Jandi In Stitches

FNS Results

2011-10-22T16:18:00.000-06:00

I didn't quite manage to work on the quilt I planned on last night. But that was fine. A few months ago I sewed together these blocks, arranged them, and planned on sewing the blocks into rows the next morning. Unfortunately, my little boy decided that it would be fun to throw the blocks all over the house the second he woke up. So I gathered them up and put them in my sewing room to arrange at a later date. I forgot all about them until I saw them sitting in my closet last night. I finished them up, sewed together my backing, and I've even started quilting them. One less UFO! Woot!
And this picture was a bit difficult to get to. I plugged my camera into my computer and discovered that there were over 200 pictures already on it. Hmmm....what did I forget to upload? I racked my brain until I started looking through them. A good 75% are of my little boy's feet and the other 25% are a great perspective of my house if you're 3 feet tall. I wonder who could have taken those?

FNSI

2011-10-19T16:27:00.000-06:00

Wow. Almost a year since my last blog post. We have been having our fair share of medical problems around here. Thankfully, I think we are over the hump. Time will tell. Anyway, I have signed up for this month's Friday Night Sew In as motivation to actually blog. And sew. Let us not forget the sewing. It is the most important part! I am working on a gorgeous (if I do say so myself) quilt from a pattern in issue 147 of Down Under Quilts. I can't wait to see what everyone else is stitching up!

My Secret Admirer

2010-11-28T23:41:00.001-07:00

I remember watching my grandmother unwrap a large pile of presents on Christmas day. Each one was from either Santa or Your Secret Admirer. Why was Santa still brining my grandmother presents? Didn't he know that she was too old? She must still be sending him letters. How else would he know exactly what to get her?

Tonight I got a call from my husband. "I am getting you some things. Do not buy yourself anything this year." I could have acted indignant. Shocked. Hurt. But who am I kidding? Once I was let in on my grandmother's secret, there was no going back. I have added my own twist on things tho. Not only do gifts appear under the tree from Santa but so do gift from my small children. All I can say is this: my kids have fantastic taste. They always know the perfect gift. In a few short years I will have to go back to getting gifts exclusively from Santa once my youngest is old enough to want to pick out his own presents.

This is my dirty little Christmas secret. Please leave a comment and share yours. Or, a comment telling me what a horribly selfish mother I have turned into! Whatever!

Everyone knows how thrilling quilting is!

2010-11-17T00:05:00.000-07:00

Halloween Pictures

2010-11-05T22:17:00.001-06:00

I wrote a whole long post about carving pumpkins with the kids, our Halloween activities, etc. For whatever reason, I was unable to upload pictures so I just saved the draft. I tried again the next day with the exact same results. Now the entire post seems dated and boring. So you're just getting pictures.

Incase you missed it

2010-11-02T16:38:00.001-06:00

Hee Haw Farms is located in Pleasant Grove, UT (just a hop, skip, and a jump from my house). We went there this year for pictures, a corn maze, and various other activities. Anyway, they do a pumpkin drop every year. Here's the video:

I am pretty sick right now, which should explain all of these short posts lately. Hopefully I will be back to sewing soon and will be able to show you all of the projects I was working on before I got sick!

My Heritage

2010-10-31T23:51:00.000-06:00

These celebrity look-alike things are always hilarious. I don't believe I resemble any of these people. But I am choosing to share it because I apparently look very, very Asian. I never knew! ha!

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:02:00.001-06:00

it is an epidemic

2010-10-25T05:47:00.000-06:00

It may be time for the EPA to come in and take some action. Quilting as taken over. First they took over the beds. Then they got to the tables. From there, it was an easy leap for them to cling to the walls. They just can't be contained in one room. And now they have infected the children, at least where Lorelei is concerned.

Homework assignment: Book Report- cut six 8 inch squares, fill with various information, and glue to poster board. Add 'stitches' with black marker around the squares.

Lorelei: Wouldn't it be cool if it was a real quilt?

Yes. Yes, it would be cool. So that is what we did. I was in charge of the rotary cutter and iron. Lorelei did the rest. I even let her have a go quilting. (Poor Armando!) I think she has a promising future!

Way-back Wednesday

2010-10-20T04:46:00.001-06:00

I have been looking at bed sets for Eli. I especially like this car bed:

Do you see the cool track for cars at the front of the bed? Do you think there is a chance in hell that he would ever actually sleep? ha!
Eli is obsessed with cars. And with trains. He loves Thomas. I hate Thomas. Thomas bores the crap out of me. So, obviously, I am trying to encourage the love of cars. (Pixar's Cars being the current favorite.) But I really want me kids to love their rooms. Or, at the very least, not hate them.

Growing up, my room looked like Strawberry Shortcake had thrown-up all over the place. There was Strawberry Shortcake wallpaper. Sheets. And this weird ceramic Strawberry Shortcake plaque hanging on the wall. I know that someone in the family (or perhaps of family friend) spent time making that plaque but it completely weirded me out. And, despite my whining, my room stayed a Strawberry Shortcake heaven until I was 14 (I did remove the plaque and hid it in the storage room as soon as I was tall enough to reach it.).

There were so many other, cooler, things I would have rather had. Remember She-ra?

I loved her! I don't remember being bribed much as a child (I bribe my children constantly!) but I do remember the set of immunizations that led to me getting a She-ra doll. I didn't cry so I got She-ra and her horse. My five year old self was thrilled!

I also loved Jem & the Holograms.

Thankfully I never did my makeup like that! Jem's look is 80's at its best (or worst).

What was your favorite cartoon as a kid? And what do your kids watch that makes you cringe? Please tell me there are some other Thomas the Tank Engine haters out there.

Mail Call

2010-10-19T15:36:00.002-06:00

Maybe I should have said UPS call.... Either way, I got a mystery package today. I came downstairs in the morning (my husband has been home and I have been enjoying the opportunity to sleep in) and my husband pointed to a package sitting on the kitchen table. "You got more stuff. What did you order?"
I couldn't remember ordering anything. And it looked far too big to be another book. I opened it up and what a surprise!

Yummy fabric from Riley Blake! This is from Lila Tueller's new line, Isabella. I believe it will be out in stores this month. I can't wait to start on my project with this gorgeous fabric! Stay tuned!

Scalpels & Hee Haw Farms

2010-10-18T04:32:00.001-06:00

Quilters Home reviewed seam rippers a few months back. I have to admit, I had no idea there were so many choices out there! Some were familiar, others looked like they would be more at home in an operating room. Which makes sense. It takes a surgeons steady hand to remove tiny stitches from delicate fabrics. "Un-sewing" has got to be near the top of everyone's least favorite things to do list. Anyway, despite seeing all of these awesome seam rippers in a magazine, I hadn't seen any of them in my local quilt shops. That has finally changed. I found a seam ripper from Havel's that I love. It is perfect for taking out subpar quilting stitches or dismantling a pair of jeans to make into a quilt. And I look slightly sinister wielding it. My kids have never been so well behaved.

The store I purchased this at only had this one in stock. When the blade eventually dulls I will buy the Havel's Ultra Pro which has replaceable blades. Has anyone else tried another brand they are in love with? I saw the Gingher one but the tip of the blade looked rounded and I wasn't sure how well that would work.

And the farm:

I recently posted about Alicia Jones Photography and her fall mini-photography sessions. We recently booked one with her and met her over at Hee Haw Farms in Pleasant Grove, UT.

The kids loved Hee Haw Farms, which means I loved Hee Haw Farms. They had plenty of activities to keep the kids busy. Both of the kids enjoyed the slides.

The corn maze was cool. Once you got deep into the maze, the stalks were so tall you couldn't see landmarks to help you find your way out.

Of course, Eli loved the animal train.

They also have a trick-or-treat hayride, haunted hayride, pedal cars, petting farm, and pumpkin ice cream! Delicious! They also had a giant, blow-up type maze with inflated monsters inside. Eli and Lorelei loved racing through it over and over and over again.

Admissions start at $8 (toddlers 2 years old and under are free). Hee Haw Farms opens at 4 p.m. M-F and at 10 a.m. on Saturdays.

I have gotten the proofs from Alicia but I haven't received my image cd yet. I will post the pictures she took as soon as I get them!

Lions, and Hospitals, and rockslides, oh my!

2010-10-17T04:30:00.001-06:00

Okay, maybe not lions, but this has been a crazy week. My father in-law was taken to the hospital last week in an ambulance. He had pneumonia and his kidneys had just failed. He had to be put on a respirator and put into an induced coma. Serious fun for all. Needless to say, this meant a trip to go visit him and the rest of my husband's family in Wyoming. This is pretty much what the last four hours of our seven hour trip looked like:

Describing it as scenic would be being very generous. Lorelei started on the "are we there yets" about two hours in. Ugh!
My father in-law was released from the hospital over the weekend and is doing surprisingly well. Amazingly well. The man made us breakfast the day we left. While we were there I visited the local fabric store (surprise), took the kids to the park, and just enjoyed time spent with family.

That last picture is of my father in-law PUSHING Eli around the yard in a go kart. ha! He is such a good grandfather and I am so glad he is still with us!

On our way home we drove through Green River, Wyoming. On the west side of town there is a large rock formation that everyone calls the Palisades. When we got to that spot on the interstate there was a giant cloud of dust. Visibility was zero. There had been a large rock slide. Luckily, nothing was on the interstate but the dust proved to be just as dangerous.

This was taken by someone headed the opposite way on the interstate. We were on the side closest to the cliffs. Just before this happened (about 3-4 minutes) we passed a vehicle hauling a plane. That vehicle, another car, and a semi all wrecked inside the dust cloud. We made it out minutes (if not seconds) before that happened. They had to shut down the interstate for a few hours to get it all cleared. From what I can find online, it looks like everyone involved in the accident was treated and released from the hospital.

Anyway, that was our trip. It was great seeing everyone and I am thankful our family made it home safe and sound.

FNS Results

2010-10-16T18:12:00.001-06:00

I made this quilt last year. It was actually my very first non-baby quilt. My mother was going through chemotherapy at the time and I wanted her to have something pretty to snuggle under on the days she wasn't feeling well. It is made from a Fig Tree pattern called Blossom. I ♥ this quilt.

I have been working on one of these for myself for the past few weeks. It really shouldn't have taken me so long to get the top sewn together, but it did. Other quilting commitments kept coming up and I had to put it aside. Thankfully, I decided that the Friday Night Sew-in was the time I could sew for just myself without any guilt.

I can't quite decide if I love the border or not. If I remember correctly, I don't think I loved the border on my mother's quilt at first either. I am sure I will like it much better once the quilting has been done and the binding is on. Though, who knows when that will be.

DIY Friday

2010-10-15T14:20:00.001-06:00

I have been quilting in the dark. Quite literally. My sewing room is about 20 feet long but only has one tiny light fixture in the center of the room. It makes doing anything outside of that four-foot perimeter quite tricky.

It is a bit pathetic. Annoying. Hard on the eyes. Today, all that changed. Finally! And, as my husband doesn't read my blog, I could totally claim I put up the new track lights all by myself. You might be impressed, and he would never be the wiser. Alas, I have to admit that I only helped.

Perhaps I should have moved the ladder before taking this picture. Oh well.

I also have been working on my formal living room/ dining room. I am determined to furnish the whole thing with used furniture. I've got to save some money somewhere and you know it isn't going to be by buying inferior fabric! Here's the dining room:

I made this table runner last year using a Moda charm pack. My mother and I actually both made one on one of our sewing days. We really need to have those more often!

I have also bought a wingback chair ($12), and an end table and coffee table ($15). Now I just need a sofa and I will be all set. The wingback chair had hideous fabric but was in very good shape.

This cool, stretchy slip-cover did the trick.

It was so much easier than reupholstering. I love that there were no ties. And you can still see the legs of the chair. Every slipcover I have ever used seemed to shift every time someone sits in them. This really stays put. And it was easy to put on once I figured out which side was which. It was supposed to have stickers marking this, but I think I may have received a repackaged one that someone returned. Grrr... lol

Tonight is the Friday Night Sew-in! I am going to finish up a quilt top or two that I have been neglecting. And I will be finishing them up in my nice, bright sewing room. Down side to the new lights, I now realize how badly my sewing room is in need of decoration.

Spotted!

2010-10-14T19:11:00.000-06:00

I made it to the two sewing shops in Casper, WY while we were visiting family. The first one, Wyoming Sewing Center, was a disappointment at first. I walked in expecting a bit of fabric and only saw sewing machines. Gorgeous sewing machines, but no fabric. Gorgeous thread, but no fabric. Fun notions, but (again) NO FABRIC! *sniff*

But then I saw the most AMAZING thing. Something I didn't even know existed. A Singer 222 Free-arm Featherweight! Apparently they were never made for the U.S. market, so there aren't many of these babies floating around out there. I wish I had taken a picture (I forget these things when I am excited!) but I did find a cool old advert for one.

*Note to husband: I want one for Christmas.

I also test drove a couple of machines. Wyoming Sewing Center sells Bernina and Viking machines. I also saw a few Janome machines hanging out. My favorite (by far) was the Viking Ruby. (Okay, I really liked the Viking Diamond too, but a girl knows when something is out of her budget!) The Ruby was just amazing. It had every function I could want and has the drop-in bobbin feature that I love. I need to quit looking at machines! I will never be able to make a decision!

*Note to Santa: I want one for Christmas.

Road Trip

2010-10-11T17:11:00.000-06:00

Some road trips are well planned, thought out affairs. This is not one of those. We had a family emergency and had to go. The van needed new brakes which, of course, took more time and money than we wanted. Lorelei didn't pack pants. I forgot diapers for Eli. This is all my way of saying that I forgot my camera cord and won't be posting pictures of our trip until we get home! I'm impressed we remembered the phone charger (and you should be too!). haha

It was a long LONG drive yesterday. And for whatever reason it seems like the thing to talk about on these trips is past trips. Oh, we have had adventures! None of which I would like to ever repeat. Here's an example:

My husband's grandmother had passed away and we made the four hour drive to attend her funeral a week or two before Thanksgiving. We made arrangements for care for our oldest son, packed Lorelei (then 1 year old), and headed out in our less than reliable car. Half-way through the trip the alternator went out. And, being the broke people we were, we did not have a cell phone. We flagged down a passing car, got a ride into town, and then my husband's uncle picked up our car. After the funeral the alternator had been fixed and we made our way back home. The return trip was just as fun. Less than halfway home the heater went out. It was well below 0 degrees and we were feeling a wee bit chilled. We stopped at the local police station (which provided some blankets for us which we wrapped around Lorelei's car seat). We then went to a local grocery store and purchased a three-wick candle. We used this to keep the windshield defrosted during the ride home. I can only imagine what the people in the cars that passed us thought. I don't think I have ever been that cold.

Thankfully, this trip has been much less eventful. We will be home soon and I will post pictures!

tumbler blocks

2010-10-08T20:53:00.000-06:00

I have been eyeing the Accuquilt Go! cutter for awhile now. I really need to break down and buy one. But it seems every week that someone else is giving one away. So I put off the purchase again, cross my fingers and wait. No luck so far, but I am entered in several giveaways this week. And, altho it pains me to do so, (this isn't helping my odds people) I will tell you about one of them. Gene's giveaway ends at midnight October 15th so you have still got time to enter.
I am getting off track here. I am always getting off track. Anywho.... the reason I want one of these babies is that I am dying to make another tumbler block quilt but not dying to cut all those tumblers out. I really like how my last tumbler block quilt turned out. I almost wish I had kept it. Of course, I would have had to make it a wee bit bigger to keep my butt warm.

I think this was the fourth quilt I made. I felt very adventurous (at the time) when I did the echo quilting on my home machine with (gasp!) red thread. LOL I wish I had more of this Barbara Jones fabric. It is simply yummy!

And we have a winner

2010-10-08T01:00:00.001-06:00

The winner of the Alicia Jones Photography session is.....

drum roll please.....

Mean Sarah Jean

After random.org chose her as our winner, I checked out her blog. Turns out she makes delicious caramels and sells them online and in SLC or Springville. (correct me if I am wrong Sarah, it is 1am and I am sleepy) They look sooooo tasty. If you haven't noticed, I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Anywho, I am getting totally off subject here....

Congrats Sarah! Please email me your contact information.

And thanks, again, to Alicia for letting me host this giveaway! Don't forget, if you didn't win you can still book a session. You can get $25 off (until the end of October) of a regular session/image cd or you can book a fall mini-session for just $40!

100 Already?

2010-10-06T04:58:00.001-06:00

This is my 100th post. Can you believe that? I certainly can't. What on earth have I been writing about anyway? Too much randomness I am sure. I just want to say thanks to everyone who actually bothers to read all of this crap I write!
This week has been busy. My husband works out of town and is usually gone for weeks or sometimes (gulp!) months at a time. He's been home this week, which means that I don't get as much done as I would like. He doesn't see "watching me sew" as spending quality time together. Totally short-sighted if you ask me!
I did, however, get a quilt cut out. And all of the blocks sewn together. Here are my scraps (so far):

I am going to have to find something to make with all of these leftover triangles! I also have been stippling quilts for a few people (got to make those payments on my machine). This king-size quilt ended up having over 350,000 stitches of quilting when I was finished:

I wish my points looked that good on the pieced quilt tops that I make! Maybe I should pin a lot bit more.

But I have been spending time with my family too. I swear! Lorelei's school had a carnival the other night. I was expecting cardboard booths with a few toss-across and/or fishing games. This is what we found at the park when we arrived:

There was also a rock-climbing wall but I didn't get a picture of it. The kids enjoyed playing and getting treats.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway I am hosting here. You could win a photo session and full image cd from Alicia Jones Photography.

Christmas Is Coming

2010-10-05T17:10:00.000-06:00

And it is only 80 days away. That's right, EIGHTY! When did that happen? It isn't even Halloween yet and I am already feeling stressed. What are you working on for the holidays?

Spreading It Too Thin

2010-10-01T04:32:00.001-06:00

I have been exhausted the past few weeks. My husband is out of town working, the kids and I have been ill, and there have been all of those things there always are that just don't get done unless I do them. And for some reason all of those things seem to need to be done NOW. And of course, being the graceful person that I am, I managed to sprain my ankle Wednesday night. Not that big of a deal. I actually do it pretty often...the result of some major nerve damage a few years back. It is sore but I can walk on it just fine. Why am I complaining about this?

I ran out of gas Thursday! Completely out of gas! How did that happen? Okay, I know how that happened but still.... This just isn't something I have ever done. I stopped at a four-way stop and went to go again and the gas only made it to just past where I could have turned off of the road. This road has no place to pull over. This actually worked to my advantage. Instead of just stopping (which is what I would have done if I could have pulled over), I let the car coast. And coast. And coast. With my hazards flashing and going just five mph. It was just under a mile to the nearest gas station and I made it. I literally coasted in front of a pump, got to the dip, and that is where I stopped. Fantastic! I was sure that at any second I would stop and have to walk with Eli the rest of the way and back. I am thankful for life's little blessings!

Because of this I decided on Thursday night to just turn everything off and get the house in order. You know, laundry, bathrooms, mopping, etc. Maybe once all of these things are done I can just relax. And my brain will no longer be mush.

Alicia Jones Photography Giveaway CLOSED

2010-09-30T04:15:00.003-06:00

This review/giveaway is a long time coming. I have rewritten this review four times (I wish I were exaggerating)! Every draft is so gushy that I sound like a ten year old girl talking about Justin Bieber. Uncool but I can't help it. I LOVE LOVED LOVED Alicia! She was wonderful! I can't help but wondering now why I have put off having pictures taken. (The last family photos were taken over seven years ago. And I hated them.)

Anywho, Alicia is amazing. She was great to suggest loads of places to take the pictures and even emailed me examples. She was understanding when we had to reschedule due to my kids and I being sick. And she was ON TIME for our appointment. I know many of you outside of Utah won't understand how unusual this is. Everyone here seems to operate 10-20 minutes behind schedule all of the time. As a person who is chronically early for things, this drives me crazy. And, as a mother trying to get a decent picture of a recently sick toddler, being on time for pictures means we just might get those pictures taken before he starts getting cranky and wants a nap. And we did! Alicia was fantastic about discussing the types of pictures I was looking for. She also showed an extreme amount of self-control....I wouldn't have blamed her if she had strangled my little sweety who decided to throw pebbles at her nice, new equipment. The kid was excited about being out in "nature" and was showing us all the cool things he found but I was mortified! She was fantastic with the kids and the pictures turned out great:

Fantastic aren't they? And her prices are great! The regular session fee is $75.00 and you get a cd of all of your photos (so you can make as many prints or gift items you want). Alicia also does an amazing job editing. Eli had a large scratch on his face that she seamlessly removed. She also removed a few other things (I would tell you what but I'd have to kill you). She charges $5.00 per edit. And that isn't per photo either. Five bucks and that stain on your child's shirt is removed from every single photograph from the session!

Of course, I loved Alicia so much I had to convince her to do a giveaway. ****Giveaway is now closed****If you are in Utah/SLC County (or don't mind a fair bit of traveling) you can enter to win a free session! And, as always, there are a few ways for you to enter:

1. Leave a comment (say hi or tell me how fantastic I look, you know, whatever)
2. Like Alicia Jones Photography on Facebook and leave a second comment telling me you did.
3. Check out the Alicia Jones Photography website and come back here to tell me what your favorite photograph is.

Easy-peasy. Three chances to win. One week to enter. And, if you aren't our lucky winner, you can still book with Alicia. Let her know I sent you and you will get $25 off of a regular session if you book by October 31, 2010. She is also doing mini-Halloween sessions for just $40 that you can read about here. I know I am going to be booking one! I just love Autumn pictures!

FNS

2010-09-17T20:34:00.001-06:00

Tonight is the Friday Night Sew In! Are you ready?

Mail Call

2010-09-15T11:55:00.001-06:00

I miss being eight. My daughter runs out to the mailbox every day with hope. Today might be the day she gets a letter. Or a package. Or maybe the new American Girl catalog. I, however, face it with dread. Today will probably be the day I get the utility bill. Or the phone bill. Or any other bill for that matter. A highlight may be the grocery store ads. ha! But today surprised me. Today I got not one but two fantastic packages.

First, I got an advanced copy of Dreaming in Chinese by Deborah Fallows. I only wish this had arrived Saturday. I could have been reading it while we have been sick. There is still tonight tho.

Next up, I received a Park Avenue charmpack and the pattern Holiday Lineup from Emily at Crazy Old Ladies. I just LOVE her patterns! I've gone Crazy Old Ladies crazy this month. I just can't get enough. It seems unfair that one person could be so talented!

Well, it is nap time and I am joining the kids. I can't wait to get feeling better. Sitting around the house all day is getting a bit old.

it's going around

2010-09-12T22:16:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I came home from work to find my two youngest children sick. Fun, fun. Eli was burning up and crying inconsolably. Both still have fevers and are lethargic. It is a regular party over here. Needless to say, no new projects have been completed. Going to the store for medicine, bread, and milk was enough to wear everyone out. I'll be back when things calm down around here.

Happy stitching!

Networked Blogs

2010-09-09T16:20:00.000-06:00

Good news! If you use the Facebook application Networked Blogs, you are now able to follow my blog there. I just discovered the application today and it is pretty darn cool. Check it out!

ME? Teaching?

2010-09-09T04:47:00.002-06:00

I know, it could be scary. It could be gruesome. But it most likely will be good for a laugh. And you just might walk out with a pretty dang cute quilt top too. How could you go wrong? So, if you live in the South Jordan, UT area or you're willing to drive all the way there to see me (ha, ha, ha!) come in to Material Girls and get yourself signed up for my Jellyroll Surprise class. Those of you who know me may already be skeptical. May think, "surprise, huh?" Well let me assure you that I do actually know what we will be doing. I'm not just calling the class a surprise because I have no idea what to do. Believe me, I am as shocked as you are by how prepared I actually am.

This weekend is the open house at Material Girls and the class schedule is supposed to be out then and you will be able to sign up. Come to sew! Come for moral support! Come to laugh your butt off at me!

A bliss-ful day

2010-09-07T22:06:00.000-06:00

Sorry about the pun but I couldn't help myself. Moda Bliss arrived today. It is GORGEOUS. It speaks to me. The UPS guy was all but attacked when he started wheeling it in. We just knew what it was and we had to have it NOW. A couple of customers in the shop took pictures of it as the boxes were opened. ha! I worked the rest of the day and could hardly keep my eyes off of it. Of course I had to take some home. I even finished my quilt top out of the Bliss layer cake last night so now I have my borders and backing! Woot! I'd better get started quilting. Armando is calling my name.

Purple Purple Purple

2010-09-05T03:04:00.001-06:00

I love quick projects. And this has got to be one of the quickest in quite a while. I went from this:

To this:

All in a matter of hours.

I am digging the purple and orange. Lorelei has already claimed this quilt as hers so I may have to fight her for it. You would think I could take an eight year old, right?

*****I feel remiss that I forgot to mention what pattern I used for this quilt. It is called Boxtrot and was designed by Creative Sewlutions. The pattern comes with many options for box placement and border options.

I swear, this is not me

2010-09-02T04:30:00.000-06:00

Just a little funny from Cathy Miller to brighten your day.

Way-back Wednesday

2010-09-01T00:52:00.002-06:00

I recently purchased some Early Bird fabric by Cosmo Cricket. It is pure retro goodness.

These fabrics just beg to become oven mitts. Or toaster cozies. Or aprons. Heck, they begged to come home with me. And you know what a kind person I am. I could not say no. But I have to admit that they really don't match my decor. Or my pots and pans for that matter. So a few changes may be in order.

I obviously need one of these from le creuset:

And one of these wouldn't hurt either:

And maybe this to put them in:

These retro blues and greens are lovely. Who ever thought I would actually want a fridge to be any color but white or stainless steel? Especially after growing up with these:

I'd ask my mother what the heck she was thinking but I don't believe that she actually picked out our avocado green stove and fridge (and dishwasher, ugh!). They came with the house. Those and the "awesome" mirrored wall with gold cracks painted on the mirrors. You can't appreciate its full beauty without actually seeing it in all its glory. Don't worry, I don't have a picture.

Friday Night Sew In

2010-08-21T09:47:00.001-06:00

I finished this up last night. I think I am going to add another border. It looks too plain without one. The pattern is called Counting on Christmas and is by Crazy Old Ladies.

How was your FNS?

Mid-day check in

2010-08-19T13:59:00.000-06:00

I actually think I am getting something done! Woo-hoo! The last few weeks have felt wasted. Only Armando has actually done any work. And he is running out of things to do! Ack! So I have started this:

And I made a few of these:

You know, for energy. Yum!

Finished-ish

2010-08-17T20:57:00.000-06:00

You may remember that I was working on the Star Cakes blocks during the last Friday Night Sew-in. I finally finished it. Well, almost. It does still need binding but I am off to my next project. Don't judge me.

I probably shouldn't have left it folded for a few days before taking this picture. Woulda-shoulda-coulda.

Today I also spent a bit of time on Regretsy. Please keep in mind that not everything shown on Regretsy is safe for work or appropriate in any situation. BUT it is all from our beloved Etsy. I hesitate to repost any of the pictures (or snarky comments) posted on Regretsy for fear of someone actually having made or bought one of those items. But here are a few that I hope think are safe!

This one looks like a fine product. I just have to wonder what the thought process was that led to this photo.

Enjoy!

It only looks like I was bad

2010-08-13T20:28:00.000-06:00

Sometimes you just have to get out and see what is out there. And sometimes my lucky, lucky husband and children get to go with me.

Here's some of my booty from Hobby Lobby:

The ladybug fabric was picked out by Lorelei. Notice the Alexander Henry hiding in the bottom corner? Now I just need to find a chair to cover with it!

Here's a few of the things we found at the produce stand:

This is just a bit of what we got. I am craving BLTs.

Then we went to a design fabric center. The kids (and my husband) waited in the car. I really didn't think I would be buying anything. Home decor fabric is always so pricey! But I did find this goodie:

Black and white oilcloth for only $5 a yard! I have no idea what I am going to do with this.

And then I found this:

Fourteen yards of fantastic, thick, drapery fabric for only....wait for it....$35. Yup, that's only $2.50 a yard!

And the best deal of the day?

Brownies with fudge and whipped cream. Yum!

drool worthy

2010-08-12T05:22:00.000-06:00

I keep seeing some of the neatest stuff out there in blogland. Some things I have just had to rush out and buy. Like these Campfire marshmallows. They're the Jumbo Roasters and they are HUGE.

My husband was amazed when he saw them. Apparently, he thought I was exaggerating! I hope we get a chance to go out to the canyon this week and roast these puppies. They are just begging to become giant smores.

Some things I see out in blogland, I just can't have...yet. I think these are going to end up on my Christmas list this year. Do you think I am too old to write to Santa?

I've been wanting one of these:

The OLFA compass cutter.

And one of these:

OLFA's 17" Rotating Mat

And, of course, one of these:

Accuquilt Go! Cutter

But I know I haven't been good enough for one of these:

Brother Innov-is NX-2000 Laura Ashley sewing machine. Wow, that's a mouthful!

So, has anyone tried any of these? What do you think? I hate to spend money on something and have it not be as awesome as I thought it would be!

Makeover time!

2010-08-11T20:40:00.000-06:00

The big reveal is here! What do you think? I just love what Erin over at Designer Blogs did!

If you want to share the love you can now get a button. Just copy and paste the code in the left sidebar.

My husband just came home tonight so I can't write much. I'll catch up later!

Way-back Wednesday

2010-08-11T04:36:00.001-06:00

Some days just make you feel nostalgic. Yesterday my husband called me when he was outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming and said he had just passed this:

Well, it wasn't this particular wiener mobile, but he did pass one. He said the thing was huge. Is it a bit immature of me to be ever so slightly jealous? Anywho...it seems to be headed our way and I was hoping to find out some information online. No luck yet but I haven't given up. I thought it would be something fun for the kids to see. And then I started to wonder if my kids would have any clue what it was.

Maybe, it is like this phone:

Eli somehow knows exactly what it is. I find this puzzling. He has NEVER seen an actual phone with a rotary dial. Or a cord for that matter. Even the handset shape is completely foreign to my kids. How do they know?

And then there is this:

Lorelei saw one in a shop the other day and told me it almost looks like a sewing machine. ALMOST. I've obviously been neglecting some of my duties to educate my child!

At least neither one of them will EVER have to know what this is:

Alas, I am not so lucky.

Accessories

2010-08-10T06:35:00.001-06:00

Sometimes you've just got to have a little style. A little glam. Even when you're a boy.

On another note, Eli has now decided that every time he sees a camera pointing in his direction that he needs to say "cheese" and close his eyes. It is making it more than difficult to get decent pictures of him. Notice the scrunched up eyes in every picture?

Rain, rain, go away

2010-08-08T21:33:00.001-06:00

This week has been unusually moist. And we had a lot of outdoor activities planned. Go figure. First, we hit the Highland splash park:

It may look like we had lots of fun (and we did) but it started pouring about 15 minutes after we arrived. The kids were less than thrilled to go home.

This weekend was also our ward's camp-out. We don't own sleeping bags (or a tent for that matter) so we were happy that the location was close enough for us to go to during the day and go back home at night. I love camping that allows me to sleep in my own nice, warm, and bug-free bed!

While the kids played water games (in the rain no less), Eli and I snuck off to get some lunch. I have a sensitive stomach, and the camping food wasn't agreeing with me as much as I would have liked.

Eli loves Miso soup.

And I love that my kids aren't picky eaters. He ate soup and a few bites of my sushi roll.

We returned to camp and just enjoyed visiting with everyone. Dinner was fabulous. They roasted a pig in a pit. The kids really enjoyed the pork on buns. Yum! We ran back home just before it started raining again.

I hope everyone else's weekend was good!

In the shop

2010-08-08T00:00:00.000-06:00

Have I mentioned before that my job rocks? I spend all day with fabric, quilters, and designers. AND I get to go home, and on the pretense of having "worked all day", put my feet up and flip through quilting magazines. Okay, it may not be that way all of the time, but it is pretty dang good in general.

So, a couple of weeks ago, Sarah M. Bisel came into the shop. I love her! She is just too cute! And her book Fast, Flirty, and Fun is full of great projects that I plan to make some day. She was actually helping some family pick out fabric to make one of her projects. I meant to tell you about her visit the day she came in but she signed my book and I felt that it may have spoiled my longarm surprise. Speaking of which, if you haven't voted to name my longarm, you still have one more day.

The "quilt long and prosper" part totally melted my nerdy heart.

Some things aren't for the wimpy

2010-08-05T00:17:00.003-06:00

First Pantograph

2010-08-03T20:13:00.000-06:00

Is that the right word? Anyway, I am awfully proud of myself. This is a top my mom made:

and the back:

This is why we have a child lock on the pantry

2010-08-03T16:45:00.000-06:00

...it just doesn't work so well when the door is left open.

Name My Avante

2010-08-02T23:11:00.003-06:00

After my post about my new boy toy I got a lot of suggestions for names. And it was obvious that the vast majority of you like an exotic name. I have to say that I do too! But I still can't decide! I did narrow it down a bit tho. I like some thing that starts with an 'A' for my Avante. Heck, I'm a sucker for alliteration!

So here's the deal: Please oh please help a girl out! You can vote for your favorite name(s) in the poll on my right side bar until next Monday. Whatever gets the most votes wins. Simple enough. And now I have one less decision to make!

Out of this World

2010-08-01T23:39:00.000-06:00

It seems like we are always trying to squeeze in too many activities in too little a time slot. Luckily, Friday managed to be a pretty relaxed day. I think my family should be thankful for the huge sacrifice I made by pulling myself away from my new machine to join in the fun. ha!

First was the train ride to Salt Lake City. It isn't that far, parking isn't that bad, and it is a heck of a lot faster to drive, but Eli is obsessed with trains. He loved it! I think we could have ridden the train all day and he would have been thrilled. Eli literally said "choo-choo" 1-2 times every minute for the 30 minute ride. Each way. I thought it would get annoying, but it turns out he is just stinking cute!

We finally made it to our destination: the planetarium. Lorelei and Eli walked on the moon (but Eli refused to pose for a picture):

There were a lot of neat displays. I was really impressed by how much there was to see. Especially when you consider that it is FREE.

We also saw a show in the dome theater. It was a bit boring. Okay, really, really boring. I nearly fell asleep which means it was pretty bad. I have a hard time sleeping in my bed. I wonder if I can get the audio track to that to play at night while I am trying to sleep. It was educational tho. Next time, we will go in the evening and see one of the laser shows set to music. I think we and the kids will enjoy it much more!

After lunch and the train ride back, we dropped the kids off with the sitter (she is seriously the best sitter in the entire world-no kidding) and went out. Hubby and I went to the sewing store to pick up the laser light for my machine (the one that came with it was broken when they delivered it but they got a new one for me the very next day). Then we went to see Inception at the IMAX theater. Have you seen it? I loved it. I am glad we saw it in the theater. It was well worth the money. After the movie we had dinner and then got our butts home. It was a nice way to spend hubby's last day home. He's back at work now and I am just going to have to keep myself busy playing with my new toys.

happy dance

2010-07-31T21:55:00.000-06:00

I had this big plan to take pictures on Thursday. Pictures of boxes. Pictures of delivery men. Pictures of the set-up. But it turns out I was so darn excited that I didn't do it! I know, I'm ashamed of myself too.

But I did take a picture today. Meet my new baby:

Isn't he purdy? I'm thinking he needs a name. I'm going leaning toward male names so I can say something like "I'm spending the night with Gary". Anyone have a good name?

I quilted these two quilts for my mother. They're the first two to roll off the machine.

My Big Exciting Day

2010-07-29T00:32:00.000-06:00

The day I've wait weeks (actually months) for is finally here!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What is it??????

What has me so excited I can't sleep?????????

Well, hopefully it isn't a big let down for you all, but I just can't tell you yet!

I want to tell you with pictures!

So stay tuned!

It is 3 a.m.

2010-07-27T03:18:00.000-06:00

And I am still awake. It has been one of those nights. Maybe I am just over tired. Or in need of chocolate. I don't know. I don't often talk about my oldest son. It seems like I have to talk about so many personal things in regards to him with perfect strangers so much that I choose not to share here. Sometimes it is good. Sometimes it isn't. Anywho....I am kept awake tonight thinking about pure joy. How often we see it on our kids faces. How often (if we're lucky) we feel it ourselves.

I dug this picture out of a drawer a few weeks ago. It is my favorite picture. I thought it had been lost. I believe I took it just days before he was diagnosed. It was right before Easter that year (obviously, from the bunny ears). Last year, last month or even a few hours ago I couldn't have told you why it was my favorite picture. But as I was laying in bed, it hit me. This is the only picture I have of him with a look of joy on his face. Not a smirk or a grin. True joy. And I can't for the life of me remember the last time I saw it on his face. I am just thankful that at one time he felt it.

I hope you all take the time today to recognize your own moments of joy.

And the winner is....

2010-07-25T06:28:00.001-06:00

I would never have believed it. I honestly thought that it just didn't happen. But it did. I was so surprised I even copied the Random Number Generator Image. Unfortunately, I did it wrong so it isn't showing up correctly....grrrr

Anyway, the winner is #1!!!!!! Congrats Miss 376!

Please email me your info and I will get your prize out to you asap! And thanks again to Chris from Curby's Closet for providing her pattern to give away!

Lehi Foam Day 2010

2010-07-24T17:39:00.000-06:00

Today is a Utah State holiday. I love having two reasons to stay out all day and watch fireworks at night during the month of July. Lehi, Utah had their first Foam Day last year. It was soooo much fun. Just foam and free watermelon. Very relaxed, very few people. It was still a great time, but it was a lot different this year. They had bounce houses. They had a dunking booth. I wish I had gotten a picture of Lorelei being dunked, but I missed it. *sniff*
Then they had "train" rides for the little ones:

And some of the bigger kids couldn't resist going too:

There was several live bands:

Face painting:

Glitter Tattoos:

Balloon hats:

Balloon swords:

And of course food and vendor booths and watermelon. Did I forget something? Oh yeah, the FOAM!

Happy 24th!

Friday Night Sew In

2010-07-24T17:25:00.000-06:00

Last night was the July Friday Night Sew In. I wish I could report that I got a ton of stuff done. Alas, I was lazy. My kids stayed up way too late. Usually my youngest is in bed by 8 pm, but last night he was up until ten. That doesn't make for a happy baby. Or a happy mommy. Oh well. I did get the first two blocks of this star quilt done. Which, since the blocks are humongous, is actually half way done!

Wow, this picture makes it look wavy. I should have straightened it out better before taking the pic. Oh well. So, how was your FNS?

Gearing Up

2010-07-23T16:50:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a busy day at work. Which, of course, is always a good thing. This lovely lady (whose name I forgot-sorry sorry sorry) brought in her Omigosh quilt. Oh my gosh, it is amazing! Check it out!

(she and the quilt are less blurry in person)

(a close-up so you can appreciate all those little tiny pieces)

I also finally got around to taking this table runner in to be displayed at the shop. It has been sitting on my sewing table for a couple of weeks but I have somehow managed to leave it behind every day when I go to work. Oops! So I made a special trip today to drop it off.

You can buy a kit for this by calling the shop.

And finally, Lorelei and I had our Girls Only Day. Too much fun. We went shopping. Lorelei got a few bracelets and picked out some to give to friends. Lorelei also chose the Olive Garden for lunch. It was so tasty. Then we went to Incredible Pizza. Yes, it is a buffet. But you can just go in and play games. We raced cars. We mini-bowled. We mini-golfed. We had a great time. Lorelei had a ton of tickets/points by the time we were through so she got a stuffed killer whale. Did I remember to take a single picture during all of the fun? Nope. But I did snap one when we were headed out the door.

Tonight is the Friday Night Sew-in. If you're not signed up (and you don't have a hot date tonight) you should. And tonight is the last night of my giveaway. Again, if you're not signed up you should be! See you tonight!

It's Official!

2010-07-21T05:30:00.004-06:00

I am in love! ♥ ♥ ♥

I want to write sonnets.

Love poems.

Haiku.

But I am not that talented.

My love has taken over my life.

Has taken me away from my sewing machine.

Away from my computer.

Away from the fridge.

Oh, Nook. I ♥ you!

BTW- If you haven't gotten yourself entered for the cute boot pattern, just scroll down. There is still time!

Coming Soon: New Blog Look

2010-07-20T05:52:00.001-06:00

Spending money on my blogs has not been one of my top ten priorities. In fact, it hasn't been in the top fifty. I'm not normally so cheap, but I just haven't been able to justify the expense. But, because of all the other blogs I read each day, jealousy has reared it's evil little head. How come my blog isn't that pretty? So, I have decided my blog is ready for a new, grown-up look. I've enlisted Designer Blogs to help. There is a lot of happy-dancing going on here and nervous waiting. I'm on the list and my blog makeover should be ready by the middle of August. I will not miss my weird header than shows off my lack of photoshop skills! Please let me know what your favorite blog design ideas are so I will know what to steal and call my own when the time comes! LOL

And now for a shameless plug in the name of family:

Have you noticed the button for The Sewing Shack in my sidebar?

My sister owns The Sewing Shack and sells Moda precuts and various sewing patterns. And she sells them for super duper cheap! You can get yourself a Moda Bliss Jellyroll right now for just $26.99! In fact, all of her Jellyrolls and Layer Cakes are just $26.99! She does ship internationally (if you were wondering). Check it out and tell her I sent you!

One of those days

2010-07-19T22:35:00.000-06:00

Are you aware than many people do not consider molasses as part of a well stocked pantry??? I didn't! I went to make cookies today, discovered we were out (when did that happen?), and had to pester no less than 6 neighbors before finding some. Thankfully, neighbor number 6 had molasses and saved the cookie dough from being dumped into the garbage. Whew!

And then, because I wasn't already whiney about running out of molasses, I did something to my back. I can hardly move. *poor me*

So, while I am on the couch feeling sorry for myself, Lorelei starts screaming upstairs. I finally coax her downstairs (there is no way I can climb those stairs right now) and discover that she has fallen and needs to go to the doctor to get a few stitches. Luckily, we were able to get her right in and ended up only being at the doctor's for about 30 minutes from start to finish. Yea! And then we headed over to the market to get a treat for Lorelei (stitches deserve sugar) and molasses to take back over to neighbor number 6.

I'm done whining. I'm going to bed. Have a good night all!

I need your ideas!

2010-07-19T05:04:00.002-06:00

{Wondering what the deal is with the super old, super grainy photo? It is simple. I am the photographer in our family and I have about 20 photos that I am in that have been taken in the past 12 years. Lame, I know. I really need a good photographer (with amazing airbrushing skills) to take some pictures of me and the family. Hopefully I will get to that before the summer is out. I just can't get really excited about posing for pictures. Ugh.}

*******************************

Friday is Mother/Daughter day. The day Lorelei and I have been looking forward to all month. And we are planning on doing it up in style. Small problem: mommy is out of ideas. Pedicures? Bowling? A movie? Seriously, how lame am I? Lorelei wants to go rock climbing. Whose child is she, anyway? I'm thinking no. So, who has ideas for something in Salt Lake or Utah County that doesn't involve ropes, bungee cords, or death-defying acrobatics? I'm thinking something active and lunch somewhere "fancy". I wish I knew of a place that did a fancy "tea" type party geared toward eight-year olds and not five-year olds. Let me know what you've got!

The Cutest Little Boots Ever

2010-07-16T04:00:00.001-06:00

Do you remember these? I made them last year using a pattern from Curby's Closet. I ♥ these! Super cute, quick, and ridiculously cheap to make. They were my new favorite baby gift to give! What could possibly be cuter?

Quilted Cowboy Boots, that's what! How did she do that? These came into the shop the other day and I immediately emailed Chris (of Curby's Closet) to beg for a copy to keep for myself give away. See how much I love you all?

You could make these with the standard toe.

Or these rounded toe cuties.

Who could not ♥ these????

So you have two chances to enter:

1. Leave a comment here telling me about your favorite pair of shoes.

2. Leave a comment on Chris' blog OR become a follower (you can do both if you like!) and then come back here and leave a comment letting me know which you did!

Easy peasy!

Giveaway closes Friday, July 23rd at 11:59 PM MST. Winner will be announced Sunday, July 25th.

Yes, I do have the mind of a thirteen year old boy

2010-07-15T22:36:00.001-06:00

Let me just preface this by telling you that I have the utmost respect for Eleanor Burns. She is an amazingly talented woman. This book of hers, however, leads me to believe one of two things. One, that Eleanor has no friends in the editing department (or they are clueless). Or two, that Eleanor, like me, likes to insert little jokes here and there for her own amusement. I hope it is the latter.

*Boom-chika-waa-waa*

Fast & Thrifty Thursday

2010-07-15T17:54:00.000-06:00

Somedays you've just got to get things done fast (and cheap). Today was one of those days. First up: dinner. My kids love Cheeseburger Biscuits (that's what we call 'em).

Step one: a can of biscuits placed in a greased muffin tin ($ 0.64)

Step two: top with 1/2 lb. browned, ground beef and some shredded cheese ($2.85)

Step three: bake at 400 for 9 minutes or until biscuits are completely baked

Serve with barbeque sauce and steamed veggies ($1.20)

Not for the most sophisticated of pallets, but it sure beats beef-a-roni for the second time this week! And adds up to be just $1.18 a person.

I've also been peaking around the internet for designer pillowcases. Holy cow! I should be selling these babies! Here are two that I made with just over a yard (each) in 20 minutes.

I plan on making several sets that match each other (these obviously don't). I ♥ eclectic bedding!

And because my day isn't busy enough, the little guy is feeling sick. He sat on the floor by the couch the entire time I was cooking dinner and doing dishes but has otherwise insisted on being held all afternoon. I hope he sleeps well tonight. Looks like nothing is going to get done until bedtime!

IMMD (It Made My Day)!

2010-07-14T19:40:00.000-06:00

Monday, while visiting a few of my favorite blogs, I found this terrific post by Gene Black. He is always posting examples of his amazing artwork. I did, however, misread his post. Where it says "the giraffe and the boots" I read "the giraffe in boots". Apparently, I read what I want to read. I told this to Gene and told him how disappointed I had been. ha! And then this showed up in my inbox today:

This totally made my day!

Little Birds

2010-07-14T06:15:00.000-06:00

This book just came into the shop last week and I have to say I am in love. There are so many projects I want to do (I am currently working on a redwork pillow). I also love the little section before each project that tells you about the designer and gives a link to her blog. Check it out!

FNS

2010-07-13T18:37:00.000-06:00

Next Friday (July 23rd) is the Friday Nigh Sew-in. I just love this! Hopefully, I will actually get some sewing done that night! The 24th is a state holiday here, but we don't have any big plans for the weekend. Let me know if you're going to participate!

Motivation

2010-07-12T21:48:00.000-06:00

Every once in awhile I have the desire to take up knitting or crocheting. This is always a bad idea. It doesn't, however, prevent me from trying yet again. But it does always end up the same way. At some point I will have some half finished project that is too tight on one end and too loose on the other. Needles and all will find their way to the thrift store within weeks. Which is why, despite this total awesomeness, that I am going to try to resist any yarn purchases. Lord, give me the strength.

Good Read

2010-07-04T22:57:00.001-06:00

At first, I had no idea why I was asked to review Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas. But then I read this lovely article, and then the book. First the article:

Sandra Dallas, Whiter Than Snow

Nothing defines my characters more than their sewing.

In my first novels, my female characters smoked. My books are set in earlier times, long before we knew about the evils of tobacco, when a woman who smoked was independent, a little daring, sophisticated. As a writer, I could do so much with smoking: A character could watch the smoke curl up or blow smoke into someone’s face. She could pick a speck of tobacco off her lip or snuff out a cigarette in anger. And there was all that wonderful smoking paraphernalia, such as Bakelite cigarette holders, monogrammed cigarette boxes, and remember those huge standing ashtrays with sand in them? But today, smoking says something negative about a character, no matter what the time period. So my characters have quit smoking. Instead, they quilt.

The way a woman stitches says something about her. A woman who takes small, even stitches is different from one who sews with big, sloppy stitches. A quilter who selects black and white fabrics for her quilt is more somber than one who picks primary colors. And the patterns the women choose, whether an intricate design with thousands of pieces or a big, bold pattern of large blocks, say something about them.

The titles of the quilts, too, affect the stitchers. Log cabin quilts were a favorite of women who helped escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad. More than onepioneer woman pieced a Road to California before setting out for the West. And it’s hard to imagine that a woman who likes her toddies would make a Drunkard’s Path.

My characters don’t just sew. They are part of a community of stitchers—the quilting circle. I first wrote about a quilting circle in The Persian Pickle Club, thinking there were a few quilters out there who might relate to the subject. What I didn’t know was there are 27 million of them and that they understand the significance of the quilting circle far better than I. So I’ve included sewing in virtually all of my books, to a greater (Prayers for Sale) or lesser (Whiter Than Snow) degree.

What these readers know is that quilting isn’t just about making bed covers. In a quilting circle, women support each other. They share each other’s joys and sorrows, help in times of need, pull together when a member is threatened or in trouble. Quilting is a way of sharing, and the work of the women’s hands represents warmth and comfort not only because they are making a quilt but because that quilt is made with love.

I’ve often been asked if I’m a quilter. Some years ago, I wrote The Quilt That Walked to Golden, a history of quilting in the Rocky Mountain States, for the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, Colo. In the book, I write that quilting all but died out during World War II, and the women who picked up their needles a generation later were often self-taught. They did things no self-respecting quilter would do today, such as use polyester fabric or quilt in the ditch (on the seam line.) I tell of one woman who made a quilt for her sister as a wedding present, a stuffed quilt made of huge puffs filled with cotton. She didn’t know when to stop stuffing, and as a result, the quilt weighed 25 pounds. Their brother had to take it to the wedding in the back of his pickup.

But my sister cherished the quilt anyway.

And now we get to the book:

While references to quilting and stitching are woven throughout the book, this is not a quilting story. Nor is it about the women of a guild. Instead, the book starts with a bang in the form of an avalanche. It courses it way down onto the town of Swandyke, Colorado and catches nine school children walking home after the last bell. The majority of the book focuses on the lives of these children's parents; their lives before the avalanche. They are all extremely likeable characters. Or, at the very least, understandable. I sat down the other night and read this book from cover to cover. It is amazing! And, while it did make me tear up a bit, it was incredibly uplifting. I don't know how I have missed reading Sandra Dallas' other books. Now I am off to Amazon to purchase the rest!

Tooele, Utah

2010-06-30T05:16:00.000-06:00

I love summer road trips. Long or short, there is just something about piling in the family in car. Last Thursday we went to lunch and then decided to head to Tooele. It is only about a 40 minute drive but I have never actually been there. We stopped off at the two local quilt shops. I didn't find a ton of stuff but I did find some great deals. I got some Robert Kauffman Kona solids for just $5.10 a yard! Woot! Yard Sale (one of the shops) also had a ton of flannel. It almost made me want to start doing rag quilts again.

We also went to the Tooele Railroad Museum. Eli was sooooooo excited. We were lucky enough to arrive just before closing (they are only open from 1-4pm). Normally, they offer train rides but we went on a bad day. But, hey, it was free. Yup, FREE. You've got to love the price.

My cute kids

2010-06-29T05:25:00.000-06:00

Pillow Talk

2010-06-28T04:38:00.000-06:00

Ah, Doris Day. I loved that movie. And for some reason I think of it every single time I hear the word pillow. (Tapioca reminds me of Thoroughly Modern Millie, so go figure) Anyway, Lorelei made her first pillowcase yesterday and was so excited. Just look at that face:

She was just so proud of herself! I love projects that she can finish in under an hour. It is just the right amount of time to build sewing confidence. Go Lorelei!

50th Post!

2010-06-27T16:37:00.003-06:00

I can't believe that this is my 50th post on blogger. Who would have thought? Or that I haven't scared away or completely bored every person that has stumbled upon my little blog. Because I just moved, my house is a bit of a disaster untidy. This makes it the perfect time to issue this challenge because it made it harder for me to cheat! So here's the deal: Go take a picture of your creative space. Right now. No tidying, no cleaning, no cheating! Then post them on your blog and let me know! I will post links to everyone so we can all check it out. So here goes:

I have no defense for this mess. Only the little piles by the right of the machine are things I am working on today.

Two of the five blocks I made today.

Ready to serge.

One side of the walk-in closet. The quilt tops on hangers are all waiting to be quilted.

The other side of the closet. I consider this fairly organized...just ignore the top shelf.

Check Out These Spaces:

Joanne

Jennifer

Asiyah

WIPs

2010-06-17T21:30:00.000-06:00

I have been working on several things since moving, but most of it I am not ready to show yet! We have been getting in a lot of new patterns at the shop tho. Boy are they cute! And hard to resist. Thimble Blossoms is always one of my favorites. I love this new pattern, June Bug, by them. I am making it in Moda Verna. The pattern picture is made with the new Moda Bliss but it doesn't come out until August and I really couldn't wait!

I also love Gudrun Erla's new book:

And I made this super cute wall hanging using one of the patterns and the Riley Blake "Boo to You" fabric. Obviously, I need to finish up the binding.

I really like the way it has turned out. This is my first time doing a quilt-as-you-go project, so I am pretty impressed with myself! lol

All is well

2010-06-17T05:30:00.003-06:00

Thank you all so much for your kind words, thoughts and prayers. The surgery went very well and the doctors were able to fix everything that needed fixing! Always a good thing! He has two large incisions, but those should heal nicely. I am just very thankful that everything worked and we didn't have to move to Plan B!

On another note, the Shop Hop was insane today! I rocked my crown (our shop is doing a Mother's Day Queen for a Day theme) all day. I can't believe how many people came into the shop (and rocked their crowns too). I saw many friends, fellow bloggers, guild members, and even a few of the great ladies from the other shops! One follower actually brought me a chocolate shake today! How awesome is she?! I left exhausted but I can't wait to go back to work tomorrow. Make sure you say "hi" to me if you come in!

Drum roll please.....

2010-06-17T05:30:00.001-06:00

I have some winners! Chosen by random number generator, the winners are:

Of the Frilly Apron Pattern:
Kristy who said "Welcome to the "other" side! I love the Sassy Sue's skirt that Jandi In Stitches posted. All of your patterns are adorable. Keep up the fantastic work :0)"

Of the Strip Skirt Pattern:
sbmeeks who said "Sydney Meeks :) What fun!"

Of the Sassy Sue Skirt Pattern:
NeedledMom who said "Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging. You will find incredible inspiration. I really love your stripy skirt and was thinking of making a similar one for my granddaughters birthday this month. Good luck with your patterns. I know you will do well."

Congrats ladies! Please email me your addresses and I will send out your patterns!

The winner of the five Riley Blake "Boo to You" fat quarters is:
Brooke of Pitter Putter Stitch

Congrats Brooke! Please email your address!

Today is going to be stressful

2010-06-16T07:08:00.001-06:00

I am going to need lots of chocolate. And caffeine. And probably some carbs. Hmmm....I wonder how it is I handle stress.... ha! Anyway, today is the first day of the Wasatch Front Shop Hop, so it is going to be crazy at work. And, my oldest son is also having surgery today. I would have preferred not to have both on the same day, but today was the only day that both the surgeon and the engineer from the company that made the implant are both available unless we wanted to wait a lot longer. And, no one at the Shop Hop offered to rearrange the whole thing at the last minute to accommodate my schedule. Honestly, people are just selfish! ha! Anywho... His surgery is expected to be under two hours and is technically out patient (they are keeping him for 23 hours, go figure). I hope to update soon, but please forgive me if it takes a few days. Things are crazy here this week!

What's for dinner?

2010-06-15T22:13:00.000-06:00

Do you have one of those recipes that you forget about? My recipe box is full of them. They are all tried and true recipes that my family loves. They go on the regular dinner rotation for a few months and then disappear. Luckily, they are always rediscovered! So, here is what we had for dinner tonight:

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

In a small sauce pan bring to boil:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. bbq sauce

1/4 c. white vinegar

1 tsp. prepared mustard

1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce

Place frozen meatballs (or homemade ones if you're an over achiever) in a 9x13" glass pan. Pour boiled mixture over meatballs. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve over rice.

On another note, my computer has been giving me grief all week. Things got heated, we both said things we regret, but we have made amends. Which means that I will announce a winner to the giveaway very very soon.

What is really in my stash

2010-06-10T06:30:00.002-06:00

You can make your own graph here.

Retail Therapy

2010-06-09T10:19:00.001-06:00

I don't order a lot of things online. I still prefer the good old fashioned brick and mortar stores. I like to try things on. I like to wander. Heck, I like to get away by myself for an hour or two. The past month has actually been a bit hard on me. I'm not what I would call a shopaholic, but I do miss having most of the stores I like to frequent a mere 5-10 minutes away. So, what is a girl to do? I clicked on an ad for Mod Cloth yesterday (while checking my email, or facebook, or something, who knows?) and discovered cute accessory heaven. Okay, they have cute clothes too, but since I enjoy my chocolate, I think their clothes may be a bit too tight for comfort. But I did order this:

It is the "Sew Charming" necklace. How cute is that? I've been looking for a longer necklace to add to my collection and now I am anxiously awaiting its arrival.

I also wanted this:

and this:

I'll get you next time, my pretties.

So, what is your favorite online shop?

Twelve Years and Counting

2010-06-08T19:36:00.000-06:00

Twelve years ago today, my husband and I stood in front of our families and said our vows. Wow! I feel like we have been married forever but I still can't quite believe it has been that long. Or that I still kinda love him! ha! We celebrated Saturday night with a nice dinner. We also went to see Sex and the City 2. Obviously he still kinda loves me too!
I wanted to post a few pictures of us from way back when but they all seem to be in boxes. I will have to remedy that later. Instead, here is a few pictures of my kids at the carnival on Friday.

Time's almost up!

2010-06-07T09:30:00.000-06:00

The giveaway for Jaymie's patterns and the Riley Blake Halloween fabric "Boo to You" ends tomorrow. Make sure you get yourself entered here.

Are you ready?

2010-06-02T23:12:00.000-06:00

One look at the calendar confirmed it: the Wasatch Front Shop Hop starts in just fourteen days! Two short weeks before I am required to visit 15 local shops in just four days. Okay, maybe not "required" but certainly "compelled". I think I can convince my husband that it is necessary research. I'm a bit nervous tho about my ability to make it to all of these shops! Just check out this map:

Talk about covering most of the state! Sheesh! Anyway, for those who don't know, the shop hop is June 16-19. Are you ready?

More than a member

2010-06-01T20:43:00.000-06:00

Belonging to a club or other organization has its benefits. And I do love meeting other people with the same obsessions interests as me. But now I am finding that there isn't a whole lot of local clubs I would like to join. This has gotten me thinking about starting a small quilting group in my neighborhood. I'm just trying to decide if the responsibility of running one is worth it. And do I know, or can I find, enough people to join? Is it going to be like my Wii Bowling League idea? I thought of having bowling parties a few years ago when the Wii came out, and found that few of my friends were interested. A bit of hope tho, I mentioned the idea again last week and now have quite a few people who want to sign up! Anyone have any cool ideas for my team name?
Wait! How did I get off-track.... I really am looking for some tips and advice about starting a small guild. Or just some good ideas of things to do? What is your favorite thing about your guild and how did you get involved?

June Giveaway

2010-06-01T20:25:00.001-06:00

One of the great things about blogging and working around fabrics all day is meeting some fabulous designers. One great designer is Jaymie Soderman of Sassy Pants Patterns. She has numerous patterns for adult and children's clothing ranging from skirts and aprons to rain coats. She's a junior in college, studying to be a high school sewing teacher. How fun is that? All I studied in college was business plans and accounting. Informative, but not all that exciting. So here's a few of Jaymie's projects:

The Frilly Apron

The Strip Skirt

Sassy Sue's Skirt

Too cute! Now, Jaymie is my friend and is just learning how to blog and needs a bit of encouragement! So she generously offered these three patterns for a giveaway (three winners, woot!)! Let's give her a big blogger welcome! Here's the rules (you knew they were coming, right?):

For your first entry, leave a comment with your name.
Second entry, leave a comment on Jaymie's blog telling her which pattern you like the best!
Third entry, become a follower of Jaymie's blog and leave a comment on THIS post saying that you have done so.

AND as a bonus, blog about this giveaway and you will be entered in a separate giveaway for five fat-quarters from Riley Blake's Halloween line, Boo To You!

Oh, and all you bloggers, leave a comment on my NEXT post saying that you blogged. Because, seriously, this is going to be impossible if they are all on the same post! Ha!

Giveaway closes: June 8, 2010 Midnight, MST

Major Talent from Down Under

2010-05-25T21:16:00.000-06:00

Shannon Lamden, a.k.a. Aunty Cookie is one talented well,...... cookie. Look at this amazing stuff:

I ordered the cutest fabric in black and white (seen above in red) that features various crafty characters. I plan on fussy cutting them and making a wonky bento-box style quilt. I got the fabric over a month ago and asked Shannon if it was okay to publish her pictures on my blog (it was!) and then got preoccupied with the move. I brought out this fabric again today and I can't believe I haven't told you all about it!

Anyway, you can check out Shannon here and her etsy shop here.

What fabric designer are you just sure that you discovered?

Quilting Tools...and I do mean "tools"

2010-05-23T21:31:00.000-06:00

I spent this weekend getting my house in order. I pulled all of the weeds in the front yard, which filled my garbage can to the brim. I also spread some manure (not as gross as I thought it would be). And planted some flowers and four shrubs. I am so happy with the way it looks. Now I just need to find someone to mow my lawn this summer. There is bound to be some teenage boys living in the neighborhood who would like to make some extra money. Anyway.... I also decided to hang up some pictures and have found some new uses for my quilting tools:

1. Setting a too-short level on top of my 24" rotary cutting ruler makes a 24" level. Perfect for marking level lines for hanging shelves.

2. That same cutting ruler is perfect for measuring between pictures when you don't have a tape measure handy.

3. Pins are a great for temporarily positioning wall hangings.

So what non-quilting things do you use your quilting tools for?

I'm alive, I swear

2010-05-14T15:03:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted. Or that I am still not completely moved in. There is so much to do and I don't have enough time (or energy for that matter) to get it all done. I did get my sewing room put together last night....you've got to have priorities. And a new quilt top will be finished tonight. Woo-hoo! I hope to find my camera cord in the next few days and I can get back to posting regularly!

a brief absence

2010-04-29T22:53:00.000-06:00

We are moving house and I have no idea how long it will take to hack into neighbors router get internet connections and all those other fun things set up. Not to mention all of the packing and unpacking. Oh, what an exciting life I lead. I will be back soon!

I've been there

2010-04-28T21:42:00.000-06:00

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job? Working around fabric all day makes it seem a bit less like work. I love helping people pick fabrics for quilts, find the perfect pattern, or figure out where it all went wrong. Today someone came in looking for a particular fabric for the binding of a quilt she just finished. Good news, I knew immediately what fabric she was looking for. Bad news, we are all out. And so is every other store in the state. And who has time to wait for mail order when a baby shower is right around the corner? Oh yeah, and did I mention she only needed 3" x 8" piece? Anyway, I got her name and number, checked my personal stash, and what do you know? I've got a few fat quarters left of it. So she is meeting me Saturday to get a small piece of one. I have to help a fellow comrade!

When was the last time you ran short and what did you do?

Lost in the Mail

2010-04-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

The majority of my life has been free of any postal mishaps. No presents from far-flung relatives ever arrived completely smashed. No checks disappeared. And not once have I answered the door in my robe and given the mailman a free show. All in all, quite uneventful. Until these past six months. How much can get lost? And is it me? A curse? Did a black cat cross my path as I walked under a ladder, knocking over salt shakers and breaking mirrors as I went?

While there have been several mishaps the past eighteen months, here are the most notable:

Upon moving, the mailman refused to forward our mail (slippery mind, I suppose) which meant that I had to drive 20 miles to fetch our mail from our old address every few days. This problem was finally fixed when I locked the mailbox closed at the old house which prevented him from delivering no matter how hard he tried.

Last fall was the great Siggie Block Swap. I made 70 of those suckers, They weren't that hard but signing them drove me nuts. I just couldn't get the writing to look as nice as I wanted it to. Never fear. I got to do them all over again after the first 70 I sent failed to arrive. I think my signatures were better the second time around. Silver lining, eh?

In February I sent a friend in Germany a couple of jellyrolls and some cuts of fabric. It's not what you're thinking....the package arrived in Germany safe and sound. But she sent me out a package a week later that never arrived. (We've determined that our packages usually take 7-10 to get to each other.) So, she faithfully sent another package the first week of April. This has also failed to arrive.

And last, but not least, the potholders I made for the swap are MIA. Egad! I've remade them now but I think I liked the first ones better. I'm just sad that someone didn't get theirs on time. I hope the originals don't end up in a trash bin somewhere.

Okay, this post is quite whiney. I actually had a reason for writing about this so I will get off the pity potty now. This arrived yesterday:

Aren't they lovely? And guess where they are from? My friend Melanie in Germany. It is the package she sent out March 8th. Which means it only took 6 short weeks to get here. Obviously, it came by canoe. Maybe there is hope for my siggie blocks yet.

I'm always behind

2010-04-23T21:25:00.000-06:00

Last week was the Friday Night Sew-in and I should have posted a picture of what I had worked on that night. Did I? Nope, too busy driving through the wilds of Wyoming. So here goes:

This is the beginning of a cute table topper I made. I didn't finish it that night because I realized the stripe I picked for the borders was awful! It has been quilted and bound, but of course I forgot to take a picture. Perhaps Monday.

We had a great time in Wyoming. The kids loved the pool at the hotel.

And Eli was apparently enjoying something on television:

I am glad they had so much fun. Poor kids deserved it after I dragged them to three quilt shops along the way. Don't worry, I took plenty of pics of the shops! I will post them this weekend!

And we have a winner (finally)

2010-04-21T20:01:00.000-06:00

I spent the weekend in Wyoming then came home and worked on several projects (and went to work so I would remain employed). So I have many excuses. No good ones, but excuses just the same. Anywho, the random number generator picked Vicki @DottyJane! Congrats Vicki! Please email me your shipping info and I will get that charm pack out to you!

How does that work?

2010-04-19T05:50:00.001-06:00

I have been seeing all of these great animations that show how your sewing machine actually works. Who knew? Click here to see two animations. The first one is for a chain stitch and the second animation shows the straight stitch.
Now there is one less thing I think works like this:

Friday Night Sew-in

2010-04-15T21:16:00.001-06:00

Who's ready for the Friday Night Sew-in? I purchased a quilt kit (with my employee discount, no less) just for the occasion. I wish I hadn't forgotten about FNS until this week tho. It would have been fun to have some people over. Maybe I will be better prepared next month! Check back Friday night to see how I did.

If you haven't entered my giveaway, scroll down and get entered before it is too late!

And they call this work

2010-04-15T09:48:00.000-06:00

I have wanted to work in a fabric store for the past year. What could be better? Hanging out among the fabrics and patterns, cutting, gabbing with fellow quilters. And I don't think I will mind having an employee discount! Anyway, I am starting here today:

So, if you're in the area, stop by, say "hi", and check out all of the amazing things that you know you "need".

And wiser too

2010-04-14T19:58:00.001-06:00

Today is my birthday. My first 29th birthday. I plan on having many more of these. I figure when you find something that works, you should stick with it. My husband is out of town and was worried that I wouldn't do anything for my birthday (he knows me too well). He needn't have worried. I went to lunch with my friend Janelle and ate this:

And then, despite it being my last day of work at my temp job, we had some of this:

Then I picked up Eli and drove to Material Girls to pick up Lorelei from her quilting guild meeting. She made this for me:

And my sister bought me this:

and this:

We came home, ate dinner, and then my wonderful (and talented) friend and neighbor brought over this:

How cute is that? Needless to say, I now feel like this:

But I do also feel very thankful for such wonderful family and friends.

It's a small, small world

2010-04-08T04:00:00.001-06:00

I am always astounded by how much information, ideas, and great people I can find out in blogland. A friend and I were discussing all of the great tutorials we find online and I have to admit that she shocked me. She said she hates that she always finds projects that she wants to do but the blog is written by someone in German, or Japanese, or French.
Ummm.....what's the problem? Come to find out my friend didn't know about a little tool called Google Translate. So, I thought I would share it with all of you just incase there is someone else out there unaware of this little gem. Simply type in the web address of the site, choose your language, choose the language the website is in, and voila! It is completely readable, even to those of us who only remember enough high school French to ask where the bathroom or library is.
If you didn't know about it before, go try it out! Enjoy!

BTW-

I have been swapping fabrics with bloggers I have met online who reside in Europe. I love the surprises I find in my mailbox. And I hope they feel the same way! If anyone (not in the US) is looking for someone to swap fabrics or patterns with, please email me.

Free Quilt Pattern

2010-04-07T13:00:00.002-06:00

I just stumbled upon Lynn Weathers blog, Alamosa Quilter. She has a free pattern for two cute quilts available for download. Best of all, you make one and then use your scraps to make a reversed pattern for the second quilt!
Head on over and get yourself some goodness and say hi to Lynn.

Why wait til May? It's time for a giveaway!

2010-04-07T06:00:00.002-06:00

Last year I was obsessed by Basic Grey's Figgy Pudding for Moda. I made everything out of this line. Stockings, a tablerunner, and a quilt top (that is still waiting to be quilted). Basic Grey came through with another gorgeous Christmas fabric called Fruitcake that will be available everywhere in May. But who wants to wait until then? I snatched up a few charmpacks and have decided to send one to one lucky person!

So, here's how to get up to three entries:

Entry one: leave a comment on this post
Entry two: become a follower of Jandi In Stitches and leave a comment saying "follower"
Entry three: blog about the giveaway and leave a comment saying "blogged here http://xxxx"

Please make sure that you leave three separate comments if you would like three entries. The random number generator will be picking the winner for me so if you only leave one comment, you'll only get one entry.

Giveaway closes April 16, 2010 at midnight MST.

Good luck!

(a) brand new project(s)

2010-04-06T21:08:00.000-06:00

Last year Just Sew did this quilt as their block of the month:

Too bad I wasn't the sewing demon I am now back in March of 2009. I look at this quilt, and while it is not my style, I am dying to make one. Or two. Yup, I've decided on two. One for me, one for a gift. This is what I managed to get done last night:

Eli is still sick but I feel like I still managed to get quite a bit done. It really is going quite quickly. I should make quilts like this all of the time. The second block takes me about 1/4 of the time as the first block.

Anyone else have an ambitious new project going?

Chocolate Bunnies and Kleenex

2010-04-06T21:00:00.000-06:00

Easter has come and gone and yet I haven't posted any pictures. So, here we go:

I know, bad lighting...that's what happens when you're woken up at an ungodly hour by excited children.

He insisted on eating his chocolate bunny for breakfast. Unfortunately he was sick and only managed to eat the ears.

I made these cute shorts and Eli was happy enough to pose for me. I wish you could see the cute pockets. Next time I will make them out of coordinating fabric so they show up better.

What a show off. Only those red little cheeks give away how sick he was feeling.

And then we flew kites:

I hope your Easter was fun!

When are we going to have Spring?

2010-04-03T20:34:00.000-06:00

I just can't believe that tomorrow is Easter. It doesn't seem quite right. Perhaps it has something to do with all of the snow we have gotten the past few days. Luckily I did manage to remember to buy a couple dozen eggs yesterday AND boil them. I know, I know, you're impressed. Today we took our eggs over to my sister's house and let the kids dye them.

Eli insisted on stirring the dye which turned out to be messy (surprise, surprise) and cracked a few eggs.

I also found these too cute tags for Peeps to give to my friends:

Get yours at Eighteen25 or find lots of other great ideas.

Jandi In Stitches

FNS Results

FNSI

My Secret Admirer

Everyone knows how thrilling quilting is!

Halloween Pictures

Incase you missed it

My Heritage

Happy Halloween!

it is an epidemic

Way-back Wednesday

Mail Call

Scalpels & Hee Haw Farms

Lions, and Hospitals, and rockslides, oh my!

FNS Results

DIY Friday

Spotted!

Road Trip

tumbler blocks

And we have a winner

100 Already?

Christmas Is Coming

Spreading It Too Thin

Alicia Jones Photography Giveaway **CLOSED**

FNS

Mail Call

it's going around

Networked Blogs

ME? Teaching?

A bliss-ful day

Purple Purple Purple

I swear, this is not me

Way-back Wednesday

Friday Night Sew In

Mid-day check in

Finished-ish

It only looks like I was bad

drool worthy

Makeover time!

Way-back Wednesday

Accessories

Rain, rain, go away

In the shop

Some things aren't for the wimpy

First Pantograph

This is why we have a child lock on the pantry

Name My Avante

Out of this World

*happy dance*

My Big Exciting Day

It is 3 a.m.

And the winner is....

Lehi Foam Day 2010

Friday Night Sew In

Gearing Up

It's Official!

Coming Soon: New Blog Look

One of those days

I need your ideas!

The Cutest Little Boots Ever

Yes, I do have the mind of a thirteen year old boy

Fast & Thrifty Thursday

IMMD (It Made My Day)!

Little Birds

FNS

Motivation

Good Read

Tooele, Utah

My cute kids

Pillow Talk

50th Post!

WIPs

All is well

Drum roll please.....

Today is going to be stressful

What's for dinner?

What is really in my stash

Retail Therapy

Twelve Years and Counting

Time's almost up!

Alicia Jones Photography Giveaway CLOSED

happy dance