We've Been Saved! :-)

Darlene calls him "Cutie, Sweetie and RJ" and here she refers to him as her DH (we've been told that means Dear Husband). We don't care what she calls him, we're going to refer to him as our DH, but that means Devious Hero to us because he saved us from becoming "Wabbit Stew". teehee!

We're trying to figure out how to get back to work on our secret project but she's keeping a close eye on us so............................ stay tuned. We'll be back vewy, vewy soon.

Naughty can be nice!
Thimbles and Joy

A Minute of your Time!

A few days ago my fingers walked across my keyboard to Peri's blog to do my part. So please take a minute of your time to do your part to help with the fight against cystic fibrosis. And, the bonus - you might win the beautiful pictured quilt.

In Friendship!

Checking In!

Taking a few minutes this morning to spend some time with all of you and share some of what's been keeping me busy. Get comfortable this is a long post! :-)

My friends Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs are preparing for Spring Market coming up mid-May in Portland, OR. They have four adorable charm patterns called Amanda, Bertha, Charlotte and Dora and in preparation for "School House" at Market we've been making a bunch of these charm quilts. I've lost count of the number I've made (pieced and quilted). Yes, they are cute but when you make more than 10+ of each they are not so cute. LOL
I have pictures of two of them and I'll try to remember to get pictures of the other two.

This one is Dora (approx 28" x 28").

This one is Charlotte (approx 32" x 32").

When I drop into my spot on the couch in the evenings to watch the Diamondbacks I've been working on more Polka Dot Girls blocks.

And, I've finished the next section of the Four Seasons block of the month.

I see that my friends Thimbles and Joy have been attempting to keep you entertained. I heard them working with my sewing machine so I'm not sure what they've been up to but I'm going to attempt to thwart their efforts. We're having "Wabbit Stew" for dinner. LOL

I hope you've enjoyed my update! And, thank you for sticking with me.

In Friendship!

The Nerve Center!

This is Darlene's sewing machine aka 'the nerve center'. She was working in the other room most of the day so we decided to take advantage of the photo op. teehee!

Wait till you see what else we've been up to today. We'll be back soon to show you.


Remember....Naughty can be nice,


Thimbles & Joy

Thimbles and Joy Here Again!

We didn't think we'd be back so soon but look at what happened to us - we were only trying to help! When Darlene saw that we'd been playing on her blog she tried to lock us up. LOL We had the last word because we got out. hahahahahahaha!!!! Joy used her big ears to push the lid off the yo-yo jar - had to threaten her because she didn't want to get in trouble again. I had to remind her of the 'wabbit hunter' in Oklahoma who's still hunting for her. She pushed those big ears and we were free! WooHoo!!!! Scroll down we have something to show you cuz now we're getting even with Darlene. teehee ;-)



She's been making lots and lots of charm quilts for Me & My Sister Designs and she left one out on her cutting table. We're ready to scoot under the quilt if we hear her coming. LOL

Remember our credo - Naughty can be nice, Thimbles and Joy

A Note from Thimbles and Joy

Can you see me (Thimbles) in the picture - that's me, the short fluffy one trying really hard to be discreet so Darlene doesn't know what we're doing. I told Joy that she needed to camouflage herself, too, but she didn't listen. She never listens to me. Sigh - another story for another day. ;-)

Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do so Joy and I are here to keep this blog interesting.

I'll bet Darlene hasn't told you what's been keeping her so busy. Bet she hasn't she told you that she's been helping the girls from Me & My Sister Designs get ready for Spring Market next month. And, Darlene is self-employed and suddenly business is booming and she's doing some stuff outside of our home, too. These are all good things but happening at the same time makes for a very busy Darlene. She's not just busy, she's quite boring, too. LOL (don't you dare tell her I said that)

Last night I overheard Darlene saying to her DH (what does that mean, anyway???) that she was missing her regular blogging. I think she's addicted to this blogging thing - teehee! When she can find a few minutes to just sit, she's been doing some stitchery and making yo-yos. I think she's planning some sort of contest with those yo-yos - I strongly suggest that you keep checking back.

I hope you've enjoyed our report! We'll try to do this again soon. :-)

Naughty can be nice - Thimbles & Joy

Keeping You Interested :-)

Edit: These ladies I've been showing are from a collection of patterns called The Polka Dot Girls by Red Brolly (Bronwyn Hays). I'm not aware of a US source however I order most of my Australian stitchery patterns from Honeysuckle Cottage in AU.

Something Had To Give!


For almost two months I've been burning the candle at both ends - in other words I'm super busy and I seem to be meeting myself coming and going. Don't misunderstand me, please, I'm not any busier than anyone else but....................................


With all that's on my plate my blog has been on my mind:
I'm not posting as often as I'd like, I'm not responding to comments, I'm not visiting blogs as I'd like. This is causing some stress because I'm feeling a bit guilty. So something had to give and after much thought I've decided that I need to take a hiatus from my blog.


I have many saved e-mails containing comments and when I drop into a chair rather than making another mindless yo-yo or taking a stitch on my Polka Dot Girls I'll respond to your queries and comments but I ask that you be patient. :-)


And, lastly I'd like to ask that you not forget me because I'll be back! :-)


I remain..............

In Friendship!

More Yo-Yos :-)

I've been adding a yo-yo or two to my jar as time permits! teehee!

I have nothing exciting to share with you! I've been sewing and quilting but nothing I can share or show and I'm still burning the candle at both ends. Sigh!

Thanks for visiting and for leaving a comment - come again!

In Friendship!

More Polka Dot Girls

Another Polka Dot Girls block done!

I've received several e-mails asking how many strands of floss I use or if I use perle cotton. I have a tendency to twist my needle when I stitch so I use two strands of floss because I can control them better than I can one strand of perle cotton.

I don't like to make knots on the back of my work so I'd like to share how I start stitching without a knot.

I will cut my floss twice the length that I think I will need - bring the ends together and thread my needle. I then bring my needle up from the back of my work but before I pull it tight I go back down, making my first stitch and slipping my needle through the loop I created when I brought the ends of my floss together. I then pull that first stitch taut and continue stitching. If you don't currently use this method I hope you will give it a try. :-)

Thanks for stopping by to visit and please come again!

In Friendship!

Yo-Yos!

My life has been like a yo-yo lately :-) My days have been hectic, busy and exhausting and while I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I don't see it yet. ;-)

Stay tuned for more about this jar of yo-yos. teehee!

Thanks for stopping by - please don't give up on me!

In Friendship!

Another Polka Dot Girl block!

All work and no play makes me a very boring blogger!

Bear with me as I get through these busy days. My plate is overwhelmingly full - in fact I probably could use another plate to handle the overflow! :-)

Don't give up on me! I appreciate that you stop by even when I have nothing new for you to read about or see. Sigh!

In Friendship!

SHHHHH - I'm Suppose To Be Working!!!

Yes, I'm suppose to be working but I just couldn't help myself. I really couldn't - the blocks were sitting in front of my sewing machine taunting me. In fact, I swear I heard them calling me - LOL!

2 Simplicity Layer Cakes + yardage for the sashing = Blossom by Fig Tree Quilts. Obviously it still needs an outer border but I need to make that decision now that the center is done. Any thoughts?

OK, I must stop playing for now! Thanks for visiting!

In Friendship!

Polka Dot Girls and Thank yous!

Need to say thank you and acknowledge some recent awards and tags:

From Connie @ Simply Quilted this wonderful "I Love you this much award". Connie, thank you so much - you know you really touched my heart!

From Nanette @ Freda's Hive this "You Make My Day" award. Thank you, Nanette - you make my day everyday, as well. :-)

And, Amanda @ Busy Little Quilter tagged me to list 7 Weird or Random Things about myself. I've done this a couple of times and I've run out of things I want the world to know about me. LOL If I listed more it would scare off everyone. :-) I appreciate the tag, Amanda!

I'm not going to tag anyone because so many have been tagged already!

And, another completed Polka Dot Girls block!

Thank you for visiting my simple blog - come back soon!

In Friendship!

3 Inch Blocks :-)

Take a look at Wendy's blog to see the sweetest rail fence quilt made with 2 1/2" finished rail fence blocks. I love that quilt and I appear to be hooked on 3" blocks - LOL. I want to make another quilt but not sure which blocks to use. So sometime in February as Wendy and I were finishing our 3" nine patch swap I started playing with 3" finished shoo-fly, nine patch and rail fence blocks. Any of these blocks would make an adorable quilt. Sigh! :-)
Maybe three quilts. LOL

Thanks for letting me share!

In Friendship!

JOY has arrived - literally! :-)


I literally found "Joy" in my mailbox late last week. And, I have to say that I was stunned to find this adorable "wabbit". And, she's mine, all mine. :-)

Let me share the letter that was enclosed with "Joy":

Hello Auntie Darlene,

My mummy said I could come and live with you, cuz it's not safe in Oklahoma anymore, with those nasty wabbit hunters. You can see my ear is bent and my head tilts a little. That's cuz I got caught under the fenze, trying to wun away from the wabbit hunter. Mummy say's my cuzin Thimbles is living with you in your sewing room. She say's if I'm a good girl you might let me live in there with her, amongst all those lovely warm quilts. I promize I'll be a good girl. Oh and mummy said to tell you that name is JOY. She says sometimes you can't remember where you left your joy, so she thought she'd send me to remind you to look in your sewing room."

As I was reading this sweet note I laughed and cried at the same time. In fact I read the note several times because I was truly stunned. The sweet Angel in blogland that sent "Joy" to me is Linda @ All Stitched Up. I don't know how I will ever thank Linda for this sweet sentiment - talk about touching my heart. So, Linda, I heart you! :-) Thank you so much!

So, then I introduced Joy to Thimbles and since then they've been romping and playing in my sewing room. Oh my goodness they are having way too much fun!

Here they are on my kitchen table, posing and looking sweet! :-)

As I was walking away with the camera I overheard Thimbles whisper to Joy - "this quilted table topper and I match, do you think Auntie Darlene will let me have it". You should know that she's been begging me for a quilt of her own. LOL I bet it won't be long before Joy starts begging for a quilt, too.

Thank you for letting me share! And, Linda, once again, thank you so much! You are a true Friendship Angel.

In Friendship!

Happy Easter to you and yours!

My Source for Australian Stitchery Designs

I've had a handful of e-mails asking where I purchased the Polka Dot Girls stitchery patterns. I love to do business with Kim @ Honeysuckle Cottage in AU. I've also ordered my Leanne's House and Cinderberry Stitches patterns from Kim. She provides very quick and excellent service!

If you order from Kim, tell her I sent you! :-) Enjoy!

In Friendship!

Polka Dot Girls

I'm on the mend - not 100% but better than I was earlier this week. Last night while watching three Law and Order episodes I finished stitching another Polka Dot Girl(s) block.

Wendy has finished her 9 patch quilt - you must visit her blog and take a peek. It's stunning! Yes, I'm going to repeat myself - sorry, bear with me! Last August I asked Wendy if she would like to exchange 3" finished 9 patch blocks and lucky for me she excitedly agreed. Now, we each have a wonderful quilt filled with a memories to share for years to come. I've participated in block swaps in the past but never a one-on-one swap and I much prefer the one-on-one version. If you have an opportunity to do something like this with a far away friend, I highly recommend it.

Thank you for all the get well wishes - I appreciate your kind words! And, do stop by to visit again!

In Friendship!

Sniffing, Sleeping & Stitching!

On Sunday I was feeling a bit punky and as the day progressed I felt worse. Got up Monday morning with a terrible head cold. Consequently, I've been spending time either on the couch or in bed. While on the couch I've managed to do some stitchery. Some work on my primitive Four Seasons project (need more DMC #300 to finish one of the blocks) and work on my Polka Dot Girls project. I can't remember when I started stitching the PDG's and then stopped to finish my Quilter's Journey project and am just getting back to The Girls. I'd forgotten how cute they are. LOL

Back to my regularly scheduled sniffing and stitching. :-)

Thanks for stopping by - come again!

In Friendship!