vail likes

skirts. And I will occasionally hear "Grams can you make me a skirt?" and occasionally I will say "sure:)"

So when the opportunity came along to take a class at the Bernina shop entitled Skirts, Skirts, Skirts. I grabbed it. Learned how to make three skirts without needing a pattern. So, I made Vail a skirt

and because every skirt needs a top her mom and I made her this. 

And one of the nice things  is that when she outgrows it, Katy can wear it.

initiation, an addition, and ... got rid of some ugly

Today I initiated my new clothesline.  I just wish it was a tad warmer.  I almost had to wear a jacket just to hang the clothes out!!  I'm excited to have it and plan to use it for everything except towels.

The addition of a screen door outside the door in my living room makes it so that on pretty days I can let in more air and sunshine and still keep the bugs out.  Of course the temperature has not been too cooperative the last couple of days but I know I am going to enjoy having this door in the spring and fall.

When I put a tv in my sewing room, the wires were everywhere.  You can see them dangling down the wall on the right side of this picture.  You can't see the cable box because it is hidden behind the plastic container on the top shelf but it also added to the wire mess. 

Now, it looks like this

No wires dangling in the corner.  The cable box is on a shelf right above the tv and all the wires are actually hidden in the closet.  Not in the wall but stapled to the wall inside the closet and they are out of the way and where they come out at the bottom they stay behind the storage unit that is there and look so much neater.  I am slowly finding a place for everything and eventually I think my sewing room will be very organized and effecient. 

coming very soon

Something to go with this

and this

cake batter makes you smile

During tax season I try to fix supper a couple of times and take it to the office where my son works.  It lets me cook for a group rather than just myself and I can fix some of the things I don't make very often.  For desert this time I made a sour cream pound cake.  Well some of the grands were here and they helped clean the cooking utensils -- I'm just sayin'

i lost and i don't like it

You know the saying  "You snooze- you lose"   Well, it definitely is true.  I often see quilt kits that look like fun but I never buy them right then.  Most of the time I will talk myself out of adding to my stash with a kit.  But this one - I kept going back to.  It was soooo pretty.  So, this morning I got on the phone and called Connecting Threads and guess what -- the kits are all gone and it's discontinued.  What!!! Are you kidding me??!! They can't be serious!  Surely they will get some more.  It's a new fabric line and if it sold out that quickly they should get more don't you think?  All I have left now is this picture from the email where I first saw the quilt and it does not do it justice at all. 

block of the month

or Kisses for my Beloved as it's called in the book.

We've completed the first four blocks and will do block five and six before the end of April. It's been so much fun. I love the square in a square technique. It makes triangles so easy.

Guess I didn't take a picture of this block after it was finished.

progress

hopefully this will be in the mail by the end of the week . . . hopefully.  ( i tried doing curvy stuff -- i really did . . .but with all the squares -- let's just say i hated it .... but i lovvveeee the grid)  Just the border to quilt and binding to sew on .... then its a visit to ups:)

meet tavern

orTavie as he is known in my house

Five months old and fifty pounds of the most laid back pooch ever.  He's my new foster dog.  Came from a homeless camp in downtown Nashvegas.  As far as we know he has never lived in a house or been around people much.  He is unsure about a lot of things except that he loves his human and his four legged friends.

He's been with us a couple of weeks now and I 'm afraid I won't want him to leave.

Here's to a fun weekend.

life happens ...

and it happened to February.  Two family emergencies that took me out of town and a visit from my TX grands (and their parents:))  pretty much ran away with the month of February.  Hopefully March will be boring -- I'm just sayin'.  The to do list in my sewing room is getting longer not shorter.  I'm hoping to take care of some of that over the rest of the week but there are already several interruptions on my calendar.  So, we shall see.  Hope to be updating on projects, etc. over the next several days.  In the meantime, it's off to bed for me.

first month of free motion quilting challenge drawing to a close

It's almost February which means a new free motion tutorial will be posted by sewcalgal sometime midweek.  I have practiced on my leaves but not everyday as I said I would (some things never change).  I have done a good bit of free motion quilting though so I can't be too upset with myself. 

This is my most recent practice with leaves. I also practiced free motion straight lines by sewing around the edges of my practice square and the most important thing I learned about that is to look in front of the presser foot an inch or two and not at the needle.  My leaves are getting better but I've got a ways to go.  I've got a wall hanging that I plan to use for practicing these leaves when I quilt the border.  

I had a Christmas gift to finish and I did practice freemotion quilting on it along with some straight line quilting using my walking foot.  The squares on this quilt have straight lines done on the diagonal using my walking foot.  I changed the direction of the diagonal in each square.  The sashings were done using my free motion foot and doing horizontal lines and vertical lines in alternating groups.  I learned this from a Patsy Thompson's DVD "Fast and Furious."  Because this quilt was made up of music themed fabrics, I did a musical note in each of the corner blocks in the sashing.  Then in the border, I did more musical notes connected by a meandering line.  I did draw the notes with chalk to help me not have to do a lot of "unsewing." Here are a couple of pictures of the quilt. I am most proud of the fact that I did not break thread in the sashings until I got to the other end. I had very few threads to hide and that was a big step forward for me.
 

revanmped nighties. . .

I made nightgowns for my TX girls.  Used the pillowcase dress design.  Didn't consider how confining the width of a pillowcase might be if the nightie was ankle length and the girl was 7 or 9 years old.  So, they came back home with me.  The plan was to get a llittle more fabric and add some fullness to the skirt.  Well, believe it or not, Joannes was out of both flannels I had used to make those nighties.  Sooooo, I went to plan B.  Got interlock knit, and used a different pattern -- but not that different.  Anyway, the two older girls got a nightgown and a flannel pillowcase(from the original nightie).  For the youngest, the skirt was plenty full but since I could cut off the bodice part and use a pattern to cut  new bodice that would fit better, I did revamp that gown too.   Sounds way more confusing than it was.
 Charlotte got a flannel nightie

 Molly Beth and Suzannah got  a nightie and a flannel pillowcase.

I got to cross off another To Do project Woo Hoo!!

because

Because some of these are too hilarious. . .  because I think Ryan Gosling is cute . . . and . . .  because it's an Internet meme (yes, I had to look it up ) . . . . I'm linking to these sites so you can have a good laugh too.

From Patchwork Duck Designs:

From Quilt Dad:

And from the Original -- Handmade by Ryan Gosling:

can you hear the fat lady singing?

well, she did and the music quilt was officially done... completed ... fini and was presented to its' rightful owner today .... at his work ..... when we picked him up for lunch.  Now on to other projects.

the music quilt --

it's almost completely quilted.  The squares and sashings are completed.  Just the borders and then then the binding and I can return it to its rightful owner.  He's glad too :)

I used black thread and quilted the squares on the diagonal.  I changed the direction of the diagonal in each square.  The overall effect looks good.

I did alternating groups of vertical and horizontal lines going down each sashing and then did a musical note in each of the red blocks and that way was able to finish an entire row/column of sashing with no extra stops and starts.  For the most part, I drew the notes and then free motioned on top of them.

My best attempt at a free motion note without drawing it first.  I only did a couple this way but this one turned out quite well.

Yes,, you do see quite a few dog hairs and lots of lint on the  quilt.  It was on the guest bed so long that the dog started napping on it.  I chased him off quite a few times.  Hopefully when I wash it most of that will be   gone.