Sunday, September 28, 2008

Yeah Moose!

FINALLY!! a 20 win season for the Moose!



Mussina is my fav pitcher of the Yanks.I mean I named my cat after him and everything :) This was his final season of the contract. What will happen next? Only those idiot Steinbrenner sons know for sure.

So Paula, there's no way you can beat us for the year now. Best they can do is tie....yeah!

Hubby made his awesome chili, first batch of football season.
His Mets got kicked out of the post season today too!

Scrap Quilts

There was a comment asking where I got the 36 patch star pattern.
One of my friends designed the block a few years ago in this quilt. I have a jabillion 2 1/2" squares so a few years ago I made this quilt for my dad's bday.
It's a very simple pattern and I use my little squares as a leader/ender and usually finish a block or two of the 36 patch blocks every few days. Now to get really crazy I did it without the stars- king sized and made the scrap monster:

It has 2500 little squares....

Please! If you ask a question that needs to be answered have an address so I can reply to you.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Saturday Stuff

Very sad morning here. First of all I fell asleep watching the Mets lose last night because the Yankees and Red Sox were in a rain delay. Not only did I miss the Yankees beating up on the Sox- I read that Paul Newman died . His eyes are second only to hubby's.



I did manage to get the top finished for the baby shower gift for DD's school mate. Shower is next Sunday. Shouldn't be a problem quilting it Monday. I'm about 1/3 of the way done joining rows for the friend with breast cancer too.




I sent a few of these to a friend in VA a couple weeks ago and left only one of these nifty carriers for myself. I managed to pick up a couple more today. I'm thinking I can use them for gifties come holiday time for my quilty friends.








Citifield is going to be a beautiful stadium ( not as nice as the new Yankee stadium though)



Monday's Game at Shea. The Cubbie's pitcher hit a GRANDSLAM against the Mets- I about fell out of my seat laughing...


Moose didn't like the Yankee cap :P He's a Met's fan. Oh did anyone see that Met game today? WOW!!! Santana on 3 days rest pitched a no hitter! So there's still hope in Metland (not in Yankeeland though)

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Breast Cancer Sucks

One of my sister's friends got diagnosed with breast cancer yesterday. So this morning I've been trying to work on another one of those lazy star quilts in pinks/whites and maybe creams if I run out of whites.
I made one for one of my friends a few months ago.


Lucky for me, I cut too many 3 1/2" squares for the corners and have been just cutting the 6 1/2" squares and sewing them on. Trimming the bonus hst for more of these blocks. Hopefully I'll never be making another one of these quilts but I'll have blocks if I need to.
In the meantime, make sure that you have had your yearly mamogram. Make a donation to the American Cancer Society. I'll be making one when I get paid in a few days. If you want to donate you can donate through Marge at Delaware Quilts through Relay for Life. Another cool thing about Marge's quest for Relay for Life, she has a mystery group on Yahoo. You can pay a few bucks ( I think it's $5 ) and do one mystery or you can join for a year ( I think it's $30) and do some more. Procedes go to Relay for Life. Very cool Marge bravo !!! I wanted to join that group too but always forget and then wham the kids need my money for other things....
Well back to making blocks. I'm hoping to have a completed quilt in a week.

We're doing a Fall Giveaway

scarecrowc15

Debbie started it-lol. So far 20 bloggers have signed up and I finally figured it out - I'm not the brightest crayon in the box-ok.

So on Oct 15th- I'll be drawing a name from comments left between now and the 14th. I will be giving away a kit to make one of Nanettes wonderful patterns :). I love Nanette's patterns so very easy and quick- instant gratification. So since we're celebrating fall I chose this one.





You'll get all the squares you need to make it and border fabric. I'll even throw in some warm and natural batting. Backing fabric you're on your own though.

Rules of the draw- you must leave your name and either have a blog that I can reach you through, our leave an email with your comment. If I can't reach you after 24 hours, I'll pull another name. Now if you want to play along by having a giveaway, send Debi an email or a comment. If you click on the link above the scarecrow in the upper right of this blog it will bring you to a blog that lists all the rest of the participants.....Good luck!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Let's all go camping.....

I'm looking for repro fabrics to do a guild challenge of state Quilts and was browsing an email I got this morning.
Now who do you think of when you see this fabric line of handsome and hunky men???



Kinda reminded me of this from the NJ Quilt Show in June.



Seriously, someone should immortalize Mark Lipinski as a lumberjack, don't you agree?

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Great Story


*photo borrowed from Yahoo sports*


What a really touching story.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Still here

Just alot of "stuff" taking up my time lately. I did manage a few morning star blocks this week :) and some more lazy star/shooting star blocks.
I'm looking to start my yoyo /hand quilting top soon as the weather is getting cooler I'll need something to keep me warm.

alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247878121581173442" />

above is a pic of the wall hanging - probably in top stage that I made from a Quilt University class. Cause we all hate blogs w/o pics.
Sometime next week I hope things are back to normal ( whatever that is) but there are funeral viewings Sunday and a funeral Monday. Then we're going to Shea one more time before it closes to see the Mets vs the Cubbies. THe work on the table is coming along- it really needs to be refinished but I'm not doing that. Though we still need to stain and finish the doors from last years construction :( and I have a feeling it will be me staining them....

Monday, September 15, 2008

Once Upon a Time......

I had time to quilt and sew :(
This of course was before I had 4 guild related meetings in a week.
Oak furniture that needed some major tlc
Hopefully by Wednesday things will get back to sewing/quilting-Yippee! And DH is going away Sat for the weekend with the boys
so no bitching all I do is sew on the weekends when I could be watching him sleep on the couch "watching football or baseball"
Gotta love him....and I do.




And just because I hate posts without pics here's a past quilt I made for my cousin's baby a few years ago ....Daddy's a police Officer -click pic to see the embroidery blocks

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Some finishes and stuff

Is this the cutest pincushion or what? My guild buddy, Barb made it for me ! Thanks Barb!!! I love it :)





I finally went over the satin stitches again. What a learning experience this was but I finished it. It's hanging by my sewing area :) I knew I'd be sitting this morning listening for the names of my friends being read from Ground Zero so I made sure that I had plenty of hand sewing.............



I started hand quilting outlines on this panel last year. The kitties are so cute :) I finished it's binding this morning also.





Joansie asked if my basting pins were beads. This is what they look like ..I love the plastic back parts, makes it so much easier to baste quilts.



Lots of pins in my storage tin. I need to get another pack of these backs.



Never forget those killed 7 years ago today.

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

A.D.D. again today

Yesterday I tried these blocks in pinks and whites and was answering a reply to The Calico Cat how I bet they would be a great scrappy block and then had to try it :)
I made more in pinks and whites and made more morning star blocks.



Then I decided to play with UFO's


It's very heavy on the left side but today I decided to play with the stitches of the Viking and try and finish this class project. I HATE the satin stitches :( But the buttonhole stitch is nice. I'm going to look and see if I have more fusible web and even out the sides of the tree.Next will be the Chicago School of Fusing wall hanging from May I think :)

Monday, September 08, 2008

Quilter's A.D.D strikes again.....

I was working on my morning star blocks this morning and found more pieces that were cut for this quilt:

Then I was wondering what to do with the million bonus hsts you get from making it. I also found a basket of the ones from the last quilt I did of this design when one of my friends was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. But it's such a pretty design that any girly girl would like the colors of whites,creams and assorted pinks so I took a break from Halloween and made some more of the block parts and started trimming hsts into 2 1/2" size.

When taking a break and blog surfing this afternoon I found this blog. And saw some of the eq drawing. This one caught my eye because of the hsts in the center. So I grabbed my Quilt Pink tin of jelly rolls and made this:



Put 4 blocks together, you get this.



Just cause he's cute and underfoot again, here's Moose :)

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Snicker, Snicker




You Are Blackmail



You are a good detective. You have dirt on everyone you know.

And instead of gossiping, you sit on information that may be useful to you someday.



You love power games. Especially if (and pretty much only if) you have the upper hand.

You are brilliant and calculating. No one knows what you have in store!

Halloween Morning Stars

Since we never lost power at all yesterday, YEAH!, I started sewing together some Morning Star blocks to make a Halloween quilt for a friend. He was "supposed to" get it last New Years for his birthday. So I figured I get it to him by Halloween this year. All the talk Friday morning about the mystery top Paula did got me thinking how easy it would be to do it and get it quilted by mid Oct. Even a block a day would be easy. But you can't do just one block...so I've been sewing strips together and cutting. DD has been marking my lines on the back of the black squares. Now the yellow is much brighter in real life. Looks kinda washed out with the flash :(



This is the focus fabric. I have no idea where I got it, I do know I've had it for ages.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Visitors in the Gardens

This guy grosses me out everytime I go in and out the front door to get the mail. I was going to try and get a pic of it's web with rains from Hanna this morning but she hasn't graced us with her presence "yet". So Miss Lurker ( you know who you are) is this the same kind as at your house??? LOL



While sitting on the patio the other night enjoying a glass of vino and talking with my mom and daughter Mr Creepy Praying Mantis came to visit...lots of shreaking on DD's part.....



another look at Mr Creepy



This is the fatty that recked my garden in one afternoon. He makes Moose look thin. :(



Food is cooked for the day, generators are ready- plenty of gas for them and propane for grills to reheat things and cook if need be.
Over reacting? Maybe. But they said Floyd wasn't going to be bad and we lost power and phones for almost a week. So we err on the side of caution now. Hand sewing is all prepped for the weekend, Amish Tumbling Blocks and Yoyos :). I have candles and lanterns for the house too!

Met game was postponed till tomorrow, a double header against the Philleys -WOW!! Pedro and Santana are pitching....good thing the losers are on the west coast playing later.....

Friday, September 05, 2008

Mysteries

Paula at Coffeetime Quilt Studio posted a very cute quilt that she made few years ago. I made the same quilt at the same time in different colors- it was my very first mystery and I've been hooked ever since :)

Our friend Ann, designed the mystery and at the time she said it would be available for only so long and that was that.

Others wanted to make the quilt and I don't think Ann will give it out since there is another pattern like it for sale
But in playing in EQ this morning and online I was able to redraw it.

Here's a mock up of Paula's quilt :



Here's the 8" finished block for the corner:


The morning star sashing:


Put 2 sashing parts, a corner stone and the 8" block together you get this:

It finishes at 12". All you need to do is figure out how big you want the quilt and make that many blocks and some extra sashing parts......
Quilters Cache has the Morning Star block without the Pieced block but that's easily done with a 41/2" square-4 2/12' X 4 1/2" sashings and 4 -21/2" squares
Here's mine :

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Getting Ready for the Holidays

I don't know about you but I always feel the holidays sneak up on me and I'm left scrambling to finish "something" Christmas Eve. I hate that.
I need 2 quilts by Christmas and I have to rip one apart and redo the rows...grrrr and I need 2 small ones for 2 different Secret Santa Swaps. So ladies who have done them before via the blogs what exactly are we putting in them besides a handmade "something"?

Oh yeah anyway- Sew Mama Sew is doing sewing for the home this month with different things every day....Amanda Jeanis doing gift tutorials on her blog too. Maybe if we picked one or two things to do a week we may get a head start.

Yesterday I got a couple patterns from Vanilla House patterns.
2 Apron ones, one child, one adult, a pincushion one and hot mitt ones.
Tonight I'm finishing the gift for the guild's new members. A pincushion with our logo embroidered on the front and wool felt for the backing. As VP it's one of the sillier jobs that required ( but not told when you accept the position)I'll post a pick later.




I have 3 more to sew shut during the last of the nonsense speaches- maybe then we can get over both of these conventions and move onto important things LIKE BASEBALL!!! The post season will be here before you know it and yes Paula and Jeanne, even if the Yankees aren't in it I watch EVERY game American and National League. Cause these Yankees are toast!

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

New Project



Look at all the little pieces :)
I started sewing them together last night.
I'm going to make something about 8x10" and hand quilt it and possible frame it for the sewing area.....They are 1 3/4" tall and about 3/4" at the small part. Lots of fun and I have a bunch of Solid squares to play with. I get 6 tumblers/thimbles as they're called per square....

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Pink Broken Dishes

Well since the lazy cats are sleeping ( again) I managed to get the top quilted and bound-YIPPEE! It's in the wash now and will be wrapped up and delivered. Feels good to be finishing things. Tonight though Moose and I will be watching Mussina pitch and I think I'll be making red yoyo's for a future project. Did you see that all the clover yoyos were on sale at Connecting Threads.com??? I ordered quite a few....


Why I get nothing done

This is today's project, that and to finish stitching out the guild's logo to make pin cushions for the new members. I should find the quilting designs for giftys and get a bunch of them done Thursday too when I mass assemble everything.

Of course just as I was getting into my quilting groove I get this




MOM! Nancy's on my perch .............




This is why I get nothing done some days.........

Monday, September 01, 2008

As promised...............

I finished my pumpkin wall hanging from Nanette's pattern.I love her patterns- so quick and easy. I hand quilted it also....just an outline of pumpkins but another finish.



This was the quilt on the frame when the speed control died almost a month ago. I finally got around to binding it. This is going to a different aunt for when her grandsons come over. Nice lapsized which equals a good nap time sized for the under 5 crowd :)





Yesterday one of my favorite Aunts came. She gave me my first treadle with a promise of a quilt. I finally came through and she loves the quilt.



And here's my God Daughter getting her nails done by DD