Friday, December 31, 2010

more presents...



Sue from Quilt times sent me this for participating in the Christmas Quilt Alongs.  Love it Sue!!!


From my Secret Santa in Cobble Court Quilters:
I love this card. It reads:
Wishing you
threads of happiness
and colors of joy
woven throughout
the fabric
of your life.
What a nice gift!  Clipsters and a candle.
~smile

Thursday, December 30, 2010

A movin' and a Shakin'

I left my sewing room a mess. I knew I had to clean it and straighten things when I returned from Maryland. Once down there it felt cold and things just needed to move. First, I moved the sewing machine table off the front wall and placed it in the middle angled to face the middle. Then, I moved in the other table I had bought but never put in the room and another plastic three tiered box. Lastly, I placed the large cutting table to the front wall and the chair next to it.



There is a large space in the middle and to the right of the sewing machine.
It's warmer over in the middle of the basement than off both walls.


This table is behind the sewing machine so if I want to cut and sew I can.
 It will also store my projects Im currently working on.

After I finished rearranging, I started on the scrap basket. I do not like the overflowing scrap basket. I believe it is taunting me.
I have been dreading this... but it must be done.



I will need larger bins. 



cuz there is more....

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Christmastime ~ a little early then off to Maryland

Usually we have to celebrate Christmas early. This year we had ours on Wednesday the 22nd. It began with tradition of placing the star on the top of the tree....


yep, that is 19 yr old Eric.

We had a nice dinner of roast, potatoes, carrots and biscuits.


Santa came and stuffed the stockings and placed the presents.

And a ring at the door with the UPS man delivering tvs for Madi and Eric which were suppose to be sent when we returned from Maryland. So, good and bad situation; Madi is at the door and sees her big gift and so surprise ruined... although we do not have to worry about it coming after we leave. ??? it's all good.


Mia opens her presents. This was her second go since she found them all by herself earlier while I was cooking in the kitchen. Yes, they were under the tree and no one showed her which ones were hers.



Eric opened his Lampard jersey from Chelsea soccer team. He was so excited.



These are Madi's new boots. Can't you see her excitement. It's hard to shop for someone who asks for a car.... notta chance.


Josh, Madi's boyfriend, actually came by for a visit.


The next day, Thursday, we arrived at Mom and Dad's house around 3pm.
Their house is decorated like Macy's in NYC.




Dining room tree.



I just love the way mom decorates a tree. She has 4.



He still has no clue to what is in the box...." Eric, what did you ask for?"  "I dont remember" " so it's ok then next year if we get you whatever?"  "um noooooo"..... 


"Oh yeah.....  I really wanted these ! And all three wedges!  wow!!!!"


Madi opened her Chi flat iron. 


and some fuzzy fleece sheets (which she already has put on her bed and cleaned out her entire room, as she did last year, right when she got home)




Mom is opening her earings. Fire topas with leverback. 
Dad is opening his saying "hmmm what did I ask for?"
Must be an epidemic.

This is Te'a. Mom and Dad's Yorkie.



Here is Eric (hubby) and Te'a working on the fire insert. Te'a loves the fireplace.
We can say "fire" or "brrrr" or "cold" and she will bark and go to the fireplace.
She is very upset it is not working so she is assisting Eric.


Alyssa and Brittany                                                         Brook  loves penguins.     (my sister's girls)
                                                                                     I made the blanket for her. Embroidered the edge.


This was a great Christmas. We had fun and it even snowed a little. (more the next day)

Merry Christmas!



Sunday, December 19, 2010

Christmas Sharing and Sewing with Reenie

Yay!!! Finally some quality time with Reenie. Saturday was set aside for sewing and catching up. A lot of chatting took place here. I dont think there was a silent moment. (And if you know Reenie and sewing, she shuts up when she sews.....so we must really missed the chatting...)

First we did our Christmas gifts exchange which we just did out of pure love and devotion.....not planned what so ever.  Santa brought me two Scrap Basket Surprises quilt pattern books so I just had to give one to Reenie. He knows one book would just not do. I also made her a green fuzzy warm cozy scarf which she wore all day long. 

Doesn't she look toasty!!!



Reenie's picture


Here is my gift from her. She tricked me. As she had implied on her blog this tree runner was someone else but when I opened my gift I was so happy the tree runner I loved was for me.

Love it! It is on my coffee table in my family room.

Oh sewing...  Yes we did some sewing. We made these table decorations if you will.
Reenie's picture

Now we have to embroider.  The directions had "Faith, Hope, Love and Joy" around the borders.
We wanted to do it by machine but the font wasn't large enough. I think by hand is prettier.

Reenie taught me paper piecing with the trees in the runner she made for me. I think I have found a new love... 
there was a moment though that I continued to sew the fabric in the wrong direction. Third time was a charm I guess but my head started to hurt....this is when we stopped to venture out to Craft Bits and Pieces. I have been itching to buy some good fabric for cheap cheap.

Ah so much fun!!
Thanks Reenie for a great day!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

My New Tree Skirt

My tree skirt is complete and under the tree. Yay!!!  This project truly took longer than I anticipated.
Here it is before I cut the center hole.

Here we are selecting our tree. It's a frasier fir. It was so cold and snowy Monday afternoon that we actually, for the first time, chose a pre cut tree. Just cut two days before mind you but we usually get the saw and do it ourself.








                     Yes it is coming together. Im almost finished. I really like the tree skirt. It is made of old fabrics and scrappy.

Now onto finishing the fall top and the heart block top which are just about finished. Then to make the yoyo wall hanging that is the gingerbread house. I also need to finish the mystery, just about done with it also.


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

What I've been up too.....

Since the retreat...which is still all I think about....I had Thanksgiving dinner and now I am back to sewing with still too many items on the back burner.

I did the binding on the Christmas block swap quilt.... and washed it (which squanched it up at least 2" so it doesnt hang as much as it did but still is great). Jill did the machine quilting on it. And here it is on my guest bed.



Next I finished the Jitterbug quilt that I did with Reenie via text and email and one gathering. It is simply machine quilted and binded in yellow. I so love 30's fabric.


Then the lastly items that have place the tree skirt, fall quilt and heart block swap quilt on the back burner have been these little buggers.....



They are doll quilts I hope to sell for extra Christmas monies to buy more presents...... 

Now on to a few more of these lovelies so I can get back to other fun stuffs... oh the mystery too.

It snowed today. Yay!! it so puts me in the mood for Christmastime.