Scrap Swap - Friendship Blocks

I joined a scrap swap that Nancy was hosting. This is my yummy pile of scraps,
(please ignore my ugly carpet), that I received from Pam. This was a fun way to add some life to my scrap bucket. I like to make string quilts with my scraps, most of them going to charity. String blocks are relaxing to make, just mindless sewing. I like to be mindless once in awhile. ;~)
My family might say I am mindless more than once in awhile though. But, what do they know!

I joined my local quilt guild this spring. I am liking it so far. Fun to meet fellow quilters, learn some new things and share a few laughs. I signed up to make a couple of Friendship blocks. The person the blocks will be going to, provides a 14 square piece of fabric, then you add your own fabric to it and make a block of your choice. Like a crazy woman I decided to try a new technique, paper piecing. The first one drove me insane!!!


I finally succeeded and I really like the way it turned out. :~)

After reading the directions more carefully, the second one went much smoother.
I love the crisp points you get with paper piecing, I will probably be doing more of it in the future. Now that I have read the instructions! I wonder why I buy all of these books and then try them before reading the instructions. Mmmm, must be that mindless thing again I guess. lol
Anyway, I think that I would like to make an entire quilt with these. The book that I used was Carol Doak's "Simply Sensational Nine Patch Stars". I think it would be fun to make a scrappy sampler quilt with the blocks from this book.

Hugs & Stitches, Julia

SuzyQ Class

I went to my first class on SuzyQ today. It was so worth the time and the 35 mile drive. I learned lots. We didn't do much sewing today. We learned all about threads, tensions, needles, how to load a quilt, caring for the machine, etc. The next class is on the 13th. It will be doing the actual quilting How to use the ruler base, rulers, stencils, free-motion, pantos, etc. I am loving the machine!!

I did finish the quilt using the cheater type inexpensive fabric, that I mentioned earlier. I am quite pleased with it. I will take pictures of it tomorrow, too dark now. I have a baby quilt for charity, on SuzyQ right now. It is just a simple pieced top from some flannel scraps. After this one, I think that I will be ready for a "real" quilt. I finished up a flimsy tonight for my Mom. Pictures of that one later too. It will be my first "real" quilt to try on my new toy!

Next Thursday I am going on a Shop Hop to Salt Lake City, UT with my quilt guild . It should be lots of fun. Despite the fact that I will have to get up at 5:00 a.m.!!! ;~) It will be a very long day, but, to shop, you have to be willing to make sacrifices! lol

We are doing a Crayon Challenge in my guild. At our last meeting we drew 3 crayons from a bucket and we have to make a quilt of any size using those colors. Our deadline is the March meeting. I drew 3 of the ugliest colors ever! lolBright colors are not my thing and as you can see, two of mine are bright! This should be interesting. I am going to take my crayons on the Shop Hop to see what I can find. I think that I will be making something on the small side. :~) A large quilt of these three colors would be really ugly! IMHO I am going to keep an open mind though.

I leave you with a picture of our grandson. I put piggy tales in his hair the other day. I was trying to shame his mother into getting his hair cut. :~) Wouldn't he make an adorable girl though. LOL Hugs&Stitches, Julia

Walking report----I have walked 3 days this week for a total of 8 miles. I hope to add 3 miles to that total in the morning!

Thanksgiving Decorations

This has been a very good, relaxing day. After a very spiritually, uplifting, morning at church, I came home and decided that I couldn't look at the Halloween decorations anymore. So away they went for another year and out came Thanksgiving. As I don't have many Thanksgiving decorations it only took me about 10 minutes. I am almost embarrassed to show you though. You would think that a quilter would have a much better table runner than just a piece of fabric. hehe

I am going to leave this old tablecloth out though and make a runner with it for next year. The piece of furniture that this is sitting on, was an old buffet or side board, that belonged to my dear MIL. Randy refinished it a few years ago and now it sits in our living room. I love it! I made the little Thanksgiving scene lots of years ago when I used to do ceramics. It is one of my favorite holiday decorations. You can't see the little turkey very well. But, it is so cute.

This little wallhanging was one of the first things that I made when I began to quilt 3 years ago. I did the embroidery with my Bernina 630, the designs came from here.

Hope that your day has been a great one too!

Hugs&Stitches, Julia

Happy Halloween!

The pumpkins have been craved and decorated. Ethan grew these himself this year. Not really sure why they were so slow in turning orange. But, a green pumpkin is still pretty cute. :~)

The leaves carpet the lawn. Well, not anymore, my Dad and I cleaned them up yesterday. But, I love this picture that I took before we got started. Randy was at work so he missed all of the fun. ;~) Ethan and Karlee (granddaughter) were sure having fun playing with them on the trampoline!


Have a safe and Happy Halloween!!
Hugs&Stitches, Julia

Organizing and Tag

I am a little stiff and sore this morning. My sewing room was in desperate need of some reorganizing.
I used to have my machine in this cabinet,

for some reason I decided that I didn't want to use and put my machine on this table. Bad idea!

(ignore the mess, I am still putting away a few little things) It was really to high for comfortable sewing. I brought the cabinet back up from the family room. Let me tell you that wasn't to easy. Randy was at work last night, so Ethan had to help me. Coming up a flight of stairs with a heavy piece of furniture and just the muscles of an 8 year old boy and his lots older than that Mom, was not to easy! But, we did it!! My room is a little more cramped now. But, I think it will be okay. Who needs tons of floor space anyway right? LOL By the way, these are the after photos.

Julie tagged me some time ago to give seven random things about myself. After much thought, here goes!

1- The name on my birth certificate is not my name. Let me explain that. Sitting in the hospital after my birth, Dad and Mom agreed on a name, filled out the birth certificate and brought thier little bundle of joy home. A month later when it was time to bless me (give me a name and blessing through the church), the name they decided on was not the name that my father gave to me in that blessing. It seems that my grandfather wanted me named after his mother and so he talked Dad into changing it, unbeknownst to my mother. What a surprise that must have been for her! It was meant to be that I carry the name of my great-grandmother though, recently we found a picture of her and I look quite a bit like her. So all is well!

2-I love to change my hair color every year or so! I am currently a dark reddish brown!

3-I have never broken a bone! Close last night getting that sewing cabinet up the stairs! (Just kidding!)

4-I don't like to shop except for quilty things of course. That's not shopping though, that is mental therapy! :~)

5-I have always lived here in the beautiful Snake River Valley of Idaho! When I married I moved just 12 miles from my childhood home and I have been here ever since. I love it here!

6-I had a complete hysterectomy when I was just 26 years old.

7-I hate hot dogs! You know the whole, on a bun, with relish and what not, YUCK! But, I love corn dogs. A little wierd, I know. :~)


Now I must get back to organizing so that I can sew!!!

Hugs&Stitches, Julia

Diaper Bag & Apron

Here is the diaper bag that I made for my daughter. I think that it turned out really cute.
I really like this pattern. It sews up fast and is fairly easy to make.


Here is the little helper, whose diapers it will carry.
He is the one that had RSV, just let me say that
he is totally healed and back to "helping" me sew. :0)
I would much rather have him getting into a little mischief that to be as sick as he was. You really have to watch him, he is at that stage where everything goes in the mouth. I can vacuum all the floors and he still finds the tiniest thing to put in his mouth.
Isn't he just about the sweetest thing that you have ever seen? My hubby is always telling Kristy (DD2), that her and her hubby make the cutest children. And that they do!!!






This is an apron that I made from the stash a couple of weeks ago. It was fun to make. I think that I might like to make some more. I remember that my grandmother always had an apron on. One of those retro things that warms my heart to see it coming back. I am such a messy cook that I need to wear one to save my clothes!!! lol




Here a couple more purchases in my effort to help the economy. lol I found these on sale, don't ask me where because I can't remember! lol I would like to get a head start on the holidays.
These are Miss Rosie's.
I LOVE her patterns and these were on sale too! Same place that I can't remember. I can just tell you that it was online somewhere. I think that it was this site. If not, check it out, it is a pretty good site. Fast service and pretty good prices on some of the older lines.

Keep on Quilting!!!!

Gratitudes:
1- Healthy family!!!
2-Darling grandchildren, whom I get to see almost everyday!
3-Day off for Ethan and hubby!
4-Beef Stew bubbling away in the crock pot!