Quilts Unlimited

I'm a Little Tea Cup

2012-02-01T09:56:00.000-06:00

Thank you, Shirley, for sharing this.

Love this story or not, you will not be able to have tea in a tea cup again without thinking of this.

    There was a couple who took a trip to England to shop in a beautiful antique store to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups.

    Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked "May we see that? We've never seen a cup quite so beautiful."

    As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke, "You don't understand. I have not always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me and rolled me, pounded and patted me over and over and I yelled out, "Don't do that. I don't like it! Let me alone," but he only smiled, and gently said, "Not yet."

    Then WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was made to suit himself and then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. "Help! Get me out of here!" I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, "Not yet."

    When I thought I couldn't bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! "Ah, this is much better," I thought.

    But, after I cooled he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. "Oh, please, stop it, stop, I cried." He only shook his head and said, "Not yet."

    Then suddenly he puts me back in to the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up. Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited and waited, wondering, "What's he going to do to me next?"

    An hour later he handed me a mirror and said, "Look at yourself." And I did. I said, "That's not me. That couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful!"

    Quietly he spoke: "I want you to remember. I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life. If I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you."

    The moral of this story is this: God knows what He's doing for each of us. He is the potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us and expose us to just enough pressures of just the right kinds that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect.

    So when life seems hard, and you are being pounded and patted and pushed almost beyond endurance; when your world seems to be spinning out of control; when you feel like you are in a fiery furnace of trials; when life seems to "stink", try this.
    Brew a cup of your favorite tea in your prettiest tea cup, sit down and think on this story and then, have a little talk with the Potter.

    God Bless You!

2012-01-31T17:09:00.000-06:00

Got this fortune cookie at lunch today. Asked my HD where he was taking me. He said "Across Lake Worth bridge, home to Azle!!" :0(

Hmmmm, this was his cookie fortune?

Sewing Machine Cover

2012-01-27T09:13:00.000-06:00

I finally got around to making a cover for my main machine. It is a bit tall for it but covers nicely anyway. Looks good too!

Vertically Challenged?

2012-01-27T09:07:00.002-06:00

Is there a conspiracy against vertically challenged (short people)?

We sit on a couch and by the time we sit all the way back, we are like Edith Ann (from laugh-in fame), AND THAT'S THE TRUTH!

When you buy pants or skirts, they are always longer than you want 'cause they are made for taller people.

In the car, even our small car, (known as "the toaster"), we cannot get away from the sun because the visors are made for TALL people! So we made a "fix" - we hope for that problem. We still have to test it out more since today is the first day of sunshine since we made it.

We took a piece of thin plexiglass, cut it to stay within the legal limit of shading down the front windshield and painted one side black. It covers the space between the visors where the sun is a real problem. Drilled two holes for a zip tie to attach it to the mirror mount. Doesn't look bad either.

Puppies visit with Grandpa at the rehab center.

2012-01-12T15:31:00.000-06:00

This morning, we took Daisy and Darlin' to visit Grandpa at the rehab center. He was not feeling his best today but was very glad to see them. He LOVES the puppies, but I think his favorite is Daisy. Daisy, at 20 months, is a little more settled than our Darlin' puppy at 7 months old. They love Grandpa as well.

They only escaped the room once, when housekeeping opened the door. They took off down the hall to visit some more with other residents. Almost all the staff and residents were petting them and talking to them.

They do give sloppy kisses!

More sloppy kisses!

Finally . . . Christmas in Flower Mound.

2012-01-12T15:08:00.002-06:00

Last Sunday, after attending church with our DD and family we got to have our Christmas with them. Things just did not work our well for the whole family gathering in December and other things just kept popping up but we finally did it.

I did not take a lot of pictures but here are the ones I got.

New spice rack for the kitchen.

To keep GS warm on his bike ride to school.

Keeping little GD fingers busy!

Bike helmet for other GS bike rider.

Dodge Challenger was a hit!

Tea cup with a LID!

And the most appreciated "tool set" - all in Chocolate!!!

More Christmas Pictures.

2012-01-02T22:17:00.001-06:00

Mom

Dozer gets a hug from Emma.

Mom and Dozer visiting. Looks like he knows exactly what she is telling him!

Then the snow came on Christmas Day! Beautiful.

Mom always feeds the birds.

Dozer opens his present.

He likes it!

Jerry and Darlin'.

Mom and Daisy.

Jay & Darlin'.

Jay, Darlin' and Mike.

Christmas in Amarillo . . .

2012-01-01T21:45:00.000-06:00

From the Austin area, we traveled to Amarillo for a Christmas Eve extended family gathering. I can't remember the final count but think it was between 60 and 70 people at my sister's home.

We always have a good time there with gifts for all the kids and men's and women's gift exchanges, not to mention all the good food and visiting.

A scavenger hunt game kept the older kids busy for a while. And the sock critters made by DD were a big hit. In fact, she got some orders to make more of them.

We planned Christmas Day lunch at Mom's house but when it started snowing, HD decided he'd leave for home before it got really bad. He left for home early to check on his Dad, who is having health issues. I stayed there since my DD was coming up for a few days and I rode back with her. It snowed most of the day and think there was about 5 inches on the ground. I stayed with Mom a few days and then to my sister's where DD was staying and really enjoyed the whole visit. Wish it wasn't so far so we could visit more often.

Christmas in the Austin area. . .

2012-01-01T21:31:00.001-06:00

Christmas in Cedar Park

We had our family Christmas in Cedar Park with our two sons and their families. Our daughter and family was not able to attend. We had a nice visit with both and got some pictures. Unfortunately I had the settings on my camera wrong so a number of them came out fuzzy but hopefully usable.

We enjoyed all the goodies made for the lunch and evening meal. Tried to be good about staying on the losing weight track but did fall off the wagon some, but, hey, it the holiday season!

The first gift was special to HD. See the story is there has always been a debate in regard to Fords & Chevys – well our Ford truck broke down (lost the clutch and more) and had to be pulled to daughter's house by her friend's Chevy truck. We knew there would be quite a razzing about it but the picture here is our youngest son's take on it. He put a lot of effort into painting the trucks and using the wood from a tree in his back yard. It is now hanging on the wall in his Dad's office space! In case you can't read it, it says:

Found On Road Dead

By a Chevy

:o)

The girls took a nice walk to the park which is not even a block from the house. The ducks were expecting us to feed them but not bread was brought this time. Our granddaughter is very photogenic but on the move a lot. I reset my camera settings but not soon enough to get really good pictures. :o(

Of course, I had to take a picture of Darlin' and Daisy. I swear that sure looks like a grin on Daisy's face!

Our granddaughter started the opening of gifts with a doll buggy from us and followed with a doll from her uncle and aunt to put right in the buggy. She also got a broom and dustpan to help her Mom in cleaning and a big monkey from another aunt (of the sock critter fame) (http://www.etsy.com/shop/SockCritterCorner ) and uncle.

We did our usual Chinese gift exchange and after all the stealing was done, we were all happy with what we got.

A special gift that HD and I really like the the coffee maker given by all three kids. We are really enjoying it.

Now let's see - where was I . . .

2012-01-01T20:37:00.000-06:00

Oh yeah, back to quilting -
Just trying to remember where I left off the blog in that regard.

We worked on some vintage quilts. One is the Periwinkle quilt, done in beautiful bright, multiple colors. We acquired this quilt top from a thrift store, added the batting and backing and quilted it. It is hand pieced and longarm quilted in meander stitch with medium loft batting with white muslin backing. It is 72' x 80” in size.

Another is the vintage Spider Web done in beautiful colors, and we acquired this quilt top from an estate sale. It is hand pieced and longarm quilted in meander stitch with medium loft batting with white muslin backing. It is 72” x 90” in size.

The LeMoyne Star quilt top is another vintage one we found it at the estate sale. It is hand pieced and longarm quilted in what we call a lazy eight stitch with low loft batting with white muslin backing. It is 67” x 88” in size.

Rail Fence quilt top done in pastel colors was also another vintage from the estate sale. It is totally hand pieced with beautiful tiny stitches. It is long arm quilted in what we call a loopy loop stitch. It measures 68” x 90”.

Another one I call "Orange Blossom Special". I found the blocks for it on Ebay already embroidered. They were all stitched together in a very tight stitch so it took me awhile to get them apart to put a maroon and yellow lattice between them. The printed floral borders on the sides blend so nicely with the blocks and the solid outer borders are bright and cheerful. It is long arm quilted in what we call a lazy eight stitch with low loft batting with white muslin backing. It measures 83” x 92”.

We were also busy with Christmas items. I got the family calendars all done, delivered and mailed out. Kids got theirs at Christmas. Total this year was 31 calendars - haven't printed ours yet. Sure hope I didn't leave anyone off - there are a lot of birthdays and anniversaries there! My HD had a great idea for the calendar cover! I have trouble coming up with ideas on that but his suggestion of putting all the family names from my genealogy program worked out well. Every family was listed and it makes it so easy to see which child goes where. With a large family, it is sometimes difficult to figure out.

One, I called the "Toolman" lap quilt, we gave to my father-in-law to keep him warm at the nursing home during rehab to build strength. I think he really likes it.It is long arm quilted in a lazy eight stitch with low loft batting with sky blue backing. It measures 60” x 71”.

The tractor quilt has six large embroidered tractors blocks in green, blue and red on muslin back and trimmed with patriotic fabric in red, white & blue with stars. It is long arm quilted in what we call a lazy eight stitch with low loft batting with white muslin backing. It measures 68” x90”.

Our quilting machine had a problem and we had to wait on a part for it - quit just at the end of a quilt!! We really needed to get the Christmas gift quilts done.

We really worked to get some special quilts for Christmas done. Lap quilts for the kids included Coca Cola, Monkey and a Strip quilt. HD did most all of the quilting.

And a little one to match Mom and Dad's monkey quilt!

Gifts for other family members: brother-in-law, sister-in-law both got “Shoebox” quilts as I call them. Most every gift was at least partially from a dear sister's fabric stash.

“Best Friend” lap quilts for Mom and another sister & brother-in-law and wall hanging for yet another sister and brother-in-law.

I must have forgotten to take finished pictures of this one.

I also made a few of these crayon roll-ups in various fabrics to give and some to sell. The kids really seem to like them to organize and keep track of their colors.

While visiting at a nursing home, we asked if there was anyone who rarely received visitors and found two ladies to gift lap quilts to. One pretty baskets and another floral blues.

I love the long arm quilting machine. It is so much faster than hand quilting and quilting on my home machine.

Tis the season . . . Or maybe not.

2011-12-07T16:28:00.002-06:00

I saw an ad on Craigs list from a single mom "desperately" wanting a playpen for her daughter and asking you to text her if you had one. We had one that was too small for a granddaughter so I texted to see if she still needed one. She said yes, she would take it and come the next MORNING for it. I told her we would be home in the MORNING.

Then she texts again asking if we live close to Pizza Hut and her friend could pick it up on the way to get pizza. I gave approximate location and she asked for address, which I gave her. She texts that she would have to wait until next MORNING.

Next morning, since we would be out back of the house, I text her to call first and she said she would. We wait . . . Finally I text that we have a meeting in the afternoon so she needs to pick up before noon. She texts that she will not have a ride until AFTER 2:00 pm!! SINCE WHEN IS 2:00 pm MORNING??

I waited several hours to respond and told her that we would be home the following MORNING but after that our schedule was full. She said she would get it then. Next morning at 6:14 am (while I WAS asleep), she texts wanting to know if her friend can pick it up on his way to work - between 7:00 and 7:30 am. I tell her it is on the front porch and she asks what the address is (again).

Someone picked it up. A few minutes later, She texts one final time (I hope) to say she loves it and Merry Christmas. Was I wrong not to text Merry Christmas back?

Next time I have something to give away, I will do Craigs List "curb alert" - first come first serve!

Pippi Longstocking . . .

2011-11-05T16:58:00.000-05:00

I just had to post more pictures of Kalina as Pippi. It was a perfect Halloween costume for her!

Just had to have Pippi's Mom in here too!

Vacation

2011-11-05T16:44:00.001-05:00

We took off in our trusty F250 truck pulling our 5th wheel headed for Amarillo. Of course the wind was blowing in the wrong direction - always against us. We stopped at a rest area close to Electra, where we discovered a tire coming apart on the trailer. Put the spare on, even though it was the wrong kind, wrong size and low in air. We drove back a few mile to a station, bought two new tires and were on our way again.

We had a great visit in Amarillo. We stayed at Mom's in the lot beside the house, in our 5th wheel. Mom, June & Dozer (June's dog) are doing well at Mom's house. Mom is looking good. We visited some on the back deck where June was rocking her baby Dozer. :o) So glad that June is there to help out.

Daisy & Darlin' had a great time with everyone. They played with Dozer a lot, between taking his toys and trying to eat his bones & food and taking over his dog bed!! They also played with Haley & Comet (Teresa's dogs). We also saw Teresa, Barbara, Fred, Joe Pat and Marg. I did not think to get pictures of everyone.

Darlin' is a little terror (but very cute) !! She reminds us of a cat the way she raises up on her hind legs and pounces. I do wish I would have been inside to take a video one morning. Seems that Darlin' removed a kleenex from June's robe pocket (while she was sitting on the couch)and took off with it. June said she chased that little black devil all around the living room 'til she cornered her behind Mom's chair where she dropped it. Would have made a great video!!!

Both our pups loved Grandma's chair AND Grandma's lap! June fed them carrot pieces and tried to get them to play tug of war with a big carrot.

It was good to see Fred and to hear that he will be helping out with the Hospice program. Good for them and for him. Marg was getting ready for a trip to Cambodia with Doug.

With the weather forecast calling for snow, we left and headed for Austin by way of Cross Plains. There, we stayed at the local motel's RV park there. It was SUPPOSED to have internet. NOT !! I could not even get 3G on my phone in that area, just that big "E".

We caught up with old friends at the Senior Center and got lots of hugs along with a great meal. They still have some really good cooks! It was so good to see everyone there.

We drove by our old house in Cross Plains and visited with neighbors there. Looks like the new owners are taking really good care of the place. They send some pictures last month of some improvements they have made to the back yard – just beautiful!

We drove to Brownwood and visited with good friends there- was really great to see them. We miss the people so much from Cross Plains and Brownwood area. Big city living has it's advantages but you can't beat the people in small towns!!

From Cross Plains we went to the Austin area and. Found a really nice KOA RV park in Leander. Very convenient for visiting with Jay & family in Leander and Mike & family in Cedar Park. The park is very nice, clean and quiet.

The pups and Coco had a good time playing. Darlin' grabbed Coco's bed and used her monkey for a pillow so Coco grabbed Darlin's bone.

When Kalina sees us, she alternates between calling "Grandpa" (in Bulgarian) or "Dais e e e" !! We enjoyed seeing her dressed as Pippi Longstocking and Lili's pigtails to match. Would like to have seen Lili also with freckles but she took them off earlier. So cute for Halloween!!

We did make it to a football game where Todd was playing his trombone in the band . . . On the coldest night they have had this year! We like to froze our ____'s off. We left early and while Rosario took us to the trailer, Jay called to let us know they won the game.

We really enjoyed the visit with everyone and hope to get away more often. Thanks everyone for a great visit!

See the tree . . . how big it's grown -

2011-11-04T19:04:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken in 2004.

These two were taken the end of October - different angle - same beautiful tree!

We took a drive out to Cross Cut and checked to see how the "goat ranch" was looking. It looks great really being taken care of. The one little tree that survived, of all we planted, is big and beautiful.

Resemblance ??

2011-10-17T18:28:00.000-05:00

Kalina

Daddy Mike

Grandma Chris

I think she takes after me!!! :o)

2011-10-17T16:41:00.000-05:00

Enjoyed the visit with Grandpa when he stayed with us for a few days. Daisy and Darlin' likes him as much as he likes them.

Sheri came for a day trip visit as well. It was good that Robert & Jeanie got away for a nice trip.

Also enjoyed the trip to Greenville and visit with Richard, Kathy, Roy & Jessica. Kathy fixed a great lunch for everyone!

Quilts for Kids Round Three -

2011-10-07T21:52:00.000-05:00

I ordered and received another of their beautiful kits to make up for a special child. I really love the fabric they send. It is so easy to put these together, quilt them and send them back for those kids in need. All you furnish is the labor, batting and shipping cost to send them back. And they would like you to send one of your own with it as well.

Here is this one from their kit. I call it "Faiths Flying".

This next one is from my stash of fabrics. I call it "Faith's Blues".

Dad's Rules of Dating

2011-10-05T09:32:00.004-05:00

(Borrowed from a friend's DIL)

I am so glad to have a Daddy who this applied to (and still does!!!!!) and to have friends and family who were raised the same way!

Rule One:
If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a pizza,
because you're sure not picking anything up.

Rule Two:
You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her so long as
you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or
hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them.

Rule Three:
I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their
trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't
take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots.
Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this
compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact come off during the course of your date with my
daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in
place to your waist.

Rule Four:
I'm sure you've been told that in today's world sex without utilizing a
'Barrier method' of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate; when it comes to
sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Rule Five:
It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we
should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not
do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you
expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need
from you on this subject is: 'early.'

Rule Six:
I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other
girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise,
once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one
but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you
cry.

Rule Seven:
As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more
than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the
movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a
process than can take longer than painting the Brooklyn Bridge. Instead of just
standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my
car?

Rule Eight:
The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places
where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool, places
where there is darkness, places where there is dancing, holding hands, or
happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my
daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than
overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka - zipped up to her throat. Movies
with strong romantic or sexual themes are to be avoided; movies that feature
chain saws are okay. Baseball games are okay...Old folks’ homes are better.

Rule Nine:
Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, gray-haired, middle-aged,
dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the
all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going
and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the
house. Do not trifle with me.

Rule Ten:
Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of
your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over the desert outside
Baghdad. When my battle fatigue starts acting up, the voices in my head
frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter
home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit the car with both
hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice
that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your
car - there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the
window is mine.

Another Quilt for Kids in Progress

2011-10-01T21:39:00.001-05:00

I got my kit a few days ago and got the top put together. They always send the prettiest fabrics.

I know, I know, I shouldn't, I shouldn't, I SHOULD!

2011-10-01T21:35:00.000-05:00

But where can you find quality fabric at less than $1.00 a yard! I love garage sales. I got 25 3/8 yards of fabric for $20.30! It is very nice quilt shop quality too.

This was at two more garage sales. Navy fabric and stitch witchery.

Of course, I HAD to find puppy toys as well. :o)

Checkups And Scales -

2011-09-30T21:23:00.000-05:00

Had my yearly checkup today and the doctors scales agrees with mine! I have lost 30 pound since May!!! :O) Still have a few more to lose but I will get there.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,

we went out for supper. . .

I will be repenting for the next several days for this but it was SO GOOD. We did not eat it all but more than we should have for one meal. Benny's Italian Restaurant & Pizza place in Azle makes the best White Pizza! In fact all their food is great.

Poor Lion!

2011-09-29T10:46:00.000-05:00

Darlin' is picking on one of Daisy's favorite toys, the little lion that she ~~carrys~~ carried around by the tail.

I had to stitch a new tail on after she chewed the original one off. It lasted two days!!

But Daisy loves her anyway!

Cooking again!

2011-09-29T10:32:00.000-05:00

It was time to cook up our chicken and pork chops again. Makes it so easy to pull out a dinner package from the freezer and zap it. Really helps with meal preparation, sticking to a good nutrition program and most important - keeps you from having an excuse to eat out! I am so glad he does this for us.

Of course, his helpers were there to assist if he dropped anything! :o)

Twenty nine pork chops and twenty four chicken breasts will keep us in meals for a good while.

We also cook a large pot of spaghetti and a pot of potatoes. We put them in portion sizes for the freezer as well. Easy meals, just add veggies!

I'm Watchin' You !

2011-09-25T18:00:00.002-05:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

IT IS COMING !!

2011-09-12T22:25:00.001-05:00

STING FLING FESTIVAL, AZLE, TEXAS,
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH, 9AM TO 9PM
A little about it:
Azle Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Sting Fling Festival The Sting Fling itself is on Saturday, Sept. 24, but the festivities actually kick off with a concert on Friday, Sept. 23, from 6-9 p.m. showcasing the band Desert Reign.
The main event, Saturday night’s concert, will feature the popular cover band Poo Live Crew from 7-9 p.m.
Admission is free, but there is a cost for ride tickets and items available for sale.

“This year, we’re expanding the youth area to include a bungee jump and zip-line, among other things,” Ware said. “ There will be something for the entire family, including all the kids, Grandma and Grandpa.”

All outdoor activities, including the youth area, outdoor vendors, concerts and the car show, will take place west of the intersection of Roe Street and Central Avenue. The concerts will be in the vacant lot at the southwest corner of the intersection, and vendors and other activities will be in the Compass Bank parking lot. Indoors at the Azle Community Center at 404 W. Main St. will be additional vendors. (This is where we will be. Look for Bearswatchin' and Just Monkeying Around!)
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.azlechamber.com/Azle-Sting-Fling.84.0.html

Here are some of the items we will be selling in our booth so be sure to come see us. Quilts of all sizes (some vintage, hand pieced), quilted tote bags, denim bags with embroidery, little girl's denim purses, wall hangings, pin cushions, quilter gifts, quilt blocks and kits to embroider, Too many things to mention.

Our DD will have lots of cute things to sell there as well. See some of her things here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Sherid94

Don't forget, ----Saturday, SEPTEMBER 24TH, 9AM TO 9PM

Back To Quilting -

2011-09-07T22:09:00.000-05:00

Vintage Quilt Tops

We have been working on the vintage quilt tops from garage sales and thrift stores. Hope to sell some at a local craft show on the 24th of this month.

This first one, from a thrift store, was scary. There was not one block that was smooth or flat in the whole quilt. So many folds and ripples and was all hand pieced. I was really afraid it would be a nightmare to quilt but my HD did a terrific job on it. He did it on the long arm in a close meandering stitch. Check it out!

The second one he finished quilting just this morning is the largest one we have done. It came from a garage sale, along with three more that we will quilt. HD does such a great job on the long arm. When he gets done, I trim it up and put the binding on. This one was all hand pieced as well - ALL 86 by 97 inches of it! He quilted this one with what we call a "Lazy 8" pattern. Here it is!

What Kinda Deal is this. . . ?

2011-09-06T21:42:00.000-05:00

I don't like the way this is working out! I am ready to skip the 65^th year all together and go from 64 directly to 66 years old. My HD said 66 is just as bad. The last couple of months our social calendar is all doctor appointments.

I went from feeling just fine one day to waking up with what I still think is sciatic. Went to the chiropractor twice, worked over good and that made it worse. I do not care for those that pop you and have the drop tables. The first one I ever went to did a DNF technique. It is directional non force and he just felt my back and could tell where it was out of place, pushing hard to put it back, I was usually good for about three years with that one visit. My pain started in back to hip, all the way down left leg and into foot. Big toe is numb and I have “foot drop” (foot slaps when I walk). Pain is much less now but am still taking RX for inflammation and pain. Still must be a pinched nerve with the numbness etc. Hope the neurologist's nerve conduction test will show something. (If I survive it – I did tell you I don't like needles- right?)

Also had my lab work done – forgot to do that last year. I thought I was doing so good. Back in May, I decided I wanted to take off excess weight and get some exercising started. I have been watching calories very closely and have officially lost 25 pounds. Our scales were wrong when we started so I am thinking it is really between 25 and 30. Doctor's scales shows 25. Anyway, lab results came back and I am in trouble. My HD has been watching his food intake as well, but he was monitoring the fat more than calories. My total chloresteral was 200 and LDL was a whopping 129. Doctor said to bring it down or get on meds. My HD, who had always had very high readings but is allergic to statins got his results yesterday. The doctor was really shocked and asked if he forgot to write statins on his drug list. It was 165 total and all other readings were in the good range. We were all amazed – the low fat diet DOES work!! HD did GREAT!! I have three months to improve MY readings and have been working faithfully on that.

I have been doing a lot of sewing here lately trying to get things finished for a local craft show. It will be on Saturday, the 24^th sponsored by the Azle Chamber of Commerce. The other evening after I quit, I started having flashes of light and seeing thread and spider webs in one eye. Was very worried it might be a detached retina but after a visit to a retina office, it appears I have a vitreous detachment, according to the technician. The doctor was not available that day but I will see him on Thursday to make sure her diagnosis was correct.

All this almost makes me afraid to get out of bed!!! ;o)

I hope to put a few pictures on my blog of what we will take to the show in the next week or so – keep watching!

Can You Hear Me Now?

2011-09-02T08:14:00.000-05:00

We did some rearranging in the house. When the air conditioner was on, and here lately it is on a LOT, we could not hear the television in our little "TV room".

So we took all the furniture out of there and moved it into the office, taking some of the furniture from there to the now "sitting room".

"Sitting room"

Office / Entertainment

This room still needs a bit of work, straightening up. We hope to find us a small love seat or twin futon to go in place of the full size futon, making more room for the big rocking chair - my HD's favorite chair and maybe my favorite table with sewing stuff stashed in it. It is so nice to be able to hear the TV now with the air conditioner on!

Lost my Lil' Darlin" . . . for a few minutes

2011-09-02T08:02:00.000-05:00

Darlin'

We could not find her yesterday. She was not in the back yard. Looked in the front yard just in case she slipped out when HD went out. Not there. Checked the house and didn't see her. Called and she did not come.

Looked in the big bedroom closet, sewing room closet. and finally checked the middle bedroom closet which is full of stuff. I forgot I had looked in there earlier for some hangers. There she was just sittin' and waitin' !!

Sure scared us - she is a little toot but we love her.

We did get her an ID tag. Perfect size for her little 3 pound body.

Check out this Giveaway

2011-08-26T14:29:00.000-05:00

Giveaway.. from a quilter so check it out

http://www.meemawlovestoquilt.blogspot.com/

Update on Darlin'

2011-08-24T11:35:00.000-05:00

She had another vet appointment today. She has gained .6 ounces, bringing her ALL the way up to 3 pounds, 1 ounce!

She still has a lot of hair loss from the puppy mange but it is coming back. We have two more treatments to do over the next month and by then hopefully it will all be back. When she has a treatment, she doesn't feel good for a couple of days and lays around more. Daisy always checks on her to make sure she is OK. She is a good big sister.

They are Best Buddies!

We found three of these cute little food dishes at a garage sale. They even have the non skid on the bottom.

Darlin' has not quite learned to share toys yet but Daisy doesn't care. She lets her have everything!

She does like my purse really well. Usually she just chews on the tags but has been known to climb in.

Miss Emma really likes her!

We have a couple of good puppies!!

Growing up and changing . . .

2011-08-23T14:59:00.000-05:00

It is amazing to see the changes from one year to another. Thanks for the new pictures.

Brenden:

Jacob:

Emma:

Darlin' new baby in family.

2011-08-13T14:10:00.001-05:00

Yep, we got Miss Daisy a playmate - well. . . she will need to do some growing but they are already playing together.

"Darlin' " is tiny, only two and a half pounds at nine weeks. It is hard to keep her still on the postage scale so that reading is a bit high in the picture. :0)

She is very smart and learned the puppy door the first day she was here. She did have to jump up at first to get out and in it ( it is a LARGE pet door), but HD put a block outside to make it easier for her. Now she runs in and out with no problem.

We had her checked out by our vet after we got her and she did have some small problems that a couple weeks of medication will take care of - fleas, worms and puppy mange. The marks on her head are evidence of the mange. She is doing very well after the first couple of days of medicine. She is very lively and playful.

Of course, we will have the usual "potty training" but hope it will go really fast with the puppy door.

Daisy has been great with her. She must know she is a baby and is very easy with her. She lets Darlin' have any of her toys INCLUDING her bone. She won't even let ME have her bone!!! We bought Darlin' a little bone but she likes Daisy's better.

She also likes Daisy's little bed better than the little tote we set up for her.

It looks like we have a toddler living here from all the toys on the floor.

Twin beds for nighttime!!

I cover the front of Darlin's bed to keep the light out and she sleeps a bit longer. We are up to 3 am now. WooHoo!!

Family

2011-08-08T22:48:00.001-05:00

We sure have some good lookin Kids!! :0)

And Grandkids. . .

And Great Grandkids . . .

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Big Hug From The Youngest To The Oldest.

2011-08-03T20:29:00.001-05:00

Great Grandpa & Kalina.

Grandpa, Liliana (Lili), Mike and Kalina.

BAD GRANDPA -

2011-07-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

For teaching the grandbaby to thump the spring door stop to make LOTS of noise. She was having a great time and she doesn't forget from one day to the next either. Sure kept her occupied - there are two on that wall!

She also like the rocking chair.

And the dog bed but Daisy thought she was a bit big for HER bed!

There was some discussion over this bed.

But you can see who won.

Finally Got to Hold that Grandbaby. . .

2011-07-19T19:07:00.000-05:00

They are finally here! Moving from Bulgaria has been quite a chore, especially with a toddler. She is beautiful! They will visit awhile before going to their home in the Austin area. It is so good to have them here.

She loves her keyboard that Grandpa gave her.

Her phone ran out of juice so Grandpa put new batteries in it.

Looking at pictures on Grandpa's bulletin board.

Visit to Austin area.

2011-07-16T16:09:00.000-05:00

Our trip there was two fold. First to welcome our youngest son home from a year in Afghanistan. We are so proud of him and so glad to have him home safe. Also very proud of our daughter-in-law for holding down the fort while he was away. She is a terrific Mom and Grandma! Our son has planned a plane trip for them - him, her and their youngest son (who, by the way, is now taller than his Dad) to spend some well deserved time together after his 'Welcome Home' ceremony. I expect after that they will be visiting their three grandchildren - our greats - still hard to believe they are grandparents and us great grandparents.

So Glad to Have Him Home Safe!

(Such a good looking family!)

We are also helping prepare for the arrival of our oldest son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter moving from Sofia, Bulgaria to their house in the Austin area We made arrangements for someone to come clean the carpet, upholstery and the house. The house had a couple of renters during the four years our son was in Bulgaria but had been empty a lot and needed a good cleaning, especially with bringing a year old toddler into it. I know that our daughter-in-law is probably pretty nervous about leaving her homeland, her Mom and Grandma and moving to this country but I pray that she will be welcomed by all she meets here and will settle in nicely. We are really looking forward to meeting our Granddaughter in person instead of only on Skype. TWO MORE DAYS !

Both sons will live within a few miles of each other and our daughter and family closer to us in the metroplex. So nice to have them all in this country AND in TEXAS!

Texas Pride - our best yet -

2011-07-10T19:13:00.000-05:00

The Texas is appliquéd and has a purchased embroidered white star on it. The Dresden Plates are also appliquéd and have yoyo's in the center.

It has been heavily quilted using a long arm machine by my HD and myself.

The quilt top is my own design and the Texas has alternate light and dark blue colors. The quilt measures 84 inches by 96 inches and is the largest one we have done thus far on the long arm. We both love the way it turned out!

Can you make out the BW - bearswatchin'?

Garage sale number two:

2011-07-10T18:53:00.000-05:00

This lady just wanted to get rid of things, I think. . .

We got all this.

Included was:

Pillow panels:

Fish 2

Trees 2

Pinwheel 4 - several varieties

2 quilt block kits - some blocks complete

I did not get pictures of everything yet. Total cost of EVERYTHING was $1.65 ! !

Red Hearts 2

Floral Hearts 8 plus smaller ones

Bears 4

Teal & Black 10 enough to make a quilt!

Pretty pink floral 2 yds and white on white wide quilt backing.

Large piece of this fabric.

Temptations and garage sales . . .

2011-07-10T18:38:00.000-05:00

We went to garage sales yesterday. One of them listed QUILT TOPS and of course, I had to go look! I had to look, touch, feel, front and back and BUY!

I checked them all over, HD looked too and said we should get some. I exercised some restraint and ONLY BOUGHT FOUR! ! I am not too good at describing different patterns but will try - feel free to jump in and tell me the correct names for the blocks. :o)

I obtained the name of the lady who did these tops for my records. She pieced them in the late 70's and passed away in 1980. She did a terrific job on these quilts. I greatly admire those who can hand piece with those straight seams and tiny little stitches.

Number one: Large six pointed star surrounded by diamonds in orange and white and within green star points. Mostly hand pieced with a little machine stitching. This beautiful quilt top is 75 by 91 1/2 inches.

Number two: Pinwheels in gold and black floral and block finished out with squares of blue and pink with lime green triangles in the corners. Sashings are brown with yellow squares joining them. I love all the bright colors. Mostly hand pieced with a little machine stitching. This is a large top measuring 89 by 101 inches.

Number three: (My favorite) Spiderweb pattern with orange stars joining the webs together. All the bright colors really make this a stunning quilt. It also has hand stitching but mostly machine stitching. This one measures 72 by 90 inches.

Number four: Called a "baby quilt". Rail Fence pattern done in pastel blue, pink and yellow. Totally hand pieced using 2 inch strips! !( Beautiful quilt measures 72 by 96 inches.

Oh, and the cost . . . $12.50 each ! :0)

OK, SO WE WERE NOT REALLY BAD ON MY LAST POST . . .

2011-06-28T21:38:00.000-05:00

The bad part came in after returning the laptop that would not work properly for my HD and going to a computer store for another one!

This one works WELL and got it at a good price! "You get what you pay for".

WE WERE BAD . . . VERY BAD ! ! !

2011-06-22T12:35:00.000-05:00

HIS

HERS

The Package is Ready. . .

2011-06-21T16:35:00.000-05:00

I made this quilt and my HD quilted it for our son-in-law's new baby. Hope they both like it.

Of course we had to put our initials for Bears Watchin' on it.

Thrift Store Bargains again!

2011-06-17T18:37:00.000-05:00

My DD chauffered us around to her favorite thrift stores and we found all kinds of goodies. Right at 26 yards of fabric worked out to less than $1.22 a yard and it is really nice fabric. Also got batting for two baby quilts and eight cones of thread at great prices.

There was 3 3/4 yards of this one.

This piece was also 3 3/4 yards.

There were 2 yards of the red.

This one had 6 yards.

And this one with the larger flowers has 10 1/4 yards.

I think some of it will make really nice quilt backing fabric too. They had a lot more but that was plenty for this trip. It is about an hours drive over there and I bet they will have some the next time we go.

I really like this store since the fabric is out where you can see/touch it. My other favorite store over there has big plastic bags with fabric inside but you don't really know for sure what type it is just by looking - but do have good prices on it as well. One time I got about 5 yards of Coca Cola fabric in one bag along with other fabrics.

I know, I know, I did NOT need any more fabric, but . . .

2011-05-30T11:20:00.000-05:00

Current Stash:

But there was this garage sale . . . and I ONLY got two fabrics.

This 4 yard piece was 50 cents

and

this 10 yard bolt was $1.00!!

What would you do??

Newbies and Quilting Machine

2011-05-21T09:25:00.000-05:00

We are getting better on learning more about our Noltings quilting machine. It is really nice to work together with my HD. He has always been my sounding board for my quilt tops when I am unsure about colors, etc.

We learn something new each time we use the machine. We figured out the tension instability was caused by the thread we were using. After we changed out top and bobbin thread, it has beautiful stitches.

We bought the track locks and love it for straight lines. We are still experimenting with various quilting designs. My HD is more aggressive than I am - I let him check out a new pattern and watch a few times before I try it. We have had a few visits with Jack (the ripper) but guess that's how we learn.

We have been doing baby quilts to practice on - just not ready for a big quilt yet but getting closer. My stack of quilt tops keeps growing!!

This bear quilt is the one we utilized the track locks with. The vertical stitching was done freehand (mostly by my HD) and the horizontal using the track locks with both of us working on it.

We both worked on the quilting of the floral quilt.

The rocking horse turned out really nice. We both did some on it but he did most of it.

Practice, practice, practice - that's what I need!

I Love Estate Sales . . .

2011-05-15T13:15:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to DD for taking me to her friend's estate sale. With the high cost of quilting and sewing materials, this was so great!!

I bought three tape measurers, a roll of stitch witchery, four large Quilter's Rule rulers and nine yards of beautiful high quality quilting fabric - all for a total cost of $10 !!

Just look at this fabric!

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T10:16:00.001-05:00

We had a great visit in Amarillo for Mother's Day. Here is Mom with her "bling"!

It was so good to see everyone while we were there.

Celebrated Teresa's Birthday!

June

Harold & Pat

Dee Dee & Tom

Marg, Daisy & June

Doug, Barbara & June

John & Barbara

Joe Pat, Daisy, Dozer & June

I didn't get a picture of Fred but got a picture of Faith's beautiful "Love & Peace rosebush that was planted a year ago.

Mom got a new deck, thanks to Marge & Doug, with help from Teresa, Barbara and June. They did a great job! Just in time with all the beautiful plants she got for Mother's Day.

Mom has a yard full of beautiful flowers but I did not get pictures of them this time. Joe Pat brought these in for Mom and they were just beautiful.

Jay called from Afghanistan to wish us all a Happy Mother's Day, Mike & Lili called from Bulgaria, Rosario called as well and Sheri sent wishes too.

We all had a great visit!

Jerry & Daisy

And here I am!

Almost forgot - can't leave out Comet and Halley.

Quilts for Kids

2011-04-30T22:19:00.000-05:00

I received my quilt kit last week from Quilts for Kids. The pattern this time was pinwheel blocks. I learned that you MUST follow the directions! I only missed one part of the directions and found myself lacking in border fabric and very tight on backing fabric as well. OOPS ! I goofed.

I missed the part where it said to square the blocks up to 5 1/4 inches. I left them the full size, after stitching the squares and cutting into half square triangles. I had enough of the inner border fabric to make the outer borders work even if I had to leave the small selvedge show at the bottom of the borders. Since the quilt just used two colors, I felt it would not look right with another color mixed in, I did use a coordinating blue for the binding since there was not enough of it either.

I don't think it turned out too bad but I will read ALL the directions next tine! I knew there was something wrong because with the other kit there was plenty of fabric with a little left over.

Just need to wash it now and get it sent back, along with one of my donation quilts. I names my first two Faith's Light and Faith's Light One. This pinwheel will be called Faith's Monkey Business.

This is such a great organization helping sick kids and for parents something to hold onto if the kids don't make it. They send out kits with a quilt all cut out and ready for you to put together, along with the backing. You supply the batting, the labor and the postage to send it and one of your own back to them. To learn more check out this link:

http://www.quiltsforkids.org/about/

Yardwork. . .

2011-04-19T09:52:00.000-05:00

Looks like we had a large gopher in our yard! Front and back.

And there he is now. . .

With his helper!

We had issues with our sprinker system and since we had no drawing showing where the controls were, my HD had to dig up the yard and follow the wiring until he found them.

Of course, little Daisy was always helping by attacking his tools and carrying off weeds and sticks!

He found the troublemaker for the front system and with a $13 part, repaired it. Now he will need to readjust the sprinkler heads since the pressure is so much greater. Yeah!! We can water the yard fully again.

Next project will be to replace the sprinkler heads in the back yard.

We have mapped the front and back yard so we know where controls are. Looking at the layout of the pipes, we have decided that whoever put this system in had a bit much to drink, and it wasn't water!!

Still need to find all valves in the back yard but as long as they are working, we are good for now.

Burgers, Family and Air Show

2011-04-17T12:17:00.001-05:00

This is a view from the back yard of my HD's Dad's and brother's place. We enjoyed a great time with a cookout, visiting and watching and air show yesterday. Everyone had a good time, especially the kiddos!

My brother-in-law (the cook).

My father-in-law.

My sister-in-law, who makes great homemade ice cream!

My HD and sister-in-law.

Cooler Mornings

2011-04-12T16:18:00.000-05:00

we, think. When it is nice and cool outside in the mornings, it feels like the heater is on in the house.

We have worked the last two days putting in an attic ventilator fan to pull the cool morning air through the windows and think it will also save on the air conditioning bill some.

We can't run it at night due to inconsiderate neighbors dogs barking - but they bark during the day too. Maybe this will drowned them out. :o) Actually it doesn't make a lot of noise because of the way it is mounted.

It has a thermostat on it but we will use a switch to turn it off and on when we want it.

We put it pretty well in the center of the house - the entry hallway so it would pull air from all locations.

We can already tell that it is helping!

There is a place to put something to close it off when we are running the air conditioner or heater.

Scribbles and UH-OH

2011-04-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

These are the appropriate names for our first two attempts on the longarm quilting machine.

http://quiltsunlimited.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html

Scribbles was done first when we were just figuring out the machine. It's sad! Reminds me of a child's first writing! Our dog, Daisy will get this one.

HD's handiwork

UH-OH (named by my HD) is better. We practiced with different designs in free motion. It is getting easier but we are still in the practice mode. HD has a better control than I do right now - could be from his daya of using a plasma cutter. I seem to keep going downhill with the rows. :o( Practice, practice, practice. . .

It's that time . . .

2011-03-29T15:57:00.001-05:00

Judging from the TEN MEDICARE pieces of mail I have gotten in the LAST FEW DAYS, guess everyone must know I am turning SIXTY-FIVE this year! No telling how many I will get between now and the time I actually turn SIXTY-FIVE ! !

Wouldn't you like to have the money all these people waste on postage? I sure would - it goes directly from the mailbox to my trash can.

I still contribute all the hearing aid junk mail to my HD - he denies that it is for him, though.

45 Years . . .

2011-03-23T22:27:00.001-05:00

It all started with a blind date for a hotdog roast set up by fellow telephone operator with a couple of Air Force guys in 1965 and a wedding in 1966. . .

March 24, 1966 - March 24, 2011

And all the addresses over the years - went from Amarillo to Hampton / Newport News, VA to Sherman to Garland to Sherman to Denison to Howe to Lubbock to Levelland to Lubbock to Odessa to Sherman to Cross Cut (Cross Plains) to Sherman to Cross Plains to our current home here in AZLE. Whew!!

Now it is 45 years of marriage later with three children, six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

And to Jerry:
It was such a pretty day we decided to
take a walk,
And we had not gone ten steps
before I knew
That you and I are long past
the point of no return.

Hand in hand we go
Still close, still loving,
Still looking and overlooking
The flaws we hide from others.

Side by side we move,
Sometimes closer, sometimes farther apart
Because of ways we read and talk,
Agree and disagree.

Step by step we advance
Against the cynics,
Those all-knowing unknowings who honestly think
Marriage is dead.

But how can marriage be dead
In a world I choose to walk with you?

How can marriage be dead,
So long as we still seek, still cling,
still want each other?

So at this corner of our life,
Stop and listen to me now, my love,
I still seek,
I still cling,
I still want
To walk the rest of the way with you.

In this uncertain world
This much I know for certain:
I still love you.

Grow . . . Please Grow. . .

2011-03-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

We hope to have a nice looking yard this year. We already planted some St Augustine grass and it is doing well.

We bought plants for our front yard today and my HD put them all in the ground.

These are Lantana, the left one is camara Irene and the right one is mont Trailing White.

More Lantana, the left is new gold and the right is another camara Irene.

Here, in the middle, we have a Chinese rose bush (don't know the proper name) that we have carried from house to house for years. It is a tough one to survive all we have put it through. In the back pots is purple Jew and the front three are mother in law tongues.

These shrubs came with the house and have not done well but new growth is coming out so perhaps this year will do better.

I wanted to add some color to the shrubs so we picked up these Photini to put in the middle of the others.

Two more of our rose bushes. You can probably tell I am not a "plant person" and do not know the names of many of them. Mom used to give me house plants and send along a sympathy card with them, 'cause she felt sorry for them.

But my HD is very good with plants so they might just survive!!

We even had a purple bloom on one of the iris we moved last year!

We want to have a hedge across the front but not into the city easement so we started out with just these two.

They are Holly Yaupon Dwarf shrubs and really pretty. We will have to add more a little at a time.

Look what finally turned up . . .

2011-03-21T15:52:00.000-05:00

I looked EVERYWHERE (I thought) for our Christmas stockings last year. I finally decided they got lost in the move, just over a year ago.

Well, my HD cleaned out the tool shed and this is what he found!

Wasp Exterminator . . .

2011-03-21T08:51:00.000-05:00

The wasps - yellow jackets - have been really bad here. We think they were in the soffit or walls of the house and can get through the tiniest of cracks. They were also abundant in our tool shed.

For the tool shed, we set off a bug bomb to take care of them. Couldn't do that for the walls of the house so we concocted a "wasp exterminator." It's homemade - can you tell??

I read on the Internet about using sevin dust. We filled the paint pot with the dust and used the air compressor to blow it in all the nooks and crannies of the exes and cracks around the windows.

May have to do it again around front since we didn't hit it as heavy as the back, but for now we don't see any in the back yard and very few in the front.

Phase 3 - Moving Our Nolting Into Our Building

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

Phase 3 is COMPLETE ! !

It took a bit of figuring with just two people moving a 12 foot quilting machine but my HD is good at figuring things out. Actually we did most of it and when we got it to the building, a neighbor lent a hand there. We could have done it though, since it was not near as heavy when we took the machine head off the bed.

We used the floor jack to lift one end up, then blocked the legs with lumber until we could get the dolly under it.

It was not near the chore we thought it would be.

For the other end we had to be a bit more creative since we only had one dolly. We used an appliance dolly (usually known as "Grandpa's skate board", with lumber attached and a space for the frame to fit down into to keep it from shifting on us.

We loaded the head onto our tool cart to move it around.

We just rolled it around to the back yard with no problems. Got it put in and all back together and ready to go!

We have a little air conditioner in the window that does a good job and heating should not be a problem either. With the loft up there for insulation (not to mention all the ~~junk~~, treasures stored up there, it works well.

My HD has his 8 foot area all arranged with plenty of room for him.

Moving Nolting Quilting Machine - Phase 2

2011-03-18T08:58:00.000-05:00

Phase 2, cleaning out part of building is complete, among other things . . .

We put a lot of things in our new loft and divided up the building. Eight feet for my HD's computer stash and the remainder- almost 16 feet for the machine and supplies.

We moved quite a bit into HD's area, cleaned the floor and HD put glue and tile down yesterday. It's lookin' good. Still have a lot of sorting to do to clear out his computer space but making progress.

Wish some little leprechauns would work some magic to move the machine out there now! We are figuring how much we will need to take apart to move it. That will be Phase 3!

After we get it in, we will see what all shelving, table, etc we will need, then see about selling all the excess shelving and tables we have. It is amazing how much "stuff" you accumulate.

Visitors

2011-03-18T08:40:00.000-05:00

Our son made it home on leave from Afghanistan last weekend and it is so good to have him home, even for a couple of weeks. At least his time over there will be short when he goes back. We enjoyed a short visit over the weekend and will see them again next week.

We are keeping their dog (our granddog) while they get some visiting done. Her name is Coco and we have kept her many times before, once for several months. We have been told that we spoil her horribly - and I want you to know- it's all true! She is a Chipin (part chihuahua, part minpin), same breed as our little Daisy.

Coco is a bit heavier than Daisy and several years older but they are having the best time playing together. The are exhausted at the end of the day. Daisy wanted to play her usual evening "fetch" but kept falling asleep with the toy in her mouth. She was sitting at one point with it in her mouth and almost fell over asleep! She is so cute. Both are sweet dogs.

I know we will hear about how much we spoiled Coco when we take her home next week. :0

Moving Nolting Quilting Machine - Phase 1

2011-03-10T17:12:00.000-06:00

Phase 1 - Installing a loft
Phase 2 - Clearing out room for the machine
Phase 3 - Moving our Nolting into building

We have started on getting our 12 by 24 foot building ready for our quilting machine. Today we almost completed Phase 1. We still need to put in one more 2X6 rafter. We miscalculated and did not get enough. It has been a busy day but we got so much done.

The loft will allow us to store our junk - I mean - prized possessions that we wish to keep up there. It is amazing how much room there is.

We still need to sort what we want to get rid of and figure out where the machine will fit and what shelving goes where - that will be Phase 2.

Phase 3 is the most important. We may have to plan a "Move the Nolting Party". It is very large and heavy but can be taken apart.

We are excited to get it moved and get the room all set up!

Phase 1:
He cut the paneling through the center of the room to allow us to put in more rafters.

We had to cut the end of the rafters to match the angle of the building roof.

We will need to move a couple of lights but leave one up in the loft.

The flooring is 5/8" plywood and is plenty heavy with the support of the 2X6 rafters.

This just shows part of one side of the loft.

We put in a hinged door (with a knob so you won't get stuck up there).

I Love Thrift Stores ! !

2011-03-02T19:56:00.000-06:00

HD went with me to a couple of thrift stores today and while he was looking (in a different area), I found some bargains in the craft/sewing aisle. Knowing that fabric prices are on the rise, I could not pass it up. Look at what I found.

These four colors were cut in squares 20 inches by 20 inches. There are 26 white, 13 yellow, 22 blue and 25 brown.

These two are Christmas fabrics. The black has snowflakes on it (a Jo Ann's exclusive) and there are five (5) yards there. The blue has snowmen on it and there are five and a half (5 1/2) yards of it.

This is a piece of blue flannel and there are four (4) yards of it.

Sum total of all was: $11.89

Yea - my sewing room is lit up now!

2011-03-02T19:40:00.000-06:00

HD installed a ceiling fan for me last week but the lights on it were very directional and VERY hot. We did some thrift store shopping and found this light kit and globes at the RESTORE store in North Ft. Worth. They match very nicely and work great to light up the whole room. Nice!! Thanks, HD!!

Oh, My Goodness!

2011-02-26T08:51:00.000-06:00

I have inherited a quilting machine from my late sister, Faith. She asked me several times about taking it when she not able to use it but I was unsure but finally decided I wanted to learn to use it and get some of my stack of quilt tops finished.

I am really excited about us learning how to use it . With my HD's help we will get it going and hope to work together on the quilting.

Thanks to Faith's husband, Fred for giving us her machine and all the work gathering things up to send. We will really enjoy it! Also thanks go to my sister Barbara & brother-in- law, John for bringing it to us.

HD and I were so excited that we stayed up 'til 10:30 pm putting it together and checking it out. Now the fun starts - practice, practice, practice.

My HD said my little sister is probably looking down from heaven, laughing at us trying to set it up but I think she is smiling too, knowing that her machine will be used.

It is a Nolting SMS 24 with Intellistitch and a 12 foot table and is really nice.

Leftovers Pieces

2011-02-21T08:08:00.000-06:00

Using leftovers from my Shoebox Treasure's Log Cabin quilt, I made these two blocks and will make pillows from them.

I also had two leftover Best Friend boy blocks so I made two girl blocks to make up this one for a wall hanging. I still need to add a flower in one boys hand to balance out the fishing pole in the other one's hand and keep the girls happy! :0)

Shoebox Treasure Log Cabin Quilt Top

2011-02-21T07:52:00.000-06:00

I finished this quilt top using the fabrics from the shoebox and adding my own teal fabric for some contrast in the border and a separation point between the log cabin blocks and the border. Teal is my favorite color so I tend to use it often in my quilts.

NOTE: I hate doing Mitered corners!
Did I mention I hate Mitered corners? I have a mental block about them and always have to look at directions for them and still have fits with them. They are very pretty WHEN they turn out right.

Two of the corners don't look too bad. The designs came together pretty well but the other two did not do as well. I won't show them. Did I mention I hate Mitered corners?

I am not a perfectionist and prefer to look at the beauty of the log cabin rather than worry about a border corner design not lining up. I really like the colors in this top.

My First Quilt Guild Meeting.

2011-02-20T22:25:00.000-06:00

This week I attended my first meeting of the Quilter's Guild of Parker County in Weatherford and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks go to my friend Pat for taking me and introducing me to lots of quilters. I took a stack of quilt magazines for their "free" table and have donated a box of quilting books that they will use for their auction.

There was a good crowd there and a full meeting. They had visiting, of course, installation of new officers, show and tell and a speaker.

Lynn Roddy Brown was a terrific speaker and her subject was: “Scrap Quilts from Block Swaps”. For the past nine years, she has been a member of a bee that trades blocks for scrap quilts. She loves scrap quilts because it gives her the opportunity to use many different fabrics.

Kiss The Cook . . .

2011-02-20T21:39:00.000-06:00

It was time to cook meat on the grill again. My HD does a super job cooking out there. He cooked 35 chicken breasts and 33 pork chops. We did the pork a little different this time, bought a pork loin and sliced it into chops. The seasoning is just right and the oil coating keeps the meat nice and moist.

Chicken

Pork Chops

We really like cooking the meat up like this. We put it into the freezer, packaged for single meals. Just pull it out, zap it, add a salad or veggies and it is ready in no time. Keeps you from eating out quite as much too!

Check Out The Green Bag Lady

2011-02-14T14:12:00.000-06:00

This is great!!! She gives away fabric goodies....

http://greenbaglady.blogspot.com/2011/02/lunch-bagorganic-11-freebie-4.html

This time up to ten can win. Don't forget to select your favorite Harmony Art fabric. There are so many pretty patterns but I like the 10 Flowers best.

What is it??

2011-02-13T14:54:00.000-06:00

I don't know whether it is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Quilter's UFO (Unfinished Object) Disease. There has to be something that keeps me from finishing projects, yet starting new ones.

Just look at the stack of quilt tops that need to be sandwiched and quilted!

Then there's the stack that HAVE been sandwiched and ready to quilt.

Then there are the quilt tops I am now working on - I'll never get them all done but I WILL HAVE FUN!

Added another row and lattice, after this pix was taken.

And that doesn't count my "shoebox treasures" either!

I know I should work to finish some but have so many ideas floating around in my head for new things to try. I love using up scraps to make things.

I love doing the quilt tops but am so slow about putting them together and quilting them. The small ones are not too bad to quilt on a home sewing machine but I struggle with the larger ones.

Two peas in a pod . . .

2011-02-09T10:52:00.000-06:00

Faith and I had many things in common. Sewing, quilting, collecting beautiful fabric and we liked a lot of the same patterns.

She made a “Best Friend's” small quilt for the silent auction at our Cousins family reunion in 2008 and I had the winning bid on it. It features six pieced girl blocks. In going through the “Shoebox Treasures”, I found another six hand pieced girl blocks.

About the same time she made the reunion quilt, I ran across the “Best Friends” boy pattern in one of my quilt magazines and put together six blocks. I put them away and forgot about them until I came across Faith's blocks. I will put the boys and girls together in a quilt or two and post when finished.