ONE TIRED GRAMS IS SLEEPING AT HOME TONIGHT!

Got home from Nashville around 5 pm as I had stopped in Jackson, TN and walked through Ross' Dress for Less, Kohls, and Hobby Lobby -- but that's another story.

The two Easter Dresses are almost too short so I'm having to add to the length of both. I cut the extra fabric for that tonight. I'm soing a white inset and then more of the pink/blue below that. I think it will turn out ok. I'm going to try and get all the machine sewing finished on the dresses tomorrow.l Then I'll be able to do some quilting and embroidery the rest of the week.

Here are a couple of pictures from the trip -- I'm too tired to put them in chronological order.

MY BABY IS 28; A WII STORY AND SOME EMBROIDERY PROGRESS

Happy Birthday Brian!! Can't believe you are 28. Makes me feel soooooo young!! Hope you had the awesome day you deserve.


If you have kids and/or a WII this you've got to read this. It's a very funny story and not a long one at that.

http://memoriesoncloverlane.blogspot.com/

I've completed all the circles and some of the flowers on the two Easter dresses I'm making. I think the flowers will be a nice touch. You'll have to excuse the wrinkles. The dresses have been stuffed in my school bag so I can work on them during spare minutes between classes.





































I need to get my suitcase packed for my big weekend trip to Nashvegas. I'm ready for a dose of kids and grands. Plus there's a big bday party at the Rainforest on Friday night. Woo Hoo!!

FINALLY

Finally the log cabin quilt is totally finished and in the washer. I've been doing some hand sewing this week. Working on finishing the binding on this quilt and the label. 

I also made the label (by machine to be attached by hand) for the red (mostly) quilt I'll be quilting and hopefully bind next week while on spring break. Maybe I'll even get the yellow brick road quilt sandwiched and started quilting -- I plan to pick up some batting while in Nashvegas this weekend. I have a list of things to get. Now I can't even run to Wally World for elastic or pins or batting because all that stuff has been removed. One more reason to be glad I'm moving closer to fabric stores. 

I've been thinking about a lot of the finals I've been going through related to retirement. My last Thanksgiving break -- check. Last first day of school -- check. Last Christmas Break -- check. Last first, second and third nine weeks - check (as of this Friday). Coming up -- last spring break, last state testing week, last classroom inventory, last sixth grade exhibition, and last last day of school.  I've enjoyed and am looking forward to each of them.  I love the job - still look forward to it every day but I'm soooo ready for some new challenges.  Scared too but I guess that comes with the territory.

IKEA IDEA

Here is a site that shows lots of uses for IKEA products other than the intended. Some look pretty good. Might spark ideas for using NON IKEA things too.

http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/

I HAD A GIVEAWAY AND I WON!!!

Not really. I did finally get around to making myself a thread catcher. I made it a little differently. Instead of making a "sandbag" to weight it down, I just made a wide piece that's probably about 12 inches long so I can either lay it under the machine and the machine will hold it in place or when using my portable table, I can actually tie it to the lift underneath to hold it in place. Anyway it will work fine for me and I didn't have to go out looking for sand or a substitute of sorts.
































Other than that, today was a pretty slow day. I went to the grocery store and visited with in-laws and was kind of lazy.

SNOW PICTURES AND A FUN SUMMER DRESS

I said the snow would not last but it did. The ground was covered (sort of) when I got up on Sunday morning but, alas, it was gone by the time we got out of church. They are late but these pictures will document the great snowfall of March 1, 2009.
































I have finished Avery's dress except for hem and handwork. I decided to wait on the hem til I go to Michael's and I'll be able to have her put it on and get the length just right.

I thought it turned out really cute.




























Tomorrow and Thursday, I plan to spend my sewing time finishing the handsewing of the binding on the log cabin quilt and making a label for that quilt and quite possibly the Take 5 red quilt that I've posted pics of before and plan to try to quilt this weekend. Wish me luck.

ANOTHER FINISHED QUILT TOP AND ....... SNOW!!!!

I had let Toby out and when I went to let him back in --- it was snowing. I think it has already stopped but it sure is cold outside. I think any snow accumulation in our area is to the east. We are not in the predicted "snow zone" anyway. The white dots are not dust on the lens, they are real snowflakes:)


































My modified yellow brick road turned out better than I expected. I must say though that I didn't really have a picture in my mind of how it was supposed to look. But I do like what I see. I'm going to back it with one of the blue's in the blocks --you can see it with the arrow below.










































Of course Toby -- who was dozing behind the chair immediately got up and came and sat on the quilt top when I started taking pictures.

















Have a nice week everybody.

YELLOW BRICK ROAD PART 2 , OSCAR FASHION REVIEW AND A LINK TO A LETTER TO MINNIE (must read)

Here are pictures of the first two rows aka 12 squares of the quilt top. I must say, I'm not agonizing over placement of the squares. I laid them all out on the top of my bed and then stacked them in rows. I am laying each new row next to the one before it and then turning squares if I think they need it. Other than that I'm not worrying too much about the blues and yellows.

















































Oh, and Toby gave it his seal of approval (He was actually laying on it but when I pointed the camera at him he got up walked around and then came back and sat down).













Here's the coolest letter to Minnie Mouse written by "Antique Mommy" on her blog. You need to read it. And don't forget to read Saucy's review of the Oscar fashions -- it was better than watching the red carpet!!

The Yellow Brick Road -- Not for Dorothy!

A month or two At least two maybe three years ago I bought a stack of blue and yellow fat quarters that included a pattern with them. It was all tied up with a pretty yellow bow. Several months ago, I finally got around to starting the quilt. I read the directions very carefully - honest. I began making the cuts for the blocks. Then I started putting the blocks together. Anyway, to make a long story short, I took a wrong turn somewhere -- I thought -- and ended up with a bunch of rectangles that I couldn't figure out what to do with. I reread the directions two or three more times and still missed what I needed to do. I ended up cutting the rectangles one more time and THEN I saw what they were supposed to be -- bigger than what I was left with. Sooooooo I'm not making the Yellow Brick Road pattern. I'm making the MODIFIED Yellow Brick Road. On top of all that, I figured out how I would (re)make the blocks, put the material and all back in the basket -- until this afternoon. Got it out and had no idea what solution I had come up with before because I neglected to write it down. So, I looked at what I had already done and came up some new squares and I'm willing to bet if you look in the photos you won't know which squares follow the pattern and which don't!! Tomorrow I'll lay them out and hopefully stitch up another quilt top. The last picture shows all that was left when I got finished.

IT'S RED AND I'M CROSSING THE FINISH LINE

My Christmas amarylis has bloomed and it is beautiful.


















































I finished quilting my log cabin today and got the binding attached. The only thing left is the hand sewing and adding a label. You can't really see the binding but it is that dark green check fabric that you see it some of the squares. I really am pleased with how it turned out. I just wish I was better at stippling. But I know that just takes practice. Next the Take 5 red, yellow, white and some green too quilt top. It will be stippled too.

GO FIGURE.....

So how come I'm the one with a crick in my neck???

A PRESENT FOR ME FROM "ME"!

Since WallyWorld has recently gotten rid of their fabric department, I can't even get piping or buttons or anything dealing with sewing except for a few notions like rulers and rotatry blades --which if they keep them in stock I may need at some point -- so, Farmhouse Fabrics was having a sale -- no shipping for orders over $50 and I took advantage of it to get myself a present! They even wrapped it in ribbon! Seriously. They always put ribbon around your fabric and make it look so inviting. Don't you just love it. I hope "Peanut" Ensor likes butterflies:) Just kidding. He might like sailboats though.



















This picture shows all the stuff included in my self-present -- some white piping I often use with baby stuff, some buttons for dresses, a nice pair of scissors and all three fabrics that I got. Yummy Yummy!


















Gotta run. Time to eat and get to church. Have a great rest of the week. Hope to have a sewing update this weekend.