32 Stars!!!

They are all done - yes all 32 stars are done. WooHoooooooo!!!! I usually have lots of fun when I'm working on a new project but this one has had me smiling since the first cut last Saturday evening. :-)

Thank you so much for encouraging me to share them with you! And, a special thank you for all your compliments on my fabric combinations.
I appreciate your visit - please come again soon!

In Friendship!

I Can't Stop!

(they are like potato chips - snicker)

These blocks are so much fun to make - 15 out of 32 are finished! WooHoo!!!! I think I need to stop showing these to you - bet you're bored. I'll show them again when I have all 32 finished. :-)

I hope that you and yours have had a wonderful Memorial Day. My DH is retired from the Air Force and I'm thankful everyday for the sacrifices he made for our country. And, we appreciate all the sacrifices that so many made, as well.

Thanks for stopping by! Come again!

In Friendship!

Loving Those Stolen Moments!

I've had all the pieces parts for this project languishing in a huge zip lock bag for a couple of months. I found it and set it aside while digging in my closet for the white tone on tone fabric for my Bees Knees project. As I was working on the Bee Knees project this project kept calling out to me ----- so I thought 'what the heck' - LOL! It took me a while to get my head wrapped around this block - I mean look at all the pieces! I've got a ton of worrisome stuffus cluttering my head so I enlisted the assistance of my Sweetie. I felt like a child needing help with a word problem in my math homework (remember those word problems? Ugh!!!) LOL It was a huge DUH moment but once I had one block assembled I was good to go. snicker! I have 27 more blocks to make but each block is a new adventure so I'm having a ton of fun!

I hope that you're finding a few stolen moments to play with your needle and thread!

I appreciate your visits - come again soon - until then I remain...................

In Friendship!

p.s. thank you, Sweetie for being my hero and coming to my rescue! ;-)

Stolen Moments!

Busy days ahead so I'm going to have to rely on stolen moments in order to spend time with my sewing machine. I'm going to spend a little time doing some pre-cutting so that when those moments present themselves I won't be wasting time trying to decide what to do. In a moment yesterday I pulled a Sweet Sixteen bundle of Bees Knees by Glenna Hailey and cut 8" squares - this morning I cut 8" squares of a sweet background tone on tone.

And, I'm heading to the dark side, as well - LOL. I'm going to press my Miss Jump's Scrapbag fat quarter bundle because I have a project in my mind's eye! Need to be prepared to take full advantage of those stolen moments!

Thanks for popping by to visit with me - come again and please come often...............until then I remain.........

In Friendship!

It's Just Too Hot!

Yesterday we broke a record - 14 consecutive days with triple digit temps - ugh! So, what's a girl to do? Well, stay inside with the a/c and sew the day away. :-) Yes, another 'instant gratification' project. "IG" projects are really good for the quilting soul - you get to cut fabric and just sew to your heart's content without regard for much.

I used a Snippet's layer cake by American Jane and Moda (all 42 layer cakes - woohoo) to make these ginormous snowballs! The picture is awful - would have better to spread the flimsy on the floor - hmmm!!!

Two fun days in my sewing room but today I must wander out into the heat. Life must go on! :-)

So as I skip away humming "Another one bites the dust", I wish you a good day and remain..........

In Friendship!

And, I Sewed...........

A much needed 'me' day spent in my sewing room + a project, from start to finish, at the end of the day = bliss!

Some will call this a square in a square block and some will call it a boxed square block. I used a Harvest Home charm pack and some yardage from At Water's Edge and Harvest Home all by Blackbird Designs and Moda. This is the best picture I could get - the colors are so subtle!

I appreciate your visit - come again soon!

Until then I remain.........

In Friendship!

Home Sweet Home!

A very busy week with my Mom and now I'm home. Thank you all so much for your well wishes for my mom - she's doing great. She'll need help again in early June but my sister will be there this time.

Thank you, thank you and thank you for your incredible responses regarding the "Lunchbox Sewing Kit". So many terrific ideas. Stay tuned because I'm going to start filling the box and then we'll just have to play a little game to celebrate.

I need time for me so today is a designated day in my sewing room to play, play and play some more. I'm planning to spend time attempting to catch up with my e-mails and such and blog reading - can't wait to see what you've all been up to while I was away. I'm anticipating an inspirational journey through the blogs!

Thanks so much for popping by to visit - please come again and come often.

Until then I remain....

In Friendship!

While I'm Gone!

(it's all about YOU)

My reservations have been made and I'm packing my bags because I'm going to Texas to assist my mom with a health matter. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone however I don't anticipate longer than 10 days to two weeks.

When I return it'll be time to celebrate my 3rd blogging anniversary - yes, I've been blogging for three years! Hard to believe!!!! So, to celebrate I plan to have a giveaway.

Recently Laurie of Minick & Simpson shared on their blog her "lunchbox tin sewing kit". After obtaining permission from Laurie to basically copy her idea I started planning the giveaway to celebrate my 'blogiversary'. Thank you, Laurie!

I'd like your input.

What would you like to find inside a "Lunchbox Sewing Kit" like this one?

I will have internet access while I'm at my mom's so I'll be enjoying your ideas and suggestions.

Until next time, I remain..............

In Friendship!

Early or Late?

HMMM - I'm going to side on 'early' - LOL! This is all I've managed to accomplish the past few days but my sewing room is still very, very clean. :-) By the way, thank you so much for all the wonderful comments and compliments on my sewing room aka "Darlene's Haven".

Let me tell you about these Santas! I have such a tendency to finish the embroidery and then come to a screeching halt. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll not only finish the embroidery but the entire quilted wallhanging in time for Christmas. There are 12 Santas and 20 motifs for the corner posts in the sashing. The pattern is called "Here Comes Santa Quilt" and it's by Bird Brain Designs.

Thanks for popping by to visit with me - I hope you'll come again and often!

In Friendship!

Phase One - Done! WooHoo!
(are you bored?)

I have completed phase one of the sewing room clean up :-) More phases coming!!!!!

I was in bed at 8:30 pm last night - I was one tired woman. LOL My hubby stopped in the doorway, smiled and said, "Wow, it's so light and airy - you have to take some pictures for your blog". He's such a sweetie! :-)

This is the 'sewing and computing' area of my room. Makes me so happy to see it like this! In a future phase (very soon) I will start pulling the 'stuffus' out of the cupboards to start the big sort.

This is the cutting counter across from my sewing machine - it's the first time it's been cleared off in many, many months! Now, you see the shelves above the cutting counter? Ugh! I need to take everything out of there and do some decluttering and rearranging. I'm not sure what phase that will be done in but soon! And, the drawers and cupboards below the cutting counter will be cleaned out, too. Maybe that area will be one complete phase. HMMMM!

There's still a ton of work to be done!

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Thanks so much for stopping by - please come again and I promise to share something quilting related very, very soon. :-)

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In Friendship!

Clean Sweep!

It's time to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. No more talking - it's time for some serious action.

My sewing room is not a happy place right now and I need to rectify that. I simply must declutter and let go of all the 'stuffus' that's taking up precious space.

So, if you need me this where I'll be for a few days - knee deep in 'stuffus'.

Thanks for stopping by - come again real soon!

In Friendship!

More Kindness & Surprises!

First I want to say thank you for all your supportive comments and e-mails regarding the challenges facing my family right now. Thank you for indulging my request for thoughts and prayers!

A couple of weeks ago Karen at Log Cabin Quilter started pulling quilt tops 'out of the closet' and was doing an incredible show and tell. This pink and brown triple nine patch spoke loudly to me - I opened her blog that morning and was instantly in love. :-) I left a comment and told Karen how much I liked it and the next thing I know she's telling me that it's now mine and she's going to send it to me. WHAT????? No, she wasn't kidding and the box arrived earlier this week along with three pieces of fabric that will work nicely for backing. This is the picture that Karen showed on her blog - I hope she won't mind that I 'borrowed' it - I wanted you to see what I saw. :-) I have a huge pile of flimsies that need to be quilted - I have a tendency to put it off. (they do take up less room that way - LOL) I made a promise to myself that I will quilt this one very, very soon.

Scroll down - there was an additional surprise in the box!

I was shocked to find this beauty in the box, as well. I've never made a double wedding ring quilt but it's been on my "someday I want to make" list. Isn't it wonderful? I was so shocked to find this in the box that I had to double check with Karen to make sure that she meant to send this to me. Yes, it was meant to be mine!

I've been feeling a little sad and weepy lately - these wonderful surprises and others I've received recently have helped put a smile on my face. Karen, thank you so much!

I hope that you're having a wonderful day - thank you so much for popping in to visit with me and do come again soon.

In Friendship!

Distracted!

It's been a week full of challenges! The challenges concern my family! Our DD, Kristie and her family are experiencing some turmoil - I'm here to ask for your thoughts and prayers.

If you're a mom (or dad) then you know where my heart and my head are at this time.

Thank you!

In Friendship (with a very heavy heart)

Leaders & Enders

I've been thinking! Don't run away - it's really OK! :-)

Carrie P shared with me that she'd taken a class with Bonnie of Quiltville fame and she mentioned 'leaders & enders' in her e-mail. I read Bonnie's blog and have visited her Quiltville website and been in awe of all the scrappy quilts she makes and so many utilizing her 'leaders & enders' technique.

Take note of the picture and you'll see a scrap of binding that I've used as a leader and I have one just like it that I'll use as an ender. Obviously, those little scraps of binding will get tossed when it's full of thread. I will have nothing to show for that little bit of sewing. Sigh!

So, I'd like to know if you use a leader to start sewing - do you use a leader that will eventually be used in a quilt block or are you like me and just use a scrap. Heck maybe you don't even use a leader.

I'd love it if you would share your way!

Thanks for stopping by! Come again soon!

In Friendship!

One Lump or Two?

In my post earlier this week I failed to show you this adorable little tidbit.

It's a "Sugar Cube" pincushion and was a featured project on Moda Bake Shop. It looks HUGE in the picture but it's only 2" square. :-)

I sat down on Friday for a couple of hours and had it finished before I knew it.

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Thanks for popping in - please come again soon!

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In Friendship!

A Needle, Thread & My Hands!

I really enjoy handwork and have found myself craving it lately. I've been doing quite a bit of hand embroidery but not much hand applique. I know exactly why - it's the prep - I wonder if someone would just prep for me? LOL

Here's what I've managed to finish the past few days:

The red work version of A Tisket, A Tasket by Bunny Hill Designs (block #4)

The appliqued version of the same. I'm not super crazy about my fabric choices but done is done. LOL

Then I decided I needed a new applique project. :-) I prepped and appliqued block #1 from "Fit to Frame: Pattern Thirteen" by Lori Smith. I enjoyed working on this little block and look forward to the other 11.

I looked across my bedroom, spotted this quilt on the back of a chair and took a closer look not believing what I was seeing. The binding was sewn on but not sewn down. How the heck did that happen? I love to sew down the binding and this has been quilted for a long time. So, I've been working on the finishing the binding.
BTW, this is my own design with lots of charm packs. If you've been reading my blog for awhile you might remember it. It screams 'Summer'. :-)

I hope you've enjoyed your visit today - thank you so much for stopping by - please come again soon.

In Friendship!

I just realized that I forgot one little thing - I'll show you later.

Still with me????

My computer has been a little under the weather, so to speak. My Sweetie has spent quite a bit of time the past few days working on it and we're fixed. WooHoo! During the BIG REPAIR we had to delete some files and such so if you're waiting for a response to an e-mail bear in mind that I may have deleted it. I'm basically starting all over again with a ton of stuff.

In case, I've forgotten - Thank you Sweetie - you're my Computer Angel.
:-)

I've been busy becoming one with my needle and thread and doing some handwork (embroidery, hand applique and binding) - come back tomorrow and I'll have pictures.

Thanks for stopping by - come again soon!

In Friendship!

Happy Easter!

This is our new 'family portrait' - check our our new ride - wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

left to right:

Bea Happy Bunny from Nan at Quilting in Doxieland
Joy from Linda at All Stitched Up
Thimbles from Anna at Thimbleanna
Miss Millie from Lorraine in OZ
Snippet from Janet at Quiltsalott

We're not sure what Darlene is doing but we thought it was time to have a family portrait taken and pop in to say

Happy Easter!

Thanks for stopping by to visit with us - ok for visiting with Darlene! We hope you'll come again very soon!

Naughty can be nice!

Bea Bunny, Joy, Thimbles, Miss Millie and Snippet

The Surprise from Canada

"in friendship"

When my DH walked into my sewing room and handed me a medium sized box that he'd retrieved from our mailbox I looked at him like he had two heads because I wasn't expecting anything much less from someone in Canada. I took a quick glance at the return address and knew immediately it was something from Kaaren at The Painted Quilt. Still a little confused though because Kaaren and I had not chatted about my address, etc. HMMMM! Very intrigued I tore the box open. On top of the lavender tissue filled box I found a card with the sweetest note and she explained the goodies inside the box were sent "in friendship" - well you know that sent me right over the top and my eyes filled with tears. The tears fell when I found the most adorable wool penny rug in the box. Kaaren had shown a couple of penny rugs on her blog recently and we exchanged e-mails about how much I loved penny rugs and anything made with wool but I can't work with wool. I'm allergic to the lanolin in the wool (it's a natural ingredient so it's in the fiber and will bother me even if the wool has been washed). I'd also shared my story with Kaaren that a acquaintance promised to make a penny rug for me and that never happened. When I showed it to my DH and explained the story behind it he too was touched by Kaaren's kindness. By the way, you'll notice in the picture a Cadbury Egg and a carved Santa pin that Kaaren painted and signed. (it's a package of 6 Cadbury Eggs but the package looked tacky next to my adorable penny rug).

Kaaren, thank you so much for sending these delightful surprises "In Friendship" - you truly have touched my heart and put a huge smile on my face.

You never know where you're going to find a friend and I have found many through blogging. Thank you!

I appreciate your visit - please come again soon!

In Friendship!

Past and Present

I'm back! Have you missed me? Oh, I sure hope so. I'm back in blogging form and should be visiting with you again in the next day or two.

Need to thank Miss Snippet for filling in for me while I was sickly. She came through for me! You gotta admit though she is quite the little cutie! LOL

I took the time this week to quilt this flimsy from 'the past'. The flimsy is not quite a year old (finished it in May '08) so I feel really good that's it quilted and ready to hang right after Easter. The pattern is called "Keyholes" and can be found in the book "On A Roll Again" by Anka's Treasures. My local quilt shop asked if I'd make a sample for her store using a "Swanky" Layer Cake by Moda and I happily obliged. This is a super quick project - got the 'guts' done on Thursday afternoon and evening and the borders added on Friday evening. You've seen this around blogland - it's called "Spice Cake" by Mary's Cottage Quilts and perfect for Layer Cakes (10" squares). Cooper checked it out and told me that he likes it, too. :-)

Come back tomorrow and I'll share pictures of a truly touching surprise I received from a friend in Canada. Believe me, when I tell you I shed crocodile tears of joy. This sweet and lovely surprise came to me 'in friendship'. :-)

Thanks so much for visiting with me - come again real soon.

In Friendship!