Out of Order & CTTY

Sunday morning when I walked into my Happy Place my sewing machine growled at me. I stepped a little closer thinking I might be hearing things and it growled even louder and then the words "step away from the sewing machine". LOL

It's National Sewing Month but no one said I had to use my sewing machine. Remember I MUST sew every day this month so I opted to start a new hand embroidery project - sewing by hand is the next best thing. This pattern is Snowmen A to Zzzz... by Crabapple Hill Studio. I opted to start with the letter C (candy cane) because I thought it was cute. The whole pattern is very cute but this little snowman/woman reminds me of me - short and fluffy. LOL

I'm hoping to have it completed by Thanksgiving so I can use it to decorate for Christmas but time will tell. :-)

Speaking of Christmas - teehee!!! If you haven't already decided to join us in our quest to make gifts for Christmas it's not too late. Remember making your gifts now will make for a less stressful holiday season for you. Cheryl has been posting lots and lots of tutorials. If you're simply not sure what you might want to make then take a peek at her blog. It's chock full of fabulous ideas.

And, if you participate this month you'll be eligible to win a little something from me.
This little something could be something you keep for yourself or you could simply add it to your Christmas gift box to give to a friend.

I hope you're enjoying pieceful days.
Thank you for visiting with me - come again soon.

In Friendship!

Seriously Having Fun

September is National Sewing Month and I MUST sew. :-) It's important that I do my part - are you doing yours?

Today I spent the entire day in my sewing room - practically from sun up till sundown. I'm very blessed with a husband who says "you must sew". He had leftovers for lunch and hot dogs for dinner. This man is very low maintenance - a definite keeper. LOL

I was ready to get busy with my Vintage Modern pieces/parts (remember I've already made two quilts - Picnic and Boardwalk - out of the fat quarter bundle I have). I needed the green w/white dots so a friend put a chunk in the mail yesterday afternoon and I got it today. WooHoo!

I started measuring, cutting, sewing, etc and by sundown I had the guts of my Vintage Holiday quilt. I'll order the border fabric early next week and it'll be an official flimsy very, very soon. I decided I needed to add corner stones - Mr Daze says this makes it mine. :-)

Vintage Holiday by http://camilleroskelley.typepad.com/(Vintage Modern fabric by Bonnie & Camille for Moda)

This week has been all about BIG Christmas packages and BIG Christmas ornaments. :-)

I've managed to keep my Happy Place very tidy however tomorrow I have to do a little dusting and vacuuming, much to Cooper's chagrin.


Thank you so much for popping in to visit - please enjoy a pieceful day.


In Friendship!

A Rainy (Weepy) Kind of Day

Another fun day in my happy place. :-) The sky was doing some serious raining (weeping) this morning when we rolled out of bed. It continued to rain (weep) for most of the day. We don't have very many rainy days but when we do I must admit I love to spend the time in my happy place. There's just something about it. :-)

Lots accomplished - woohoo!!!

These were the first three blocks of the 2008 Designer Mystery BOM and they have resided at the top of my design wall for a very long time.
Today I finished the rest :-)


I finished the 12th block at 2:30, just in time to head out the door to pick up this cutie at school. This is Eli, my 8 year old grandson (aka the blonde child). And, one of Shaye's big brothers - the other one, Seth, is 15. You might notice that he's carrying his Scooby Doo umbrella, after all it was raining. We have so few rainy days that I fear Eli might be carrying that umbrella when he's a senior in high school. LOL Don't tell him his Nana said that. :-)
(pardon the dirty shirt - he's a busy boy)

We stayed to visit with our daughter and all the little people for a bit and then headed home to cook dinner. Now that I'd finished all twelve blocks I really needed to locate that elusive finishing kit. During our little commute time I thought I had figured out where the kit might be so I was super excited to get home. Guess what - it wasn't there. I spent quite a bit time searching, digging, more searching, more digging - it's hiding really well. I was getting incredibly frustrated and came very close to tears. In fact, I'd been weepy most of the day (just like the sky), sensitive to the tone of some one's voice (on the phone or in person), weepy if I didn't assemble part of a block correctly, etc. Just weepy!

Rather than continuing to be frustrated over the elusive finishing kit I decided to jump into a new project. Vintage Modern to the rescue - LOL

The first two ornament blocks of Vintage Holiday by Camille Roskelley of Thimble Blossoms. They were fun so I'm anxious to assemble the other 10.


We made a quick stop by the nearby grocery store because I was in desperate need of spray starch. I couldn't resist the BIG box of Hot Tamales - perfect nourishment while one is sewing. :-)


Maybe I need to consider breaking open that BIG box right now. LOL


Enjoy a pieceful day - thank you for stopping by.


In Friendship!

Measuring, Cutting, Sewing

(repeat)

Yes, today there was lots of measuring, cutting and sewing. Made for a very happy ME. :-)

My Joyful Packages (aka Flurry by Kate Spain for Moda) quilt is officially a flimsy. And, guess what???? I have some yardage that I believe will work perfectly as the packing. Seriously, wouldn't that make a very happy you? LOL

Made with Joy by Kate Spain for Moda

In 2008 I signed up for a beautiful Designer Mystery BOM from the Fat Quarter Shop. I diligently made the first six blocks and then stopped. Don't ask me why. Who knows why I do what I do. LOL Anyway, not long ago I decided it was time to locate the rest of the block kits and get busy. That finally happened today! Shocked??? It's OK, so am I. LOL

I immediately cut and pieced block #7 with happy results. :-) I was going to continue in that fashion and then decided I'd just cut the remaining five blocks.

Wheee doggies - tomorrow I'll be sitting at my machine piecing these beauties. :-)

I'm looking for a volunteer to come help me dig for the finishing kit - are you available - anyone?

LOL

I wish you a very pieceful day.

In Friendship!

Determined to Sew!

Wish I had more but this is it. :-)

Actually there is more but I need to find my buddy, Jack the Ripper because there's a need for a whole lot of ripping. Ugh!

I've decided that I get more sewing accomplished when I'm not trying so hard. LOL

Enjoy a pieceful day.

In Friendship!

Does It Count?

The list of chores wasn't very long and I had most accomplished before noon. :-) Stepped into my sewing room to do a little sewing and a little sewing is all there was. Ugh.

When Mr Daze walked in from his morning bowling league we had a quick lunch and then he suggested we go to the grocery store together. Didn't take long to accomplish that task but when we returned I wasn't feeling very well. I decided I'd take a little nap and slept 4 hours.

So, a little sewing is all I accomplished today. I hope that tomorrow is a much better day.

I hope you enjoyed a pieceful day.

In Friendship!

Christmas Sewing on Labor Day

I assembled enough packages for my Joy(ful) Gifts quilt. There were plenty of prints for me to do the cornerstones and such however I want to make a second quilt (for my daughter & her family) so I had to stop to do a little planning and thinking. (oops very long sentence). I think a couple of fat quarters and a charm pack should do it.

It was time to stop for bit - that snippet bucket is definitely overflowing. LOL

I'm trying to do my part, September is National Sewing Month, are you? :-)

I have a long chore list for the day but I will be back in my Happy Place later today.

Enjoy a pieceful.

In Friendship!

Sunday Sewing

:-)

I used the sweet pastel prints to assemble my latest hand embroidery project - Betsy's Closet by Brenda Riddle. I started this a few months ago when Brenda first introduced the pattern then set it aside. When I watch TV I have to keep my hands busy so out it came. LOL I plan to do it again very soon in redwork. Then there will be two - one for Shaye and one for Shaye's Nana (me). :-)

BTW, Brenda just introduced a new adorable pattern called "Benji's Pocket - In Stitches"

I'm using the Joy layer cake (by Kate Spain for Moda) to make a Christmas quilt or two. I saw Cheryl's last week on her blog and went absolutely bonkers over it. When I can't stop thinking about something then I know I absolutely must do it. Such silliness, I know.

This was a free project sheet on the Moda Fabrics website but it's no longer showing. I printed it out last year however when I was cleaning my sewing room I put it in a safe place. In other words I've lost it. Thank goodness Carol found hers and gave me the cutting instructions. Whew!!!
Look! More packages to be assembled. :-)


Did you sew today?



Enjoy a pieceful day.



In Friendship!

Time to Sew

(September is National Sewing Month)

Yesterday I pieced a couple of backings and bindings for some finished flimsies while I waited for the parade of Another Year of Schnibbles. I was anxiously waiting to see which project would our September project and hoped it would be from Miss Rosie's new Little Bites.

Speck was chosen and I was delighted. I loved Carrie's version (surprise - LOL) however, I don't own any Moda Candy but I had lots of Marmalade left from my Dilly Dally project. I got busy and cut my 2.25" squares, white background and started sewing. The results - my finished Speck - Little Bite. And, to add to my excitement Sherri and Sinta announced the choices for October, as well, Bounce or Hubble.....I've already made Bounce. WooHoo!!! I'm a happy girl - I'm all caught up with Another Year of Schnibbles. :-)

Little Bites - Speck made with Marmalade.

These are the new Little Bites patterns by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. They are all adorable and are on my list of projects. There's a special sale until tomorrow here - check it out.

What's on deck for today?


I'm hoping to finish up a project with these beauties! Can you say YUMMY?

I, also, plan to start a new Christmas project with this sweet Joy layer cake.

Stay tuned - I'll be back to soon to share my results of my sewing day!

I hope you'll enjoy a pieceful day - you MUST sew today and every day this month. And, if you do I hope you'll tell me about it.

In Friendship!

Well, That Was Fun!

Recently while cruising Pinterest I discovered a really cute quilt by Sweet Jane's Quilting Designs. I asked my dear friend, Carol, if she'd heard of this company and if so what did she think of the patterns. She hadn't but liked what she saw. We both spent time shopping the site and bought a handful of patterns. Then we decided it would be fun to do a sew-along together. Carol, asked that choose the pattern and I chose one called Tumbling Nine Patches. I couldn't decide what fabric to use then remembered that I still had a pile of Charlevoix by Minick & Simpson. We spent a couple of days last week end sewing and chatting via e-mail (exchanging pictures of our progress). And, we didn't allow the 3 hour difference to hinder our fun. :-)

Take a little trot to visit Carol's blog to see her adorable Tumbling Nine Patch made with Halloween prints. Hampton, Camden & Peyton are going to love it. :-)

Carol and I have been blogging friends for over 6 years and we're simply Kindred Spirits. She checked on me regularly during the time Mr Daze was experiencing challenges with his heart and during the time my mom was with us (that was a very difficult six months). I am very blessed to have her and so many other very special blog friends in my life. Often times I've thought long and hard about discontinuing my blog but I can't because I'd miss so many. I've had local friends try to tell me that my blog friends are not real friends - hmmmm - little do they know that often times it's my blog friends who come through for me.

Remember, September is National Sewing Month so we MUST sew. We simply MUST. I'll show you tomorrow what I accomplished today and I'll try to do that throughout the rest of the month. I'm going to challenge you to do the same - you don't have finish something - just what you may have done that day. Are you with me????

I'll be back tomorrow - I hope you enjoy a pieceful day.

In Friendship!

I'd completely forgotten that September is National Sewing Month. Thank you, Jocelyn, for the wonderful reminder.

I informed Mr Daze that I simply must sew all month - there will be lots of sewing. :-)

Stay tuned - I've been sewing all day - I'll be back later today to show you my September 1 results.

Until then please enjoy a pieceful day!

In Friendship!

Cleaning, Schnibbles & Christmas

(a very productive week)

Lest you think I've been sitting around doing nothing while this blog has been sitting idle. It's been a very productive week in my little corner of the world.

I spent several days cleaning and decluttering my sewing room. There's still some work to be done but I'm ecstatic with the results of my hard work. :-)

With a clean cutting area I was ready to jump into this month's Another Year of Schnibbles project Dimestore. Nothing like waiting till the last minute - LOL With encouragement from my CTTY partner in crime, Cheryl, I got it done. woohoo!!!!

I love Carrie's version of Dimestore so I, too, used Urban Cowgirl to make mine. Not very creative but I'm a happy girl. LOL (someday I'll take a straight picture-LOL)

The Christmas Through The Year Train is pulling into it's next stop - August 31. Bear in mind there are less than four months until Christmas. I hope that Cheryl's and my encouragement has paid off and you made one (or two) Christmas gifts this month. I did get one Christmas gift done but I can't show it yet - I promise I will soon. I keep encouraging you and yet I'm accomplishing next to nothing - September promises to be different because I'm planning to focus on Christmas gifts and projects. Stay tuned! :-)

I appreciate your visit - come again soon.

Enjoy a pieceful day.

In Friendship!

It's time to add your link:

We're here to do a CTTY post for Darlene because she's tidying up her sewing room - apparently digging a hole is not enough these days. It really is a huge mess - don't tell her we told you. teehee

Could be several days before you see her. LOL
Christmas is less than 4 months away - YES - it's coming! Darlene & Cheryl hope you've taken a little time to make a gift (or two) for family or friends.


This jolly guy will be ready to deliver gifts - will you be ready?

If you need some ideas please visit Cheryl - she always post some wonderful tutorials.



The CTTY Train will be making it's next stop on Friday, August 30 so you still have a couple of days to hop aboard.


Darlene will have Mr Linky ready for you to add your link to your finished gift(s).


As Darlene says "Enjoy a pieceful day".

The Wabbit Daze Gang

The Backing(s)

Sigh

Long ago I told you that I'm a simple process person - I truly enjoy just sewing and usually don't care one or the other whether or not a flimsy ever becomes a real quilt. I have piles and piles of completed quilts and probably twice as many quilt tops and I've found that the quilt tops are easier to store. LOL I know, I know some of you are shocked but it is what it is and I make no apologies. :-)

Anyway, I've been thinking about the more recent flimsies and think I'd like to get them ALL to the real quilt stage. LOL

I am now met with a challenge - the backings. Sigh! I usually try to purchase backing that is from the same line of fabric, making sure it's all matchy-matchy but the expense makes me cringe. Another Sigh!

I have a question for you.

Do you get all matchy-matchy with your backings; making sure you're using something from the same line of fabric or do you just simply use something that will look nice?

I have been known to use something that provides an element of surprise - i.e. I used some whimsical cowboys on the back of a quilt made with Civil War type fabric and everyone that looked at the back always smiled. LOL

So, tell me, what do you do?

Enjoy a pieceful day.

In Friendship!

Imagine

definitition

i·mag·ine
v. i·mag·ined, i·mag·in·ing, i·mag·ines
v.tr.
1. To form a mental picture or image of.
2. To think; conjecture: I imagine you're right.
3. To have a notion of or about without adequate foundation; fancy: She imagines herself to be a true artist.

I had a quick e-mail exchange with Monica about her upcoming retreat. I teased her that I was going to be at the same retreat. Obviously, that's not possible. LOL

I then allowed myself to imagine.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a fun bunch of blogging friends meet in one spot to have a retreat?
We'd laugh, sew, eat, sew, laugh, sew, laugh, sew, etc. We could play games - what's a retreat without some fun games? Sing along with the radio knowing most of us couldn't carry a tune but convinced we sounded like the Supremes. LOL We'd have finished projects, say our good byes (while shedding a tear or two) and we wouldn't remember why we laughed so hard. LOL

There would be some incredible memories - don't you think?

I mean, seriously, look at us ------ aren't we cute????

There is definitely a retreat happening in that picture - wish I was there! :-)

I can only imagine!

Thank you for indulging me.

Enjoy a pieceful day.

In Friendship!

Vintage Modern and Me

I've been spending lots of time in MY "Happiest Place on Earth" this week - it's just too darn hot to do anything else. Ugh!!! I was out and about quite a bit on Friday - it was 113 degrees. Bigger Ugh! Yes, I do live in the desert, the Chamber of Commerce calls it the Valley of the Sun and you already know I call it the Surface of the Sun, so I know to expect lots of heat. I swear the sun has a bit of turbo boost this year! This seriously menopausal woman does NOT like it. LOL I just want to go on record that I'm ready for much cooler temps.

I'm excited to share what I finished Saturday evening. The pattern is Boardwalk by Fig Tree Quilts with Vintage Modern by Bonnie & Camille. A couple of months ago I made Spools by Camille using California Girl by Fig Tree so I thought it was only fair to switch things up a bit. :-)

Boardwalk by Fig Tree Quilts made with Vintage Modern by Bonnie & Camille

(I plan to bind it with the same red in the corners - yum)

I feel the need to clear up some confusion regarding The Accidental Quilt I showed you a few days ago. If you visit Christine at Auntie's Quaint Quilts and scroll down to her July 14 post you'll see a quilt made using Vintage Modern. OK, in my moment of disengaged brain I thought it was Picnic from Scrap Basket Sensations by Kim Brackett. (see the resemblance) After I started assembling blocks and putting them on my design wall I realized the quilt on Christine's blog was not Picnic. Oh well - my moment of disengaged brain resulted in my beautiful Picnic quilt. The one on Christine's blog is beautiful, as well. :-)

Picnic by Kim Brackett using Vintage Modern

Our buddy, Cooper peeked around the quilt - I hope you'll say Hi. :-)

So how many quilts can one make with a fat quarter bundle of fabric? As many as one wants - LOL
Look at all the Vintage Modern fabric I still have - stay tuned I have a couple of ideas. For now, I need to step away from it. It's time for a slight change of pace. :-)

I plan to spend Sunday sitting with my Netbook going through neglected e-mails.

If I'm not playing with my Netbook then I plan to do some embroidery - it's been way too long.

Enjoy a pieceful day.

In Friendship!

Sewing?????

Why, yes I am, thank you for asking. :-)

I'm not ignoring you but I'm in the midst of another fun project. I've fallen love again - sigh - I'm so fickle! LOL

Only a few hours to sew this morning - lunch plans with friends at 11:30. But, do not dispair I will be back in my "Happiest Place on Earth" this afternoon. It's the best place to be because 'Baby, it's hot outside' - yesterday we hit 116. huge ugh!!!!!

Enjoy a pieceful day.

In Friendship!

I think I created a little confusion regarding my accidental quilt so I'll explain a bit better later.

Off to sew! teehee!

The Accidental Quilt

A few weeks ago when I was making plans to do some precutting so I could do some serious sewing I tripped across a quilt that truly captured my heart. I was instantly smitten ------ yes when it comes to quilts there is love at first sight for me. :-) I recognized the pattern, knew I had the fabric so I was good to go.

Sunday I made the first 6 - 8 blocks, arranged them on my design wall, pulled up the picture on-line just to double check layout and such. Sccccrrrrreeeeeccccchhhhhh - wait a minute - wait a dang minute - those blocks did NOT look like mine. What the heck!!!! I looked at my design wall, back at my monitor, back at my design wall, back at my monitor ------ OK you get the picture. Then all I could do was start laughing! It wasn't the same quilt - similar but definitely not the same. ROFLOL - seriously ROFLOL.

While continuing to laugh, snicker, giggle, chortle and smile I made the rest of the blocks, assembled my quilt top and stood back pleased as punch. The pattern is Picnic from Scrap Basket Sensations by Kim Brackett made with Vintage Modern but in my house it's always going to be know as "The Accidental Quilt" LOL

I think it's pretty obvious that I'm not even a good copy cat. LOL

Enjoy a pieceful day - thank you for stopping to visit.

In Friendship!

Gifts, Christmas and Sewing!

(picture heavy long post)

I decided I'd share the wonderful birthday gifts I received from special friends. They never forget! I'm sure you are aware that there are friends and then there are REAL friends. :-)

I'm very blessed to count these ladies as REAL friends. :-)

Carol at Brown Quilts 4 Me sent a package of fun. I felt like a kid in a toy store. Staples is a toy store to me. LOL These fun treasures represent the bright colors I've been using in my quilts so much in recent months. Sticky notes, a fun spiral notebook with matching pen, cute mechanical pencils, zippered bags and sadly I cut out a cute plastic box. Thank you, Carol, you definitely know me. LOL

Carol at Carol's Craft Blog sent a gift certificate for the Fat Quarter Shop and I promptly ordered With Fabric and Thread by Joanna Figueroa/Fig Tree Quilts. No grass grew under my feet - LOL

Thank you so much, Carol.

Here's a little known fact about Carol and I.....we live in the Phx, AZ area....she in the West Valley and me in the East Valley (approx 75 miles apart) and we've never met. :-)

Mary at Quilt Hollow sent the beautiful green mat. It's actually beyond beautiful - my horrible picture doesn't do it justice. I'll try to remember to post a better picture when I decide where I'm going to put it....it does need a place of honor. Mary, thank you so much!

Giftees from Wendy at Snippets of a Quilter. She knows that I'm seriously bagophobic so she surprised me with three adorable bags. The small half moon style bag is very, very cute. It's my favorite but don't tell the other two. LOL

This sweet My Buddy case was sent by a mystery friend. I've been wanting one of these cases for a very long time but just never treated myself. I've already set it up with scissors, needles, wonder clips, etc.

Thank you, Miz Mystery, you definitely ROCK. ;-)

Speaking of gifts!

We need to talk about Christmas gifts - nice segue, huh? LOL

Have you started working on Christmas gifts for the month of August? I'm not going to bug you too much today - it's too dang hot and who wants to think about Christmas NOW.

But, trust me, I will be back to bug you very soon. LOL

Sewing!
Yes, yes, yes I've been spending lots of time at my sewing machine and having a grand time. This is finish #2 of my precut projects. WooHoo!

It's Dottie by Cluck, Cluck Sew made using Sew Cherry by Lori Holt.

I'm not going to bore you with all the details of my journey with this quilt. There were lots of twists and turns; forks in the road, etc. When all was said and done I decided that I'm Lovin' It. :-)

I came very close to finishing precut project #3 this evening but we had a sudden tragedy. Please bow your heads in a moment of silence - my Rowenta died. She served me very well - 7+ years.

Guess she decided it was time to cool her steam vents. :-)

Here lies a steamy little number

RIP

Enjoy a pieceful day!

In Friendship!

Christmas Through the Year

I wasn't feeling 100% today so I'm a bit tardy with everything. Please accept my apologies!

I finally finished quilting the table runner (the prize) and will sew down the binding in the morning! If all goes well I'll visit the post office sometime in the afternoon to put this in the mail along with all the winnings from my celebrations. :-)

I spun the random generator wheel and couldn't believe who the winner is :-)

I hope she won't mind receiving this gift because she inspired me to make this project.

She's already made two!

Have you guessed?

The winner is Carol of Carol's Crafty Creations

Congratulations Carol and thank you for all the inspiration you provided with your Christmas in July projects!

Enjoy a pieceful day.

In Friendship!

End of Month Stuffus

(CTTY and AYOS)

July 31 - our next stop on our Christmas Through The Year journey. The CTTY Train is pulling in to the station as we speak.

Cheryl and I know that there are far more important things in your lives in the middle of the summer - vacations, back to school prep, avoiding the hot iron in your sewing room (teehee), etc than sewing for Christmas gift giving. I do hope you set aside a day or two to make a gift or two. By doing that you killed two birds with one stone - spending a little time with your sewing machine and keeping your stress at bay in December. :-)

Sadly, I did not follow my own advice. :-( There were no Christmas gifts made here. Sigh! Oh well, there's always August - LOL

She did it! Who and what did she do? I'm talking about Carol - she made and posted a Christmas gift or item every day in the month of July. Talk about serious inspiration - if you need inspiration you need to visit Carol. She posted a couple of collages to show everything she made. I'm in serious AWE.

Way to go - Carol!!!!

I am a DITZ - yes I am! LOL I've been wondering what Cheryl was making for the winner of this month's giveaway. OMG, OMG, July is MY month, not Cheryl's. LOL So, late last night I got busy and this is as far as I got. But-------------I will finish quilting and binding it today and post a picture tomorrow.

Mr Linky and I are on speaking terms again so please add your post at the bottom of the page. :-)

By adding your link to Mr Linky you'll be eligible to win the little something, something I'm making!

Another Year of Schnibbles

Here's my finish for July's Another Year of Schibbles. Yes, it's Bounce again but it's an official flimsy now - final borders have been added.

Thank you Sherri and Sinta for all the hard work you put into making Another Year of Schnibbles so successful.

Enjoy a pieceful day!

In Friendship!

I don't know what happened to Mr Linky but I've managed to get it back - you can see all the links at the top of the 'comments page'. Just click on "Mister Linky, you're next"