4th Week of Christmas

It's the 4th Week of Christmas! That means 16 weeks til Thanksgiving and 21 weeks til Christmas!

I got a playmat done for one of the greatnephews this week...... it has a city on one side and an airport on the other. I'll get a few fisherprice or playskool people, cars and planes for it. I have one more of these to make... but I think it will be a city/traindepot rather than an airport........we'll see.

I finished up the 40's table runner but have a dilemma... I'm not sure I like the fabric that's in the center... it's 40ish...but rather busy I think.... I have a second choice but still deciding which one I will finally use.

I also tried a new pattern. It's by Lazy Girl...but it's an apron pattern. Wow!! It has a piano key border, a fun pocket and a quilt block bib. It can be made with or without the border and with or without the bib.. it's very customizable and I'm going to use the left overs to make a couple potholders to add to it for xmas. What a fun project this was!!

It's been a busy week at work! Our new student system is in place and there are lots of questions from students and parents.... only a few more weeks and they'll all be back in person rather than on the phone.

I'll be starting on the next Giant Postage Stamp swap this week. That will give me 4 more blocks so I'll have a total of 8. I think I need like 24 to make a lap quilt from the blocks. I also one the Quilters Block Lottery this month...so I'll have a bunch more of those blocks to put together for another lap quilt.....

Theres not much to report this week.... so I'll stop babbling now and pick up again next time. The flickr site has been updated with a few of the newest pictures.....

Have a great week

Lish

Third Week of July

Can you believe it? July is almost gone!! Christmas will be here before we know it! Just check the countdown counter if you don't believe me.

Those doing the 25 Weeks of Christmas should be doing a gift a week.

I posted a few pictures on Flickr...... a paper pieced Christmas Tree from the Book Hard Times Splendid Quilts.. these are blocks from the 30's that were published complete in the Kansas City Star... The book Quilts for Rosie are blocks from the 40's from the same newspaper. I decided to sash the block and it will become a small wallhanging for the holidays.

I also posted the August Quilters Dozen Block and a few of the blocks I'm doing for a TAble runner for moi!!

There are also some tissue boxes... the crab will go with the potholders for a birthday gift later this month.

One of the trees that came down is now totally done... it's chopped and split and stacked... the branches and small chips have been cleaned up and burned... thats one tree down and two to go!

It was pretty hot here today... very humid too... standing by a roaring fire was not exactly a pleasant thing either lol

Yesterday I got a new phone.....a BlackJack II It does email and internet and music and has my contact list and does power point and excel sheets and word docs and I can even talk on it! lol I'm still learning it.......and longing for the simpler days when all you did was pick it up and say hello! lol

Ok...thats it for this weeks installment........ I have plans this week to finish up the table runner... paper piece another block from one of the books and put two play mats together....... we'll see how that works out........ I also started knitting a baby sweater.... it's slow going for sure... I've never done this type of knitting before so we'll see how it turns out... I'll keep you posted on that too!

Til next week

Lish

Flickr Site's Been Updated

As promised I updated the flickr site with the most recent pics. There are several paper pieced mini wallhangings... a paper pieced crab which is one of a set of two that will become potholders for a friend who is totally hooked on Discovery's Deadliest Catch... there are pictures of the Weekend Quilt... A fold up reusable grocery bag, Indiana's Tallest Waterfall...complete with water....and a few other things.....

Today I spent most of the day helping the Hubster get ready for his meeting next week... this involved stuffing papers into page protectors and putting books together... 9 soybean... 5 corn.... just over 600 page protectors worth.....

I got one of the crabs for the potholder quilted and I got a tissue box cover cut out......that was about the extent of todays stuff......

See ya next week!!

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