A Good Day

What a perfect day for staying home and sewing. Southern California is being blasted with storm after storm. I love it! I am continuing to make Drink Coasters to sell at my booths. Why something so simple, can be fun to make over and over, I don't know. But I enjoy making them.


I sent off my new pattern to be tested this morning. I hope Peggy likes making Beads and Baubles as much as I have.
I had lunch with my very good friend Amie. I gave her a Beads and Bauble quilt to quilt for me. Amie does beautiful work. She makes my quilts "pop",

Tessy got another shower today. Why do dogs stink again after only a few days. I am so lucky to have a dog that likes a shower. All I have to do is open up the shower curtain and in she walks. It must be all the massage and baby talk that I give her. She is the only dog that I have ever had that seems to enjoy a bath! I must have done something right to deserve her!!!

I Have Been Here All Along

Someone woke me up today!!! A dear friend, who I have never met, has encouraged me to get up, get with it and get over it!
I have been in sort of a "funk" as of late. Not sure what a "funk" is, but it feels like a good word to describe how I was feeling.
Christmas time put me in that kind of a mood. I don't really know why.
This year, I think it had something to do with Andy moving out. He had only moved back home on a temporary basis, just a few months. But I enjoyed having him here, even though he took up my dining room(his office), two bedrooms(one to sleep in and one to use as a storage room) and one bathroom. He moved into two bedrooms and a bathroom in his sister's new house. So I still see him plenty. Anyway, that's my theory on why I have been feeling a little down.
But I am all over that now.
Quilt show season is starting up for me. I haven't done a show since October.
I have been busy,making a gazillion quilted coasters. Plus, I am putting together coaster kits with directions, fabric and batting.
I have just about finished a new pattern. I will be sending it out to a tester within a week.
So, I have been busy, just not telling anyone about it!

Time is Passing Way Too Quickly

When did Christmas start coming every six months?
Does that happen at your house? I know it happens here!

I could almost swear that just a few months ago, I was putting up a Christmas tree.
The old strings of lights were blown. I remember like it was yesterday.
And I remember putting everything away a few days later.
I hate shopping at the mall. I only go if I have to at Christmas time.
I try to find other places to shop (like the internet).
So, how come I find myself shopping again, so soon after 2008 Christmas.
I am probably still paying for last year's shopping.

I ordered Netflix for my sister's family this morning.
I know I just ordered it a little while ago for last Christmas.
We planted a new tree out front last year. It still looks the same size.
Even Tessy looks the same as last year.



So how come Christmas comes again, so fast after the last one???
Time is passing way too quickly, or else someone is playing a trick on me!
This may be the reason I am dragging my feet.
Still no tree, no lights up and no presents wrapped.

What Was I Thinking?

I don't think I am supposed to be doing this, not now, not less than 10 days before Christmas.

What, you ask am I doing?

I started painting my downstairs bathroom a few days ago.

So I must not have a brain in my head?

Why this little room is taking so long, I don't know.

It started with the doors. The contractor white had faded long ago to a mellow off white. That's not so bad, but after 17 years the woodwork was really showing a bit of neglect. Time to paint the doors!
But, you know how that goes. The white doors made the old drab white walls look even drabber and more neglected. So, why not just run the roller and brush on to the walls.

Then white walls started looking really WHITE. Too white. So, I decided I needed an accent wall. I have now laid down one coat of a medium green that I think might be too dark. I am going to finish this, even if the color is wrong. I can change it later since it is just one small wall.

Anyway, long story short. I should be getting ready for Christmas instead of painting.

No tree is up, no lights are up, no presents are wrapped, no cookies are baked,
What was I thinking?

Baby Umbrella Quilt

Here are pictures of the baby quilt that got shorter. As you can see, it was really an easy fix to remove a couple of rows. I wish all problems were so easily taken care of.

Someone told me Christmas is almost here. That means I should probably do some shopping.
I need to put the sewing and quilting on hold.
But, oh, it is just so much more fun!

It Got Shorter

I quilted my little baby quilt the other day. It got shorter! Not the time it took to quilt, but the actual quilt.
And I'm not talking an inch or so. Say, how about 11 inches!

I made this cute little quilt, all baby blues, yellows and umbrellas.
I found the perfect backing. I didn't have to piece it. That's always a bonus.

I loaded the backing on the frame, or should I say I started to load the backing.
I pricked my finger with a pin, got blood on the fabric and had to take it off and put it through the washer and dryer.

OK. Do it tomorrow.

Tomorrow came. I started all over again.
Success! The simple meandering quilting that I do on the frame was looking halfway decent.

Until I saw what I did.
Did I say " Oops, I did it again"

I quilted down to the last couple of passes that I would need to make with my Juki and what did I see behind my quilt?

Canvas!!
Not cute little polka dot backing fabric, but canvas. The stuff that I pinned my backing to. The stuff that stays on the roller.

I caught myself just in time. I didn't quilt over the canvas.

I had put the quilt top on in the wrong direction. No wonder I had so much extra backing on the sides.

"So what to do" I asked myself. I could take this thing off the frame, go buy more backing, wash and dry it, sew more backing to the back, or something else.

I did the something else.

The quilt is made up of rows. So I unsewed two rows.
It got shorter.

The baby will never know.

Still Here

I'm still here. I've just been taking a break. Today I finally pinned on a small baby quilt on my Juki /Grace set up. I quilted a few passes and my back was hurting, so I will finish that tomorrow. Then I will post a photo.

I've been busy making potholders. I have put them up on Etsy to sell. They are made with flannel and are chenille on one side with Insulbright in the middle.

I started another quilt. It's a new one and will be my next pattern.
To finish it, I need some black Kona.

Sounds like a trip to the fabric store.

I put up a new item on my website.
Well.... it's only half new. I am gift wrapping Stitching Lines for you to send to quilting buddies. If you have tried Stitching Lines, I am sure you know it would make a great little
Secret Santa gift or stocking stuffer.