Beads and Baubles Quilt Pattern

I did it. I finished it. It's done! Yipee!

This pattern took me a little too long to write. Not because it is complicated. Far from that. It is very simple to make. I just started doing too many other projects that got in the way.

This pattern went through a number of name changes, some of which could have been very embarrassing. I kept changing the name in the middle of writing, so I have a ton of documents in my computer with different names. Which reminds me.......I need to clean that out.

Tessy doesn't look to happy to be sitting in front of my quilt. She really wanted to bolt for the front yard. It was all I could do to keep her still.

Beads and Baubles is really super simple to make and is a great way to use up scraps (not that we will ever use up our scraps.) But it could help it. And you still need fabric yardage for the border and lattice, so you still have reason to shop. (do we really need a reason?)

It's Show Time!

Or almost anyway.
And it seems I am a little far behind in getting ready for my first quilt show of the year.
Mid February is almost upon us.
So yesterday, I started cutting all the little 3-1/2 squares I need for demonstrating my
Stitching Lines. I need a gazillion! Yep, I do! I have been turning the finished half-square triangles into little baby quilts. But I have to pick through all the finished half-square triangles to find the right colors. This year I have a plan. I am getting a little smarter.
I picked the main fabric for the quilt first. Heh, what a concept!!

So........I found a couple of prints that will work for a baby,
a cute little cow print and a pretty little red rose on a yellow background.

Then I went through all my scraps and pulled what I thought would work.
Lucky me! The same fabrics look like they will work for both quilts.
I just have to pull the blues for the yellow and red rose print.

Unfortunately, that is not enough squares to sew.
The quilt show will outlast my squares, so I am on the same mission today.

All You Lefties Are Going To Love This

I needed a new iron for my sewing room the other day.

I have found that, for me, the expensive irons don't last any longer than the cheaper models. I've gone through two Rowentas and an Oliso that went up and down on it's own feet (that was fun to watch). So, I pretty much stick to less expensive irons. Anywhere between $12.00 and $30.00 is the right price for me. They never last more than a year or so, no matter the price.
So on my way to Target the other morning, I drove by Big Lots and thought to myself...."Why not check out their iron supply." Sure enough, they had two irons to choose from, a Black & Decker for $12.00 and a Proctor Silex for $14.00. I chose the Proctor Silex.

Well, did you know that they make irons for lefties? Yep, this iron would fit a left hand to the "t". The steam button is on the right side, not the left. And it is a real pain to use.
Every time I push the button on the right, a spray of water comes out.
I tried it with my left hand. And if I was ambidextrous, it would be perfect.
Since I have never heard of left handed irons, and even if there were irons for lefties,
I doubt a company would bother to make them and then sell them for so cheap.
I checked out five different irons at JCPenney today.
Everyone of them had the steam button on the left side.
So, I think I know why these irons are at Big Lots.
Proctor Silex goofed.

Thought I would pass this one to anyone else that might see these and figure
"Why not. I'll buy this!

New Quilt, New Pattern

I am on my way to pick up a quilt from my one and only favorite quilter, Amie. It's for my new pattern.
I have been working on this pattern for months. I just couldn't get myself motivated to finish it. But now I have sent the pattern off to a tester and the quilt to a quilter, so I am on a roll. Actually, it is a deadline that I have given myself, that made me get my act together. I want this for my next quilt show in February.
I think I probably posted this before, but this is the "before" picture.



Hah! Fooled you!!
Can't wait to see the "after". It is called Baubles and Beads or Beads and Baubles..........can't decide which it will be!

Dog Faces

Have you seen commercials or TV shows or movies where a person and their dog look very much alike?
I had a funny thought today.
Do the producers find a dog first and then put out a casting call for someone who looks like the dog, or is it the other way around? Does the actor come first?
Wouldn't the actor be a bit humiliated if he or she was told they look just like Fido?
Or does the money make up it?
Just a thought!

Ocean and Coasters

The rains are gone for now. It's a little colder outside than I would like it to be, just sweater weather. But I guess I shouldn't complain about that. The ocean was pretty dynamic this week. It was covered with white caps and foam. It was beautiful, although the only camera I had was my iPhone, so my photo is not very good.

I have been busy making a ton of quilted coasters, well, not quite a ton, but it feels like it! I am becoming addicted to them. I need to stop and do something else. But it is just so much fun to actually start and complete something so fast.

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!!!