I've been bad!

Yes, I admit it... I've been bad. I haven't posted in several weeks now...and haven't updated my photo site either. I've been reallly busy! Honest!!

I had company from out of town for a week..... during that time we visited a quilt show in Illinois... did some shopping and made a Queen Size log cabin quilt in the barn raising style. It's hand tied and it's totally completed......I'll post pictures on the website later on.

I've been cutting some things and sewing some things.......I have all the samples done for my summer classes......I have some christmas lottery blocks cut out and ready to sew, I have a journal cover and a couple of crab potholders in various stages of completion......I need to go on a UFO fest and get these things completed... photographed and in the box! There's only 166 days left til christmas ya know!!

I won the block lottery this month again so I'll be getting more blocks! I plan to put them with the Indiana Puzzel blocks and make a large throw for when I lounge in my TV chair... this months block is called Next Door Neighbor 2 and I'm using the same color scheme, 30's prints or pastels and Kona Snow..... I can't wait to put these all together.

It's time to start thinking about Christmas.....getting those gifts finished...wrappings made....cards ready for mailing.... etc. I plan to be finished by Thanksgiving with most of mine as that's when I go visit family back east.

I have some fun things planned for the Great Nephews and this year I'll have a new Great Niece! It's been a long time since had a little girl to sew for. My youngest niece is 20 something or other. My new little one is due in August!! I have her quilt almost ready for her!

I think for now that's all there is to report........ tomorrow I need to weed the garden and we have some logs to split. We had one tree come down during a storm a few weeks ago and another one taken down before it came down.......so there's lots and lots of wood that needs to be split and stacked.

I'll get the flickr site updated this weekend (promise) and let you know what that happens. Maybe I can get some productivity going and have lots of new things to report...

Til later

Lish

Dancing Santa

Good Morning!
I've added a dancing santa to the page... isn't he just the cutest lil thing?? lol You can hop on over to Care2 (www.care2.com) and get one for your place too!

Santa you say??? It's only June! Well yes... but there are only 185 days left til christmas and in just 1 1/2 short weeks it will be time to kick the Christmas gifting into gear!!!

Those of you following along with the 25 weeks need to have your box and your list ready. It's time to get busy!

I haven't added any pictures to the flickr site this week yet.... I have a few things in various stages of completion and when they are all finished...they'll go up on the site... it was one of those weeks!! I have 2 table toppers and 2 table runners to quilt........I have 2 paper pieced hangings to quilt.... I have 4 more mini hangings to make... I'm teaching classes at the shop this summer so I need some samples......my saturday class was moved to Wednesday so I'll be teaching wednesday nite. I have to stitch the binding on the train quilt......finish the knitted dishcloth I started....sew up the baby booties.... and finsh the July Quilters Dozen block... I have 5 paper pieced stars to do and then put it together....... I need to get all this stuff done before the weekend.... cuz that's when I gotta get this place whipped into shape! Hubbys' sister is coming out over the July 4th holiday. We're going to Rockhome Gardens to the quilt show....to various quilt shops and we hope to get a bunch of sewing done too!! So next week there will be pictures!

Today is chop up the tree day. The storms that went thru this past week took down a Walnut tree... gotta chop it up into pieces so it dries by winter.... it'll provide some firewood so that's a good thing... it didn't fall on anything when it came down so that's a good thing too!!... I love chain saws too....and that's a very good thing! lol

Well... the coffee's done.....and it's time to sew.

See ya all in a week!
Merry almost Christmas!!!

Lish

June is here!

June is here and so is the stupid Indiana weather. It's been raining and storming for weeks now and the southern part of our state has had severe damage and flooding. One county has been proclaimed a disaster area due to the flooding and tornado damage. We've had rain but not the tornadoes here in the central part of the state.

I've updated the photosite with some new projects. I use the Lazy Girl Pursnickities pattern to make Grab and Go's as I call them. They make great diaper bags for quick trips and are great for shaving kits, travel bags etc.
I used insulbright in my latest one...between two pieces of fun fabric with ants on it...quilted it and then added a piece of clear heavy gauge vinyl before putting in the zipper... I now have an really fun lunch bag!! There will be more of these made before xmas.

I also did two more of the mini paperpiecing quilt hangings. One is done in 30's repro fabrics and the other in civil war repro fabrics... these are just so much fun to do!

I have a few other projects started and in various stages of completion.... I hope to get them all finished up and posted this week. Then it's time to clean up the sewing room, find all my tools, patterns, chalk markers etc and get ready to start Christmas goodies!

While digging for the insulbrite, I found a bag of homespuns I forgot I had. I was using them to make chenille scarves but I think I'll cut some of it to make kitchen towels...maybe add a bit of embroidery to it...... There is also a mini paper piecing pattern in the book I'm using that uses some homespuns ....... hmmmmmmmmmm that might be next on the list.

If you are playing the 25 weeks of christmas... this months goals are simple....
Get your box! Do your List! Clean up your sewing space...find your tools....clean your machine and then relax for the rest of the month. We'll be starting July 1st!!

Well the sun is shining today so I think I'll wander outside and see if it's nice enuf out there to move the sewing machine out to the deck and sew.

Til next time

Keep on sewing

Lish

The End of May

Well another month has flown by.....it's almost June!! I'm not sure where the spring went, but it will soon be summer here in Indiana.....

I've uploaded new pictures to the flickr site. I've finished the top of baby quilt #5... the applique train... it's a small quilt... more of a draggy quilt for the little one. I have some really large, primary colored buttons that i'll attach as wheels once I have the quilting done. The train will also get a matching pillow case. I have the June quilters dozen block almost finished... I need to do the applique, then I can quilt it and post the pictures of May and and June.. May isn't quilted yet either... I made a small wall hanging... it's about 8 1/2 x 11 and it's a paper pieced farm scene.... this was really fun and sates my appetite for miniatures and paper piecing. I think I'll do a few more and then make my self a * small wall* somewhere upstairs for all the small hangings. I also found a book called Small Quilts for Small spaces that I want to try. These are mostly seasonal and mostly applique. There are some really nice shadow techniques that I want to try.

I embroidered two retirement bibs and I'm in the process ( as we speak) of monogramming towel sets for graduation gifts. Today seems to be finish it up day.... I have a large amount of semi finished and almost finished things ......once the towels are done... the only thing left is the Star Log Cabin Wall Hanging......then I'll be caught up again and I can start a whole new pile of fun things!!

I've also posted some pictures of my yard....and my spot on the deck where I sew outside... I love to sit outside and sew... the sounds of the birds and bees is quite soothing to me. I've also posted a picture of a Pileated Wood Pecker.... I was sooooooooooooooo excited last week when there was not one... but TWO of them on my Woodie feeders.. This is the largest of the woodpeckers. There are 5 kinds in Indiana....and now I've had all of them at my feeders.. I hope he's taken up residence somewhere in my yard too! The picture was taken thru two glass doors and was as close as I could get... he's very skitterish right now... but I'm sure he'll get used to me sooner or later. The smaller birds come up on the deck and sit on the railing and watch me sew and the hummers fly within a foot of me just to see what I'm up too!

For those of you following along on the 25 Weeks project... the June goals will go up this coming weekend......

For now, please enjoy the newest pictures......have a safe and wonderful week

Lish

May moments

lol thought that would be a fun title. I updated the flickr site with photos of this past weeks goodies. The totes are for the christmas box, one for my mom and not sure who will get the other one. The towels are for a friend at work... part of her grandaughters graduation gift for her new apartment in Texas. The golf towel is for my most favorite brother in law ... hadda do it if I want to stay at the top of his favorite sister in law list!

I have a few projects in the works... I wonder at what point does a WIP become a UFO? I'm working on the Stars Across America blocks by Eleanor Burns... I have a few made... but need to work on the rest.. this is my inbetweenstuff project. I'm making a Star Log Cabin wall hanging... also by Eleanor.. it will be a trial to see if a Full Size quilt is in my future.... I"m also working on the June quilters dozen block...lots of paper pieced blocks this month....and I got the new Victory Quilts book, once again by Eleanor.... have I ever mentioned she's my idol?? My very first quilt ever many many years ago was Eleanors Block Sampler.... I still have that quilt... it's a bit raggy now... but used and loved quite muchly!

I've been knocking down my binding pile also... I have about 4 more candle mats to do and one mitten wall hanging to do........ I also need to do an Ipod case and work on this months embroidery club project. I think it's a luggage tag and a key case...... I want to try it out of some Mock Crock.... pictures on that probably next week.

I guess that's it for this week.......... we'll see what next week brings

Happy Sewing

Lish

It's May

How can it be May already?? What happened to March and April? Time certainly does fly, doesn't it!!

I've been busy, so I guess that why I haven't noticed the months just whizzing by but I certainly need to start paying closer attention... there's only 234 more days til Christmas ya know!

I spend last week and this week on baby quilts... I have 4 done now... 1 boy oriented, 2 girl oriented and 1 either way.... that is if I actually decided to give this one up.... I have them posted on the photo site... it's called flying frogs... it's bright bright ( did I mention bright?) flying geeze and appliqued smiling frog faces. I have a box of baby quilts....all sorts of cute things in it... and this is one of them..... the boy quilt is an adaptation of one of the quilts in the Little Box of Baby Quilts also. The girls quilts were made at the same time.... one positive block, one negative block made by sewing one block and then cutting it and resewing... really fast and quite easy. I cut and sewed the blocks for both quilts on saturday and put them together today. They are from the Eleanor Burns book "still stripping after 25 years" I was on Quilterstv.com yesterday morning and this was one of her videos... I watched her make it...and then it was off to the sewing room. I started on the blocks around noon and finished the last one around 5.

The only other project for this week were the coasters we did in embroidery club... they are in the hoop coasters from moosebstitchin and they were fun! little prairie points on the coaster which is a really good size... about 5" across almost......

I started another boy quilt, a Train, and need to work on that next. I have the engine, caboose and cars fused to some cloud background, now to do the applique on that...then add some borders. That will be this weeks project....as well as working on circles for a cute smiley face quilt. I want to have an assortment of baby quilt tops ready...so when the little ones get here, I can grab one and quilt and bind it and be all ready!

I won the block lottery this month on my quilting group. I'll be receiving blocks called Indiana Puzzle done in kona snow and either 30's repro or pastels. I've received 4 so far and will post a picture as I get more..... this will be a lap throw for ME!!

I've been working on the 25 weeks of Christmas Book......and will be posting the May goals for those of you playing along at the end of this weeks blog.

Guess that's it for now
Happy Quilting

LIsh

May goals for the 25 Weeks of Christmas

May goals

1.  Your christmas list needs to be filled out and complete
2.  Your project bags need to be complete and ready sew
3.  Your birthday and non holiday projects need to be completed thru September

Mothers day is May 11th


Your project goals for this month will be

Reversible Napkins
We did coasters earlier.....and glass mugs was on the list of staples for your box....
a mug, a coaster and a napkin along with some hot chocolate, tea or coffee  make a great gift........

A set of 4 or 6, reversible napkins, monogrammed and tied with a pretty ribbon is also a quick and easy gift.

Chocolate Spoons make a great gift for any coffee lover!
Add a few spoons to your mug and napkin and it's a gift to die for!
These are very inexpensive to make also.

It's an easy month goal wise.... get the lists ready... get the box ready....get your sewing room
organized and ready!!

Lish

April 20th

Spring was here for all of 3 days.......then cold and rain and crappy stuff.... then it came back again... and then it left But the gloomy days weren't quite as gloomy and the bright days were nice and bright...so maybe soon................

I woke up Friday morning thinking the cats were jumping on the bed fighting ..... hmmmmmm no cats in bed......it was an earthquake! Yup... my first earthquake. I've been thru 2 tornados...and I come from the east coast so I've been thru many many hurricanes... but this was my first earthshaker... it was very weird and didn't last long.... maybe 10 seconds at the very most.... the center was in Illinois....near southern Indiana and it was felt in several states around us. I live on the Wabash Fault... which apparently burps every 20 or 30 years.......this fault connects to the San Madrid fault which burbs every hundred years or so..... last time it burped it changed the flow of the Mississippi river they tell me.......... and it's over due..... yippee

I got quite a bit done these past two weeks...... all of the pictures are posted on the photo site. I finished one baby quilt top and started the second. The second one is called Flying Frogs and it's bright flying geese and lime green frogs........it's pretty cool.......I hope to get that finished up this weekend yet.

I've been working on my binding stack and finished up two christmas wall hangings, a table mat and the quilters dozen april block. I have a stack of candlemats yet to do, all made from those 30's orphan blocks.

The May goals for the 25 Weeks of Christmas will be posted the end of next week for those who are playing along, but not part of the yahoo group. I have a few openings if anyone wishes to join. I'm closing it again at the end of June and there will be no new members added after that until the following January.

There's also the possibility of a book on the 25 Weeks due out in the fall. I'll keep you posted on that also.

Have a look at the flickr site for all the new fun stuff.....Okie dokie duckie has updated her knitting blog so you might want to check that out too...Have a great week ahead....and
Happy Sewing!

Lish