute? It was only $0.50. I like how the top of it looks dipped in a different color.

I got these old cloth feed sacks and I'm not totally sure what I'm going to do with them. I couldn't pass them up at $0.25 each. They had a pile of them but these were the ones that looked the best. I may frame them or do some kind of quilty thing.

The framed picture is actually an oil painting. It looks old and is framed very nicely. I'm going to clean it up and hang it in my living room. I got it for $0.50 The other items are cards. There is a whole set of Christmas cards with envies and a set of variety cards with envies. I got those for $1 each box.

I'd say I did pretty good!

Christmas Table Runner

2010-09-23T14:47:00.000-05:00

I finished my Christmas table runner today! I used four disappearing nine-patch blocks with five inch squares.

I don't know why this photo is all wonky. Blogger has a new photo uploader and it is weird!

It is quilted with free motion stars.

I had to put some birds in my table runner because my dining room is my bird room. So, here are the precious little Christmas cardinals!

On to the next project!

Pot Holders & A Work in Progress

2010-09-22T16:01:00.003-05:00

I have been sewing like crazy the past couple of days. I've been working on various Christmas gifts and a few things for myself. When I went upstairs the other day to look for some fabric for said projects, I found this:

I had to snap a picture! Cricket is his name and he turned 17 this year.

I needed some new potholders so I found a tutorial and made these:

You can find the oven mitt tutorial I used here. I really liked the shape of the mitt and went through dozens of potholder tutorials to find this one. There is also a fingertip mitt but I didn't make one of those. I didn't think I would use it very much.

The potholder pattern I made up. It is just two 9 inch fabric squares, 3 layers of batting, binding and a loop.

I've got plenty of sewing left to do before the holidays! I'm working on these blocks and will post about what I made from them soon!

Christmas Tree Skirt #2

2010-09-17T11:37:00.004-05:00

I finished the Christmas tree skirt I told you about that I didn't know how it would quilt right because of the ripples and it not laying flat. Well, after I made the quilt sandwich and pinned it I was feeling a bit more confident about it. Here it is all pinned:

You can see how it laid a bit more flat for me after I pinned a lot. I quilted it in large meandering waves so I wouldn't get any puckers on the top from the slight ripples. It worked! I didn't have any major quilting issues! (Unless you count when I sewed over a safety pin and broke my needle. I have got to stop doing that!)

I bound it with a cute red stripe that looks like a candy cane! I think it really set the skirt off.

P.S. I had to make a short trip to my favorite sewing store because they were having another great sale. I got three rolls of 80/20 batting; two crib size and one twin. I got got one yard each of some batiks they had on clearance. I have some beginning visions of a beautiful batik quilt. I also had to grab some machine needles since I keep breaking them!

I can't wait to use this under the white Christmas tree!

Sampler Quilt

2010-09-11T13:03:00.004-05:00

I finished the Sampler Quilt from Amy's Quilt Along! I LOVE it!!! I can't even express to you how proud I am of this quilt. I had plans ever since I saw examples of beautiful sampler quilts at various quilt shows and exhibits. I knew I wanted to use soft colors and vintage fabrics. I also knew I wanted to quilt each square true to its layout.

When Amy was having a sampler quilt along I knew my opportunity had arrived. Amy always has great tutorials and easy to follow instructions with lots of pictures. I knew it would be challenging for me but I had confidence I could get through it. Well, I think I not only got through it, but I succeeded greatly at achieving my goal.

This quilt looks just like I wanted it to. I used a 100% cotton batting instead of a poly blend I normally use. It gave the quilt a great weight and antique feeling. It quilted beautifully. I just love the way this quilt feels. It is so soft and reminds of laying under my grandmother's quilts.

This is my favorite quilt I have made thus far. I also have overcome many of my quilting fears like half-square-triangles, matching up seams, and straight-line-quilting. I really feel like I can do anything quilting wise now as long as I take it low and slow and give it my best shot. Thank you to Amy for having this awesome quilt along and doing a great job!

I LOVE this quilt!!!

Christmas Time's a' Comin'

2010-09-10T16:08:00.004-05:00

I waited patiently for Hancock Fabric's upcoming sale and I finally got to go today!

I stocked up on some Christmas prints ($2.81 per yd). I want to make a quilt with country Christmas prints so I got some of those to add to my stash. I also stocked up on some solids as they were also on sale ($1.81 per yd).

I didn't plan on getting any flannel but I browsed it because it was on sale ($2.81 per yd). I found these two prints that I have just the right project for. They are so soft!

I also got some thread on sale. I had a wonderful peaceful time shopping by myself and browsing all of the quilting books. Something about roaming the isles of fabric just sooth my soul! Everyone there seems to be so happy too!

My next post will be my finished Sampler Quilt for the QAL. I'm working on the binding now!

Stitch and Turn

2010-09-07T17:17:00.003-05:00

stitch, stitch, stitch...turn, shove, push....stitch, stitch, stitch... turn, shove....

That is what I have been doing today.

It sure is slow going quilting this sampler quilt but I wanted it quilted this way to make it a true old-fashioned sampler.

I hope I can finish it in a few days. I am really enjoying quilting it though. When I finish each block I like to look at it and check out the back. I think the quilt will be equally as pretty on the back.

Four blocks down, 12 to go!

More Progress

2010-08-25T16:38:00.005-05:00

I finished my Christmas Tree Skirt top. I love the design and the fabrics, but somewhere along the line I messed up and I'm afraid the quilting won't go smooth at all.

See how it doesn't lay flat? Well, I got the tutorial here. It wasn't very detailed and didn't give measurements on many pieces. I shouldn't have attempted it, I guess. I'm not advanced enough to understand why it didn't lay flat. Maybe one of my readers can tell me. If you know, do you also have any advice for quilting the wavy top? Or am I going to have to scrap it?

In other quilting progress news, I basted the QAL Simple Sampler Quilt. I used a vintage 100% cotton batting. It will be my first experience with cotton batting. I didn't pre-soak it so it should look nice and antiqued when I pull it out of the dryer. I won't start quilting it until next week so don't look for it to be finished soon!

Project in the Works

2010-08-24T14:06:00.004-05:00

I've been working on this:

Mind you, not at my normal full speed ahead pace. I've really been having a hard time getting to my sewing room lately. Other things have been calling my attention. It will be a Christmas tree skirt for our white tree when I finish. I started it last week and hope to finish the top by the end of this week. I will most likely hold off on quilting it for a little bit. I want to get my sampler quilt top quilted before this tree skirt.

We sat out on the porch yesterday at dusk and I captured a few photos of the hummingbirds. They were fighting and really getting mad at each other! I counted five of them at the most.

Word for the Weekend

2010-08-20T11:18:00.002-05:00

1 Peter 1:7 --

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ

I went to a visitation yesterday. My best friend's (since forever) sister's husband died. He was 25; my age. He left behind many sad family members including a loving wife and one year old son. There were many people there to pay their respects and speak whatever they could think of to his wife.

When I stepped up, there was mutual understanding in both of our eyes of knowing each other most of our lives and never thinking we would be hugging through this occasion. Of course, I didn't know what to say. I mean, what do you say when something that tragic happens? It is the kind of pain that many people will live their whole lives and never experience.

What stunned me is that she said, "I'm praying for you." What I had gone through recently was hard but nothing as hard as she is going through now and will continue to feel. In her pain she was still thinking of others. I had to ask myself if I would have been the same way. I wondered how could someone who is going through what she is, be praying for anyone else?

She is going through a trial of faith just as Peter talked about in the verse above. She is being tried with fire, that is for sure. It is a time when most people would be questioning God and perhaps not even praying to Him out of their anger. But she was praying for me.

The verse goes on to say that the trial gives praise and honor and glory to Jesus. This woman made me give praise and honor and glory to Jesus that in her trial she is not only still praying but still thinking and praying for me. Isn't that like Jesus? While He was going through His trial on the cross, He was thinking of each and every one of us.

She can find peace in this trial of fire because it has given her the opportunity to show a little of Jesus' light to each person who came and hugged her or talked to her. It is through trials that Jesus works quietly calling more people to Him by us viewing a grieving widow and seeing the face of Christ.

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,

calling for you and for me;

see, on the portals he's waiting and watching,

watching for you and for me.

Come home, come home;

ye who are weary come home;

earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling,

O sinner, come home!

--Will Thompson

Reading Material

2010-08-18T12:20:00.004-05:00

I went to my local library yesterday and got a library card! I haven't had one since I was a little girl when my Granny took me and I read about every book in the children's section. Since we moved into our first home last year I have wanted a library card. The library was pretty close to the house would be convenient for me to stop by from time to time. So, I finally did it!

Well, I was a little bit disappointed in the quantity and age of the books they had. It is a very small library. I did manage to find some quilting books. The book at the top is called Aurora and is kind of a biography about a woman living in the 1800's who quilted. It has lots of nice color pictures to go with the story.

The next book is called The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt. It has lots of black/white photos of various quilts along with a little history about quilts.

I picked up Country Fabric Scrap Crafts because I have a lot of scraps that happen to look country! Lots of cute ideas in there for every season.

Then we have The Complete Book of machine Quilting. This book was written in 1980 when machine quilting was just getting popular. Did you know that there was no foot for your machine to quilt then? People just either used the presser foot to do straight lines or took it off and used no foot to do free motion quilting! I would have sewed my hand to every quilt I made!

I've been making Christmas presents still and, of course, reading these books. I think I'm going to start on a new project today or tomorrow.

Quilt Along Top

2010-08-16T15:08:00.005-05:00

Last week was the final week in piecing blocks for Amy's Quilt Along. This week we are putting together the top. I worked on mine all morning and into the afternoon hours and am finally finished!

I'm guessing next week is going to be quilting and binding. I plan to quilt each square differently and with the pattern of the square to keep with the sampler theme. I bought batting over the weekend, but it is a thin one and I think I may get a thicker one to get a more country feel to it.

I've also been working on Christmas presents and I can't show you those yet!

Word for the Weekend

2010-08-13T11:01:00.003-05:00

I finished my study of the Harmony of the Gospels yesterday and today I begin looking at the Psalms in my quiet time. I wanted to share with you Psalm One.

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

I have shared the whole Psalm here but I'd like to look mostly at verses one through three. Verse one gives us a lesson in how to live. The first lesson is we will be blessed if we don't seek counsel, or advice, from the ungodly, or unbelievers. The opposite of seeking advice from unbelievers is seeking advice from believers. Thus, we need to be sure that whenever we are looking for advice on a life situation or problem we need to seek out those trusted believers in our lives who have made wise choices in their own life.

The second lesson verse one gives us is we will be blessed if we don't stand in the way of sinners. While I was seeking the counsel of the Holy Spirit on this line, I took it to mean we should not be around sinners. If we are around people who consistently do not follow the law of the we will soon begin to think it is not such a big deal for us to not follow what the Lord would have us to do.

The last lesson is is close company with the second. It tells us that we will be blessed if we don't sit in the seat of the scornful. The definition of scorn is open dislike or disrespect, according to the Webster Dictionary. This verse, to me, means we will be blessed if we are not disrespectful to others. If we are always complaining or talking about other people in a disrespectful way we are being scornful. Thus, we would be sitting in the seat of the scornful. No one wants to be around someone who acts in that way.

Looking ahead to verse two, we see that the blessed man delights in God's law and meditates, or thinks, on it all the time. He is someone who is always keeping in mind what God would have him to do.

Verse three gives us a view of what the blessed man's life looks like. He is someone who "brings forth fruit", or does great works for the Lord. Also, the verse tells us that, "his leaf also shall not wither," or he never gets tired of doing good works. Lastly, the verse tells us that the blessed man prospers in everything he does. He may not always have things go his way, but they always go God's way and something good comes from everything that God is in.

To sum the first part of this Psalm up, if we seek counsel from believers, keep company with believers, and keep a spirit of respectfulness we will be blessed. Likewise, if we also meditate on God's Word consistently, we will have good works and will not grow weary in those good works.

May Psalm One be like water for your tree and teach you how to live out your life as the Lord would have you to.

Christmas Tree Skirt

2010-08-10T14:09:00.004-05:00

I finished my tree skirt today! I was worried about the amount of dark fabrics compared to light and the high pattern content but it turned out great, don't you think? I'm excited to use it this Christmas under our green tree. I plan to make another one for our white tree that is more modern.

I got a quilting idea from one of the blogs I read. I quilted it free motion style with stars and loops. It wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated and I am pleased with the result.

It has little ties in the back to secure it around the tree.

Quilting this skirt wasn't without incident, unfortunately. I broke my needle because I sewed over one of the safety pins by mistake. I'm glad I wear glasses because that thing popped right in my face and could have taken out my eye! It went better after I replaced that needle and began again.

This project definitely got me in the Christmas mood already!

Quilt Along Blocks Week 8

2010-08-09T12:33:00.003-05:00

Here are my blocks for this week! Amy had more triangles for us again! No worries this time though, I am sailing right through them. These are the last blocks to make for the quilt along. Next, we will be bordering all the blocks in white and sewing up the top. How exciting!

The left one is called a Star and the right one is a Mosaic style.

I've been working on a Christmas tree skirt. I have the top all together I just need to quilt it. I'm gonna try and get that done by the end of the week.

Have a great week everyone!

Word for the Weekend

2010-08-06T10:20:00.003-05:00

Most people whether they be Christian or not have heard of the ten commandments and could even name a few. However, they may not know that Jesus gave us a new commandment that sums up all of the ten commandments. If we obey this one commandment Jesus gave, we will surely obey everything else.

Jesus said:

John 13:34 & 35: A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

John also later wrote about this commandment:

1 John 2:7-11: 7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

Jesus told us that people will know that we believe Him and uphold His characteristics if we love our brother. The term "brother" in this verse basically means everyone. God's children should have love towards all people no matter what they have done. Jesus says to love as He has loved us. Jesus has loved us unconditionally and even laid down his life for us. That is the kind of love we are to have for our fellow people.

John goes on to say in 1 John that if you don't love, you are in darkness (or sin). He also says that the darkness can blind us and make us not know where we are going. If you don't love others and have that sin in your life we can be blinded to even more sins. For example, you have to examine why you may not have Christ's love for someone. Are you jealous of what they have? Are you conventing their possessions? Have they done something hurtful to you? Jesus tells us we have to forgive as He forgave us (Matt 6:12).

Sometimes it is very hard to love someone because they may have hurt us or hurt someone we love more than what would seem forgivable. When we feel like we can never forgive or never love someone we need to ask the Lord to help us love as He loves. Jesus can love through us when we find it difficult.

Remember, how do unbelievers know that we are Christians? It is because of our Christ-like love towards others.

Progress

2010-08-05T09:01:00.004-05:00

I've been working on sewing some Christmas presents and have successfully completed one project. I can't show you yet because I don't want to spoil the surprise! I have a few others to work on but I need to get some materials before I begin those.

I have started a Christmas tree skirt using this tutorial. It is pretty simple and I will share pictures after I take a few. It has been very hot here and we are under excessive heat warnings. Needless to say, I am staying inside!

Since every post needs a picture, here are two pretty flowers from my flower beds. One is a Knockout Rose in white and the other is called Naked Lady.

Scrap Disappearing Nine Patch

2010-08-03T16:38:00.004-05:00

I finished the disappearing nine patch quilt made entirely from my scrap bin I have been telling you about! It didn't take me long to quilt it, but I had a little trouble with the binding because I made it smaller than I normally do.

I debated and debated over if I should put a border on this quilt. You can see I decided not to include one. I didn't want it to take away from the scrappy scattered pattern of the blocks. I am so happy with the end result. Taking it out of the dryer, I was pleased with how well the fabric wrinkled and got the comfy look to it.

The back is a vintage sheet. I like how the browns of the flowers go well with the pieced top. Again, I am thrilled with my final product! It is exactly what I hoped for!

This is the quilt's final resting place. It is waiting for someone to get a chill and need a little snuggly!

I'm going to work on a few Christmas present projects before I get started on my next quilt. I plan to make a Christmas quilt in a week or two.

Quilt Along Blocks Week 7

2010-08-02T18:40:00.005-05:00

Here are my blocks for week seven of Amy's Simple Sampler Quilt Along. I'm finding my technique for the half-square-triangles improving because my seams are lining up a lot better. I'm also not wrestling with them as much. Granted, I'm still not totally enjoying the process of making them, but I am getting better.

This week's blocks are called Dutch Windmills (green/white) and Practical Orchard (pink/blue).

And here they are all together...

Tomorrow I'm going to be bumbling on this all day:

It needs quilting and a simple blue binding. I've been wanting a spring/summery quilt for cuddling and I am finally getting time to do it. You may be able to tell in the background of this picture that it isn't my normal sewing room. I had to move my necessities downstairs into the guest bedroom until this suffocating heat passes. That little window unit upstairs is doing nothing for 100 degree temps!

Word for the Weekend

2010-07-30T09:45:00.002-05:00

I pray that this psalm will be an encouragement to all who read it. Read it out loud to yourself and feel the Spirit of God around you.

Psalm 27

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. 4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. 7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. 9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. 11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

I Can Do Magic!

2010-07-29T08:45:00.001-05:00

I have finally begun sewing my scrap blocks together that I have been talking about. After going through every piece of material in my scrap bin and choosing which ones I wanted to use and cutting numerous blocks, I can't tell I even pulled one piece out of that bin! How does one manage their scrap pile if making a whole quilt from it doesn't even touch it?! Sigh.

This quilt will be made entirely from disappearing nine-patch blocks. This is where the magic comes in. Now you see it:

Now you don't:

Neat, huh? You can find a tutorial for making this block here. She just says to cut in the middle and for your reference, the middle of the block would be at the 7" mark. It took my terrible math mind a few minutes to figure that out. Check out her other tutorials, though, if you haven't before. She has some real cute things.

I was able to finish six blocks today. I love them all! I love seeing how each one turns out as I make it. It is an excellent pattern for using up scraps.

I'm not a real planner when it comes to quilting so I'm not sure how many finished blocks I will make. It all depends on how many squares I have cut (No, I didn't count those either). I anticipate this quilt being a lap size. I'll probably use a vintage sheet to back it and quilt it in a free motion style. I'd like to have it completed by next week. We shall see if that happens!

Yard Sale Finds

2010-07-28T11:36:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I found a few good things at a yard sale. It is always fun to stop at a yard sale because you never know what you will find. Sometimes it is just a bunch of junk and sometimes it is nice stuff but way overpriced. Eventually (ever couple of weeks) you will run up on a really good sale and they will have nice stuff priced cheap. That's what happened to me last weekend! (Insert squeal of excitement)

I got two pairs of Gap jeans for $1 each. There is not one stain or rip on these jeans! I was so excited. It is hard to find my size at yard sales because I have to have short or petite sizes. I'm considering making one of these jeans into a skirt. I'm not sure yet.

I also got a shirt for $1 and a pair of curtain valances that looked excellent for the guest bedroom. They were $1 for both. I was thrilled to find the curtains because I have been wanting some new ones in that bedroom. The curtains we had were from the people who lived in our home before we bought it. They just were not me at all.

Here is a before picture(the only one I could find; it is from right after we moved in):

And here are the new-to-me curtains:

I left the muted gold roman shades up so I/guest could pull those down for privacy. I love the change because it opens that room up so much. Those other curtains were just too much. What do you think?

One Thing, One Week Challenge

2010-07-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

Last week Amy challenged her readers to determine to complete one thing over the course of one week. I chose to sew up the two remaining cushions for my patio. Remember how I had found two at a yard sale and was trying to find two more?

Anyways, I completed my goal a few days ago and was happy to finally have a comfy place to sit on the patio. Husband and I sat out there one evening when it wasn't so hot and it was nice until we started talking how we needed to paint the patio and spray paint the patio furniture. Ha! There is always something to be done!

These pictures aren't some fancy camera trick I tried to do. It was actually so humid the day I took these photos, the camera lens fogged up. You get the idea anyways!

I've still been going through my fabric stash and cutting it into 5" squares. I hope to finish cutting soon and get to sewing. I'll share more about that later!

Quilt Along Blocks Week 6

2010-07-26T11:38:00.003-05:00

It doesn't seem like I began this quilt along six weeks ago! Where does the time go?! I enjoyed this week's blocks as well as last week. I'm loving the navy blues in my quilt blocks. I think they will make a great contrast against the lighter color blocks.

The block on the bottom is called a cross. I think something like double cross or double plus suits it better. The block on the top is called new album.

Word for the Weekend

2010-07-23T15:50:00.002-05:00

Matthew 26:14-16 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

Thirty pieces of silver in Bible times was about a month's pay or about the price of a slave. That's what Judas thought was a reasonable price for Jesus.

Many leaders at the time were looking for a way to catch and kill Jesus and Judas was a sucker for making a little money. He figured telling a few people where Jesus was would get him some cash or coins as they called it back in day.

Matthew 26:24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

As the previous verse tells us, Jesus was going to be killed as our Savior from sins no matter what. However, Judas saw it as a money making opportunity. That's kinda like today when those TV preachers ask for money all the time.

These verses got me to thinking about how much is Jesus worth to me? What things in life do I sometimes put before God? What things am I not willing to give up that Jesus would find unacceptable? What price am I selling Him out for?

How about when I feel I am too busy to have my quiet time one day? I've sold Him out for some cleaning.

How about when I watch a program or movie that isn't bringing glory to Him? I've sold Him out for a little entertainment.

What about when I don't tell a friend about Jesus because I can't get up the nerve? I've sold Him out for a little comfort.

We have to remember to keep the Lord first in our lives. He gave His life so we could have eternal life. How can we give Him anything less?

Quilt in Progress

2010-07-22T14:01:00.005-05:00

I've been doing a lot of shuffling fabric...

ironing it into something that resembles a piece of fabric....

and then cutting it into 5inch squares. I haven't been able to work for very long because I am trying to recover from some type of virus but I hope to get this quilt together in a reasonable time. I'm trying a new block that I haven't done before but seems easy so I don't have to think too much in this heat!

Getting Things Done

2010-07-20T11:35:00.003-05:00

Amy over at Amy's Creative Side has created a One Thing One Week Challenge. The goal being that those participating would complete one project or finish a project-in-the-works each week. I decided to join in because I have several things lying around that need finishing up or ideas that need starting. For example, I have several quilts in my head that I have been putting off because of the heat. I quilt upstairs and our a/c doesn't reach up there. I have a small window unit that tries its best but when it is any hotter than 85 it just can't do the job. So, I have been coming up with smaller projects that don't take any longer than a couple hours to do so that I can complete them in the morning before it gets too hot.

I have other projects in my head like placemats, wall quilts, and curtains. I guess that's just how a creative person's mind works.

My project this week is to sew two more cushions for the patio chairs. If you remember, I have completed two so far. I was waiting until I found a couple more at a yard sale. Well, I found two last weekend. That's my goal. Two cushions. I should be able to find time to do that, right?

It is such a pretty day here today. I had to share a picture of what I get to look at everyday outside my living room window.

Quilt Along Blocks Week 5

2010-07-19T13:57:00.003-05:00

I finished my quilt along blocks for this week. I liked making both of these and didn't have any major issues. The only mistake I made was on the hourglass block. If you notice, my two hourglasses are not going in the same direction. After I realized that Amy's were both the same I thought about fixing it, but I don't think it makes a difference.

You can still join the quilt along here.

Of course, I had to be accident prone today. I burned myself pretty good with the iron. Ouchness level was about an 8. Maybe a 9. It hurt! Normally when I burn myself I just go on about my business but this time it wouldn't quit burning. I had to get me a make-shift ice pack. Ziploc baggie, ice cubes, and gauze and tape to hold it on while I finished my sewing. I thought about just finishing them tomorrow but I wanted to get them done. So, for the record sweat and tears are in this project and I'm just waiting for a little blood.

Hourglass & Chain blocks:

All my blocks:

This is the second week I have missed posting a Money Monday. The reason is because we just haven't done much grocery shopping. I hope to get back to it next week. Our cupboards are getting a little bare! Have a great day!

Word for the Weekend

2010-07-16T11:32:00.002-05:00

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Many will tell you that when it comes to going to Heaven when we die, there are endless possibilities you could do to get you there. It simply isn't true. The Bible tells us that believing on Jesus is the only way.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

This verse in John tells us that God is the ONLY true one. Don't be deceived by those saying that good works or just having a good heart will get you into Heaven. You hear all the time, "He was a good man," or "She was so nice to everyone," echoing off funeral home walls. Being a good man or a nice woman isn't going to get you to Heaven.

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

I'm so thankful that it isn't by works that we get into Heaven. No one would be there if that were true. There isn't anything we can do on our own to gain favor with God.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

No matter how great or small you think your wrongdoings are, the Bible says that we have all have sin in our lives. It also says that without Jesus the punishment of sin is death. Revelation tells us that that death is an eternal death, where we would experience separation from God and torment.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Those truths are why it is so important to realize and believe what Jesus has done for everyone. The next few verses express how God sent His Son to pay our price, our punishment. Instead of us being cast into that lake of fire as the verse talks about above, Jesus came to earth and was brutally killed and hung on a cross, died, and rose three days later so we could go to Heaven and live with Him.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

It is God's will that every person on earth will believe on Him. He doesn't want anyone to have eternal separation from Him.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

What do you do then? How do you believe and how do you receive everlasting life? The Bible tells us to tell Jesus, our Lord. Talk to Him in prayer and tell him how you understand everything He has done for you. Tell Him you don't want to be a slave to sin any longer and you want to live for Him. Ask Jesus to take your sin away.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

If you do pray and ask Jesus to forgive you, you will enter into Heaven when you die. It is never too late and never too early to start living a life lead by Jesus instead of the emptiness of the world.

If you have questions or need any help, please let me know. You can contact me through email at mrscouponlady@gmail.com or you may leave a comment and I will get back to you as quickly as I can.

Pillows and Cushions

2010-07-14T11:57:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I finished up some projects I had laying around. Project number one was patio chair cushions. I have needed some for a while I am too frugal to buy brand new ones or buy new foam to make them. So, I waited until I found some at a tag/yard sale to recover.

I finally found two this past weekend (I need four, but, hey, two is a start!). I got them both for $0.50 and the foam is still cushy! I also went to a retail outlet called Essex this weekend and found a vinyl flannel backed tablecloth on clearance for $1. It was a great weave style print too!

I needed something waterproof for the cushions on the patio because it has no covering. I have yet to find an table umbrella at a reasonable price also.

Here is how I did it:

Take off the old covering from the foam cushions.

Lay cushion on top of tablecloth to measure the size you will need. Sew around three sides. Insert foam and fold under edges. Pin and sew all the way around the cushion.

Finished! (Ignore the horrible looking patio and rusty chairs--that is another project that is waiting)

Project number two was pillows. I had found some cute embroidered scenes (looks to be on potato sacks) at a tag sale and wasn't sure if I wanted to frame them or make them into pillows. I decided on pillows because the guest bed needed a few more pillows. I think they make the perfect addition. Husband said they looked so good that he would have thought I bought them and not made them (is that a compliment? hmmm....).

I'm going for a shabby chic look in the guest bedroom. I have a plan to make a pretty quilt for the bed perhaps using pinwheels but for now I have a handmade quilt by my grandmother.

Aren't the adorable? When I bought them they smelled funny and the stitching wasn't to clear. Maybe it was dusty or something. I washed them and ironed them a lot and the colors in the thread became brighter. The kitty and bird are so cute!

My Sewing Room

2010-07-13T12:00:00.005-05:00

I'd like to welcome ya'll into my sewing room! I love to see where other people sew and craft so I figured I would show you where I do all of my sewing and crafting.

We bought the house we currently live in a little over a year ago. I did not quilt then and I rarely sewed. I mostly did a little scrapbooking and card making. This house has a bonus room upstairs. It is all open and a nice size. (I think the people who lived here before us used it as a bedroom for their children.) So, when we moved in we said it would be game room on one side and an office on the other. (Each side is kinda separated by the stairs.) I had a cafe style table in one corner where I did all of my crafting and that was the extent of my "sewing room".

Well, a very generous lady decided she was going to buy me a sewing machine as a house warming gift. I was excited to get a new machine because the little sewing I had done was on an old Kenmore unit in a cabinet. I didn't have the book that went with it and could only do a strait stitch. I knew I wanted to begin quilting I just didn't know I would be doing as much sewing as I am now. My sewing machine is one of my favorite gifts ever. It's kinda like the teach a man to fish thing.

Anyways, I'm telling you this so you can get an idea of how this room has transformed. It went from an office with a ping-pong table to a large sewing room with a large quilting table! We hardly used that ping-pong table anyways... (insert glares from husband here)

This is where I cut and lay out my quilts. It is cluttered right now because I have a lot of different things going on. I would suggest any quilter get a ping-pong table to use. Seriously. It is huge and you can lay out a whole lap/baby quilt on one side of it. You can just about lay a twin size over the whole thing. It sure does make it easier to baste. I normally keep one side clear for cutting. I keep a basket on that side where I throw my trash from cutting and (you can't see it here) my scrap bin is right behind my cutting area so I can just toss my scraps in as I go.

You can see that underneath I have bins and baskets to organize smaller pieces that I don't call scraps yet by color. Around on the other side I have other fabrics organized into fleece, apparel, vintage sheets/pillowcases, and home decorating. (See those pillows? I bought those at a yard sale for $0.50 and I'm gonna cover them with a waterproof table cloth I got at a retail outlet for $1 to use in my patio chairs.

This is where I iron. I keep the board set up all the time. Actually, I love having my sewing room upstairs because I can just leave projects lying around and no one sees my mess! Notice my scrap bin in the aqua tub. My ironing station is right behind my cutting table for easy access. Ignore the books piled in the floor I need more bookcases!

Here is where I sew! I like to have a window to look out so I don't feel all closed in so that is why I put my machine by the window. I like to use that small office chair with no arms because it gives me a good range of motion and I can also adjust the height. I like to be looking down when I quilt and at eye level when I piece. My machine table is also on wheels because I like to roll it out from the wall when I quilt to give me plenty of room.

And, lastly we have my wall o' fabric!These fabrics are pieces one yard and larger. They are mostly ones that I have not cut into yet. Below the fabric shelf is where I keep my thread (purple box) and there is a picture of my grandmother on my dad's side and on the second shelf is a picture of my grandmother on my mom's side. Both of whom sewed and/or quilted. That shelf is also where I keep my quilt backings. I use sheets mostly. Those red ones I haven't opened yet are Christmas flannel with cute owls on them ($5, twin size at retail outlet)!

The last shelf is office stuff like printer paper and envelopes. You can also see I now keep my printer on top of my old sewing machine cabinet. Under that is the bin o' batting. Ignore the unorganized mess in the green box. Most of that is vintage trims and the like.

So, there you go! What do you think? Let me know if you share your own sewing room in your blog because I'd love to visit!

Quilt Along Blocks Week 4

2010-07-12T13:41:00.000-05:00

Two more blocks are ready for this week in Amy's Quilt Along. I had a hard time putting the mosaic block together. It is all half square triangles! I knew when I started it they wouldn't all line up. I was right! I think various factors add up to them not lining up like low quality fabric, no starch, not enough pins, and crooked cuts. I really need a better, bigger ruler for cutting but I simply can't afford it right now. Why must quilting be such an expensive hobby? Sigh.

I enjoyed the log cabin block. I had done those before and I like the clean lines of it. I think I'm just more of a square and rectangle kind of gal.

My two new blocks:

All my blocks together:

Word for the Weekend

2010-07-09T11:55:00.000-05:00

Romans 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

Romans 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Romans 14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

Mark 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

These verses talk about offending or causing another brother/sister in Christ to sin. Romans 14 tells us that we are not be a stumbling block to others. Instead we are to lift each other up by living in peace. It also says that we shouldn't do anything that would cause someone to sin like drink.

The verse in Mark says that it is better for us to die than to cause a new believer to sin. That's pretty harsh sounding, huh? We need to be sure to think about what we are doing and how others might perceive it. I don't want to do anything that might cause someone to sin because that sin can put a damper on our relationship with God. So, I don't want to hinder someone's relationship to Jesus in any way!

In our daily lives we need to be conscious of things we do that might cause others to sin; even if it is in their minds. For example, if a lady was to dress in a revealing way that might cause a man to look on her with lust in his heart. That man has sinned and that lady was the cause of it. If she was dressed modestly. the man would be less likely to think of her in that way. By dressing modestly women can decide they will not be the cause of a man's lust.

Quilt Along Blocks Week 3

2010-07-06T13:33:00.000-05:00

It is very hot here today! My home thermometer is registering 99.6 degrees right now! My sewing room is upstairs and we don't have the central air ran up there. We just use a window unit and let me tell you I was sweating getting these blocks together this morning!

I've been following Amy's Quilt Along the past three weeks. Here are my next two blocks for the sampler quilt.

The one on the left is called two by three and reminds of how a rail fence block goes together. I really like the way it looks. I could see it being used on very large scale for a simple quilt. The block of the right is a snowball type block. I was very nervous about patching with triangles but Amy made it easy and talked me through it well. I'm not so afraid of them now, but they still aren't my favorite shape to work with.

It is hard to tell in this picture, but the snowball block's fabric is navy blue with white dots.

Here are all my blocks so far.

Money Monday

2010-07-05T08:45:00.000-05:00

I don't think I bought as much stuff as I did last weekend. We went to three stores again. I feel like we got better deals this time though. Let's see how it turns out...

Retail price of everything in the picture is $78.74.

Kroger

2 12pk cans Minute Maid Lemonade

2 12pk cans Sprite

Retail Price: $20.56

Coupon Savings: -$3.00

Kroger Card Savings: -$ 9.96

I Paid: $7.60

Food Lion Transaction #1

Lays Chips

2 Old El Paso Fiesta Ready Rice

3 Hartz Crunch and Clean cat treats

2 pkgs Oscar Mayer Beef franks

3 4pks 9Lives canned cat food

Butterball Turkey Bacon

5pk Kraft Mac and Cheese

2 Oscar Mayer lunchmeat pkgs

Capri Sun 10pk

Retail Price: $44.27

Coupon & MVP Savings: $31.15

I paid: $13.12

Food Lion Transaction #2

2 Bryer's Smooth and Dreamy Ice Cream Bars pks

2 Cool Whips

Kraft Chiptole Mayo

Retail Price; $10.57

Coupon and MVP Savings: $8.79

I paid: $1.78

Rite Aid

M&M plain

M&M peanut butter

2 M&M pretzel

Retail Price: $3.34

Coupon Savings: $1.76

I paid: $0.29

To review, the retail price of everything was $78.74 and I paid $22.79!

I also went to some yard sales and found some nice quilting buys.

Here are bundles of quilting magazines; all different kinds. Some new and some from before I was born! I have yet to go through all of them but I am in the process of keeping the ones I want and tossing the others. I'm marking the quilts I want to make with my post-it flaggers. I got each of these bundles for $1. So, $5 total.

These are fan blocks. The lady had these in a baggie marked $0.50 for all of them! Needless to say, I grabbed them up!

I was so excited to find these wonderful vintage sheets and pillowcases at another sale. I use the sheets for backings for some of my quilts and the pillowcases will most likely get used in a quilt. I got everything you see for $2!

I found these pinwheel blocks in a baggie marked $0.25! Again, I grabbed these up! There were also pieces cut out to make a few more blocks.

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July!

Word for the Weekend

2010-07-02T12:59:00.000-05:00

Luke 18:31-34
Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

These passages are Jesus telling his disciples about what is about to happen to Him. The same passage appears in Matthew (20:17-19) and Mark (10:32-34) but they leave out something that Luke makes note of in the last verse in this passage; the fact that the disciples didn't understand what Jesus had just told them. Perhaps they thought Jesus was telling one of His parables and would explain later. Maybe they thought it would happen figuratively. Whatever they imagined, it was just something they understood that they would not understand at that moment.

Verse 34 also says something else--what Jesus was telling them about his death and resurrection was "hid" from them. They wouldn't have been able to understand no matter how bad they wanted to because God had hidden it from them.

Sometimes we don't understand why some things happen in our life. Well, remember that you are in good company! The disciples didn't understand either. When a love one dies, when we barely have enough food to eat, when we can't pay the bills, when ten zillion things seem to go wrong all in one day....we may ask God, "why did that have to happen to me?" We may never get the answer we are looking for here on earth, but we can take comfort in some simple truths from the Bible.

Jesus knows what it is like to feel forsaken. Matthew 27:46 says: " And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" He took on all our sin and in doing so felt forsaken by His Father. When we feel forsaken we can pray to Jesus and trust that He knows exactly how we feel and loves us dearly.

Remember that all sufferings here on earth are only for a short period and as long as you have asked Jesus into your life you will have eternal glory in heaven.

2Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction which is but a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

In closing I wanted to share the words of an old hymn, "We'll understand it better by and by" written by Charles Albert Tindley.

We are tossed and driven on the restless sea of time;
somber skies and howling tempests oft succeed a bright sunshine;
in that land of perfect day, when the mists are rolled away,
we will understand it better by and by.

By and by, when the morning comes,
when the saints of God are gathered home,
we'll tell the story how we've overcome,
for we'll understand it better by and by.

We are often destitute of the things that life demands,
want of food and want of shelter, thirsty hills and barren lands;
we are trusting in the Lord, and according to God's word,
we will understand it better by and by.

Trials dark on every hand, and we cannot understand
all the ways of God would lead us to that blessed promised land;
but he guides us with his eye, and we'll follow till we die,
for we'll understand it better by and by.

Temptations, hidden snares often take us unawares,
and our hearts are made to bleed for a thoughtless word or deed;
and we wonder why the test when we try to do our best,
but we'll understand it better by and by.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-06-30T12:14:00.000-05:00

On Monday I made peanut butter cookies! Yummy! I love this recipe so much and they always turn out so gooey and peanut buttery!

You will need:

2cups regular flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar (lite brown works too)

1 1/4 cup white sugar

1 cup salted butter or margarine

3 large eggs

1c creamy peanut butter

2 teaspoon vanilla

1.) Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.

2.) In a different bowl combine both sugars, butter, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla. Mix well.

3.) Combine the two mixes and stir until you have a soft dough mixture. It will look like this:

4.) Drop cookies on a baking sheet (I line mine with aluminum foil for easy cleanup, sprayed with Pam). I use a tablespoon sprayed with Pam to get uniform cookies. Be careful not to make you cookies any bigger than a tablespoon or they may run together while baking (like some of mine did) They look like this:

5.) Grab a fork and a small bowl of a little white sugar. Dip the fork in the sugar and then press down cookies in a criss cross pattern with the fork, getting some sugar on the fork each time keeps the fork from sticking to the cookies. They look like this:

6.) Bake at 300 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Be sure to keep checking them and pull them out just as the edges start to brown for optimum gooeyness. This mix makes about 4 dozen; plenty to share with friends and family. Enjoy!

Money Monday

2010-06-28T11:46:00.000-05:00

I'd like to introduce you to another of my hobbies. Couponing! I'm an extreme couponer, which means I use coupons 95% of the time I buy something (food, clothes, restaurants, anything) and I stockpile groceries and beauty/health items when I can get them free or 80% or more off retail.

This Money Monday series will be a review of all got over the weekend with coupons and how much money I saved. If you would like to do what I do, I suggest you join the coupon forum community We Use Coupons. You'll find me there using the username apsufan82. Now, down to business!

Everything in this picture has a retail value of $135.52. Can you guess how much I paid for it? Allow me to give you a layout of my purchases. I visited three different stores.

Kroger

2 bags Lay's Chips

1 bag Cheetos Puffs

6 Ronzoni Smart Taste Angel Hair pasta boxes

Kroger milk 1/2 gallon

3 cans Roserita Refried Beans

2 bags Mahatma Rice Mixes

2 Nivea Bodywash

2 Sun Detergent

MinuteMaid Lemonade

Healthy Life loaf Bread

10 Banquet Frozen Dinners
2 bags dry Pinto Beans

Retail Price: $63.31

Coupons: -$19.40

Doubled Coupons: -$4.95

Kroger Plus Card: -$19.04

Price to me: $19.92

Food Lion

Scott Paper Towels 8ct.

3 bags Doritos

Snyder's bag Pretzels

Food Lion brand chunk cheddar cheese

Scott TP 8ct.

Food Lion Angle Hair pasta

Store brand Vitamins

2 cans San Marco Refried beans

2 packs Food Lion peanut butter crackers8ct

El Paso Taco Shells 18ct

Retail Price: $57.64

Coupons: -$29.89

MVP Card: -$10.16

Price I paid: $17.59

Rite Aid

Crystal Lake store brand 24pk bottled water

2 Finish Quantumatic Dishwasher Kits

Retail Price: $14.57

Coupons: -$14.00

Price I paid: $1.23 (tax + .57)

The final cost of everything in the picture to me was $38.73! Wow!

My husband and I also had fun going to Hardee's and enjoying two little thickburger cheeseburgers, two orders of fries, and two drinks for $5.35. We also enjoyed a free fountain drink after all of that shopping from a local gas station that had put a coupon in the paper for the free fountain drink of any size.

If you have any questions about anything please leave me a comment and I will answer as soon as I see it! Thank you!

Quilt Along Blocks Week 2

2010-06-28T11:33:00.001-05:00

I sewed these together this morning in between loads of laundry. These are my week two quilt along blocks for Amy's quilt along.

One is a plus block and I'm not too happy with how mine turned out. I must have not cut one of my blue dot squares right or not got my seams perfect because the rose fabrics doesn't line up on each side perfectly. Oh, well! I don't normally correct mistakes like that. I only use my seam ripper for huge mistakes! When it is all quilted no one will notice anyways.

The other block is a double four patch block and I really like how it turned out. I love the green and blue fabrics together.

Here are all of my blocks so far:

Can't wait for week three, Amy!

Word for the Weekend

2010-06-25T13:37:00.000-05:00

This post will be an ongoing series called "Word for the Weekend." I will post it each Friday and share a scripture passage. I pray that God will speak to you in some way through what I share.

My scripture for this weekend comes from two of my favorite passages: Proverbs 31 and Titus 2. When I attempt to do anything I ask myself, "Does this bring glory to God?" You may not think that everyday tasks you do bring glory to God, but I have to tell you they do! These verses prove that point. They also lay out how women should live, which is in a way that glorifies God.

Proverbs 31 is a mother's advice to her son. Beginning in verse 10, she tells him what kind of woman to marry. Let's examine that passage. Words in italics are mine.

10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. She is rare.

11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. Her husband trusts her and he is not lacking.

12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She constantly loves him. She doesn't mock him and his goals are her goals.

13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is industrious--and willing to be! She desires to help her family.

14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She is thrifty and doesn't always buy what is easy to grab. She waits for that bargain so that she can be sure her husband has "no need of spoil" v.11.

15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She doesn't need anyone else to motivate her, she motivates herself.

16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She is an entrepreneur.

17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She doesn't shy away from doing hard work. She isn't afraid to sweat!

18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She isn't only willing to do hard work, she is willing to work long hours.

19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She is also willing to work consistently.

20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She has compassion on people and is generous in giving.

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She makes sure that her family has everything they need so that when hard times comes they are prepared.

22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. She knows how to clothe her family.

23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. Her husband is the leader of her family.

24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. She makes extra money using her talents to help her household.

25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She isn't afraid of hard times and isn't easily swayed.

26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She is smart and her words are gentle.

27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. She knows what needs to be done for her family and does it!

28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. She is blessed! Amen!

29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. She isn't satisfied with ordinary or second best.

30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. She is a woman after God's own heart.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. People praise her because of her virtuous nature.

Now, I don't know about you, but, Oh! how I desire to be a virtuous woman!

Titus 2 shed a little bit more light into the kind of woman God would have us to be.

3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; Women must have good, proper behavior that is holy. In order to do that we must not be gossips, not drink, and remember to teach good things. Our lives are our example; our teaching tool.

4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, Older women are to teach the younger. You are always older than some other woman/girl! We should love our husband and children, which may seem simple enough, but how many times have you acted in way that you didn't love them?

5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. We are to be discreet, meaning modest. Modest in dress certainly, but also in the way we live out our lives. Modest women are not loud, rude, or crude. They don't dress in a way that would cause a man to sin in his heart. The verse says we are to be chaste, which means staying pure until marriage. We are to be keepers of our homes, not being idle in our tasks at home. The verse says that we are to be obedient to our husbands, meaning we should remember that Christ has put our husbands as the head of the household for a reason. The reason we are to act in this way is so the Word of God is not blasphemed. We don't want to say we are Christians and not follow every word of this God-inspired scripture. Then, how would be good examples unto others so that they may come to the saving grace of Jesus?

This weekend's Word has been lengthy and it won't always be that way. I've shared what the Lord would have me to. May it be a blessing to you.

Completed Walker Tote

2010-06-24T12:27:00.000-05:00

I finished Granny's walker tote I was telling you about yesterday. The pattern I chose worked perfectly and I am so happy with the end result! I can't wait to give it to her. The pattern came from here, in case you'd like to try it for yourself. The instructions were easy to follow. You do need basic sewing skills. It took me about three hours to complete. Two things I omitted from the pattern were the bottom ties and the middle button.

This was the first time I have ever used my machine to make a buttonhole. I was very pleased with the buttonhole foot and ease of use. I now have no fear of it for when I use it again! Here are a few pictures of the completed tote. I'll share a picture of it on Granny's walker when I give it to her.

Here is the front of it. The pattern called for pre-quilted material for the tote body but I just quilted up the body myself using my free-motion quilting foot. That way I could use the material I wanted and it is cheaper!

Here it is with some stuff in it to show how the pockets are set (three in the front). I like how it has a huge bag area in the middle for lots of things. This could be used as her purse so Granddaddy doesn't have to carry it around, ha!

And here is the back. It has two wider pockets on the outside.

Pretty cute, huh? What do you think?

Half Year in Review (Part 2)

2010-06-23T14:10:00.000-05:00

Here are the rest of my completed quilts from this year since I began quilting. It sure does seem like a lot of quilts for just six months! Once I got going I couldn't stop!

#6-Crazy Cats:

#7-Penguins:

#8-Rainbow Sherbet:

#9-Granny's Garden:

#10-Daddy's Log Cabin:

I talked to my Granny yesterday. She has had a rough year so far after having back surgery. She expressed a need of a new walker caddy since she got a new walker. The old one I made her doesn't fit on her new walker.

I went to Hancock Fabrics today because they had their Butterick patterns for $0.99. No such luck, though, in finding a walker caddy pattern. I searched online and came up with this one. It is cute and I think it will fit nicely. I'm going to leave out the bottom straps because her walker doesn't work like the one pictured. I'll post pictures once I get it finished. A new pattern is always a challenge for me and I can't wait to tackle it!

Quilt Along Blocks Week 1

2010-06-22T16:29:00.001-05:00

Presenting my first two blocks for Amy's quilt along over at Amy's Creative Side! I've been reading her blog daily for several months now and was so excited when she announced a quilt along. I had been wanting to do one ever since I heard there was such a thing! I have also wanted to make a sampler quilt. So, she must have had me in mind ;)

I'm attempting to use up some of my overflowing scrap bin for this project. I just grabbed some kinda-matching fabric for these blocks and went for it. I can't wait to see how every one's turns out!

Half Year in Review

2010-06-22T15:39:00.000-05:00

I began quilting in January of this year. I'm a little late in starting a quilting blog! However, I decided that this blog would be more than a quilting blog because I will share other things I enjoy like cooking and getting great deals with coupons.

In an effort to catch you all up on my quilting progress I will post pictures of all my completed quilts this week in different posts.

#1- Nine Patch:

#2 -Pink Ribbon Wishes:

#3-Mix-Up:

#4-Simple Strips:

#5-Flight of the Birds:

Those are my first five quilts. More to come later. If you have any questions leave them in the comments and I will answer as soon as I can!

I must go start supper now...we are having breakfast! Turkey bacon, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and biscuits!