It is the end of the year. I wanted to do a 12 days of Christmas, but life got in the way these past couple of weeks.

So, to your benefit, I'm having an end of year inventory reduction sale.

How about jelly rolls to start? I will put them up later today/tomorrow.

What would be fun for 2012? I have my Non e mai troppo tardi list almost ready to post. Care to join in?

I have a giveaway almost ready for you too. I need to increase my followers, so how about....

uh-oh, timer. Have to go.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

Not really. It was 46F out today. These are photos from other times of the year.



This is a closeup of one of our flowering plums. 

and our pond.

I hoping you have a very Merry Christmas.

The day before, the day before

Wow, can you believe Christmas is almost here? This year is a non-event at our house. Since we have no children/grandchildren we are not decorating. We don't have to be anywhere for the first time in over 12 years. A three day weekend. I see a movie or two in my future.

And, I have a stack of samples to make for the Kitsap Quilters show in February. My stress level will greatly increase January 1 2nd.

I would like to share another favorite Christmas story. I'm sure it's in the top three.

In October of xx, I retired from the Navy and came home (I wanted to go somewhere else, but my Mom & Dad wanted me home). So, I moved in. Time goes on.

My Mom and her friends Jeff & Mary were trying to 'fix me up' with someone, but that someone was seeing someone else. So, in February of  xx, we finally got to meet. We spoke on the phone to get acquainted, later on we decided to meet for a movie (VHS? DVD? don't remember) but we chose "Something about Mary". Definitely not my idea of a first date movie. But I digress. So I hear a knock at the door, and what do I see? This tall, skinny guy in a jeans jacket with longish blonde hair. Ahhh.

Fast forward a few years.

So, here I am spending the night before the night before Christmas at my (now) serious boyfriend's house. I woke up, threw on my robe and went downstairs in my wild hair early morning glory to make coffee. The next thing I know, this skinny (well, at least five pounds heavier) guy came down in his sweats and his wild hair glory to join me. Next thing I know, he is down on one knee and asking me 'the question'. Of course I said yes!

Now for the ring.

A year or so earlier my watch battery died. So, we went off to the mall (eeek) and stopped at Zales to get it repaired. So, I love sapphires and always look at them. Well, we wandered around the cases and I saw a diamond and sapphire ring in with the wedding rings. It was so pretty. But, I didn't need it (well I did, but I wasn't in the market for a ring, just a battery).

Refer back to the 'So, here I am' paragraph.

Little did I know that he went back to the store (amazing since he hates the mall and shopping in general) and bought that ring! He even had it sized. Pretty confident, eh? He hid it in the garage for over one year! He kept moving it because he thought I'd find it. Really, I am frightened in the garage. Lots of stuff and spiders. I don't like the webs! He told me he thought he might forget where he hid it.

So, now I'm an engaged woman. We called my parents to meet for breakfast (without spilling the beans) and I nonchalantly flashed my ring...my Mom and Dad starting laughing--they already knew!!

Merry Christmas Deano. I love you.

A hint of what's ahead

We live on 2-1/2 acres surrounded by woods. I love it here. These little guys are our second or third set of twins that spend their spring/summer here. We have a pond (where you see them playing) and lots of open area to jump around in and a large amount of weeds to be hidden in.

Just a little something to make you smile. Don't laugh at the weeds. When little ones like these are in the yard, we let it go. A little bambi will not move if momma puts it somewhere. My husband found a very new bambi hidden in the rocks by the waterfall one day. It was abou the size of a small dog.

Tonight is sewing night--let's see what I can get done.

Looking for a mountain climber

Yes, you can tell. Mount Wash Me is back.

This week has been a long one. Can you believe it's Christmas next week?

I need some ideas for easy cookies. I love to bake, but not really in the mood. And, double-stuffed Oreos are not an option.

Blue & whilte tape

Good morning! Thank you for the hugs. They were greatly appreciated.

On a happier note, I came home to a pile of boxes with blue & white tape--a instant smile on my face! Moda!

So, when I get home tonight, I'll dig out the camera and post some photos. I ordered a lot of Reunion charm packs. I LOVE this line. Sadly, the pattern I ordered for it is on backorder! I know that you will love it. It is perfect out of any fabric. Maybe I'll make one for H2H!

Almost forgot, have you seen the new Half Moon Modern? You will later. (hint hint)

How about a giveaway?

Death of a friend

My friend Jenna was killed Friday night. Her boyfriend is in the hospital in Seattle (airlifted out) as is the driver of the car that hit them. It seems that driver was drunk and driving on a tire rim.

Is it harder to grieve when it is this sudden?

Goodbye Jenna, you will be missed by all of us at work, and thank you for being my friend.

Love you.

PS Say hi to my Dad for me.

Tool Time Tuesday

I'm sorry, I'll have to postpone TTT. I woke up with a nasty sinus headache. Should be better later today.

Sundays & the 12 days of Christmas

My husband is not feeling well. Which is not normal for him. He is actually crashed out  on our "Coma Couch" napping. This is going to be a crazy week. We are (hopefully) rearranging our furniture and doing some computer wrangling. May have some down time, just depends on how much energy we can muster. And, it's COLD!

But, on a brighter note, my Mom is coming home today! She's been at her brother's house taking care of him for quite some time. I've already warned her I have several piles of blocks ready to set. You know there is a quilt show in February. I probably will do one more in October. Not sure if I can make it over to the other side for any shows this summer. I'm limited on space (I drive a Prius). We will be looking for a small trailer that can be pulled with DH's Tundra. I'm planning on getting some shelving that can just stay in the trailer and be used for shows. Less hassle!

Ok, so here's a question. I've been getting lots of 12 Days of Christmas ads lately. Really? When do the 12 days actually start? Maybe I'll just do my own.

Enjoy your day of rest! I have fabric to press and cut and sew back together. I have been designing a couple of quilts, hope to have something to show later this week!

Tool Time Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!

Was it me or did today fly by? I am out of steam. I can tell Winter is almost here. It's cold and dark and I really want to be a bear and hibernate.

But, it's Tuesday, so it is Tool Time!

Today's tool is...

wait for it...

Thread.

I love thread. I've been called a Thread Snob. I don't care.  I really feel thread is an important part of our quilt making. Right up there with fabric.

My LQS carries Mettler thread, some 50 weight Aurifil and Sulky Blendables. For piecing I prefer Aurifil or Masterpiece by Superior Threads. If you do a side by side comparison, the Mettler 50 weight is thicker. I love how the finer thread (even if they are both 50 weight)  feels against the seams when I press them to the side or to the dark side. I recently read an article in Machine Quilting about thread with up close photos of this and how it effects your block's finished size. Amazing.

So, to test this out, if you have Mettler 50 weight, and Aurifil 50 weight, pull a bit out and compare. I really like the 50 weight Aurifil and the Masterpiece. Both are great. Super low lint (really don't want that in my machine). I highly prefer the Masterpiece black (Raven) to any other black thread. No slubs, smooth long staple cotton. I could go on, but I'm sure you are ready for the giveaway/Q&A portion of Tool Time.

Q&A:

For more in depth info on thread, Dr. Bob Purcell (he has a PhD in Threadology) has made some videos. If you have never had the opportunity to be in his class, here you go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVzflcfEuSY&feature=related
So, I'll be doing a give away of Masterpiece thread, your choice of Raven (black) or a neutral (white or ecru) spool of thread. But, you have to tell me your favorite and why. Spread the word, if I get a lot of responses, instead of one prize, there will be three! Or, four. Just sayin'. I love Superior Threads. (Legal mumbo jumbo--they did not sponsor this, I love this company!) Please visit their website. There are several free thread reference sheets. http://www.superiorthreads.com/page/330/

By the way, how many thread companies have a tab just for education?

http://www.superiorthreads.com/education/

PS, this post is early, I know. Go pop some popcorn and watch the videos. Let me know what you think.

Black Friday, Small Biz Saturday & Cyber Monday

Mornin' all!

See the title? My weekend was:

work Friday
Sew Saturday
Sew Sunday

Did not go anywhere! Also, Mount Wash Me is gone! Yahoo! I made blocks like crazy. Hope to post some pics later this week. You are going to love the new book I got. Hint--it involves strips!

What did you do this weekend?

The day before, the day before Thanksgiving

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Tool Time Tuesday is taking a break today. I know you are all busy doing the Thanksgiving prep, you know, baking pies and dusting. We are going to go to Shenanigan's with my sister's family. Should be fun.

Let me know, what would you like to see on Tool Time Tuesday?

Mount Wash-Me

Happy Sunday evening,

Well Mount Wash-Me (family nickname for the laundry pile) is just about conquered. I still have one basket (towels, etc) to go. I still don't get it, how can two people generate so many dirty clothes? Or is it that I just don't do laundry often enough?

Got a couple more Swoon blocks done. Love this! A few more to do, time to sash. I think an overall pattern of snowflakes is in order. Especially since the weather gal is forecasting snow. Just a little, but as with yellow, a little goes a long way.

Tool Time Tuesday/Product Reviewers wanted

Again, congratulations to the winners. I hope you love your new tools.

What would you like to see in the future? I understand Actor is the number one dream job. So, maybe I should get on You-Tube and do some demos.

Or, would you like to see new products demonstrated?

Have you seen the new Heat 'n Bond Featherlite?

Would you like to be a product reviewer? Tell you what, first five posts will be sent a sample to try. I think you'll like it!

I'm back!

Oh the pretty things my sales reps showed me! I have to download a photo or two.

But first, congratulations to

and our second winner

Congratulations! Please email me and provide your mailing address.

Winner for Tool Time Tuesday

Good morning! I have a meeting with my Moda rep today! Seeing a couple others--so as soon as I get home, I'll select the winners.

Wonder if my rep has any leftover goodies from Market to share?

11-11-11

Veterans Day

I am thinking of my hero, my Dad.

Sure do miss you.

Tool Time Tuesday

Rulers and templates.

--Drawing Closed--

How many do you have? I have too many. Yes, I succumb to the latest gadget to make my life easier. But, do I really use them? For the most part, yes, I do.

When I first started quilting, there were no rotary cutters or neato acrylic rulers. We used Pellon and cereal cardboard to make templates. I still have some of them from the very first Log Cabin Quilt (pillow) I made.

I really like the rulers by Creative Grids. They have built in gripper dots, the lines are clear and easy to see. One downside, my quilting studio is so well lit, sometimes I have a bit of overhead glare, but nothing that I can't deal with. My fav ruler right now is the 8-1/2 by 24 inch. I have a 6-1/2 inch square that is totally gridded out with 1/8-inch lines. Love that one. Wish they still made it.

I have an extra Creative Grids 6-1/2 inch square ruler and a Marti Michell Corner Trimmer that I'm going to give away. 

The first random winner will get the ruler and the second will get the Corner Trimmer.

Tell me what your favorite ruler/template is and why. Drawing will be held Monday, Nov. 14. Good luck!

Is it Winter already?

Brrr. It's 41F outside. Guess I'll have to drag out a real coat now. Oh well. I guess I'll have to break out the fleece sheets and another quilt or two.

I really, really need a king size quilt.

My bucket list:

Double Wedding Ring
Lone Star
Irish Chain
Hunter's Star
and wait, there's more, but I can't remember them right now.

What's on your bucket list?

Have a great Tuesday--NCIS night!

Terrain Love

I love this line! It is so bright and cheery! Fall is coming too early for me. Today is supposed to be rainy and maybe windy. Oh well. Can't have Summer all year round.

My Mom helped me piece this top and now she wants one. I'm thinking I could use the scraps from the first one and a couple of charm packs and be OK. I used the floral for a border since it's my favorite print and I had to copy was inspired by Judi & Sherri. My quilting is just a simple overall with dragonflies.

Happy dance!

Got an email, the last piece (literally) of my surprise finally shipped!

I must admit

...I'm a bad blogger. But, if you can be just a bit more patient, I've got a surprise!

Wow, is it really August 31?

I'm not ready for summer to end. It just barely started. I still have trees to replant, weeds to pull and groundcovers to tame. I guess that's why they call it Labor Day?!

West Sound Quilter's Show is just around the corner and I still have a lot to do. Lots of new & fun surprises. Hope to see you there, Oct 21-23 at the Kitsap Fairgrounds.

Green Fairy Quilts

If you  have not seen this fantastic blog/charity/quilter, you need to scurry right on over. Judi & Clint are gathering donations and doing a fantastic giveaway. Got paypal change?

New project

I love making quilts for children.

I think the words Elizabeth is making will be the best for the backs. And, a great way to use scraps! Organized, of course.

http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2011/08/billboard-quilt-along-introduction.html

It starts August 8, please join in the fun!

Finally Done (almost) for Help2Hands!

Here's my first quilt with the jelly roll I got from Diane W.

Need to finish up the binding and sew on the label.

Here's number two:

I love I Spy fabrics, and took some scraps and ...

I even embroidered a special note in Romanian: "How do you say..."

This was fun!

Oh Fransson!

Have you seen this? I need another WIP like (you know).

http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2011/07/billboard-quilt-along-starts-next-week.html#comments

Can you imagine the fun that could be had? I have a quilt show in February and this would be a blast...

ps Happy Friday!

Saturday's to do list

1. Make macaroni salad for Mom's/Ethan & Jacob's birthday party today
Done--it was delicious!
2. Attach Mount Wash-Me (don't ask) Didn't happen--
3. FINISH my charity quilts! (again)
4. Remove science projects from fridge. OK, had to do this.
5. Really, do you think I have time for anymore?

Have a great Saturday!

The Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long

I've finally given in and got my book. What fabrics?

Camille is using Ruby. Wish I had that. Sherry is using Flurry. Hmm. Batiks? Maybe. Solids, not so sure. Civil War? Kinda saving those for a special Miss Rosie Quilt or two.

What are you using?

Desperate Housewives

Good morning!

Need a new project? Well, this one should be a hoot!

http://quiltjane.blogspot.com/2011/06/desperate-housewifes-quilt.html

If I'm chosen, should be a challenge. Which technique should I use? I'm a gsdget girl, so should it be a paper piece? Embroidery via the inkjet printer? I Spy something? Hmmm, time to think.

What would you like to see?

Tme for a change...

Hope to have the blog updated, the store reopened and a new outlook. Thank you for following my new adventure. I need a new logo and desperately need a banner. Ideas?

June

June already? Still spring here. Are we skipping summer altogether?

Sneak peaks...

 I've been a busy girl! Well, not compared to some people who have their quilt done. Let me show you where I am...



Take two strips, cut them in half at the fold.





Sew them together,





Cut into 2-1/2 inch pieces.



How do they look?



Here's a few.

Sneak peak. Did  mention I love my Accuquilt GO!

I do! New dies are coming soon. Have a great day!



Hands 2 Help Challenge fabric!

Got my fabric--

Time to choose a pattern.

Thanks Diane!

Hands 2 Help check in

Got my partner today, she lives in Tennessee. Now to pick out fabric mail it out and get sewing! And get her fabric in the mail. Hopefully I can show some sneak peaks tomorrow.

I saw this and had to help. You should too. It will make you happy and spread some love.

Hands 2 Help